ClientInfo Interface (SAP Library

ClientInfo Interface

Definition

The ClientInfo interface provides a range of methods for developing Java applications for mobile devices. These methods take into account the different display options for Web applications on different browsers, along with other device-specific properties – such as screen size or input method.

Use

In this way, you can use the methods of the ClientInfo interface when you create Java applications, and thus take the – often substantial – differences in the display of Web pages on different devices into account.

So that you can estimate the significance for your Web application of the methods described in the following table, some of them have been assigned a priority. For those device properties not assigned a priority, you can decide yourself whether or not you want to use them in your Web application.

Device properties can be categorized by their significance as follows:

Priority	Title	Description
1	Prerequisite	This property is prerequisite for running the mobile application at all. In general, these conditions are fulfilled by all "real" devices that fulfil the HTML or WAP standard. Emulators, however, do not fulfil these prerequisites. Thus this property need not be checked in the application. At most, you need a check program that ascertains whether or not an emulator is suitable for executing the application
2	Application does not work	If this property is not assigned a value, the application may crash on some devices – that is, may not be executable
3	Loss of information	If this property is not assigned a value, the application may not show all its information For example, a loss of information may occur if the paragraph attribute for automatic line breaks is switched off (<p mode=nowrap>) and the paragraph (in a WML page) contains text that does not fit on one line. If the mobile device does not support the isMarqueeTextSupported property, it is possible that the end of the text is simply truncated. For this reason we advise you to think carefully before switching off the automatic line break property – even if doing so would allow you, for example, to make better use of a small screen on a mobile telephone.
4	Unacceptable display	If this property is not assigned a value, the application may be displayed in a way that does not do justice to the look and feel of the device
5	Inappropriate display	If this property is not assigned a value, the application may not be displayed at its best. However, the display will not actually disturb the user.

Similarly, some properties are assigned to the markup languages WML (Wireless Markup Language) and HTML (Hypertext Markup Language) – that is, you specify the markup language for which each method is relevant and thus how it can meaningfully be used. For example, the method isFramesSupported is only significant for HTML, since only HTML-enabled browsers can interpret frames. In general, it is HTML browsers on handheld devices like PDAs and pocket PCs, WAP-enabled mobile telephones with small screens cannot display frames, because of their screen interfaces. If the appropriate table column does not contain a value, the method can be used in both markup languages.

The following source code fragment shows how you can access the methods of the ClientInfo interface:

ClientInfoFactory factory = ClientInfoFactory.newInstance();
ClientInfo clientInfo = factory.newClientInfo();
clientInfo.load(request);
if(clientInfo.isTitleSupported())
// do sth if title is supported
...
else
// do sth if title is not supported
...

Note

To obtain more information on using some of these methods in your Web application, use the links in the table.

Methods

Method	Signature	Description	Possible values	Content type	Prio.
getAccept	method getAccept returning value type String	Equivalent to the HTTP request-header „USER-AGENT".
isAlertingSupported	method isAlertingSupported returning value type boolean	Specifies whether or not the device supports messaging – for example, using SMS.	"true" or "false"		1
isAnchorSupported	method isAnchorSupported returning value type boolean	Specifies whether or not the <anchor> tag is supported	"true" or "false"	WML	1
isAnchorPrevSupported	method isAnchorPrevSupported returning value type boolean	Specifies whether or not the anchor tag supports a "Back" action	"true" or "false"	WML
isAppLinksSupported	method isAppLinksSupported returning value type boolean	Specifies whether or not you can call a local application on a device using a special link	"true" or "false"	HTML	3
getAppLinkTypes	method getAppLinkTypes returning value type String	Specifies what type of application links the device supports		HTML
isBackHardWired	method getBackHardWired returning value type boolean	Specifies whether or not you can execute the "Back" function using a fixed key without an associated tag	"true" or "false"	WML	4
getBackLabel	method getBackLabel returning value type boolean	Specifies whether or not a label attribute must be specified to display a label	"true" or "false"	WML	3
isBackToAnyUrlSupported	method isBackToAnyUrlSupported returning value type boolean	Specifies whether the <do type="prev"> tag can lead to any Web address	"true" or "false"	WML	1
isBigSupported	method isBigSupported returning value type boolean	Specifies whether or not text can be formatted as "large"	"true" or "false"	WML
isBoldSupported	method isBoldSupported returning value type boolean	Specifies whether or not text can be formatted as "bold"	"true" or "false"	WML
getBreakingSpace	method getBreakingSpace returning value type String	Returns the smallest character string for an empty space
getBrowserCategory	method getBrowserCategory returning value type String	Returns the browser category	„unknown" „pocketie" „avantgo" „imode" „palm" „wap" „epoc"
getBrowserName	method getBrowserName returning value type String	Returns the browser name	„unknown" „InternetExplorer" „NetscapeNavigator" „mobile"
getBrowserOs	method getBrowserOs returning value type String	Returns the operating system running on the device	„unknown" „HPUX" „Linux" „MacPPC" „SunOS" „Win32" „mobile"
getBrowserVersion	method getBrowserVersion returning value type String	Returns the browser version, for example 5.5
isCacheEnabledByDefault	method isCacheEnabledByDefault returning value type boolean	Specifies whether or not cache memory on the browser is activated by default	"true" or "false"
isCertificatesSupported	method isCertificatesSupported returning value type boolean	Specifies whether or not the device supports client certificates	"true" or "false"
getCharHeight	method getCharHeight returning value type short	Returns the screen height in rows			4
getCharWidth	method getCharWidth returning value type short	Returns the screen width in characters			4
getColorDepth	method getColorDepth returning value type short	Returns the color depth, for example 256 colors		HTML
isColorSupported	method isColorSupported returning value type boolean	Specifies whether or not the device has a color screen	"true" or "false"	HTML
getContentType	method getContentType returning value type String	Returns the content type, for example HTML or WML			2
getContentTypeVersion	method getContentTypeVersion returning value type String	Returns the version of the content type – for example, 3.2 for HTML 3.2 or 1.1 for WML 1.1
isCookiesSupported	method isCookiesSupported returning value type boolean	Specifies whether or not browser cookies are supported	"true" or "false"		1
isCssSupported	method isCssSupported returning value type boolean	Specifies whether or not the browser supports CSSs (Cascading Style Sheets).	"true" or "false"	HTML	4
getCssVersion	method getCssVersion returning value type String	Returns the CSS version		HTML
getDefaultActionDesign	method getDefaultActionDesign returning value type String	Returns the default design for user interface elements representing an action	„link" „button" „softkey" „linkAndSoftkey"	WML	3
getDefaultBlockSeparator	method getDefaultBlockSeparator returning value type String	Returns the default string used to separate paragraphs			5
getDefaultBullet	method getDefaultBullet returning value type String	Returns the default symbol used to indicate points in a list		WML	5
getDefaultFormStyle	method getDefaultFormStyle returning value type String	Returns the default display type for input masks	„onePage" „menu" „wizard"	WML
getDefaultMenuStyle	method getDefaultMenuStyle returning value type String	Returns the default display type for menus	„selectionList" „linkList"	WML	4
getDeviceCategory	method getDeviceCategory returning value type String	Returns the device category	„unknown" „Phone" „PDA" „Voice" „PC"
getDeviceName	method getDeviceName returning value type String	Returns the device name Unique ID for a set of device properties
isDomSupported	method isDomSupported returning value type boolean	Specifies whether or not the browser supports a Document Object Model (DOM)	"true" or "false"	HTML
getDomVersion	method getDomVersion returning value type String	Returns the Document Object Model (DOM) version supported		HTML
isEmphasizedSupported	method isEmphasizedSupported returning value type boolean	Specifies whether or not text can be formatted as "highlighted"	"true" or "false"	WML	5
isEmulator	method isEmulator returning value type boolean	Specifies whether or not the device is to be categorized as an emulator	"true" or "false"
getFieldsetLayout	method getFieldsetLayout returning value type String	Specifies how input fields that belong together are to be laid out using the <fieldset> tag	„notSupported" „ignored" „beneath" „beneathWithIndent" „sideBySide"	WML	3
isFieldsetTitleVisible	method isFieldsetTitleVisible returning value type boolean	Specifies whether or not the title attribute of the <fieldset> tag is used as label.	"true" or "false"	WML	3
isFontProportional	method isFontProportional returning value type boolean	Specifies whether or not the default font of the device is a proportional font	"true" or "false"
getFormFactor	method getFormFactor returning value type String	Returns the device’s screen format	„PC" „VGA" „halfVGA" „mediumLandscape" „mediumPortrait" „phone" „unknown		3
isFormMenuSupported	method isFormMenuSupported returning value type boolean	Specifies whether or not the browser supports the technique of displaying a selection menu with the input mask	"true" or "false"	WML	4
isFramesSupported	method isFramesSupported returning value type boolean	Specifies whether or not frames are supported	"true" or "false"	HTML	2
getGrayLevel	method getGrayLevel returning value type short	Returns the number of shades of gray supported in grayscale pictures	"true" or "false"
isHorzScrollingSupported	method isHorzScrollingSupported returning value type boolean	Specifies whether or not the device has a horizontal scroll bar	"true" or "false"
isHrefWithParamsSupported	method isHhrefWithParamsSupported returning value type boolean	Specifies whether or not an Href attribute in a link can contain URL parameters.	"true" or "false"	WML	2
isHttpGetSupported	method isHttpGetSupported returning value type boolean	Specifies whether or not the HTTP GET is supported	"true" or "false"	WML	1
isHttpPostSupported	method isHttpPostSupported returning value type boolean	Specifies whether or not the HTTP POST is supported	"true" or "false"	WML	1
isImageAlignmentSupported	method isImageAlignmentSupported returning value type boolean	Specifies whether or not a graphic can be aligned (left, right, or centered)	"true" or "false"	WML
isImageLinksSupported	method isImageLinksSupported returning value type boolean	Specifies whether or not a graphic can be used as link.	"true" or "false"		2
getImageSizeMax	method getImageSizeMax returning value type short	Returns the maximum memory size of a graphic		WML
getInputFormatDate	method getInputFormatDate returning value type String	Returns the character string used to specify the format for dates		WML
getInputFormatNumeric	method getInputFormatNumeric returning value type String	Returns the formatting character string used to specify the format for numeric values		WML
isInputMethodHandWriting	method isInputMethodHandWriting returning value type boolean	Specifies whether or not the device supports handwritten input	"true" or "false"
isInputMethodKeyboard	method isInputMethodKeyboard returning value type boolean	Specifies whether or not the device supports input using a keyboard	"true" or "false"
isInputMethodKeypad	method isInputMethodKeypad returning value type boolean	Specifies whether or not the device supports input using a telephone keypad	"true" or "false"
isInputMethodKeypadIntell	method isInputMethodKeypadIntell returning value type boolean	Specifies whether or not the device supports input using T9 text input or similar	"true" or "false"
isInputMethodVoice	method isInputMethodVoice returning value type boolean	Specifies whether or not the device supports speech input	"true" or "false"
isInputShownWithCaption	method isInputShownWithCaption returning value type boolean	Specifies whether or not the browser uses the title attribute of the <input> tag is used as a label	"true" or "false"	WML	3
isItalicSupported	method isItalicSupported returning value type boolean	Specifies whether or not text can be formatted as "ítalic"	"true" or "false"	WML	5
isJavaSupported	method isJavaSupported returning value type boolean	Specifies whether or not the device supports the Java programming language	"true" or "false"	HTML	1
getJavaVersion	method getJavaVersion returning value type String	Returns the Java version supported		HTML
isLinksSeparated	method isLinksSeparated returning value type boolean	Specifies whether or not two consecutive links are visibly separated	"true" or "false"	WML	4
getLinkDecoration	method getLinkDecoration returning value type String	Returns the delimiters that are automatically added to the link text by the device – for example [ ] or < >.		WML
getLinkTextWidth	method getLinkTextWidth returning value type short	Returns the maximum number of characters that a link can have to fit into one line.		WML	3
isLocalImagesSupported	method isLocalImagesSupported returning value type boolean	Specifies whether or not the device supports locally stored graphics or symbols	"true" or "false"		3
isLocalVariablesSupported	method isLocalVariablesSupported returning value type boolean	Specifies whether or not the browser supports local variables	"true" or "false"	WML	1
isMarqueeLinkSupported	method isMarqueeLinkSupported returning value type boolean	Specifies whether or not a long link can be displayed in one line, for example as a ticker tape.	"true" or "false"	WML	3
isMarqueeTextSupported	method isMarqueeTextSupported returning value type boolean	Specifies whether or not a long text can be displayed in one line, for example as a ticker tape.	"true" or "false"	WML	3
getMaxLinkLength	method getMaxLinkLength returning value type short	Returns the maximum size of the Href attributes of a link.			1
getMediaFormats	method getMediaFormats returning value type String	Returns the list of multimedia formats supported – such as .agif (animated .gif format), .gif, .jpg, .png, .wbmp			3
getMemory	method getMemory returning value type String	Returns the maximum memory capacity of the device		HTML
getModel	method getModel returning value type String	Returns the name of the device type – such as 7110 for the Nokia 7110 mobile telephone
isNbspSupported	method isNbspSupported returning value type boolean	Specifies whether or not the device supports non-breaking blank characters	"true" or "false"	WML	4
isNestedTablesSupported	method isNestedTablesSupported returning value type boolean	Specifies whether or not the browser supports nested tables	"true" or "false"	HTML	2
isNewlineAfterImage	method getNewlineAfterImage returning value type boolean	Specifies whether or not a line break is inserted automatically after an <img> tag.	"true" or "false"	WML	4
isNewlineAfterInput	method isNewlineAfterInput returning value type boolean	Specifies whether or not a line break is inserted automatically after an <input> tag on a specific mobile device.	"true" or "false"	WML	4
isNewlineAfterLink	method getNewlineAfterLink returning value type boolean	Specifies whether or not a line break is inserted automatically after a link	"true" or "false"	WML	4
isNewlineAfterSelect	method isNewlineAfterSelect returning value type boolean	Specifies whether or not a line break is inserted automatically after an <select> tag.	"true" or "false"	WML	4
isNewlineBeforeImage	method isNewlineBeforeImage returning value type boolean	Specifies whether or not a line break is inserted automatically before an <img> tag.	"true" or "false"	WML	4
isNewlineBeforeInput	method isNewlineBeforeInput returning value type boolean	Specifies whether or not a line break is inserted automatically before an <input> tag.	"true" or "false"	WML	4
isNewlineBeforeLink	method isNewlineBeforeLink returning value type boolean	Specifies whether or not a line break is inserted automatically before a link	"true" or "false"	WML	4
isNewlineBeforeSelect	method isNewlineBeforeSelect returning value type boolean	Specifies whether or not a line break is inserted automatically before an <select> tag.	"true" or "false"	WML	4
isNewlineBetweenImages	method isNewlineBetweenImages returning value type boolean	Specifies whether or not a line break is inserted automatically after an <image> tag	"true" or "false"	WML	3
isNewlineBetweenLinks	method isNewlineBetweenLinks returning value type boolean	Specifies whether or not a line break is inserted automatically between two <image> tags	"true" or "false"	WML	4
isNewlineBetwLinkAndTag	method isNewlineBetwLinkAndTag returning value type boolean	Specifies whether or not a line break is inserted automatically between a link and a tag	"true" or "false"	WML	4
isOfflineBrowsingSupported	method isOfflineBrowsingSupported returning value type boolean	Specifies whether or not the browser supports offline browsing through locally stored pages (that is, cached pages)	"true" or "false"	HTML	2
isOfflineFormsSuppported	method isOfflineFormsSupported returning value type boolean	Specifies whether or not the browser allows the user to fill out input forms offline on the device	"true" or "false"	HTML	2
getPageSizeMax	method getPageSizeMax returning value type int	Returns the maximum page size that can be processed in a mobile device.			2
getPixelHeight	method getPixelHeight returning value type short	Specifies the screen height in pixels.
getPixelWidth	method getPixelWidth returning value type short	Specifies the screen width in pixels.
isRedirAbsoluteSupported	method isRedirAbsoluteSupported returning value type boolean	Specifies whether or not the browser supports the redirection of an absolute URL address.	"true" or "false"		1
isRedirRelativeSupported	method isRedirRelativeSupported returning value type boolean	Specifies whether or not the browser supports the redirection of a relative URL address.	"true" or "false"		2
isScriptSupported	method isScriptSupported returning value type boolean	Specifies whether or not the browser supports scripting	"true" or "false"		2
getScriptVersion	method getScriptVersion returning value type String	Returns the script version supported
isSecureProtocolsSupported	method isSecureProtocolsSupported returning value type boolean	Specifies whether or not the browser supports SSL (Secure Socket Layer) or WTLS (Wireless Transport Layer Security)	"true" or "false"
getSecureProtocolNames	method getSecureProtocolsNames returning value type String	Returns the names of the security protocols supported The names are separated by semicolons
isSelectionMenuSupported	method isSelectionMenuSupported returning value type boolean	Specifies whether or not the menu layout type "selectionList" is supported	"true" or "false"	WML	4
isSetvarOnEventSupported	method isSetvarOnEventSupported returning value type boolean	Specifies whether or not the <setvar> tag can be used within the <onevent type="onenterforward"> event handler	"true" or "false"	WML	1
isSkippingToInput	method isSkippingToInput returning value type boolean	Specifies whether or not the browser automatically skips to the first <input> tag and displays a screen extract around this tag	"true" or "false"	WML	4
isSmallSupported	method isSmallSupported returning value type boolean	Specifies whether or not text can be formatted as "small"	"true" or "false"	WML	5
getSoftkeyNum	method getSoftkeyNum returning value type short	Returns the number of soft keys supported by the device		WML	3
getSoftkeyStyle1	method getSoftkeyStyle1 returning value type String	Specifies how soft key 1 is displayed on the screen	„notShown" „key" „menu" „screen"	WML	5
getSoftkeyStyle2	method getSoftkeyStyle2 returning value type String	Specifies how soft key 2 is displayed on the screen	„notShown" „key" „menu" „screen"	WML	5
getSoftkeyTitleWidth	method getSoftkeyTitleWidth returning value type String	Returns the number of displayed characters for a soft key title.		WML	3
isSoundSupported	method isSoundSupported returning value type boolean	Specifies whether or not the device can play sounds	"true" or "false"	HTML
isStrongSupported	method isStrongSupported returning value type boolean	Specifies whether or not text with the <strong>can be formatted as "highlighted"	"true" or "false"	WML	5
isSubmitOneventSupported	method isSubmitOneventSupported returning value type boolean	Specifies whether or not "Submit" is supported within the <onevent type="onenterforward"> event handler	"true" or "false"		1
getSubCategory	method getSubCategory returning value type String	Allows you to split devices into different sub-categories	Any text
isTableHasBorders	method isTableHasBorders returning value type boolean	Specifies whether or not tables are displayed with gridlines	"true" or "false"		4
isTableSupported	method isTableSupported returning value type boolean	Specifies whether or not the browser supports tables with several columns	"true" or "false"		3
isTelephonyLinksSupported	method isTelephonyLinksSupported returning value type boolean	Specifies whether or not a telephone can be dialed directly using a link	"true" or "false"		4
isTextAlignmentSupported	method isTextAlignmentSupported returning value type boolean	Specifies whether or not text within a paragraph can be aligned left, right, or centered	"true" or "false"	WML	5
isTextStylesSupported	method isTextStylesSupported returning value type boolean	Specifies whether or not the browser can format text using tags such as <b> or <small>	"true" or "false"	WML	5
isTitleSupported	method isTitleSupported returning value type boolean	Specifies whether or not a label is to appear on the top of the screen using the "title" property of the <card> WML tag.	"true" or "false"	WML	3
getTitleWidth	method getTitleWidth returning value type short	Returns the maximum number of characters of the title			3
isUnderlineSupported	method isUnderlineSupported returning value type boolean	Specifies whether or not text can be formatted as "underlined"	"true" or "false"	WML	5
getUserAgent	method getUserAgent returning value type String	Equivalent to the HTTP request header "userAgent"
isVarsAcrossCardSupported	method isVarsAcrossCardSupported returning value type boolean	Specifies whether or not browser variables passed to a card can also be used for different cards	"true" or "false"	WML	1
getVendor	method getVendor returning value type String	Returns the manufacturer’s name
isXslSupported	method isXslSupported returning value type boolean	Specifies whether or not the browser supports Extensible Stylesheet Language (XSL)	"true" or "false"	HTML
getXslVersion	method getXslVersion returning value type String	Returns the XSL version supported		HTML