Mobile Extensions to the Java Servlet Container (SAP Library

Mobile Extensions to the Java Servlet Container

Purpose

The mobile extensions developed for a Java-enabled Web server and implemented in the package com.sap.mobile.clientinfo allow you to develop device-specific Web applications for mobile devices in the Java programming language.

By using these extensions, the attributes and capabilities of the mobile device making the request can be specified, and then taken into account when the Web application is displayed. Moreover, the extensions support the use of Web controls when developing Web applications that can run on mobile devices, allowing you to program Web applications that are browser and device-independent.

Features

If a Java application is to be developed, using a Java Server Page (JSP) or servlet, for example, the development team can also access the mobile extensions of the Java Servlet Engine. These mobile extensions make available the special requirements and properties of mobile devices, such as:

Size of the display field
Input methods
Markup languages
Browser variants
JavaScript support

The mobile extensions refer to the use of mobile devices like WAP-enabled mobile telephones and Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs) and consist of the ClientInfo interface, implemented using the SAP device recognition process.

The ClientInfo interface describes methods that provide the special properties of mobile devices, and returns information on browser characteristics on these devices.

You can use this interface to create device-specific Web applications for mobile devices in the Java programming language. You can thus take the browser and device-specific properties into account when constructing the user interface.

Example

The isTitleSupported method of the ClientInfo interface specifies whether or not a label is to appear on the top of the screen using the "title" attribute of the <card> WML tag. On some devices, entering a title in the <card> WML tag displays a header in the Web application title bar. However, many types of browser do not support this function. If they do not, no header appears in the device’s user interface. To make the title appear on such devices, it must be included in the body text of the document.

(See also isTitleSupported Method).