The mobile extensions to HTMLBusiness for Java allow you to develop Web applications for mobile devices in a device-independent way. The programming effort associated with developing Web applications for different mobile device types can thus be simplified and reduced.
These extensions not only enable development teams to create Servlets and Java Server Pages (JSPs) independent of devices and platforms. They also remove the need for developers to learn the markup language WML, which would otherwise be necessary to develop applications for WAP-enabled devices. To keep you abreast of the latest development techniques, SAP will include new markup languages, such as XHTML, immediately. Another advantage of Mobile HTMLBusiness for Java is that SAP has already taken the differences between micro-browsers on different mobile devices into account. It is important to remember that this includes differences in the way Web pages are displayed in the same browser on different devices.
Introductory notes
Mobile HTML-Business for Java is implemented in the package
com.sap.mobile.htmlb. To run Mobile HTMLBusiness for Java, you must install (that is, deploy) the two packages com.sap.mobile.clientinfo and com.sapportals.htmlb in the Java Servlet Engine environment.The ClientInfo package contains the device recognition data of the different mobile devices and implements the device recognition process. For more information on Web application client information, refer to
Device Recognition and ClientInfo Interface.The Client package is delivered in the archive files
clientinfo.jar, clientinfo.war, clientinfo.ear, and clientinfo.sda The Mobile HTMLBusiness for Java package is stored in the archive files mobilehtmlb.jar, mobilehtmlb.war, mobilehtmlb.ear, and in the SAP-specific format mobilehtmlb.sda.
The Software Delivery Archive (SDA) is the delivery format for SAP applications in languages other than ABAP. It is a ZIP-compatible archive format used as a container for other archives. The SDA contains the manifest information for the archives it contains (such as .jar, .war, and .ear files) along with a SAP manifesto containing additional information needed for software logistics.
Integration
To be able to use the functions of Mobile HTMLBusiness for Java you need the two packages com.sapportals.htmlb and com.sap.mobile.clientinfo.
Features
HTMLBusiness for Java lets you create Web pages with the emphasis on design and provides application programmers with a range of basic Web controls (components) in the form of a class and tag library – similar to the Swing classes offered by Java.
Mobile HTMLBusiness for Java extends the functions of HTMLBusiness for Java for mobile devices.
This mobile extension thus enables you to use Web controls to develop Web applications for mobile devices like pocket PCs and WAP-enabled mobile telephones.
The term Web controls refers to user interface elements that are used in Web applications to allow users to execute actions. Pushbuttons, checkboxes, and radio buttons are just a few examples of Web controls. They can be inserted in servlets and JSP pages using specially-provided tags.
As a subclass of HTMLBusiness for Java, Mobile HTMLBusiness for Java uses all its functions – not just the Web controls themselves, but also:
The development team no longer needs to go into the different behaviors of mobile devices and their Web browsers. (The differences between Web browsers used by mobile devices are even greater than those between browsers used on personal computers). In some cases, difference are so great that you need to write several different Web applications to optimize display on different devices. (See
Differences Between Mobile Devices).