5 Supporting Basic HTML Mobile Browsers

This chapter describes ADF Mobile browser's support for basic HTML mobile browsers.

This chapter includes the following sections:

• Section 5.1, "Introduction to Basic HTML Mobile Browser Support"

• Section 5.2, "Developing Applications for Basic HTML Mobile Browsers"

• Section 5.3, "Styling Basic HTML Mobile Browsers"

5.1 Introduction to Basic HTML Mobile Browser Support

ADF Mobile browser supports basic HTML mobile browsers that have no JavaScript support. This lack of JavaScript support makes these browsers less robust than their counterparts used on the BlackBerry smartphone or the Apple iPhone. Aside from the browsers listed in Section 1.2, "Supported Mobile Browsers," ADF Mobile browser considers most common browsers as basic HTML mobile browsers. ADF Mobile browser may not recognize certain mobile browsers, however.

5.1.1 Requirements for Basic HTML Mobile Browser Support

The minimum requirement for ADF Mobile browser's support is XHTML Basic or the XHTML Mobile Profile that includes WAP2.n browsers.

Note:

ADF Mobile browser does not support the WAP1.n browsers that cannot support either XHTML Basic or the XHTML Mobile Profile.

5.2 Developing Applications for Basic HTML Mobile Browsers

Because ADF Mobile browser serves pages to mobile browsers that are appropriate to a browser's capabilities or limitations, you do not have to create user interfaces that are specific to basic HTML mobile browsers. However, the absence of JavaScript support by these browsers limits the functionality of certain HTML elements.

• Basic HTML mobile browsers do not support the autosubmit attribute. Add a submit button to a form only if the form submission responds to a component's autosubmit feature. For composite components with built-in autosubmit features, ADF Mobile browser adds a submit button to enable users to submit the form.

• Basic HTML mobile browsers do not support form-submitting links. All submitting elements are rendered as buttons. Basic HTML mobile browsers do not support the child components of such input elements. As a consequence, the child components of the tr:commandLink component cannot render in a basic HTML mobile browser. For more information on tr:commandLink, see Section 3.5.2, "Creating Links."

5.3 Styling Basic HTML Mobile Browsers

ADF Mobile browser provides CSS support for basic HTML mobile browsers. Although most of these browsers support CSS, ADF Mobile browser applications can even run on the browsers that do not support CSS. In these cases, however, the user interface may be difficult to use. As a precaution, you should test the ADF Mobile browser application on as many browsers as possible.