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Working With Different Handheld Device Specifications

Siebel Handheld applications can run on many handheld devices. The capabilities of handheld devices vary, depending on the following characteristics:

• Operating system (OS)
• Processor
• Storage memory
• Screen orientation
• Screen resolution

Siebel Handheld applications are aware of the devices on which they run. The applications do not need to be compiled specifically for particular devices. Handheld applications are device aware in the following respects:

• OS: Siebel Handheld applications can identify the OS of the device on which they are running.
• Storage memory: Siebel Handheld applications can determine the amount of storage memory available on the device on which they are running. Handheld applications use this information to determine if sufficient storage memory is available to download the dbfile.txt file.

  Handheld applications do not download the file is available storage memory is insufficient. The applications request the user to apply more restrictive filters, or to make more memory available on the device.

• Screen orientation: Views in Siebel Handheld applications are displayed differently depending on the screen orientation of the device.
  • Portrait orientation—In this screen orientation one or two lists or forms are displayed on each screen. When the screen displays two lists or forms, the user can maximize and minimize the lists or forms.
  • Landscape orientation and square screens—In this screen orientation one list or form is displayed on each screen. The user can use a tab and an icon button to show one list or form, and simultaneously hide the list or form that is currently displayed.

    Dialog boxes and other UI elements are also aware of screen orientation. All UI controls are automatically placed in an area that is not affected by changes to screen orientation. Any fields that users can edit are automatically placed in a location that is not obscured when the Software Input Panel (SIP) is displayed.

    These automatic features are not enabled in form UI applets and task applets. When you develop these applets for Siebel Handheld applications, you must manually lay out UI items so that they are not obscured by changes to screen orientation or SIP display.

• Screen resolution: Siebel Handheld applications can run on both high-resolution and low-resolution displays.