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Adding Web Browser Capabilities

Siebel Business Applications come with numerous browsers configured for use. Generally, you do not have to make changes to the Web browser settings. However, if you must add a capability to a browser, then you can do so through the Web Browser Administration screen.

Web browser capabilities identify what a user's browser can and cannot do. They evaluate each browser's rendering capability to support the Siebel Web Engine's ability to provide different HTML tags and other markup tags to different browsers. Consequently, an administrator or developer can specify the best appearance in a particular browser.

When a user logs into a Siebel Web application, the Siebel Web Engine reads information encapsulated in the requests coming from the user's browser to determine the browser's version and make. It then correlates that information with the data contained in the Web Browser Administration views to determine the browser's capabilities.

One of the primary ways this information is applied is through conditional tags in Web templates. For example, if some of your users use an older browser that does not support frames, then your template might include a conditional tag that prevents these users from receiving pages with frames. Conditional Web engine tags that evaluate browser capabilities can be used in all Siebel Web templates and Web applications, but are used most prominently in those that support wireless devices. For example, the SWLSStart.swt template includes the following conditional tag:

<swe:switch>

<swe:case condition="Web Engine User Agent, TestCapability, 'DefaultMarkup:XML'">

<swe:pageitem id="3" property="FormattedHtml" />

</swe:case>

By the time that the Web Engine interprets the swe:case tag, it has already determined the type of browser for the user. The usage of the tag causes the Web Engine to call the TestCapability method on the Web Engine User Agent business service. The TestCapability method returns TRUE if the user's browser has a DefaultMarkup capacity with a value of XML. When the condition is met (the method returns TRUE), the tags between <swe:case> and </swe:case> are processed. For more information about the syntax of conditional tags, see Configuring Siebel Business Applications.

Adding Additional Capabilities

Siebel Business Applications come with numerous predefined capabilities. These capabilities can be added to any browser. Some examples include:

• FrameSupport. Indicates whether the browser can render frame tags (for example, <swe:frameset>).
• CookiesAllowed. Indicates whether the browser supports cookies.
• HighInteract. Indicates whether the browser is among those supported for Siebel's high-interactivity Web applications (such as Internet Explorer 5.5).
• ActiveX. Indicates whether the browser can support ActiveX controls.

You can also add other capabilities that are not included in the standard Siebel application. For example, you can add a capability named SupportsWingDingFont. New capabilities then become available for use in any browser definition.

To add a capability

1. Navigate to the Administration - Web Browser screen, then the Capabilities view.
2. In the Capabilities list, create a new record, and complete the necessary fields.