2 Markup Language

The code used in creating WAP sites is wml or Wireless Markup Language, one of a family of markup languages, each with a different format and use. Additionally wml is derived from, and adheres to xml or eXtensible Markup Language. xml is a universal and standard way of describing various markup languages.

wml contains similarities to internet html or Hypertext Markup Language, but the two are incompatible. Different rules apply. Every xml document, including wml documents, must be well formed. This means xml rules are strict, and in contrast to the loose html conventions no mistakes are allowed. Any tiny mistake in wml code produces an error. This is not just to make life hard for WAP developers, but a consequence of the limited capability of WAP. html is displayed on a PC with a large amount of processing ability. Browsers such as Netscape Navigator and Internet Explorer can be large applications able to smooth over any rough edges of html code. Tiny WAP devices have a difficult enough job without also having to cope with bad code.

Implementation Differences

Markup languages contain directions, but not instructions, on how data is displayed. Each browser displays the content in its own way, according to its own rules. All browsers implement the standards differently. Some features are plain ignored in some cases. This is an important consideration. At first this may seem an impossible situation, having no control of the end product, but rise to the challenge. You will soon get a feeling for what works. In any case it just means each document should be tested on a variety of different devices.

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