introducton to wml

What is WML?
WML stands for Wireless Markup Language. It is a mark-up language inherited from HTML, but WML is based on XML, so it is much stricter than HTML.

WML is used to create pages that can be displayed in a WAP browser. Pages in WML are called DECKS. Decks are constructed as a set of CARDS.

What is WMLScript?
WML uses WMLScript to run simple code on the client. WMLScript is a light JavaScript language. However, WML scripts are not embedded in the WML pages. WML pages only contains references to script URLs. WML scripts need to be compiled into byte code on a server before they can run in a WAP browser.

What is WAP?
The wireless industry came up with the idea of WAP. The point of this standard was to show internet contents on wireless clients, like mobile phones.

WAP stands for Wireless Application Protocol
WAP is an application communication protocol
WAP is used to access services and information
WAP is inherited from Internet standards
WAP is for handheld devices such as mobile phones
WAP is a protocol designed for micro browsers The Wireless Application Protocol
The WAP protocol is the leading standard for information services on wireless terminals like digital mobile phones.

The WAP standard is based on Internet standards (HTML, XML and TCP/IP). It consists of a WML language specification, a WMLScript specification, and a Wireless Telephony Application Interface (WTAI) specification.

WAP is published by the WAP Forum, founded in 1997 by Ericsson, Motorola, Nokia, and Unwired Planet. Forum members now represent over 90% of the global handset market, as well as leading infrastructure providers, software developers and other organizations. You can read more about the WAP forum at our WAP Forum page.
WAP Micro Browsers
To fit into a small wireless terminal, WAP uses a Micro Browser.

A Micro Browser is a small piece of software that makes minimal demands on hardware, memory and CPU. It can display information written in a restricted mark-up language called WML.
Examples of WAP use
Checking train table information
Ticket purchase
Flight check in
Viewing traffic information
Checking weather conditions
Looking up stock values
Looking up phone numbers
Looking up addresses
Looking up sport results

The Micro Browser can also interpret a reduced version of JavaScript called WMLScript.




WAP enables the creating of web applications for mobile devices.
WAP uses the mark-up language WML (not HTML)
WML is defined as an XML 1.0 application
These are frequently asked question about WAP:

What is WAP?
Who is WAP for?
How does WAP relate to standardization bodies?
How is WAP related to Internet standards?
What is the status of WAP?
What is the future of WAP?