1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates generally to a customization method and system for authoring a web page. In particular, the invention relates to a customization method and system for authoring a web page to display on a web accessing device.
2. Background of the Invention
As the number of devices accessing the World Wide Web (referred to herein as “web”) proliferates, web content and applications need to be tailored to suit the characteristics of each device. These devices can include Internet Appliance (IA), but not limited to, such as wireless communication devices, personal digital assistants, desktop or laptop computers, or any combination of these items. Typically these devices have online capability. However, there are issues about content display due to hardware and software implementation. Take Internet Phone as an example for consideration:
Hardware—Screen Size vs. Layout Issue:
For design and usability issue, a large screen display like PC is not applied to all IA devices. Therefore, there are limitations for browsing regular Web pages. When too many contents in one regular Web page are displayed in a small screen, users must feel uncomfortable to read.
Hardware—Color Resolution Support.
In addition to user devices screens of different sizes and resolutions, these screens vary in their video capabilities and color resolution, or lack thereof. Again, in order for a web site to attract the largest number of potential users it must also deal with user devices that may not have video capability and color as well as those that do. Again, no known hardware or software allows the web site to handle such a wide variation in screens and other capabilities.
Hardware—Page Capacity:
Usually, there is size limitation for IA page download. The connection may be cut off if the page size is too large.
Hardware—Scrolling Web Pages Ability vs. Text Wrap Issue:
Not all IA devices are with touch screen or touch pan for scrolling big Web pages. So there is a text wrap issue—limitation for the maximum number of characters of one line.
Hardware—Audio or Multimedia Support
Different IA devices may support different audio or multimedia formats.
Hardware—Interaction:
Not all IA devices are with touch screen or touch pan for scrolling big Web pages. For example, in the case of a WAP capable telephone only a keypad and perhaps arrow keys are supplied due to the limited space. Not all devices have mouse like PC. The access keys of simple keyboard panel or buttons need to be specified.
Software—Web Browser vs. Markup Language Support:
In addition, there are many different Web browsers available in the IA devices, but not limited to, such as Internet Explorer, Netscape, Mozilla, Opera, Access, Slim, Avant, Safari, etc. Typically, these browser companies continue to release new versions that may support different tags of same markup languages. On the other hand, different browsers may not be able to parse all kinds of markup languages to display correct content on the devices. Furthermore, not all IA device manufactures adopt same Web browser with same version number.
Also, different Web browsers support different image file formats and different encoding methods.
With the issues aforementioned, it is time-consuming for content providers to carefully make different sets of Web contents for different IA devices. Generic contents authored and uploaded by the content providers are not in fashion. The content providers must author multitudes of specific contents (e.g. device dependent, service-provider dependent, or both of aforementioned dependent) for the variety of the mobile devices and service provider markets. Professional content providers need to make different sets of mobile Web contents even under the same mobile service. Actually, due to the growth in the global mobile phone manufacture markets, the software products of Web page authoring or those with mobile handset simulator aforementioned cannot catch up with the pace for each latest available handset in the mobile devices. Furthermore, the development of the software tools for web page authoring or mobile handset simulator will take too much effort for handing different mobile devices.
Following is reference of current mobile services in Japan and their related markup languages and illustrates how complicated conditions for the content providers to meet with:
It is, therefore, a method and system of authoring one or more web pages are provided herein. The addition function of the customized device for authoring the web pages enables a user, especially a web content provider, to author the web pages flexibly. With customization method, the new device profile can be created based on existing devices the program supports. The customize device not only generate an editing mode which handles all limitation setting but also has functions of a simulator for fine-tuning the content layouts.
It is also, therefore, a customization method and system for authoring one or more web pages to display on Internet appliance are provided. The user authors the web pages with the web contents limited to the capacities of a hypothetic Internet appliance and a service provider associated therewith.
According to one aspect of the present invention, one embodiment of the present invention a customization method and system for authoring one or more web pages to display on a web accessing device, the system includes a plurality of predefined general devices for the web accessing device. Each predefined general device is with a plurality of capacities associated therewith. When a user selecting one of the predefined general devices as a base device is received, the system enables the user to edit at least one value corresponding one of the first capacities of the selected predefined general device. Then a customized device with a plurality of second capacities is generated. It is noted that at least one of the second capacities can be inherited from the first capacities and have the value corresponding thereto. Once the customized device is applied, an editorial zone, a simulator or both aforementioned are corresponding to said customized device and limited to at least one of the second capacities.
The foregoing aspects and many of the attendant advantages of this invention will become more readily appreciated as the same becomes better understood by reference to the following detailed description, when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:
The following description provides specific details for a through understanding of, and enabling description for, embodiments of the invention. However, one skilled in the art will understand that the invention may be practiced without these detailed. In other instances, well known structures and functions have not been shown or described in detailed to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the description of the embodiments of the invention.
The computer user, such as a content provider, can use a keyboard 14 to author or edit web contents to be executed by the processor 10 in generating desired information. In one embodiment, the keyboard 14 is a standard style keyboard with a mouse or trackball. The personal computer 5 of
Unless described otherwise below, the construction and operation of the various blocks shown in
A typical Internet appliance 20a, 20b, 20c or 20d, by way of example, the embodiments will be described with reference to the Internet appliance 20a, 20b, 20c, or 20d, such as mobile telephone, automobile-based web accessing device, or other communication devices with online capability. In a preferred embodiment, the Internet appliance 20a, 20b, 20c or 20d is a mobile telephone supporting a 2.5 G package communication system, such as PDC (Personal Digital Cellular) in Japan, or a 3 G package communication system, such as WCDMA and CDMA2000, or other communication system. Furthermore, the Internet appliance 20a, 20b, 20c or 20d may support a specific communication service which uses a specific communication standard. For example, in Japan, there are three main communication service providers: NTT DoCoMo, KDDI/au, and Vodafone, in which NTT DoCoMo uses wCDMA technology standard, KDDI/au uses the CDMA 2000-1x standard, and Vodafone also uses the wCDMA standard. Typically, the Internet appliance 20a, 20b, 20c or 20d supporting NTT DoCoMo service may not display the contents serviced by KDDI/au.
In addition, the Internet appliance 20a, 20b, 20c or 20d typically has a display screen (not shown) in which a web page is shown of fixed fonts, fixed spaces, fixed sizes, or fixed row of texts, etc. Furthermore, the Internet appliance 20a, 20b, 20c or 20d uses a built-in browser to view contents in the web page. However, the built-in browsers in the Internet appliance 20a, 20b, 20c and 20d have various versions different from each another. Different versions of the built-in browsers support different tags of markup languages. For example, the Internet appliances 20a and 20b have built-in browsers in the different versions, though Internet appliances 20a and 20b support same service provided by the same communication service provider. Thus, the display result of the contents in the web page is not identical for the Internet appliances 20a and 20b.
A typical service provider 30 is responsible for loading one or more web contents from one or more content providers and hosting software applications or web contents that are to be transmitted to and rendered by the Internet appliance 20a, 20b, 20c, or 20d. The various components, such as web contents, communicate using areas Internet protocols, but limited to, such as HyperText Transfer Protocol (HTTP), HTTP/TCP/IP, WAP/UDP/IP, or wHTTP/wTCP/IP. Typically, the Internet appliance 20a, 20b, 20c or 20d sends HTTP requests in company with its user agent to the service provider 30. Based on the user agent information, the service provider 30 with URL redirect mechanism should link to proper URL address and response for sending proper set of mobile contents to the Internet appliance 20a, 20b, 20c or 20d. However, different web contents from the personal computer 5, which support different communication service providers (not shown) may be stored in the identical service provider 30.
In one embodiment, a set of capabilities corresponding one of the predefined general devices includes a subset of physical items related to physical capabilities of an Internet appliance, a subset of network items related to network capabilities of the Internet appliance, and a subset of software items related to software applications used in one typical service provider. For example, the physical capabilities of the Internet appliance are physical characteristics or properties of the Internet appliance, such as screen width, screen height, and screen color, etc. The network capabilities of the Internet appliance are communication characteristics or properties of the Internet appliance, such as built-in browser information (i.e. version), maximum size of received web page, extra tag supports, Emoji (icon) supporting, and received file format in a received web page. The software items for the typical service provider are the information of software application, such as software language interpreters/compilers, and encoding application, etc.
Next, the content authoring system receives a request that the user select one of the predefined general devices as a base device for editing or adding web page fitted thereto (step 41). There are preferences in performing the selection of a predefined general device. Basically, in order to design one or more web pages fit for displaying by a selected Internet appliance, a predefined general device of similar capacities as the selected Internet appliance is preferred. For example, the built-in browser associated with the selected predefined general device is similar as the selected Internet appliance. Furthermore, the Internet appliance associated with the predefined general device is same as the selected Internet appliance. Thus, the predefined general device is selected and provides with corresponding items based on which a web page is designated fit for displaying by the selected Internet appliance.
Once the predefined general device is selected, the associated set of capacities is shown and capable of being reset by the user. According the selected Internet appliance, the user may amend or modify values or setting of those capacities associated with the selected predefined general device, and then store these amended capacities with a customized device name. In addition, there are sets of values or settings recommended and provided by the content authoring system that has a variety of information or specification related to various Internet appliances and service providers.
For example, based on the selected predefined general device, the content authoring system enables the user to modify some physical items (step 42), such as the number of rows, the number of characters in a row, and the color resolution for displaying on the screen of the selected Internet appliance, etc. In addition, the content authoring system enables the user to modify some network items, such as the maximum value of byte count for a web page size, and the image or media file formats received by the selected Internet appliance, etc. Furthermore, the content authoring system enables the user to modify some software items, such as the types of encoding used by one service provider or the selected Internet appliance, etc. Accordingly, the customized device is with some capacities inherited from the ones of the selected predefined general device and with some capacities designated for the selected Internet appliance (step 43).
Next, on the display screen of the personal computer, a new editorial zone or/and a simulator are created or opened according to the customized device (step 44). It is noted that the new editorial zone and the editorial contents therein are limited to the capacities of the customized device. For example, when the new editorial zone and/or the simulator is created, loaded or opened, it is of the size similar as the screen associated with the customized device. That is, if the customized device has the capacity of the screen of the size 160×180 pixels, the editorial zone and/or the simulator for authoring or previewing a specific web page for the selected Internet appliance is also of the size 160×180 pixels. Furthermore, if the customized device has the capacity of supporting the image file format in “JPG” and “GIF”, the image contents used in the specific web page are in the format of “JPG” or “GIF”. Thus, the user authors and/or previews the web page contents in the editorial zone and/or simulator that looks like a hypothetic screen same as the real one of the selected Internet appliance.
In performing the addition of another predefined general device by the user, for example, based on the device named as “XhtmlGeneric”, the request for displaying “XhtmlGeneric” is ensured by executing the “Add” control 58. Then an “Add Model” dialog box 60 is popup shown in
After the close of the dialog box 60, there is the new general device 52a named as “C5001T” shown on the “device zone” portion 51 of the dialog box 50, depicted in
In performing the authoring of one predefined general device by the user, the other dialog box 70 is popup, shown in
Although the invention has been described above with reference to particular embodiments, various modifications are possible within the scope of the invention as will be clear to a skilled person.