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Table of Contents

Specifying Transformation Rules in HTML Files
Introduction
CTE XHTML Extensions
Using CTE XHTML Extensions in Source HTML
Hiding Device-Specific Content from Full Browsers
Managing Configuration Files When Using CTE XHTML Extensions

Specifying Transformation Rules in HTML Files


The following sections describe how to specify web page transformations in your source HTML files rather than through Design Studio:

Introduction

The CTE transforms web pages according to transformation rules. You can create transformation rules by using the following:


Note    XHTML is the next generation of HTML and provides the benefit of extensibility. The CTE XHTML extensions are CTE-specific attributes that are used by the CTE to transform content.

When you use Design Studio to create transformation rules, you do not change the source HTML files. Instead, you create rules that are applied to a web page by the CTE when the web page is requested by a device. Design Studio enables you to transform legacy content without having to modify the source files and enables you to transform content that you do not own. In addition, Design Studio can be used by anyone with a general understanding of HTML.

Rather than using Design Studio to create transformations, you can include CTE XHTML extensions in HTML files to indicate transformations for a particular device. Typically, this method of specifying transformation rules is handled by an application developer during the initial implementation of a web page. An application developer includes XHTML extensions to indicate content that should be selected or clipped for a particular device. If different transformations are required for the various device types, sections of the web page may need to be replicated for each device.

As you plan the design and content of new web content, consider whether it will be more efficient to apply transformation rules through Design Studio or to build the rules into the content. One advantage of using the CTE XHTML extensions is that, when content changes, you do not have to return to Design Studio to update transformation rules.

The CTE has a default configuration file that enables it to interpret the XHTML extensions. The default configuration file is also provided with Design Studio as a backup in case the file is overwritten on the CTE. If you do use CTE XHTML extensions, we recommend that you not attempt to use Design Studio to specify additional transformation rules on the same content. Doing so can result in conflicting identifier rules or transformation rules. You can, however, create additional projects and merge them into the default configuration file on the CTE.


Note   If you choose to use Design Studio to create additional transformations for pages that contain CTE XHTML extensions, be sure to add those pages to the project provided with the default configuration file.

CTE XHTML Extensions

Most CTE XHTML extensions consist of element attributes that specify the following information:

CTE XHTML extensions are also available to implement the following IP phone features:

The CTE XHTML extensions are summarized in Table 8-1 and Table 8-2 (on).

Table 8-1   CTE XHTML Extensions Used with DIV Elements

Attribute  Values  Usage 

class

transform_rule

Identifies content to be transformed for the specified device types. This content will also be visible to full browsers (such as Internet Explorer).

transform_rule_hide

Identifies content to be transformed for the specified device types. This content will be hidden from full browsers. You must define this value in an embedded or linked style sheet, as described in the "Hiding Device-Specific Content from Full Browsers" section.

rule

select

Selects the content enclosed in the div element. See also the retain_parents attribute in this table.

clip

Clips the content enclosed in the div element.

dialname

Identifies the label to be used for a dialable phone number. A div element with this rule must enclose text and must have a corresponding div rule="dialnumber" element.

dialnumber

Identifies a dialable phone number. A div element with this rule must enclose text and must have a corresponding div rule="dialname" element. See also the prefix attribute in this table.

imgalt

Replaces an image with its alternate text. A div element with this rule must enclose an img element or input type="image" element. If an input element is being used as an image map in the HTML, you cannot replace it with the alternate text.

For more information on how the CTE and devices handle images, see the "Working with Images" section.

retaintable

Retains a table as a table element. (By default, the CTE transforms a table element to a list for Palm and RIM devices and WAP phones.) Use this rule with a div or table element.

ignore

Ignores the element only (not its text or child elements). Use rule="ignore" with the element you want to ignore. For example, to ignore a font element for IP phones, add the attributes in the font tag:

<font ... class="transform_rule" rule="ignore" devices="ipt">

devices

html,ipt,palm,rim,
vxml,wap

Applies the rule to the specified devices.

retain_
parents

true

Default value. Used with the rule="select" attribute. Retains the parent elements of the selected element. For example, if you select a td element and retain parents, the CTE includes the parent tr and table elements. Retaining parents impacts performance, so retain them only if they are needed.

false

Used with the rule="select" attribute. Removes the parent elements. Be aware that removing parents can result in incorrect markup. For example, if you select a td element and choose to remove the parents, the transformed element may not have the required parent tr and table elements.

prefix

numeric_value

Used with the rule="dialnumber" attribute. Appends a prefix, such as "1" or "9" to the number specified with the rule="dialnumber" attribute.

To specify a transformation in HTML code, you must include the class, rule, and devices attributes. The following sample HTML code illustrates the following:

Supporting multiple device types with different transformations can result in the creation and maintenance of redundant content. In such cases, it might be more efficient to create the rules using Design Studio.

<html>
<head>
  <title>Page Title</title>
 
<!-- The following style element can be embedded as shown, or referenced from an external style sheet as described in the "Hiding Device-Specific Content from Full Browsers" section on page 8-15.-->
  <style> 
    <!-- 
        .transform_rule_hide { 
           display: none; 
        } 
    --> 
  </style>
</head>
 
<body>
 
<!-- The following div element selects content for Palm devices. This content is also visible to full browsers. -->
  <div class="transform_rule" rule="select" retain_parents="false" devices="palm">
  <table class="transform_rule" rule="retaintable" devices="palm">
   <tr>
     <table class="transform_rule" rule="retaintable" devices="palm">
     ...
     </table>
   </tr>
   <tr>
     <form>
     ...
     </form>
   </tr>
    <tr>
     <table class="transform_rule" rule="retaintable" devices="palm">
     ...
     </table>
   </tr>
  </table>
  </div>
 
<!-- The following div element selects content for IP phones and WAP devices. This content is hidden from full browsers. -->
  <div class="transform_rule_hide" rule="select" retain_parents="false" devices="ipt,wap">
  <table>
   <tr>
     <form>
     ...
     </form>
   </tr>
 
<!-- The following div element clips content for WAP devices. -->
   <div class="transform_rule_hide" rule="clip" devices="wap">
     <tr>
     ...
     </tr>
   </div>
 
   <tr>
     <td>
       <font style="font-weight:bold" class="transform_rule_hide" rule="ignore" devices="ipt">
         <div class="transform_rule_hide" rule="dialname" devices="ipt">Call:</div>
       </font>
     </td>
     <td>
       <div class="transform_rule_hide" rule="dialnumber" prefix="1" devices="ipt">800-555-1234</div>
     </td>
   </tr>
 
  </table>
  </div>
</body>
</html>
 

The XHTML extensions summarized in Table 8-2 are used only for IP phones:

Table 8-2   XHTML Extensions for IP Phones

XHTML Extension  Usage 

<SoftKeyItem card="deck | n" URL="value">name</SoftKeyItem>

Creates a Soft Key on the specified cards. Attributes are as follows:

  • For the card attribute, specify "deck" (to put the Soft Key on all cards corresponding to the web page) or a card number (for example, "3").
  • For the URL attribute, specify any of the following:
    • A link URL, such as "http://www.something.com " or "https://www.something.com".
    • A dial URI, such as "Dial:555-555-1234" or "EditDial:9-555-555-1234". Dial indicates a number that the user cannot change; EditDial indicates a number that the user can change, such as by adding a prefix or access code.

The child of the SoftKeyItem element, name, is the Soft Key label text.

<input type="text | password" name="name" value="value" _keypad_mode="n" _input_label="label">

<textarea name="name" _keypad_mode="n" _input_label="label">

The _keypad_mode and _input_label attributes are extensions to the input and textarea elements.

The _keypad_mode attribute specifies the input type for an input field. The _keypad_mode attribute corresponds to the Cisco IP phone XML object InputFlag, with the following values:

A (plain ASCII text; the default)
T (telephone number)
N (numeric)
E (equation)
U (uppercase)
L (lowercase)
P (password; used with any of the other InputFlag attributes, such as "AP")

The optional _input_label attribute specifies the prompt that an IP phone will display for the input field. A label can be up to 15 characters.

Suppose that a web page contains an input field for zip code and a text area for a tracking identifier. The input and textarea elements might appear as follows:

<input type="text" name="zip" value="90210" _keypad_mode="N" _input_label="Zip Code"></input>
<textarea name="track" _keypad_mode="U" _input_label="Tracking ID"></textarea>

<meta refresh="n">

Refreshes the card after the number of seconds specified with the refresh attribute. A refresh of "0" means that the card will not refresh or that a refresh set earlier in the card deck will stop.

Using CTE XHTML Extensions in Source HTML

The following sections describe how to use the CTE XHTML extensions to mark up source HTML for transformation by the CTE:

Specifying Transformations

If you have used Design Studio to specify transformation rules, you are familiar with choosing from a rich set of rules that are necessary for repurposing content designed for full browsers to content that is appropriate for microbrowser screens. However, designing content for delivery to devices is a much different process and requires only a few transformation rules.

To include content, you select the content by enclosing it in a div element with the rule="select" attribute. You can make multiple selections on a page and you can nest selections. For example, you might want to include a large chunk of code for some devices but include only a small portion of that code for other devices.

To exclude content from an otherwise selected area, you clip the content by enclosing it in a div element with the rule="clip" attribute. For example, you might want to include an entire table for several devices but exclude some rows for one of the devices. For information about a similar operation, ignore, see the "Ignoring an Element in HTML Content" section.

Additional rules enable you to handle special cases such as retaining a table as a table element or replacing an image with its alternate text.

Table 8-3 contains sample HTML code for several types of transformations.

Table 8-3   HTML Code for Sample Transformations

Transformation  HTML Code 

Select content for Palm devices and select a subset of the same content for IP phones.

Retains parent elements.

...
<div class="transform_rule" rule="select" retain_parents="true" devices="palm">
<table>
...
   <div class="transform_rule" rule="select" retain_parents="true" devices="ipt">
     <form>
     ...
     </form>
   </div>
   <table>
   ...
   </table>
</table>
</div>
...

Select content for WAP and IP phones; clip some of the content for IP phones.

Removes parent elements.

...
<div class="transform_rule" rule="select" retain_parents="false" devices="wap,ipt">
<table>
...
   <div class="transform_rule" rule="clip" devices="ipt">
     <form>
     ...
     </form>
   </div>
   <table>
   ...
   </table>
</table>
</div>
...

Retain a table as a table element for Palm and RIM devices.

(By default, the CTE transforms a table element to a list for Palm and RIM devices and WAP phones.)

<div class="transform_rule" rule="select" retain_parents="true" devices="palm,rim">
<table class="transform_rule" rule="retaintable" devices="palm,rim">
...
   <table class="transform_rule" rule="retaintable" devices="palm,rim">
   ...
   </table>
</table>
</div>
...
 

Alternatively, you can achieve the same transformation as follows:

<div class="transform_rule" rule="retaintable" devices="palm,rim"
<table class="transform_rule" rule="select" retain_parents="true" devices="palm,rim">
...
   <table>
   ...
   </table>
</table>
</div>
...

Replace an img element with its alternate text.

For information on how the CTE and various types of devices handle images, see the "Working with Images" section.

<div class="transform_rule" rule="select" retain_parents="false" devices="palm,rim">
<table>
...
   <tr>
     <td>
       <div class="transform_rule" rule="imgalt" devices="palm,rim">
       <img src="logo.gif" width="30" height="30" alt="Company Name" />
       </div>
     </td>
   </tr>
...
</table>
</div>
...

Creating Dialable Numbers in HTML Content

IP phones, WAP phones, and HDML devices support the initiation of a phone call by selecting text in the microbrowser. The rule="dialname" and rule="dialnumber" attributes enable you to specify a phone number to be dialed when the user selects a particular text string. The prefix="numeric_value" attribute enables you to specify a prefix to be dialed with the phone number.

To create a dialable number, you work with two text elements—the text that includes the phone number and the text you want to use as a label for the phone number. For example, in a directory listing you would use the text associated with a phone number as its label.

To create a dialable number in an HTML page, you must enclose the label for the phone number and the phone number in div elements, as shown in the following example:

...
   <td>
     <div class="transform_rule" rule="dialname" devices="ipt">
     Contact Number:
     </div>
   </td>
 
   <td>
     <div class="transform_rule" rule="dialnumber" prefix="1" devices="ipt">
     800-555-1234
     </div>
   </td>

 

Note   You must specify the rule="dialname" and rule="dialnumber" attributes in pairs using div elements that enclose text.

Ignoring an Element in HTML Content

When you clip an element, any text or child elements of that element are also clipped. If you want to exclude an element, but retain the text of the element and any child elements, you ignore the element. For example, the following font element encloses text and a link:

<table>
...
    <td>
      <font style="font-weight:bold">
        some text
        <a href="index.html">Click here
        </a>
      </font>
    </td>
...
</table>
 

To include the text and link in the transformation, but ignore the font element, use the rule="ignore" attribute with the font element as follows:

<div class="transform_rule" rule="select" retain_parents="false" devices="ipt">
  <table>
  ...
      <td>
        <font style="font-weight:bold" class="transform_rule" rule="ignore" devices="ipt">
          some text
          <a href="index.html">Click here
          </a>
        </font>
      </td>
  ...
  </table>
</div>
 

Creating a Soft Key for an IP Phone

You can add up to three Soft Keys per card with the SoftKeyItem element. You specify which cards are to display the Soft Key, the URL or phone number for the Soft Key, and a label. For example, to add a Soft Key to card3 that opens the link http://www.fox.com , use the following syntax:

<SoftKeyItem card="3" URL="http://www.fox.com">
Fox</SoftKeyItem>
 

To add a Soft Key to the entire deck that dials a user-editable number, use the following syntax:

<SoftKeyItem card="deck" URL="EditDial:(555)555-1234">
Support</SoftKeyItem>
 

Specifying an Input Field Type and Label for an IP Phone

By default, an IP phone accepts any ASCII character supported by the phone in an input field. You can add the _keypad_mode attribute to input type="text | password" or textarea elements to restrict the input type. For example, you can restrict the input type to a telephone number or uppercase letters, thus reducing the number of keystrokes required for a user to complete the field. Use the _input_label attribute if you want to specify a prompt for an input field.

See Table 8-2 for more information about the _keypad_mode and _input_label attributes.

Refreshing a Card on an IP Phone

By default, a user must specify an action to move from one IP phone card to the next. You can specify a refresh interval in seconds for a series of cards by including a meta refresh="n" element. The refresh interval that you specify applies to the current card and each subsequent card for the web page until a refresh interval of "0" is encountered.

Hiding Device-Specific Content from Full Browsers

By default, full browsers such as Internet Explorer and Netscape Navigator render all web page content, including the content enclosed in elements with the attribute class="transform_rule". If a web page contains content intended for full browsers as well as device-specific content, you can hide the device-specific content from full browsers as follows:

To embed a declaration for transform_rule_hide in an HTML page, include the following code within the head element:

<style>
  <!-- 
    .transform_rule_hide { 
      display: none; 
    } 
  --> 
</style>
 

To put a declaration for transform_rule_hide in an external stylesheet, include the following code within the head element of the HTML page:

<link 
rel="stylesheet" 
type="text/css" 
href="filename.css" 
/>
 

where filename.css includes the following declaration for transform_rule_hide:

.transform_rule_hide { 
display: none; 
}

Managing Configuration Files When Using CTE XHTML Extensions

The CTE has a default configuration file that enables it to process CTE XHTML extensions included in a web page. The default configuration file includes a project named "Default Transformations" that defines all rules needed to process the extensions. A backup default configuration file is also provided with Design Studio in case the "Default Transformations" project is overwritten on the CTE.

Whether you use just the CTE XHTML extensions or both the extensions and Design Studio determines how you should manage the configuration file on a CTE:

If you download the configuration file from the CTE to Design Studio, you will see the "Default Transformations" project. While it is possible for you to make modifications to the default rules, such changes are not supported.

Merging the Default Configuration File on a CTE

The CTE XHTML extensions will not work unless the configuration file on the CTE contains the "Default Transformations" project provided with the default configuration file. If the default configuration file on a CTE is overwritten by a configuration file created in Design Studio, you need to merge the default file with the file currently on the CTE.

To merge the default configuration file on a CTE, perform these steps:


Step 1   Start Design Studio as described in the "Starting Design Studio" section.

Step 2   Insert the Design Studio CD into your CD-ROM drive.

Step 3   From the Design Studio File menu, choose Open.

Step 4   In the Open dialog box, navigate to the Design Studio CD and to the file backups\default.cte.

Step 5   Click Open.

Step 6   From the File menu, choose Publish Configuration.

Step 7   In the File Upload dialog box, click Merge.

Step 8   Wait until Design Studio displays a message that the configuration file is uploaded.

Step 9   Click OK.




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Posted: Mon Aug 18 16:35:16 PDT 2003
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