The CTE transforms web pages according to transformation rules. You can create transformation rules by using the following:
Design Studio
CTE XHTML extensions in source HTML files
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:
A class attribute value that is unique to the CTE.
A rule attribute that specifies the transformation rule you want to apply.
A devices attribute that indicates the device types for which you want content transformed.
Additional attributes provide more information for some rules.
CTE XHTML extensions are also available to implement the following IP phone features:
Soft Keys
Input type for input fields
Page refresh interval
Note We recommend that you use the CTE XHTML extensions with div elements,
except as noted in this publication. While it is possible to use the extensions with
any element, a broader application of the extensions is not supported.
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 divrule="dialnumber" element.
dialnumber
Identifies a dialable phone number. A div element with this rule must enclose text and must have a corresponding divrule="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.
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:
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:
Web page content that may be accessed through a wireless device (IP phones, Palm devices, and WAP phones) or through a full browser.
Retained table elements for Palm devices.
Ignored font element and dialable phone number for IP phones.
Redundant pieces of content.
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.
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.
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:
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:
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.
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:
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:
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:
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:
Use the attribute class="transform_rule_hide" when you specify the CTE XHTML extensions.
Include a declaration for transform_rule_hide either in a style element in the HTML page or in an external stylesheet that you reference from a link element in the HTML page.
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 a CTE is used only to process web pages that include CTE XHTML extensions, all you need to do is verify that the pages work as you expect. If none of the transformations work, the default configuration file has likely been overwritten on the CTE. In that case, you need to follow the steps in the "Merging the Default Configuration File on a CTE" section.
If a CTE is used to process web pages that include CTE XHTML extensions and web pages that are transformed using rules created in Design Studio, you must merge any configuration files created in Design Studio with the default configuration file on the CTE. The configuration files that you create in Design Studio must not use the project name "Default Transformations."
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:
