Sign in Subscribe

WML Wireless markup language

Last updated on 


Wireless Markup Language (WML) is a markup language designed for creating content specifically for mobile devices with limited resources and small screens. It was developed as part of the Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) stack to deliver web content on early mobile phones and other wireless devices before the widespread adoption of smartphones. WML is an XML-based language and served as the primary markup language for mobile web browsing in the early 2000s.

History of WML:

WML was developed by the WAP Forum, a consortium of companies that aimed to standardize wireless application development. It was introduced in the late 1990s as part of WAP 1.0, which provided a complete framework for enabling internet access on mobile devices. WML's primary purpose was to provide a lightweight and simplified markup language that could be easily interpreted and rendered by resource-constrained mobile devices.

Features of WML:

  1. XML-based Syntax: WML is based on XML (eXtensible Markup Language), making it easy to parse and process for devices with limited computational power and memory.
  2. Card-Deck Model: WML is designed around the concept of a "card" and "deck." A deck represents a set of cards that can be navigated sequentially. Each card represents a single screen or page of content.
  3. Limited Presentation and Interaction: WML supports basic presentation elements such as text, images, and links. Interaction is primarily limited to simple navigation, form submission, and user input.
  4. Lightweight: WML is lightweight and uses minimal bandwidth, making it suitable for low-speed data connections prevalent in early mobile networks.
  5. No Style or Layout Control: WML does not offer control over the visual layout of the content. Instead, it relies on the capabilities of the mobile device's browser to render the content.
  6. Declarative Programming: WML relies on declarative programming, where developers specify what they want to be displayed and how users interact with the content, rather than providing detailed instructions on how to achieve it.

Example of WML Code:

Below is a simple example of WML code that displays a card with some text and a link:

xmlCopy code<?xml version="1.0" ?><!DOCTYPE wml PUBLIC "-//WAPFORUM//DTD WML 1.1//EN" "http://www.wapforum.org/DTD/wml_1.1.xml"> <wml>  <card id="main" title="Welcome">    <p>      Welcome to our mobile website! </p>    <p>      <a href="page2.wml">Click here to go to the next page</a>    </p>  </card></wml>

Limitations and Obsolescence:

WML served its purpose during the early days of mobile web browsing when smartphones were not yet widely available. However, with the advent of smartphones and the growth of mobile internet technologies like HTML5, CSS, and JavaScript, WML became obsolete. Modern mobile web browsers and devices support standard web technologies, making them capable of rendering full-fledged HTML web pages designed for desktop browsers.

Today, WML is rarely used, and its adoption has significantly decreased. Developers now focus on responsive web design and creating mobile-friendly websites using modern web technologies that adapt to different screen sizes and device capabilities.

In conclusion, Wireless Markup Language (WML) was an early XML-based markup language designed for mobile devices with limited resources. It provided a lightweight and simple way to deliver content on early mobile phones before the rise of smartphones and modern mobile web technologies. However, it has become obsolete, and developers now use more advanced web technologies for mobile web development.