The unique wireless environment Customizing a host application for a wireless device is very similar to the process using the GUI development tools that appeared several years ago to customize a host application for a standard browser interface. For this reason, standard practice is to place the entire screen within a single column so that the application does not wrap around the screen and there is no horizontal scroll bar. This requires that each object be placed on the left-hand edge of the interface and have the same horizontal position as the other objects. Long objects, such as labels, need to be edited so that they are able to fit within the width of the screen. It's also wise to eliminate all unnecessary text and graphics both to conserve screen real estate and bandwidth.
Most wireless applications dispense entirely with graphics, for example.
It provides a quick and easy way to check the appearance of customized applications without having a Palm available. The latest generation of conversion tools can greatly reduce the time required to enable host applications for wireless access by automating a considerable portion of the process. One development tool automatically identifies 400 common host application screen patterns and automatically converts them into logical wireless formats. The user has the opportunity to create new host patterns and modify the way in which they are converted to wireless screens. Once templates have been identified or created that match the screen format used in the host application and produce satisfactory wireless screens, the process of generating wireless screens can be largely automated.