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Before you begin
CHAPTER 1. About this guide
Focus of this guide
Conventions
Related publications
CHAPTER 2. Introduction to channel development
Overview
What is an AvantGo channel?
AvantGo channel development vs. desktop web development
Hardware differences
AvantGo limitations
Offline differences
Channel FAQ
1. Basic questions
2. Advanced topics (custom content, managing server load, PODS)
3. AvantGo Client wireless
4. Promotions and page tracking
5. The state of JavaScript
6. Security
7. Other
The AvantGo Channel Creation Checklist
Channel basics
CHAPTER 3. Creating and testing a channel
Overview
Creating your first channel
Making web pages available
Specifying channel settings
Viewing your channel
Changing channel settings later
Testing your AvantGo channel
Syncing just one channel
Testing on emulators
Testing on different devices
Channel troubleshooting and debugging tips
"This page is not available..." message on your test device
"This page is not available..." message on another device
Not sure cookie is being set properly in your channel
Tips for debugging cookies
Need to remove all cookie information from your AvantGo account
Server timeouts encountered
Not sure forms are being sent properly
Only last offline submission of same form "works"
Caching prevents me from counting user syncs
CHAPTER 4. Creating channel content
Overview
Designing the channel site
Choosing content
Organizing pages
Considering mode: online or offline
Size limit issues
AvantGo sync server limits
Your channel's Maximum Channel Size limit
User limitations
Pages are returned in upredictable order
Avoiding grabbing pages multiple times
Downloading a page beyond channel's Link Depth
Channel caching
Designing pages for the channel site
Page layout
HandheldFriendly meta tag
Available HTML in AvantGo Client 4.x
Unavailable HTML in AvantGo Client 4.x
Available HTML in AvantGo Client 5.x
Using the TITLE tag
Using tables judiciously
Using forms
Designing pages for multiple devices
Personalizing pages for different users
Using Form and JavaScript elements
Designing graphics for channel pages
Image size
Image detail
Image colors
Guidelines for color images on color devices
Guidelines for color images on grayscale devices
Designing images
Alt tags
Image maps
Breaking the 150-pixel limit
Tips and tricks
CHAPTER 5. Caching to improve channel performance
Overview
Introduction to caching
How caching works — the concept
How caching works — technical details
Caching strategies
Cache a page for less time than the period in which it changes
Do not cache personalized pages
Implementing caching
Using Cache-Control headers
Using Expires headers
Using META HTTP-EQUIV tags
What about META Expires tags?
Adding HTTP headers to your channel pages
Special note for Apache webmasters
Non-Apache servers
Server under control of your ISP
Caching personalized content on user's device
Cache-Control's private directive
Other Cache-Control directives
Content that cannot be cached
Cookies do not block caching
More tips for better caching
Caching FAQ
CHAPTER 6. Customizing content for users and devices
Overview
Using AvantGo Client HTTP request headers to customize content
Retrieving AvantGo Client HTTP request headers
Decoding AvantGo Client HTTP request headers
Why not label these pages as Cache-Control: private?
Using server URL macros to customize content
Inserting URL macros into your channel URL
Available URL macros
Using cookies to support personal channels
Setting cookies in your HTTP headers
Cookie personalization example: a Movie Review Channel
Expiring cookies differently for desktop vs. channel viewers
Putting it all together
CHAPTER 7. Managing channel form submissions
Overview
Forms in the online world
Forms in the offline world
What the Forms Manager does
Why you shouldn't use the Forms Manager
Submitting forms the right way
Using submitNoResponse() with the Submit button
Caching guidelines
Accommodating online users
Using personal channels to bypass the Forms Manager
A hypothetical Wine Finder Channel
Source code for the Wine Finder Channel
Avoiding collisions in multiple offline submissions
The problem — how offline submissions can "collide"
Solutions
Deploying a channel
CHAPTER 8. Rolling out a channel
Overview
Becoming an AvantGo media channel customer
AvantGo media channel customer benefits
User-submitted channels have been phased out
Linking to and promoting your channel
Providing a link that subscribes users
Looking up your channel ID
Things to do before you go live
Set your channel up for caching
Explain the AvantGo button
Restrict access to AvantGo servers only
CHAPTER 9. Subscribing channel users
Overview
Subscribing users with a simple link
Getting a channel ID
Looking up a channel ID
Subscribing users with a sign-up process
Setting a cookie using a link
Setting a cookie using a form
Hiding channel ID so sign-up process cannot be bypassed
Adding any web page to user's mobile device with a simple link
Adding any web page to user's mobile device with add_channel.pl link
A few words about .subs files
Appendices
APPENDIX A. HTML 4 support in AvantGo Client 5.x
Overview
HTML 4.01 tags and attributes
CSS level 1 style attribute properties
DOM level 1
JavaScript
APPENDIX B. HTML 3.2 support in AvantGo Client 4.x
Overview
HTML tag and attribute support
Basic JavaScript
Methods
Event handlers
The Document Object Model (DOM)
PODS URLs
Submitting forms
Data types
Practical examples using Basic JavaScript
Summary
APPENDIX C. Adding special features to a channel
Overview
Email and zip code auto-fill
Using PIM POD to insert an event into a user's calendar
APPENDIX D. Designing advertising for AvantGo home page and channels
Overview
Banners
File format
Dimensions
Using color on Palm OS devices
Jump pages
Number of pages
File format
Formatting
Table-specific formatting
Images
Forms
Frames
Links
JavaScript
AvantGo post-Submit message
AvantGo extras
Automated email response
Data collection
Add-to-calendar/add-to-address book
Add channel
Preview channel
Splash pages
Timeframes and policies
Submission deadline and production timeline
...When there are errors in the ad:
APPENDIX E. Security
Overview
Client-to-server security
Secure sessions
Special requirements
Server security
Server protection
Transmission checks
Cookie encryption
Server-to-web security
Secure connections
Trusted hosts
Authentication to websites
Futures and options
APPENDIX F. Code samples
Overview
Movie Review Channel example
Basic version
Version 2, supporting online users
Version 3, no database, preferences stored in cookie
Wine Finder Channel example
Sample hosted advertisement
Email and zip code auto-fill example
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