How do you make a website for a PDA?

[VBAHole22]

I'm trying to make my current website available for PDA users but I have no clue where to start. Do I have to create a parallel site? How can I detect if the browser is a pda or a regular version? Is there a special type of project I need to create in VS05?

 

As you can see I am fairly clueless about where to begin. I just need a kickstart because there are so many terms out there like WAP and WML, pocketpc, win ce, etc. It's a word salad. I just want a simple basic site that will look good on a pda. If I have to create a new site that is fine, I just don't know how to start it.

 

Thanks for any suggestions.

[Nate Bross]

I am not sure how you would check the browser; however, you would need to make another site. There are two pretty standard screen sizes for PocketPC.

 

480x640 -> Very highend PocketPC only

240x320 -> Hard to find one with smaller

 

Most PocketPCs allow the user to flip the screen i.e. hold the device at 90 degrees so it runs a 640x480/320x240, and I do not know if there is a way to detect this. Possibly JavaScript

 

Screen.Width;
Screen.Height;

 

Again, PocketPC Internet Explorer may or may not support JavaScript, or it might only be partially suported.

 

I don't know if I actually said anything important, but I hope it helps.

[VBAHole22]

Thank you Nate. That is helpful. I figured I would need another site. With a different address. I noticed that on my Axim if I surf to http://www.google.com I get redirected to http://www.google.com/pda or something like that. So they must have a way of doing it somehow.

 

Thanks for the assistance

[Cags]

You can check the browser being used with some kind of scripting language, php, javascript or asp. I'm assuming that since your on a .Net forum you'd be looking at using asp, a quick search of google revealed the following

 

http://www.webmasterworld.com/forum45/385.htm