File extensions for handheld-friendly HTML

We are generating multiple outputs from our DCRs, one with standard web HTML (highly designed with CSS) and another with stripped down HTML (no CSS or Font tags, just <p> and <h1> tags) for handheld devices such as phones, PDA's, etc. A side benefit for us is that this stripped down HTML can also be downloaded to some tablet PC's so the content can be used within an application like help text without having a live internet connection.

In the interest of keeping everything in one location, we generate 2 files for each DCR: myfile.shtml for our standard web content and myfile.pda for our handheld content. We selected .pda since the content was originally targeted for PDA's, and we couldn't find a standard extension for handheld friendly HTML. Everything worked fine once we configured our web server to send the proper MIME type for accessing the handheld HTML.

However, we've hit a problem when trying to use the handheld HTML downloaded to a tablet PC. Even after we associate .pda files with Internet Explorer, the anchor links don't work within the page. The pages work when using IE through the web server, but the exact files accessed through a file system don't work. Weird thing is that when we change the extension on the files to .htm, they work fine. We've tried to duplicate the registry entries for .htm for .pda under Windows, but that hasn't solved the problem.

I'd rather not set the extension for the handheld HTML to .htm, so there isn't confusion with any pregenerated content (i.e. not generated by Interwoven) in other areas of the site, but I'm not sure I have a choice at this point. Is there another extension that I've missed other than .html and .htm that IE recognizes natively as HTML?

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Comments

Valentine

I would think that this is another "feature" in IE.
On the TabletPC try using any other browser, ie. lynx, opera, netscape, firefox anything.

You can try to package all of the *.pdf files into the chm.

mike_jaixen

> I would think that this is another "feature" in IE.
> On the TabletPC try using any other browser, ie. lynx, opera, netscape, firefox anything.

Unfortunately, in the corporate world, using something other than IE isn't terribly practical. (If I had my way, we would have never switched to IE in the first place.)

Johnny

If it's not too late, you should keep the extension .html and identify it as a stripped down version via a naming convention.

EG somefile.html, somefile_pda.html

John Cuiuli

JTNeville

How about .WML...

http://www.w3schools.com/wap/