Viewing ASP.NET Mobile Web Pages 

  • Article

You need to test ASP.NET mobile Web pages on a variety of devices and emulators to assure support for the greatest number of devices. This section describes the ways you can view an ASP.NET mobile Web page.

Using Your Desktop Browser

Because ASP.NET mobile Web pages support HTML-based browsers, you can use your desktop browser to view mobile Web pages. You can debug your application with the desktop browser because it displays detailed error information, such as compilation and run-time errors. You can also enable page tracing and view the resulting trace information on the page.

Using an Emulator

You can often obtain an emulator application for a mobile device. Emulators enable you to test your application from your desktop workstation, and do not require an actual device or a wireless connection. Emulators can also include additional development tools, such as the ability to view page source or device state.

Most emulators enable you to view applications installed locally on your workstation. However, others might require additional components, such as ActiveSync or a gateway.

To determine whether a supported device has an emulator, consult the device manufacturer. To install and use an emulator, see the documentation that accompanies the emulator.

For more information about devices that have been tested by Microsoft, look for the Tested Devices and Emulators link on the Mobile page. The manufacturers' Web sites often have information about emulators available for their devices.

Using a Wireless Device

If your cellular phone or other mobile device has wireless Internet access, and if your Web server can be accessed from the Internet, you can use your phone or device to view your mobile Web pages. If the server is on your corporate intranet, your network might need a proxy or gateway. Products such as Microsoft Mobile Information Server 2002 can provide secure wireless access to intranet servers.

If you have a cradle for your device, you may be able to install ActiveSync on your machine and connect your device to your machine through ActiveSync. For more information about installing and using ActiveSync, see Install the Tools.

Using a Pocket PC

Even if you do not have wireless Internet access, you can view your application using a Pocket PC if it has network connectivity to your Web server. Pocket PCs have several network connectivity options. For more information, see the documentation that accompanies your device.

To view your mobile Web page, first connect your Pocket PC to the network. Then open Microsoft Internet Explorer for the Pocket PC, and enter the URL of the application.

NoteNote

For best viewing with a Pocket PC, make sure that the Fit to screen feature is on.

All ASP.NET applications can be configured to work with or without the use of cookies. Some mobile devices do not support cookies, and other devices might allow the user to turn off cookies. To support these devices, configure your application to use cookieless sessions, and do not rely on cookies in your own application code.

See Also

Concepts

Controlling View State
Controlling Session State

Other Resources

Application Developer's Guide
Developing ASP.NET Mobile Web Pages