Banners and mobile phone displays

[osbourne one-nil]

Hello again,

Does anyone fancy helping me understand how to get a mobile-device-viewable page and a banner for use on forums?

I've read and read the information already provided, but I simply don't have a clue. If it helps, you can pretend I'm a clueless moron.

[TNETWeather]

mobile-device-viewable page could be a number of different formats.

WAP, a web page using the WML WAP protocol is readable by most phones. It is a fairly strict format that is somewhat limited by what can be displayed and viewed. A sample WAP page using Cumulus weather software can be viewed:

http://cumulus.tnetweather.com/wap.php
You will need a WAP capable browser to see this

That one uses only the data obtained from the realtime.txt file. This version of WAP page is available to be downloaded and used right now at: http://www.tnetweather.com/cumulus.php

and

http://cumulus.tnetweather.com/wap2.php
You will need a WAP capable browser to see this

Which uses a lot more data available from Cumulus in the form of an extracted XML format. This version is not available yet.

HTML Version

Many mobile phones can use plain old HTML though, and you could create a web page simply by making a smaller simplier version of your current web page. One that I created using WD is:

http://www.tnetweather.com/pda-view.php

Basically, it is just a simple web page output in a format that fits better on a mobile device. Depending on what type of browser your mobile device has, this may or may not view well.

With HTML, you have a lot less restrictions and can include full color images etc... where in the WAP format, images need to be in a special format.

As for banners, which really should be a separate posting, you should check out something like:

https://cumulus.hosiene.co.uk/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=103

Which creates a PHP GD based banner that is like below in my signature.

[osbourne one-nil]

Thanks Kevin,

What I'm really after for a mobile device is something that will read well on my Blackberry. When I logged on to my site yesterday, all the information was there, but nothing lined up and it was quite hard to interpret properly.

As for the banner, thanks for the link. I had read that thread already, but it's way beyond me. I'll try and make sense of it, and if I can't, I'll ask in the right place.

[TNETWeather]

Try the links that I provided on your BB... I've never really used one, so I dont know what it is capable of.

My new phone can view just about anything including these forums.

[osbourne one-nil]

Sorted - I think.

[Paul C]

Sorted - I think.

Banner looks fine. I will add you to the list. May be an idea to add Cumbria UK etc at the end, then others will know where you are ?

https://cumulus.hosiene.co.uk/viewtopic.p ... 1447#p1447

[osbourne one-nil]

Surely everyone knows where Great Asby is? When I say everyone, I obviously don't mean the BBC, British Telecom, mobile phone operators, the Royal Mail, couriers, Tesco home delivery etc etc.

PS - any idiot-proof guides to changing the font and making it link to my website? I've made a directory called fonts, and uploaded a verdana.ttf file to it so far.

[osbourne one-nil]

Made it clickable!

[Paul C]

Surely everyone knows where Great Asby is? When I say everyone, I obviously don't mean the BBC, British Telecom, mobile phone operators, the Royal Mail, couriers, Tesco home delivery etc etc.

PS - any idiot-proof guides to changing the font and making it link to my website? I've made a directory called fonts, and uploaded a verdana.ttf file to it so far.

If I had to hazard a guess I would say that I am the only one on this forum to know where Great Asby is

Sounds like you are heading in the right direction re the fonts.

This is the bit I had problems with, copied from previous thread
"Try changing the code in near the top of the file:


Code:
$SITE['fontdir'] = "fonts/"; # must contain ttf font files!
$SITE['usettf'] = "yes"; # Set to No to use default fonts


To
usettyf = no


Code:
$SITE['fontdir'] = "fonts/"; # must contain ttf font files!
$SITE['usettf'] = "no"; # Set to No to use default fonts

"

[osbourne one-nil]

Thanks Paul,

Tried fiddling with all that, but it's generally resulted in no banner being generated at all. it's completely unimportant, of course, but one of those things that just bugs me!

By the way, I'm amazed that even you have heard of Great Asby. 90% of the population of Appleby haven't it seems!

[Paul C]

Have you got the fonts in the right place ?

You have to change the location of where they and set YES to use them - as below. This is in the banner txt bit

############################################################################
# This document uses Tab 4 Settings
############################################################################
$DATA = array();
$SITE = array();
############################################################################
# CONFIGURATION INFORMATION
############################################################################
$SITE['version'] = "2.0";
$SITE['hloc'] = "./";
$SITE['datafile'] = "realtime.txt";
$SITE['image_width'] = 468;
$SITE['image_height'] = 60;
#---------------------------------------------------------------------------
$SITE['fontdir'] = "fonts/"; # must contain ttf font files!
$SITE['usettf'] = "yes"; # Set to No to use default fonts
#---------------------------------------------------------------------------
$SITE['format'] = "png"; # Options: jpeg gif png
$SITE['dateiso'] = "no";
$SITE['sitename'] = "Brampton,Cumbria UK";
$SITE['cumulusver'] = "1.8.2";
$SITE['tempunit'] = "°C";
$SITE['rainunit'] = "mm";
$SITE['barounit'] = " mb";
$SITE['windunit'] = " kts";
############################################################################

[steve]

Tried fiddling with all that, but it's generally resulted in no banner being generated at all. it's completely unimportant, of course, but one of those things that just bugs me!

You said you had uploaded verdana - have you also uploaded arial and arialbd, or have you changed your script to not use those?

Steve

[osbourne one-nil]

I've only uploaded Verdana so far, so I'll upload the others, but where should they be put? I've made a folder called fonts which I've put in the same folder as the banner script thingymajig.

I imagine this is like trying to teach your Gran how Sky+ works. The trouble is, I'm only 37.

[steve]

Yes, that's right, put them in the fonts folder with verdana. It'll work then, bound to...

Steve

[osbourne one-nil]

You're not wrong!

Thanks you three for your help!