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pointers to make website mobile friendly

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  • 22-10-2012 11:10pm
    #1
    Robbie71
    Registered Users Posts: 122 ✭✭


    Hi , I have a small website designed using PHP and would like to make it mobile friendly,
    Can anyone suggest free software to either convert the existing site. If this is not possible maybe an easy to use mobile site builder



    wwwrobertlee .ie

    Thanks


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    #2
    TsuDhoNimh
    Registered Users Posts: 421 ✭✭TsuDhoNimh


    Robbie71 wrote: »
    Hi , I have a small website designed using PHP and would like to make it mobile friendly,
    Can anyone suggest free software to either convert the existing site. If this is not possible maybe an easy to use mobile site builder
    Take a little care if looking at 'converting' the existing site.

    There can be a huge difference between a site that renders properly on a mobile device (what most 'conversion' tools will seek to achieve) and one that renders in a usable/optimised way on mobile devices.

    Even when a site renders properly, it can be difficult or near impossible to actually use the site if it has mouseovers, ajax, popups or various other dynamic elements.

    The main things you want to consider when thinking about designing a mobile version:
    • Valid XHTML is a positive, but not 'enough' on its own
    • Vertical scrolling only, horizontal scrolling is an all too common pain on handheld devices
    • Keep page/file size as small as is practical, especially images but also CSS files and the likes
    • Choose a template/colour scheme that works well in questionable lighting situations (e.g. bright daylight, so high contrast)
    • Minimise user input requirements where possible, replace with selections if viable
    • Accept that devices/browsers will render some elements differently, so test extensively (not just emulators, but actual device testing) on a variety of devices and/or browsers
    • Avoid absolute sizing
    • Optimise task completion flows to ensure it's quick and painless to achieve

    From an implementation point of view, you have two main options that are both workable and have their own pros and cons. You can redirect users to a mobile specific site (or to a mobile optimised subdomain as is common) based on user-agent/browser or you can serve up optimised formatting for mobile devices based on the stylesheet used (CSS) based on the media/user-agent/browser.

    There are tools/guides out there that show 'quick' ways that some of the required tweaks can be achieved (be it on a PHP site or any other), but I've never come across a quick and easy way that actually provided good results so can't recommend one.


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    #3
    Robbie71
    Registered Users Posts: 122 ✭✭Robbie71


    Tsu,Thanks for detailed reply ,it saved me trawling through pages of 'advice' and exactly the info what i was looking for.


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    #4
    COYW
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,930 ✭✭✭COYW


    As others have said the keep it light and I would also recommend that you use a mobile emulator as it will give you an decent idea of how your site will look on a mobile device. I use Ripple in Chrome myself but you will find one to suit whatever browser you use. Avoid I.E. though!!


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