handheld device markup language (mobile communications) (HDML)

Handheld Device Markup Language (HDML) is the predecessor language of Wireless Markup Language(WML) and has been used primarily for PersonalDigital Assistants(PDA). The HDML description language is deliberately structured in a similar way and also uses a similar syntax to the platform-independent page description languageHypertext Markup Language( HTML).

HDML can be used for particularly simple Internet applications, which can be transmitted fast over radio networks because of the small amount of data. The description language is therefore ideally suited for transferring text parts of websites to cell phones or wirelessly connected PDAs.

The communication takes place in dialogue fields, which can be programmed fast by means of HDML. Dynamic data can be inserted into these dialog boxes. Furthermore, they can be used interactively. The HDML concept envisages only thin clients as clients, i.e. terminals with simple browsers.