PocketBrowser Migration Guide

Enterprise Browser 3.5

Overview

Enterprise Browser supports PocketBrowser 2.x/3.x applications, which in many cases will run within EB after just a few small changes. This guide explains the changes that will always be required for migrating to EB from PocketBrowser 2.x/3.x, and a few others that might be.

Prerequisites: These instructions require a development host (desktop or laptop) connected to a Zebra device, both containing the Enterprise Browser software, as well as a familiarity with the process of editing the Enterprise Browser Config.xml file. For help, see the guides below.

Related Guides:

About PocketBrowser 3.x

The migration procedures for PocketBrowser 3.x are the same as those for 2.x. The following device notes apply to PocketBrowser 3.x migrations only.

Notes:

  • On Windows Mobile 6.5, PocketBrowser 3.x uses the Progressive Internet Explorer (PIE, a component of IE4). This was done to maintain support for scrollbars after Microsoft dropped the feature from its version of IE6 for Windows Mobile.

  • The TextSize method in the PB 3.x DeviceApplication API will malfunction on Windows CE devices unless the TextSelectionEnabled parameter in the EB Config.xml contains a value of "1" (enabled).

  • The IE6 rendering engine on WinCE supports scrollbars, but does not support the Scrolling parameter in the EB Config.xml.

Common Steps For Most Migrations

The instructions in this section apply to all migrations from Android, Windows Mobile and Windows CE. Platform-specific differences will be indicated in corresponding sections that follow for:

Most of the activities related to app migration involve editing the Enterprise Browser Config.xml file, which stores all app settings and parameters for EB runtime behavior. See the Config Editor Utility Guide for information about how to connect to devices and access this file.

Config.xml

The single change that is always necessary when migrating to Enterprise Browser from any other platform is to specify the StartPage of the app in the Enterprise Browser Config.xml file. For PocketBrowser apps on Android, it's also necessary to load legacy APIs, and on Windows Mobile/CE to enable the backward compatibility engine. Some apps also require replication and/or adjustment of other settings from an old config file to the new, and to copy page files and/or other files to the device. This section covers all of those steps, to be performed as necessary for the target platform and app.

Note for Windows CE devices: Zebra recommends a persistent installation for most EB scenarios on WinCE. Before proceeding, see the Windows Mobile/CE section (below) for details, including special instructions for editing the Config.xml file.

Path to Config.xml file:

  • On Android devices: /sdcard/Android/data/com.zebra.mdna.enterprisebrowser/Config.xml
  • On Windows devices: \Program Files\EnterpriseBrowser\Config\Config.xml

Perform Steps 1-4 as needed:

1. Specify the StartPage of the EB app in the new Config.xml file. This will be the first page that loads with Enterprise Browser, and can be on a server (specify the URL) or local to the device (specify the full path), as below: 

    
    <Configuration>
        <Applications>
            <Application>
                <General>
                    <Name value="Menu"/>
                    <StartPage value="file://%INSTALLDIR%/menu.html" name="Menu"/>
                </General>

For Android devices, skip to Step 3.

2. Enable backward compatibility on Windows Mobile/CE by specifying a value of '1' in the UseRegularExpressions parameter, as below: 

    
    <Configuration>
        <Applications>
            <Application>
                <General>
                    <Name value="Menu"/>
                    <StartPage value="file://%INSTALLDIR%/menu.html" name="Menu"/>
                    <UseRegularExpressions value='1'/>
                        </General>

This enables the regular expressions engine for translation to EMML 1.0 syntax, which is stored in an XML file called RegEx.xml. After EB installation, the regular expressions engine can be found on the device at \Program Files\EnterpriseBrowser\Config\RegEx.xml. Applies only to Windows Mobile/CE devices.

Warning: Do not alter the RegEx.xml file in any way.

3. Verify that the Engine in Use parameter contains a value of 'Webkit' (as below) to enable the desired rendering engine:

    
    <Configuration>
        <Engine>
            <EngineInUse value='Webkit'/>
        </Engine>

4. Copy any required off-line files (i.e. "BadLink" pages, etc.) to the device, take note of their paths, and specify those paths in the relevant sections of the Config.xml file, as necessary.

Note: The file systems of some operating systems are case-sensitive. For cross-platform compatibility, letter case for URL, file and path references in the Config.xml file should be identical to those of the sources.

See the Enterprise Browser Config.xml Reference for more information about settings, parameters and other requirements.

Display Rendering

Applies to most migration scenarios. If migrating from a Windows device to one running Android, or from Windows Mobile to Windows CE or vice-versa, adjustments to some display settings will likely be necessary since those migrations involve the use of different webkits. Other considerations might include display of the soft input panel, controlling its position on the screen and the ability to hide it, if desired. The relevant parameters are listed below; all should be checked as part of the migration process.

Render-related Config.xml parameters:

Android

Complete this section only after following the Common Steps For Most Migrations above, and only if migrating to Android.

Deploy Legacy APIs

Running a PocketBrowser 2.x/3.x app in Enterprise Browser on Android requires that the legacy APIs (contained in the elements.js file) be available to any HTML page rendered on the device that needs access to an API. For example, if a page exists for controlling the device scanner, that page's HTML must contain a reference to elements.js. The file should generally be located in the same place as the HTML pages themselves, which can be on the device or a server. See the API Usage Guide for more information.

To deploy the elements.js file:

1. Locate the elements.js file, which by default is located in the following directory on the development host:

  • C:/EnterpriseBrowser/JavaScriptFiles/BackwardCompatibility/

2. Place a copy of elements.js on the device or a server in a location that is accessible by all of the app's HTML pages.

3. Add a reference to the API file in every HTML page that will access the APIs, as below: 

    

    // This example applies when elements.js is in a web server's "js" folder:

<html>
    <head>
    <script type="text/javascript" charset="utf-8" src="/js/elements.js"></script>

Notes:

  • The generic methods RasConnect and RasDisconnect are not supported.
  • The NOSIP control for preventing display of the soft input panel is not supported. See the SIP API's hide() method for an alternative.
  • The EB FitToScreenEnabled parameter is not supported.
  • EMML profiles are not supported.
  • If the app is to perform scanning, check for hardware contention issues and other potential conflicts with DataWedge and other Android-native apps that use the device's scanning hardware.

Windows Mobile/CE using IE

Complete this section only after following the Common Steps For Most Migrations above, and only if migrating to Windows Mobile or Windows CE with the IE rendering engine. If using Webkit, skip to the next section.

Enterprise Browser APIs do not support IE. When using IE as the rendering engine, only PocketBrowser APIs will be available. This might represent the best choice for target devices with limited memory and/or CPU resources, or for apps that don't require Webkit features or functionality offered by Enterprise Browser APIs.

Engine in Use

Verify that the Engine in Use parameter contains a value of 'IE' (as below) to enable the desired rendering engine:

    
    <Configuration>
            <Engine>
                <EngineInUse value='IE'/>

Persistence

For Windows CE devices, Zebra recommends the "Enterprise Browser - IE (Persistent)" installation option when deploying EB to the device. This allows Enterprise Browser settings to persist following a cold boot. On persistent installations, the location of the Config.xml file to be edited is different than that of non-persistent installations, and changes could be lost after a cold boot if an edited file is placed in the wrong location on the device.

After a device with a persistent installation is cold-booted, the Enterprise Browser executable (i.e. EnterpriseBrowser_v1.3_IE.Cab file) and the Config.xml file are copied from the persistence directory:

  • \Application\EnterpriseBrowser\Config\

to this non-persistent directory:

  • \Program Files\EnterpriseBrowser\Config\

The Enterprise Browser app launches and reads the Config.xml file from the \Program Files\EnterpriseBrowser\ directory. This directory is overwritten by a cold boot. To preserve changes to a Config.xml file, the edited file must be placed in the \Application\EnterpriseBrowser\Config\ directory. Changes based on that edited file will take effect after the next cold boot. If no Config.xml file is present in the source directory following a cold boot, a new Config.xml file with default values will be generated and copied to the destination directory, overwriting any prior settings.

Optionally, an edited file can be placed in both directories, with changes taking effect the next time EB is launched, and ensuring that changes will be retained after a cold boot. This is the Zebra-recommended procedure.

Notes:

  • Enterprise Browser APIs do not support IE. When using IE as the rendering engine, only PocketBrowser APIs will be available.
  • Generic methods RasConnect and RasDisconnect are not supported.
  • The EB PageZoom parameter is not supported on IE. This webview supports text zoom only.
  • The JavaScript events onkeydown, onkeypress and onkeyup are not supported in Windows Mobile devices that use the IE rendering engine. The following workaround options are available:
    • Switch to the EB Webkit engine.
    • Use Enterprise Browser Keycapture APIs to capture hardware key-presses.
    • Use the PocketBrowser KeyCapture API (implemented as a plug-in) from the EB IE engine.

Windows Mobile/CE using Webkit

Complete this section only after following the Common Steps For Most Migrations above, and only if migrating to Windows Mobile or Windows CE with Webkit. If using the IE rendering engine, go back to the previous section.

Enable ActiveX Objects

If the PocketBrowser uses ActiveX controls, the legacy ActiveX Objects must be preloaded when EB initializes.

Specify a value of "1" in the PreloadLegacyActiveX parameter, as below:


<NPAPI>
        <NPAPIDirectory value="file://%INSTALLDIR%/NPAPI/" />
            <Preloads>
              <PreloadLegacyActiveX value="1" />

Persistence

For Windows CE devices, Zebra recommends the "Enterprise Browser - Webkit (Persistent)" installation option when deploying EB to the device. This allows Enterprise Browser settings to persist following a cold boot. On persistent installations, the location of the Config.xml file to be edited is different than that of non-persistent installations, and changes could be lost after a cold boot if an edited file is placed in the wrong location on the device.

After a device with a persistent installation is cold-booted, the Enterprise Browser executable (i.e. EnterpriseBrowser_v1.3_IE.Cab file) and the Config.xml file are copied from the persistence directory:

  • \Application\EnterpriseBrowser\Config\

to this non-persistent directory, which is overwritten as part of the cold-boot process:

  • \Program Files\EnterpriseBrowser\Config\

The Enterprise Browser app launches and reads the Config.xml file from the \Program Files\EnterpriseBrowser\ directory. This directory is overwritten by a cold boot. To preserve changes to a Config.xml file, the edited file must be placed in the \Application\EnterpriseBrowser\Config\ directory. Changes based on that edited file will take effect after the next cold boot. If no Config.xml file is present in the source directory following a cold boot, a new Config.xml file with default values will be generated and copied to the destination directory, overwriting any prior settings.

Optionally, an edited file can be placed in both directories, with changes taking effect the next time EB is launched, and ensuring that changes will be retained after a cold boot. This is the Zebra-recommended procedure.

Notes:

  • The generic methods RasConnect and RasDisconnect are not supported.
  • The NOSIP control for preventing display of the soft input panel is not supported. See the SIP API's hide() method for an alternative.
  • The EB FitToScreenEnabled parameter is not supported on WinCE.

Related Guides: