Mobile Devices - Post ID 131529

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Will websites using Visual Site Designer work well with Mobile Devices?
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A general answer: no. A more specific answer:

The screen of a mobile device can have all kinds of dimensions and resolutions. Lets' first discuss a website that gives mainly text information.

To watch text well in any dimension/situation, the text should wrap automatically if the screen size alters. This is called a floating design. You can compare this with changing the size of your browser window on your PC: if you make it smaller or larger, text wraps automatically to fill the space that you give it. VSD can't do this. It offers only designs with a fixed width :-(. So if a text box is wider than the screen width of your visitor, he/she has to scroll horizontally to read it. That is almost the best way to chase someone away...

You'd better use the Coffeecup HTML editor for websites suited for Mobile Devices, as this software offers you floating design templates!

Of course there are other things to consider. Like download speed. Most mobile devices can't load a site as fast as a home PC.

If you want to make a website for both situations, you should design 2 websites, one with a simpler and floating design for Mobile Devices (or maybe only this one? Floating designs are always OK!). Scripts exist that can 'see' what kind of device a visitor is using while watching your site, and then load the right version.

As long as VSD uses tables for its text boxes internally, which it does now, a floating template can't be made....Maybe the next version?

Success, John
John van Hulst

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