A Design and Implementation of WML Compiler for WAP Gateway for Wireless Internet Services

In this paper, we describe a design and implementation of the Wireless Markup Language(WML) compiler to deploy wireless Internet services effectively. The WML compiler translates textual WML decks into binary ones in order to reduce the traffic on wireless links that have relatively low bandwidth to wireline links and mitigate the processing overhead of WML decks on, wireless terminals that have relatively low processing power to fixed workstations. In addition, it takes over the overhead of eXtensible Markup Language(XML) well-formedness and validation processes. The WML compiler consists of the lexical analyzer and parser modules. The granunar for the WML parser module is LALR(1) context-free grammar that is designed based on XML 1.0 and WML 1.2 DTD(Document Type Definition) with the consideration of the Wireless Application Protocol Binary XML grammar. The grammar description is converted into a C program to parse that grammar by using parser generator. Even though the tags in WML will be extended or WML DTD will be upgraded, this approach has the advantage of flexibility because the program is generated by modifying just the changed parts. We have verified the functionality of the WML compiler by using a WML decompiler in the public domain and by using the Nokia WAP Toolkit as a WAP client. To measurethe compressibility gain of the WML compiler, we have tested a large number of textual WML decks and obtained a maximum 85 %. As the effect of compression is reduced when the portion of general textual strings increases relative to one of the tags and attributes in a WML deck, an extended encoding method might be needed for specific applications such as compiling of the WML decks to which the Hyper Text Markup Language document is translated dynamically.