Chapter 14. Usability, Accessibility, Mobile Devices, Localization

14. Usability, Accessibility, Mobile Devices, Localization

So far, this book has concentrated on the features of ASP.NET with respect to developing Web pages and Web applications that generate standard HTML output for the browser. In fact, ASP.NET automatically takes advantage of some of the features of modern browsers. For example, as you saw in earlier chapters, it generates client-side JavaScript code to implement the postback mechanism required by certain kinds of links and other interactive page content.

However, the actual HTML and other content sent to the client has not been something you have concentrated on, assuming that what ASP.NET generates is suitable for all types of browsers and all visitors. This is, unfortunately, not always the case. In most of your applications, you must consider the suitability of the output you generate in terms of both the technical capabilities of the user's browser and the limitations some users encounter when accessing the Web.

This chapter concentrates on the techniques for making your Web sites more suitable for all types of clients. It looks in general at the issues of:

• Detecting the browser's capabilities and providing alternative content

• Specifying extra information that makes your pages easier to use

• Adding features to support disabled users and specialist user agents

• Building pages that work on small-screen and mobile devices

• Building pages that support localization and multiple languages

In fact, the first two of these topics are important in that they provide general assistance to all users and should be a consideration in all the sites you build, regardless of your target audience.