Technical issues can be perplexing! In this section we attempt to explain technical matters that have special interest in the WISL community.

Web Interaction

Upon entering the "web" it must be recognized that you are venturing into a world that is defined primarily by the browser that is being utilized. In order to take advantage of some of the generalized mobility features such as "BACK" and "FORWARD" the focus must be confined primarily to the current page of a given web session. The application developer has much less control over the actions of the user than in conventional interactive scenarios. Even the ability to save data between sessions is subject to the decision of the end user.

Data collection facilities such as order entry, assume some characteristics that are imposed by the web environment. Search lists are usually presented in logical groups that can normally be displayed within the physical screen. "BACK" and "FORWARD" command buttons are usually placed at the bottom of the page along with a "GO TO CART" button. Anything listed on the current page usually must be ordered while that page is the current page i.e. it is very difficult to structure the data collection routine to remember selections from previous pages to be processed by a single order command. This is partly due to the flexibility afforded to the user by the browser mobility commands.

                      PREV NEXT

On the other hand a user who becomes familiar with the nuances of his/her browser can use the browser commands to recover from oversights e.g. he/she can return to a previously viewed page to select and put an item into the shopping cart. The user also has the ability to terminate the session at any time and re-start at a later time or date with the likelihood that the cart will be presented at its previous state.

The web environment presents new challenges to the application developer attempting to adapt traditional business functions such as order entry to the personal electronic world. Please check out Webbill,  Webstore and Weborder to see how WISL has addressed these issues.