Skin for Smartphones and Tablets

1 Description

We d'like to develop a skin for mobile devices (Smartphones and Tablets). If a user visits ILIAS with a mobile device, the skin should automatically change to the mobile skin. We suggest to begin with the login page and the ILIAS test module. A scenario could be a direct link to a test which can be done with smartphones like iphones or android. We will use the framework jQuery Mobile.

We made a first pilot. Have a look at the following test with a smartphone:
http://test.learnonline.ch/mobile/goto.php?target=tst_49&client_id=test_demomaster
User: test.user
Password: testuser

2 Status

• Scheduled for Release: Not scheduled yet
• Funding: Required
• Development: Feature is to be developed by studer + raimann ag (skin development) and leifos(?) (integrating of some core elements)

3 Work done so far

• a mobile Skin (jquerymobile) in ILIAS 4.1.4 (e.g. Description, registration needed).
• the Skin includes the template "tpl.il_as_tst_output.html" only, no questions types are modified.
• some question types are not supported by seversal mobile OS.
• JavaScript has to be disabled for the following question types, due to the fact that jQueryMobile doesn't support Drag&Drop at the moment (there's a plugin, which could be used: http://www.jsplugins.com/Scripts/Plugins/View/Jquery-Mobile-Drag-And-Drop/)

4 Problems occurred

• because of relicts like html-layout-tables jQueryMobile needs a lot of customizing. jQM is much easier to use with unordered lists and divisions.
• Questions in ILIAS-Tests are forms with submitbuttons (input type=submit). jQM is much easier to use with links.
• the "Start-Page" of a test uses the command ilinfoscreengui, which cannot be replaced by customizing --> core-modification needed.

5 Summary/Additional Infos

• There's a detailed summery in german language on the following eduPad. Feel free to edit it: http://sr.edupad.ch/17
• Download the tentative step towards an ilias skin: http://db.tt/I30kBzv

6 Additional Information

• If you want to know more about this feature, its implementation or funding, please contact: Martin Studer, sr.solutions

7 Discussion

Alex 15. Mar 2011: I like it :-) Martin, could you give an overview on what you had to change (CSS, templates, code) to get this status? Please see also the CSS Revision, that may affect the work on this skin.

Alex 15 Mar 2011: Also relevant is Bug #7147, Tiny and Mobile Browsers.

Matthias Kunkel, 15 Mar 2011: Great! Besides my lousy knowledge about chemistry...

JF 28 Mar 2011: We would like to make the mobile strategy of ILIAS to become a topic on the development conference in April. We should try to collect all pros/cons of the different possible implementations.

8 Follow-up