Cross-browser compatibility testing is the practice of developing the website in a way that the website functions correctly across all the web browsers on a computer system. One of the responsibilities of the website developer is to develop the website in such a way that the website is functional for all the users.<\/p>\n
As a website application developer, the following points should be taken care of:<\/p>\n
When the term \u201cCross Browsing\u201d is used, we need to look at certain aspects of it. So, the user experience of the website should be almost similar as far as the accessibility of the website is concerned. It is still acceptable if the website doesn\u2019t provide identical results across various browsers. The core functions of the websites work effectively.<\/p>\n
There may be an element that looks animated and visually attractive on the latest browsers but may look a flat image-like graphic on obsolete browsers. This is still acceptable if it still manages to serve the purpose of the element. But it is not acceptable that a visually impaired user is unable to get the screen reader to read aloud the contents of the website.<\/p>\n
We say that “developing for acceptable browsers”, it doesn’t mean that you test the website across all browsers. However, you should target the basic browsers that are used by the website owner, as well as the targeted crowd. But, you should implement the website programming in a way that every browser gets a chance to have access to your content.<\/p>\n
There are so many reasons why certain websites don’t work correctly on specific platforms.<\/p>\n
Understanding the importance of a web application to work almost in a similar fashion and implementing the same are two different things, and both of them are difficult tasks to succeed. Yet, there are ways to ensure that the website usually functions and offers consistent user experience irrelevant of the web browser. Let us take a look at them:<\/p>\n
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A simple code can do wonders for your web application. And it\u2019s always quality over quantity. You should not write 20 lines of code where 10 lines of code can work just correctly. The reason behind this is, all the browsers can run the simplified code smoothl. They work more efficiently than very complex code. Also, it would be easier for the developer to debug the code, track the errors and fix them while it is easy to maintain the code as well.<\/p>\n
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Most popular web frameworks<\/a> are developed from ground level and have been upgraded to latest technology to make the website work with as many browsers as possible. And, the above mentioned frameworks are supposed to be compatible with almost all the browsers. It also helps to develop the website that renders ideally across all the device screens, including the mobile screens.<\/p>\n
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A Doctype is the declaration of the markup language to the web browser. The Doctype is not an HTML tag or an element of HTML; it is just an instruction to the browser about the version of the markup language that has been used for the named website.<\/p>\n
If you don’t define the markup language in Doctype, the browser generally makes a guess. So, when it comes to addressing the cross browsing compatibility issues, then you need to define the Doctype correctly, else the browser guesses the Doctype, and this can lead to bugs and errors in the website rendering as well as the functioning. Hence, these bugs and inconsistencies are the issues we want to avoid.<\/p>\n
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A CSS<\/a> reset is the resetting of all the styling elements of HTML to a consistent value. The CSS elements look different across all the web browsers.\u00a0 These elements are designed to make the website look more legible and accessible. For instance, the “Submit” button may render differently on one browser and may appear differently on another.<\/p>\n
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There are applications like CSS Validator and HTML Validator that check for the syntax that you employed for the development of a website. Syntax errors like unclosed tags, forgotten quotation marks, and other factors can make a website look tremendously different from what the developer has visualized. It may not even render correctly across different web browsers. Manually verifying and correcting the HTML and CSS syntax is intimidating as well as a huge task. Hence, the use of Validators is critical when it comes to checking the CSS and HTML syntax for errors.<\/p>\n
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When a website is designed and developed, it becomes imperative to use different rules to make the website work across almost all the considered web browsers. This can fix almost all the errors that crop up with the usage of the website across different browser versions. Hence, using Microsoft-introduced mechanism called Conditional Comments lets you apply different CSS Styles and scripts depending upon the browser. Implementing this can remove the cross browser compatibility issues to a greater extent.<\/p>\n
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Addressing all the errors and issues still doesn’t guarantees that the website would perform the way you want it to. No matter how hard you try, certain elements are bound to misbehave, and parameters are likely to vary as the browser and the devices browsing the website, change.<\/p>\n
Hence, the focus should not be the appearance of the website to be identical on every platform. The focus should be on the functionality and accessibility of the website. The elements of the website may look misplaced over the screen over different versions of browsers. However, if they function nicely and serve the desired purpose, then the appearance should not be a big concern. It should not prevent the user from accessing certain functions even if they are using the website from an obsolete device or browser or both.<\/p>\n
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Apart from following the tips as mentioned above, testing the web application across the different platform is also imperative. No matter what you try and avoid, it is easy for you to write individual code that functions well on your browser.\u00a0 However, it may malfunction on another browser or even a differing version of the browser.<\/p>\n
Hence, the website should be tested on different platforms before being delivered to the owner of the website. For this, there are different tools available to test the developed website across so many web browsing platforms. They give you an insight into how the website seems to function.<\/p>\n
The biggest problem a website developer encounters while testing a website for cross browser compatibility is, that there are so many browsers available in the market. But to cover the basic browsers is the key to successful testing. As a website developer, you should test your website across following 5 browsers:<\/p>\n
Microsoft Edge didn\u2019t make it to the above list because its market share is very small. But it would be a good convention to still test on Microsoft Edge to make sure the website functions desirably.<\/p>\n
Installing different browsers and testing your website on each of them can be a tedious job. That\u2019s the reason, there are so many online tools that help you conduct Cross Browsing Testing online.<\/p>\n
The above steps are the necessary steps that we can look at while developing a functional website. With the latest advent of technology, it is difficult but not impossible to achieve cross browser compatibility. With browsers adhering to specific W3C standards, addressing the cross browser compatibility issues is easier than ever.<\/p>\n
But that does not mean that the developer should undermine the importance of addressing the cross-browser compatibility issues. Sometimes, the issues are significant, it defeats the entire purpose of having the website in the first place because it just backfires the way it works on specific browsers.<\/p>\n
This article offers you a peek into what cross-browser compatibility issues look like and how those issues can be addressed. People use different web browsers across the globe. So, it becomes a difficult task to make the website function correctly across all the web browsing platforms.\u00a0 If a website is developed using high-end, latest scripts, then the older version browsers accessing the website should have the code downgraded gracefully. This will allow the browser to render the website visible and functional. Hence, if the website is developed well, it should function with stability across all the platforms.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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