The software market is expanding rapidly, with devices, browsers, and operating systems evolving alongside it. For any business or software to succeed, delivering an excellent user experience across a wide user base is essential. Applications should function seamlessly on various devices, such as mobile phones, laptops, tablets, and smart televisions, tailored to their intended use without browser compatibility issues. Additionally, they must support all possible browser and OS combinations.
If the application cannot fully support a particular environment, it should still offer basic functionality with minimal features to ensure usability for all targeted users.
Cross-Browser Compatibility: What is It?
The need for cross-browser compatibility testing has grown in the quickly changing technological world of today. Not everyone uses new developments in technology at the same rate. Because some consumers could be reluctant or put off updating their systems, cross-browser compatibility is essential for organizations. This kind of testing guarantees that every user will have a consistent and excellent experience, irrespective of their browser or device.
A type of non-functional testing known as cross-browser compatibility checks that a website’s essential features and capabilities are usable on various browser, operating system, device, and assistive tool combinations. The main goal is to confirm that the website functions reliably and effectively in different browser contexts, offering a seamless user experience on any device or browser.
Common Issues Encountered During Cross-Browser Compatibility Testing
It is a major challenge for developers to make sure a web application runs constantly on different hardware and browsers. The way websites appear on Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Microsoft Edge, and other browsers varies depending on how each browser interprets HTML, JavaScript, and CSS. The significance of learning strategies for cross-browser compatibility is highlighted by the fact that these variations might result in anything from small display flaws to serious functionality concerns.
Compatibility requires knowledge of the subtle differences in how different browsers handle different coding languages, which goes beyond just testing a website across browsers. Making sure a website works properly on desktops and mobile devices adds another level of complexity, especially with the surge in popularity of mobile surfing. Cross-browser compatibility testing often reveals several common issues. Here are some of the most common problems:
- No CSS Reset
Every browser has its default CSS styles that apply to a website if the website’s CSS does not overwrite them. These default styles can cause the website to render differently in each browser. Implementing a CSS reset can help ensure consistent styling across all browsers.
- Vendor-Specific CSS Styles
Developers sometimes use vendor-specific CSS styles, which are designed for specific browsers. This can lead to compatibility issues with other browsers.
- Lack of Valid HTML/CSS Interpretation
Browsers vary in how they process HTML and CSS. While browsers like Chrome and Mozilla are more lenient and can automatically correct minor errors such as unclosed tags, others may not be as forgiving and could display the page incorrectly. Utilizing HTML and CSS validators can help detect and resolve these issues, ensuring more consistent rendering across all browsers.
- Detection of Outdated Browsers
Sometimes, JavaScript code detects the browser rather than its features. This can cause problems if the code relies on outdated browser-specific behavior, leading to malfunction in modern browsers. To maintain compatibility across different browser versions, utilize feature detection instead of browser detection.
Factors Affecting Cross-Browser Compatibility
Ensuring cross-browser compatibility involves navigating complex factors, including rendering engines, operating systems, mobile devices, and market considerations.
- Web browsers’ functions
Browsers act as interpreters of website code, but each browser uses a different rendering engine, such as Blink for Google Chrome and Gecko for Mozilla Firefox. These engines interpret code uniquely, leading to varied results in displaying web pages.
- Influence of Operating Systems on Browser Compatibility
Different operating systems, like Windows, macOS, and Linux, can affect browser behavior. Even variations within the same OS family can present challenges for developers.
- Mobile Devices Stirring Up the Mix Further
With increasing mobile internet usage, ensuring compatibility across mobile devices is crucial. Websites must perform well on Android devices using browsers like UC Browser and iPhones using Safari.
- A Look at Market Share and Target Audience
The distribution of browser market share is not uniform; Google Chrome is the market leader, followed by Microsoft Edge, Firefox, Safari, and Safari. Developers should arrange their work according to the most popular browsers among the users they hope to reach. Knowing which browsers your target audience prefers can make things easier and provide a more seamless, consistent platform user experience.
Key Takeaway
In addition to strategic testing and optimisation, mastering cross-browser compatibility requires a thorough understanding of how various browsers and devices process code. It all comes down to ensuring users have a flawless platform experience and successfully managing any unforeseen problems.
How to Avoid Cross-Browser Compatibility Issues
A good user experience depends on your website or web application appearing and functioning the same way across different web browsers and their versions. To accomplish cross-browser compatibility and to prevent cross-browser compatibility issues in production, keep the following points in mind:
Validate HTML and CSS:
Different browsers interpret code uniquely, and minor syntax errors (like missing closing tags or semicolons) can cause rendering problems, especially in older browsers like Internet Explorer. To ensure code quality:
- Write well-aligned code.
- Use comments where necessary.
- Match opening and closing braces accurately.
- Use validation tools like W3C HTML Validator, Jigsaw CSS Validator, JS Formatter for HTML, CSS Lint, and JS Lint.
Maintain Layout Compatibility:
Make sure your application is responsive and compatible with all browser versions, platforms, and devices. Common layout issues arise from:
- Unresponsive design on mobile devices.
- Variations in how modern browsers render designs.
- Lack of support for certain layouts in some browsers.
To address these issues, use:
- CSS Multi-Column layouts for consistent multi-column content display.
- CSS Flexbox and Grid for adaptive child element layout based on content and available space.
Use CSS Resets:
Browsers apply default styles to websites, which can cause inconsistent rendering. Override these defaults using CSS reset style sheets like Normalize.css, HTML5 Reset, or Eric Meyer’s Reset CSS to ensure consistent design across browsers.
Support Basic Features:
Ensure your application provides core functionalities across different browsers. Use feature detection to check if a browser supports certain features and provide alternative code if necessary. Implement feature detection with:
- JavaScript and CSS custom feature detection code.
- Libraries like Modernizr and Polyfill.
Check JavaScript Issues:
Avoid JavaScript-related compatibility issues by:
- Using libraries that support multiple browsers and application features.
- Employing JavaScript Transpiling to convert modern ES6/ECMAScript code to versions compatible with older browsers.
Check DOCTYPE Tag:
Define the DOCTYPE at the beginning of your code to ensure browsers understand the rendering rules. The absence of a DOCTYPE tag can cause browsers to switch to quirk mode, leading to non-standard behavior. Include a DOCTYPE tag to maintain consistent rendering.
Testing Browser Compatibility Using Real Device Cloud Configuration
LambdaTest’s Real Device Cloud provides extensive testing for the cross-platform compatibility of your website or application by providing a wide variety of real devices and web browsers online. This platform for test orchestration and execution powered by AI makes sure that a wide range of users have a seamless experience. LambdaTest offers thorough reports to assist in quickly locating and resolving compatibility problems. It also lets you write and run test scripts without much coding experience.
Use Compatible Frameworks and Libraries:
Select standard frameworks and libraries that support cross-browser compatibility:
JavaScript: jQuery, AngularJS, ReactJS.
CSS: Bootstrap, Foundation, 960 Grid.
Start Cross-Browser Testing Early:
Testing should start as soon as one page is complete to find and address compatibility issues early in the development cycle. Early testing reduces stress and challenges later in the process.
Explain the Device Matrix and Browser
Determine the platforms and devices that your target audience is likely to utilize, together with the browsers and their versions. Make a thorough matrix that enumerates every browser and version that you must support. This aids in concentrating your testing efforts on the combinations that are most pertinent.
Utilize Framework Encapsulation
Use a robust framework to encapsulate your code. Frameworks like Bootstrap, Angular, or React can handle many cross-browser issues and create responsive elements automatically. This allows developers to focus on functionality while the framework manages compatibility concerns.
Develop a Code Validation Channel
Your code should adhere to W3C standards for validation. Validated code reduces the risk of compatibility issues caused by syntax errors or non-standard practices. Regularly use HTML and CSS validators to check your code.
Implement Retest and Regression Testing
Set up a retest and regression testing process to quickly address any compatibility issues. When changes or updates are made, retest the site across the defined browser and device matrix to catch and resolve issues early in the development cycle.
Conclusion
Comprehensive browser testing is essential for overcoming compatibility challenges. While manual testing across numerous browser versions can be daunting, automated tools significantly ease this process. These tools simultaneously perform parallel tests on multiple platforms, saving time and expanding coverage. Online cross-browser testing services are particularly valuable in this regard.