Today, one question that any web or software developer has to answer is about the cross-browser compatibility of their site or software, and for this, they have to test their site on multiple browsers, but why Internet Explorer? Nowadays, Internet Explorer is going out of use; however, many people actively use it.
Thus, to consider the fact that the website has to be usable for every viewer, it is necessary to know its performance in Internet Explorer. In this article, we will be exploring some of the most effective testing tips and tricks for Internet Explorer online. Let us now have a look at what is Internet Explorer online.
What is Internet Explorer?
IE is a browsing software developed by Microsoft Corporation to make it easy for newcomers to access websites. It was the most successful web browser of early 2000 but due to constantly rising competition and the availability of new Internet browsing options that are more secure and flexible, usage of Internet Explorer has significantly decreased.
Although there are current generation web browsers like Chrome, Firefox, and Safari, there are still a large number of users who only use the Internet Explorer browser for their business and other official work. Developers must put in the effort and ensure that their applications and websites are more compatible with these web browsers. Let us now have a look at what Internet Explorer Online is testing.
Internet Explorer Online Testing
Before moving on to Internet Explorer Online Testing techniques, tips, and tricks, let us first understand what Internet Explorer Online Testing is.
What is Internet Explorer Online Testing?
Internet Explorer online testing is the process of checking Websites, web applications, or software compatibility with the different versions of Internet Explorer. This testing is carried out to ensure its smooth running across the Internet Explorer browsers.
Internet Explorer testing is vital for businesses and developers who want to make sure that their online website product or software is available and operable on Internet Explorer and its different versions. Let us now have a look at the significance of the Internet Explorer online testing.
Significance of Internet Explorer Online Testing
You might be wondering, why we are still testing on Internet Explorer when the rest of the technological world has advanced to many faster and more secure browsers like Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, etc.. The answer to this question lies in a demographic still using Internet Explorer.
Most of the business world, schools, universities, and government computer systems are programmed to work only with Internet Explorer. Under any circumstance, it is highly advisable for any developer or business venture that targets such users to ensure that the websites are perfect on the different versions of Internet Explorer.
Types of Internet Explorer Online Testing
There are different types of Internet Explorer online testing techniques available. For your better understanding, we have added some of the most used and reliable testing techniques below:-
- Manual Testing: This is the act of carrying out an evaluation of a website or an application using the various editions of Internet Explorer to identify compatibility problems or glitches. This is a more functional testing mode since the testers can deal directly with the browser when checking for functionality.
- Automated Testing: Automatic testing is the method of testing software with a tool, as it helps to reduce the time taken to carry out the testing process. This method proves useful in cases of repetitive work and is also useful when one wants to identify problems early enough.
- Cross-Browser Testing: Cross-Browser Testing is a process of testing where the website or an application is tested in multiple browsers, especially Internet Explorer. This type of testing is critical to ensuring that users of the software are not faced with an array of interface designs when using the application on different interfaces.
- IE Tester: IE Tester is a tool that enables testers to inspect whether a given Web site or Web page functions as intended under all versions of Internet Explorer. It is more or less a method to test the websites with all the different IE versions at once to maintain compatibility across them.
- Local Testing: Local testing is the most convenient type of testing for the development and internal websites because it doesn’t require a complex setup process. It also makes the testing environment less complex for the developers and smooths the testing process.
- Remote Testing: Relay testing helps the tester log in to a device with Internet Explorer already installed on it from his/her workstation, thus, eliminating the need to maintain virtual machines or download additional software. This approach is useful and suitable for testing on actual devices since it allows for such flexibility.
- IE Emulator: An IE emulator imitates the Internet Explorer browser on a workstation so that developers and QA testers can ensure that their websites work properly on IE. However, emulation can be imperfect, and there is no guarantee that a device will emulate a real IE browser to the letter.
- Modern. IE: Modern. IE by Microsoft has an array of virtual machines with installed Internet Explorers that developers can download to test their sites. It provides a chance to work with different versions of IE, but licenses expire in 90 days
Tips and Tricks For Internet Explorer Online Testing
Let us look at a few easy-to-implement tips and tricks for IE online testing below.
- F12 Developer Tools
The Internet Explorer Developer Tools, specifically the F12 function, are crucial for debugging and troubleshooting problems with the functionality of websites. While these tools lack the sophistication of those available in modern browsers, they are very useful in understanding HTML, CSS, and JavaScript problems.
- Consider Using Third-Party Tools
Other tools include Selenium’s IE Driver, which helps with end-to-end browser testing of Internet Explorer mode in Microsoft Edge. These are testing tools that can improve the testing process and are advantageous to developers and testers in the process.
- Using Enterprise Mode Site List
The EMSL has some benefits for developers, and one of them is putting any web app in any document mode, including IE8&EM, and IE7 EM, without modification of the HTML or the use of meta tags on the website. This feature makes testing for backward compatibility with Internet Explorer versions easier.
- Testing in DIfferent Document Modes
Exploring the document mode and its compatibility with different older versions, like IE 7 or IE 8, and other similar web applications can be useful for testing. This practice can help ensure that the site works properly in all the most recent versions of Internet Explorer.
- Use Compatibility View
Compatibility View is a function that enables you to view the current page in the older version of Internet Explorer. This is helpful when you are trying to troubleshoot compatibility issues. As for the feature, this option offers a perfect means for testing and checking the correct operation within different IE versions.
- Perform Code Validation
The use of a validator to compare the code to the W3C standards is very important for the compatibility of the website when loaded in different browsers, especially Internet Explorer. Code validation is used in making sure that the code to be used, will be functional in the different platforms to be used.
How LambdaTest Can Help in Internet Explorer Online Testing
LambdaTest is a comprehensive AI-driven testing platform that provides a plethora of tools to developers to perform various functions that can assist them with Internet Explorer online testing. Here is how it can assist:-
- Internet Explorer on Demand
Certainly, consumers can check the website on the actual installations of Internet Explorer 6 to IE 11 through LambdaTest. This helps in excluding the use of fake emulators or simulators, which may produce inaccurate results and it also helps in giving the actual result that closely resembles the behavior of IE browsers on real devices.
- Automated Screenshot Testing
With an automated screenshot feature, you can quickly test the responsiveness of your web application on multiple IE versions with the help of LambdaTest. This helps in the testing process, and it eliminates the time and effort that can be taken in the course of manual testing.
- Local Testing Support
LambdaTest supports local testing, which means you can easily test development and internal websites without going through extensive configurations. This is especially true when one wants to test web pages hosted on their local machine using Internet Explorer.
- Debugging Tools
Debugging while cross-browser testing on Internet Explorer can be addressed with the use of different integrated developer tools by LambdaTest. This feature makes the debugging process easier and enables one to solve conflicts and compatibility issues as well.
- Integrations and Collaboration
After evaluating LambdaTest, it is easy to see how it can work with other tools and frameworks to complement what is already in place. It also has some core functionalities, such as issue tracking and the ability to communicate with team members during the test sessions.
- Selenium Automation Testing
LambdaTest enables Selenium automation testing for Internet Explorer and helps you run your application in over 3000 live real browsers and OS online. When you are using Selenium Grid on the cloud, it becomes possible to parallel test and get through the tests much faster, saving overall turn-around time for testing.
- Reducing the Test Execution Time
The cross-browser automation enabled through the cloud by LambdaTest has helped companies cut time for test execution time by approximately 70% and improve the quality of their code.
- Improved Code Quality
LambdaTest’s functionalities and possibilities assist in enhancing the quality of the code by checking whether your site or web application is operable in different browsers and versions, thereby minimizing the probability of encountering compatibility issues or the wrong bugs.
Conclusion
To conclude, Internet Explorer online testing is important and necessary for checking the compatibility of websites and web applications on different versions of IE. The various solutions provided by LambdaTest help streamline the testing process, thus making it more effective.
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