Which language should you choose for cross-browser testing? Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered. Choosing the right language is a key to your success in cross-browser testing. Before choosing a programming language, consider the following factors: the project’s needs, team skill level and ease of use.
Selenium is one of the most widely used cross-browser testing automation technologies.
In 2004, Jason Huggins conceived Selenium while working on a web application that needed regular testing. This JavaScript software can control the browser’s behavior without human intervention. Today, Selenium supports several programming languages such as Java, Python and Ruby and more.
Understanding the Significance of Cross Browser Testing
Cross-browser testing is the technique of testing a website’s behavior and functionality as well its visual characteristics, across several web browsers. With your competitive user base however, as diversified as it may be, you still need to provide an accessible and reliable interface for all of the browsers out there. By performing concentrated cross-browser testing, you can increase user satisfaction and reduce bounce rates.
Introducing Selenium for Cross Browser Testing
One of the most popular open-source frameworks is selenium, which provides a rich collection of tools and frameworks for automating web browsers. It provides developers and testers with the ability to interact with site components, simulate user activities, and check whether or not expected results are returned. Conveniently, Selenium is available in a variety of programming languages–including Java, Python, C# and Ruby. Therefore, it can be used by just about any kind of user.
Why use Selenium for Cross Browser Testing?
Today, Selenium has become the gold standard for a cross-browser test automation framework. Its success is due to its language bindings for popular programming languages such as Python, Java, JavaScript, C#, Ruby, and PHP. The integration of the product with well-known CI/CD systems such as Jenkins, TeamCity, and GitLab CI has sped up the product release process.
The Selenium framework assures that browser upgrades and enhancements have no negative impact on test scenarios. Although Selenium cannot automate desktop applications, the most recent version, Selenium 4, has made significant gains by transitioning from the JSON Wire Protocol to the WebDriver W3C protocol.
Selenium allows interaction with WebElements on browser-rendered pages via browser drivers, enabling mobile testing as well. Cross-browser testing has become more dependable and stable with Selenium 4 Grid.
Today, Selenium has become the de facto standard for a cross-browser test automation framework. Its success comes from its language bindings for leading programming languages Python, Java,- JavaScript- C#- Ruby and PHP. The product’s integration with familiar CI/CD systems Jenkins, TeamCity and GitLab CI has accelerated the process of releasing products.
The Selenium framework ensures that browser updates or enhancements will not affect test scenarios. Despite this, Selenium cannot formally automate a desktop application. With browser drivers, Selenium allows interaction with WebElements on those pages that are rendered by a web browser and it enables mobile testing as well. Selenium 4 Grid has made cross-browser testing more reliable and stable.
Best practices for Selenium: Cross-Browser Testing
Be cautious while selecting libraries and frameworks
Web app testing cannot do without libraries and frameworks. But, since there are so many different browser rendering engines, if you’re using the hottest CSS frameworks or JS libraries these days then keep in mind that they might only look good on a certain part of all browsers. This enhances the ability of cross browser testing in selenium to ensure a better and error-free user experience. By doing this, whenever you choose libraries and frameworks it’s very important to follow the browser recommendations and then test cross-browser compatibility for all of them.
Identifying and Analyzing Browser Configuration
Cross-browser testing is strongly reliant on Browser Configuration selection, identification, and analysis. As a result, the browser settings required for testing must be carefully identified and reviewed. QAs must evaluate browser version, browser type, and operating system, among other things, to ensure they have the ideal setup for each test. Because various devices have varying screen sizes, resolutions, and operating systems, this is a critical phase in mobile testing. By selecting the right browser configuration for each test, QAs can guarantee that the website functions as intended across all browsers and devices, resulting in the best possible user experience.
Use proper Javascript libraries and task runners.
Using the right Javascript libraries and task runners is critical when doing cross-browser testing with Selenium. Task runners aid in the automation of repetitive tasks such as Javascript file minification and concatenation. This not only saves time, but it also decreases human error, guaranteeing that the code is correctly optimized. Javascript frameworks like jQuery and React also help to streamline complicated code, improve browser compatibility, and improve user experience.
Developers can save time and effort while enhancing code quality by adopting these technologies. Furthermore, adopting the right tools improves the efficacy of Selenium cross-browser testing. Developers can build more consistent and reliable tests, making it easier to detect and repair errors across browsers and platforms.
Also Read: How to Achieve an Impressive Web Design for Your Site?
Performing Cross Browser Testing using Selenium
Step I: Identifying the target Browsers
Identifying the target browsers is the initial step in undertaking cross-browser testing. This allows the developers and testers to find the ideal mix of browser versions and operating systems that the target audience is most likely to utilize.
Step II: Creating a Selenium Test Suite
After determining the target browser, the following step is to establish a Selenium Test Suite. This is a collection of test cases used to check the operation of the web application across many browsers.
Step III: Configuring the Selenium WebDriver
To efficiently execute cross-browser or mobile testing, you must first install and set up the necessary Selenium WebDriver. It is possible to accomplish this simply by installing the necessary drivers. It is recommended that the browser driver files be kept in a place that is specified in the PATH environment. This will allow the applications to be run via a command-line call independent of the current working directory.
Step IV: Running the Test Suite
After setting up the Selenium WebDriver, the test suite may be run across many browsers to validate the functionality of the online application. Each browser and version combination must have its own set of findings.
Step V: Analyzing Test Results
The following stage is to discover web application functioning issues across several browsers. The test findings should be evaluated, and any discrepancies should be reported and addressed.
Conclusion
You can ensure that your website or application is completely and correctly tested using pCloudy’s strong features and interaction with common tools. Cross-browser testing with Selenium can definitely enhance your user experience and boost customer satisfaction. Using the processes mentioned in this article, you may effectively test your website or application and identify any issues faster.
