Web compatibility on multiple browsers is important to ensure a seamless user experience in the competitive application development segment. Among the thousands of browsers available, Microsoft Edge has achieved a lot of popularity due to its integration with the Windows operating system. So, the developers and testers must perform Microsoft Edge online testing to ensure web app compatibility.
On the other hand, Selenium is a very popular automation tool that helps developers perform automated web testing. Using this tool, the developers can execute the web testing on the Microsoft Edge web browser.
With this blog, we will understand all the steps in optimizing Selenium tests, specifically to ensure compatibility with the Microsoft Edge browser. We will also understand some of the best practices to help the developers and testers during this process.
Understanding Microsoft Edge Compatibility and Selenium Testing
Selenium is a popular tool that provides an open-source infrastructure for automating modern web browsers. With this tool, artists can automate web apps on different platforms and browsers. This test suite also supports all the popular programming languages, namely Python, Java, C#, and many others. This support also improves the popularity of Selenium.
Coming to Microsoft Edge, it is known as the successor of Internet Explorer as it has various improved features, including a new rendering engine that is dependent on Chromium. This approach makes Edge more compatible with all the modern standards and algorithms for website rendering.
This is the reason why the developers prioritize their web app’s compatibility with the Microsoft Edge web browser. Therefore, Selenium is a popular choice for testing web apps on Microsoft Edge due to its robustness and flexibility. However, the developers might encounter several challenges while optimizing the Selenium test cases for the unique features of Microsoft Edge.
Improving Our Knowledge of the Microsoft Edge WebDriver
To execute the Microsoft Edge test cases with Selenium, the developers must add the Microsoft Edge WebDriver to the testing environment. Using this WebDriver, the system can interact with all the elements on the website without any dedicated test engine. The testers must remember that Microsoft provides different executables for WebDriver depending on the version of the Edge browser.
So, the developers must check their version of the WebDriver while optimizing Selenium tests for Microsoft Edge compatibility. It is also important to verify the version of the Microsoft Edge that is also installed on other remote servers. If the developers work with mismatched versions, they can face various test failures and unexpected behaviors.
Ways to Handle Edge-Specific Features and Capabilities
While using Microsoft Edge, the developers can access various capabilities and features that are an exclusive part of this ecosystem. Using these features, the testers can optimize the Selenium test cases for Edge compatibility. To further improve our understanding, we have mentioned some of the most important features in this regard:
- Chromium-based Rendering
As Edge has switched to the Chromium engine, it can now render web apps similarly to Google Chrome. Although this feature enhances compatibility with modern web standards, it also means that the tests which were originally designed for Chrome can be easily migrated to Edge with minimal changes.
- Integration with DevTools Protocol
Currently, Microsoft Edge allows the developers to seamlessly integrate with the DevTools protocol. This integration allows modern testers to access powerful debugging and profiling capabilities. They can also use this protocol through Selenium to access deeper insights into browser behavior and facilitate efficient troubleshooting for compatibility issues.
- Immersive Rendering and Read Aloud
The Modern version of Microsoft Edge has unique features like read aloud and immersive reader. These features enhance the accessibility and user experience of this browser. So, when optimizing the test cases, the developers must consider scenarios where these features may be used by the user. So, they have to ensure that they do not interfere with the functionality of the basic web app.
- Privacy and Security Features
Microsoft Edge lays serious emphasis on user privacy and security. For this purpose, it also offers various advanced features like enhanced protection against phishing attacks and tracking prevention. So, the developers must account for these features while developing and optimizing the Selenium test cases for this browser.
This practice will ensure that the web app performs and renders while complying with Microsoft Edge’s security protocol.
How to Handle Edge-Specific Challenges
It is very important for the developers to handle the challenges of extending compatibility on Microsoft Edge. We have mentioned some of the most important strategies that can help perform this process:
- Handling Edge-Specific CSS Rendering
While working with the Microsoft Edge browser, developers may face differences in CSS rendering compared to the other browsers available in the market. So, it is very important to identify and address any changes in CSS styling during test optimization. By performing this process, the testers can maintain consistency across all browsers.
- Dealing with JavaScript Compatibility Issues
In certain cases, Microsoft Edge’s JavaScript engine will behave differently from other browsers. This change in behavior will lead to compatibility issues with certain scripts. So, the testers must optimize JavaScript code in Selenium tests. This effort will ensure compatibility with the rendering engine and avoid any unexpected errors.
- Handling Browser Extension and Add-Ons
There might be a potential impact on the behavior of web apps due to the browser extensions and add-ons present on Edge. So, the testers must ensure that Selenium tests account for all these extensions and add-ons to validate the application functions correctly under different configurations.
- Implementing Performance Optimizations
Finally, the developers might face variations in Microsoft Edge’s performance characteristics compared to other browsers. This variation requires proper performance optimization while working with Selenium test cases. To solve these issues, the testers can implement efficient test scripts and also utilize Selenium features like explicit and implicit waits.
The final goal for this process is to optimize the test execution speed and also improve the reliability of the Microsoft Edge environment.
Best Practices for Optimizing the Selenium Tests for Microsoft Edge
Now that we have finished discussing all the browser-specific challenges for Microsoft Edge and its solutions, let us go through some of the best practices that can help the developers and testers to improve the efficiency of the overall process:
- Version Compatibility
As we already mentioned earlier, the WebDriver version must be similar to the version of Microsoft Edge that the developers are using for executing the test cases. So, it is very important to cross-check all this information before executing the test instances.
We also advise the app developers to create a comprehensive test plan that will keep track of all these parameters and ensure that everyone in the app developing company is aware of the current status of the application development and testing life cycle.
In this regard, we would advise the developers to download the required files of Microsoft Edge and Microsoft Edge WebDriver from official websites to avoid data compromises or data leaks.
- Cross-Browser Testing
Although it is crucial to verify the performance of the application on Microsoft Edge, the developers must also verify its functioning on other browsers to provide a consistent experience on multiple platforms. For this purpose, the developers and testers can integrate automated cross-browser testing.
Using this process, it is possible to verify the performance of the application on multiple combinations of operating systems, browser versions, and devices simultaneously.
AI-powered test orchestration and execution platform like LambdaTest simplifies cross-browser testing by providing a cloud-based platform where Selenium tests can be executed across various browsers and browser versions. Instead of setting up and maintaining multiple physical or virtual machines, LambdaTest offers a Selenium grid infrastructure that allows you to run tests on various browsers simultaneously.
This means you can quickly assess how your web application behaves across different browsers, ensuring consistent functionality and user experience. Additionally, LambdaTest’s platform provides features such as screenshot comparison and live interactive testing, allowing you to visually inspect your application’s appearance and behavior across different browsers in real-time. This streamlines the debugging process by enabling you to identify and address any browser-specific issues efficiently.
- Managing the Test Data
While executing the test cases on Microsoft Edge, it is very important for the developers to properly manage the test data. We advise maintaining separate test data sets for Edge-specific tests. This approach will help account for any specific behaviors or requirements as per the application development and testing project.
The developers can also integrate Page Object Models (POMs) with Selenium to separate the test data from the test code. This process not only helps improve the maintainability of the test instances but also improves its scalability. This is because the developers do not have to rewrite the entire test instance for every element present in the app.
Page Object Models (POMs) also improve the readability of the test cases so that even the non-technical members can have a basic idea about the application intentions.
- Implementing Regular Updates and Maintenance
As modern apps go through frequent updates to add or remove certain features, the developers must regularly maintain the test data to ensure that it is updated according to the application status. While maintaining the application source code, it is also crucial to ensure that it abides by the evolving standards of the application development industry.
During this process, the developer should also track the latest releases of Microsoft Edge WebDriver and updates for the Selenium test suite. This approach will extend the compatibility of the application to the latest versions as well.
- Collaboration with Developers
We advise the app developing companies to create proper collaboration between the testers and developers. This collaboration will help address specific compatibility issues promptly and efficiently. Using this process, the app companies can also significantly reduce the development time for the overall application.
- Integrating Continuous Delivery and Continuous Integration
By using agile methodologies like continuous integration and continuous delivery, the application developers can optimize the Selenium test execution process for Microsoft Edge. This approach will also help integrate the test cases to ensure consistent performance across all the releases.
The addition of continuous integration and continuous delivery also ensures that the app developers and testers can find crucial errors at the earlier phases of the development cycle before they hamper the functioning of the application architecture.
The Conclusion
Based on this article, we can easily conclude that it is important for developers to optimize the Selenium tests for Microsoft Edge compatibility. This practice will ensure a smooth user experience across different browser versions. The developers should also understand its specific features, address challenges, and abide by the best practices to streamline the process of compatibility testing.
By following all the strategies that we discussed in this article, the Selenium testers can also avoid potential compatibility issues in the coming years. Finally, we can say that with the right approach and right tools, Selenium maintains a valuable position for ensuring the reliability and compatibility of web apps on Microsoft Edge.
Read more: The best technological tools in the architectural field