Internet Explorer Online: Automating Testing For Legacy Applications

For a majority of netizens, the primitive internet would not have existed without Internet Explorer. As the first-ever web browser owned by Microsoft, Internet Explorer is the one that revolutionized the way people even forayed into the online space.

Over time, it also faced competition from new and modern browsers like Firefox, Chrome, and Safari. However, Internet Explorer remained a viable option for a good number of Yammer users well into the year 2010.

Despite that, Microsoft acknowledged that the situation was different in the present context of their competitor’s web browsers, and so changes were necessary.

Thus, the year 2015 saw the dawn of Internet Explorer online, the new web browser designed to replace Internet Explorer and provide a new web browsing experience with Windows 10.

This article will explore the tools and techniques that can be utilized to test websites on Internet Explorer online.

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The Beginnings Of Internet Explorer

In 1995, when Internet Explorer came into existence, the World Wide Web was still in its early stages. A handful of homes were able to connect to the web through dial-up networks such as AOL.

The first versions of Internet Explorer assisted in helping the general public better navigate the World Wide Web. The introduction of features such as tabbed browsing, bookmarking, and a URL-recognizing address bar made the navigation more user-friendly than any other browser at that point in time.

Internet Explorer Online also supported web standards better, improving compatibility for websites. By the late 90s, Internet Explorer had become the most popular browser thanks to its inclusion with Windows OS installations. This helped fuel further commercialization and growth of the internet.

Internet Explorer Faces Transition To Edge

By 2015, Internet Explorer had lost the race about features as well as support for web standards with modern browsing applications. It had become very slow and unresponsive since its basic architecture was outdated and there were several risks of running Internet Explorer.

Windows 10 created a chance for Microsoft to start anew. Therefore, in 2015, Microsoft implemented Edge to take the place of Internet Explorer as the default browsing application of Windows 10.

Edge was built using the same rendering engine as Chrome for better cross-browser compatibility. It also incorporated innovations like Cortana integration, annotation tools and slider navigation. While Edge aimed to retain loyal Internet Explorer users, it targeted being more competitive with Chrome and Firefox.

Internet Explorer Legacy And Impact

While Internet Explorer’s online adoption has significantly declined in recent years, its legacy cannot be understated. As the original browser that helped people access the early web, it played a pivotal role in the mass commercialization and rise of the internet.

Features it introduced, like tabs and favorites, are still used today across all major browsers.

Some may remember its iconic “e” logo as well. Although overtaken by newer technology, Internet Explorer made the internet accessible and popularized web browsing worldwide. Its decades of service navigating the early internet helped drive advancement and shaped how people interact with the online world.

Utilize Developer Tools For Inspection

The developer tools feature in Microsoft Edge online allows you to inspect different aspects of web pages right from the browser. With it, you can examine HTML, CSS, and JavaScript and see how changes would affect layout or interactivity.

The tools include options like toggling between design and code views, setting breakpoints, and profiling server response times. You can utilize tools like the elements pane to navigate, select, and modify DOM elements on the page.

The styles pane lets you see applied styles and rewrite CSS. At the same time, the console enables evaluating JavaScript and checking for errors or issues. Other useful panels contain the network monitor, accessibility checker, and performance metrics.

Learning to harness these tools upgrades your debugging abilities and helps deliver optimized sites.

Test Compatibility With Earlier Versions

It’s important to check if your site displays and functions correctly across different browser versions. Edge incorporates developer features that allow simulating earlier IE versions for compatibility testing purposes. You can find these emulation settings under F12 tools.

Options exist to set document and browser modes to mimic browsing like in Internet Explorer 8-11. This loads appropriate emulation scripts to replicate bugs and render quirks. Toggle between the modes to review appearance and behavior.

You may need to modify CSS, add conditional HTML or patch JavaScript accordingly. Edge also retains the IE Tab extension, which lets you evaluate pages right within other browsers by faking the user agent.

Such testing aids in handling legacy sites with deprecated elements or catering to ranges of visitors still using older software.

Utilize The Ie Emulator Feature

To complement version emulation, Edge includes a built-in IE emulator tool for debugging and cross-browser fixes. It helps address incompatibilities by launching the page inside an isolated virtual IE environment. You can access this via F12 tools and pick the specific IE version required for testing outputs.

The virtual instance loads with the chosen document and browser modes applied. It gives an authentic feel of how the webpage will render on that software.

Any issues spotted can then be addressed directly without switching browsers. Additionally, Edge also offers the ability to use Remote IE debugging when combined with the IE driver. This lets control and inspect a page loaded in a separate physical IE instance directly from the browser tools.

Both emulator and remote options expand the scope for compatible web development.

Investigate Console Errors Using F12

The console panel within the F12 developer tools offers detailed reports on JavaScript errors, network request failures, and more. When a site loads, it continuously logs messages regarding page rendering, resources, and scripts. You can analyze these to debug problems. Errors are highlighted for quick notice.

Click on one to view the stack trace and line of code causing it. The console also serves as a JavaScript interpreter – allowing running code snippets or checking variable values.

Network requests shown in the timeline can similarly be inspected. Right-click to save resources, emulate failures, or tweak headers. Issues detected here may require fixing code syntax, updating dependencies, or improving site performance. Understanding how to read logs/errors assists in pinpointing compatibility bugs or other technical glitches effectively.

Familiarize Yourself With Compatibility Mode Settings

The document and browser emulation modes available as settings under F12 allow toggling document and browser modes respectively. Document modes define HTML specifications like Quirks or Standards used for rendering. Switching these impacts layout and features supported. Browser modes emulate the behavior of older IE versions.

Edge supports modes for IE5, IE7, IE8, IE9, IE10 and IE11. By default latest modes are selected.

But legacy pages meant for previous IE versions may require adjustment. You can enable a mode, test page rendering then tweak the code for compatibility. These settings come in handy for sites designed years ago and still accessed by outdated software.

Understanding their impact aids in fixing bugs and creating content accessible across different browser configurations. Regular cross-checks save expensive redevelopment and maintain usability.

Understand Activex Filtering And Tools

ActiveX are programmable browser components created by Microsoft that dynamically generate and execute code. Several outdated sites may rely on them. For security reasons, Edge has restricted ActiveX support by default for most pages accessed over the internet through filtering. This blocks potentially risky controls from running without consent.

However, sites on the local intranet or trusted domains can optionally allow ActiveX if needed.

Tools like the registry editor provide manual control over filtering policy too. You can modify the security levels and whitelist the required controls after thorough testing. It’s best to avoid ActiveX where possible and use modern JavaScript alternatives instead.

However, understanding filtering behavior helps tackle compatibility glitches for legacy apps still dependent on outdated technology.

Test Javascript And CSS Compatibility

Browsers keep evolving their support for the latest web standards in JavaScript, CSS and APIs. Edge tries to maintain parity with other modern browsers. However, some older scripts or stylesheets may have dependencies that no longer behave identically. The developer tools enable experimenting easily.

Try running code snippets in the console to check functionality. Set interactive breakpoints and step through script execution. View styles applied to elements and tweak CSS interactively.

Examine how variable, method, or property values change at each point. Compatibility issues could be due to vendor-specific extensions used, erroneous syntax, or removed features. Resolve such by updating scripts, fall backing with polyfills, or providing alternative implementations based on target browser capabilities.

Edge tools streamline the troubleshooting process in these compatibility testing scenarios.

Internet Explorer Legacy And Impact

While Internet Explorer adoption has significantly declined in recent years, its legacy cannot be understated. As the original browser that helped people access the early web, it played a pivotal role in the mass commercialization and rise of the internet.

Features it introduced, like tabs and favorites, are still used today across all major browsers.

Some may remember its iconic “e” logo as well. Although overtaken by newer technology, Internet Explorer online made the internet accessible and popularized web browsing worldwide. Its decades of service navigating the early internet helped drive advancement and shaped how people interact with the online world.

Leveraging Lambdatest Cloud Tool For Efficient Legacy Testing With Internet Explorer Online

LambdaTest is a cloud-based testing application that helps in testing websites and web applications on several web browsers and operating systems.

It keeps a grid of more than 3000 different test configurations, including different and older versions of Internet Explorer, Firefox, Chrome, Safari, and their operating systems, in order to efficiently perform cross-browsing testing.

Using LambdaTest, one can easily test their websites on Internet Explorer 11, Internet Explorer 10 and older versions with just a click within their user-friendly cloud interface.

This helps identify compatibility issues early. The on-demand virtual machines and browsers ensure stable legacy testing without any setup headaches. Detailed reports highlighting visual regressions and JavaScript errors provide valuable debugging insights. Overall, LambdaTest accelerates the process of cross-verifying websites still requiring Internet Explorer online support.

Conclusion

While facing adversity amidst competitors for many years, Internet Explorer’s original role in making the Internet accessible cannot be understated. It helped introduce web browsing to households worldwide and paved the way for the online world we interact with today.

By transitioning to the new Edge browser, Microsoft hopes to build upon Internet Explorer’s foundations.

Edge aims to deliver a modern browsing experience that retains user familiarity whilst introducing new productivity tools and privacy protections. As technology progresses, expect Edge to continue advancing how people experience the internet for years to come.

The evolution of Microsoft’s browsers demonstrates how online experiences must change with the times to remain relevant.