A Quick Guide to Cross-Browser Functional Testing

Quality control is an essential part of any web development process, and cross-browser testing is an integral part.

Cross-browser testing refers to automated and manual testing of a website, or web-based/mobile-based applications across multiple browsers. The main aim of this kind of testing is to ensure that the application or website looks and performs in a similar manner across various browsers and platforms. The website or application should be consistent with the existing version of the browser along with OS compatibility.

Importance of Cross-Browser Testing in Any Website or Application Development
The website may look different across browsers and you can never be sure of the browser your customers may use. Most of the people who visit the website may not be aware of browser compatibility issues and they may leave the website thinking that it is not working. Although you may follow standards and build a professional looking website that works across different browsers with slight variations.

A small visual error or a text box that does not allow the user to enter info, may spell doom for your business. Hence the need to test your application or website.

Popular Types of Cross-Browser Functional Testing

Standard Multi-Browser Testing
This is the most common type of testing done to check that the Application Under Test (AUT) looks consistent across various browsers such as IE, Chrome, Safari, and Firefox. This type of test can be conducted on one computer by individually opening each browser one after other. The same test script is used over different browsers to check the compatibility. It is assumed that only one person is testing at the time.

Multi Version Testing
In this type of testing, AUT is tested across more than one version of the browser, such as Mozilla Firefox 10 onwards or IE 9, IE 10. A single tester is active during the testing. The same test script is used for testing across various browsers. The tests are conducted across multiple computers because most browsers do not support different versions on the same computer.

Concurrent Testing
This type of testing confirms that the AUT is simultaneously checked across a couple of browsers at the same time. The same tester or multiple testers may be operating those browsers depending on the requirements of testing. There are many variations of this kind of testing such as – Single-Browser Concurrent Testing, Single-Browser Distributed Concurrent Testing, Multi-Browser Concurrent Testing, and Multi-Browser Distributed Testing.

Browser inconsistencies are the most difficult part of the Quality Check and to deal with them, you should understand the basic problems. Browser compatibility testing can be done manually over multiple machines, multiple browsers, multiple OSs, but it may still lead to several problems and may require larger investments and multiple challenges.

Cross-Browser Functional Testing from Cigniti

Although there are lots of tools available in the market, they may not offer the comprehensive cross-browser testing that your application or website needs. This is where you can utilize the services of cross-browser testing services from Cigniti.

Cigniti’s cross-browser test accelerator scripts work on write-once, run-multiple concept. This allows the same automation script to be used for testing on multiple combinations of browsers, devices, and operating systems. The tool provides reusable libraries to kick-start automation efforts, and its architecture facilitates easier portability of scripts across environments. The solution is integrated with a leading cloud-based solution for executing tests and scripts on combinations of OS/Platforms and Browsers. The tool supports tests to be run on 200+ browsers and platforms. Pre-register for our upcoming webinar on Mobile App Testing to learn more.