Focussing on the quality of web applications is essential since the modern world is evolving with new technologies. Microsoft Edge Online is gaining popularity as a web browser worldwide. Therefore, understanding the features and testing capabilities of this browser to ensure efficiency and security while browsing or developing web content is essential for web developers.
The browser includes various tools that cater to both groups. To make sure that the web application they build satisfies user expectations and ensures compatibility irrespective of the device and browsers, developers must apply effective quality assurance (QA) techniques.
In this article, we will look at different testing approaches that can be applied to maximize the efficiency and ensure compatibility of web applications in Microsoft Edge Online. Before exploring that let us have a quick understanding of what Microsoft Edge Online is, and why testing web apps on this browser is important.
Microsoft Edge online
There are many new, more secure, reliable browsers but Microsoft Edge is one of the most prominent web browsers developed and distributed by Microsoft Corporation. It has millions of users worldwide.
Microsoft Edge Online refers to the measures Microsoft Edge implements to provide the most efficient web browsing experience. These include comprehensive testing across browsers and devices, testing frameworks, compatibility testing, security, and privacy testing, as well as analytics and user feedback.
Using these vast practices, Microsoft Edge seeks to deliver a secure, and easy-to-use web browsing experience across all devices and operating systems.
Why is testing a website on Microsoft Edge important?
Microsoft Edge is a popular web browser used for browsing the web and is pre-installed on all Windows 10 devices. Though it is not as popular as Mozilla Firefox, Safari, or Google Chrome, it has a considerable market share, making it crucial to test on this browser.
It is critical to ensure compatibility across browsers, especially the Microsoft Edge browser because of updates and new capabilities. Microsoft Edge testing allows web developers to guarantee that their websites or applications run well on all versions of Microsoft Edge and that everything is fully compatible and functional with other essential browsers. This will be extremely beneficial to developers for ensuring peak performance and reaching a larger audience for happiness.
Edge employs a different rendering engine than other browsers, therefore there is a risk that the site will look different on Edge than on other browsers. Edge has certain special capabilities that may affect the functionality of the website, such as Web Notes and Cortana integration.
Microsoft Edge offers the capability of utilizing different operating systems, and advanced automated testing frameworks, conducting compatibility testing, and emphasizing security and privacy testing to developers. These are the important aspects to keep the websites functioning at an optimal level of performance and security at the same time.
Finally, Microsoft Edge supports user feedback and telemetry data collecting, which is extremely useful in choosing which problems to address first. Resulting in constant upgrades and making a satisfying user experience.
Features of Microsoft Edge online
Many new features have been added to Microsoft Edge since its revamp. Here are some popular Microsoft Edge features:
Tracking prevention
Through the use of trackers, websites gather information about a user’s browsing history. Microsoft Edge’s tracking protection feature limits trackers’ access to browser- and network-based storage, shielding users from online surveillance.
Support for inking
With Microsoft Edge, users may utilize an annotation tool to add drawings and handwriting to web pages. Using a compatible device, like the Surface Pro tablet, users can annotate, write on webpages, take notes, crop images, and highlight text with a pen by using the Web Notes features.
Cortana
With Microsoft 365, Microsoft Edge is compatible with Cortana, the personal virtual productivity assistant. It assists users with several activities, including adding new tasks, checking calendars, creating reminders, and typing in response to voice commands.
Saving text snippets
With the help of the collections function, users can easily collect and organize information from the internet by keeping track of web links and storing text, photos, and videos from websites. It may also be used for other things like managing a shopping list, gathering research data, and making travel plans. Additionally, the collections function synchronizes with every device running Microsoft Edge.
Personalized content feed
Upon starting, Edge shows My Feed, a compilation of news articles, videos, and briefs about the user’s browsing history and personal data, including the location of weather updates. To their preferences, users can also customize the feed.
Private browsing
Microsoft Edge allows for incognito browsing through InPrivate mode. By opening a separate, dedicated window, the InPrivate feature stops websites and cookies from tracking the browser activities. The browsing and download histories in Edge, along with any password caches, saved photos, and auto-filled form data, are instantly deleted when the private browsing experience is closed
Read aloud
Microsoft Edge can vocally read the text of the webpage. The read-aloud cursor can be played and paused using its control buttons. The same controls can be used by users to navigate forward and backward.
Security
Microsoft Edge includes a variety of built-in security features, including Password Monitor, SmartScreen, InPrivate search, and Kids Mode. The purpose of the SmartScreen function is to shield users against cyber threats like malware, phishing, and social engineering attacks. When a user visits an unsafe website or download location, it generates a warning.
Gaming homepage
With Edge, it allows users to customize the gaming homepage that’s built with exclusive Xbox features. Content on the website has been carefully curated to cater to the interests of gamers.
Vertical tabs
Vertical tab support is available in Microsoft Edge. With this feature, users can move the traditional tab row at the top of the browser into a column that runs down the left side. Vertical tabs are less crowded and easier on the hands since they allow users to switch between tabs by sliding from left to right rather than up and down.
Browser Extensions
Browser extensions are small applications that add personalization and improve an application’s functionality. Users of Microsoft Edge can download their preferred extensions from the Microsoft Edge Add-ons store. One popular ad blocker that can be installed as an extension for Microsoft Edge is AdBlock for Edge, which blocks advertisements automatically.
Immersive reading
When users access certain content, such as articles and blog posts, Microsoft Edge shows an Immersive Reader icon on the side of the URL bar. This is intended to make reading easier and offers a clearer, more simple view.
Microsoft Edge developer’s tools
Edge not only offers a variety of features for browsing, but it also provides a comprehensive range of developer tools to aid in website development and debugging. These tools include the following:
Elements: This makes it simpler to understand and modify the page structure and layout by enabling the inspection and manipulation of the HTML and CSS of web pages.
Console: Using a console debugging and development are made easier by the ability to view and interact with JavaScript errors and logs, as well as run code snippets directly within the browser.
Sources: The sources tool allows us to find and fix problems in the scripts, proceed through code execution, create breakpoints, and debug JavaScript code.
Network: To ensure that resources are downloading or uploading as intended, use the Network tool. Examine the properties of an individual resource, including its size, content, and HTTP headers.
Performance: Provides a real-time view of a web page’s runtime performance, enabling one to identify the source of performance issues that cause a website to load slowly. Determines if issues arise from excessive use of memory or CPU, too frequent layout and style calculations, or an excessive number of DOM nodes and event listeners.
Application: This tool helps to examine and modify web application data, such as cookies, local storage, and service workers, to diagnose problems with specific applications and cache management.
Strategies for testing new features and ensuring compatibility in Microsoft Edge online
Web strategies for Microsoft Edge involve thoroughly testing websites on the most recent Microsoft Edge browsers to ensure that the site performs optimally in any version of Edge. Some of the most often used and reliable strategies are listed below:
Cross-Browser Compatibility Testing
Cross-browser compatibility testing includes executing test cases to ensure that the application or website is usable and compatible with various MS Edge releases and versions. This kind of testing is required to make sure the website works well and provides a better user experience.
It’s crucial to test the website across a variety of browsers, not only Edge, as different browsers display web pages in different ways. As a result, the website may appear consistent in one browser but not in another. Cross-browser testing can be difficult, but it can be done considerably more quickly and easily using a cloud platform like LambdaTest as it provides access to a wide range of browsers and operating system combinations online.
Using this platform testers can check cross-browser compatibility on the latest to legacy versions of browsers including Internet Explorer Online, all in one cloud. This platform provides a complete solution for Microsoft Edge online testing, including a variety of features and capabilities that guarantee a high-quality browsing experience.
LambdaTest is an AI-powered test orchestration and execution platform that can conduct both manual and automated tests at scale. The platform enables real-time and automated testing of web and mobile applications across more than 3000 environments, real mobile devices, and browser versions.
Utilizing tools like Firebug with LambdaTest for cross-browser testing helps debug issues in real time across different versions of Microsoft Edge. Testing on various versions of Edge on LambdaTest ensures the application’s consistent behavior across all supported versions and maintains a high-quality user experience.
Automated Testing
Performing automated testing ensures executing millions of test cases using advanced automated testing frameworks. This will help in detecting and fixing bugs easily in MS Edge when testing locally hosted web applications or checking the MS Edge browser in various versions. These automated tests are useful for system testing and can quickly detect issues or regressions.
User Interface (UI) Testing
Another important methodological component is performing UI testing to automate web application tests for Microsoft Edge online. This ensures that websites function properly and appear the same across various Edge browser versions and devices.
Integration Testing
Microsoft Edge uses a variety of tactics online, such as its simple compatibility with several testing stacks and numerous integration options. This improves testing effectiveness and enables quality assurance of websites across different environments and configurations.
Responsive Design Testing
Optimizing the user experience is one of the objectives. Therefore, Microsoft Edge tests the website’s functionality across various network configurations and Edge browser versions. This guarantees the optimal experience across all devices and screen resolutions.
Detailed Analytics and Reporting
Test management tools also include integrated analytics and reporting features that allow testers to analyze test runs and generate comprehensive reports for stakeholders. This helps ensure that no issue is overlooked and can be used for improvement processes’ assessment.
Network Traffic Analysis
Using the powerful web debugging proxy tool Fiddler, developers can monitor, examine, and control network traffic between a web browser and a server.
This tool allows the capture of HTTP/HTTPS traffic, review of request and response headers, simulate network circumstances, and troubleshoot issues related to caching. Ensuring the best possible performance and dependability of web applications on Microsoft Edge.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Microsoft Edge Online provides a robust and intuitive browsing experience. Web developers and users will find this browser a great option because of its speed, security, and productivity features. Overall usability is improved by features like improved tracking protection and seamless connection with Microsoft services.
The extensive testing features of the browser, including performance analysis and developer tools, assist web developers in building and managing high-quality web applications. In short, exploring Microsoft Edge Online’s features and testing capabilities illustrates how it improves browsing and development experiences.