With an upsurge in the number of web browsers available to surf the internet, there emerge some issues. And, one such problem is Cross-browser Compatibility Issues. The main reason which causes this problem is the coding of the website which enables it to open easily on one browser but with difficulty on some other web browser. The most common Cross-browser Compatibility Issues are incorrect DOCTYPE, invalid CSS/HTML, absence of CSS Reset, old Brower Detection Scripts and CSS Styles as per Vendor.
Today, we will be focusing mainly on the ways that can be used to prevent these Cross-browser Compatibility Issues from emerging at the first place.
WAY 1:
For CSS incompatibility, you can use prefixes such as –moz– for Mozilla Firefox, –webkit– for Safari/Chrome, –o– for Opera, and –ms– for Internet Explorer.
WAY 2:
As far as the compatibility is concerned, you need to make sure that your code is valid as per W3C validators. You can check this using W3C Markup Validation Service online.
WAY 3:
In JavaScript, you can use Linters which not only provide less error and ensure better quality, but also show up warning signs in case any bad practices have been executed.
WAY 4:
To eliminate the issues that occur due to incompatibility with older browsers, you can convert your JavaScript with ECMAScript 6 or ECMAScript 2015 features.
Way 5:
Instead of Libraries, you can use Polyfills, which are external JavaScript files (in the form of code or a plugin) which can be directly used in any project.
Way 6:
Know your audience beforehand. For example, you must know whether you are designing a portal for mobile users only or others. Accordingly, you will have to test the product to make sure that it is fully compatible with the device for which it has been designed.
Way 7:
Considering framework is also essential. For instance, if you are using Bootstrap for styling or React for JavaScript framework, you can rest assured because these platforms take care of the compatibility issues themselves.
Way 8:
Keep your website design simple. If you will be using more complex CSS features, your website will face hard time opening up in different browsers.
Way 9:
When you begin testing your product, start from the difficult browsers first because if your website will work fine with the difficult browsers, it will for sure work well on other platforms as well.
Way 10:
Keep on testing while you are in the process. If you think that you will first finish the entire designing & development and then start the testing phase, you will waste more time.
No doubt Cross-browser Compatibility Issues give developers a hard time, but overcoming these is also very easy. Try these tips and we are sure that you will be able to make a fully compatible website in no time.