Finding cross-browser issues

[Christopher Nelson]

I've been developing a little web page full of JavaScript while using
Firefox and it works well but when I try to view it in Opera and IE,
it's incomplete. I suspect cross-browser issues in the DOM but how do
you *find* them; neither Opera nor IE seem to have a JavaScript
console as Firefox does. Am I missing something?

 

[Martin Honnen]

I've been developing a little web page full of JavaScript while using
Firefox and it works well but when I try to view it in Opera and IE,
it's incomplete. I suspect cross-browser issues in the DOM but how do
you *find* them; neither Opera nor IE seem to have a JavaScript
console as Firefox does. Am I missing something?

Opera 8 has a console, I think named JavaScript console, Opera 9 has a
console named Error console. For IE you can enabled error display, it
will pop up a dialog window then for displaying an error.

 

[Christopher Nelson]

Opera 8 has a console, I think named JavaScript console, Opera 9 has a
console named Error console. For IE you can enabled error display, it
will pop up a dialog window then for displaying an error.

With the name in hand, I found the Opera Error Console. Thanks.

I also found the IE Script Debugger but glacial doesn't do justice to
it's lack of performance!

 

[Erwin Moller]

With the name in hand, I found the Opera Error Console. Thanks.

I also found the IE Script Debugger but glacial doesn't do justice to
it's lack of performance!

which is just one of the many reasons why serious webdevelopers use FF
during development and test afterwards in IE, and not vise versa.
Don't wait any longer, join the winners. ;-)
When you are at it, be sure to install an add-on named 'web developer' in
FF.
I have version 1.1.3 now (maybe newer exists).
It makes your life a lot easier. You can view/edit cookies. You can view
real HTTP headers, you can validate your CSS/HTML/etc with 1 click, get all
information you want about forms, javascript, etc etc etc.
Really a lifesaver.

Regards,
Erwin Moller

 

[dd]

On Feb 23, 5:28 pm, Erwin Moller

which is just one of the many reasons why serious webdevelopers use FF
during development and test afterwards in IE, and not vise versa.

There's no better way of debugging browser JavaScript
than with Microsoft Visual Studio .NET which directly
integrates into IE. Firebug is catching up quickly and
will overtake it in 2007 I have no doubt. Right now
though, VS.NET is the best, that's why really serious
web developers use it ;-)

If you ever find Venkman during a web search for JS
debuggers, close the browser quickly and run. Run fast!

 

[Evertjan.]

dd wrote on 24 feb 2007 in comp.lang.javascript:

On Feb 23, 5:28 pm, Erwin Moller

There's no better way of debugging browser JavaScript
than with Microsoft Visual Studio .NET which directly
integrates into IE. Firebug is catching up quickly and
will overtake it in 2007 I have no doubt. Right now
though, VS.NET is the best, that's why really serious
web developers use it ;-)

There's no better way of debugging clientside JavaScript
than using common sense
and using [sometimes conditional] alert()-breakpoints,
if you not only want to have running code,
but also want to learn from your mistakes.

If that task seems to large,
use a more modular approach to coding and debug seperate modules.

If you ever find Venkman during a web search for JS
debuggers, close the browser quickly and run. Run fast!

Same comment.

 

[Rick Brandt]

On Feb 23, 5:28 pm, Erwin Moller

There's no better way of debugging browser JavaScript
than with Microsoft Visual Studio .NET which directly
integrates into IE. Firebug is catching up quickly and
will overtake it in 2007 I have no doubt. Right now
though, VS.NET is the best, that's why really serious
web developers use it ;-)

If you ever find Venkman during a web search for JS
debuggers, close the browser quickly and run. Run fast!

With Firebug in FF I can see all the js files and put break points wherever I
want before I run any actions. How does one do that with IE an Visual Studio?
So far I have only seen how to make IE break on errors or "next action".
Neither of which is always helpful.

Once I have visual studio up at a break there seems to be no way to just let the
code continue and then set other break points so you can run the same procedure
again. As soon as you tell it to stop debugging the script is unloaded and you
are left staring at a blank window.

If IE and Visual Studio provide "superior" debugging they are at least not very
intuitive as to how it all is supposed to work.

 

[beholdthepanda]

I've been developing a little web page full of JavaScript while using
Firefox and it works well but when I try to view it in Opera and IE,
it's incomplete. I suspect cross-browser issues in the DOM but how do
you *find* them; neither Opera nor IE seem to have a JavaScript
console as Firefox does. Am I missing something?

Two other tools I've made heavy use of (for IE debugging) are:

Fiddler (http://www.fiddlertool.com/fiddler/) - Which is a http proxy
and allows you to
monitor http messages comming into and out of your machine. You get a
well presented and
sortable list of requests and responces your browser is making/
recieving.

and

Instant Source (pay http://www.blazingtools.com/is.html) - Instant
Source prety reliably shows
you what files(css and JS) are being used used on a page and those
files' contents. Another neat
feature is the ability to view HTML in 'original' vs 'current' state.
In other words, you can see
what the HTML looks like after DHTML JavaScript has had its way with
the page. These are pretty cool
features that I often use firebug and View Formatted Source (https://
addons.mozilla.org/firefox/697/)
when debugging with FF.

-Stephen

 

[Christopher Nelson]

...
which is just one of the many reasons why serious webdevelopers use FF
during development and test afterwards in IE, and not vise versa.
Don't wait any longer, join the winners. ;-)

Yes, that much I figured out; develop with Firefox, let Opera find a
few exceptions, then beat it until it works in IE. ;-)

When you are at it, be sure to install an add-on named 'web developer' in
FF.

Thanks, I'll look.