Nov 19, 2018 - Internet Explorer, sometimes referred to as IE, was once the most dominant web browser used on the Internet. Safari, Google Chrome, Edge,. Here are 3 easy ways to run Internet Explorer for Mac on any version of macOS including. If you're using Google Chrome, here's how to emulate IE on a Mac.
If you are web designer, web master or an online shop owner, you will probably want to test your website in various browsers. As much as we hate Internet Explorer, it is still used by a large number of people and it just can’t be ignored, as much as we wanted to. However, testing on different version of IEs can be a difficult task since you are only allowed to install a single version of IE on your Windows. If you are using IE 9, you won’t be able to test on IE 7 or 8, and vice versa.
IE Tab is an extension for Google Chrome that allows you to load a page using the IE rendering engine in a Chrome tab. With this extension, you can test out your sites in different version of IE without leaving Chrome.
Note: IE Tab only works in Windows
Note: IE Tab only works in Windows
Installation
Open up your Google Chrome, go to this URL and install the IE Tab extension.
Usage
Once installed, at any website that you want to render with IE, you just have to click the IE Tab button at the system tray. This will open a new tab and render the current URL you are at with the IE engine.
IE Tab supports IE 7, 8 and 9. It doesn’t support IE 6, and I don’t think any web developer will want to support IE 6 too. If you are still using IE 6, please upgrade to IE 8 or 9 immediately.
Right-click the IE Tab icon and select “Options”. At the bottom right box is the Compatibility Mode where you can get it to render in different version of IE. For the best result, it is best that you are already running IE 9 (or later) in your Windows, so you can test out IE 7 and 8 as well. You will have to restart the browser everytime you make a change.
There is also an Auto URL mode where you can enter URLs that need to be always rendered with the IE engine. When enabled, everytime you go to the specified URL, it will be opened in IE Tab. The same goes for the AutoURL Exceptions where it works the other way round.
Wrapping Up
I have previously used different ways to test sites on IE and most of them didn’t turn out to be a good experience. IE Tabs has done well without requiring you to install extra software that will mess up your registry, or even your current version of IE. If you are a web developer and are using Chrome, this is one tool you will definitely find useful.
Website testing has become increasingly complex. The days of checking functionality in a couple of browsers are long gone. Your latest masterpiece must be rigorously evaluated on a range of mobile, tablet and desktop devices with differing OSs, screen resolutions and capabilities. In extreme cases, it could take as long as the original development.
The process is complicated further by touch-screens, hybrid devices, and high-density displays. If you’re coding on a regular PC with a mouse and keyboard it’s difficult to appreciate how your masterpiece will operate. Features such as mouse hover won’t necessarily work and your application could be inoperable. But how can you test your system during development and avoid the pain of running and switching between multiple devices?
Fortunately, all modern browsers offer mobile emulation tools and one of the best can be found in Chrome. It can help identify early problems without leaving the comfort of your PC and development environment.
Developer Tools
Start Chrome, navigate to the web page you want to test and open the Developer Tools (Menu > Tools > Developer Tools, Cmd+Opt+I on Mac or F12 / Ctrl+Shift+I on Windows and Linux).
You can now enable the browser emulator by clicking the Toggle device toolbar icon in the top-left:
A device simulation will now appear:
The dimensions of the emulated screen can be changed when Responsive is selected as the device type.
Touch Enabled Emulation
Move your mouse over the device to see a circular ‘touch’ cursor. This will react to touch-based JavaScript events such as
touchstart
, touchmove
and touchend
. Mouse-specific events and CSS effects should not occur.Hold down Shift then click and move your mouse to emulate pinch zooming.
The Mobile Emulator Device Toolbar
It’s worth spending a little time familiarizing yourself with the toolbar and menu above the mobile emulator:
The default controls are:
- the device type (or simply Responsive)
- the current resolution
- the scale (the screen can be zoomed in or out to fit better in the emulator pane)
- a portrait/landscape toggle button (presuming a device other than Responsive is selected)
The three-dot menu allows you to show or hide additional controls:
- the device frame (if available, a graphic of the phone or tablet)
- a pixel ruler
- the device pixel ratio (such as 2.0 for emulated Retina screens)
- the device type (a category such as “mobile” or “tablet”)
- network throttling (a way to limit bandwidth and test performance on slower connections)
- the last option allows you capture a screenshot which includes the device frame if shown.
CSS Media Query Bars
The bar below the toolbar shows a range of typical phone, tablet and device sizes. This can be clicked when Responsive is chosen as the device to set that width.
Select Show media queries from the three-dot menu to view a graphical color-coded representation of all media queries set in the CSS.
- BLUE – queries which target a maximum width
- GREEN – queries which target widths within a range
- ORANGE – queries which target a minimum width
Any bar can be clicked to set the emulator screen to that width.
Emulated Device Options
The drop-down menu on the left allows you to select a device. Several dozen presets are provided for popular smart phones and tablets including iPhones, iPads, Kindles, Nexus tablets, Samsung Galaxy, etc.
Not all devices are presented at once – choose Edit… at the bottom of the device drop-down or select Settings from the Developer Tools menu (F1) and choose the Devices tab:
You can enable or disable devices or enter your own with by defining:
- a name
- a classification such as “Mobile” or “Tablet”
- a browser user agent string
- the device resolution
- and pixel ratio (such as 2 for iPhone Retina screens where the pixel density is twice as high as the reported viewport resolution).
Note that all browsers identify themselves with a user agent string sent with all HTTP headers. This can be examined on the client or server-side and, during the dark days of web development, would be used to modify or provide a different user experience. In extreme cases, the viewer would be directed to a different site. The technique was always flawed but has become largely redundant owing to Responsive Web Design techniques and completely unsustainable given the number of devices available on the market.
Bandwidth Throttling Simulation
The throttling drop-down allows you to emulate slow network speeds typically experienced on mobile connections or dodgy hotel and airport wifi! You can use this to ensure your site or application loads quickly and remains responsive in all environments.
The throttling drop-down is available in the Network tab and Chrome’s device toolbar (when enabled). You can set your own bandwidth configuration by choosing Edit… at the bottom of the throttling drop-down or select Settings from the Developer Tools menu (F1) and choose the Throttling tab:
Click Add custom profile then enter:
- the profile name
- the download speed in kilobits per second
- the upload speed in kilobits per second
- the latency in milliseconds (the typical delay when making a network request)
Emulated Mobile Sensors
Smart phones and tablets often have sensors such as GPS, gyroscopes and accelerometers which are not present in desktop devices. These can be emulated in Chrome by choosing More tools then Sensors from the Developer Tools main three-dot menu:
A new pane appears which allows you to define:
- the current latitude and longitude or select a major city from the drop-down. You can also select Location unavailable to emulate how your application reacts when the device cannot obtain a GPS signal.
- the orientation. Several presets are available or you can move the device image by clicking and dragging.
Remote Real Device Debugging
Finally, Chrome allows you to connect a real Android device via USB for remote device debugging. Select More tools then Remote devices from the Developer Tools main three-dot menu. Ensure Discover USB devices is checked then attach your phone or tablet and follow the instructions.
Chrome allows you to set up port forwarding so you can navigate to a web address on your local server on the device. Chrome’s preview pane shows a synchronized view of the device screen and you can interact either using the device or Chrome itself.
The full range of developer tools can be used including the Application tab to test Progressive Web Apps in offline mode. Note that unlike a real application which requires HTTPS, Chrome permits PWAs to run from localhost over an HTTP connection.
Great! I Don’t Need Any Devices Now!
Chrome’s mobile browser emulator is useful and powerful, but it’s no substitute for interacting with your website or app on a real device to evaluate the full user experience.
You should also be aware that no device emulator is perfect. For example, Chrome shows a representation of the page on an iPhone or iPad but will not attempt to simulate the standards support or quirks of Safari.
That said, for quick and dirty mobile testing, Chrome’s device emulation is excellent. It’s far easier than switching between real smart phone and tablet devices and you’ll have all the developer tools at your disposal. It will save hours of effort.