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brotherwayne
Currently Being Moderated

browserlabs is inconsistent compared to the live browser, why?

Jun 5, 2012 11:55 AM

Tags: #problem #browser #ie8 #browserlab

I'm using Browserlabs to compare a web page in various browsers. I'm finding that the rendering is inaccurate enough that the tool isn't worth the time, since it renders inconsistent results. Especially when you have a div > ul > li > a html element setup. I've seen a set of LIs render incorrectly several times today.

 

Just now, I switched to IE 9 in browserlabs and the page that's rendered has LIs with their class rendered as text (so it says "menu Home" instead of "Home").

 

A few minutes ago when i viewed a page in Chrome 18 in browserlabs there were LIs that didn't have style information and were in the wrong part of the page because of it. When I viewed them in the real browser they did not look that way.

 

All in all, my first half hour of browserlabs makes me think that I wasted half an hour.

 

It looks to me like browserlab is only loading part of the css. I guess I don't have a real question here, unless it's "why is this sucking so hard?"

 

Edit: I'm also seeing instances where I change browsers (from Chrome 18 to IE9) and the viewport is black.

 

I'm using FF 13 and Flash 11.1 (just updated this AM).

 
Replies
  • Currently Being Moderated
    Jun 5, 2012 2:43 PM   in reply to brotherwayne

    Hi brotherwayne,

     

    We don't know of any issues like you're describing, and it seems surprising given that we are providing screenshots rendered by the actual browsers. It's possible that some of the issues could have something to do with IE9 compatibility view: http://blogs.adobe.com/browserlab/2011/06/22/ie-9-and-compatibility-vi ew/

     

    Also, we'd be happy to look into this issues you're seeing if you can provide us with one or more URLs along with details about where you're seeing the problem (and maybe some screenshots too).

     

    Details on the CSS loading issue would be helpful too if you'd like us to look into it.

     

    Mark

     
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  • Currently Being Moderated
    Jun 5, 2012 3:43 PM   in reply to brotherwayne

    Almost certainly not.

     

    So are you testing the local pages through our Dreamweaver integration or with our BrowserLab for Firebug add-on? Can you provide us with any sample code that demonstrates the issue?

     

    Can you try bumping up the Screenshot delay value (the numeric spinner next to the URL entry field) in BrowserLab to see if that helps with your CSS loading issues?

     

    Message was edited by: Mark Rausch

     
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  • Currently Being Moderated
    Jun 16, 2012 2:49 PM   in reply to Mark Rausch

    I'd like to confirm that "black viewport" is indeed an issue, particularly with IE8.

     

    And as to accuracy, when comparing BrowserLab results to actual browsers, I too experienced several inconsistencies. The one I'm having trouble with at the moment is BrowserLab not rendering background colors and images in IE6. Here are a couple of threads on the subject:

     

    http://forums.adobe.com/message/4174237

    http://stackoverflow.com/questions/6842126/css-body-background-image-n ot-showing-in-ie-6

    http://css-tricks.com/forums/discussion/16196/background-color-wont-wo rk-in-ie6-specific-style-sheets/p1

     

    and there are plenty more.

     
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  • Currently Being Moderated
    Jun 17, 2012 7:18 PM   in reply to kf420

    Can you provide a URL that you're testing in BrowserLab that demonstrates the black viewport problem?

     

    Can you post some screenshots of the rendering inconsistencies you see?

     

    Have you tried bumping up the screenshot delay as I noted here in my previous post?

     
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  • Currently Being Moderated
    Aug 22, 2012 9:48 AM   in reply to Mark Rausch

    Hi,
    I have an issue with background picture in ie6 in Browserlab. but in other services i can see it. Why is that?

    http://testai.businesscatalyst.com/indexTemplate-Copy%5B2%5D.html

     
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  • Currently Being Moderated
    Aug 22, 2012 1:07 PM   in reply to Vladimir77

    We'll check this. I'm having someone who has IE6 installed try it out and I'll get back to you when I have some info.

     
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  • Currently Being Moderated
    Aug 22, 2012 2:09 PM   in reply to Mark Rausch

    We've repro'ed the issue and are logging a bug against it. Thanks for the report. I don't have a workaround for you at this point, sorry. I'll update here when we do.

     
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  • Currently Being Moderated
    Aug 23, 2012 2:47 AM   in reply to kf420

    Also experiencing the black screen within BrowserLab but only in IE8—IE6, 7 and 9 render. Testing against a live html5/css3 site (with appropriate IE shiv and css in place).

     
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  • Currently Being Moderated
    Aug 27, 2012 2:19 AM   in reply to Mark Rausch

    Any news?

     
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  • Currently Being Moderated
    Aug 27, 2012 3:29 PM   in reply to Vladimir77

    No update yet, sorry. We're very busy with tasks on another project right now and it may take a while for us to get to this.

     
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  • Currently Being Moderated
    Nov 1, 2012 6:43 AM   in reply to Mark Rausch

    I am wondering if the inconsistency is caused by the browser cache at the Adobe BrowserLab server not being cleared.  Even if you set the browser to "always refresh from server," I am not convinced it always does.   Really, the only way to be sure is to clear the cache and then open a new browser instance.  This may not be practical for the Adobe BrowserLab application.

     

    I have also had issues with IE8 not displaying the same on my local browser and on BrowserLab.  I can give you an example, if you think you will have time to look at it.  It's a beta version of a public website.   Please email me if you want it, as I don't want to post it here. 

     

    Even though it's not perfect, I think Adobe BrowserLab is a valuable service and appreciate your efforts to make it work.  

     
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