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Home Web Development Browsers 10 Things You Didn’t Know a Browser Could Do

10 Things You Didn’t Know a Browser Could Do

February 2, 2013 By Jonathan Jeter 1 Comment

by Estelle Weyl at HTML5 Texas Conference in Austin, TX (Deck)

It may feel like the HTML5, CSS3 and ECMAScript specifications are moving along at a snails pace, but browser capabilities are moving quickly, and it is difficult to keep up with all the new feature support. In this session we’ll cover some brand spanking new and older but unknown features that make debugging, designing and developing more fun.

10 Things You Didn't Know a Browser Could Do1. $(‘selector’) without jQuery

  • Supported since IE8
  • You can access DOM elements with standard css selectors

2. Everything is Editable

  • Everything can be updated
  • Can even paste!
  • Updates the DOM
  • Turn anything into a form element
  • Supported since IE5

3. Can store lots of data

  • LocalStorage
  • SessionStorage
  • WebSQL (deprecated but available in webkit)
  • IndexedDB (new standard, but not supported in any browser)

Cookie Limitations

  • Sent with every HTTP request (in plain text)
  • Limited to 4KB each, 20 per domain & 300 per browser
  • No real API

Local and Session Storage

  • Not sent to server (more secure / less bandwidth)
  • Limited to 5MB each
  • Long term or session long
  • Simmple API

localStorage

  • Save text value on the client-side (crash-safe)
  • only works on the same domain
  • very simple to use

Data Storage

  • localStorage ➫ persistent storage
    Supported everywhere since ie8+
  • sessionStorage ➫ per tab storage
    Supported everywhere since ie8+
  • WebSQL ➫ Mobile Web Apps
    deprecated. Will never be in FF/IE
  • IndexedDB ➫ 2014?
    Found in IE10, FF, Chrome, BB. Not Safari or other mobile yet

4. SVG as Background Images (Latecomers: IE9 & Android 3)

  • Scalable Vector Graphics
  • 2D image format
  • supports interactivity and animation

Remember that it uses DOM nodes and can slow things down

5. Can count with CSS (supported since IE8)

can create a counter on any element and increment on the next instance of that element. You can reset when you get to another element and make your own numbered outlines.

It is generated content and not part of the DOM

6. CSS can Calculate

(Prefixed in FF4, Saf6, BB10, Chr19, FF15 Android – Without prefix in FF16, IE 9+, Chrome 26 – No Opera, Android or mobile Chrome love…. yet)

Calculate percentages in the box model.

Your Browser can take a picture!7. IE6 and IE7 can buy you a house

Charge more for old browser support!

8. Browsers can take a picture

(Firefox, Chrome and Opera only)

using getUserMedia

Gangham Style Sprite Animation9. Animate Sprites

using animation, timing and bezier curves (cubic-bezier.com)

Check out the Gangham Style css animation!

10. Help you manage memory

In the debugger – Chrome Developer Tools – Timeline -> Memory

Related articles
  • 2013 CSS Wishlist
  • Talks To Help You Become A Better Front-End Engineer In 2013
  • Five things you can do to make HTML5 perform better
  • Local Storage manipulation and possible sending

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Filed Under: Browsers, Web Development Tagged With: Animate Sprites, Background Images, Better Front-End Engineer, better Local Storage, bezier curves, box model, browser capabilities, browser Cookie Limitations, browser support, Can store, Cascading Style Sheets, Chrome Developer Tools, conference notes, CSS, CSS selectors, CSS Wishlist Talks, cubic-bezier.com Check, data LocalStorage SessionStorage, Data Storage localStorage, Document Object Model, DOM elements, DOM nodes, DOM Turn, ECMAScript specifications, Estelle Weyl, FF/IE IndexedDB, FF15 Android, Firefox, form element Supported, Front-End Engineer, Graphics 2D image, house Charge, HTML5 Texas Conference, HTTP request, Indexed Database API, IndexedDB new standard, JQuery, jQuery Supported, localStorage Save text, Long term, Memory Related articles, mobile Chrome love, mobile web, mobile web apps, new feature, new feature support, Opera, persistent storage, plain text, real API Local, Safari, session long Simmple, Session Storage, snails pace, standard css selectors, Style css animation, Technology Internet, Texas conference, unknown features, Vector graphics, web app, Web apps, Web Storage, Will Never

About Jonathan Jeter

Jonathan Jeter has been creating websites since 1997. He is currently Director of Technology Services and Digital Development at TracyLocke, a shopper marketing agency. You can follow him @mywebthoughts, on LinkedIn or connect on Google+.

Trackbacks

  1. February 3, 2013: Weekly Roundup of Web Design and Development Resources says:
    April 4, 2013 at 9:48 am

    […] 10 Things You Didn’t Know a Browser Could Do: Thanks Jonathan Jeter for your recap of Estelle Weyl‘s presentation at this weekend’s HTML5.tx conference. One of my personal favorites is counting with CSS. For more info, view Estelle’s presentation slides on Github. […]

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