What are some ways to reliably test for browser support for HTML5 features such as Geolocation?

Question

HTML5 introduces a wide variety of tools such as Geolocation. Many browsers support them, but some do not yet.

Should web developers rely on them to build professional applications for industry? The features are powerful, but not all browsers support these features.

What are some ways (perhaps Javascript libraries?) to reliably test for browser support for HTML5 features such as Geolocation?

What are some ways to reliably test for browser support for HTML5 features such as Geolocation? -- One way is to write a small program using those features, and try it out in each browser you want to test. — Robert Harvey, Mar 20 '12 at 03:22
Yes, but is there a dynamic way, perhaps a library to do so? — David Faux, Mar 20 '12 at 03:22
You may also want to consider what your customer is willing to pay for. If their target audience all work with XP they probably do not care much for iPads or Android. — , Mar 20 '12 at 09:55

score 6 · Accepted Answer · answered Mar 20 '12 at 03:27

6

Modernizr supports detection of many features in HTML5 capable browsers, including geolocation.

answered Mar 20 '12 at 03:27

Robert Harvey

199,517

score 1 · Answer 2 · answered Mar 20 '12 at 08:41

http://caniuse.com/ is a good reference for browser support of specific features that you can use in deciding what is possible on the browsers that you need to support.

For specific features detection script is usually fairly easy to write, but there is no indicator of overall HTML5 support.

Another way to look at it is that you can use any feature you want as long as you don't have to support IE - the one major exception is local storage, as Mozilla and Webkit don't agree on how a database should work.

What are some ways to reliably test for browser support for HTML5 features such as Geolocation?

2 Answers2