JavaScript: "Syntax error missing } after function body"

Viewed 16108

Ok, so you know the error, but why on earth am I getting it?

I get no errors at all when this is run locally, but when I uploaded my project I got this annoying syntax error. I've checked the Firebug error console, which doesn't help, because it put all my source on the same line, and I've parsed it through Lint which didn't seem to find the problem either - I just ended up formatting my braces differently in a way that I hate; on the same line as the statement, bleugh.

function ToServer(cmd, data) {
    var xmlObj = new XMLHttpRequest();
    xmlObj.open('POST', 'handler.php', true);
    xmlObj.setRequestHeader('Content-type', 'application/x-www-form-urlencoded');
    xmlObj.send(cmd + data);
    xmlObj.onreadystatechange = function() {
        if(xmlObj.readyState === 4 && xmlObj.status === 200) {
            if(cmd == 'cmd=push') {
                document.getElementById('pushResponse').innerHTML = xmlObj.responseText;
            }
            if(cmd == 'cmd=pop') {
                document.getElementById('messages').innerHTML += xmlObj.responseText;
            }
            if(cmd == 'cmd=login') {
                if(xmlObj.responseText == 'OK') {
                    self.location = 'index.php';
                }
                else {
                    document.getElementById('response').innerHTML = xmlObj.responseText;
                }
            }
        }
    }
}

function Login() {
    // Grab username and password for login
    var uName = document.getElementById('uNameBox').value;
    var pWord = document.getElementById('pWordBox').value;
    ToServer('cmd=login', '&uName=' + uName + '&pWord=' + pWord);
}


// Start checking of messages every second
window.onload = function() {
    if(getUrlVars()['to'] != null) {
        setInterval(GetMessages(), 1000);
    }
}

function Chat() {
    // Get username from recipient box
    var user = document.getElementById('recipient').value;
    self.location = 'index.php?to=' + user;
}

function SendMessage() {
    // Grab message from text box
    var from = readCookie('privateChat');
    var to = getUrlVars()['to'];
    var msg = document.getElementById('msgBox').value;
    ToServer('cmd=push','&from=' + from + '&to=' + to + '&msg=' + msg);
    // Reset the input box
    document.getElementById('msgBox').value = "";
}

function GetMessages() {
    // Grab account hash from auth cookie
    var aHash = readCookie('privateChat');
    var to = getUrlVars()['to'];
    ToServer('cmd=pop','&account=' + aHash + '&to=' + to);
    var textArea = document.getElementById('messages');
    textArea.scrollTop = textArea.scrollHeight;
}

function readCookie(name) {
    var nameEQ = name + "=";
    var ca = document.cookie.split(';');
    for(var i=0;i < ca.length;i++) {
        var c = ca[i];
        while (c.charAt(0)==' ') c = c.substring(1,c.length);
        if (c.indexOf(nameEQ) == 0) return c.substring(nameEQ.length,c.length);
    }
    return null;
}

function getUrlVars() {
    var vars = {};
    var parts = window.location.href.replace(/[?&]+([^=&]+)=([^&]*)/gi, function(m,key,value) {
        vars[key] = value;
    });
    return vars;
}
8 Answers

Adding a note: very strangely this error was there very randomly, with everything working fine.

Syntax error missing } after function body | At line 0 of index.html

It appears that I use /**/ and // with some fancy Unicode character in different parts of my scripts for different comments.

This is useful to me, for clarity and for parsing.

But if this Unicode character and probably some others are used on a JavaScript file in comments before any JavaScript execution, the error was spawning randomly.

This might be linked to the fact that JavaScript files aren't UTF-8 before being called and read by the parent page. It is UTF-8 when the DOM is ready. I can't tell.

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