I've been struggling with a strange syntax error since yesterday: The FF debugger keeps saying "SyntaxError: illegal character" at this specific line :

function newTimePeriod(ID, param, paramID, unit)
{
    updateSession();
    //check if date
    //(I got this regex from another post)
    var re = new RegExp("^\\d{4,4}(-\\d{1,2}){1,2}( \\d{1,2}(:\\d{1,2}){1,2})?$");

    var dateFrom = document.getElementById("chart_date_min_" + ID).value;
    var dateTo = document.getElementById("chart_date_max_" + ID).value;
    var fromCorrect = re.test(dateFrom);  
    var toCorrect = re.test(dateFrom);  
    /**/if (fromCorrect && toCorrect)​{/**/   //return illegal character
    LoadGraph(ID, param, paramID, unit, dateFrom, dateTo);
    }
}

I tried to include this script into the main php page, or separate it; it doesn't change a thing. Charset used is UTF-8, and fromCorrect and toCorrect returns booleans correctly (the regex is working)

When I remove the if statement the script is loading... Notepad++ doesn't show any special characters hiding anywhere.

Any thoughts?

I've been struggling with a strange syntax error since yesterday: The FF debugger keeps saying "SyntaxError: illegal character" at this specific line :

function newTimePeriod(ID, param, paramID, unit)
{
    updateSession();
    //check if date
    //(I got this regex from another post)
    var re = new RegExp("^\\d{4,4}(-\\d{1,2}){1,2}( \\d{1,2}(:\\d{1,2}){1,2})?$");

    var dateFrom = document.getElementById("chart_date_min_" + ID).value;
    var dateTo = document.getElementById("chart_date_max_" + ID).value;
    var fromCorrect = re.test(dateFrom);  
    var toCorrect = re.test(dateFrom);  
    /**/if (fromCorrect && toCorrect)​{/**/   //return illegal character
    LoadGraph(ID, param, paramID, unit, dateFrom, dateTo);
    }
}

I tried to include this script into the main php page, or separate it; it doesn't change a thing. Charset used is UTF-8, and fromCorrect and toCorrect returns booleans correctly (the regex is working)

When I remove the if statement the script is loading... Notepad++ doesn't show any special characters hiding anywhere.

Any thoughts?

• javascript
• if-statement
• character

Share Improve this question Follow edited Dec 21, 2013 at 13:27 Bathsheba 235k3535 gold badges374374 silver badges501501 bronze badges asked Dec 21, 2013 at 11:42 SciidSciid 3911 silver badge1010 bronze badges 5

• I think/hope OP added the ** to show which line the error is in. – afaf12 Commented Dec 21, 2013 at 11:45
• Can you also provide the html for this specially dateFrom and dateTo – Raunak Kathuria Commented Dec 21, 2013 at 11:48
• There is an invisible space between ) and {. Delete the line and re-write it (don't copy-paste). – JJJ Commented Dec 21, 2013 at 11:53
• possible duplicate of SyntaxError: Unexpected token ILLEGAL – JJJ Commented Dec 21, 2013 at 11:54
• If you are interested in what non-printable character caused the error, then you could copy the line in question into a HEX editor. The HEX view of (g)vim is quite helpful for those kinds of problem. – Ralf Commented Dec 21, 2013 at 12:21

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2 Answers 2

Sorted by: Reset to default 5

I have copied your code into a fiddle - seems you have a zero-width space between the braces:

if (fromCorrect && toCorrect)​{
                             ^

The good way to solve weird characters creeping in from copying and pasting is to manually re-type the line in question.