I get this error! [ 'return' statement outside of function ]

Question

I was creating a form validator for a client and ran into this weird error ONLY in Internet Exploder (Explorer) 7/8....

'return' outside of function, line 1, char 1

Of course, there was no code whasoever on line 1, it was a simple commented statement. And there was nothing wring with it in any way. So I knew it was just a debug miss-direct.

I have been pulling my hair out to understand what could be wrong here...

I have already ruled out the obvious: return statements in a loop, too many return statements in a single function, any returns actually outside of a legitimate function definition.

Has anybody else had any instances when this has happened to you?

Answer 1

I got it!

The problem was that I was using a return statement to override the default behavior for my form and it was assigned to a property, BUT it was not placed inside an anonymous function!

I had a form element that was set up like this:

<form name="formname" onSubmit="javascript:validateForm(this);" action="javascript:return false;" method="post" enctype="multipart/form-data">

All I needed to change was the action property to this:

… action="javascript:function(){return false};"

It now works flawlessly!

Hope this saves someone else from the hell I went through.