838093 - "JavaScript Application Error: Syntax Error"

Status: RESOLVED WORKSFORME

(Firefox :: Extension Compatibility, defect)

Description

[Paul]

Attachment: [JavaScript Application] Error Syntax Error.jpg

User Agent: Mozilla/5.0 (Macintosh; Intel Mac OS X 10.8; rv:18.0) Gecko/20100101 Firefox/18.0
Build ID: 20130116073211

Steps to reproduce:

Simply browse to any web page.

Note, I use Firefox 18.0.1 on a Mac running OSX 10.8.2; I have J2SE 7 installed but I understand Apple has recently disabled Java on Macs following from a few publicised security flaws in the software lately.

In response to this I recently disabled Java in the browser following publicised I have read that if users do not really rely on Java (such as for application platforms) they should disable it.

Oh, also I have the NoScript add on installed and activated in my Firefox browser.


Actual results:

I keep getting a message from Firefox which says, "[Javascipt Application] Error: Syntax Error"

Sometimes the message keeps repeating up to 6 times despite me clicking"OK" to dismiss it.

What does that even mean? If it provided a bit more detail I might be able to isolate and troubleshoot myself!


Expected results:

This is the first time I have ever experienced Firefox throwing up this error, repeatedly; web pages previously have just loaded with no JavaScript Syntax errors at all and I expect they should continue load without me seeing a JavaScript Application error each time I navigate to a website.

Comment 1

[Loic]

It looks like an extension issue.
Could you test the basic troubleshooting steps, please:

1)safe mode: https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/troubleshoot-firefox-issues-using-safe-mode

2)new profile: https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/profile-manager-create-and-remove-firefox-profiles

Does it fix the error message?

Comment 2

[[:Aleksej]]

For what it’s worth, Java and JavaScript are different things.

Comment 3

[Paul]

Hi Loic,

So I started FF in safe mode and it fixed the error message issue. So perhaps you are onto something here re extension issue.

Reopening Firefox in "normal" mode (ie, with add-ons back on brought back the error messages.

Does this mean I should delete the user profile and creat a new one?

Aleksej, I did not know Java and JavaScript are different things -- although they both have Java in their name. Hence I have come to the experts on this forum :-)

Cheers.

Comment 4

[David Teller [:Yoric] - still alive but not very active]

Paul, let me suggest going to http://support.mozilla.org/ . This is the best place to receive support on any issue you might encounter. Here, you are not on a forum, but on one of the tools used by the team developing Firefox to track and prioritize bugs and features, so you will certainly receive less help.

Comment 5

[Paul]

Oh, error on startup...

"[JavaScript Application]

Permission to read denied: TypeError:
netscape.security.PrivilegeManager is undefined"

Whatever that means...

Comment 6

[Paul]

Loic,

I have isolated the extension causing the error; it is the AustLII Toolbar which provides quick access to the Australian Legal Information Institute and search functionality right from the toolbar.

I have had this extension for years and years, certainly going back to Firefox's early single digit versions. However, I have not previously had this error come up; it was only since updating from FF15 to FF18 that I noticed this error (which really interrupts web browsing) so it seems AustLII's toolabr is no longer fully compatible with Firefox. I have lodged a report through the Extensions tab.

But thank you for your advice; I wouldn't have realised I had an "extension issue" but for your post.

Many thanks.

Comment 7

[Jorge Villalobos [:jorgev] (he/him)]

Paul, which version of the toolbar are you using? I installed version 1.6 from their website and I haven't been able to reproduce this error. Given that it was updated relatively recently (November), I would presume that the error was fixed.

If you can still reproduce the error with version 1.6 of the extension, please tell me which websites you see this on.

Comment 8

[Paul]

Jorge, I was using 1.5.0. I have updated to 1.6.0 and re-enabled the plugin and have not been able to reproduce the error. I note when I updated to FF18 only a few weeks ago it did the compatibility and update check for add-ons which it normally does but did not come up with an update for AustLII.

As for the error itself, previously I was getting this error on just about every web page I navigated to, as well as the initial error upon launching the web browser.