175259 - Problem with linked JavaScript when using "private" input element

Status: VERIFIED INVALID

(Core :: JavaScript Engine, defect)

Description

[Milan Kliska]

I have a form that has an input element with type="text" and name="private". I'm
linking JavaScript file that a couple of functions, some of which are inserting
data into the form with the following syntax:

<formname>.title.value = "title";
<formname>.private.value = "N";

Any call to the functions from the linked JavaScript file fails, but no error is
displayed. When I comment out the line where I'm assigning value to the
"private" input element, everything works fine. If I rename the "private"
element to "isprivate", everything works fine.

I have checked the html page using W3C's HTML validator and the page is OK.

My conclusion is that the JavaScript engine doesn't like the use of the
"private" for the form elements, and maybe for some other things.

Comment 1

[Boris Zbarsky [:bzbarsky]]

"private" is a reserved keyword in Javascript. If you need to use this syntax,
use <formname>['private'].  (See the JS console for the error message).

Comment 2

[Phil Schwartau]

Marking Verified. Thank you for this report, but Boris is correct.

See http://www.mozilla.org/js/language for a link to the 
ECMA-262 Edition 3 spec for the JavaScript language.

Section 7.5.3 indicates that "private" is a "Future Reserved Word",
and thus may not be used as an identifier -