Javascript reserved words trigger “Expected Identifier” error on IE

If you’re getting an unreasonable “Expected Identifier” Javascript error on IE6/7, check to see if you have any variable names which are reserved words.

This also goes for HTML form element names:

<form name="aform">
    <input type="text" name="name" />
</form>

Then accessing document.aform.name.value would throw an error since name is a reserved word.

Javascript Reserved Words

• abstract
• alert
• Anchor
• Area
• arguments
• Array
• assign
• blur
• boolean or Boolean
• break
• Button
• byte
• callee
• caller
• captureEvents
• case
• catch
• char
• Checkbox
• class
• clearInterval
• clearTimeout
• close
• closed
• comment
• confirm
• const
• constructor
• continue
• Date
• debugger
• default
• defaultStatus
• delete
• do
• document
• Document
• double
• Element
• else
• enum
• escape
• eval
• export
• extends
• false
• FileUpload
• final
• finally
• find
• float
• focus
• for
• Form
• Frame
• frames
• function
• Function
• getClass
• goto
• Hidden
• history or History
• home
• if
• Image
• implements
• import
• in
• Infinity
• innerHeight
• innerWidth
• instanceOf
• int
• interface
• isFinite
• isNan
• java
• JavaArray
• JavaClass
• JavaObject
• JavaPackage
• label
• length
• Link
• location or Location
• locationbar
• long
• Math
• menubar
• MimeType
• moveBy
• moveTo
• name
• NaN
• native
• navigate
• navigator or Navigator
• netscape
• new
• null
• Number
• Object
• onBlur
• onError
• onFocus
• onLoad
• onUnload
• open
• opener
• Option
• outerHeight
• outerWidth
• package
• Packages
• pageXoffset
• pageYoffset
• parent
• parseFloat
• parseInt
• Password
• personalbar
• Plugin
• print
• private
• prompt
• protected
• prototype
• public
• Radio
• ref
• RegExp
• releaseEvents
• Reset
• resizeBy
• resizeTo
• return
• routeEvent
• scroll
• scrollbars
• scrollBy
• scrollTo
• Select
• self
• setInterval
• setTimeout
• short
• static
• status
• statusbar
• stop
• String
• Submit
• sun
• super
• switch
• synchronized
• taint
• Text
• Textarea
• this
• throw
• throws
• toolbar
• top
• toString
• transient
• true
• try
• typeof
• unescape
• untaint
• unwatch
• valueOf
• var
• void
• watch
• while
• window
• Window
• with