CINXE.COM

<!doctype html><html lang="en-US" prefix="og: https://ogp.me/ns#"><head><meta charSet="utf-8"/><meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width,initial-scale=1"/><link rel="icon" href="https://developer.mozilla.org/favicon-48x48.bc390275e955dacb2e65.png"/><link rel="apple-touch-icon" href="https://developer.mozilla.org/apple-touch-icon.528534bba673c38049c2.png"/><meta name="theme-color" content="#ffffff"/><link rel="manifest" href="https://developer.mozilla.org/manifest.f42880861b394dd4dc9b.json"/><link rel="search" type="application/opensearchdescription+xml" href="/opensearch.xml" title="MDN Web Docs"/><title>What went wrong? Troubleshooting JavaScript - Learn web development | MDN</title><link rel="alternate" title="Was ist schiefgelaufen? JavaScript-Fehlerbehebung" href="https://developer.mozilla.org/de/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Scripting/What_went_wrong" hrefLang="de"/><link rel="alternate" title="¿Qué ha salido mal? Corrigiendo JavaScript" href="https://developer.mozilla.org/es/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Scripting/What_went_wrong" hrefLang="es"/><link rel="alternate" title="Qu'est-ce qui n'a pas fonctionné ? Déboguer du code JavaScript" href="https://developer.mozilla.org/fr/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Scripting/What_went_wrong" hrefLang="fr"/><link rel="alternate" title="何が間違っている? JavaScript のトラブルシューティング" href="https://developer.mozilla.org/ja/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Scripting/What_went_wrong" hrefLang="ja"/><link rel="alternate" title="뭐가 잘못됐을까요? JavaScript 문제 해결" href="https://developer.mozilla.org/ko/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Scripting/What_went_wrong" hrefLang="ko"/><link rel="alternate" title="O que deu errado? Resolvendo problemas no JavaScript" href="https://developer.mozilla.org/pt-BR/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Scripting/What_went_wrong" hrefLang="pt"/><link rel="alternate" title="Что пошло не так? Устранение ошибок JavaScript" href="https://developer.mozilla.org/ru/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Scripting/What_went_wrong" hrefLang="ru"/><link rel="alternate" title="查找并解决 JavaScript 代码的错误" href="https://developer.mozilla.org/zh-CN/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Scripting/What_went_wrong" hrefLang="zh"/><link rel="alternate" title="出了什麼問題？JavaScript 疑難排解" href="https://developer.mozilla.org/zh-TW/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Scripting/What_went_wrong" hrefLang="zh-Hant"/><link rel="alternate" title="What went wrong? Troubleshooting JavaScript" href="https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Scripting/What_went_wrong" hrefLang="en"/><link rel="preload" as="font" type="font/woff2" href="/static/media/Inter.var.c2fe3cb2b7c746f7966a.woff2" crossorigin=""/><link rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml" title="MDN Blog RSS Feed" href="https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/blog/rss.xml" hrefLang="en"/><meta name="description" content="When you built up the "Guess the number" game in the previous article, you may have found that it didn't work. Never fear — this article aims to save you from tearing your hair out over such problems by providing you with some tips on how to find and fix errors in JavaScript programs."/><meta property="og:url" content="https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Scripting/What_went_wrong"/><meta property="og:title" content="What went wrong? Troubleshooting JavaScript - Learn web development | MDN"/><meta property="og:type" content="website"/><meta property="og:locale" content="en_US"/><meta property="og:description" content="When you built up the "Guess the number" game in the previous article, you may have found that it didn't work. Never fear — this article aims to save you from tearing your hair out over such problems by providing you with some tips on how to find and fix errors in JavaScript programs."/><meta property="og:image" content="https://developer.mozilla.org/mdn-social-share.d893525a4fb5fb1f67a2.png"/><meta property="og:image:type" content="image/png"/><meta property="og:image:height" content="1080"/><meta property="og:image:width" content="1920"/><meta property="og:image:alt" content="The MDN Web Docs logo, featuring a blue accent color, displayed on a solid black background."/><meta property="og:site_name" content="MDN Web Docs"/><meta name="twitter:card" content="summary_large_image"/><meta name="twitter:creator" content="MozDevNet"/><link rel="canonical" href="https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Scripting/What_went_wrong"/><style media="print">.article-actions-container,.document-toc-container,.language-menu,.main-menu-toggle,.on-github,.page-footer,.place,.sidebar,.top-banner,.top-navigation-main,ul.prev-next{display:none!important}.main-page-content,.main-page-content pre{padding:2px}.main-page-content pre{border-left-width:2px}</style><script src="/static/js/gtag.js" defer=""></script><script defer="" src="/static/js/main.f565372a.js"></script><link href="/static/css/main.3d9e7a02.css" rel="stylesheet"/></head><body><script>if(document.body.addEventListener("load",(t=>{t.target.classList.contains("interactive")&&t.target.setAttribute("data-readystate","complete")}),{capture:!0}),window&&document.documentElement){const t={light:"#ffffff",dark:"#1b1b1b"};try{const e=window.localStorage.getItem("theme");e&&(document.documentElement.className=e,document.documentElement.style.backgroundColor=t[e]);const o=window.localStorage.getItem("nop");o&&(document.documentElement.dataset.nop=o)}catch(t){console.warn("Unable to read theme from localStorage",t)}}</script><div id="root"><ul id="nav-access" class="a11y-nav"><li><a id="skip-main" href="#content">Skip to main content</a></li><li><a id="skip-search" href="#top-nav-search-input">Skip to search</a></li><li><a id="skip-select-language" href="#languages-switcher-button">Skip to select language</a></li></ul><div class="page-wrapper category-javascript document-page"><div class="top-banner loading"><section class="place top container"></section></div><div class="sticky-header-container"><header class="top-navigation "><div class="container "><div class="top-navigation-wrap"><a href="/en-US/" class="logo" aria-label="MDN homepage"><svg id="mdn-docs-logo" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" x="0" y="0" viewBox="0 0 694.9 104.4" style="enable-background:new 0 0 694.9 104.4" xml:space="preserve" role="img"><title>MDN Web Docs</title><path d="M40.3 0 11.7 92.1H0L28.5 0h11.8zm10.4 0v92.1H40.3V0h10.4zM91 0 62.5 92.1H50.8L79.3 0H91zm10.4 0v92.1H91V0h10.4z" class="logo-m"></path><path d="M627.9 95.6h67v8.8h-67v-8.8z" class="logo-_"></path><path d="M367 42h-4l-10.7 30.8h-5.5l-10.8-26h-.4l-10.5 26h-5.2L308.7 42h-3.8v-5.6H323V42h-6.5l6.8 20.4h.4l10.3-26h4.7l11.2 26h.5l5.7-20.3h-6.2v-5.6H367V42zm34.9 20c-.4 3.2-2 5.9-4.7 8.2-2.8 2.3-6.5 3.4-11.3 3.4-5.4 0-9.7-1.6-13.1-4.7-3.3-3.2-5-7.7-5-13.7 0-5.7 1.6-10.3 4.7-14s7.4-5.5 12.9-5.5c5.1 0 9.1 1.6 11.9 4.7s4.3 6.9 4.3 11.3c0 1.5-.2 3-.5 4.7h-25.6c.3 7.7 4 11.6 10.9 11.6 2.9 0 5.1-.7 6.5-2 1.5-1.4 2.5-3 3-4.9l6 .9zM394 51.3c.2-2.4-.4-4.7-1.8-6.9s-3.8-3.3-7-3.3c-3.1 0-5.3 1-6.9 3-1.5 2-2.5 4.4-2.8 7.2H394zm51 2.4c0 5-1.3 9.5-4 13.7s-6.9 6.2-12.7 6.2c-6 0-10.3-2.2-12.7-6.7-.1.4-.2 1.4-.4 2.9s-.3 2.5-.4 2.9h-7.3c.3-1.7.6-3.5.8-5.3.3-1.8.4-3.7.4-5.5V22.3h-6v-5.6H416v27c1.1-2.2 2.7-4.1 4.7-5.7 2-1.6 4.8-2.4 8.4-2.4 4.6 0 8.4 1.6 11.4 4.7 3 3.2 4.5 7.6 4.5 13.4zm-7.7.6c0-4.2-1-7.4-3-9.5-2-2.2-4.4-3.3-7.4-3.3-3.4 0-6 1.2-8 3.7-1.9 2.4-2.9 5-3 7.7V57c0 3 1 5.6 3 7.7s4.5 3.1 7.6 3.1c3.6 0 6.3-1.3 8.1-3.9 1.8-2.7 2.7-5.9 2.7-9.6zm69.2 18.5h-13.2v-7.2c-1.2 2.2-2.8 4.1-4.9 5.6-2.1 1.6-4.8 2.4-8.3 2.4-4.8 0-8.7-1.6-11.6-4.9-2.9-3.2-4.3-7.7-4.3-13.3 0-5 1.3-9.6 4-13.7 2.6-4.1 6.9-6.2 12.8-6.2 5.7 0 9.8 2.2 12.3 6.5V22.3h-8.6v-5.6h15.8v50.6h6v5.5zM493.2 56v-4.4c-.1-3-1.2-5.5-3.2-7.3s-4.4-2.8-7.2-2.8c-3.6 0-6.3 1.3-8.2 3.9-1.9 2.6-2.8 5.8-2.8 9.6 0 4.1 1 7.3 3 9.5s4.5 3.3 7.4 3.3c3.2 0 5.8-1.3 7.8-3.8 2.1-2.6 3.1-5.3 3.2-8zm53.1-1.4c0 5.6-1.8 10.2-5.3 13.7s-8.2 5.3-13.9 5.3-10.1-1.7-13.4-5.1c-3.3-3.4-5-7.9-5-13.5 0-5.3 1.6-9.9 4.7-13.7 3.2-3.8 7.9-5.7 14.2-5.7s11 1.9 14.1 5.7c3 3.7 4.6 8.1 4.6 13.3zm-7.7-.2c0-4-1-7.2-3-9.5s-4.8-3.5-8.2-3.5c-3.6 0-6.4 1.2-8.3 3.7s-2.9 5.6-2.9 9.5c0 3.7.9 6.8 2.8 9.4 1.9 2.6 4.6 3.9 8.3 3.9 3.6 0 6.4-1.3 8.4-3.8 1.9-2.6 2.9-5.8 2.9-9.7zm45 5.8c-.4 3.2-1.9 6.3-4.4 9.1-2.5 2.9-6.4 4.3-11.8 4.3-5.2 0-9.4-1.6-12.6-4.8-3.2-3.2-4.8-7.7-4.8-13.7 0-5.5 1.6-10.1 4.7-13.9 3.2-3.8 7.6-5.7 13.2-5.7 2.3 0 4.6.3 6.7.8 2.2.5 4.2 1.5 6.2 2.9l1.5 9.5-5.9.7-1.3-6.1c-2.1-1.2-4.5-1.8-7.2-1.8-3.5 0-6.1 1.2-7.7 3.7-1.7 2.5-2.5 5.7-2.5 9.6 0 4.1.9 7.3 2.7 9.5 1.8 2.3 4.4 3.4 7.8 3.4 5.2 0 8.2-2.9 9.2-8.8l6.2 1.3zm34.7 1.9c0 3.6-1.5 6.5-4.6 8.5s-7 3-11.7 3c-5.7 0-10.6-1.2-14.6-3.6l1.2-8.8 5.7.6-.2 4.7c1.1.5 2.3.9 3.6 1.1s2.6.3 3.9.3c2.4 0 4.5-.4 6.5-1.3 1.9-.9 2.9-2.2 2.9-4.1 0-1.8-.8-3.1-2.3-3.8s-3.5-1.3-5.8-1.7-4.6-.9-6.9-1.4c-2.3-.6-4.2-1.6-5.7-2.9-1.6-1.4-2.3-3.5-2.3-6.3 0-4.1 1.5-6.9 4.6-8.5s6.4-2.4 9.9-2.4c2.6 0 5 .3 7.2.9 2.2.6 4.3 1.4 6.1 2.4l.8 8.8-5.8.7-.8-5.7c-2.3-1-4.7-1.6-7.2-1.6-2.1 0-3.7.4-5.1 1.1-1.3.8-2 2-2 3.8 0 1.7.8 2.9 2.3 3.6 1.5.7 3.4 1.2 5.7 1.6 2.2.4 4.5.8 6.7 1.4 2.2.6 4.1 1.6 5.7 3 1.4 1.6 2.2 3.7 2.2 6.6zM197.6 73.2h-17.1v-5.5h3.8V51.9c0-3.7-.7-6.3-2.1-7.9-1.4-1.6-3.3-2.3-5.7-2.3-3.2 0-5.6 1.1-7.2 3.4s-2.4 4.6-2.5 6.9v15.6h6v5.5h-17.1v-5.5h3.8V51.9c0-3.8-.7-6.4-2.1-7.9-1.4-1.5-3.3-2.3-5.6-2.3-3.2 0-5.5 1.1-7.2 3.3-1.6 2.2-2.4 4.5-2.5 6.9v15.8h6.9v5.5h-20.2v-5.5h6V42.4h-6.1v-5.6h13.4v6.4c1.2-2.1 2.7-3.8 4.7-5.2 2-1.3 4.4-2 7.3-2s5.3.7 7.5 2.1c2.2 1.4 3.7 3.5 4.5 6.4 1.1-2.5 2.7-4.5 4.9-6.1s4.8-2.4 7.9-2.4c3.5 0 6.5 1.1 8.9 3.3s3.7 5.6 3.7 10.2v18.2h6.1v5.5zm42.5 0h-13.2V66c-1.2 2.2-2.8 4.1-4.9 5.6-2.1 1.6-4.8 2.4-8.3 2.4-4.8 0-8.7-1.6-11.6-4.9-2.9-3.2-4.3-7.7-4.3-13.3 0-5 1.3-9.6 4-13.7 2.6-4.1 6.9-6.2 12.8-6.2s9.8 2.2 12.3 6.5V22.7h-8.6v-5.6h15.8v50.6h6v5.5zm-13.3-16.8V52c-.1-3-1.2-5.5-3.2-7.3s-4.4-2.8-7.2-2.8c-3.6 0-6.3 1.3-8.2 3.9-1.9 2.6-2.8 5.8-2.8 9.6 0 4.1 1 7.3 3 9.5s4.5 3.3 7.4 3.3c3.2 0 5.8-1.3 7.8-3.8 2.1-2.6 3.1-5.3 3.2-8zm61.5 16.8H269v-5.5h6V51.9c0-3.7-.7-6.3-2.2-7.9-1.4-1.6-3.4-2.3-5.7-2.3-3.1 0-5.6 1-7.4 3s-2.8 4.4-2.9 7v15.9h6v5.5h-19.3v-5.5h6V42.4h-6.2v-5.6h13.6V43c2.6-4.6 6.8-6.9 12.7-6.9 3.6 0 6.7 1.1 9.2 3.3s3.7 5.6 3.7 10.2v18.2h6v5.4h-.2z" class="logo-text"></path></svg></a><button title="Open main menu" type="button" class="button action has-icon main-menu-toggle" aria-haspopup="menu" aria-label="Open main menu" aria-expanded="false"><span class="button-wrap"><span class="icon icon-menu "></span><span class="visually-hidden">Open main menu</span></span></button></div><div class="top-navigation-main"><nav class="main-nav" aria-label="Main menu"><ul class="main-menu nojs"><li class="top-level-entry-container "><button type="button" id="references-button" class="top-level-entry menu-toggle" aria-controls="references-menu" aria-expanded="false">References</button><a href="/en-US/docs/Web" class="top-level-entry">References</a><ul id="references-menu" class="submenu references hidden inline-submenu-lg" aria-labelledby="references-button"><li class="apis-link-container mobile-only "><a href="/en-US/docs/Web" class="submenu-item "><div class="submenu-icon"></div><div class="submenu-content-container"><div class="submenu-item-heading">Overview / Web Technology</div><p class="submenu-item-description">Web technology reference for developers</p></div></a></li><li class="html-link-container "><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTML" class="submenu-item "><div class="submenu-icon html"></div><div class="submenu-content-container"><div class="submenu-item-heading">HTML</div><p class="submenu-item-description">Structure of content on the web</p></div></a></li><li class="css-link-container "><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/CSS" class="submenu-item "><div class="submenu-icon css"></div><div class="submenu-content-container"><div class="submenu-item-heading">CSS</div><p class="submenu-item-description">Code used to describe document style</p></div></a></li><li class="javascript-link-container "><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/JavaScript" class="submenu-item "><div class="submenu-icon javascript"></div><div class="submenu-content-container"><div class="submenu-item-heading">JavaScript</div><p class="submenu-item-description">General-purpose scripting language</p></div></a></li><li class="http-link-container "><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/HTTP" class="submenu-item "><div class="submenu-icon http"></div><div class="submenu-content-container"><div class="submenu-item-heading">HTTP</div><p class="submenu-item-description">Protocol for transmitting web resources</p></div></a></li><li class="apis-link-container "><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/API" class="submenu-item "><div class="submenu-icon apis"></div><div class="submenu-content-container"><div class="submenu-item-heading">Web APIs</div><p class="submenu-item-description">Interfaces for building web applications</p></div></a></li><li class="apis-link-container "><a href="/en-US/docs/Mozilla/Add-ons/WebExtensions" class="submenu-item "><div class="submenu-icon"></div><div class="submenu-content-container"><div class="submenu-item-heading">Web Extensions</div><p class="submenu-item-description">Developing extensions for web browsers</p></div></a></li><li class=" "><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/Accessibility" class="submenu-item "><div class="submenu-icon"></div><div class="submenu-content-container"><div class="submenu-item-heading">Accessibility</div><p class="submenu-item-description">Build web projects usable for all</p></div></a></li><li class="apis-link-container desktop-only "><a href="/en-US/docs/Web" class="submenu-item "><div class="submenu-icon"></div><div class="submenu-content-container"><div class="submenu-item-heading">Web Technology</div><p class="submenu-item-description">Web technology reference for developers</p></div></a></li></ul></li><li class="top-level-entry-container active"><button type="button" id="learn-button" class="top-level-entry menu-toggle" aria-controls="learn-menu" aria-expanded="false">Learn</button><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development" class="top-level-entry">Learn</a><ul id="learn-menu" class="submenu learn hidden inline-submenu-lg" aria-labelledby="learn-button"><li class="apis-link-container mobile-only "><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development" class="submenu-item "><div class="submenu-icon learn"></div><div class="submenu-content-container"><div class="submenu-item-heading">Overview / MDN Learning Area</div><p class="submenu-item-description">Learn web development</p></div></a></li><li class="apis-link-container desktop-only "><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development" class="submenu-item "><div class="submenu-icon learn"></div><div class="submenu-content-container"><div class="submenu-item-heading">MDN Learning Area</div><p class="submenu-item-description">Learn web development</p></div></a></li><li class="html-link-container "><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Structuring_content" class="submenu-item "><div class="submenu-icon html"></div><div class="submenu-content-container"><div class="submenu-item-heading">HTML</div><p class="submenu-item-description">Learn to structure web content with HTML</p></div></a></li><li class="css-link-container "><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Styling_basics" class="submenu-item "><div class="submenu-icon css"></div><div class="submenu-content-container"><div class="submenu-item-heading">CSS</div><p class="submenu-item-description">Learn to style content using CSS</p></div></a></li><li class="javascript-link-container "><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Scripting" class="submenu-item "><div class="submenu-icon javascript"></div><div class="submenu-content-container"><div class="submenu-item-heading">JavaScript</div><p class="submenu-item-description">Learn to run scripts in the browser</p></div></a></li><li class=" "><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Accessibility" class="submenu-item "><div class="submenu-icon"></div><div class="submenu-content-container"><div class="submenu-item-heading">Accessibility</div><p class="submenu-item-description">Learn to make the web accessible to all</p></div></a></li></ul></li><li class="top-level-entry-container "><button type="button" id="mdn-plus-button" class="top-level-entry menu-toggle" aria-controls="mdn-plus-menu" aria-expanded="false">Plus</button><a href="/en-US/plus" class="top-level-entry">Plus</a><ul id="mdn-plus-menu" class="submenu mdn-plus hidden inline-submenu-lg" aria-labelledby="mdn-plus-button"><li class=" "><a href="/en-US/plus" class="submenu-item "><div class="submenu-icon"></div><div class="submenu-content-container"><div class="submenu-item-heading">Overview</div><p class="submenu-item-description">A customized MDN experience</p></div></a></li><li class=" "><a href="/en-US/plus/ai-help" class="submenu-item "><div class="submenu-icon"></div><div class="submenu-content-container"><div class="submenu-item-heading">AI Help</div><p class="submenu-item-description">Get real-time assistance and support</p></div></a></li><li class=" "><a href="/en-US/plus/updates" class="submenu-item "><div class="submenu-icon"></div><div class="submenu-content-container"><div class="submenu-item-heading">Updates</div><p class="submenu-item-description">All browser compatibility updates at a glance</p></div></a></li><li class=" "><a href="/en-US/plus/docs/features/overview" class="submenu-item "><div class="submenu-icon"></div><div class="submenu-content-container"><div class="submenu-item-heading">Documentation</div><p class="submenu-item-description">Learn how to use MDN Plus</p></div></a></li><li class=" "><a href="/en-US/plus/docs/faq" class="submenu-item "><div class="submenu-icon"></div><div class="submenu-content-container"><div class="submenu-item-heading">FAQ</div><p class="submenu-item-description">Frequently asked questions about MDN Plus</p></div></a></li></ul></li><li class="top-level-entry-container "><a class="top-level-entry menu-link" href="/en-US/curriculum/">Curriculum <sup class="new">New</sup></a></li><li class="top-level-entry-container "><a class="top-level-entry menu-link" href="/en-US/blog/">Blog</a></li><li class="top-level-entry-container "><button type="button" id="tools-button" class="top-level-entry menu-toggle" aria-controls="tools-menu" aria-expanded="false">Tools</button><ul id="tools-menu" class="submenu tools hidden inline-submenu-lg" aria-labelledby="tools-button"><li class=" "><a href="/en-US/play" class="submenu-item "><div class="submenu-icon"></div><div class="submenu-content-container"><div class="submenu-item-heading">Playground</div><p class="submenu-item-description">Write, test and share your code</p></div></a></li><li class=" "><a href="/en-US/observatory" class="submenu-item "><div class="submenu-icon"></div><div class="submenu-content-container"><div class="submenu-item-heading">HTTP Observatory</div><p class="submenu-item-description">Scan a website for free</p></div></a></li><li class=" "><a href="/en-US/plus/ai-help" class="submenu-item "><div class="submenu-icon"></div><div class="submenu-content-container"><div class="submenu-item-heading">AI Help</div><p class="submenu-item-description">Get real-time assistance and support</p></div></a></li></ul></li></ul></nav><div class="header-search"><form action="/en-US/search" class="search-form search-widget" id="top-nav-search-form" role="search"><label id="top-nav-search-label" for="top-nav-search-input" class="visually-hidden">Search MDN</label><input aria-activedescendant="" aria-autocomplete="list" aria-controls="top-nav-search-menu" aria-expanded="false" aria-labelledby="top-nav-search-label" autoComplete="off" id="top-nav-search-input" role="combobox" type="search" class="search-input-field" name="q" placeholder=" " required="" value=""/><button type="button" class="button action has-icon clear-search-button"><span class="button-wrap"><span class="icon icon-cancel "></span><span class="visually-hidden">Clear search input</span></span></button><button type="submit" class="button action has-icon search-button"><span class="button-wrap"><span class="icon icon-search "></span><span class="visually-hidden">Search</span></span></button><div id="top-nav-search-menu" role="listbox" aria-labelledby="top-nav-search-label"></div></form></div><div class="theme-switcher-menu"><button type="button" class="button action has-icon theme-switcher-menu small" aria-haspopup="menu"><span class="button-wrap"><span class="icon icon-theme-os-default "></span>Theme</span></button></div><ul class="auth-container"><li><a href="/users/fxa/login/authenticate/?next=%2Fen-US%2Fdocs%2FLearn_web_development%2FCore%2FScripting%2FWhat_went_wrong" class="login-link" rel="nofollow">Log in</a></li><li><a href="/users/fxa/login/authenticate/?next=%2Fen-US%2Fdocs%2FLearn_web_development%2FCore%2FScripting%2FWhat_went_wrong" target="_self" rel="nofollow" class="button primary mdn-plus-subscribe-link"><span class="button-wrap">Sign up for free</span></a></li></ul></div></div></header><div class="article-actions-container"><div class="container"><button type="button" class="button action has-icon sidebar-button" aria-label="Expand sidebar" aria-expanded="false" aria-controls="sidebar-quicklinks"><span class="button-wrap"><span class="icon icon-sidebar "></span></span></button><nav class="breadcrumbs-container" aria-label="Breadcrumb"><ol typeof="BreadcrumbList" vocab="https://schema.org/" aria-label="breadcrumbs"><li property="itemListElement" typeof="ListItem"><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development" class="breadcrumb" property="item" typeof="WebPage"><span property="name">Learn</span></a><meta property="position" content="1"/></li><li property="itemListElement" typeof="ListItem"><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core" class="breadcrumb" property="item" typeof="WebPage"><span property="name">Core learning modules</span></a><meta property="position" content="2"/></li><li property="itemListElement" typeof="ListItem"><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Scripting" class="breadcrumb" property="item" typeof="WebPage"><span property="name">Dynamic scripting with JavaScript</span></a><meta property="position" content="3"/></li><li property="itemListElement" typeof="ListItem"><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Scripting/What_went_wrong" class="breadcrumb-current-page" property="item" typeof="WebPage"><span property="name">What went wrong? Troubleshooting JavaScript</span></a><meta property="position" content="4"/></li></ol></nav><div class="article-actions"><button type="button" class="button action has-icon article-actions-toggle" aria-label="Article actions"><span class="button-wrap"><span class="icon icon-ellipses "></span><span class="article-actions-dialog-heading">Article Actions</span></span></button><ul class="article-actions-entries"><li class="article-actions-entry"><div class="languages-switcher-menu open-on-focus-within"><button id="languages-switcher-button" type="button" class="button action small has-icon languages-switcher-menu" aria-haspopup="menu"><span class="button-wrap"><span class="icon icon-language "></span>English (US)</span></button><div class="hidden"><ul class="submenu language-menu " aria-labelledby="language-menu-button"><li class=" "><form class="submenu-item locale-redirect-setting"><div class="group"><label class="switch"><input type="checkbox" name="locale-redirect"/><span class="slider"></span><span class="label">Remember language</span></label><a href="https://github.com/orgs/mdn/discussions/739" rel="external noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" title="Enable this setting to automatically switch to this language when it's available. (Click to learn more.)"><span class="icon icon-question-mark "></span></a></div></form></li><li class=" "><a data-locale="de" href="/de/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Scripting/What_went_wrong" class="button submenu-item"><span>Deutsch</span><span title="Diese Übersetzung ist Teil eines Experiments."><span class="icon icon-experimental "></span></span></a></li><li class=" "><a data-locale="es" href="/es/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Scripting/What_went_wrong" class="button submenu-item"><span>Español</span></a></li><li class=" "><a data-locale="fr" href="/fr/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Scripting/What_went_wrong" class="button submenu-item"><span>Français</span></a></li><li class=" "><a data-locale="ja" href="/ja/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Scripting/What_went_wrong" class="button submenu-item"><span>日本語</span></a></li><li class=" "><a data-locale="ko" href="/ko/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Scripting/What_went_wrong" class="button submenu-item"><span>한국어</span></a></li><li class=" "><a data-locale="pt-BR" href="/pt-BR/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Scripting/What_went_wrong" class="button submenu-item"><span>Português (do Brasil)</span></a></li><li class=" "><a data-locale="ru" href="/ru/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Scripting/What_went_wrong" class="button submenu-item"><span>Русский</span></a></li><li class=" "><a data-locale="zh-CN" href="/zh-CN/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Scripting/What_went_wrong" class="button submenu-item"><span>中文 (简体)</span></a></li><li class=" "><a data-locale="zh-TW" href="/zh-TW/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Scripting/What_went_wrong" class="button submenu-item"><span>正體中文 (繁體)</span></a></li></ul></div></div></li></ul></div></div></div></div><div class="main-wrapper"><div class="sidebar-container"><aside id="sidebar-quicklinks" class="sidebar"><button type="button" class="button action backdrop" aria-label="Collapse sidebar"><span class="button-wrap"></span></button><nav aria-label="Related Topics" class="sidebar-inner"><header class="sidebar-actions"><section class="sidebar-filter-container"><div class="sidebar-filter "><label id="sidebar-filter-label" class="sidebar-filter-label" for="sidebar-filter-input"><span class="icon icon-filter"></span><span class="visually-hidden">Filter sidebar</span></label><input id="sidebar-filter-input" autoComplete="off" class="sidebar-filter-input-field false" type="text" placeholder="Filter" value=""/><button type="button" class="button action has-icon clear-sidebar-filter-button"><span class="button-wrap"><span class="icon icon-cancel "></span><span class="visually-hidden">Clear filter input</span></span></button></div></section></header><div class="sidebar-inner-nav"><div class="in-nav-toc"><div class="document-toc-container"><section class="document-toc"><header><h2 class="document-toc-heading">In this article</h2></header><ul class="document-toc-list"><li class="document-toc-item "><a class="document-toc-link" href="#types_of_error">Types of error</a></li><li class="document-toc-item "><a class="document-toc-link" href="#an_erroneous_example">An erroneous example</a></li><li class="document-toc-item "><a class="document-toc-link" href="#fixing_syntax_errors">Fixing syntax errors</a></li><li class="document-toc-item "><a class="document-toc-link" href="#a_logic_error">A logic error</a></li><li class="document-toc-item "><a class="document-toc-link" href="#other_common_errors">Other common errors</a></li><li class="document-toc-item "><a class="document-toc-link" href="#summary">Summary</a></li><li class="document-toc-item "><a class="document-toc-link" href="#see_also">See also</a></li></ul></section></div></div><div class="sidebar-body"><ol><li class="section"><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Getting_started">Getting started modules</a></li><li class="toggle"><details><summary><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Getting_started/Environment_setup">Environment setup</a></summary><ol><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Getting_started/Environment_setup/Installing_software">Installing basic software</a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Getting_started/Environment_setup/Browsing_the_web">Browsing the web</a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Getting_started/Environment_setup/Code_editors">Code editors</a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Getting_started/Environment_setup/Dealing_with_files">Dealing with files</a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Getting_started/Environment_setup/Command_line">Command line crash course</a></li></ol></details></li><li class="toggle"><details><summary><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Getting_started/Your_first_website">Your first website</a></summary><ol><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Getting_started/Your_first_website/What_will_your_website_look_like">What will your website look like?</a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Getting_started/Your_first_website/Creating_the_content">HTML: Creating the content</a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Getting_started/Your_first_website/Styling_the_content">CSS: Styling the content</a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Getting_started/Your_first_website/Adding_interactivity">JavaScript: Adding interactivity</a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Getting_started/Your_first_website/Publishing_your_website">Publishing your website</a></li></ol></details></li><li class="toggle"><details><summary><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Getting_started/Web_standards">Web standards</a></summary><ol><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Getting_started/Web_standards/How_the_web_works">How the web works</a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Getting_started/Web_standards/The_web_standards_model">The web standards model</a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Getting_started/Web_standards/How_browsers_load_websites">How browsers load websites</a></li></ol></details></li><li class="toggle"><details><summary><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Getting_started/Soft_skills">Soft skills</a></summary><ol><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Getting_started/Soft_skills/Research_and_learning">Research and learning</a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Getting_started/Soft_skills/Collaboration_and_teamwork">Collaboration and teamwork</a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Getting_started/Soft_skills/Workflows_and_processes">Workflows and processes</a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Getting_started/Soft_skills/Job_interviews">Succeeding in job interviews</a></li></ol></details></li><li class="section"><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core">Core modules</a></li><li class="toggle"><details><summary><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Structuring_content">Structuring content with HTML</a></summary><ol><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Structuring_content/Basic_HTML_syntax">Basic HTML syntax</a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Structuring_content/Webpage_metadata">What's in the head? Webpage metadata</a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Structuring_content/Headings_and_paragraphs">Headings and paragraphs in HTML</a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Structuring_content/Emphasis_and_importance">Emphasis and importance</a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Structuring_content/Lists">Lists</a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Structuring_content/Structuring_documents">Structuring documents</a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Structuring_content/Advanced_text_features">Advanced text features</a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Structuring_content/Creating_links">Creating links</a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Structuring_content/Marking_up_a_letter">Challenge: Marking up a letter</a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Structuring_content/Structuring_a_page_of_content">Challenge: Structuring a page of content</a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Structuring_content/HTML_images">HTML images</a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Structuring_content/HTML_video_and_audio">HTML video and audio</a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Structuring_content/Mozilla_splash_page">Challenge: Mozilla splash page</a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Structuring_content/HTML_table_basics">HTML table basics</a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Structuring_content/Table_accessibility">HTML table accessibility</a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Structuring_content/Planet_data_table">Challenge: Structuring a planet data table</a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Structuring_content/HTML_forms">Forms and buttons in HTML</a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Structuring_content/Debugging_HTML">Debugging HTML</a></li></ol></details></li><li class="toggle"><details><summary><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Styling_basics">CSS styling basics</a></summary><ol><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Styling_basics/What_is_CSS">What is CSS?</a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Styling_basics/Getting_started">Getting started with CSS</a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Styling_basics/Styling_a_bio_page">Challenge: Styling a biography page</a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Styling_basics/Basic_selectors">Basic CSS selectors</a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Styling_basics/Attribute_selectors">Attribute selectors</a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Styling_basics/Pseudo_classes_and_elements">Pseudo-classes and pseudo-elements</a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Styling_basics/Combinators">Combinators</a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Styling_basics/Box_model">The box model</a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Styling_basics/Handling_conflicts">Handling conflicts</a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Styling_basics/Values_and_units">CSS values and units</a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Styling_basics/Sizing">Sizing items in CSS</a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Styling_basics/Backgrounds_and_borders">Backgrounds and borders</a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Styling_basics/Overflow">Overflowing content</a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Styling_basics/Images_media_forms">Images, media, and form elements</a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Styling_basics/Tables">Styling tables</a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Styling_basics/Debugging_CSS">Debugging CSS</a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Styling_basics/Fundamental_CSS_comprehension">Challenge: Fundamental CSS comprehension</a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Styling_basics/Fancy_letterheaded_paper">Challenge: Creating fancy letterheaded paper</a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Styling_basics/Cool-looking_box">Challenge: A cool-looking box</a></li></ol></details></li><li class="toggle"><details><summary><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Text_styling">CSS text styling</a></summary><ol><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Text_styling/Fundamentals">Fundamental text and font styling</a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Text_styling/Styling_lists">Styling lists</a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Text_styling/Styling_links">Styling links</a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Text_styling/Web_fonts">Web fonts</a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Text_styling/Typesetting_a_homepage">Challenge: Typesetting a community school homepage</a></li></ol></details></li><li class="toggle"><details><summary><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/CSS_layout">CSS layout</a></summary><ol><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/CSS_layout/Introduction">Introduction to CSS layout</a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/CSS_layout/Floats">Floats</a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/CSS_layout/Positioning">Positioning</a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/CSS_layout/Flexbox">Flexbox</a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/CSS_layout/Grids">CSS grid layout</a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/CSS_layout/Responsive_Design">Responsive design</a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/CSS_layout/Media_queries">Media query fundamentals</a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/CSS_layout/Fundamental_Layout_Comprehension">Challenge: Fundamental layout comprehension</a></li></ol></details></li><li class="toggle"><details open=""><summary><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Scripting">Dynamic scripting with JavaScript</a></summary><ol><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Scripting/What_is_JavaScript">What is JavaScript?</a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Scripting/A_first_splash">A first splash into JavaScript</a></li><li><em><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Scripting/What_went_wrong" aria-current="page">What went wrong? Troubleshooting JavaScript</a></em></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Scripting/Variables">Storing the information you need — Variables</a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Scripting/Math">Basic math in JavaScript — numbers and operators</a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Scripting/Strings">Handling text — strings in JavaScript</a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Scripting/Useful_string_methods">Useful string methods</a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Scripting/Arrays">Arrays</a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Scripting/Silly_story_generator">Challenge: Silly story generator</a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Scripting/Conditionals">Making decisions in your code — conditionals</a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Scripting/Loops">Looping code</a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Scripting/Functions">Functions — reusable blocks of code</a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Scripting/Build_your_own_function">Build your own function</a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Scripting/Return_values">Function return values</a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Scripting/Events">Introduction to events</a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Scripting/Event_bubbling">Event bubbling</a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Scripting/Image_gallery">Challenge: Image gallery</a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Scripting/Object_basics">JavaScript object basics</a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Scripting/DOM_scripting">DOM scripting introduction</a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Scripting/Network_requests">Making network requests with JavaScript</a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Scripting/JSON">Working with JSON</a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Scripting/Debugging_JavaScript">Debugging JavaScript and handling errors</a></li></ol></details></li><li class="toggle"><details><summary><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Frameworks_libraries">JavaScript frameworks and libraries</a></summary><ol><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Frameworks_libraries/Introduction">Introduction to client-side frameworks</a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Frameworks_libraries/Main_features">Framework main features</a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Frameworks_libraries/React_getting_started">Getting started with React</a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Frameworks_libraries/React_todo_list_beginning">Beginning our React todo list</a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Frameworks_libraries/React_components">Componentizing our React app</a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Frameworks_libraries/React_interactivity_events_state">React interactivity: Events and state</a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Frameworks_libraries/React_interactivity_filtering_conditional_rendering">React interactivity: Editing, filtering, conditional rendering</a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Frameworks_libraries/React_accessibility">Accessibility in React</a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Frameworks_libraries/React_resources">React resources</a></li></ol></details></li><li class="toggle"><details><summary><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Accessibility">Accessibility</a></summary><ol><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Accessibility/What_is_accessibility">What is accessibility?</a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Accessibility/Tooling">Accessibility tooling and assistive technology</a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Accessibility/HTML">HTML: A good basis for accessibility</a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Accessibility/CSS_and_JavaScript">CSS and JavaScript accessibility best practices</a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Accessibility/WAI-ARIA_basics">WAI-ARIA basics</a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Accessibility/Multimedia">Accessible multimedia</a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Accessibility/Mobile">Mobile accessibility</a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Accessibility/Accessibility_troubleshooting">Challenge: Accessibility troubleshooting</a></li></ol></details></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Design_for_developers">Design for developers</a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Version_control">Version control</a></li><li class="section"><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Extensions">Extension modules</a></li><li class="toggle"><details><summary><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Extensions/Advanced_JavaScript_objects">Advanced JavaScript objects</a></summary><ol><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Extensions/Advanced_JavaScript_objects/Object_prototypes">Object prototypes</a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Extensions/Advanced_JavaScript_objects/Object-oriented_programming">Object-oriented programming</a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Extensions/Advanced_JavaScript_objects/Classes_in_JavaScript">Classes in JavaScript</a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Extensions/Advanced_JavaScript_objects/Object_building_practice">Object building practice</a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Extensions/Advanced_JavaScript_objects/Adding_bouncing_balls_features">Challenge: Adding features to our bouncing balls demo</a></li></ol></details></li><li class="toggle"><details><summary><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Extensions/Client-side_APIs">Client-side web APIs</a></summary><ol><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Extensions/Client-side_APIs/Introduction">Introduction to web APIs</a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Extensions/Client-side_APIs/Video_and_audio_APIs">Video and Audio APIs</a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Extensions/Client-side_APIs/Drawing_graphics">Drawing graphics</a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Extensions/Client-side_APIs/Client-side_storage">Client-side storage</a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Extensions/Client-side_APIs/Third_party_APIs">Third-party APIs</a></li></ol></details></li><li class="toggle"><details><summary><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Extensions/Async_JS">Asynchronous JavaScript</a></summary><ol><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Extensions/Async_JS/Introducing">Introducing asynchronous JavaScript</a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Extensions/Async_JS/Promises">How to use promises</a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Extensions/Async_JS/Implementing_a_promise-based_API">How to implement a promise-based API</a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Extensions/Async_JS/Introducing_workers">Introducing workers</a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Extensions/Async_JS/Sequencing_animations">Challenge: Sequencing animations</a></li></ol></details></li><li class="toggle"><details><summary><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Extensions/Forms">Web forms</a></summary><ol><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Extensions/Forms/Your_first_form">Your first form</a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Extensions/Forms/How_to_structure_a_web_form">How to structure a web form</a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Extensions/Forms/Basic_native_form_controls">Basic native form controls</a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Extensions/Forms/HTML5_input_types">The HTML5 input types</a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Extensions/Forms/Other_form_controls">Other form controls</a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Extensions/Forms/Styling_web_forms">Styling web forms</a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Extensions/Forms/Advanced_form_styling">Advanced form styling</a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Extensions/Forms/UI_pseudo-classes">UI pseudo-classes</a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Extensions/Forms/Form_validation">Client-side form validation</a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Extensions/Forms/Sending_and_retrieving_form_data">Sending form data</a></li></ol></details></li><li class="toggle"><details><summary><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Extensions/Client-side_tools">Understanding client-side tools</a></summary><ol><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Extensions/Client-side_tools/Overview">Client-side tooling overview</a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Extensions/Client-side_tools/Package_management">Package management basics</a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Extensions/Client-side_tools/Introducing_complete_toolchain">Introducing a complete toolchain</a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Extensions/Client-side_tools/Deployment">Deploying our app</a></li></ol></details></li><li class="toggle"><details><summary><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Extensions/Server-side">Server-side websites</a></summary><ol><li class="toggle"><details><summary><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Extensions/Server-side/First_steps">Server-side first steps</a></summary><ol><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Extensions/Server-side/First_steps/Introduction">Introduction to the server side</a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Extensions/Server-side/First_steps/Client-Server_overview">Client-Server Overview</a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Extensions/Server-side/First_steps/Web_frameworks">Server-side web frameworks</a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Extensions/Server-side/First_steps/Website_security">Website security</a></li></ol></details></li><li class="toggle"><details><summary><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Extensions/Server-side/Django">Django web framework (Python)</a></summary><ol><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Extensions/Server-side/Django/Introduction">Django introduction</a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Extensions/Server-side/Django/development_environment">Setting up a Django development environment</a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Extensions/Server-side/Django/Tutorial_local_library_website">Django Tutorial: The Local Library website</a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Extensions/Server-side/Django/skeleton_website">Django Tutorial Part 2: Creating a skeleton website</a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Extensions/Server-side/Django/Models">Django Tutorial Part 3: Using models</a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Extensions/Server-side/Django/Admin_site">Django Tutorial Part 4: Django admin site</a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Extensions/Server-side/Django/Home_page">Django Tutorial Part 5: Creating our home page</a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Extensions/Server-side/Django/Generic_views">Django Tutorial Part 6: Generic list and detail views</a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Extensions/Server-side/Django/Sessions">Django Tutorial Part 7: Sessions framework</a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Extensions/Server-side/Django/Authentication">Django Tutorial Part 8: User authentication and permissions</a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Extensions/Server-side/Django/Forms">Django Tutorial Part 9: Working with forms</a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Extensions/Server-side/Django/Testing">Django Tutorial Part 10: Testing a Django web application</a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Extensions/Server-side/Django/Deployment">Django Tutorial Part 11: Deploying Django to production</a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Extensions/Server-side/Django/web_application_security">Django web application security</a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Extensions/Server-side/Django/django_assessment_blog">Assessment: DIY Django mini blog</a></li></ol></details></li><li class="toggle"><details><summary><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Extensions/Server-side/Express_Nodejs">Express web framework (Node.js)</a></summary><ol><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Extensions/Server-side/Express_Nodejs/Introduction">Express/Node introduction</a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Extensions/Server-side/Express_Nodejs/development_environment">Setting up a Node development environment</a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Extensions/Server-side/Express_Nodejs/Tutorial_local_library_website">Express Tutorial: The Local Library website</a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Extensions/Server-side/Express_Nodejs/skeleton_website">Express Tutorial Part 2: Creating a skeleton website</a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Extensions/Server-side/Express_Nodejs/mongoose">Express Tutorial Part 3: Using a Database (with Mongoose)</a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Extensions/Server-side/Express_Nodejs/routes">Express Tutorial Part 4: Routes and controllers</a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Extensions/Server-side/Express_Nodejs/Displaying_data">Express Tutorial Part 5: Displaying library data</a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Extensions/Server-side/Express_Nodejs/forms">Express Tutorial Part 6: Working with forms</a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Extensions/Server-side/Express_Nodejs/deployment">Express Tutorial Part 7: Deploying to production</a></li></ol></details></li></ol></details></li><li class="toggle"><details><summary><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Extensions/Performance">Web performance</a></summary><ol><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Extensions/Performance/why_web_performance">The "why" of web performance</a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Extensions/Performance/What_is_web_performance">What is web performance?</a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Extensions/Performance/Perceived_performance">Perceived performance</a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Extensions/Performance/Measuring_performance">Measuring performance</a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Extensions/Performance/Multimedia">Multimedia: Images</a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Extensions/Performance/video">Multimedia: video</a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Extensions/Performance/JavaScript">JavaScript performance optimization</a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Extensions/Performance/HTML">HTML performance optimization</a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Extensions/Performance/CSS">CSS performance optimization</a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Extensions/Performance/business_case_for_performance">The business case for web performance</a></li></ol></details></li><li class="toggle"><details><summary><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Extensions/Testing">Testing</a></summary><ol><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Extensions/Testing/Introduction">Introduction to cross-browser testing</a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Extensions/Testing/Testing_strategies">Strategies for carrying out testing</a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Extensions/Testing/HTML_and_CSS">Handling common HTML and CSS problems</a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Extensions/Testing/Feature_detection">Implementing feature detection</a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Extensions/Testing/Automated_testing">Introduction to automated testing</a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Extensions/Testing/Your_own_automation_environment">Setting up your own test automation environment</a></li></ol></details></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Extensions/Transform_animate">Transform and animate CSS</a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Extensions/Security_privacy">Security and privacy</a></li><li class="section">Further resources</li><li class="toggle"><details><summary><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Howto">How to solve common problems</a></summary><ol><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Howto/Solve_HTML_problems">Solve common HTML problems</a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Howto/Solve_CSS_problems">Solve common CSS problems</a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Howto/Solve_JavaScript_problems">Solve common JavaScript problems</a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Howto/Web_mechanics">Web mechanics</a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Howto/Tools_and_setup">Tools and setup</a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Howto/Design_and_accessibility">Design and accessibility</a></li></ol></details></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/About">About</a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Educators">Resources for educators</a></li><li><a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Changelog">Changelog</a></li></ol></div></div><section class="place side"></section></nav></aside><div class="toc-container"><aside class="toc"><nav><div class="document-toc-container"><section class="document-toc"><header><h2 class="document-toc-heading">In this article</h2></header><ul class="document-toc-list"><li class="document-toc-item "><a class="document-toc-link" href="#types_of_error">Types of error</a></li><li class="document-toc-item "><a class="document-toc-link" href="#an_erroneous_example">An erroneous example</a></li><li class="document-toc-item "><a class="document-toc-link" href="#fixing_syntax_errors">Fixing syntax errors</a></li><li class="document-toc-item "><a class="document-toc-link" href="#a_logic_error">A logic error</a></li><li class="document-toc-item "><a class="document-toc-link" href="#other_common_errors">Other common errors</a></li><li class="document-toc-item "><a class="document-toc-link" href="#summary">Summary</a></li><li class="document-toc-item "><a class="document-toc-link" href="#see_also">See also</a></li></ul></section></div></nav></aside><section class="place side"></section></div></div><main id="content" class="main-content "><article class="main-page-content" lang="en-US"><header><h1>What went wrong? Troubleshooting JavaScript</h1></header><div class="section-content"><ul class="prev-next"><li><a class="button secondary" href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Scripting/A_first_splash"><span class="button-wrap"> Previous </span></a></li><li><a class="button secondary" href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Scripting"><span class="button-wrap"> Overview: Dynamic scripting with JavaScript</span></a></li><li><a class="button secondary" href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Scripting/Variables"><span class="button-wrap"> Next </span></a></li></ul> <p>When you built up the "Guess the number" game in the previous article, you may have found that it didn't work. Never fear — this article aims to save you from tearing your hair out over such problems by providing you with some tips on how to find and fix errors in JavaScript programs.</p> <figure class="table-container"><table> <tbody> <tr> <th scope="row">Prerequisites:</th> <td>An understanding of <a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Structuring_content">HTML</a> and the <a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Styling_basics">fundamentals of CSS</a>, basic experience with writing JavaScript.</td> </tr> <tr> <th scope="row">Learning outcomes:</th> <td> <ul> <li>Understand the types of error that can occur in JavaScript.</li> <li>Using <code>console.log()</code> to debug errors.</li> <li>Basic experience with using the browser DevTools JavaScript console.</li> <li>Basic familiarity with JavaScript error messages and what they mean.</li> </ul> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table></figure></div><section aria-labelledby="types_of_error"><h2 id="types_of_error"><a href="#types_of_error">Types of error</a></h2><div class="section-content"><p>Generally speaking, when you do something wrong in code, there are two main types of error that you'll come across:</p> <ul> <li><strong>Syntax errors</strong>: These are spelling errors in your code that actually cause the program not to run at all, or stop working part way through — you will usually be provided with some error messages too. These are usually not too hard to fix, as long as you are familiar with the right tools and know what the error messages mean!</li> <li><strong>Logic errors</strong>: These are errors where the syntax is actually correct but the code is not what you intended it to be, meaning that program runs successfully but gives incorrect results. These are often harder to fix than syntax errors, as there usually isn't an error message to direct you to the source of the error.</li> </ul> <p>Okay, so it's not quite <em>that</em> simple — there are some other differentiators as you drill down deeper. But the above classifications will do at this early stage in your career. We'll look at both of these types going forward.</p></div></section><section aria-labelledby="an_erroneous_example"><h2 id="an_erroneous_example"><a href="#an_erroneous_example">An erroneous example</a></h2><div class="section-content"><p>To get started, let's return to our number guessing game — except this time we'll be exploring a version that has some deliberate errors introduced. Go to GitHub and make yourself a local copy of <a href="https://github.com/mdn/learning-area/blob/main/javascript/introduction-to-js-1/troubleshooting/number-game-errors.html" class="external" target="_blank">number-game-errors.html</a> (see it <a href="https://mdn.github.io/learning-area/javascript/introduction-to-js-1/troubleshooting/number-game-errors.html" class="external" target="_blank">running live here</a>).</p> <ol> <li>To get started, open the local copy inside your favorite text editor, and your browser.</li> <li>Try playing the game — you'll notice that when you press the "Submit guess" button, it doesn't work!</li> </ol> <div class="notecard note"> <p><strong>Note:</strong> You might well have your own version of the game example that doesn't work, which you might want to fix! We'd still like you to work through the article with our version, so that you can learn the techniques we are teaching here. Then you can go back and try to fix your example.</p> </div> <p>At this point, let's consult the developer console to see if it reports any syntax errors, then try to fix them. You'll learn how below.</p></div></section><section aria-labelledby="fixing_syntax_errors"><h2 id="fixing_syntax_errors"><a href="#fixing_syntax_errors">Fixing syntax errors</a></h2><div class="section-content"><p>Earlier on in the course we got you to type some simple JavaScript commands into the <a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Howto/Tools_and_setup/What_are_browser_developer_tools">developer tools JavaScript console</a> (if you can't remember how to open this in your browser, follow the previous link to find out how). What's even more useful is that the console gives you error messages whenever a syntax error exists inside the JavaScript being fed into the browser's JavaScript engine. Now let's go hunting.</p> <ol> <li> <p>Go to the tab that you've got <code>number-game-errors.html</code> open in, and open your JavaScript console. You should see an error message along the following lines: <img src="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Scripting/What_went_wrong/not-a-function.png" alt=""Number guessing game" demo page in Firefox. One error is visible in the JavaScript console: "X TypeError: guessSubmit.addeventListener is not a function [Learn More] (number-game-errors.html:87:19)"." width="2080" height="1384" loading="lazy"></p> </li> <li> <p>The first line of the error message is:</p> <pre class="brush: plain notranslate">Uncaught TypeError: guessSubmit.addeventListener is not a function number-game-errors.html:87:19 </pre> <ul> <li>The first part, <code>Uncaught TypeError: guessSubmit.addeventListener is not a function</code>, is telling us something about what went wrong.</li> <li>The second part, <code>number-game-errors.html:87:19</code>, is telling us where in the code the error came from: line 87, character 19 of the file "number-game-errors.html".</li> </ul> </li> <li> <p>If we look at line 87 in our code editor, we'll find this line:</p> <div class="code-example"><div class="example-header"><span class="language-name">js</span></div><pre class="brush: js notranslate"><code>guessSubmit.addeventListener("click", checkGuess); </code></pre></div> </li> <li> <p>The error message says "guessSubmit.addeventListener is not a function", which means that the function we're calling is not recognized by the JavaScript interpreter. Often, this error message actually means that we've spelled something wrong. If you are not sure of the correct spelling of a piece of syntax, it is often good to look up the feature on MDN. The best way to do this currently is to search for "mdn <em>name-of-feature</em>" with your favorite search engine. Here's a shortcut to save you some time in this instance: <a href="/en-US/docs/Web/API/EventTarget/addEventListener"><code>addEventListener()</code></a>.</p> </li> <li> <p>So, looking at this page, the error appears to be that we've spelled the function name wrong! Remember that JavaScript is case-sensitive, so any slight difference in spelling or casing will cause an error. Changing <code>addeventListener</code> to <code>addEventListener</code> should fix this. Do this now.</p> </li> </ol> <div class="notecard note"> <p><strong>Note:</strong> See our <a href="/en-US/docs/Web/JavaScript/Reference/Errors/Not_a_function">TypeError: "x" is not a function</a> reference page for more details about this error.</p> </div></div></section><section aria-labelledby="syntax_errors_round_two"><h3 id="syntax_errors_round_two"><a href="#syntax_errors_round_two">Syntax errors round two</a></h3><div class="section-content"><ol> <li> <p>Save your page and refresh, and you should see the error has gone.</p> </li> <li> <p>Now if you try to enter a guess and press the Submit guess button, you'll see another error! <img src="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Scripting/What_went_wrong/variable-is-null.png" alt="Screenshot of the same "Number guessing game" demo. This time, a different error is visible in the console, reading "X TypeError: lowOrHi is null"." width="2080" height="1384" loading="lazy"></p> </li> <li> <p>This time the error being reported is:</p> <pre class="brush: plain notranslate">Uncaught TypeError: can't access property "textContent", lowOrHi is null </pre> <p>Depending on the browser you are using, you might see a different message here. The message above is what Firefox will show you, but Chrome, for example, will show you this:</p> <pre class="brush: plain notranslate">Uncaught TypeError: Cannot set properties of null (setting 'textContent') </pre> <p>It's the same error, but different browsers describe it in a different way.</p> <div class="notecard note"> <p><strong>Note:</strong> This error didn't come up as soon as the page was loaded because this error occurred inside a function (inside the <code>checkGuess() { }</code> block). As you'll learn in more detail in our later <a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Scripting/Functions">functions article</a>, code inside functions runs in a separate scope than code outside functions. In this case, the code was not run and the error was not thrown until the <code>checkGuess()</code> function was run by line 87.</p> </div> </li> <li> <p>The line number given in the error is 79. Have a look at line 79, and you'll see the following code:</p> <div class="code-example"><div class="example-header"><span class="language-name">js</span></div><pre class="brush: js notranslate"><code>lowOrHi.textContent = "Last guess was too high!"; </code></pre></div> </li> <li> <p>This line is trying to set the <code>textContent</code> property of the <code>lowOrHi</code> variable to a text string, but it's not working because <code>lowOrHi</code> does not contain what it's supposed to. Let's see why this is — try searching for other instances of <code>lowOrHi</code> in the code. The earliest instance you'll find is on line 51:</p> <div class="code-example"><div class="example-header"><span class="language-name">js</span></div><pre class="brush: js notranslate"><code>const lowOrHi = document.querySelector("lowOrHi"); </code></pre></div> </li> <li> <p>At this point we are trying to make the variable contain a reference to an element in the document's HTML. Let's see what the variable contains after this line has been run. Add the following code on line 54:</p> <div class="code-example"><div class="example-header"><span class="language-name">js</span></div><pre class="brush: js notranslate"><code>console.log(lowOrHi); </code></pre></div> <p>This code will print the value of <code>lowOrHi</code> to the console after we tried to set it in line 51. See <a href="/en-US/docs/Web/API/console/log_static" title="console.log()"><code>console.log()</code></a> for more information.</p> </li> <li> <p>Save and refresh, and you should now see the <code>console.log()</code> result in your console. <img src="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Scripting/What_went_wrong/console-log-output.png" alt="Screenshot of the same demo. One log statement is visible in the console, reading simply "null"." width="2080" height="1384" loading="lazy"> Sure enough, <code>lowOrHi</code>'s value is <code>null</code> at this point, and this matches up with the Firefox error message <code>lowOrHi is null</code>. So there is definitely a problem with line 51. The <a href="/en-US/docs/Web/JavaScript/Reference/Operators/null"><code>null</code></a> value means "nothing", or "no value". So our code to set <code>lowOrHi</code> to an element is going wrong.</p> </li> <li> <p>Let's think about what the problem could be. Line 51 is using a <a href="/en-US/docs/Web/API/Document/querySelector"><code>document.querySelector()</code></a> method to get a reference to an element by selecting it with a CSS selector. Looking further up our file, we can find the paragraph in question:</p> <div class="code-example"><div class="example-header"><span class="language-name">html</span></div><pre class="brush: html notranslate"><code><p class="lowOrHi"></p> </code></pre></div> </li> <li> <p>So we need a class selector here, which begins with a dot (<code>.</code>), but the selector being passed into the <code>querySelector()</code> method in line 51 has no dot. This could be the problem! Try changing <code>lowOrHi</code> to <code>.lowOrHi</code> in line 51.</p> </li> <li> <p>Try saving and refreshing again, and your <code>console.log()</code> statement should return the <code><p></code> element we want. Phew! Another error fixed! You can delete your <code>console.log()</code> line now, or keep it to reference later on — your choice.</p> </li> </ol> <div class="notecard note"> <p><strong>Note:</strong> See our <a href="/en-US/docs/Web/JavaScript/Reference/Errors/Unexpected_type">TypeError: "x" is (not) "y"</a> reference page for more details about this error.</p> </div></div></section><section aria-labelledby="syntax_errors_round_three"><h3 id="syntax_errors_round_three"><a href="#syntax_errors_round_three">Syntax errors round three</a></h3><div class="section-content"><ol> <li>Now if you try playing the game through again, you should get more success — the game should play through absolutely fine, until you end the game, either by guessing the right number, or by running out of guesses.</li> <li>At that point, the game fails again, and the same error is spat out that we got at the beginning — "TypeError: resetButton.addeventListener is not a function"! However, this time it's listed as coming from line 95.</li> <li>Looking at line number 95, it is easy to see that we've made the same mistake here. We again just need to change <code>addeventListener</code> to <code>addEventListener</code>. Do this now.</li> </ol></div></section><section aria-labelledby="a_logic_error"><h2 id="a_logic_error"><a href="#a_logic_error">A logic error</a></h2><div class="section-content"><p>At this point, the game should play through fine, however after playing through a few times you'll undoubtedly notice that the game always chooses 1 as the "random" number you've got to guess. Definitely not quite how we want the game to play out!</p> <p>There's definitely a problem in the game logic somewhere — the game is not returning an error; it just isn't playing right.</p> <ol> <li> <p>Search for the <code>randomNumber</code> variable, and the lines where the random number is first set. The instance that stores the random number that we want to guess at the start of the game should be around line number 47:</p> <div class="code-example"><div class="example-header"><span class="language-name">js</span></div><pre class="brush: js notranslate"><code>let randomNumber = Math.floor(Math.random()) + 1; </code></pre></div> </li> <li> <p>And the one that generates the random number before each subsequent game is around line 114:</p> <div class="code-example"><div class="example-header"><span class="language-name">js</span></div><pre class="brush: js notranslate"><code>randomNumber = Math.floor(Math.random()) + 1; </code></pre></div> </li> <li> <p>To check whether these lines are indeed the problem, let's turn to our friend <code>console.log()</code> again — insert the following line directly below each of the above two lines:</p> <div class="code-example"><div class="example-header"><span class="language-name">js</span></div><pre class="brush: js notranslate"><code>console.log(randomNumber); </code></pre></div> </li> <li> <p>Save and refresh, then play a few games — you'll see that <code>randomNumber</code> is equal to 1 at each point where it is logged to the console.</p> </li> </ol></div></section><section aria-labelledby="working_through_the_logic"><h3 id="working_through_the_logic"><a href="#working_through_the_logic">Working through the logic</a></h3><div class="section-content"><p>To fix this, let's consider how this line is working. First, we invoke <a href="/en-US/docs/Web/JavaScript/Reference/Global_Objects/Math/random"><code>Math.random()</code></a>, which generates a random decimal number between 0 and 1, e.g. 0.5675493843.</p> <div class="code-example"><div class="example-header"><span class="language-name">js</span></div><pre class="brush: js notranslate"><code>Math.random(); </code></pre></div> <p>Next, we pass the result of invoking <code>Math.random()</code> through <a href="/en-US/docs/Web/JavaScript/Reference/Global_Objects/Math/floor"><code>Math.floor()</code></a>, which rounds the number passed to it down to the nearest whole number. We then add 1 to that result:</p> <div class="code-example"><div class="example-header"><span class="language-name">js</span></div><pre class="brush: js notranslate"><code>Math.floor(Math.random()) + 1; </code></pre></div> <p>Rounding a random decimal number between 0 and 1 down will always return 0, so adding 1 to it will always return 1. We need to multiply the random number by 100 before we round it down. The following would give us a random number between 0 and 99:</p> <div class="code-example"><div class="example-header"><span class="language-name">js</span></div><pre class="brush: js notranslate"><code>Math.floor(Math.random() * 100); </code></pre></div> <p>Hence us wanting to add 1, to give us a random number between 1 and 100:</p> <div class="code-example"><div class="example-header"><span class="language-name">js</span></div><pre class="brush: js notranslate"><code>Math.floor(Math.random() * 100) + 1; </code></pre></div> <p>Try updating both lines like this, then save and refresh — the game should now play like we are intending it to!</p></div></section><section aria-labelledby="other_common_errors"><h2 id="other_common_errors"><a href="#other_common_errors">Other common errors</a></h2><div class="section-content"><p>There are other common errors you'll come across in your code. This section highlights most of them.</p></div></section><section aria-labelledby="the_program_always_says_youve_won_regardless_of_the_guess_you_enter"><h3 id="the_program_always_says_youve_won_regardless_of_the_guess_you_enter"><a href="#the_program_always_says_youve_won_regardless_of_the_guess_you_enter">The program always says you've won, regardless of the guess you enter</a></h3><div class="section-content"><p>This could be another symptom of mixing up the assignment and strict equality operators. For example, if we were to change this line inside <code>checkGuess()</code>:</p> <div class="code-example"><div class="example-header"><span class="language-name">js</span></div><pre class="brush: js notranslate"><code>if (userGuess === randomNumber) { </code></pre></div> <p>to</p> <div class="code-example"><div class="example-header"><span class="language-name">js</span></div><pre class="brush: js notranslate"><code>if (userGuess = randomNumber) { </code></pre></div> <p>the test would always return <code>true</code>, causing the program to report that the game has been won. Be careful!</p></div></section><section aria-labelledby="syntaxerror_missing_after_argument_list"><h3 id="syntaxerror_missing_after_argument_list"><a href="#syntaxerror_missing_after_argument_list">SyntaxError: missing ) after argument list</a></h3><div class="section-content"><p>This one is pretty simple — it generally means that you've missed the closing parenthesis at the end of a function/method call.</p> <div class="notecard note"> <p><strong>Note:</strong> See our <a href="/en-US/docs/Web/JavaScript/Reference/Errors/Missing_parenthesis_after_argument_list">SyntaxError: missing ) after argument list</a> reference page for more details about this error.</p> </div></div></section><section aria-labelledby="syntaxerror_missing_after_property_id"><h3 id="syntaxerror_missing_after_property_id"><a href="#syntaxerror_missing_after_property_id">SyntaxError: missing : after property id</a></h3><div class="section-content"><p>This error usually relates to an incorrectly formed JavaScript object, but in this case we managed to get it by changing</p> <div class="code-example"><div class="example-header"><span class="language-name">js</span></div><pre class="brush: js notranslate"><code>function checkGuess() { </code></pre></div> <p>to</p> <div class="code-example"><div class="example-header"><span class="language-name">js</span></div><pre class="brush: js notranslate"><code>function checkGuess( { </code></pre></div> <p>This has caused the browser to think that we are trying to pass the contents of the function into the function as an argument. Be careful with those parentheses!</p></div></section><section aria-labelledby="syntaxerror_missing_after_function_body"><h3 id="syntaxerror_missing_after_function_body"><a href="#syntaxerror_missing_after_function_body">SyntaxError: missing } after function body</a></h3><div class="section-content"><p>This is easy — it generally means that you've missed one of your curly braces from a function or conditional structure. We got this error by deleting one of the closing curly braces near the bottom of the <code>checkGuess()</code> function.</p></div></section><section aria-labelledby="syntaxerror_expected_expression_got_string_or_syntaxerror_string_literal_contains_an_unescaped_line_break"><h3 id="syntaxerror_expected_expression_got_string_or_syntaxerror_string_literal_contains_an_unescaped_line_break"><a href="#syntaxerror_expected_expression_got_string_or_syntaxerror_string_literal_contains_an_unescaped_line_break">SyntaxError: expected expression, got '<em>string</em>' or SyntaxError: string literal contains an unescaped line break</a></h3><div class="section-content"><p>These errors generally mean that you've left off a string value's opening or closing quote mark. In the first error above, <em>string</em> would be replaced with the unexpected character(s) that the browser found instead of a quote mark at the start of a string. The second error means that the string has not been ended with a quote mark.</p> <p>For all of these errors, think about how we tackled the examples we looked at in the walkthrough. When an error arises, look at the line number you are given, go to that line and see if you can spot what's wrong. Bear in mind that the error is not necessarily going to be on that line, and also that the error might not be caused by the exact same problem we cited above!</p> <div class="notecard note"> <p><strong>Note:</strong> See our <a href="/en-US/docs/Web/JavaScript/Reference/Errors/Unexpected_token">SyntaxError: Unexpected token</a> and <a href="/en-US/docs/Web/JavaScript/Reference/Errors/String_literal_EOL">SyntaxError: string literal contains an unescaped line break</a> reference pages for more details about these errors.</p> </div></div></section><section aria-labelledby="summary"><h2 id="summary"><a href="#summary">Summary</a></h2><div class="section-content"><p>So there we have it, the basics of figuring out errors in simple JavaScript programs. It won't always be that simple to work out what's wrong in your code, but at least this will save you a few hours of sleep and allow you to progress a bit faster when things don't turn out right, especially in the earlier stages of your learning journey.</p></div></section><section aria-labelledby="see_also"><h2 id="see_also"><a href="#see_also">See also</a></h2><div class="section-content"><ul> <li>There are many other types of errors that aren't listed here; we are compiling a reference that explains what they mean in detail — see the <a href="/en-US/docs/Web/JavaScript/Reference/Errors">JavaScript error reference</a>.</li> <li>If you come across any errors in your code that you aren't sure how to fix after reading this article, you can get help! Ask for help on the <a href="/en-US/docs/MDN/Community/Communication_channels">communication channels</a>. Tell us what your error is, and we'll try to help you. A listing of your code would be useful as well.</li> </ul> <ul class="prev-next"><li><a class="button secondary" href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Scripting/A_first_splash"><span class="button-wrap"> Previous </span></a></li><li><a class="button secondary" href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Scripting"><span class="button-wrap"> Overview: Dynamic scripting with JavaScript</span></a></li><li><a class="button secondary" href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Scripting/Variables"><span class="button-wrap"> Next </span></a></li></ul></div></section></article><aside class="article-footer"><div class="article-footer-inner"><div class="svg-container"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="162" height="162" viewBox="0 0 162 162" fill="none" role="none"><mask id="b" fill="#fff"><path d="M97.203 47.04c8.113-7.886 18.004-13.871 28.906-17.492a78 78 0 0 1 33.969-3.39c11.443 1.39 22.401 5.295 32.024 11.411s17.656 14.28 23.476 23.86c5.819 9.579 9.269 20.318 10.083 31.385a69.85 69.85 0 0 1-5.387 32.44c-4.358 10.272-11.115 19.443-19.747 26.801-8.632 7.359-18.908 12.709-30.034 15.637l-6.17-21.698c7.666-2.017 14.746-5.703 20.694-10.773 5.948-5.071 10.603-11.389 13.606-18.467a48.14 48.14 0 0 0 3.712-22.352c-.561-7.625-2.938-15.025-6.948-21.625s-9.544-12.226-16.175-16.44-14.181-6.904-22.065-7.863a53.75 53.75 0 0 0-23.405 2.336c-7.513 2.495-14.327 6.62-19.918 12.053z"></path></mask><path stroke="url(#a)" stroke-dasharray="6, 6" stroke-width="2" d="M97.203 47.04c8.113-7.886 18.004-13.871 28.906-17.492a78 78 0 0 1 33.969-3.39c11.443 1.39 22.401 5.295 32.024 11.411s17.656 14.28 23.476 23.86c5.819 9.579 9.269 20.318 10.083 31.385a69.85 69.85 0 0 1-5.387 32.44c-4.358 10.272-11.115 19.443-19.747 26.801-8.632 7.359-18.908 12.709-30.034 15.637l-6.17-21.698c7.666-2.017 14.746-5.703 20.694-10.773 5.948-5.071 10.603-11.389 13.606-18.467a48.14 48.14 0 0 0 3.712-22.352c-.561-7.625-2.938-15.025-6.948-21.625s-9.544-12.226-16.175-16.44-14.181-6.904-22.065-7.863a53.75 53.75 0 0 0-23.405 2.336c-7.513 2.495-14.327 6.62-19.918 12.053z" mask="url(#b)" style="stroke:url(#a)" transform="translate(-63.992 -25.587)"></path><ellipse cx="8.066" cy="111.597" fill="var(--background-tertiary)" rx="53.677" ry="53.699" transform="matrix(.71707 -.697 .7243 .6895 0 0)"></ellipse><g clip-path="url(#c)" transform="translate(-63.992 -25.587)"><path fill="#9abff5" d="m144.256 137.379 32.906 12.434a4.41 4.41 0 0 1 2.559 5.667l-9.326 24.679a4.41 4.41 0 0 1-5.667 2.559l-8.226-3.108-2.332 6.17c-.466 1.233-.375 1.883-1.609 1.417l-2.253-.527c-.411-.155-.95-.594-1.206-1.161l-4.734-10.484-12.545-4.741a4.41 4.41 0 0 1-2.559-5.667l9.325-24.679a4.41 4.41 0 0 1 5.667-2.559m9.961 29.617 8.227 3.108 3.264-8.638-.498-6.768-4.113-1.555.548 7.258-4.319-1.632zm-12.339-4.663 8.226 3.108 3.264-8.637-.498-6.769-4.113-1.554.548 7.257-4.319-1.632z"></path></g><g clip-path="url(#d)" transform="translate(-63.992 -25.587)"><path fill="#81b0f3" d="M135.35 60.136 86.67 41.654c-3.346-1.27-7.124.428-8.394 3.775L64.414 81.938c-1.27 3.347.428 7.125 3.774 8.395l12.17 4.62-3.465 9.128c-.693 1.826-1.432 2.457.394 3.15l3.014 1.625c.609.231 1.637.274 2.477-.104l15.53-6.983 18.56 7.047c3.346 1.27 7.124-.428 8.395-3.775l13.862-36.51c1.27-3.346-.428-7.124-3.775-8.395M95.261 83.207l-12.17-4.62 4.852-12.779 7.19-7.017 6.085 2.31-7.725 7.51 6.389 2.426zm18.255 6.93-12.17-4.62 4.852-12.778 7.189-7.017 6.085 2.31-7.725 7.51 6.39 2.426z"></path></g><defs><clipPath id="c"><path fill="#fff" d="m198.638 146.586-65.056-24.583-24.583 65.057 65.056 24.582z"></path></clipPath><clipPath id="d"><path fill="#fff" d="m66.438 14.055 96.242 36.54-36.54 96.243-96.243-36.54z"></path></clipPath><linearGradient id="a" x1="97.203" x2="199.995" y1="47.04" y2="152.793" gradientUnits="userSpaceOnUse"><stop stop-color="#086DFC"></stop><stop offset="0.246" stop-color="#2C81FA"></stop><stop offset="0.516" stop-color="#5497F8"></stop><stop offset="0.821" stop-color="#80B0F6"></stop><stop offset="1" stop-color="#9ABFF5"></stop></linearGradient></defs></svg></div><h2>Help improve MDN</h2><fieldset class="feedback"><label>Was this page helpful to you?</label><div class="button-container"><button type="button" class="button primary has-icon yes"><span class="button-wrap"><span class="icon icon-thumbs-up "></span>Yes</span></button><button type="button" class="button primary has-icon no"><span class="button-wrap"><span class="icon icon-thumbs-down "></span>No</span></button></div></fieldset><a class="contribute" href="https://github.com/mdn/content/blob/main/CONTRIBUTING.md" title="This will take you to our contribution guidelines on GitHub." target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Learn how to contribute</a>.<p class="last-modified-date">This page was last modified on <time dateTime="2025-01-21T09:42:55.000Z">Jan 21, 2025</time> by <a href="/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Scripting/What_went_wrong/contributors.txt" rel="nofollow">MDN contributors</a>.</p><div id="on-github" class="on-github"><a href="https://github.com/mdn/content/blob/main/files/en-us/learn_web_development/core/scripting/what_went_wrong/index.md?plain=1" title="Folder: en-us/learn_web_development/core/scripting/what_went_wrong (Opens in a new tab)" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">View this page on GitHub</a> • <a href="https://github.com/mdn/content/issues/new?template=page-report.yml&mdn-url=https%3A%2F%2Fdeveloper.mozilla.org%2Fen-US%2Fdocs%2FLearn_web_development%2FCore%2FScripting%2FWhat_went_wrong&metadata=%3C%21--+Do+not+make+changes+below+this+line+--%3E%0A%3Cdetails%3E%0A%3Csummary%3EPage+report+details%3C%2Fsummary%3E%0A%0A*+Folder%3A+%60en-us%2Flearn_web_development%2Fcore%2Fscripting%2Fwhat_went_wrong%60%0A*+MDN+URL%3A+https%3A%2F%2Fdeveloper.mozilla.org%2Fen-US%2Fdocs%2FLearn_web_development%2FCore%2FScripting%2FWhat_went_wrong%0A*+GitHub+URL%3A+https%3A%2F%2Fgithub.com%2Fmdn%2Fcontent%2Fblob%2Fmain%2Ffiles%2Fen-us%2Flearn_web_development%2Fcore%2Fscripting%2Fwhat_went_wrong%2Findex.md%0A*+Last+commit%3A+https%3A%2F%2Fgithub.com%2Fmdn%2Fcontent%2Fcommit%2Ff4c2549e1b871a2236f3c759c49eb660994029dd%0A*+Document+last+modified%3A+2025-01-21T09%3A42%3A55.000Z%0A%0A%3C%2Fdetails%3E" title="This will take you to GitHub to file a new issue." target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Report a problem with this content</a></div></div></aside></main></div></div><footer id="nav-footer" class="page-footer"><div class="page-footer-grid"><div class="page-footer-logo-col"><a href="/" class="mdn-footer-logo" aria-label="MDN homepage"><svg width="48" height="17" viewBox="0 0 48 17" fill="none" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><title id="mdn-footer-logo-svg">MDN logo</title><path d="M20.04 16.512H15.504V10.416C15.504 9.488 15.344 8.824 15.024 8.424C14.72 8.024 14.264 7.824 13.656 7.824C12.92 7.824 12.384 8.064 12.048 8.544C11.728 9.024 11.568 9.64 11.568 10.392V14.184H13.008V16.512H8.472V10.416C8.472 9.488 8.312 8.824 7.992 8.424C7.688 8.024 7.232 7.824 6.624 7.824C5.872 7.824 5.336 8.064 5.016 8.544C4.696 9.024 4.536 9.64 4.536 10.392V14.184H6.6V16.512H0V14.184H1.44V8.04H0.024V5.688H4.536V7.32C5.224 6.088 6.32 5.472 7.824 5.472C8.608 5.472 9.328 5.664 9.984 6.048C10.64 6.432 11.096 7.016 11.352 7.8C11.992 6.248 13.168 5.472 14.88 5.472C15.856 5.472 16.72 5.776 17.472 6.384C18.224 6.992 18.6 7.936 18.6 9.216V14.184H20.04V16.512Z" fill="currentColor"></path><path d="M33.6714 16.512H29.1354V14.496C28.8314 15.12 28.3834 15.656 27.7914 16.104C27.1994 16.536 26.4154 16.752 25.4394 16.752C24.0154 16.752 22.8954 16.264 22.0794 15.288C21.2634 14.312 20.8554 12.984 20.8554 11.304C20.8554 9.688 21.2554 8.312 22.0554 7.176C22.8554 6.04 24.0634 5.472 25.6794 5.472C26.5594 5.472 27.2794 5.648 27.8394 6C28.3994 6.352 28.8314 6.8 29.1354 7.344V2.352H26.9754V0H32.2314V14.184H33.6714V16.512ZM29.1354 11.04V10.776C29.1354 9.88 28.8954 9.184 28.4154 8.688C27.9514 8.176 27.3674 7.92 26.6634 7.92C25.9754 7.92 25.3674 8.176 24.8394 8.688C24.3274 9.2 24.0714 10.008 24.0714 11.112C24.0714 12.152 24.3114 12.944 24.7914 13.488C25.2714 14.032 25.8394 14.304 26.4954 14.304C27.3114 14.304 27.9514 13.96 28.4154 13.272C28.8954 12.584 29.1354 11.84 29.1354 11.04Z" fill="currentColor"></path><path d="M47.9589 16.512H41.9829V14.184H43.4229V10.416C43.4229 9.488 43.2629 8.824 42.9429 8.424C42.6389 8.024 42.1829 7.824 41.5749 7.824C40.8389 7.824 40.2709 8.056 39.8709 8.52C39.4709 8.968 39.2629 9.56 39.2469 10.296V14.184H40.6869V16.512H34.7109V14.184H36.1509V8.04H34.5909V5.688H39.2469V7.344C39.9669 6.096 41.1269 5.472 42.7269 5.472C43.7509 5.472 44.6389 5.776 45.3909 6.384C46.1429 6.992 46.5189 7.936 46.5189 9.216V14.184H47.9589V16.512Z" fill="currentColor"></path></svg></a><p>Your blueprint for a better internet.</p><ul class="social-icons"><li><a href="https://mastodon.social/@mdn" target="_blank" rel="me noopener noreferrer"><span class="icon icon-mastodon"></span><span class="visually-hidden">MDN on Mastodon</span></a></li><li><a href="https://twitter.com/mozdevnet" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><span class="icon icon-twitter-x"></span><span class="visually-hidden">MDN on X (formerly Twitter)</span></a></li><li><a href="https://github.com/mdn/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><span class="icon icon-github-mark-small"></span><span class="visually-hidden">MDN on GitHub</span></a></li><li><a href="/en-US/blog/rss.xml" target="_blank"><span class="icon icon-feed"></span><span class="visually-hidden">MDN Blog RSS Feed</span></a></li></ul></div><div class="page-footer-nav-col-1"><h2 class="footer-nav-heading">MDN</h2><ul class="footer-nav-list"><li class="footer-nav-item"><a href="/en-US/about">About</a></li><li class="footer-nav-item"><a href="/en-US/blog/">Blog</a></li><li class="footer-nav-item"><a href="https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/careers/listings/?team=ProdOps" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Careers</a></li><li class="footer-nav-item"><a href="/en-US/advertising">Advertise with us</a></li></ul></div><div class="page-footer-nav-col-2"><h2 class="footer-nav-heading">Support</h2><ul class="footer-nav-list"><li class="footer-nav-item"><a class="footer-nav-link" href="https://support.mozilla.org/products/mdn-plus">Product help</a></li><li class="footer-nav-item"><a class="footer-nav-link" href="/en-US/docs/MDN/Community/Issues">Report an issue</a></li></ul></div><div class="page-footer-nav-col-3"><h2 class="footer-nav-heading">Our communities</h2><ul class="footer-nav-list"><li class="footer-nav-item"><a class="footer-nav-link" href="/en-US/community">MDN Community</a></li><li class="footer-nav-item"><a class="footer-nav-link" href="https://discourse.mozilla.org/c/mdn/236" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">MDN Forum</a></li><li class="footer-nav-item"><a class="footer-nav-link" href="/discord" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">MDN Chat</a></li></ul></div><div class="page-footer-nav-col-4"><h2 class="footer-nav-heading">Developers</h2><ul class="footer-nav-list"><li class="footer-nav-item"><a class="footer-nav-link" href="/en-US/docs/Web">Web Technologies</a></li><li class="footer-nav-item"><a class="footer-nav-link" href="/en-US/docs/Learn">Learn Web Development</a></li><li class="footer-nav-item"><a class="footer-nav-link" href="/en-US/plus">MDN Plus</a></li><li class="footer-nav-item"><a href="https://hacks.mozilla.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Hacks Blog</a></li></ul></div><div class="page-footer-moz"><a href="https://www.mozilla.org/" class="footer-moz-logo-link" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="137" height="32" fill="none" viewBox="0 0 267.431 62.607"><path fill="currentColor" d="m13.913 23.056 5.33 25.356h2.195l5.33-25.356h14.267v38.976h-7.578V29.694h-2.194l-7.264 32.337h-7.343L9.418 29.694H7.223v32.337H-.354V23.056Zm47.137 9.123c9.12 0 14.423 5.385 14.423 15.214s-5.33 15.214-14.423 15.214c-9.12 0-14.423-5.385-14.423-15.214 0-9.855 5.304-15.214 14.423-15.214m0 24.363c4.285 0 6.428-2.196 6.428-7.032v-4.287c0-4.836-2.143-7.032-6.428-7.032s-6.428 2.196-6.428 7.032v4.287c0 4.836 2.143 7.032 6.428 7.032m18.473-.157 15.47-18.01h-15.26v-5.647h24.352v5.646L88.616 56.385h15.704v5.646H79.523Zm29.318-23.657h11.183V62.03h-7.578V38.375h-3.632v-5.646zm3.605-9.672h7.578v5.646h-7.578zm13.17 0h11.21v38.976h-7.578v-33.33h-3.632zm16.801 0H153.6v38.976h-7.577v-33.33h-3.632v-5.646zm29.03 9.123c4.442 0 7.394 2.143 8.231 5.881h2.194v-5.332h9.276v5.646h-3.632v18.011h3.632v5.646h-4.442c-3.135 0-4.834-1.699-4.834-4.836V56.7h-2.194c-.81 3.738-3.789 5.881-8.23 5.881-6.978 0-11.916-5.829-11.916-15.214 0-9.384 4.938-15.187 11.915-15.187m2.3 24.363c4.284 0 6.192-2.196 6.192-7.032v-4.287c0-4.836-1.908-7.032-6.193-7.032-4.18 0-6.193 2.196-6.193 7.032v4.287c0 4.836 2.012 7.032 6.193 7.032m48.34 5.489h-7.577V0h7.577zm6.585-29.643h32.165v-2.196l-21.295-7.634v-6.143l21.295-7.633V6.588h-25.345V0h32.165v12.522l-17.35 5.881V20.6l17.35 5.882v12.521h-38.985zm0-25.801h6.794v6.796h-6.794z"></path></svg></a><ul class="footer-moz-list"><li class="footer-moz-item"><a href="https://www.mozilla.org/privacy/websites/" class="footer-moz-link" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Website Privacy Notice</a></li><li class="footer-moz-item"><a href="https://www.mozilla.org/privacy/websites/#cookies" class="footer-moz-link" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Cookies</a></li><li class="footer-moz-item"><a href="https://www.mozilla.org/about/legal/terms/mozilla" class="footer-moz-link" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Legal</a></li><li class="footer-moz-item"><a href="https://www.mozilla.org/about/governance/policies/participation/" class="footer-moz-link" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Community Participation Guidelines</a></li></ul></div><div class="page-footer-legal"><p id="license" class="page-footer-legal-text">Visit <a href="https://www.mozilla.org" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Mozilla Corporation’s</a> not-for-profit parent, the <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://foundation.mozilla.org/">Mozilla Foundation</a>.<br/>Portions of this content are ©1998–2025 by individual mozilla.org contributors. Content available under <a href="/en-US/docs/MDN/Writing_guidelines/Attrib_copyright_license">a Creative Commons license</a>.</p></div></div></footer></div><script type="application/json" id="hydration">{"url":"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Scripting/What_went_wrong","doc":{"body":[{"type":"prose","value":{"id":null,"title":null,"isH3":false,"content":"<ul class=\"prev-next\"><li><a class=\"button secondary\" href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Scripting/A_first_splash\"><span class=\"button-wrap\"> Previous </span></a></li><li><a class=\"button secondary\" href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Scripting\"><span class=\"button-wrap\"> Overview: Dynamic scripting with JavaScript</span></a></li><li><a class=\"button secondary\" href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Scripting/Variables\"><span class=\"button-wrap\"> Next </span></a></li></ul>\n<p>When you built up the \"Guess the number\" game in the previous article, you may have found that it didn't work. Never fear — this article aims to save you from tearing your hair out over such problems by providing you with some tips on how to find and fix errors in JavaScript programs.</p>\n<figure class=\"table-container\"><table>\n <tbody>\n <tr>\n <th scope=\"row\">Prerequisites:</th>\n <td>An understanding of <a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Structuring_content\">HTML</a> and the <a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Styling_basics\">fundamentals of CSS</a>, basic experience with writing JavaScript.</td>\n </tr>\n <tr>\n <th scope=\"row\">Learning outcomes:</th>\n <td>\n <ul>\n <li>Understand the types of error that can occur in JavaScript.</li>\n <li>Using <code>console.log()</code> to debug errors.</li>\n <li>Basic experience with using the browser DevTools JavaScript console.</li>\n <li>Basic familiarity with JavaScript error messages and what they mean.</li>\n </ul>\n </td>\n </tr>\n </tbody>\n</table></figure>"}},{"type":"prose","value":{"id":"types_of_error","title":"Types of error","isH3":false,"content":"<p>Generally speaking, when you do something wrong in code, there are two main types of error that you'll come across:</p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Syntax errors</strong>: These are spelling errors in your code that actually cause the program not to run at all, or stop working part way through — you will usually be provided with some error messages too. These are usually not too hard to fix, as long as you are familiar with the right tools and know what the error messages mean!</li>\n<li><strong>Logic errors</strong>: These are errors where the syntax is actually correct but the code is not what you intended it to be, meaning that program runs successfully but gives incorrect results. These are often harder to fix than syntax errors, as there usually isn't an error message to direct you to the source of the error.</li>\n</ul>\n<p>Okay, so it's not quite <em>that</em> simple — there are some other differentiators as you drill down deeper. But the above classifications will do at this early stage in your career. We'll look at both of these types going forward.</p>"}},{"type":"prose","value":{"id":"an_erroneous_example","title":"An erroneous example","isH3":false,"content":"<p>To get started, let's return to our number guessing game — except this time we'll be exploring a version that has some deliberate errors introduced. Go to GitHub and make yourself a local copy of <a href=\"https://github.com/mdn/learning-area/blob/main/javascript/introduction-to-js-1/troubleshooting/number-game-errors.html\" class=\"external\" target=\"_blank\">number-game-errors.html</a> (see it <a href=\"https://mdn.github.io/learning-area/javascript/introduction-to-js-1/troubleshooting/number-game-errors.html\" class=\"external\" target=\"_blank\">running live here</a>).</p>\n<ol>\n<li>To get started, open the local copy inside your favorite text editor, and your browser.</li>\n<li>Try playing the game — you'll notice that when you press the \"Submit guess\" button, it doesn't work!</li>\n</ol>\n<div class=\"notecard note\">\n<p><strong>Note:</strong>\nYou might well have your own version of the game example that doesn't work, which you might want to fix! We'd still like you to work through the article with our version, so that you can learn the techniques we are teaching here. Then you can go back and try to fix your example.</p>\n</div>\n<p>At this point, let's consult the developer console to see if it reports any syntax errors, then try to fix them. You'll learn how below.</p>"}},{"type":"prose","value":{"id":"fixing_syntax_errors","title":"Fixing syntax errors","isH3":false,"content":"<p>Earlier on in the course we got you to type some simple JavaScript commands into the <a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Howto/Tools_and_setup/What_are_browser_developer_tools\">developer tools JavaScript console</a> (if you can't remember how to open this in your browser, follow the previous link to find out how). What's even more useful is that the console gives you error messages whenever a syntax error exists inside the JavaScript being fed into the browser's JavaScript engine. Now let's go hunting.</p>\n<ol>\n<li>\n<p>Go to the tab that you've got <code>number-game-errors.html</code> open in, and open your JavaScript console. You should see an error message along the following lines: <img src=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Scripting/What_went_wrong/not-a-function.png\" alt=\""Number guessing game" demo page in Firefox. One error is visible in the JavaScript console: "X TypeError: guessSubmit.addeventListener is not a function [Learn More] (number-game-errors.html:87:19)".\" width=\"2080\" height=\"1384\" loading=\"lazy\"></p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p>The first line of the error message is:</p>\n<pre class=\"brush: plain notranslate\">Uncaught TypeError: guessSubmit.addeventListener is not a function\nnumber-game-errors.html:87:19\n</pre>\n<ul>\n<li>The first part, <code>Uncaught TypeError: guessSubmit.addeventListener is not a function</code>, is telling us something about what went wrong.</li>\n<li>The second part, <code>number-game-errors.html:87:19</code>, is telling us where in the code the error came from: line 87, character 19 of the file \"number-game-errors.html\".</li>\n</ul>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p>If we look at line 87 in our code editor, we'll find this line:</p>\n<div class=\"code-example\"><div class=\"example-header\"><span class=\"language-name\">js</span></div><pre class=\"brush: js notranslate\"><code>guessSubmit.addeventListener(\"click\", checkGuess);\n</code></pre></div>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p>The error message says \"guessSubmit.addeventListener is not a function\", which means that the function we're calling is not recognized by the JavaScript interpreter. Often, this error message actually means that we've spelled something wrong. If you are not sure of the correct spelling of a piece of syntax, it is often good to look up the feature on MDN. The best way to do this currently is to search for \"mdn <em>name-of-feature</em>\" with your favorite search engine. Here's a shortcut to save you some time in this instance: <a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/API/EventTarget/addEventListener\"><code>addEventListener()</code></a>.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p>So, looking at this page, the error appears to be that we've spelled the function name wrong! Remember that JavaScript is case-sensitive, so any slight difference in spelling or casing will cause an error. Changing <code>addeventListener</code> to <code>addEventListener</code> should fix this. Do this now.</p>\n</li>\n</ol>\n<div class=\"notecard note\">\n<p><strong>Note:</strong>\nSee our <a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/JavaScript/Reference/Errors/Not_a_function\">TypeError: \"x\" is not a function</a> reference page for more details about this error.</p>\n</div>"}},{"type":"prose","value":{"id":"syntax_errors_round_two","title":"Syntax errors round two","isH3":true,"content":"<ol>\n<li>\n<p>Save your page and refresh, and you should see the error has gone.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p>Now if you try to enter a guess and press the Submit guess button, you'll see another error! <img src=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Scripting/What_went_wrong/variable-is-null.png\" alt=\"Screenshot of the same "Number guessing game" demo. This time, a different error is visible in the console, reading "X TypeError: lowOrHi is null".\" width=\"2080\" height=\"1384\" loading=\"lazy\"></p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p>This time the error being reported is:</p>\n<pre class=\"brush: plain notranslate\">Uncaught TypeError: can't access property \"textContent\", lowOrHi is null\n</pre>\n<p>Depending on the browser you are using, you might see a different message here. The message above is what Firefox will show you, but Chrome, for example, will show you this:</p>\n<pre class=\"brush: plain notranslate\">Uncaught TypeError: Cannot set properties of null (setting 'textContent')\n</pre>\n<p>It's the same error, but different browsers describe it in a different way.</p>\n<div class=\"notecard note\">\n<p><strong>Note:</strong>\nThis error didn't come up as soon as the page was loaded because this error occurred inside a function (inside the <code>checkGuess() { }</code> block). As you'll learn in more detail in our later <a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Scripting/Functions\">functions article</a>, code inside functions runs in a separate scope than code outside functions. In this case, the code was not run and the error was not thrown until the <code>checkGuess()</code> function was run by line 87.</p>\n</div>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p>The line number given in the error is 79. Have a look at line 79, and you'll see the following code:</p>\n<div class=\"code-example\"><div class=\"example-header\"><span class=\"language-name\">js</span></div><pre class=\"brush: js notranslate\"><code>lowOrHi.textContent = \"Last guess was too high!\";\n</code></pre></div>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p>This line is trying to set the <code>textContent</code> property of the <code>lowOrHi</code> variable to a text string, but it's not working because <code>lowOrHi</code> does not contain what it's supposed to. Let's see why this is — try searching for other instances of <code>lowOrHi</code> in the code. The earliest instance you'll find is on line 51:</p>\n<div class=\"code-example\"><div class=\"example-header\"><span class=\"language-name\">js</span></div><pre class=\"brush: js notranslate\"><code>const lowOrHi = document.querySelector(\"lowOrHi\");\n</code></pre></div>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p>At this point we are trying to make the variable contain a reference to an element in the document's HTML. Let's see what the variable contains after this line has been run. Add the following code on line 54:</p>\n<div class=\"code-example\"><div class=\"example-header\"><span class=\"language-name\">js</span></div><pre class=\"brush: js notranslate\"><code>console.log(lowOrHi);\n</code></pre></div>\n<p>This code will print the value of <code>lowOrHi</code> to the console after we tried to set it in line 51. See <a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/API/console/log_static\" title=\"console.log()\"><code>console.log()</code></a> for more information.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p>Save and refresh, and you should now see the <code>console.log()</code> result in your console. <img src=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Scripting/What_went_wrong/console-log-output.png\" alt=\"Screenshot of the same demo. One log statement is visible in the console, reading simply "null".\" width=\"2080\" height=\"1384\" loading=\"lazy\"> Sure enough, <code>lowOrHi</code>'s value is <code>null</code> at this point, and this matches up with the Firefox error message <code>lowOrHi is null</code>. So there is definitely a problem with line 51. The <a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/JavaScript/Reference/Operators/null\"><code>null</code></a> value means \"nothing\", or \"no value\". So our code to set <code>lowOrHi</code> to an element is going wrong.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p>Let's think about what the problem could be. Line 51 is using a <a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/API/Document/querySelector\"><code>document.querySelector()</code></a> method to get a reference to an element by selecting it with a CSS selector. Looking further up our file, we can find the paragraph in question:</p>\n<div class=\"code-example\"><div class=\"example-header\"><span class=\"language-name\">html</span></div><pre class=\"brush: html notranslate\"><code><p class=\"lowOrHi\"></p>\n</code></pre></div>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p>So we need a class selector here, which begins with a dot (<code>.</code>), but the selector being passed into the <code>querySelector()</code> method in line 51 has no dot. This could be the problem! Try changing <code>lowOrHi</code> to <code>.lowOrHi</code> in line 51.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p>Try saving and refreshing again, and your <code>console.log()</code> statement should return the <code><p></code> element we want. Phew! Another error fixed! You can delete your <code>console.log()</code> line now, or keep it to reference later on — your choice.</p>\n</li>\n</ol>\n<div class=\"notecard note\">\n<p><strong>Note:</strong>\nSee our <a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/JavaScript/Reference/Errors/Unexpected_type\">TypeError: \"x\" is (not) \"y\"</a> reference page for more details about this error.</p>\n</div>"}},{"type":"prose","value":{"id":"syntax_errors_round_three","title":"Syntax errors round three","isH3":true,"content":"<ol>\n<li>Now if you try playing the game through again, you should get more success — the game should play through absolutely fine, until you end the game, either by guessing the right number, or by running out of guesses.</li>\n<li>At that point, the game fails again, and the same error is spat out that we got at the beginning — \"TypeError: resetButton.addeventListener is not a function\"! However, this time it's listed as coming from line 95.</li>\n<li>Looking at line number 95, it is easy to see that we've made the same mistake here. We again just need to change <code>addeventListener</code> to <code>addEventListener</code>. Do this now.</li>\n</ol>"}},{"type":"prose","value":{"id":"a_logic_error","title":"A logic error","isH3":false,"content":"<p>At this point, the game should play through fine, however after playing through a few times you'll undoubtedly notice that the game always chooses 1 as the \"random\" number you've got to guess. Definitely not quite how we want the game to play out!</p>\n<p>There's definitely a problem in the game logic somewhere — the game is not returning an error; it just isn't playing right.</p>\n<ol>\n<li>\n<p>Search for the <code>randomNumber</code> variable, and the lines where the random number is first set. The instance that stores the random number that we want to guess at the start of the game should be around line number 47:</p>\n<div class=\"code-example\"><div class=\"example-header\"><span class=\"language-name\">js</span></div><pre class=\"brush: js notranslate\"><code>let randomNumber = Math.floor(Math.random()) + 1;\n</code></pre></div>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p>And the one that generates the random number before each subsequent game is around line 114:</p>\n<div class=\"code-example\"><div class=\"example-header\"><span class=\"language-name\">js</span></div><pre class=\"brush: js notranslate\"><code>randomNumber = Math.floor(Math.random()) + 1;\n</code></pre></div>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p>To check whether these lines are indeed the problem, let's turn to our friend <code>console.log()</code> again — insert the following line directly below each of the above two lines:</p>\n<div class=\"code-example\"><div class=\"example-header\"><span class=\"language-name\">js</span></div><pre class=\"brush: js notranslate\"><code>console.log(randomNumber);\n</code></pre></div>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p>Save and refresh, then play a few games — you'll see that <code>randomNumber</code> is equal to 1 at each point where it is logged to the console.</p>\n</li>\n</ol>"}},{"type":"prose","value":{"id":"working_through_the_logic","title":"Working through the logic","isH3":true,"content":"<p>To fix this, let's consider how this line is working. First, we invoke <a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/JavaScript/Reference/Global_Objects/Math/random\"><code>Math.random()</code></a>, which generates a random decimal number between 0 and 1, e.g. 0.5675493843.</p>\n<div class=\"code-example\"><div class=\"example-header\"><span class=\"language-name\">js</span></div><pre class=\"brush: js notranslate\"><code>Math.random();\n</code></pre></div>\n<p>Next, we pass the result of invoking <code>Math.random()</code> through <a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/JavaScript/Reference/Global_Objects/Math/floor\"><code>Math.floor()</code></a>, which rounds the number passed to it down to the nearest whole number. We then add 1 to that result:</p>\n<div class=\"code-example\"><div class=\"example-header\"><span class=\"language-name\">js</span></div><pre class=\"brush: js notranslate\"><code>Math.floor(Math.random()) + 1;\n</code></pre></div>\n<p>Rounding a random decimal number between 0 and 1 down will always return 0, so adding 1 to it will always return 1. We need to multiply the random number by 100 before we round it down. The following would give us a random number between 0 and 99:</p>\n<div class=\"code-example\"><div class=\"example-header\"><span class=\"language-name\">js</span></div><pre class=\"brush: js notranslate\"><code>Math.floor(Math.random() * 100);\n</code></pre></div>\n<p>Hence us wanting to add 1, to give us a random number between 1 and 100:</p>\n<div class=\"code-example\"><div class=\"example-header\"><span class=\"language-name\">js</span></div><pre class=\"brush: js notranslate\"><code>Math.floor(Math.random() * 100) + 1;\n</code></pre></div>\n<p>Try updating both lines like this, then save and refresh — the game should now play like we are intending it to!</p>"}},{"type":"prose","value":{"id":"other_common_errors","title":"Other common errors","isH3":false,"content":"<p>There are other common errors you'll come across in your code. This section highlights most of them.</p>"}},{"type":"prose","value":{"id":"the_program_always_says_youve_won_regardless_of_the_guess_you_enter","title":"The program always says you've won, regardless of the guess you enter","isH3":true,"content":"<p>This could be another symptom of mixing up the assignment and strict equality operators. For example, if we were to change this line inside <code>checkGuess()</code>:</p>\n<div class=\"code-example\"><div class=\"example-header\"><span class=\"language-name\">js</span></div><pre class=\"brush: js notranslate\"><code>if (userGuess === randomNumber) {\n</code></pre></div>\n<p>to</p>\n<div class=\"code-example\"><div class=\"example-header\"><span class=\"language-name\">js</span></div><pre class=\"brush: js notranslate\"><code>if (userGuess = randomNumber) {\n</code></pre></div>\n<p>the test would always return <code>true</code>, causing the program to report that the game has been won. Be careful!</p>"}},{"type":"prose","value":{"id":"syntaxerror_missing_after_argument_list","title":"SyntaxError: missing ) after argument list","isH3":true,"content":"<p>This one is pretty simple — it generally means that you've missed the closing parenthesis at the end of a function/method call.</p>\n<div class=\"notecard note\">\n<p><strong>Note:</strong>\nSee our <a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/JavaScript/Reference/Errors/Missing_parenthesis_after_argument_list\">SyntaxError: missing ) after argument list</a> reference page for more details about this error.</p>\n</div>"}},{"type":"prose","value":{"id":"syntaxerror_missing_after_property_id","title":"SyntaxError: missing : after property id","isH3":true,"content":"<p>This error usually relates to an incorrectly formed JavaScript object, but in this case we managed to get it by changing</p>\n<div class=\"code-example\"><div class=\"example-header\"><span class=\"language-name\">js</span></div><pre class=\"brush: js notranslate\"><code>function checkGuess() {\n</code></pre></div>\n<p>to</p>\n<div class=\"code-example\"><div class=\"example-header\"><span class=\"language-name\">js</span></div><pre class=\"brush: js notranslate\"><code>function checkGuess( {\n</code></pre></div>\n<p>This has caused the browser to think that we are trying to pass the contents of the function into the function as an argument. Be careful with those parentheses!</p>"}},{"type":"prose","value":{"id":"syntaxerror_missing_after_function_body","title":"SyntaxError: missing } after function body","isH3":true,"content":"<p>This is easy — it generally means that you've missed one of your curly braces from a function or conditional structure. We got this error by deleting one of the closing curly braces near the bottom of the <code>checkGuess()</code> function.</p>"}},{"type":"prose","value":{"id":"syntaxerror_expected_expression_got_string_or_syntaxerror_string_literal_contains_an_unescaped_line_break","title":"SyntaxError: expected expression, got '<em>string</em>' or SyntaxError: string literal contains an unescaped line break","isH3":true,"content":"<p>These errors generally mean that you've left off a string value's opening or closing quote mark. In the first error above, <em>string</em> would be replaced with the unexpected character(s) that the browser found instead of a quote mark at the start of a string. The second error means that the string has not been ended with a quote mark.</p>\n<p>For all of these errors, think about how we tackled the examples we looked at in the walkthrough. When an error arises, look at the line number you are given, go to that line and see if you can spot what's wrong. Bear in mind that the error is not necessarily going to be on that line, and also that the error might not be caused by the exact same problem we cited above!</p>\n<div class=\"notecard note\">\n<p><strong>Note:</strong>\nSee our <a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/JavaScript/Reference/Errors/Unexpected_token\">SyntaxError: Unexpected token</a> and <a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/JavaScript/Reference/Errors/String_literal_EOL\">SyntaxError: string literal contains an unescaped line break</a> reference pages for more details about these errors.</p>\n</div>"}},{"type":"prose","value":{"id":"summary","title":"Summary","isH3":false,"content":"<p>So there we have it, the basics of figuring out errors in simple JavaScript programs. It won't always be that simple to work out what's wrong in your code, but at least this will save you a few hours of sleep and allow you to progress a bit faster when things don't turn out right, especially in the earlier stages of your learning journey.</p>"}},{"type":"prose","value":{"id":"see_also","title":"See also","isH3":false,"content":"<ul>\n<li>There are many other types of errors that aren't listed here; we are compiling a reference that explains what they mean in detail — see the <a href=\"/en-US/docs/Web/JavaScript/Reference/Errors\">JavaScript error reference</a>.</li>\n<li>If you come across any errors in your code that you aren't sure how to fix after reading this article, you can get help! Ask for help on the <a href=\"/en-US/docs/MDN/Community/Communication_channels\">communication channels</a>. Tell us what your error is, and we'll try to help you. A listing of your code would be useful as well.</li>\n</ul>\n<ul class=\"prev-next\"><li><a class=\"button secondary\" href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Scripting/A_first_splash\"><span class=\"button-wrap\"> Previous </span></a></li><li><a class=\"button secondary\" href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Scripting\"><span class=\"button-wrap\"> Overview: Dynamic scripting with JavaScript</span></a></li><li><a class=\"button secondary\" href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Scripting/Variables\"><span class=\"button-wrap\"> Next </span></a></li></ul>"}}],"isActive":true,"isMarkdown":true,"isTranslated":false,"locale":"en-US","mdn_url":"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Scripting/What_went_wrong","modified":"2025-01-21T09:42:55.000Z","native":"English (US)","noIndexing":false,"other_translations":[{"locale":"de","title":"Was ist schiefgelaufen? JavaScript-Fehlerbehebung","native":"Deutsch"},{"locale":"es","title":"¿Qué ha salido mal? Corrigiendo JavaScript","native":"Español"},{"locale":"fr","title":"Qu'est-ce qui n'a pas fonctionné ? Déboguer du code JavaScript","native":"Français"},{"locale":"ja","title":"何が間違っている? JavaScript のトラブルシューティング","native":"日本語"},{"locale":"ko","title":"뭐가 잘못됐을까요? JavaScript 문제 해결","native":"한국어"},{"locale":"pt-BR","title":"O que deu errado? Resolvendo problemas no JavaScript","native":"Português (do Brasil)"},{"locale":"ru","title":"Что пошло не так? Устранение ошибок JavaScript","native":"Русский"},{"locale":"zh-CN","title":"查找并解决 JavaScript 代码的错误","native":"中文 (简体)"},{"locale":"zh-TW","title":"出了什麼問題？JavaScript 疑難排解","native":"正體中文 (繁體)"}],"pageTitle":"What went wrong? Troubleshooting JavaScript - Learn web development | MDN","parents":[{"uri":"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development","title":"Learn"},{"uri":"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core","title":"Core learning modules"},{"uri":"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Scripting","title":"Dynamic scripting with JavaScript"},{"uri":"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Scripting/What_went_wrong","title":"What went wrong? Troubleshooting JavaScript"}],"popularity":null,"short_title":"What went wrong? Troubleshooting JavaScript","sidebarHTML":"<ol><li class=\"section\"><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Getting_started\">Getting started modules</a></li><li class=\"toggle\"><details><summary><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Getting_started/Environment_setup\">Environment setup</a></summary><ol><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Getting_started/Environment_setup/Installing_software\">Installing basic software</a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Getting_started/Environment_setup/Browsing_the_web\">Browsing the web</a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Getting_started/Environment_setup/Code_editors\">Code editors</a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Getting_started/Environment_setup/Dealing_with_files\">Dealing with files</a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Getting_started/Environment_setup/Command_line\">Command line crash course</a></li></ol></details></li><li class=\"toggle\"><details><summary><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Getting_started/Your_first_website\">Your first website</a></summary><ol><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Getting_started/Your_first_website/What_will_your_website_look_like\">What will your website look like?</a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Getting_started/Your_first_website/Creating_the_content\">HTML: Creating the content</a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Getting_started/Your_first_website/Styling_the_content\">CSS: Styling the content</a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Getting_started/Your_first_website/Adding_interactivity\">JavaScript: Adding interactivity</a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Getting_started/Your_first_website/Publishing_your_website\">Publishing your website</a></li></ol></details></li><li class=\"toggle\"><details><summary><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Getting_started/Web_standards\">Web standards</a></summary><ol><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Getting_started/Web_standards/How_the_web_works\">How the web works</a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Getting_started/Web_standards/The_web_standards_model\">The web standards model</a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Getting_started/Web_standards/How_browsers_load_websites\">How browsers load websites</a></li></ol></details></li><li class=\"toggle\"><details><summary><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Getting_started/Soft_skills\">Soft skills</a></summary><ol><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Getting_started/Soft_skills/Research_and_learning\">Research and learning</a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Getting_started/Soft_skills/Collaboration_and_teamwork\">Collaboration and teamwork</a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Getting_started/Soft_skills/Workflows_and_processes\">Workflows and processes</a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Getting_started/Soft_skills/Job_interviews\">Succeeding in job interviews</a></li></ol></details></li><li class=\"section\"><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core\">Core modules</a></li><li class=\"toggle\"><details><summary><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Structuring_content\">Structuring content with HTML</a></summary><ol><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Structuring_content/Basic_HTML_syntax\">Basic HTML syntax</a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Structuring_content/Webpage_metadata\">What's in the head? Webpage metadata</a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Structuring_content/Headings_and_paragraphs\">Headings and paragraphs in HTML</a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Structuring_content/Emphasis_and_importance\">Emphasis and importance</a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Structuring_content/Lists\">Lists</a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Structuring_content/Structuring_documents\">Structuring documents</a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Structuring_content/Advanced_text_features\">Advanced text features</a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Structuring_content/Creating_links\">Creating links</a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Structuring_content/Marking_up_a_letter\">Challenge: Marking up a letter</a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Structuring_content/Structuring_a_page_of_content\">Challenge: Structuring a page of content</a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Structuring_content/HTML_images\">HTML images</a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Structuring_content/HTML_video_and_audio\">HTML video and audio</a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Structuring_content/Mozilla_splash_page\">Challenge: Mozilla splash page</a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Structuring_content/HTML_table_basics\">HTML table basics</a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Structuring_content/Table_accessibility\">HTML table accessibility</a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Structuring_content/Planet_data_table\">Challenge: Structuring a planet data table</a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Structuring_content/HTML_forms\">Forms and buttons in HTML</a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Structuring_content/Debugging_HTML\">Debugging HTML</a></li></ol></details></li><li class=\"toggle\"><details><summary><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Styling_basics\">CSS styling basics</a></summary><ol><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Styling_basics/What_is_CSS\">What is CSS?</a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Styling_basics/Getting_started\">Getting started with CSS</a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Styling_basics/Styling_a_bio_page\">Challenge: Styling a biography page</a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Styling_basics/Basic_selectors\">Basic CSS selectors</a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Styling_basics/Attribute_selectors\">Attribute selectors</a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Styling_basics/Pseudo_classes_and_elements\">Pseudo-classes and pseudo-elements</a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Styling_basics/Combinators\">Combinators</a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Styling_basics/Box_model\">The box model</a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Styling_basics/Handling_conflicts\">Handling conflicts</a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Styling_basics/Values_and_units\">CSS values and units</a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Styling_basics/Sizing\">Sizing items in CSS</a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Styling_basics/Backgrounds_and_borders\">Backgrounds and borders</a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Styling_basics/Overflow\">Overflowing content</a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Styling_basics/Images_media_forms\">Images, media, and form elements</a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Styling_basics/Tables\">Styling tables</a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Styling_basics/Debugging_CSS\">Debugging CSS</a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Styling_basics/Fundamental_CSS_comprehension\">Challenge: Fundamental CSS comprehension</a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Styling_basics/Fancy_letterheaded_paper\">Challenge: Creating fancy letterheaded paper</a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Styling_basics/Cool-looking_box\">Challenge: A cool-looking box</a></li></ol></details></li><li class=\"toggle\"><details><summary><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Text_styling\">CSS text styling</a></summary><ol><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Text_styling/Fundamentals\">Fundamental text and font styling</a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Text_styling/Styling_lists\">Styling lists</a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Text_styling/Styling_links\">Styling links</a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Text_styling/Web_fonts\">Web fonts</a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Text_styling/Typesetting_a_homepage\">Challenge: Typesetting a community school homepage</a></li></ol></details></li><li class=\"toggle\"><details><summary><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/CSS_layout\">CSS layout</a></summary><ol><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/CSS_layout/Introduction\">Introduction to CSS layout</a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/CSS_layout/Floats\">Floats</a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/CSS_layout/Positioning\">Positioning</a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/CSS_layout/Flexbox\">Flexbox</a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/CSS_layout/Grids\">CSS grid layout</a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/CSS_layout/Responsive_Design\">Responsive design</a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/CSS_layout/Media_queries\">Media query fundamentals</a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/CSS_layout/Fundamental_Layout_Comprehension\">Challenge: Fundamental layout comprehension</a></li></ol></details></li><li class=\"toggle\"><details open=\"\"><summary><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Scripting\">Dynamic scripting with JavaScript</a></summary><ol><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Scripting/What_is_JavaScript\">What is JavaScript?</a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Scripting/A_first_splash\">A first splash into JavaScript</a></li><li><em><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Scripting/What_went_wrong\" aria-current=\"page\">What went wrong? Troubleshooting JavaScript</a></em></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Scripting/Variables\">Storing the information you need — Variables</a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Scripting/Math\">Basic math in JavaScript — numbers and operators</a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Scripting/Strings\">Handling text — strings in JavaScript</a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Scripting/Useful_string_methods\">Useful string methods</a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Scripting/Arrays\">Arrays</a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Scripting/Silly_story_generator\">Challenge: Silly story generator</a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Scripting/Conditionals\">Making decisions in your code — conditionals</a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Scripting/Loops\">Looping code</a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Scripting/Functions\">Functions — reusable blocks of code</a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Scripting/Build_your_own_function\">Build your own function</a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Scripting/Return_values\">Function return values</a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Scripting/Events\">Introduction to events</a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Scripting/Event_bubbling\">Event bubbling</a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Scripting/Image_gallery\">Challenge: Image gallery</a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Scripting/Object_basics\">JavaScript object basics</a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Scripting/DOM_scripting\">DOM scripting introduction</a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Scripting/Network_requests\">Making network requests with JavaScript</a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Scripting/JSON\">Working with JSON</a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Scripting/Debugging_JavaScript\">Debugging JavaScript and handling errors</a></li></ol></details></li><li class=\"toggle\"><details><summary><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Frameworks_libraries\">JavaScript frameworks and libraries</a></summary><ol><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Frameworks_libraries/Introduction\">Introduction to client-side frameworks</a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Frameworks_libraries/Main_features\">Framework main features</a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Frameworks_libraries/React_getting_started\">Getting started with React</a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Frameworks_libraries/React_todo_list_beginning\">Beginning our React todo list</a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Frameworks_libraries/React_components\">Componentizing our React app</a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Frameworks_libraries/React_interactivity_events_state\">React interactivity: Events and state</a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Frameworks_libraries/React_interactivity_filtering_conditional_rendering\">React interactivity: Editing, filtering, conditional rendering</a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Frameworks_libraries/React_accessibility\">Accessibility in React</a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Frameworks_libraries/React_resources\">React resources</a></li></ol></details></li><li class=\"toggle\"><details><summary><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Accessibility\">Accessibility</a></summary><ol><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Accessibility/What_is_accessibility\">What is accessibility?</a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Accessibility/Tooling\">Accessibility tooling and assistive technology</a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Accessibility/HTML\">HTML: A good basis for accessibility</a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Accessibility/CSS_and_JavaScript\">CSS and JavaScript accessibility best practices</a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Accessibility/WAI-ARIA_basics\">WAI-ARIA basics</a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Accessibility/Multimedia\">Accessible multimedia</a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Accessibility/Mobile\">Mobile accessibility</a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Accessibility/Accessibility_troubleshooting\">Challenge: Accessibility troubleshooting</a></li></ol></details></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Design_for_developers\">Design for developers</a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Version_control\">Version control</a></li><li class=\"section\"><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Extensions\">Extension modules</a></li><li class=\"toggle\"><details><summary><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Extensions/Advanced_JavaScript_objects\">Advanced JavaScript objects</a></summary><ol><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Extensions/Advanced_JavaScript_objects/Object_prototypes\">Object prototypes</a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Extensions/Advanced_JavaScript_objects/Object-oriented_programming\">Object-oriented programming</a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Extensions/Advanced_JavaScript_objects/Classes_in_JavaScript\">Classes in JavaScript</a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Extensions/Advanced_JavaScript_objects/Object_building_practice\">Object building practice</a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Extensions/Advanced_JavaScript_objects/Adding_bouncing_balls_features\">Challenge: Adding features to our bouncing balls demo</a></li></ol></details></li><li class=\"toggle\"><details><summary><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Extensions/Client-side_APIs\">Client-side web APIs</a></summary><ol><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Extensions/Client-side_APIs/Introduction\">Introduction to web APIs</a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Extensions/Client-side_APIs/Video_and_audio_APIs\">Video and Audio APIs</a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Extensions/Client-side_APIs/Drawing_graphics\">Drawing graphics</a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Extensions/Client-side_APIs/Client-side_storage\">Client-side storage</a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Extensions/Client-side_APIs/Third_party_APIs\">Third-party APIs</a></li></ol></details></li><li class=\"toggle\"><details><summary><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Extensions/Async_JS\">Asynchronous JavaScript</a></summary><ol><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Extensions/Async_JS/Introducing\">Introducing asynchronous JavaScript</a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Extensions/Async_JS/Promises\">How to use promises</a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Extensions/Async_JS/Implementing_a_promise-based_API\">How to implement a promise-based API</a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Extensions/Async_JS/Introducing_workers\">Introducing workers</a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Extensions/Async_JS/Sequencing_animations\">Challenge: Sequencing animations</a></li></ol></details></li><li class=\"toggle\"><details><summary><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Extensions/Forms\">Web forms</a></summary><ol><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Extensions/Forms/Your_first_form\">Your first form</a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Extensions/Forms/How_to_structure_a_web_form\">How to structure a web form</a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Extensions/Forms/Basic_native_form_controls\">Basic native form controls</a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Extensions/Forms/HTML5_input_types\">The HTML5 input types</a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Extensions/Forms/Other_form_controls\">Other form controls</a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Extensions/Forms/Styling_web_forms\">Styling web forms</a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Extensions/Forms/Advanced_form_styling\">Advanced form styling</a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Extensions/Forms/UI_pseudo-classes\">UI pseudo-classes</a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Extensions/Forms/Form_validation\">Client-side form validation</a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Extensions/Forms/Sending_and_retrieving_form_data\">Sending form data</a></li></ol></details></li><li class=\"toggle\"><details><summary><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Extensions/Client-side_tools\">Understanding client-side tools</a></summary><ol><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Extensions/Client-side_tools/Overview\">Client-side tooling overview</a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Extensions/Client-side_tools/Package_management\">Package management basics</a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Extensions/Client-side_tools/Introducing_complete_toolchain\">Introducing a complete toolchain</a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Extensions/Client-side_tools/Deployment\">Deploying our app</a></li></ol></details></li><li class=\"toggle\"><details><summary><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Extensions/Server-side\">Server-side websites</a></summary><ol><li class=\"toggle\"><details><summary><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Extensions/Server-side/First_steps\">Server-side first steps</a></summary><ol><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Extensions/Server-side/First_steps/Introduction\">Introduction to the server side</a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Extensions/Server-side/First_steps/Client-Server_overview\">Client-Server Overview</a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Extensions/Server-side/First_steps/Web_frameworks\">Server-side web frameworks</a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Extensions/Server-side/First_steps/Website_security\">Website security</a></li></ol></details></li><li class=\"toggle\"><details><summary><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Extensions/Server-side/Django\">Django web framework (Python)</a></summary><ol><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Extensions/Server-side/Django/Introduction\">Django introduction</a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Extensions/Server-side/Django/development_environment\">Setting up a Django development environment</a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Extensions/Server-side/Django/Tutorial_local_library_website\">Django Tutorial: The Local Library website</a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Extensions/Server-side/Django/skeleton_website\">Django Tutorial Part 2: Creating a skeleton website</a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Extensions/Server-side/Django/Models\">Django Tutorial Part 3: Using models</a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Extensions/Server-side/Django/Admin_site\">Django Tutorial Part 4: Django admin site</a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Extensions/Server-side/Django/Home_page\">Django Tutorial Part 5: Creating our home page</a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Extensions/Server-side/Django/Generic_views\">Django Tutorial Part 6: Generic list and detail views</a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Extensions/Server-side/Django/Sessions\">Django Tutorial Part 7: Sessions framework</a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Extensions/Server-side/Django/Authentication\">Django Tutorial Part 8: User authentication and permissions</a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Extensions/Server-side/Django/Forms\">Django Tutorial Part 9: Working with forms</a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Extensions/Server-side/Django/Testing\">Django Tutorial Part 10: Testing a Django web application</a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Extensions/Server-side/Django/Deployment\">Django Tutorial Part 11: Deploying Django to production</a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Extensions/Server-side/Django/web_application_security\">Django web application security</a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Extensions/Server-side/Django/django_assessment_blog\">Assessment: DIY Django mini blog</a></li></ol></details></li><li class=\"toggle\"><details><summary><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Extensions/Server-side/Express_Nodejs\">Express web framework (Node.js)</a></summary><ol><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Extensions/Server-side/Express_Nodejs/Introduction\">Express/Node introduction</a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Extensions/Server-side/Express_Nodejs/development_environment\">Setting up a Node development environment</a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Extensions/Server-side/Express_Nodejs/Tutorial_local_library_website\">Express Tutorial: The Local Library website</a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Extensions/Server-side/Express_Nodejs/skeleton_website\">Express Tutorial Part 2: Creating a skeleton website</a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Extensions/Server-side/Express_Nodejs/mongoose\">Express Tutorial Part 3: Using a Database (with Mongoose)</a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Extensions/Server-side/Express_Nodejs/routes\">Express Tutorial Part 4: Routes and controllers</a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Extensions/Server-side/Express_Nodejs/Displaying_data\">Express Tutorial Part 5: Displaying library data</a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Extensions/Server-side/Express_Nodejs/forms\">Express Tutorial Part 6: Working with forms</a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Extensions/Server-side/Express_Nodejs/deployment\">Express Tutorial Part 7: Deploying to production</a></li></ol></details></li></ol></details></li><li class=\"toggle\"><details><summary><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Extensions/Performance\">Web performance</a></summary><ol><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Extensions/Performance/why_web_performance\">The \"why\" of web performance</a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Extensions/Performance/What_is_web_performance\">What is web performance?</a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Extensions/Performance/Perceived_performance\">Perceived performance</a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Extensions/Performance/Measuring_performance\">Measuring performance</a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Extensions/Performance/Multimedia\">Multimedia: Images</a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Extensions/Performance/video\">Multimedia: video</a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Extensions/Performance/JavaScript\">JavaScript performance optimization</a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Extensions/Performance/HTML\">HTML performance optimization</a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Extensions/Performance/CSS\">CSS performance optimization</a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Extensions/Performance/business_case_for_performance\">The business case for web performance</a></li></ol></details></li><li class=\"toggle\"><details><summary><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Extensions/Testing\">Testing</a></summary><ol><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Extensions/Testing/Introduction\">Introduction to cross-browser testing</a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Extensions/Testing/Testing_strategies\">Strategies for carrying out testing</a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Extensions/Testing/HTML_and_CSS\">Handling common HTML and CSS problems</a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Extensions/Testing/Feature_detection\">Implementing feature detection</a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Extensions/Testing/Automated_testing\">Introduction to automated testing</a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Extensions/Testing/Your_own_automation_environment\">Setting up your own test automation environment</a></li></ol></details></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Extensions/Transform_animate\">Transform and animate CSS</a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Extensions/Security_privacy\">Security and privacy</a></li><li class=\"section\">Further resources</li><li class=\"toggle\"><details><summary><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Howto\">How to solve common problems</a></summary><ol><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Howto/Solve_HTML_problems\">Solve common HTML problems</a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Howto/Solve_CSS_problems\">Solve common CSS problems</a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Howto/Solve_JavaScript_problems\">Solve common JavaScript problems</a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Howto/Web_mechanics\">Web mechanics</a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Howto/Tools_and_setup\">Tools and setup</a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Howto/Design_and_accessibility\">Design and accessibility</a></li></ol></details></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/About\">About</a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Educators\">Resources for educators</a></li><li><a href=\"/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Changelog\">Changelog</a></li></ol>","source":{"folder":"en-us/learn_web_development/core/scripting/what_went_wrong","github_url":"https://github.com/mdn/content/blob/main/files/en-us/learn_web_development/core/scripting/what_went_wrong/index.md","last_commit_url":"https://github.com/mdn/content/commit/f4c2549e1b871a2236f3c759c49eb660994029dd","filename":"index.md"},"summary":"When you built up the \"Guess the number\" game in the previous article, you may have found that it didn't work. Never fear — this article aims to save you from tearing your hair out over such problems by providing you with some tips on how to find and fix errors in JavaScript programs.","title":"What went wrong? Troubleshooting JavaScript","toc":[{"text":"Types of error","id":"types_of_error"},{"text":"An erroneous example","id":"an_erroneous_example"},{"text":"Fixing syntax errors","id":"fixing_syntax_errors"},{"text":"A logic error","id":"a_logic_error"},{"text":"Other common errors","id":"other_common_errors"},{"text":"Summary","id":"summary"},{"text":"See also","id":"see_also"}],"pageType":"learn-module-chapter"}}</script></body></html>