Why can't I store multi line values into a JavaScript literal?

Question

Possible Duplicates:
a more graceful multi-line javascript string method
Multiline strings in Javascript

window.lastSavedContents = "test

tester";

That's my JavaScript Code. I get a firebug error saying:

unterminated string literal [Break On This Error] window.lastSavedContents = "test

score 7 · Accepted Answer · answered May 27 '11 at 13:29

7

Indeed; that's simply not valid syntax. Use "\n" to represent a newline:

window.lastSavedContents = "test\n\ntester";

answered May 27 '11 at 13:29

Hey buddy! They apparently let *anybody* in. And there are no evil plans, either, as far as I can tell. – Ernest Friedman-Hill May 27 '11 at 13:43
@epas: What's the problem? I don't see anything evil in his answer. – Marcel Korpel May 27 '11 at 13:47
@Marcel, it is an inside joke. – epascarello May 27 '11 at 15:29

score 1 · Answer 2 · answered May 27 '11 at 13:38

If you want to mark new line in a JavaScript value you have t put there a newline character by putting \n:

var test = "test\n\ntest";

You can also visually expose new lines by escaping ends of lines like this:

var test = "test\n\
\n\
test";

score -2 · Answer 3 · answered May 27 '11 at 13:30

-2

You can concatenate it, of course:

var stringTxt = "";

stringTxt += "test";
stringTxt += "tester";

window.lastSavedContents = stringTxt;

answered May 27 '11 at 13:30

orolo

But I want to preserve the newline – Shamoon May 27 '11 at 13:30
It's 'better' to use an array and `join` it to a string. – Marcel Korpel May 27 '11 at 13:31
produces `testtester` which is not what the op is after – epascarello May 27 '11 at 13:40
1

Ah; I see. I'll leave my answer up as an example of not properly reading the question. – orolo May 27 '11 at 14:11

3 Answers3