whitespace_only changes function names

[nirbd]

Hi,

Using the closure-compiler.appspot.com API in WHITESPACE_ONLY mode
functions like function cbar_log_error(msg){
get renamed to: var cbar_log_error$7=function(msg){

Is this a bug? If not how to avoid?

10X

[brad4d]

Could you supply a link to a repro?

My attempt failed to reproduce the problem.

https://closure-compiler.appspot.com/home#code%3D%252F%252F%2520%253D%253DClosureCompiler%253D%253D%250A%252F%252F%2520%2540compilation_level%2520WHITESPACE_ONLY%250A%252F%252F%2520%2540output_file_name%2520default.js%250A%252F%252F%2520%253D%253D%252FClosureCompiler%253D%253D%250A%250A%252F%252F%2520ADD%2520YOUR%2520CODE%2520HERE%250Afunction%2520log_error()%2520%257B%250A%2520%2520console.log(arguments)%253B%250A%257D

[nirbd]

Thanks Brad,

I'm sorry I didn't provide enough details.
If you take for example this one https://closure-compiler.appspot.com/home#code%3D%252F%252F%2520%253D%253DClosureCompiler%253D%253D%250A%252F%252F%2520%2540compilation_level%2520WHITESPACE_ONLY%250A%252F%252F%2520%2540output_file_name%2520default.js%250A%252F%252F%2520%2540code_url%2520http%253A%252F%252Fcdn.barilliance.com%252Fdogisgood.com%252Fcbar.js.php%250A%252F%252F%2520%253D%253D%252FClosureCompiler%253D%253D%250A%250A%252F%252F%2520ADD%2520YOUR%2520CODE%2520HERE%250Afunction%2520log_error()%2520%257B%250A%2520%2520console.log(arguments)%253B%250A%257D

You can see that cbar_log_console becomes cbar_log_console$8

• Nir

[MatrixFrog]

Sounds like maybe the Normalize pass is running but the later pass which undoes that renaming is not.

[brad4d]

@nirbd thanks for the repro, but we could use a bit more help.
Could you a) cut down the source to just a small subset that demonstrates the problem and
b) have the code in the "code" box instead of loading it from a separate URL?

Thanks.

[nirbd]

There you go....

https://closure-compiler.appspot.com/home#code%3D%252F%252F%2520%253D%253DClosureCompiler%253D%253D%250A%252F%252F%2520%2540output_file_name%2520default.js%250A%252F%252F%2520%2540compilation_level%2520WHITESPACE_ONLY%250A%252F%252F%2520%253D%253D%252FClosureCompiler%253D%253D%250A%250A%2520try%2520%257B%250Afunction%2520cbar_log_console(msg)%257B%250A%257D%250A%257D%2520catch%2520(err)%257B%250Acbar_log_console('cbar%2520error%253A%2520'%252Berr)%253B%250A%257D%253B

[brad4d]

Thanks @nirbd !
This makes the problem quite clear.
It seems the compiler is considering a function declared inside a try block to be local to the try block, when it isn't.

Before:

try {
  function cbar_log_console(msg){}
} catch (err){
  cbar_log_console('cbar error: '+err);
};

After:

try{
  var cbar_log_console$0 = function(msg){}
} catch(err) {
  cbar_log_console("cbar error: "+err)
};

[nirbd]

@brad4d Thanks for looking at this.

Isn't whitespace-only mode supposed to maintain function names even if they're local?
Is there a fix to it? If so do you guys upload fixes immediately or it takes time?

• N

[brad4d]

normalization always runs and always renames local variables to be uniquely named even in WHITESPACE_ONLY. I don't think we'll change that.

It is definitely wrong that the compiler is thinking that the cbar_log_console in the catch clause refers to a different variable than the one declared in the try clause.

Given how long this issue has lived without an update (my bad) it's clear that this isn't a use case we really deal with much. Code that declares something in the try then uses it in the catch, is just strange, and we should really disallow it entirely. (TypeScript reports an error for it, btw.)

Sorry, but it doesn't seem likely we'll find time to hunt down and kill this bug.