Try Catch Errors many script components - JavaScript - javascript

I have a page that contains many script components (50+) and I am getting an error when using IE at some random instance (doesn't happen in Chrome or Firefox).
"Out of Memory at line: 1"
I've done some google search too and that reveals issues with IE handling things differently to Chrome and FF. I would like to catch this error and know exactly what the cause of that script error is.
What would be the best way to use a global try-catch block on that many script components? All these script components are on the same page. Looking forward to your suggestions.

You might want to try window.onerror as a starting point. It will need to be added before the <script> tags that load the components.
https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/API/GlobalEventHandlers/onerror
If that fails, you might try reducing the components loaded by half until the error no longer occurs. Then, profile the page (you may have to reduce further due to the demand of profiling). Look for a memory leak as #Bergi suggested. If there is in fact a leak, it will likely occur in all browsers, so you can trouble-shoot in Chrome, as well.
If that still fails to yield anything interesting, the issue may be in one particular component that was not in the set of components you were loading. Ideally, anytime that component is included you see the issue. You could repeatedly bisect the loaded components until you isolate the culprit.
Finally, forgot to mention, your home-base for all of this should be the browser's developer tools, e.g. Chrome dev tools, or if it is unique to Edge, Edge debugger.
And FYI, Edge is the browser that crashes, but that does not mean the issue is not present in Chrome or FF.

One important thing that is missing in your question is if the error happens during the page loading or initialization or if it happens after some time while you browse the page.
If it's during loading or initialization, it's probably caused by the fact that your page contains too many components and uses much more memory than the browser is willing to accept (and IE is simply the first one to give up).
In such case there is no helping but reduce the page size. One possible way is to create only objects (components) that are currently visible (in viewport) and as soon as they get out of the viewport remove them from JS and DOM again (replacing the with empty DIVs sized to the size of the components).
In case the error happens while browsing the page, it may be caused by a memory leak. You may use Process Explorer to watch the memory used by your browser and check if the memory constantly increase - which would indicate the memory leak.
Memory leak in Internet Explorer may happen because it contains 2 separate garbage collectors (aka GC): one for DOM objects and other for JS properties. Other browsers (FF, Webkit, Chromium, etc.; not sure about the Edge) contains only one GC for both DOM and JS.
So when you create circular reference between DOM object and JS object, IE's GC cannot correctly release the memory and creates a memory leak.
var myGlobalObject;
function SetupLeak()
{
myGlobalObject = document.getElementById("LeakDiv");
document.getElementById("LeakDiv").expandoProperty = myGlobalObject;
//When reference is not required anymore, make sure to release it
myGlobalObject = null;
}
After this code it seems the LeakDiv reference was freed but LeakDiv still reference the myGlobalObject in its expandoProperty which in turn reference the LeakDiv. In other browsers their GC can recognize such situation and release both myGlobalObject and LeakDiv but IE's GCs cannot because they don't know if the referenced object is still in use or not (because it's the other GC's responsibility).
Even less visible is a circular reference created by a closure:
function SetupLeak()
{
// The leak happens all at once
AttachEvents( document.getElementById("LeakedDiv"));
}
function AttachEvents(element)
{
//attach event to the element
element.attachEvent("onclick", function {
element.style.display = 'none';
});
}
In this case the LeakedDiv's onclick property references the handler function whose closure element property reference the LeakedDiv.
To fix these situations you need to properly remove all references between DOM objects and JS variables:
function FreeLeak()
{
myGlobalObject = null;
document.getElementById("LeakDiv").expandoProperty = null;
}
And you may want to reduce (or remove completely) closures created on DOM elements:
function SetupLeak()
{
// There is no leak anymore
AttachEvents( "LeakedDiv" );
}
function AttachEvents(element)
{
//attach event to the element
document.getElementById(element).attachEvent("onclick", function {
document.getElementById(element).style.display = 'none';
});
}
In both cases using try-catch is not the option because the Out of memory may happen on random places in code and even if you find one line of code where it's happened the next time it may be elsewhere. The Process Explorer is the best chance to find the situations when the memory increase and and trying to guess what may be causing it.
For example: if the memory increase every time you open and close the menu (if you have one) then you should look how it's being opened and closed and look for the situations described above.

You could check your localStorage before and after any components called.
Something like:
function getLocalStorage() {
return JSON.stringify(localStorage).length;
}
function addScript(src, log) {
if(log){
console.log("Adding " + src + ", local storage size: " + getLocalStorage());
}
var s = document.createElement( 'script' );
s.setAttribute( 'src', src );
document.body.appendChild( s );
}
function callFunction(func, log){
if(log){
console.log("Calling " + func.name + ", local storage size: " + getLocalStorage());
}
func();
}
try {
addScript(src1, true);
addScript(src2, true);
callFunction(func1, true);
callFunction(func2, true);
}
catch(err) {
console.log(err.message);
}
I hope it helps you. Bye.

Related

In newer versions of Firefox, is it still possible to override a web page's JS function?

I am writing an extension to override a web page's JS function, and started from this question, but the answer does not appear to work in Firefox 42 on Linux.
Next, I tried to use exportFunction as described in the documentation, but that also silently failed.
Inside package.json, I have added the following sesction.
"permissions": {
"unsafe-content-script": true
}
Here is my index.js file.
var self = require('sdk/self');
require("sdk/tabs").on("ready", fixGoogle);
function fixGoogle(tab) {
if (tab.url.indexOf("google.com") > -1) {
tab.attach({
contentScriptFile: self.data.url("google-script.js")
});
}
}
Here is my current data/google-script.js.
unsafeWindow.rwt=function(){};
Note that manually typing in rwt=function(){}; to the browser's console achieves the desired effect, as does using a bookmarklet (which requires clicking) but I am writing the plugin to get this automatically every time I use Google.
Is it possible to override the rwt page function using a Firefox extension? If so, what is the correct API to use?
read the documentation you've linked to, specifically the chapter titled Expose functions to page scripts - which links to exportFunction
function blah() {}
exportFunction(blah, unsafeWindow, {defineAs: 'rwt'});
It turns out that the issue is that the redefinition of the function rwt is racing against the original definition and winning. The original runs after and overrides the function I defined, thereby making it look like my redefinition had silently failed.
Once I realized that this was the problem, the easiest hack around it was to add a timeout to the redefinition inside data/google-script.js.
setTimeout(function() {
unsafeWindow.rwt=function(){};
}, 1000);
Thus, the orignal answer is still correct but simply failed to address the race condition.
Even though content scripts share the DOM, they are otherwise isolated from page scripts. As you correctly surmised, one can use unsafeWindow in Firefox to bypass this isolation.
Personally, I don't like the name of unsafeWindow for some reason ;)
Therefore I propose another way to do this: make use of the thing that's shared between these scopes, i. e. DOM.
You can create a page script from a content script:
var script = 'rwt=function()();';
document.addEventListener('DOMContentLoaded', function() {
var scriptEl = document.createElement('script');
scriptEl.textContent = script;
document.head.appendChild(scriptEl);
});
The benefit of this approach is that you can use it in environments without unsafeWindow, e. g. chrome extensions.

Firefox: How do I get an nsIMessageManager instance from a JS Module under Electrolysis (e10s)?

I'm trying to port my Firefox extension to work under Electrolysis / e10s / multi-process mode. I've got a feature that requires registration through nsIComponentRegistrar so it's in a JSM which gets loaded only once (per process). I'm running in the child scope, so I don't have access to things like files, but my feature requires that. So I want to sendSyncMessage() to the parent process to fetch that detail (just the path to a file in this case).
The docs even mention doing something like this explicitly. But in the JSM I don't have a message manager in scope to call sendSyncMessage() on. How do I get a handle to (the right?) one? When I get called I don't have anything relating to the content document/window in scope.
Update, for clarity:
var c = Cc['#mozilla.org/childprocessmessagemanager;1'];
var s = c.getService(Ci.nsISyncMessageSender);
var response = s.sendSyncMessage('id', {'data': 'x'});
dump('response len?? ' + response.length + '\n');
This code produces 0 responses, even running directly in the frame script (not in the JSM which the frame script loads). If I just use the globally available sendSyncMessage() in the frame script then it gets the 1 response I expect.
"#mozilla.org/childprocessmessagemanager;1" is the way to go. Use that in child process JSMs.
However, as MDN puts it:
In addition to Message Managers centered around window and tab objects
there also is a separate hierachy focusing on process boundaries.
Therefore, you cannot use the regular frame script messengers, but have to use "#mozilla.org/parentprocessmessagemanager;1" in the parent (main) process.
child.jsm
let cpmm = Cc["#mozilla.org/childprocessmessagemanager;1"].
getService(Ci.nsISyncMessageSender);
cpmm.sendSyncMessage("addon:present?!")[0] === "yup"
parent.jsm
let ppmm = Cc["#mozilla.org/parentprocessmessagemanager;1"].
getService(Ci.nsIMessageListenerManager);
ppmm.addMessageListener("addon:present?", m => "yup");
Core code uses this scheme in various places, e.g. Network:SampleRate
This may work, no promises.
Try loading:
Cc["#mozilla.org/globalmessagemanager;1"].getService(Ci.nsIMessageListenerManager);
If that doesn't work then try using:
Cc['#mozilla.org/childprocessmessagemanager;1'].getService(Ci.nsISyncMessageSender);
Or vice-versa

How to only wait for document.readyState in IE and fire instantly for all other browsers?

I have written a CSS and Javascript lazyloader to dynamically load resources for seperate pagelets (in the way that Facebook renders a page with it's BigPipe technology).
In short an HTML frame is rendered first, then separate parts of the page are all generated asynchronously by the server. When each pagelet arrives the pagelets css is loaded first, then its innerHTML is set, then finally we load any required javascript for this pagelet and initialise it.
Everything works perfectly and perceived load time is pretty much instantaneous for any given page.
However in IE, I occasional I get Method does not support method or property when initialising the scripts.
I have solved this by checking for document.readyState before loading the scripts.
Now this isn't a huge issue but it adds on average 170ms to a pageload in chrome or firefox. Which is not needed.
function loadScripts(init){
// ensure document readystate is complete before loading scripts
if( doc.readyState !== 'complete'){
setTimeout(function(){
loadScripts(init);
}, 1 );
}
else{
complete++;
if(complete == instance.length){
var scripts = checkJS(javascript);
if(scripts.length) {
LazyLoad.js(scripts, function(){
runPageletScript();
for (var i = 0; i < scripts.length; ++i) {
TC.loadedJS.push(scripts[i]);
}
});
}
else{
runPageletScript();
}
}
}
}
What I am looking for is a modification to this script which will only implement the 'wait' in IE, if it is any other browser it will just fire straight away. I cannot use a jQuery utility like $.Browser and need it to be the tiniest possible method. I hate to use any form of browser detection but it appears as though its my only solution. That said if anyone can come up with another way, that would be fantastic.
Any suggestions would be gratefully received.
You could use JScript conditional compilation, which is only available in IE browsers (up to IE10).
Because it's a comment, it's best to place it inside new Function as minifiers might remove it, changing your code. Though in general you should avoid using new Function, in this case there's not really any other way to prevent minifiers from removing it.
Example:
var isIE = !(new Function('return 1//#cc_on &0')());
However, it seems that your main issue is that the DOM hasn't loaded yet -- make sure that it has loaded before running any loader using the DOMContentLoaded event (IE9+):
document.addEventListener('DOMContentLoaded', function () {
// perform logic here
});
Here is just another solution as the solution from Qantas might not always work. For instance on UMTS connections it could happen that providers remove comments to save bandwith (maybe they preserve conditional comments):
if(navigator.appName == 'Microsoft Internet Explorer'
&& doc.readyState !== 'complete'){
...
}

Is there a way to log the JavaScript stack trace without putting breakpoints?

I would like to be able to perform manipulations on a given JS app, and then simply get a large log of all the functions that have been called. This is possible in Chrome, but only if one puts a breakpoint somewhere. My problem is when I am reverse-engineering a given website (only for self-teaching purposes, of course) it often takes me a whole lot of time to figure out where to even start from. Something like that will help me tremendously because I will no longer have to search within the code, rather, I will just do a user action, and grab the stack log afterwards.
I suppose that there should be a way to intercept (or wrap) every function call, so that it is dumped to the log before the function is called.
Try this article:
http://eriwen.com/javascript/stacktrace-update/
or this post:
http://ivan-ghandhi.livejournal.com/942493.html
and, probably, this: How can I get a Javascript stack trace when I throw an exception?
In Firebug, you can use the profiler to log every function called. Use console.profile() and console.profileEnd() to trigger it programatically.
However, this will not give you proper stack traces. (Are you sure that's what you want?)
To log methods of specific objects, you can overwrite them like so:
for (var key in obj) {
if (typeof obj[key] == 'function') {
(function(){
var origFun = obj[key];
obj[key] = function () {
var result = origFun.apply(this, arguments);
console.log('call to method', key, 'with arguments', arguments,' - Result:', result);
// console.trace(); // for a trace with every call
return result;
};
})();
}
}
Maybe aspect oriented programming (AOP) can provide an answer. I just found out about aspectJS which could help intercept and log function calls
You can use dynatrace. Dynatrace is a profiling tool for IE and FF. Dynatrace can monitor your application while it is running, and then serves you a timeline of all what happened. In the timeline, there is blocks representing the javascript activity. You can right-click on it (purepath), and then walk through the whole call stack. You can export that to excel or other If you want.
You can add markers in your code, those markers will appear on the timeline and in the purepath:
if(typeof(_dt_addMark)!="undefined") _dt_addMark('MyCustomTimerName');
alternatively, if you only want to find "a way to intercept (or wrap) every function call",
there is a low-tech solution, if you are using a real webbapp (single-load javascript app):
bookmarklets
With bookmarklets, once you have loaded your page, you can execute some custom javascript. So what you can do there, is to override the functions methods that you want to observe with the same function containing logging (so just copy and paste the function, and add some console.log in there). This actually works even with native js functions.

Why is my JavaScript function sometimes "not defined"?

I call my JavaScript function. Why do I sometimes get the error 'myFunction is not defined' when it is defined?
For example. I'll occasionally get 'copyArray is not defined' even in this example:
function copyArray( pa ) {
var la = [];
for (var i=0; i < pa.length; i++)
la.push( pa[i] );
return la;
}
Function.prototype.bind = function( po ) {
var __method = this;
var __args = [];
// Sometimes errors -- in practice I inline the function as a workaround.
__args = copyArray( arguments );
return function() {
/* bind logic omitted for brevity */
}
}
As you can see, copyArray is defined right there, so this can't be about the order in which script files load.
I've been getting this in situations that are harder to work around, where the calling function is located in another file that should be loaded after the called function. But this was the simplest case I could present, and appears to be the same problem.
It doesn't happen 100% of the time, so I do suspect some kind of load-timing-related problem. But I have no idea what.
#Hojou: That's part of the problem. The function in which I'm now getting this error is itself my addLoadEvent, which is basically a standard version of the common library function.
#James: I understand that, and there is no syntax error in the function. When that is the case, the syntax error is reported as well. In this case, I am getting only the 'not defined' error.
#David: The script in this case resides in an external file that is referenced using the normal <script src="file.js"></script> method in the page's head section.
#Douglas: Interesting idea, but if this were the case, how could we ever call a user-defined function with confidence? In any event, I tried this and it didn't work.
#sk: This technique has been tested across browsers and is basically copied from the Prototype library.
I had this function not being recognized as defined in latest Firefox for Linux, though Chromium was dealing fine with it.
What happened in my case was that I had a former SCRIPT block, before the block that defined the function with problem, stated in the following way:
<SCRIPT src="mycode.js"/>
(That is, without the closing tag.)
I had to redeclare this block in the following way.
<SCRIPT src="mycode.js"></SCRIPT>
And then what followed worked fine... weird huh?
It shouldn't be possible for this to happen if you're just including the scripts on the page.
The "copyArray" function should always be available when the JavaScript code starts executing no matter if it is declared before or after it -- unless you're loading the JavaScript files in dynamically with a dependency library. There are all sorts of problems with timing if that's the case.
My guess is, somehow the document is not fully loaded by the time the method is called. Have your code executing after the document is ready event.
Verify your code with JSLint. It will usually find a ton of small errors, so the warning "JSLint may hurt your feelings" is pretty spot on. =)
A syntax error in the function -- or in the code above it -- may cause it to be undefined.
This doesn't solve your original problem, but you could always replace the call to copyArray() with:
__args = Array.prototype.slice.call(arguments);
More information available from Google.
I've tested the above in the following browsers: IE6, 7 & 8B2, Firefox 2.0.0.17 & 3.0.3, Opera 9.52, Safari for Windows 3.1.2 and Google Chrome (whatever the latest version was at the time of this post) and it works across all browsers.
If you're changing the prototype of the built-in 'function' object it's possible you're running into a browser bug or race condition by modifying a fundamental built-in object.
Test it in multiple browsers to find out.
This has probably been corrected, but... apparently firefox has a caching problem which is the cause of javascript functions not being recognized.. I really don't know the specifics, but if you clear your cache that will fix the problem (until your cache is full again... not a good solution).. I've been looking around to see if firefox has a real solution to this, but so far nothing... oh not all versions, I think it may be only in some 3.6.x versions, not sure...
Solved by removing a "async" load:
<script type="text/javascript" src="{% static 'js/my_js_file.js' %}" async></script>
changed for:
<script type="text/javascript" src="{% static 'js/my_js_file.js' %}"></script>
Use an anonymous function to protect your local symbol table. Something like:
(function() {
function copyArray(pa) {
// Details
}
Function.prototype.bind = function ( po ) {
__args = copyArray( arguments );
}
})();
This will create a closure that includes your function in the local symbol table, and you won't have to depend on it being available in the global namespace when you call the function.
This can happen when using framesets. In one frame, my variables and methods were defined. In another, they were not. It was especially confusing when using the debugger and seeing my variable defined, then undefined at a breakpoint inside a frame.
I'm afraid, when you add a new method to a Function class (by prtotyping), you are actually adding it to all declared functions, AS WELL AS to your copyArray(). In result your copyArray() function gets recursivelly self-referenced. I.e. there should exist copyArray().bind() method, which is calling itself.
In this case some browsers might prevent you from creating such reference loops and fire "function not defined" error.
Inline code would be better solution in such case.
I think your javascript code should be placed between tag,there is need of document load

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