ReferenceError() constructor

Baseline Widely available

This feature is well established and works across many devices and browser versions. It’s been available across browsers since July 2015.

The ReferenceError() constructor creates ReferenceError objects.

Syntax

js
new ReferenceError()
new ReferenceError(message)
new ReferenceError(message, options)
new ReferenceError(message, fileName)
new ReferenceError(message, fileName, lineNumber)

ReferenceError()
ReferenceError(message)
ReferenceError(message, options)
ReferenceError(message, fileName)
ReferenceError(message, fileName, lineNumber)

Note: ReferenceError() can be called with or without new. Both create a new ReferenceError instance.

Parameters

message Optional

Human-readable description of the error.

options Optional

An object that has the following properties:

cause Optional

A property indicating the specific cause of the error. When catching and re-throwing an error with a more-specific or useful error message, this property can be used to pass the original error.

fileName Optional

The name of the file containing the code that caused the exception.

lineNumber Optional

The line number of the code that caused the exception

Examples

Catching a ReferenceError

js
try {
  let a = undefinedVariable;
} catch (e) {
  console.log(e instanceof ReferenceError); // true
  console.log(e.message); // "undefinedVariable is not defined"
  console.log(e.name); // "ReferenceError"
  console.log(e.stack); // Stack of the error
}

Creating a ReferenceError

js
try {
  throw new ReferenceError("Hello");
} catch (e) {
  console.log(e instanceof ReferenceError); // true
  console.log(e.message); // "Hello"
  console.log(e.name); // "ReferenceError"
  console.log(e.stack); // Stack of the error
}

Specifications

Specification
ECMAScript Language Specification
# sec-nativeerror-constructors

Browser compatibility

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See also