ReferenceError
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.
* Some parts of this feature may have varying levels of support.
The ReferenceError object represents an error when a variable that doesn't exist (or hasn't yet been initialized) in the current scope is referenced.
ReferenceError is a serializable object, so it can be cloned with structuredClone() or copied between Workers using postMessage().
ReferenceError is a subclass of Error.
Constructor
ReferenceError()-
Creates a new
ReferenceErrorobject.
Instance properties
Also inherits instance properties from its parent Error.
These properties are defined on ReferenceError.prototype and shared by all ReferenceError instances.
ReferenceError.prototype.constructor-
The constructor function that created the instance object. For
ReferenceErrorinstances, the initial value is theReferenceErrorconstructor. ReferenceError.prototype.name-
Represents the name for the type of error. For
ReferenceError.prototype.name, the initial value is"ReferenceError".
Instance methods
Inherits instance methods from its parent Error.
Examples
Catching a ReferenceError
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
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® 2026 Language Specification # sec-native-error-types-used-in-this-standard-referenceerror |
Browser compatibility
Loading…