Title: In-Page Script Not Working
Last modified: August 18, 2016

---

# In-Page Script Not Working

 *  [johnywhy](https://wordpress.org/support/users/johnywhy/)
 * (@johnywhy)
 * [18 years, 5 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/in-page-script-not-working/)
 * i created a ‘hello world’ javascript .js file, which pops up a ‘hello world’ 
   alert. then i put calling script into my page, exactly as described in the codex
   section, “Javascript in Posts”, here:
    [http://codex.wordpress.org/Using_Javascript](http://codex.wordpress.org/Using_Javascript)
 * it worked. then later, without any changes to the .js file, or the page, it stopped
   working. i cleared my browser cache, disabled and uninstalled super-cache (my
   site runs faster without it anyway), but still no dice.
 * Any ideas? Here’s the page:
    [http://picnictoimpeach.us/home/hello-javascript](http://picnictoimpeach.us/home/hello-javascript)
 * javascript plugins work normally, including Riffly Multimedia Comments, ShareThis,
   and AddThis.
 * firefox firebug reports:
 *     ```
       syntax error
       createAJAX()tw-sack.js (line 43)
       sack("/wp-content/plugins/email/email.php")tw-sack.js (line 192)
       <!– helloworld(); //–>
       ```
   
 * then i removed wp-email snippet from page.php, and deactivated wp-email plugin.
   now i get:
 *     ```
       syntax error
       http://picnictoimpeach.us/home/hello-javascript
       Line 111
       ```
   

Viewing 14 replies - 1 through 14 (of 14 total)

 *  Moderator [Samuel Wood (Otto)](https://wordpress.org/support/users/otto42/)
 * (@otto42)
 * WordPress.org Admin
 * [18 years, 5 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/in-page-script-not-working/#post-660595)
 * Your script does not exist. Here’s the code in your page:
 *     ```
       <script src="/scripts/updatepage.js" type="text/javascript"> </script> <script type="text/javascript"> <!– helloworld(); //–></script>
       ```
   
 * First, there is no [http://picnictoimpeach.us/scripts/updatepage.js](http://picnictoimpeach.us/scripts/updatepage.js)
   file on your server.
 * Second, your code is still wrong. You should use TWO dashes around code like 
   that, not one. Also, there should be separate lines. Like so:
 *     ```
       <script type="text/javascript">
       <!--
       helloworld();
       //--></script>
       ```
   
 * Line spacing is important in scripting.
 *  Thread Starter [johnywhy](https://wordpress.org/support/users/johnywhy/)
 * (@johnywhy)
 * [18 years, 5 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/in-page-script-not-working/#post-660609)
 * i’m embarrassed about the .js filename!
 * but confused about the dashes– i copied that script from elsewhere, and you’ll
   notice they are not even dashes.
 * here’s a dash:
    –
 * here’s what’s in the script:
    –
 * the example you offered mixes them. i made them both dashes, and still does not
   work.
 * i used the line spacing you gave (i just pasted your whole code into my page).
   but after saving, i found wordpress removes your line spacing.
 * strangely, firebug is no longer reporting the error, but the script is still 
   not executing. here are the contents of partyhost.js:
 *     ```
       function helloWorld() {
         alert('Hello World!') ;
       }
       ```
   
 *  Moderator [Samuel Wood (Otto)](https://wordpress.org/support/users/otto42/)
 * (@otto42)
 * WordPress.org Admin
 * [18 years, 5 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/in-page-script-not-working/#post-660611)
 * Errr… I’m confused. There’s only one kind of “dash” on my keyboard, and that’s
   the minus sign. I know you can use em and en dashes and such, but this is code,
   not text.
 * Trust me on this one. Use the minus sign, and use two of them.
 * Don’t worry about WordPress mangling the spacing for now. But it won’t do that
   if you use the non-visual editor, I think.
 * Anyway, your problem right now is bad nesting.
    `<script src="/myscripts/partyhost.
   js" type="text/javascript"> <script type="text/javascript"> <!-- helloworld();//--
   ></script>` Notice that the first script tag is not closed? That will make it
   not work too. 🙂 Add a </script> after the first script tag.
 * On a higher level topic, it is generally a bad idea to put javascript code directly
   into posts. This is true for lots of reasons, but the most obvious one is that
   people may not be reading your post content on your site itself. Think of RSS
   feeds and feedreaders. Post content should be.. well.. content. Not formatting
   or effects. Generally speaking, you want to put layout and effects into the theme
   directly. There are very few exceptions to this general principle.
 * However, since you’re clearly just experimenting, go nuts. But for future reference,
   you almost always want to avoid putting scripts into posts.
 *  Thread Starter [johnywhy](https://wordpress.org/support/users/johnywhy/)
 * (@johnywhy)
 * [18 years, 5 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/in-page-script-not-working/#post-660616)
 * thanks for indulging a javascript beginner.
 * here’s my current code. i used the minus-sign on the number keypad. see the contents
   of the .js file above.
 * still not executing.
 * `<script src="/myscripts/partyhost.js" type="text/javascript"></script> <script
   type="text/javascript"> <!-- helloworld(); //--></script>`
 *  Thread Starter [johnywhy](https://wordpress.org/support/users/johnywhy/)
 * (@johnywhy)
 * [18 years, 5 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/in-page-script-not-working/#post-660617)
 * re the recommendation not to put javascript into posts, i understand your recommendation
   to avoid javascript, but it is supported by the codex, and it’s more of a design/
   usability/standards question, not a corruption risk, right?
 * this is a page, not a post. i’m not planning to put any dynamic content on this
   page that anyone would want to subscribe to it.
 * and lorelle supports it 😉
 * [http://lorelle.wordpress.com/2005/09/16/using-javascript-in-wordpress/](http://lorelle.wordpress.com/2005/09/16/using-javascript-in-wordpress/)
 *  Moderator [Samuel Wood (Otto)](https://wordpress.org/support/users/otto42/)
 * (@otto42)
 * WordPress.org Admin
 * [18 years, 5 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/in-page-script-not-working/#post-660618)
 * Javascript is case sensitive. helloworld() is not the same as helloWorld().
 * 🙂
 *  Thread Starter [johnywhy](https://wordpress.org/support/users/johnywhy/)
 * (@johnywhy)
 * [18 years, 5 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/in-page-script-not-working/#post-660621)
 * fixed case. no go. current code:
 * `<script src="/myscripts/partyhost.js" type="text/javascript"></script> <script
   type="text/javascript"> <!-- helloWorld(); //--></script>`
 *  Moderator [Samuel Wood (Otto)](https://wordpress.org/support/users/otto42/)
 * (@otto42)
 * WordPress.org Admin
 * [18 years, 5 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/in-page-script-not-working/#post-660622)
 * > _re the recommendation not to put javascript into posts, i understand your 
   > recommendation to avoid javascript, but it is supported by the codex, and it’s
   > more of a design/usability debate, then a corruption risk, right?_
 * Yes, more or less. I have no particular problem with putting it in Pages, however
   in such cases I have to question whether it makes more sense to put such content
   in the database or to make a custom Page Template with that content in it.
 * In Posts it’s just bad, bad, bad.
 * And as much as I hate to disagree with Lorelle, I do. You simply cannot consider
   your audience to be the people looking at your site, feeds are up to 30% of the
   readers of even smaller sites nowadays. And up to 60% of larger sites. her example(
   and yours) will not work in any feed reader simply because she’s not using complete
   paths to the scripts. It might work if you did use the full http path, but even
   then the feed reader might not render javascript.
 * Anyway, just because you *can* do something doesn’t mean you *should* do that
   thing. If the javascript is just there for pretty effects, and not critical to
   the content, then it’s fine to put in a post, but then again in that case it’s
   probably distracting and you should question whether you need it there at all.
 *  Moderator [Samuel Wood (Otto)](https://wordpress.org/support/users/otto42/)
 * (@otto42)
 * WordPress.org Admin
 * [18 years, 5 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/in-page-script-not-working/#post-660624)
 * Argh. I don’t know. Get rid of the comments, perhaps the lack of line spacing
   is screwing with it.
 * `<script src="/myscripts/partyhost.js" type="text/javascript"></script><script
   type="text/javascript">helloWorld();</script>`
 *  Thread Starter [johnywhy](https://wordpress.org/support/users/johnywhy/)
 * (@johnywhy)
 * [18 years, 5 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/in-page-script-not-working/#post-660625)
 * bingo!
 * [http://picnictoimpeach.us/pix/wp_javascript.jpg](http://picnictoimpeach.us/pix/wp_javascript.jpg)
 * mucho grazi.
 *  Thread Starter [johnywhy](https://wordpress.org/support/users/johnywhy/)
 * (@johnywhy)
 * [18 years, 5 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/in-page-script-not-working/#post-660638)
 * so, comments disabled the script. does this mean the codex should be updated?
 *  Moderator [Samuel Wood (Otto)](https://wordpress.org/support/users/otto42/)
 * (@otto42)
 * WordPress.org Admin
 * [18 years, 5 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/in-page-script-not-working/#post-660640)
 * No, because comments would not have disabled the script if the line spacing was
   correct. The comments are also required (in theory) for browsers that don’t understand
   scripts (which these days is virtually all of them, I admit).
 * Are you using the visual editor? If so, then that’s probably your problem.
 *  Thread Starter [johnywhy](https://wordpress.org/support/users/johnywhy/)
 * (@johnywhy)
 * [18 years, 5 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/in-page-script-not-working/#post-660682)
 * i’m using the built-in editor, on the code-pane of course. if the code-pane of
   the built-in editor mangles line-spacing, then would that be considered a bug?
 * is script commenting still required by the current html spec?
 *  Moderator [Samuel Wood (Otto)](https://wordpress.org/support/users/otto42/)
 * (@otto42)
 * WordPress.org Admin
 * [18 years, 5 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/in-page-script-not-working/#post-660731)
 * There’s no “spec” for such a thing. Generally you can leave the comments out 
   without any ill effects.

Viewing 14 replies - 1 through 14 (of 14 total)

The topic ‘In-Page Script Not Working’ is closed to new replies.

 * In: [Fixing WordPress](https://wordpress.org/support/forum/how-to-and-troubleshooting/)
 * 14 replies
 * 2 participants
 * Last reply from: [Samuel Wood (Otto)](https://wordpress.org/support/users/otto42/)
 * Last activity: [18 years, 5 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/in-page-script-not-working/#post-660731)
 * Status: not resolved

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