Welcome to the Treehouse Community

Want to collaborate on code errors? Have bugs you need feedback on? Looking for an extra set of eyes on your latest project? Get support with fellow developers, designers, and programmers of all backgrounds and skill levels here with the Treehouse Community! While you're at it, check out some resources Treehouse students have shared here.

Looking to learn something new?

Treehouse offers a seven day free trial for new students. Get access to thousands of hours of content and join thousands of Treehouse students and alumni in the community today.

Start your free trial

JavaScript JavaScript Basics (Retired) Making Decisions with Conditional Statements A Basic If Statement

Posted by Scott Hutcheson
Scott Hutcheson
1,073 Points

what is a parse error?

var isAdmin = true; var isStudent = false;

if isAdmin ( true ) { window.alert('welcome administrator'); }

script.js 
var isAdmin = true;
var isStudent = false;

if isAdmin ( true ) {
  window.alert('Welcome administrator');
}
index.html 
<!DOCTYPE HTML>
<html>
<head>
  <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8">
  <title>JavaScript Basics</title>
</head>
<body>
<script src="script.js"></script>
</body>
</html>

3 Answers

victor cooper
victor cooper
6,436 Points
victor cooper
victor cooper
6,436 Points

parse error is a syntax error, meaning that somewhere in your code to wrote something that the language does not understands, in this case it is the IF statement

the IF statement should look like this

if ( isAdmin == true ) {
  window.alert('Welcome administrator');
}
Scott Hutcheson
Scott Hutcheson
1,073 Points

Thanks for that mate

Scott Hutcheson
Scott Hutcheson
1,073 Points
Scott Hutcheson
Scott Hutcheson
1,073 Points

what is the error here?

var isAdmin = false; var isStudent = false;

if ( isAdmin == true ) { alert('Welcome administrator'); } else if ( isStudent == true ) { alert('Welcome student'); } else ( false ) { alert('Who are you?'); }

victor cooper
victor cooper
6,436 Points
victor cooper
victor cooper
6,436 Points

a basic IF/ELSE structure

if ( /*check something*/ ) {
  // if something was true run this code
} else if ( /*check somthing else*/ ) {
  // if something else was true run this code
} else {
  // nothing of the if checks was true so run this
}

you have a () in the else so you get a parse error

should be like this

if ( isAdmin == true ) {
  alert('Welcome administrator');
} else if ( isStudent == true ) {
  alert('Welcome student');
} else {
  alert('Who are you?');
}