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"Uncaught SyntaxError: Cannot use import statement outside a module" when importing ECMAScript 6

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I'm using ArcGIS JSAPI 4.12 and wish to use Spatial Illusions to draw military symbols on a map.

When I add milsymbol.js to the script, the console returns error

Uncaught SyntaxError: Cannot use import statement outside a module`

so I add type="module" to the script, and then it returns

Uncaught ReferenceError: ms is not defined

Here's my code:

<link rel="stylesheet" href="https://js.arcgis.com/4.12/esri/css/main.css">
<script src="https://js.arcgis.com/4.12/"></script>
<script type="module" src="milsymbol-2.0.0/src/milsymbol.js"></script>
<script>
    require([
        "esri/Map",
        "esri/views/MapView",
        "esri/layers/MapImageLayer",
        "esri/layers/FeatureLayer"
    ], function (Map, MapView, MapImageLayer, FeatureLayer) {
        var symbol = new ms.Symbol("SFG-UCI----D", { size: 30 }).asCanvas(3);
        var map = new Map({
            basemap: "topo-vector"
        var view = new MapView({
            container: "viewDiv",
            map: map,
            center: [121, 23],
            zoom: 7
</script>

So, whether I add type="module" or not, there are always errors. However, in the official document of Spatial Illusions, there isn't any type="module" in the script. I'm now really confused. How do they manage to get it work without adding the type?

File milsymbol.js

import { ms } from "./ms.js";
import Symbol from "./ms/symbol.js";
ms.Symbol = Symbol;
export { ms };
                This question is in the top 10 of all 21,642,537 questions on Stack Overflow in terms of view rate (presumably from search engine hits). It has got about 1800 views per day over its lifetime.
– Peter Mortensen
                Sep 5, 2021 at 11:14
                @PeterMortensen Probably because the title made it look like much more generic than it actually is.
– user3840170
                Mar 11 at 15:54
                Yes. Basically, don't run TypeScript scripts independently, but put them in an existing Angular project and things will work fine ;-)
– wormsparty
                Mar 14, 2021 at 10:03
                Hours. Spent hours trying to get an import to work. Finally gave up for weeks, came back to it, and now your 1 line comment fixed it for me. Thank you.
– Ryan D
                Jan 25 at 23:15
                @RyanD It's in like the second paragraph of the MDN docs, that's usually my go to for any js documentation developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/web/javascript/reference/…
– reggaeguitar
                Apr 9 at 20:18

It looks like the cause of the errors are:

  • You're currently loading the source file in the src directory instead of the built file in the dist directory (you can see what the intended distributed file is here). This means that you're using the native source code in an unaltered/unbundled state, leading to the following error: Uncaught SyntaxError: Cannot use import statement outside a module. This should be fixed by using the bundled version since the package is using rollup to create a bundle.

  • The reason you're getting the Uncaught ReferenceError: ms is not defined error is because modules are scoped, and since you're loading the library using native modules, ms is not in the global scope and is therefore not accessible in the following script tag.

    It looks like you should be able to load the dist version of this file to have ms defined on the window. Check out this example from the library author to see an example of how this can be done.

    Thank you for your reply, now I know I have the wrong file. I've been looking for the dist version of the file but with no result. Do you know any way to get the dist version? Thanks so much! – Jerry Chen Oct 3, 2019 at 5:58 It's available for download on npm (npmjs.com/package/milsymbol). Alternatively, you could build it yourself by cloning the repo and running one of the build scripts. It looks like there's an AMD build script (github.com/spatialillusions/milsymbol/blob/master/…) that should allow you to require the built package directly into your code. – Kai Oct 3, 2019 at 6:15 I've downloaded through npm, now I have script : <script src="node_modules/milsymbol/dist/milsymbol.js"></script>, but the console still returns Uncaught ReferenceError: ms is not defined. The issue is ms is not defined in the dist/milsymbol.js, it's defined in src/milsymbol.js, but it requires type="module" and will cause scope problem. Is there any solution for this. Thanks so much! – Jerry Chen Oct 3, 2019 at 6:33 What if thats the actual intention, referencing it from /src. As the author is not planning to expose a property of a class for example.. – Cristian E. Jan 18, 2021 at 17:20

    I resolved my case by replacing import with require:

    // import { parse } from 'node-html-parser';
    const parse = require('node-html-parser');
                    What is the explanation? Why does this work? Please respond by editing (changing) your answer, not here in comments (without "Edit:", "Update:", or similar - the answer should appear as if it was written today).
    – Peter Mortensen
                    Sep 5, 2021 at 11:39
                    This answer is useful in NodeJs if you want to keep it old school. But it's not related to the question
    – Michel El Hajj
                    Mar 2, 2022 at 10:01
                    How are answers like that real? a) This is 100 % NOT A SOLUTION TO A PROBLEM b) Where is the explanation of what is happening?
    – Michal
                    Mar 26 at 18:34
    

    There are several common ways to resolve the conflict associated with the above issue

    1. The first: In the script, include type=module

    <script type="module" src="milsymbol-2.0.0/src/milsymbol.js"></script>
    

    This is the most recommended way to fix the issue
    By adding the type="module" attribute, you are telling the browser that the script should be treated as an ECMAScript module, and it should use the appropriate rules for resolving dependencies and executing the code.

    2. The second: In node.js, into your package.json file

    "type": "module",

    Restart the project npm start

    3. The third: replace import by require()

    Try this

    import { parse } from 'node-html-parser';
    parse = require('node-html-parser');
    

    Else try this

    // import { parse } from 'node-html-parser';
    parse = require('node-html-parser');
                    What if all 3 of those don't work. I want a simple api.js file with tons of reusable global functions that I don't want to have to import one at a time ever. ie: <script id="apijs" src="%PUBLIC_URL%/api.js"></script>
    – NeoTechni
                    Mar 28, 2022 at 15:31
                    @LonelySoul these are the 3  ways which are the most common fix for the conflict with the above issue
    – loopassembly
                    Jan 16 at 16:01
    

    I was also facing the same issue until I added the type="module" to the script.

    Before it was like this

    <script src="../src/main.js"></script>
    

    And after changing it to

    <script type="module" src="../src/main.js"></script>
    

    It worked perfectly.

    Meaning you're requesting from another domain. You can fix that by adding Access-Control-Allow-Origin: * in your headers. You can check the MDN docs about CORS at developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/HTTP/…. – Desire Kaleba Jun 21, 2020 at 8:26 You need to serve your script in an http server, browsers use an http request to load es6 modules, the server needs to respond in the header a CORS allowing your origin. – danilo Jul 8, 2020 at 1:22

    Applicable for node 12. This answer is no longer maintained for new node versions. Feel free to comment solutions for more recent versions.

    I solved this issue by doing the following:

    When using ECMAScript 6 modules from the browser, use the .js extension in your files, and in the script tag add type = "module".

    When using ECMAScript 6 modules from a Node.js environment, use the extension .mjs in your files and use this command to run the file:

    node --experimental-modules filename.mjs
    

    Edit: This was written when node12 was the latest LTS, this does not apply to node 14 LTS.

    This is no longer necessary. Simply add "type": "module" to your package.json and everything will work as expected. (Use .js for filename extensions) – Chris Perry Apr 9, 2021 at 19:20

    I don't know whether this has appeared obvious here. I would like to point out that as far as client-side (browser) JavaScript is concerned, you can add type="module" to both external as well as internal js scripts.

    Say, you have a file 'module.js':

    var a = 10;
    export {a};
    

    You can use it in an external script, in which you do the import, eg.:

    <!DOCTYPE html><html><body>
    <script type="module" src="test.js"></script><!-- Here use type="module" rather than type="text/javascript" -->
    </body></html>
    

    test.js:

    import {a} from "./module.js";
    alert(a);
    

    You can also use it in an internal script, eg.:

    <!DOCTYPE html><html><body>
    <script type="module">
        import {a} from "./module.js";
        alert(a);
    </script>
    </body></html>
    

    It is worthwhile mentioning that for relative paths, you must not omit the "./" characters, ie.:

    import {a} from "module.js";     // this won't work
                    For those arriving here with a Rails 7 problem. I found add the type="module" like so <%= javascript_include_tag 'someScript', type: "module"  %>` where app/javascript/someScript.js. I didn't understand that this is something like a script tag. This moved the issue along to Uncaught TypeError: Failed to resolve module specifier "ol/Map". Relative references must start with either "/", "./", or "../".
    – Greg
                    Mar 4 at 17:36
    

    If you want to use import instead of require() for modules, change or add the value of type to module in package.json file

    Example:

    package.json file

    "name": "appsample", "version": "1.0.0", "type": "module", "description": "Learning Node", "main": "app.js", "scripts": { "test": "echo \"Error: no test specified\" && exit 1" "author": "Chikeluba Anusionwu", "license": "ISC"
    import http from 'http';
    var host = '127.0.0.1',
        port = 1992,
        server = http.createServer();
    server.on('request', (req, res) => {
      res.writeHead(200, {"Content-Type": "text/plain"});
      res.end("I am using type module in package.json file in this application.");
    server.listen(port, () => console.log(
        'Listening to server ${port}. Connection has been established.'));
    

    For me, it was caused by not referencing a library (specifically typeORM, using the ormconfig.js file, under the entities key) to the src folder, instead of the dist folder...

       "entities": [
          "src/db/entity/**/*.ts", // Pay attention to "src" and "ts" (this is wrong)
    

    instead of

       "entities": [
          "dist/db/entity/**/*.js", // Pay attention to "dist" and "js" (this is the correct way)
    

    I got this error in React and fixed it with the following steps:

  • Go to the project root directory, and open the Package.json file for editing.

  • Add "type":"module";

  • Save it and restart the server.

    @PeterMortensen you are adding an item to a JSON object, items are delimited with commas, so unless you add it at the end you need a comma. – djna Feb 16, 2022 at 9:25

    I'm coding on vanilla JavaScript. If you're doing same, simply add a type="module" to your script tag.

    That is, previous code:

    <script src="./index.js"></script>
    

    Updated code:

    <script type="module" src="./index.js"></script>`
                    @Vega it's not duplicate of mentioned answer. As you can notice, this answer suggested to add type="module" for developer's script definition, your linked answer suggests to mark library's script definition. I've encountered the same error and solved it only using this answer.
    – Barabas
                    Aug 1, 2022 at 11:43
                    The above answer suggests to add type="module", it says: ...because I forgot the type="module" inside the script tag, so does your answer. What is the exact difference?
    – Vega
                    Aug 1, 2022 at 12:40
                    In addition, there is stackoverflow.com/a/61015812/5468463,https://stackoverflow.com/…, stackoverflow.com/a/63085377/5468463, stackoverflow.com/a/69899085/5468463, etc
    – Vega
                    Aug 1, 2022 at 12:44
    

    Why this occurs and more possible causes:

    A lot of interfaces still do not understand ES6 JavaScript syntax/features. Hence there is need for ES6 to be compiled to ES5 whenever it is used in any file or project.

    The possible reasons for the SyntaxError: Cannot use import statement outside a module error is you are trying to run the file independently. You are yet to install and set up an ES6 compiler such as Babel or the path of the file in your runscript is wrong/not the compiled file.

    If you will want to continue without a compiler, the best possible solution is to use ES5 syntax, which in your case would be var ms = require(./ms.js);. This can later be updated as appropriate or better still set up your compiler and ensure your file/project is compiled before running and also ensure your run script is running the compiled file usually named dist, build or whatever you named it and the path to the compiled file in your runscript is correct.

    Thank you. This is one of only two answers that tries to get at the root cause. I would expect Node.js 15.5 to support this 2016 feature though, and yet I'm finding it doesn't? – goldfishalpha Jan 31, 2022 at 11:40 This should be the accepted answer, because as @goldfishalpha says, it is the only answer that goes to the root of the problem. – Luca Fagioli Apr 13 at 7:16

    I have faced the same error by EXPO.

    Mainly the solution is that to add "type": "module", in the package.json file.

    However, you have to check that which is your correct package.json.

    In my case, there are two package.json files, then you should add that to the server file.

    To identify which is correct package.json, find "scripts": { "test": "echo \"Error: no test specified\" && exit 1" },

    Below ↑ this line, add "type": "module",

    Sorry for the late reply, if my memory is correct, this theme is cyberpunk 2077 (beta). But I am not sure, I changed it sooner from the last comment. – K Lee Aug 17, 2022 at 11:08

    The error is triggered because the file you're linking to in your HTML file is the unbundled version of the file. To get the full bundled version you'll have to install it with npm:

    npm install --save milsymbol
    

    This downloads the full package to your node_modules folder.

    You can then access the standalone minified JavaScript file at node_modules/milsymbol/dist/milsymbol.js

    You can do this in any directory, and then just copy the below file to your /src directory.

    --save's been default since npm 5 & node 8 (2017): stackoverflow.com/q/36022926/1821548, nodejs.dev/npm-dependencies-and-devdependencies, github.com/benmosher/eslint-plugin-import/issues/884, auth0.com/blog/whats-new-in-node8-and-npm5 – Det Nov 8, 2019 at 21:30

    Use this code. It worked well for me:

    Add this script tag to file index.html:

    <script type="module">
        import { ms } from "./ms.js";
        import Symbol from "./ms/symbol.js";
    </script>
    

    I ran into this error while trying to use import Express.js.

    Instead of   import express from 'express';

    I used   const express = require('express');

    None of the provided answers worked for me, but I found a different solution from: How to enable ECMAScript 6 imports in Node.js

    Install ESM:

    npm install --save esm
    

    Run with ESM:

    node -r esm server.js
                    Thank you, your comment lead me to install:  @babel/preset-env, and with that npm install, I am able to use the import statement.
    – Thuy
                    Aug 26, 2021 at 1:31
    

    I had to import some data from an external file (JavaScript file), to my script.js file present in my HTML file.

    File data.js

    const data = {a: 1, b: 2}
    

    By adding type=module I got CORS error.

    I found out that I can import file data.js into my script.js file just by including file data.js inside my HTML file.

    For example, previously my HTML file consists of

    <script src="assets/script.js"></script>
    

    As I required some data from file data.js, I just changed my HTML file to:

    <script src="assets/data.js"></script>
    <script src="assets/script.js"></script>
    

    I.e., include file data.js before file script.js, giving access to my data variable inside file script.js.

    Could you show how you use data.js inside script.js? The script.js contains no import statements? – parsecer Mar 2, 2022 at 14:46 @parsecer, Yes there are no import statements inside script.js file. For example. data.js can have const data_js_variable = 1 and we can use this variable inside script.js without the need of any import statements. We just have to include the js files in order inside our html file like<script src="assets/data.js"></script> <script src="assets/script.js"></script> – gg-dev-05 May 6, 2022 at 13:40

    Well, in my case, I didn't want to update my package.json file and change the file type to mjs.

    So I was looking around and found out that changing the module in file tsconfig.json affected the result. My ts.config file was:

    "compilerOptions": { "target": "es2020", "module": "es2020", "lib": [ "es2020", "skipLibCheck": true, "sourceMap": true, "outDir": "./dist", "moduleResolution": "node", "removeComments": true, "noImplicitAny": true, "strictNullChecks": true, "strictFunctionTypes": true, "noImplicitThis": true, "noUnusedLocals": true, "noUnusedParameters": true, "noImplicitReturns": true, "noFallthroughCasesInSwitch": true, "allowSyntheticDefaultImports": true, "esModuleInterop": true, "emitDecoratorMetadata": true, "experimentalDecorators": true, "resolveJsonModule": true, "baseUrl": "." "exclude": [ "node_modules" "include": [ "./src/**/*.ts"

    Like this and changing the module from "module": "es2020" to "module" : "commonjs" solved my issue.

    I was using MikroORM and thought maybe it doesn't support any module above CommonJS.

    I thought I would add this note because it was not apparently obvious to me. You need to add type="module" to all script includes, not just the one you want to use for your utility file.

    index.html:

    <script type="module" src="js/controllers/utils.js"></script>
    <script type="module" src="js/controllers/main.js"></script>`
    

    main.js:

    import myFunction from './utils.js
    

    utils.js:

    export default myFunction
    

    if you want to import functions from module. let's say, main.js has func1 and func2 defined, and you want to import those to function to a new module say, test.js

    Below will solve the problem.

    main.js:

    const func1 = () => {console.log('do sth in func1')};
    const func2 = () => {console.log('do sth in func2')};
    //at the end of module
    //export specific functions here
    module.exports = { func1, func2 };
    

    test.js :

    // import them here
    const{ func1, func2} = require('./main.js');
    func1();
    func2();
    

    Following worked, inline export gave issue but export at the end of fn following worked. const xxx = async(....)

    module.exports = { As it’s currently written, your answer is unclear. Please edit to add additional details that will help others understand how this addresses the question asked. You can find more information on how to write good answers in the help center. – Community May 3 at 9:00

    if you are facing same issue in cucumber type script framework then below fix is working. in cucumber.json file mention as below. install the ts-node

    "default":{ "requireModule":[ "ts-node/register"

    I've added this in the tsconfig.json and it fixed it . I was having this issue when trying to run the mockttp !

    "ts-node": { "compilerOptions": { "module": "commonjs"

  •