Invalid CFML construct found on line inside <script> tag

[Vishnu22410012h6s8]

Please find the below sample code,

<cfif local.fields[myName].readOnly>

<cfset thisAction = "view">

<cfelse>

<cfset thisAction = arguments.action>

</cfif>

<cfoutput>

<cfswitch expression="#thisAction#">

<cfcase value="edit">

<textarea id="#myName#"

name="#myName#"

rows="#local.fields[myName].rows#"

cols="#local.fields[myName].cols#"

onkeydown="maxlength#myName#(this,'#local.fields[myName].MaxLength#');maxlength1#myName#(this);"

onkeyup="maxlength#myName#(this,'#local.fields[myName].MaxLength#');maxlength1#FmyName#(this);"

>#IIF(len(local.fields[myName].value), DE(URLDecode(local.fields[myName].value)), DE(local.fields[myName].DefaultValue))#</textarea>

</cfcase>

<cfdefaultcase> 

<cfif LEN(local.fields[myName].value)>

<pre>#IIF(len(local.fields[myName].value), DE(URLDecode(local.fields[myName].value)), DE(local.fields[myName].DefaultValue))#</pre>

<cfelse>

<!--- nothing to display yet --->

<span style="font-style: italic;">N/A</span>

</cfif>

</cfdefaultcase>

</cfswitch>

<script type="text/javascript">

function maxlength#myName#(textarea,maxLength){

var mainString = textarea.value;

var len = mainString.length;

if (len >= maxLength) {

textarea.value = textarea.value.substr(0, maxLength);

return false;

}

}//end maxlength

function maxlength1#myName#(textarea){

str = textarea.value;

newStr = str.replace(/[&#]/g, "" ); // error 'Invalid CFML construct found on line' , occurs here

if(isNaN(newStr)){

newStr = "";

} else{

}

textarea.value = newStr;

}//end maxlength

</script>

</cfoutput>

My goal is : I should not be able to enter special characters '#' and '&'  in the textarea. I thought the following piece of code would stop me from entering # and & in the text area :

newStr = str.replace(/[&#]/g, "" );

However I'm getting error ,

Invalid CFML construct found on line newStr = str.replace(/[&#]/g, "" ); 

Please help me. 

Thanks,

Vishnu

[sdsinc_pmascari]

# is reserved for variable use in CF.  To use it in a regular expression in a function like you are, I believe you need to use a double-hash: ##  So,

newStr = str.replace(/[&##]/g, "" );

[Vishnu22410012h6s8]

Thanks for replying,  it doesn't seem to be working. Is there any other way we can solve this?

And can you please let me know what is \.\- in the below line of code ,

newStr = str.replace(/[^0-9\.\-]/g, "" );

[Vishnu22410012h6s8]

I'm sory it works thank you!

[Charlie Arehart]

Vishnu, you have a couple of problems there. First the compilation error is because you're passing in as the first argument some characters (the regex) that form a string--and a string in cfml must be enclosed in quotes.

More important, though, the cfml replace expression doesn't work with regular expressions. (Did you find some resource suggesting it would? Where is it?) 

Instead, consider the rereplace and rereplacenocase functions. See the docs starting at https://helpx.adobe.com/coldfusion/cfml-reference/coldfusion-functions/functions-m-r/replace.html. See especially the first example, which you can also run online at the Cffiddle site. Then see still more on the topic at https://helpx.adobe.com/coldfusion/developing-applications/the-cfml-programming-language/using-regul...

Let us know how things go.