MVC 5 @Scripts.Render("~/bundles/bootstrap") error 'Object reference not set to an instance of an object.'

Question

_Layout.cshtml file fails when attempting to render the bootstrap 5 script bundle (works for earlier versions of bootstrap)

Bundle.Config File

_Layout Debugging

Scripts Folder

Answer 1

Try changing "new ScriptBundle" to "new Bundle" in your "RegisterBundles" within BundleConfig:

bundles.Add(new Bundle("~/bundles/bootstrap").Include("~/Scripts/bootstrap.js"));

Answer 2

I have the same issue after updating bootstrap to the latest (v5.0.2) via Nuget. I see an answer above about changing ScriptBundle to Bundle with minified js. It is not a real solution for this issue. Script bundling is used to minify scripts only on release mode. We need unminified version on debug mode for debugging. So if you are already using minified js, you do not need to add it to bundleconfig.

I tried bundling with both bootstrap.js and bootstrap.bundle.js and got the same exception at script render phase.

I trimmed very long stacktrace as below:

System.NullReferenceException
  HResult=0x80004003
  Message=Object reference not set to an instance of an object.
  Source=WebGrease
  StackTrace:
   at Microsoft.Ajax.Utilities.JSParser.ParseObjectLiteralProperty(Boolean isBindingPattern)
   at Microsoft.Ajax.Utilities.JSParser.ParseObjectLiteral(Boolean isBindingPattern)
   at Microsoft.Ajax.Utilities.JSParser.ParseLeftHandSideExpression(Boolean isMinus)
   at Microsoft.Ajax.Utilities.JSParser.ParseUnaryExpression(Boolean& isLeftHandSideExpr, Boolean isMinus)
   at Microsoft.Ajax.Utilities.JSParser.ParseExpressionList(JSToken terminator)
   at Microsoft.Ajax.Utilities.JSParser.ParseMemberExpression(AstNode expression, List`1 newContexts)
   at Microsoft.Ajax.Utilities.JSParser.ParseLeftHandSideExpression(Boolean isMinus)
   at Microsoft.Ajax.Utilities.JSParser.ParseUnaryExpression(Boolean& isLeftHandSideExpr, Boolean isMinus)
   at Microsoft.Ajax.Utilities.JSParser.ParseExpressionStatement(Boolean fSourceElement)
   at Microsoft.Ajax.Utilities.JSParser.ParseStatement(Boolean fSourceElement, Boolean skipImportantComment)
   at Microsoft.Ajax.Utilities.JSParser.ParseBlock()
   at Microsoft.Ajax.Utilities.JSParser.ParseArrowFunction(AstNode parameters)
   at Microsoft.Ajax.Utilities.JSParser.ParseLeftHandSideExpression(Boolean isMinus)
   at Microsoft.Ajax.Utilities.JSParser.ParseUnaryExpression(Boolean& isLeftHandSideExpr, Boolean isMinus)

I think there is a js format issue in new bootstrap.js or bootstrap.bundle.js which causes the parser crash.

Answer 3

As @Manoj Salvi commented, Bootstrap 5 can be successfully bundled with:

bundles.Add(new Bundle("~/scripts/core").Include("~/content/scripts/bootstrap.bundle.min.js"));