Why does the position of braces in JavaScript matter? [duplicate]

Question

Consider these two functions.

function func1() {    return    {       foo: 'bar'    } }  function func2() {    return {       foo: 'bar'    } } 

alert(typeof func2()) //return object

alert(typeof func1()) //return undefined

Why does the position of the braces matter when in many other languages it does not? Is it a language feature or a bug?

Answer 1

Because of automatic semicolon insertion. The first code is the same as

function func1() {    return;    {       foo: 'bar'    } } 

If you wonder why this code doesn't produce a syntax error, foo: is a label.

Regarding

Is it a language feature or a bug?

It's a feature. But a very dangerous one. The best way to keep it being a feature for you is to stick to consistent formatting style (I'd suggest to use the Google style guide until you're experienced enough to make your own).