Why doesn't VS Code highlight my nested multiline JavaScript comment like I expect it to?

Question

/*/*! why */
annotation*/

Does anyone know why annotation is not being annotation in this case? I checked VS code.

because the inner annotation (/*) is part of the comment and the comment will end with the first annotation closing — Ibrahim Hamaty
– Ibrahim Hamaty, Commented May 31, 2023 at 1:32

starball · Accepted Answer · 2023-05-31 07:33:37Z

0

This is because JavaScript does not have nestable multiline comments (the same goes for plenty of other languages: Why, in general, are nested block comments NOT allowed?). If you want to read the language spec, see https://tc39.es/ecma262/multipage/ecmascript-language-lexical-grammar.html#sec-comments. Your second "/*" is treated as part of the multiline comment's body (MultiLineCommentChars), and your first "*/" closes the multiline comment. Your next line of "annotation*/" is outside of any comment, and invalid syntax.

answered May 31, 2023 at 7:33

starball♦

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