BabylonJS/Babylon.js · error · Error

`Uniforms must have a name: '${uniformLine}'`

Error message

`Uniforms must have a name: '${uniformLine}'`

What it means

Symmetric to the type check: the regex matched but the name capture group is empty, so the uniform has a type but no recognizable name. The tool cannot create a named uniform/connection point without it.

Source

Thrown at packages/dev/smartFilters/src/utils/buildTools/shaderConverter.ts:148

        const annotationJSON = matches[1];
        const uniformLine = matches[2];

        if (!uniformLine) {
            throw new Error("Uniform line not found");
        }

        const uniformLineMatches = new RegExp(/^uniform\s+(\w+)\s+(\w+)\s*;?/gm).exec(uniformLine);
        if (!uniformLineMatches || uniformLineMatches.length < 3) {
            throw new Error(`Uniforms must have a type and a name: '${uniformLine}'`);
        }
        const uniformTypeString = uniformLineMatches[1];
        const uniformName = uniformLineMatches[2];

        if (!uniformTypeString) {
            throw new Error(`Uniforms must have a type: '${uniformLine}'`);
        }
        if (!uniformName) {
            throw new Error(`Uniforms must have a name: '${uniformLine}'`);
        }

        // Convert to ConnectionPointType
        let type: ConnectionPointType;
        switch (uniformTypeString) {
            case "float":
                type = ConnectionPointType.Float;
                break;
            case "sampler2D":
                type = ConnectionPointType.Texture;
                break;
            case "vec3":
                type = ConnectionPointType.Color3;
                break;
            case "vec4":
                type = ConnectionPointType.Color4;
                break;
            case "bool":

View on GitHub (pinned to 0592b347b8)

Solutions

  1. Add an identifier name to the uniform declaration.
  2. Verify each uniform line follows 'uniform <type> <name>;' exactly.
  3. Check the echoed line in the error message to locate the broken statement.

Example fix

// before
uniform float;
// after
uniform float opacity;
Defensive patterns

Strategy: validation

Validate before calling

src.split('\n').forEach((l, i) => { const m = l.trim().match(/^uniform\s+(\w+)\s+(\w+)\s*;?$/); if (l.trim().startsWith('uniform') && (!m || !m[2])) console.error(`Uniform missing name at line ${i+1}`); });

Try / catch

try { await ConvertShader(path, ...); } catch (e) { const m = e.message.match(/Uniforms must have a name: '(.*)'/); if (m) { addUniformName(m[1]); } else { throw e; } }

Prevention

When it happens

Trigger: A declaration like 'uniform float;' or trailing characters that stop the (\w+) name capture from matching.

Common situations: Incomplete declarations after editing; accidentally deleting a uniform's name; template generation bugs producing nameless uniforms.

Related errors

AI-assisted analysis of BabylonJS/Babylon.js@0592b347b8 (2026-08-30). Data as JSON: /api/errors/87b765b4e2afd5fe. Report an issue: GitHub.