parallax/jsPDF · error · Error

atob-Error in jsPDF.convertBase64ToBinaryString

Error message

atob-Error in jsPDF.convertBase64ToBinaryString {e.message}

What it means

convertBase64ToBinaryString calls atob() on the input. If atob throws but validateStringAsBase64() returns true (the string appears structurally valid base64), this error re-throws the original atob exception with additional context. This indicates the base64 string passes structural validation but atob's native decoder still rejects it — possibly due to browser-specific atob behavior, embedded null bytes, or encoding edge cases.

Solutions

Check the e.message in the thrown error for the specific atob failure reason
Try an alternative base64 decoder: Buffer.from(data, 'base64').toString('binary') in Node.js
Re-encode the original binary data to base64 using a reliable encoder to eliminate edge cases
If the data is a data URL, extract only the base64 portion: data.split(',')[1]

Example fix

// before - atob fails despite valid-looking base64
var decoded = doc.convertBase64ToBinaryString(problematicB64);

// after - use Node.js Buffer as alternative decoder
var decoded = Buffer.from(problematicB64, 'base64').toString('binary');
// or re-encode from source
var cleanB64 = btoa(originalBinaryString);
var decoded = doc.convertBase64ToBinaryString(cleanB64);

Defensive patterns

Strategy: try-catch

Validate before calling

// Use an alternative decoder when atob may fail
function safeBase64Decode(str) {
  str = str.replace(/^data:[^;]+;base64,/, '');
  try {
    return atob(str);
  } catch (e) {
    // Fallback to Buffer (Node.js) or manual decoder
    if (typeof Buffer !== 'undefined') {
      return Buffer.from(str, 'base64').toString('binary');
    }
    throw e;
  }
}

Try / catch

try {
  var binary = doc.convertBase64ToBinaryString(data, true);
} catch (e) {
  if (e.message.includes('atob-Error')) {
    // Use alternative base64 decoder
    var binary = typeof Buffer !== 'undefined'
      ? Buffer.from(data, 'base64').toString('binary')
      : atob(data.replace(/[^A-Za-z0-9+/=]/g, ''));
  } else throw e;
}

Prevention

In Node.js, prefer Buffer.from(data, 'base64') over atob for robustness
Re-encode base64 from the original binary to eliminate edge cases
Check for non-printable characters in base64 strings that confuse atob

When it happens

Trigger: A base64 string that passes regex/padding checks but contains bytes that the browser's atob rejects. Edge cases in non-standard atob implementations (older Node.js polyfills, specific browser engines). Base64 strings with embedded null characters that survive the regex check. Very long base64 strings that exceed implementation limits.

Common situations: Cross-browser differences in atob strictness. Node.js environments using a polyfilled atob that behaves differently from browser atob. Image data with unusual byte patterns from non-standard encoders. WebP or JPEG2000 data with header bytes that confuse atob.

Related errors

AI-assisted analysis of parallax/jsPDF@a3930ce03a (2026-08-13). Data as JSON: /api/errors/69afeca373dbfa87. Report an issue: GitHub.

Appendix: source

Thrown at src/modules/addimage.js:945

    throwError
  ) {
    throwError = typeof throwError === "boolean" ? throwError : true;
    var imageData = "";
    var rawData;

    if (typeof stringData === "string") {
      rawData = extractImageFromDataUrl(stringData) ?? stringData;

      try {
        imageData = atob(rawData);
      } catch (e) {
        if (throwError) {
          if (!validateStringAsBase64(rawData)) {
            throw new Error(
              "Supplied Data is not a valid base64-String jsPDF.convertBase64ToBinaryString "
            );
          } else {
            throw new Error(
              "atob-Error in jsPDF.convertBase64ToBinaryString " + e.message
            );
          }
        }
      }
    }
    return imageData;
  });

  /**
   * @name getImageProperties
   * @function
   * @param {Object} imageData
   * @returns {Object}
   */
  jsPDFAPI.getImageProperties = function(imageData) {
    var image;
    var tmpImageData = "";

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