title: JSON.parse: unexpected character exception on jqgrid
body: <p>I am getting a JSON.parse: unexpected character exception while I am trying to read a local JSON in my JQGrid. </p>
  
  <pre><code>&lt;script type="text/javascript"&gt;
  
  var jsondata =  { 
        "totalpages": "1", 
        "currpage": "1",
        "totalrecords": "2",
        "invdata" : [
          {"name":"New York City", "country":"USA", "continent":"NorthAmerica"},
          {"name":"Paris", "country":"France", "continent":"Europe"}
  
        ]
      };
  
  $(document).ready(function() {
  $("#grid").jqGrid({ data: jsondata,
                      datatype: "json",
                      colNames: ["Name", "Country", "Continent"],
                      colModel: [{
                          name: 'name',
                          index: 'name',
                          editable: true, 
                      }, {
                          name: 'country',
                          index: 'country',
                          editable: true,
                      }, {
                          name: 'continent',
                          index: 'continent',
                          editable: true,
                      }],
                      pager: '#pager',
                      jsonReader : {
                          root:"invdata",
                          page: "currpage",
                          total: "totalpages",
                          records: "totalrecords",
                          repeatitems: false,
                          id: "0"
                       },
                      caption:"Dynamic hide/show column groups"
              }).navGrid("#pager",{edit:false,add:false,del:false});
  
      jQuery("#hc").click( function() { jQuery("#grid").jqGrid('hideCol',["continent"]); }); 
      jQuery("#sc").click( function() { jQuery("#grid").jqGrid('showCol',["continent"]); });
  
  
  });
  
  
  
  &lt;/script&gt;
  </code></pre>
  
  <p>I have tried to lookup in the jqgrid Wiki but still unable to figure out what's wrong. Is there a problem with the jsonReader? I have checked related questions but it didn't help much.</p>