# If and symbol, bug or feature?
**URL:** https://discourse.julialang.org/t/if-and-symbol-bug-or-feature/75729
**Category:** General Usage
**Tags:** syntax, parser
**Created:** [February 3, 2022, 1:13pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/if-and-symbol-bug-or-feature/75729 "2022-02-03T13:13:54Z")
**Posts on this page:** 7
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@bertschi](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/bertschi)
#### Post date: [February 3, 2022, 1:13pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/if-and-symbol-bug-or-feature/75729/1 "2022-02-03T13:13:54Z")
Hi,
first of all many thanks for Julia … what a great language!
As I could not find this issue, I post it here:
When using an if statement with a symbol, the parser seems to understand it differently as I would:
```julia
if true :a else :b end
```
results in an UndefVarError: a not defined (tested in Julia 1.6 and 1.7).
Everything works fine when using Symbol(:a) or return :a instead. @code\_lowered for the above form gives
CodeInfo(
1 ─ %1 = true:Main.a
└── goto #3 if not %1
2 ─ return nothing
3 ─ return :b
)
Not even sure what this would mean? Is that interpretation intended?
---
### Author:  [@goerch](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/goerch)
#### Post date: [February 3, 2022, 1:26pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/if-and-symbol-bug-or-feature/75729/2 "2022-02-03T13:26:22Z")
> [@bertschi](#):
>
> Is that interpretation intended?
```julia
if true
:a
else
:b
end
```
yields
```julia
:a
```
But even the form `if true :a; else :b; end` results in the mentioned error. I’m perplexed.
---
### Author:  [@lawless-m](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/lawless-m)
#### Post date: [February 3, 2022, 1:28pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/if-and-symbol-bug-or-feature/75729/3 "2022-02-03T13:28:50Z")
`if true; :a else :b end`
works as “intended”
---
### Author:  [@nilshg](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/nilshg)
#### Post date: [February 3, 2022, 1:28pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/if-and-symbol-bug-or-feature/75729/4 "2022-02-03T13:28:51Z")
```julia
julia> if true; :a; else; :b; end
:a
```
I guess it’s just a parsing corner case with what `:` binds to which probably doesn’t come up to often as people tend to not write `if ... else ... end` statements as one liners (as that’s what `true ? :a : :b` is for)
---
### Author:  [@cjdoris](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/cjdoris)
#### Post date: [February 3, 2022, 1:52pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/if-and-symbol-bug-or-feature/75729/5 "2022-02-03T13:52:50Z")
To clarify, it is parsed as `if (true:a) else :b end`.
---
### Author:  [@sijo](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/sijo)
#### Post date: [February 3, 2022, 1:53pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/if-and-symbol-bug-or-feature/75729/6 "2022-02-03T13:53:41Z")
There seems to be several inconsistencies… These all fail:
```julia
julia> if true :a end
ERROR: UndefVarError: a not defined
julia> if true (:a) end
ERROR: syntax: space before "(" not allowed in "true (" at REPL[29]:1
julia> if true [1] end
ERROR: syntax: space before "[" not allowed in "true [" at REPL[31]:1
julia> if true (1,) end
ERROR: syntax: space before "(" not allowed in "true (" at REPL[32]:1
```
while these work:
```julia
julia> if true Symbol('a') end
:a
julia> if true "a" end
"a"
julia> if true 1 end
1
julia> if true 'a' end
'a': ASCII/Unicode U+0061 (category Ll: Letter, lowercase)
julia> if true `a` end
`a`
julia> if true hypot(1,2) end
2.23606797749979
```
Please find an issue…
---
### Author:  [@bertschi](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/bertschi)
#### Post date: [February 3, 2022, 3:12pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/if-and-symbol-bug-or-feature/75729/7 "2022-02-03T15:12:41Z")
Thanks, I have opened an issue.