# \`public\` cannot be used when quoting
**URL:** https://discourse.julialang.org/t/public-cannot-be-used-when-quoting/112657
**Category:** General Usage
**Created:** [April 8, 2024, 12:57am UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/public-cannot-be-used-when-quoting/112657 "2024-04-08T00:57:02Z")
**Posts on this page:** 2
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@matthias314](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/matthias314)
#### Post date: [April 8, 2024, 12:57am UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/public-cannot-be-used-when-quoting/112657/1 "2024-04-08T00:57:02Z")
To create an expression involving the new “keyword” `public` of Julia 1.11, one can say something like
```julia
julia> Expr(:public, :x)
:(public x)
```
The following does not work, however:
```julia
julia> :(public x)
ERROR: ParseError:
# Error @ REPL[2]:1:10
:(public x)
# ╙ ── Expected `)`
```
Maybe this is because `public` is actually _not_ a [reserved keyword](https://docs.julialang.org/en/v1.12-dev/base/base/#Keywords). Anyway, is this behaviour intended? Maybe there would be a way to allow the second form even if `public` is not a reserved keyword. After all, it works outside of quoted expressions.
---
### Author:  [@nsajko](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/nsajko)
#### Post date: [April 8, 2024, 1:23am UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/public-cannot-be-used-when-quoting/112657/2 "2024-04-08T01:23:41Z")
>
>
> It'd be great if this could work:
>
> \`\`\`julia
> julia\> :(public foo)
> ERROR: Pars…eError:
> \# Error @ REPL\[13\]:1:10
> :(public foo)
> \# └─┘ ── Expected \`)\`
> Stacktrace:
> \[1\] top-level scope
> @ none:1
> \`\`\`
>
> Found because I was exploring \`public\` behaviors interactively and was trying to do something like the below — the equivalent using \`export\` works:
>
> \`\`\`julia
> julia\> @eval Base begin
> foo = 1
> public foo
> ERROR: ParseError:
> \# Error @ REPL\[16\]:3:8
> foo = 1
> public foo
> \# └─┘ ── Expected \`end\`
> Stacktrace:
> \[1\] top-level scope
> @ none:1
> \`\`\`