# Why are spaces not allowed between function names and parentheses?
**URL:** https://discourse.julialang.org/t/why-are-spaces-not-allowed-between-function-names-and-parentheses/96941
**Category:** Internals & Design
**Tags:** question, compiler
**Created:** [April 1, 2023, 10:33am UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/why-are-spaces-not-allowed-between-function-names-and-parentheses/96941 "2023-04-01T10:33:26Z")
**Posts on this page:** 2
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@SeSodesa](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/SeSodesa)
#### Post date: [April 1, 2023, 10:33am UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/why-are-spaces-not-allowed-between-function-names-and-parentheses/96941/1 "2023-04-01T10:33:26Z")
I’ve recently come to realize when using other languages, that I really like to write a space between a function name and the tuple that defines its input arguments, as in
```julia
fn (x) = x
```
instead of
```julia
fn(x) = x
```
This feels even more relevant, when _calling_ functions in a compound fashion, as in
```julia
norm = sqrt ( sum ( vector .^ 2 ) )
```
as I feel that it makes lines like these much easier to read (for myself). Is there a particular reason why doesn’t Julia allow the use spaces in these places, and instead throws an error
```julia
ERROR: syntax: space before "(" not allowed in "fn ("
```
?
---
### Author:  [@rafael.guerra](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/rafael.guerra)
#### Post date: [April 1, 2023, 11:11am UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/why-are-spaces-not-allowed-between-function-names-and-parentheses/96941/2 "2023-04-01T11:11:52Z")
Check [this older thread](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/whitespace-sensitivity/76211) on the same topic and in particular [this post](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/whitespace-sensitivity/76211/12) from the boss.