# Keywords in Electrum

**URL:** <https://alloytools.discourse.group/t/keywords-in-electrum/157>\
**Category:** Uncategorized\
**Created:** [May 7, 2021, 11:39am UTC](https://alloytools.discourse.group/t/keywords-in-electrum/157 "2021-05-07T11:39:03Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![esb-dev](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/free1/user_avatar/alloytools.discourse.group/esb-dev/32/63_2.png) [@esb-dev](https://alloytools.discourse.group/u/esb-dev)\
**Post date:** [May 7, 2021, 11:39am UTC](https://alloytools.discourse.group/t/keywords-in-electrum/157/1 "2021-05-07T11:39:03Z")

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Is Time a reserved keyword in Electrum?

```auto
sig Time{}
run {}

```

gives the error message

```auto
Syntax error at line 1 column 5:
There are 3 possible tokens that can appear here:
NAME seq this

```

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![grayswandyr](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/free1/user_avatar/alloytools.discourse.group/grayswandyr/32/17_2.png) [@grayswandyr](https://alloytools.discourse.group/u/grayswandyr)\
**Post date:** [May 10, 2021, 9:46am UTC](https://alloytools.discourse.group/t/keywords-in-electrum/157/2 "2021-05-10T09:46:29Z")

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Hi  
it has been for a long time (!). BUT, since the preparation of the merger of Electrum into Alloy 6, we changed this (to keep “old” Alloy models working without modification).

Starting at Electrum v2.1 (I think), `Time` isn’t a keyword anymore in Electrum.

I suggest you download the latest release which is as of today [v2.1.5](https://github.com/haslab/Electrum2/releases/tag/v2.1.5). Up to minor changes, this the version [merged into the Alloy 6 repository](https://alloytools.discourse.group/t/alloy-6-electrum-is-merged-on-the-master-branch/149).

Up-to-date, end-user-intended documentation is in preparation but, meanwhile you can refer to the [Language Reference](https://github.com/haslab/Electrum2/wiki/Language) for accurate information regarding Electrum v2.1+/Alloy 6 (in particular [keywords](https://github.com/haslab/Electrum2/wiki/Language#lexical-issues)).

Hope this helps.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![esb-dev](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/free1/user_avatar/alloytools.discourse.group/esb-dev/32/63_2.png) [@esb-dev](https://alloytools.discourse.group/u/esb-dev)\
**Post date:** [May 11, 2021, 10:04am UTC](https://alloytools.discourse.group/t/keywords-in-electrum/157/3 "2021-05-11T10:04:31Z")

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Thanks for the hint,

in v 2.1.5 Time is no reserved word anymore and old Alloy specs are processed fine.

Kind regards,  
Burt.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![grayswandyr](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/free1/user_avatar/alloytools.discourse.group/grayswandyr/32/17_2.png) [@grayswandyr](https://alloytools.discourse.group/u/grayswandyr)\
**Post date:** [May 14, 2021, 3:28pm UTC](https://alloytools.discourse.group/t/keywords-in-electrum/157/4 "2021-05-14T15:28:52Z")

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One caveat: the prime symbol now means something in Electrum/Alloy 6, and _this_ may change the meaning of old Alloy models. Please update them accordingly if needed, for instance by replacing every prime symbol `'` by a (so-called) _neutral double-quotation mark_ `"` (which happens to be legal Alloy).

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**Author:** ![hwayne](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/free1/user_avatar/alloytools.discourse.group/hwayne/32/67_2.png) [@hwayne](https://alloytools.discourse.group/u/hwayne)\
**Post date:** [June 25, 2021, 12:40am UTC](https://alloytools.discourse.group/t/keywords-in-electrum/157/5 "2021-06-25T00:40:03Z")

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Awww this makes me sad, because I’m used to using `"` for writing fact names. Why `'` and not backtick, which would be backwards compatible with all previous alloy models?

(Realize it might be too late to change, just asking)

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![grayswandyr](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/free1/user_avatar/alloytools.discourse.group/grayswandyr/32/17_2.png) [@grayswandyr](https://alloytools.discourse.group/u/grayswandyr)\
**Post date:** [June 25, 2021, 8:13am UTC](https://alloytools.discourse.group/t/keywords-in-electrum/157/6 "2021-06-25T08:13:37Z")

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You can still use `"` for fact names.

We chose `'` because it’s the standard way to represent post-state in most formal methods… BTW, although this did not influence our choice consciously, notice also that backticks are hard to type on some non-US keyboards and even to name (I don’t know how to call this symbol in my native language for instance, apart from using an awkward, long description: “apostrophe à l’envers”, not cool when teaching!).