Escaping keywords for use as variables

[cjm51213]

Hi Folks,

I periodically need to use a keyword, like "in", as a variable. How do I escape it? Putting it in quotes is not acceptable because it is no longer a variable, but is now text, which is formatted differently. So, is there a non-format bearing escape mechanism for keywords?

Thanks for the help,

Chris.

[acknak]

As far as I can see, there's no way to do it.I don't even see a good workaround.

Edit: PS:

Maybe something like
a italic "times" b

[cjm51213]

Yes. The "ital" operator is a bad solution, but a solution. The obvious failing is the assumption that variables are italicized, which is a style choice. Wouldn't var{...} be a good way to handle this? Simply state, "This is a variable. Treat it as such."

Thanks for the help,

Chris.

[acknak]

... Wouldn't var{...} be a good way to handle this? ...

Makes sense to me but I couldn't get anything like that to work.

Unfortunately, there is no official, complete documentation of the Math language, so it's anyone's guess as to whether there may be some provision for this.

I did not find any bug report or request for enhancement for this, but you can submit one if you feel inclined: [Tutorial] Reporting bugs or suggestions