Rust provides a mechanism for using keywords as identifiers through raw identifiers. Raw identifiers are prefixed with r#, allowing developers to use any word as an identifier, even if it happens to be a reserved keyword.
For example, if the keyword match is to be used as a function name, the raw identifier syntax is employed:
Rust
fn r#match(needle: &str, haystack: &str) -> bool {
haystack.contains(needle)
}
fn main() {
assert!(r#match("foo", "foobar"));
}In this example, the r# prefix on the function name indicates the use of a raw identifier, allowing the reserved keyword match to be used as a function identifier without conflicts.
Raw identifiers offer flexibility in choosing identifier names and enable integration with programs written in languages where these words are not keywords. Additionally, they allow the use of libraries written in different Rust editions, providing compatibility across different language versions.
