# Block quote
**Syntax:** `'HEAD: BODY` (reader shorthand); `#'HEAD: BODY` keeps hygiene
marks

There is no `quote-block` special. A `'` immediately before a block head is a
reader shorthand that lowers to [`compile/quote`](compile-quote.md) over the
block's raw `#block:` cons, through the `layout/quote` handler; `#'` lowers to
[`compile/quote-syntax`](compile-quote-syntax.md) through
`layout/quote-syntax`.

**Use-case:** Capture an indented block as literal data. The whole block,
including any nested sub-blocks, becomes a `#block:` cons without running layout
handlers on it, so macros and other compile-time code receive the block
structure itself.

**Behaviour:** The reader reads the block header and body raw and wraps the
result in a synthetic `(#block: (quote) INNER)` form. The `layout/quote` handler
unboxes that to `(compile/quote INNER)`, which the compiler treats as an
ordinary quote. Nothing expands the quoted block.

Inside the cons, the head line is the first entry, each following body line is
a `#line:` cons over that line's elements, and a nested block is a nested
`#block:` entry.

The `'` must open the statement -- the shorthand reads the block starting at
that column, so it cannot sit in the middle of a line. It reads the primary
block only; a peer block such as `else:` written at the same indentation as the
quoted head is not gathered, and stays a sibling of the enclosing form.

**Examples:**

```koskari
>>> var form:
...   'begin:
...     foo
...     bar
>>> form
(#block: (begin) (#line: foo) (#line: bar))
```

A nested block stays a nested `#block:` entry:

```koskari
>>> var form:
...   'begin:
...     if flag:
...       yes
...     else:
...       no
>>> form
(#block: (begin) (#block: (if flag) (#line: yes)) (#block: (else) (#line: no)))
```

**See also:** [`compile/quote`](compile-quote.md),
[Block quasiquote](compile-quasiquote-block.md),
[layout forms](../layouts/index.md).