parameter expansion with `:` does not work

[lisa-asket]

>From: Dennis Williamson <dennistwilliamson@gmail.com>
>To: lisa-asket@perso.be
>Subject: Re: parameter expansion with `:` does not work
>Date: 08/07/2021 00:28:33 Europe/Paris
>Cc: bug-bash <bug-bash@gnu.org>



>On Wed, Jul 7, 2021, 4:50 PM <lisa-asket@perso.be> wrote:


>Have noticed that parameter expansion with `:` does not work



>: ${fltype:-"texi,org"}  # alternative to `fltype=`

 



>$ unset foo

>$ : ${foo:-bar}

>$ echo "$foo"



>$ : ${foo:=bar}

>$ echo "$foo"

>bar



>The first form is a substitution and the second form is an assignment.



So you used `:` at the beginning and it worked?