parameter expansion with `:` does not work

[lisa-asket]

>From: Lawrence Velázquez <vq@larryv.me>
>To: lisa-asket@perso.be
>Subject: Re: parameter expansion with `:` does not work
>Date: 08/07/2021 05:23:48 Europe/Paris
>Cc: bug-bash@gnu.org

>> On Jul 7, 2021, at 10:38 PM, lisa-asket@perso.be wrote:
>> 
>> Correct. How do others customarily use `${fdir:=$PWD}` ?

>The common idiom is

>: "${fdir:=$PWD}"

>The ':' utility is used because it does nothing, but its arguments
>are expanded as usual.

I understand Lawrence.  This got me back to the `:` command I had referred to 
in my post.



Thusly I will be using it



: "${fdir:=$PWD}"