From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Return-Path: Received: (qmail 19838 invoked from network); 31 Mar 2007 23:42:06 -0000 X-Spam-Checker-Version: SpamAssassin 3.1.8 (2007-02-13) on f.primenet.com.au X-Spam-Level: X-Spam-Status: No, score=-1.0 required=5.0 tests=BAYES_00,FORGED_RCVD_HELO, RCVD_NUMERIC_HELO autolearn=no version=3.1.8 Received: from news.dotsrc.org (HELO a.mx.sunsite.dk) (130.225.247.88) by ns1.primenet.com.au with SMTP; 31 Mar 2007 23:42:06 -0000 Received-SPF: none (ns1.primenet.com.au: domain at sunsite.dk does not designate permitted sender hosts) Received: (qmail 14690 invoked from network); 31 Mar 2007 20:55:18 -0000 Received: from sunsite.dk (130.225.247.90) by a.mx.sunsite.dk with SMTP; 31 Mar 2007 20:55:17 -0000 Received: (qmail 2178 invoked by alias); 31 Mar 2007 20:55:07 -0000 Mailing-List: contact zsh-users-help@sunsite.dk; run by ezmlm Precedence: bulk X-No-Archive: yes X-Seq: 11360 Received: (qmail 2164 invoked from network); 31 Mar 2007 20:55:07 -0000 Received: from news.dotsrc.org (HELO a.mx.sunsite.dk) (130.225.247.88) by sunsite.dk with SMTP; 31 Mar 2007 20:55:07 -0000 Received: (qmail 13166 invoked from network); 31 Mar 2007 20:55:06 -0000 Received: from main.gmane.org (HELO ciao.gmane.org) (80.91.229.2) by a.mx.sunsite.dk with SMTP; 31 Mar 2007 20:55:03 -0000 Received: from root by ciao.gmane.org with local (Exim 4.43) id 1HXkbG-0001zc-7j for zsh-users@sunsite.dk; Sat, 31 Mar 2007 22:55:02 +0200 Received: from 141.70.82.221 ([141.70.82.221]) by main.gmane.org with esmtp (Gmexim 0.1 (Debian)) id 1AlnuQ-0007hv-00 for ; Sat, 31 Mar 2007 22:55:02 +0200 Received: from miciah.masters by 141.70.82.221 with local (Gmexim 0.1 (Debian)) id 1AlnuQ-0007hv-00 for ; Sat, 31 Mar 2007 22:55:02 +0200 X-Injected-Via-Gmane: http://gmane.org/ To: zsh-users@sunsite.dk From: Miciah Dashiel Butler Masters Subject: Documentation of colon in parameter expansion Date: Sat, 31 Mar 2007 20:51:49 +0000 (UTC) Message-ID: Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit X-Complaints-To: usenet@sea.gmane.org X-Gmane-NNTP-Posting-Host: main.gmane.org User-Agent: Loom/3.14 (http://gmane.org/) X-Loom-IP: 141.70.82.221 (ELinks/0.12.GIT (textmode; Linux 2.6.17-1-amd64-k8 x86_64; 106x66-3)) Sender: news Hello, I was recently trying to look up the syntax for '${NAME-WORD}'. A search for '${NAME:-WORD}' turns up information on that syntax, but one must look several paragraphs down to see that '${NAME-WORD}' is also allowed and has a distinct meaning. The string '${NAME-WORD}' never appears in the manual. I foolishly assumed that this meant that the syntax is undefined. Since the manual can be expected to be used primarily as a reference (I personally have not read it thru in years), it seems like my behaviour is to be expected. Per haps the manual should have the string '${NAME-WORD}' immediately above or below the string '${NAME:-WORD}', and a sentence along the lines of, 'See below about the variant of this syntax without the colon.' Similar naturally applies to '${NAME:+WORD}', '${NAME:=WORD}', &c. I realise that this means a fair bit of duplication, so I only offer it as a suggestion. Love, -- Miciah Masters / /