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What's the actual usecase of := in parameter replacement? (lemmy.zip)
submitted 1 week ago by to c/shell@programming.dev
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I've seen : "${DB_HOST:=localhost}" because it assigns the variable if not set (: $… is just to run assignments standalone).

But that has the same effect like DB_HOST="${DB_HOST:-localhost} (use the string if not set), which is more readable.

While something like echo "${DB_HOST:=localhost}" smells from a mile, because it has output with side-effects.

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[–] 7 points 1 week ago (2 children)

The argument for : "${foo:=x}" is usually that you don't have to repeat foo, leading to less opportunity for errors and generally DRY.

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