The colon built-in does nothing.

Syntax

  • : [argument…]

Description

The colon built-in does nothing. Any command line arguments are ignored.

Exit status

The exit status of the colon built-in is zero.

Notes

The colon built-in is a special built-in.

Arguments are expanded and redirections are performed as usual. The colon and true built-ins have the same effect, but colon is a special built-in while true is a mandatory.