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.