[Help-bash] pattern replacement experiment

[Bill Gradwohl]

answer='012345'
modifier='?/.'
echo $answer ${answer//?/.} ${answer//${modifier}} 

address@hidden ycc# ./tst
012345 ...... 012345

I expected either for it to work or give me 'bad substitution'.

I didn't expect what I got.

Is it because ${modifier} is considered the pattern only , and not the pattern plus the string?


-- 
Bill Gradwohl