FOLDER(1)                                                            [nmh-1.5]                                                           FOLDER(1)

NAME

       folder, folders - set/list current folder/message

SYNOPSIS

       folder [+folder] [msg] [-all | -noall] [-create | -nocreate] [-fast | -nofast] [-header | -noheader] [-recurse | -norecurse] [-total |
            -nototal] [-list | -nolist] [-push | -pop] [-pack | -nopack] [-print] [-verbose | -noverbose] [-version] [-help]

       folders is equivalent to folder -all

DESCRIPTION

       Since the nmh environment is the shell, it is easy to lose track of the current folder from day to day.  When folder is  given  the  -print
       switch (the default), folder will list the current folder, the number of messages in it, the range of the messages (low-high), and the cur-
       rent message within the folder, and will flag extra files if they exist.  An example of this summary is:

            inbox+            has  16 messages (  3- 22); cur=  5.

       If a +folder and/or msg are specified, they will become the current folder and/or message.  By  comparison,  when  a  +folder  argument  is
       given,  this corresponds to a "cd" operation in the shell; when no +folder argument is given, this corresponds roughly to a "pwd" operation
       in the shell.

       If the specified (or default) folder doesn't exist, the default action is to query the user as to whether the  folder  should  be  created;
       when standard input is not a tty, the answer to the query is assumed to be "yes".

       Specifying  -create  will  cause  folder  to create new folders without any query.  (This is the easy way to create an empty folder for use
       later.)  Specifying -nocreate will cause folder to exit without creating a non-existant folder.

   Multiple Folders
       Specifying -all will produce a summary line for each top-level folder in the user's nmh directory, sorted alphabetically.   (If  folder  is
       invoked  by  a name ending with "s" (e.g.  folders), -all is assumed).  Specifying -recurse with -all will also produce a line for all sub-
       folders.  These folders are all preceded by the read-only folders, which occur as "atr-cur-" entries in the user's nmh context.  For  exam-
       ple:

            FOLDER                  # MESSAGES RANGE      CUR     (OTHERS)
            /var/work/folder  has  35 messages ( 1- 35);  cur=23.
            /usr/bugs/Mail    has  82 messages ( 1-108);  cur=82.
            ff                has  no messages.
            inbox+            has  16 messages ( 3- 22);  cur= 5.
            mh                has  76 messages (15- 76);  cur=70.
            notes             has   2 messages ( 1-  2);  cur= 1.
            ucom              has 124 messages ( 1-124);  cur= 6; (others).

            TOTAL = 339 messages in 7 folders

       The  "+"  after  inbox  indicates that it is the current folder.  The "(others)" indicates that the folder ucom has files which aren't mes-
       sages.  These files may either be sub-folders, or files that don't belong under the nmh file naming scheme.

       The header is output if either a -all or a -header switch is specified.  It is suppressed by -noheader.

       The folder and message totals are output if either a -all or a -total switch is specified.  It is suppressed by -nototal.

       If -fast is given, only the folder name (or names in the case of -all) will be listed.  (This is faster because the  folders  need  not  be
       read.)

       If a +folder is given along with the -all switch, folder will, in addition to setting the current folder, list the top-level subfolders for
       the current folder (with -norecurse) or list all sub-folders under the current folder recursively (with -recurse).

       If msg is supplied, together with +folder or without -all, it will become the current message of +folder (if it had been supplied)  or  the
       current folder.

       The  -recurse  switch  lists  each folder recursively, so use of this option effectively defeats the speed enhancement of the -fast option,
       since each folder must be searched for subfolders.  Nevertheless, the combination of these options is useful.

   Compacting a Folder
       The -pack switch will compress the message names in the designated folders, removing holes  in  message  numbering.   The  -verbose  switch
       directs folder to tell the user the general actions that it is taking to compress the folder.

   The Folder Stack
       The  -push  switch  directs  folder to push the current folder onto the folder-stack, and make the +folder argument the current folder.  If
       +folder is not given, the current folder and the top of the folder-stack are exchanged.  This corresponds to the "pushd" operation  in  the
       shell.

       The -pop switch directs folder to discard the top of the folder-stack, after setting the current folder to that value.  No +folder argument
       is allowed.  This corresponds to the "popd" operation in the shell.  The -push switch and the -pop switch are mutually exclusive: the  last
       occurrence of either one overrides any previous occurrence of the other.  Both of these switches also set -list by default.

       The  -list  switch  directs  folder to list the contents of the folder-stack.  No +folder argument is allowed.  After a successful -push or
       -pop, the -list action is taken, unless a -nolist switch follows them on the command line.  This corresponds to the "dirs" operation in the
       shell.  The -push, -pop, and -list switches turn off -print.

FILES

       $HOME/.mh_profile          The user profile

PROFILE COMPONENTS

       Path:                To determine the user's nmh directory
       Current-Folder:      To find the default current folder
       Folder-Protect:      To set mode when creating a new folder
       Folder-Stack:        To determine the folder stack

SEE ALSO

       refile(1), mhpath(1)

DEFAULTS

       `+folder' defaults to the current folder
       `msg' defaults to none
       `-nofast'
       `-noheader'
       `-nototal'
       `-nopack'
       `-norecurse'
       `-noverbose'
       `-print' is the default if no -list, -push, or -pop is specified
       `-list' is the default if -push, or -pop is specified

CONTEXT

       If +folder and/or msg are given, they will become the current folder and/or message.

BUGS

       There  is  no  way  to restore the default behavior (to ask the user whether to create a non-existant folder) after -create or -nocreate is
       given.

MH.6.8                                                             11 June 2012                                                          FOLDER(1)