NAME

       mark - manipulate message sequences

SYNOPSIS

       mark [+folder] [msgs] [-sequence name ...]  [-add | -delete] [-list] [-public | -nopublic] [-zero |
            -nozero] [-Version] [-help]

DESCRIPTION

       The mark command manipulates message sequences by adding or deleting message numbers from folder-specific
       message sequences, or by listing those sequences and messages.

       A  message  sequence is a keyword, just like one of the `reserved' message names, such as `f' or `n' (see
       mh-sequence(7)).  Unlike the `reserved' message names, which have  a  fixed  semantics  on  a  per-folder
       basis,  the  semantics  of a message sequence may be defined, modified, and removed by the user.  Message
       sequences are folder-specific, e.g., the sequence name `seen' in the context of folder `+inbox' need  not
       have any relation whatsoever to the sequence of the same name in a folder of a different name.

       Three  action  switches  direct  the  operation of mark.  These switches are mutually exclusive: the last
       occurrence of any of them overrides any previous occurrence of the other two.

       The -add switch tells mark to add messages to sequences or to create a new sequence.  For  each  sequence
       named via the -sequence name argument (which must occur at least once) the messages named via msgs (which
       defaults to `c' if no msgs are given), are added to the sequence.  The messages to be added need  not  be
       absent from the sequence.  If the -zero switch is specified, the sequence will be emptied prior to adding
       the messages.  Hence, -add -zero means  that  each  sequence  should  be  initialized  to  the  indicated
       messages, while -add -nozero means that each sequence should be appended to by the indicated messages.

       The  -delete  switch  tells mark to delete messages from sequences, and is the dual of -add.  For each of
       the named sequences, the named messages are removed from  the  sequence.   These  messages  need  not  be
       already  present  in the sequence.  If the -zero switch is specified, then all messages in the folder are
       added to the sequence (first creating the sequence, if necessary) before removing the  messages.   Hence,
       -delete  -zero means that each sequence should contain all messages except those indicated, while -delete
       -nozero means that only the indicated messages should be removed from each sequence.   As  expected,  the
       command `mark -sequence foo -delete all' deletes the sequence `foo' from the current folder.

       When  creating or modifying sequences, you can specify the switches -public or -nopublic to force the new
       or modified sequences to be `public' or `private'.  The  switch  -public  indicates  that  the  sequences
       should  be made `public'.  These sequences will then be readable by all mmh users with permission to read
       the relevant folders.  In contrast, the -nopublic switch indicates that  the  sequences  should  be  made
       `private',  and will only be accessible by you.  If neither of these switches is specified, then existing
       sequences will maintain their current status, and new sequences will default  to  `public'  if  you  have
       write  permission  for the relevant folder.  Check the mh-sequence(7) man page for more details about the
       difference between `public' and `private' sequences.

       The -list switch tells mark to list both the sequences defined for the folder and the messages associated
       with  those sequences.  Mark will list the name of each sequence given by -sequence name and the messages
       associated with that sequence.  If the sequence is private, this will also be indicated.  If no  sequence
       is  specified  by  the  -sequence  switch,  then all sequences for this folder will be listed.  The -zero
       switch does not affect the operation of -list.

       The current restrictions on sequences are:

       • The name used to denote a message sequence must consist of an alphabetic character followed by zero  or
         more  alphanumeric  characters,  and  cannot be one of the (reserved) message names `c', `f', `l', `a',
         `n', `p', or `b'.

       • Only a certain number of sequences may be defined for a given folder.  This number is  usually  limited
         to 29 (13 on small systems). (The +internal implementation relies on bitmasks, with some bits set aside
         +for internal use.)

       • Message ranges with user-defined sequence names are restricted to  the  form  `name:n',  `name:+n',  or
         `name:-n',  and  refer  to  the  first  or  last  `n'  messages  of  the sequence `name', respectively.
         Constructs of the form `name1-name2' are forbidden for user defined sequences.

FILES

       $HOME/.mmh/profile         The user profile

PROFILE COMPONENTS

       Path:                To determine the user's mail storage
       Current-Folder:      To find the default current folder

SEE ALSO

       flist(1), pick(1), mh-sequence(7)

DEFAULTS

       `+folder' defaults to the current folder
       `-add' if -sequence is specified, -list otherwise
       `msgs' defaults to `c' (or `a' if -list is specified)
       `-nozero'

CONTEXT

       If a folder is given, it will become the current folder.

HELPFUL HINTS

       Use flist to find folders with a given sequence, and `pick sequence -list' to enumerate those messages in
       the sequence (such as for use by a shell script).