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 current 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.  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 example:

            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  messages.   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's 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

       mhpath(1), refile(1), rmf(1)

DEFAULTS

       +folder             The current folder.
       msg                 “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.