.\"
.TH MH-SEQUENCE %manext7% "%nmhdate%" MH.6.8 [%nmhversion%]
.SH NAME
-mh-sequence \- sequence specification for nmh message system
-.SH SYNOPSIS
-most
-.B nmh
-commands
+mh-sequence \- sequence specification for mh message system
.SH DESCRIPTION
A sequence (or sequence set) is a symbolic name representing a
message or collection of messages.
-.B nmh
+.B mmh
has several internally
defined sequences, as well as allowing users to define their own
sequences.
.SS "Message Specification and Pre\-Defined Message Sequences"
Most
-.B nmh
+.B mmh
commands accept a `msg' or `msgs' specification, where
`msg' indicates one message and `msgs' indicates one or more messages.
To designate a message, you may use either its number (e.g., 1, 10, 234)
.nf
.ta +\w'\fIName\fP 'u
.I "Name Description
-first the first message in the folder
-last the last message in the folder
-cur the most recently accessed message
-prev the message numerically preceding `cur'
-next the message numerically following `cur'
+f the first message in the folder
+p the message numerically preceding `c'
+c the most recently accessed message
+n the message numerically following `c'
+l the last message in the folder
.fi
.RE
.PP
-In commands that take a `msg' argument, the default is `cur'.
-As a shorthand, `\&.' is equivalent to `cur'.
+In commands that take a `msg' argument, the default is `c'.
.PP
For example: In a folder containing five messages numbered 5, 10, 94, 177
-and 325, `first' is 5 and `last' is 325. If `cur'
-is 94, then `prev' is 10 and `next' is 177.
+and 325, `f' is 5 and `l' is 325. If `c'
+is 94, then `p' is 10 and `n' is 177.
.PP
The word `msgs' indicates that one or more messages may be specified.
Such a specification consists of one message designation or of several
either of a message name as defined above, or a message range.
.PP
A message range is specified as `name1\-name2' or
-`name:n', where `name', `name1' and `name2' are message names,
-and `n' is an integer.
+`name:i', where `name', `name1' and `name2' are message names,
+and `i' is an integer.
.PP
The specification `name1\-name2' designates all currently existing
messages from `name1' to `name2' inclusive. The `reserved'
-message name `all' is a shorthand for the message range
-`first\-last'.
+message name `a' (``all'') is a shorthand for the message range
+`f\-l'.
.PP
-The specification `name:n' designates up to `n' messages.
+.RS 5
+.nf
+.ta +\w'\fIName\fP 'u
+.I "Name Description
+a all messages in the folder (i.e. `f\-l')
+.fi
+.RE
+.PP
+The specification `name:i' designates up to `i' messages.
These messages start with `name' if `name' is a message number or one of
-the reserved names `first' `cur', or `next', The
-messages end with `name' if `name' is `prev' or `last'.
-The interpretation of `n' may be overridden by preceding `n' with a
-plus or minus sign; `+n' always means up to `n' messages starting with
-`name', and `\-n' always means up to `n' messages ending with `name'.
+the reserved names `f' `c', or `n', The
+messages end with `name' if `name' is `p' or `l'.
+The interpretation of `i' may be overridden by preceding `i' with a
+plus or minus sign; `+i' always means up to `i' messages starting with
+`name', and `\-i' always means up to `i' messages ending with `name'.
.PP
In commands which accept a `msgs' argument, the default is either
-`cur' or `all', depending on which makes more sense
-for each command (see the individual man pages for details). Repeated
+`c' or `a', depending on which makes more sense
+for each command (see the individual man pages for details).
+.PP
+Repeated
specifications of the same message have the same effect as a single
specification of the message.
.PP
-There is also a special `reserved' message name `new'
-which is used by the
+There is also a special `reserved' message name `b' (``beyond'')
+which can be used with the
.B mhpath
-command.
+command. It refers to the next (not yet used) message number
+after `l'.
+.PP
+.RS 5
+.nf
+.ta +\w'\fIName\fP 'u
+.I "Name Description
+b the next message number beyond `l'
+.fi
+.RE
.SS "User\-Defined Message Sequences"
In addition to the `reserved' (pre-defined) message names given
above,
-.B nmh
+.B mmh
supports user-defined sequence names. User-defined
sequences allow the
-.B nmh
+.B mmh
user a tremendous amount of power in dealing
with groups of messages in the same folder by allowing the user to bind
a group of messages to a meaningful symbolic name.
character followed by zero or more alphanumeric characters, and can not
be one of the `reserved' message names above. After defining a
sequence, it can be used wherever an
-.B nmh
+.B mmh
command expects a `msg' or
`msgs' argument.
.PP
Some forms of message ranges are allowed with user-defined sequences.
-The specification `name:n' may be used, and it designates up
-to the first `n' messages (or last `n' messages for `\-n') which are
+The specification `name:i' may be used, and it designates up
+to the first `i' messages (or last `i' messages for `\-i') which are
elements of the user-defined sequence `name'.
.PP
-The specifications `name:next' and `name:prev' may also
+The specifications `name:n' and `name:p' may also
be used, and they designate the next or previous message (relative to the
current message) which is an element of the user-defined sequence `name'.
-The specifications `name:first' and `name:last' are
+The specifications `name:f' and `name:l' are
equivalent to `name:1' and `name:\-1', respectively. The
-specification `name:cur' is not allowed (use just `cur'
-instead). The syntax of these message range specifications is subject
+specification `name:c' is not allowed (use just `c' instead).
+Note: The syntax of these message range specifications is subject
to change in the future.
.PP
User-defined sequence names are specific to each folder. They are
and
.B mark
commands.
-.PP
+
.SS "Public and Private User-Defined Sequences"
There are two varieties of user-defined sequences:
public and private. Public sequences of a folder are accessible to any
-.B nmh
+.B mmh
user that can read that folder. They are kept in each folder
in the file determined by the `Mh\-Sequences' profile entry
(default is
.IR \&.mh_sequences ).
Private sequences are accessible
only to the
-.B nmh
+.B mmh
user that defined those sequences and are kept in
the user's
-.B nmh
+.B mh
context file.
.PP
In general, the commands that create sequences (such as
.BR mark )
will create public sequences if the folder for which
the sequences are being defined is writable by the
-.B nmh
+.B mmh
user.
For most commands, this can be overridden by using the switches
.B \-public
\fIprivate\fR sequences will be created instead.
.SS "Sequence Negation"
-.B Nmh
+.B Mmh
provides the ability to select all messages
.B not
elements of a user-defined sequence.
The default negation prefix is the exlamation mark `!',
but it may be change to any string, by defining the entry
`Sequence\-Negation' in the
-.B nmh
+.B mmh
profile file.
For example, if the profile entry is:
.PP
.RE
.PP
then anytime an
-.B nmh
+.B mmh
command is given `notfoo' as a `msg' or
`msgs' argument, it would substitute all messages that are not elements
of the sequence `foo'.
profile to an empty value.
.SS "The Previous Sequence"
-.B Nmh
+.B Mmh
provides the ability to remember the `msgs' or `msg' argument
last given to an
-.B nmh
+.B mmh
command. The entry `Previous\-Sequence'
should be defined in the
-.B nmh
+.B mmh
profile; its value should be a sequence
name or multiple sequence names separated by spaces. If this entry
is defined, when an
-.B nmh
+.B mmh
command finishes, it will define the
sequence(s) named in the value of this entry to be those messages that
were specified to the command. Hence, a profile entry of
.RE
.PP
directs any
-.B nmh
+.B mmh
command that accepts a `msg' or `msgs' argument to
define the sequence `pseq' as those messages when it finishes.
.PP
there can be a performance penalty in using the
`Previous\-Sequence' facility. If it is used,
.B all
-.B nmh
+.B mmh
programs have to write the sequence information to the
.I \&.mh_sequences
file for the folder each time they run. If the
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