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)
-or one of these \*(lqreserved\*(rq message names:
+or one of these `reserved' message names:
.PP
.RS 5
.nf
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 \*(lqcur\*(rq
-next the message numerically following \*(lqcur\*(rq
+prev the message numerically preceding `cur'
+next the message numerically following `cur'
.fi
.RE
.PP
-In commands that take a `msg' argument, the default is \*(lqcur\*(rq.
-As a shorthand, \*(lq\&.\*(rq is equivalent to \*(lqcur\*(rq.
+In commands that take a `msg' argument, the default is `cur'.
+As a shorthand, `\&.' is equivalent to `cur'.
.PP
For example: In a folder containing five messages numbered 5, 10, 94, 177
-and 325, \*(lqfirst\*(rq is 5 and \*(lqlast\*(rq is 325. If \*(lqcur\*(rq
-is 94, then \*(lqprev\*(rq is 10 and \*(lqnext\*(rq is 177.
+and 325, `first' is 5 and `last' is 325. If `cur'
+is 94, then `prev' is 10 and `next' 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
message designations separated by spaces. A message designation consists
either of a message name as defined above, or a message range.
.PP
-A message range is specified as \*(lqname1\-name2\*(rq or
-\*(lqname:n\*(rq, where `name', `name1' and `name2' are message names,
+A message range is specified as `name1\-name2' or
+`name:n', where `name', `name1' and `name2' are message names,
and `n' is an integer.
.PP
-The specification \*(lqname1\-name2\*(rq designates all currently existing
-messages from `name1' to `name2' inclusive. The \*(lqreserved\*(rq
-message name \*(lqall\*(rq is a shorthand for the message range
-\*(lqfirst\-last\*(rq.
+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'.
.PP
-The specification \*(lqname:n\*(rq designates up to `n' messages.
+The specification `name:n' designates up to `n' messages.
These messages start with `name' if `name' is a message number or one of
-the reserved names \*(lqfirst\*(rq \*(lqcur\*(rq, or \*(lqnext\*(rq, The
-messages end with `name' if `name' is \*(lqprev\*(rq or \*(lqlast\*(rq.
+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'.
.PP
In commands which accept a `msgs' argument, the default is either
-\*(lqcur\*(rq or \*(lqall\*(rq, depending on which makes more sense
+`cur' or `all', depending on which makes more sense
for each command (see the individual man pages for details). Repeated
specifications of the same message have the same effect as a single
specification of the message.
.PP
-There is also a special \*(lqreserved\*(rq message name \*(lqnew\*(rq
+There is also a special `reserved' message name `new'
which is used by the
.B mhpath
command.
.SS "User\-Defined Message Sequences"
-In addition to the \*(lqreserved\*(rq (pre-defined) message names given
+In addition to the `reserved' (pre-defined) message names given
above,
.B nmh
supports user-defined sequence names. User-defined
.PP
The name used to denote a message sequence must consist of an alphabetic
character followed by zero or more alphanumeric characters, and can not
-be one of the \*(lqreserved\*(rq message names above. After defining a
+be one of the `reserved' message names above. After defining a
sequence, it can be used wherever an
.B nmh
command expects a `msg' or
`msgs' argument.
.PP
Some forms of message ranges are allowed with user-defined sequences.
-The specification \*(lqname:n\*(rq may be used, and it designates up
+The specification `name:n' may be used, and it designates up
to the first `n' messages (or last `n' messages for `\-n') which are
elements of the user-defined sequence `name'.
.PP
-The specifications \*(lqname:next\*(rq and \*(lqname:prev\*(rq may also
+The specifications `name:next' and `name:prev' 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 \*(lqname:first\*(rq and \*(lqname:last\*(rq are
-equivalent to \*(lqname:1\*(rq and \*(lqname:\-1\*(rq, respectively. The
-specification \*(lqname:cur\*(rq is not allowed (use just \*(lqcur\*(rq
+The specifications `name:first' and `name:last' 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
to change in the future.
.PP
public and private. Public sequences of a folder are accessible to any
.B nmh
user that can read that folder. They are kept in each folder
-in the file determined by the \*(lqMh\-Sequences\*(rq profile entry
+in the file determined by the `Mh\-Sequences' profile entry
(default is
.IR \&.mh_sequences ).
Private sequences are accessible
and
.BR \-private .
But if the folder is read\-only, or if
-the \*(lqMh\-Sequences\*(rq profile entry is defined but empty, then
+the `Mh\-Sequences' profile entry is defined but empty, then
\fIprivate\fR sequences will be created instead.
.SS "Sequence Negation"
messages not elements of the specified sequence name.
The default negation prefix is the exlamation mark `!',
but it may be change to any string, by defining the entry
-\*(lqSequence\-Negation\*(rq in the
+`Sequence\-Negation' in the
.B nmh
profile file.
For example, if the profile entry is:
.PP
then anytime an
.B nmh
-command is given \*(lqnotfoo\*(rq as a `msg' or
+command is given `notfoo' as a `msg' or
`msgs' argument, it would substitute all messages that are not elements
-of the sequence \*(lqfoo\*(rq.
+of the sequence `foo'.
.PP
Obviously, the user should beware of defining sequences with names that
-begin with the value of the \*(lqSequence\-Negation\*(rq profile entry.
+begin with the value of the `Sequence\-Negation' profile entry.
The default value `!' was chosen due to its similar meaning in the C
programming language, and because it cannot be part of a user-defined
sequence. But if your shell provides history expansion,
provides the ability to remember the `msgs' or `msg' argument
last given to an
.B nmh
-command. The entry \*(lqPrevious\-Sequence\*(rq
+command. The entry `Previous\-Sequence'
should be defined in the
.B nmh
profile; its value should be a sequence
directs any
.B nmh
command that accepts a `msg' or `msgs' argument to
-define the sequence \*(lqpseq\*(rq as those messages when it finishes.
+define the sequence `pseq' as those messages when it finishes.
.PP
.BR Note :
there can be a performance penalty in using the
-\*(lqPrevious\-Sequence\*(rq facility. If it is used,
+`Previous\-Sequence' facility. If it is used,
.B all
.B nmh
programs have to write the sequence information to the
.I \&.mh_sequences
file for the folder each time they run. If the
-\*(lqPrevious\-Sequence\*(rq profile entry is not included, only
+`Previous\-Sequence' profile entry is not included, only
.B pick
and
.B mark
the unseen sequence.
.PP
The default unseen sequence is named `u'.
-To change, define a \*(lqUnseen\-Sequence\*(rq entry in your profile.
+To change, define a `Unseen\-Sequence' entry in your profile.
It may also contain multiple sequence names, separated by spaces.
In this case, anything that applied to a single unseen sequence,
applies to multiple ones, too.
.PP
The unseen sequence mechanism is automatically activated.
-To deactivate it, define the \*(lqUnseen\-Sequence\*(rq entry
+To deactivate it, define the `Unseen\-Sequence' entry
in your profile with an empty value.
projects / mmh / blobdiff