---
name: "folder"
section: "1"
platform: "linux"
package: "nmh"
version: "1.5-release-0.2"
release: "Debian 7 (Wheezy)"
platforms: ["linux"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/folder"
---

# folder(1)

set/list current folder/message

## 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.

### 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 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 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)](/refile/1.md), [mhpath(1)](/mhpath/1.md)

## 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.