---
name: "mark"
section: "1mh"
platform: "linux"
package: "nmh"
version: "1.8-3"
release: "Debian 13 (Trixie)"
platforms: ["linux"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/mark/1mh"
---

# mark(1mh)

manipulate nmh message sequences

## NAME

mark - manipulate nmh message sequences

## SYNOPSIS

**mark** \[**-help**\] \[**-version**\] \[*+folder*\] \[*msgs*\] \[**-sequence** *name* *...*\] \[**-add** \| **-delete** \| **-list**\] \[**-public** \| **-nopublic**\] \[**-zero** \| **-nozero**\] \[**-empty** \| **-noempty**\] \[**-range** \| **-norange**\]

## 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 “first” or “next”.  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 “cur” 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 **-empty** switch does not affect the operation of **-add**.

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” empties the sequence “foo”, and therefore removes that sequence from the current folder's list of sequences. Sequence *foo* must exist or a “no such sequence” error results. This can be avoided by adding **-zero**: “mark -sequence *foo* -delete -zero all” ensures sequence *foo* no longer exists. The **-empty** switch does not affect the operation of **-delete**.

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 **nmh** 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 [*mh-sequence*(5)](/mh-sequence/5.md) for more details about the difference between “public” and “private” sequences.

The **-list** switch tells **mark** to list all sequences, and the messages associated with them.  The output can be limited to just certain sequences (with **-sequence** switches) and/or messages (with *msgs* arguments).   Normally, **-list** will show all sequences associated with the folder, or all sequences given with **-sequence**. Using **-noempty** will suppress any which would show as empty, whether because they actually are empty, or because they don't include any of the given *msgs*, or because they've been specified with **-sequence** but don't exist. (**-empty** is the default.) With the default **-range** switch, **mark** will compress consecutive runs of message numbers to save space.  That is, "3 4 5 6" will be shown as the range "3-6". With **-norange**, lists will be fully enumerated. The **-zero** switch does not affect the operation of **-list**.

The 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 “new”, “first”, “last”, “all”, “next”, or “prev”.

- •

  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'. If \`=' is substituted for \`:', these forms will instead refer to single messages positioned \`n' away from one end or the other of the sequence. Constructs of the form “name1-name2” are forbidden for user defined sequences.

## 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.

## SEE ALSO

[*flist*(1)](/flist/1.md), [*pick*(1)](/pick/1.md), [*mh-sequence*(5)](/mh-sequence/5.md)

## DEFAULTS

- \+folder

  The current folder.

- \-add

  If **-sequence** is specified, **-list** otherwise.

- msgs

  The current message, or **all** 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).