mhpath (1) - Linux Manuals

mhpath: print full pathnames of nmh messages and folders

Command to display mhpath manual in Linux: $ man 1 mhpath

NAME

mhpath - print full pathnames of nmh messages and folders

SYNOPSIS

mhpath [+folder] [msgs] [-version] [-help]

DESCRIPTION

mhpath

expands and sorts the message list `msgs' and writes the full pathnames of the messages to the standard output separated by newlines. If no `msgs' are specified, mhpath outputs the current mail folder's pathname instead. If the only argument is `+', your nmh ``Path'' is output; this can be useful in shell scripts.

Contrasted with other nmh commands, a message argument to mhpath may often be intended for writing. Because of this:

1): the name ``new'' has been added to mhpath's list of reserved message names (the others are ``first'', ``last'', ``prev'', ``next'', ``cur'', and ``all''). The new message is equivalent to the message after the last message in a folder (and equivalent to 1 in a folder without messages). The ``new'' message may not be used as part of a message range.
2): Within a message list, the following designations may refer to messages that do not exist: a single numeric message name, the single message name ``cur'', and (obviously) the single message name ``new''. All other message designations must refer to at least one existing message, if the folder contains messages.
3): An empty folder is not in itself an error.

A message number less than that of the smallest existing message in a folder is treated as if the message already exists. A message number greater than that of the highest existing message in a folder causes an ``out of range'' error message to be displayed.

As part of a range designation that contains messages that do exist, message numbers less than the smallest, or greater than the highest, existing message in a folder are ignored.

Examples: The current folder foo contains messages 3 5 6. Cur is 4.

% mhpath
/r/phyl/Mail/foo

% mhpath all
/r/phyl/Mail/foo/3
/r/phyl/Mail/foo/5
/r/phyl/Mail/foo/6

% mhpath 2001
mhpath: message 2001 out of range 1-6

% mhpath 1-2001
/r/phyl/Mail/foo/3
/r/phyl/Mail/foo/5
/r/phyl/Mail/foo/6

% mhpath new
/r/phyl/Mail/foo/7

% mhpath last new
/r/phyl/Mail/foo/6
/r/phyl/Mail/foo/7

% mhpath last-new
mhpath: bad message list last-new

% mhpath cur
/r/phyl/Mail/foo/4

% mhpath 1-2
mhpath: no messages in range 1-2

% mhpath first:2
/r/phyl/Mail/foo/3
/r/phyl/Mail/foo/5

% mhpath 1 2
/r/phyl/Mail/foo/1
/r/phyl/Mail/foo/2

mhpath is also useful in backquoted operations:

% cd `mhpath +inbox`

% echo `mhpath +`
/r/phyl/Mail

Because mhpath expands and sorts [msgs]. the command

mv `mhpath 501 500`

to will not move 501 to 500. Quite the reverse. But

mv `mhpath 501` `mhpath 500`

will do the trick.

Out-of-range message 0 produces a different error message than large out-of-range message numbers. But both cause mhpath to exit with non-zero status.

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

DEFAULTS

`+folder' defaults to the current folder
`msgs' defaults to none

CONTEXT

None