SORTM(1)                                                 SORTM(1)

NAME
       sortm - sort messages

SYNOPSIS
       sortm       [+folder]       [msgs]      [-datefield field]
            [-textfield field]
            [-notextfield] [-limit days] [-nolimit] [-verbose]
            [-noverbose] [-version] [-help]

DESCRIPTION
       Sortm sorts the specified messages  in  the  named  folder
       according  to the chronological order of the "Date:" field
       of each message.

       The `-verbose' switch directs sortm to tell the  user  the
       general  actions  that it is taking to place the folder in
       sorted order.

       The `-datefield field' switch tells sortm the name of  the
       field to use when making the date comparison.  If the user
       has a special field in each message, such as  "BB-Posted:"
       or  "Delivery-Date:",  then the `-datefield' switch can be
       used to direct sortm which field to examine.

       The `-textfield field' switch causes sortm  to  sort  mes-
       sages by the specified text field.  If this field is "sub-
       ject", any leading "re:" is stripped off.   In  any  case,
       all characters except letters and numbers are stripped and
       the  resulting   strings   are   sorted   datefield-major,
       textfield-minor, using a case insensitive comparison.

       With  `-textfield field',  if  `-limit days' is specified,
       messages with similar textfields  that  are  dated  within
       `days'   of   each   other  appear  together.   Specifying
       `-nolimit' makes the limit infinity.  With `-limit 0', the
       sort is instead made textfield-major, date-minor.

       For  example,  to  order  a folder by date-major, subject-
       minor, use:

            sortm -textfield subject +folder

       ^$HOME/.mh_profile~^The user profile ^Path:~^To  determine
       the  user's  nmh  directory  ^Current-Folder:~^To find the
       default current folder folder (1)  `+folder'  defaults  to
       the  current  folder  `msgs'  defaults  to all `-datefield
       date' `-notextfield' `-noverbose' `-nolimit' If  a  folder
       is  given, it will become the current folder.  If the cur-
       rent message is moved, sortm will preserve its  status  as
       current.   Timezones  used  to  be  ignored when comparing
       dates: they aren't any more.

       Messages which were in the folder, but  not  specified  by
       `msgs',  used  to  be  moved to the end of the folder; now
       such messages are left untouched.

       Sortm sometimes did not preserve the message numbering  in
       a  folder  (e.g.,  messages  1,  3, and 5, might have been
       renumbered to 1, 2, 3 after sorting).  This was a bug, and
       has  been  fixed.   To compress the message numbering in a
       folder, use "folder -pack" as always.  If sortm encounters
       a  message  without  a date-field, or if the message has a
       date-field that sortm cannot parse, then sortm attempts to
       keep the message in the same relative position.  This does
       not always work.   For  instance,  if  the  first  message
       encountered lacks a date which can be parsed, then it will
       usually be placed at the end of the messages being sorted.

       When sortm complains about a message which it can't tempo-
       rally order, it complains about the message  number  prior
       to  sorting.   It  should indicate what the message number
       will be after sorting.

[nmh-0.27]                    MH.6.8                            1