{
    "mode": "man",
    "parameter": "MARK",
    "section": "1mh",
    "url": "https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/MARK/1mh/json",
    "generated": "2026-06-03T12:17:10Z",
    "synopsis": "mark [-help] [-version] [+folder] [msgs] [-sequence name ...]  [-add | -delete] [-list]\n[-public | -nopublic] [-zero | -nozero]",
    "sections": {
        "NAME": {
            "content": "mark - manipulate nmh message sequences\n",
            "subsections": []
        },
        "SYNOPSIS": {
            "content": "mark [-help] [-version] [+folder] [msgs] [-sequence name ...]  [-add | -delete] [-list]\n[-public | -nopublic] [-zero | -nozero]\n",
            "subsections": []
        },
        "DESCRIPTION": {
            "content": "The mark command manipulates message sequences by adding or  deleting  message  numbers  from\nfolder-specific message sequences, or by listing those sequences and messages.\n\nA  message  sequence  is  a  keyword,  just like one of the “reserved” message names, such as\n“first” or “next”.  Unlike the “reserved” message names, which have a fixed  semantics  on  a\nper-folder  basis,  the semantics of a message sequence may be defined, modified, and removed\nby the user.  Message sequences are folder-specific, e.g., the sequence name  “seen”  in  the\ncontext  of folder “+inbox” need not have any relation whatsoever to the sequence of the same\nname in a folder of a different name.\n\nThree action switches direct the operation of mark.  These switches are  mutually  exclusive:\nthe last occurrence of any of them overrides any previous occurrence of the other two.\n\nThe  -add  switch  tells  mark to add messages to sequences or to create a new sequence.  For\neach sequence named via the -sequence name argument (which must occur at least once) the mes‐\nsages  named  via  msgs  (which defaults to “cur” if no msgs are given), are added to the se‐\nquence.  The messages to be added need not be absent from the sequence.  If the -zero  switch\nis  specified,  the sequence will be emptied prior to adding the messages.  Hence, -add -zero\nmeans that each sequence should be initialized to the indicated messages, while -add  -nozero\nmeans that each sequence should be appended to by the indicated messages.\n\nThe  -delete  switch  tells  mark to delete messages from sequences, and is the dual of -add.\nFor each of the named sequences, the named messages are removed  from  the  sequence.   These\nmessages need not be already present in the sequence.  If the -zero switch is specified, then\nall messages in the folder are added to the sequence (first creating the sequence, if  neces‐\nsary)  before  removing  the  messages.  Hence, -delete -zero means that each sequence should\ncontain all messages except those indicated, while -delete -nozero means that only the  indi‐\ncated  messages  should  be  removed from each sequence.  As expected, the command “mark -se‐‐\nquence foo -delete all” empties the sequence “foo”, and therefore removes that sequence  from\nthe current folder's list of sequences.\n\nWhen  creating  or  modifying sequences, you can specify the switches -public or -nopublic to\nforce the new or modified sequences to be “public” or “private”.  The  switch  -public  indi‐\ncates  that  the sequences should be made “public”.  These sequences will then be readable by\nall nmh users with permission to read the  relevant  folders.   In  contrast,  the  -nopublic\nswitch  indicates that the sequences should be made “private”, and will only be accessible by\nyou.  If neither of these switches is specified, then existing sequences will maintain  their\ncurrent  status,  and new sequences will default to “public” if you have write permission for\nthe relevant folder.  Check the mh-sequence(5) man page for more details about the difference\nbetween “public” and “private” sequences.\n\nThe  -list  switch  tells mark to list both the sequences defined for the folder and the mes‐\nsages associated with those sequences.  mark will list the name of  each  sequence  given  by",
            "subsections": [
                {
                    "name": "-sequence",
                    "content": "this will also be indicated.  If no sequence is specified by the -sequence switch,  then  all\nsequences  for this folder will be listed.  The -zero switch does not affect the operation of"
                },
                {
                    "name": "-list",
                    "content": "The restrictions on sequences are:\n\n• The name used to denote a message sequence must consist of an alphabetic character followed\nby  zero or more alphanumeric characters, and cannot be one of the (reserved) message names\n“new”, “first”, “last”, “all”, “next”, or “prev”.\n\n• Message ranges with user-defined sequence  names  are  restricted  to  the  form  “name:n”,\n“name:+n”,  or  “name:-n”,  and  refer  to  the  first or last `n' messages of the sequence\n`name', respectively.  Constructs of the form “name1-name2” are forbidden for user  defined\nsequences.\n"
                }
            ]
        },
        "FILES": {
            "content": "$HOME/.mhprofile   The user's profile.\n",
            "subsections": []
        },
        "PROFILE COMPONENTS": {
            "content": "Path:               To determine the user's nmh directory.\nCurrent-Folder:     To find the default current folder.\n",
            "subsections": []
        },
        "SEE ALSO": {
            "content": "flist(1), pick(1), mh-sequence(5)\n",
            "subsections": []
        },
        "DEFAULTS": {
            "content": "+folder             The current folder.\n-add                If -sequence is specified, -list otherwise.\nmsgs                The current message, or all if -list is specified.",
            "subsections": [
                {
                    "name": "-nozero",
                    "content": ""
                }
            ]
        },
        "CONTEXT": {
            "content": "If a folder is given, it will become the current folder.\n",
            "subsections": []
        },
        "HELPFUL HINTS": {
            "content": "Use flist to find folders with a given sequence, and “pick sequence -list” to enumerate those\nmessages in the sequence (such as for use by a shell script).\n\n\n\nnmh-1.7.1                                    2013-03-31                                    MARK(1mh)",
            "subsections": []
        }
    },
    "summary": "mark - manipulate nmh message sequences",
    "flags": [
        {
            "flag": "",
            "long": null,
            "arg": null,
            "description": "this will also be indicated. If no sequence is specified by the -sequence switch, then all sequences for this folder will be listed. The -zero switch does not affect the operation of"
        },
        {
            "flag": "",
            "long": null,
            "arg": null,
            "description": "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', respectively. Constructs of the form “name1-name2” are forbidden for user defined sequences."
        }
    ],
    "examples": [],
    "see_also": [
        {
            "name": "flist",
            "section": "1",
            "url": "https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/flist/1/json"
        },
        {
            "name": "pick",
            "section": "1",
            "url": "https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/pick/1/json"
        },
        {
            "name": "mh-sequence",
            "section": "5",
            "url": "https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/mh-sequence/5/json"
        }
    ]
}