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

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

SEE ALSO
       folder(1) 

DEFAULTS
       `+folder' defaults to the current folder
       `msgs' defaults to all
       `-datefield date'
       `-notextfield'
       `-noverbose'
       `-nolimit'

CONTEXT
       If a folder is given, it will become the  current  folder.
       If  the  current message is moved, sortm will preserve its
       status as current.

HISTORY
       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.

BUGS
       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.