SORTM(1)		      [mh.6] (MH.6.8)		      SORTM(1)

     NAME
	  sortm	- sort messages

     SYNOPSIS
	  sortm	[+folder] [msgs] [-datefield field] [-textfield	field]
	       [-notextfield] [-limit days] [-nolimit] [-verbose]
	       [-noverbose] [-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 messages
	  by the specified text	field.	If this	field is subject, 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 MH directory
	  Current-Folder:      To find the default current folder

     SEE ALSO
	  folder (1)

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     SORTM(1)		      [mh.6] (MH.6.8)		      SORTM(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.

	  Previously, sortm would try to fill any gaps in a folder
	  within the range of messages it sorted. To improve
	  performance, sortm now minimizes the number of message
	  moves.  To pack a folder, use	folder -pack instead.

     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
	  temporally order, it complains about the message number
	  prior	to sorting.  It	should indicate	what the message
	  number will be after sorting.

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