Select messages from a folder.

Syntax

SELECT [folder-name [mail-file-spec]]

Qualifiers	Defaults
/BEFORE=date	None
/CC_SUBSTRING=text	None
/FROM_SUBSTRING=text	None
/MARKED	None
/NEW	None
/REPLIED	None
/SINCE=date	None
/SUBJECT_SUBSTRING=text	None
/TO_SUBSTRING=text	None

Parameters

folder-name

Optional parameter specifying the name of the folder to select messages from.

mail-file-spec

Optional parameter specifying the mail file to open.

Description

The SELECT command selects a collection of messages from a folder. This selection becomes your set of "currently selected messages". The commands shown below may then be used to manipulate the selected messages.

Command	Brief description
ANSWER, REPLY	Reply to a selected message
COPY	Copy one or more of the selected messages to another folder or mail file
DELETE	Delete one or more of the selected messages
DIRECTORY	List the selected messages
EXTRACT	Extract one or more of the selected messages to an external file
FILE, MOVE	Move one or more of the selected messages to another folder or mail file
FORWARD	Forward a selected message to another address
MARK, UNMARK	Flag one or more of the selected messages
PRINT	Print one or more of the selected messages
READ	Display one of the selected messages
REDISTRIBUTE, RESEND	Resend a selected message to another address
SEARCH	Search for messages containing a specific phrase

The SELECT command opens the specified folder in either the specified mail file or, if no mail file specification is given, in the currently open mail file. If no mail file is currently open, the default mail file, MAIL.MAI, is opened. When the optional folder name specification is omitted, the default folder is opened. The name of the folder depends upon which mail file is open. For the default mail file, the default folder is NEWMAIL if it contains any new messages, and MAIL otherwise. When a mail file other than the default file is open, the default folder is the folder with the same name as the mail file itself (e.g., JOKES is the default folder for the mail file JOKES.MAI).

If you select a folder that does not exist, PMDF MAIL displays the following message:

%EMAIL-E-NOTEXIST, folder "folder-name" does not exist

where folder-name is the folder you tried to select.

Note that the DIRECTORY, READ, SEARCH, and SET FOLDER commands may also be used to select messages from a folder.

Qualifiers

/BEFORE[=date]

Select messages dated before the specified date. All the messages received before the current day are selected if no date is specified.

/CC_SUBSTRING=text

Select messages containing text in the VMS MAIL Cc: header line of the message.

/FROM_SUBSTRING=text

Select messages containing text in the VMS MAIL From: header line of the message.

/MARKED

/NOMARKED

Select messages that have been marked, /MARKED, or are not marked, /NOMARKED.

/NEW

Select new (unread) messages from the NEWMAIL folder of your default mail file, MAIL.MAI. If any other mail file is open, it is closed and the default mail file opened.

/REPLIED

/NOREPLIED

Select messages that have been replied to, /REPLIED, or have not been replied to, /NOREPLIED.

/SINCE[=date]

Select messages dated since the specified date. All the messages received on the current day are selected if no date is specified.

/SUBJECT_SUBSTRING=text

Select messages containing text in the VMS MAIL Subject: header line of the message.

/TO_SUBSTRING=text

Select messages containing text in the VMS MAIL To: header line of the message.

Examples

EMAIL> SELECT/NEW
%EMAIL-I-SELECTED, 2 messages selected
      

This example shows how to select your new, unread mail.

EMAIL> DIRECTORY/FOLDER
Listing of folders in D1:[BOB]MAIL.MAI;1
     Press CTRL/C to cancel listing
MAIL                                    NEWMAIL
WASTEBASKET
EMAIL> SELECT/SINCE NEWMAIL
%EMAIL-I-SELECTED, 1 message selected
EMAIL>
      

In this example, the DIRECTORY/FOLDER command is first used to list the folders in the current mail file. Next, the SELECT command is used to select today's new messages from the NEWMAIL folder.

EMAIL> SET FOLDER JOKES
EMAIL> MOVE/ALL JOKES JOKES.MAI
File D1:[BOB]JOKES.MAI; does not exist. 
Do you want to create it (Y/N, default is N)? Y
EMAIL> SET FILE JOKES.MAI
      

In this example, all of the messages from the JOKES folder are moved to the folder JOKES in the mail file JOKES.MAI. The SET FILE command is then used to close the current mail file and open JOKES.MAI.