7. How to select message which you want

You may want to pick up messages whose Subject: contains a string "party" and whose From: is kazu@mew.org. Mew provides three methods to accomplish this.

`?'

Pick messages according to a pick pattern which you input, then put the `*' mark onto them.

`/'

Pick messages according to a pick pattern which you input, then list them up.

`V'

Go to Virtual mode which gives a single view to picked messages from multiple folders. Enter a virtual folder name, comma-separated folders, and pick pattern. For more information, please refer to See section 7.2 Virtual mode.

Following sections describes how to input conditions and Virtual mode in detail.

7.1 How to input conditions

When Mew asks a user to input pick pattern, the following message is displayed.

pick pattern: 

Input pick pattern combining the following keywords:

`field=string'

Match if the "field" field contains the "string" string. If you specify "head", "body" or "all" as "field", it means the entire header, the body, and the entire message, respectively.

`<pattern1> & <pattern2>'

Match if <pattern1> AND <pattern2>.

`<pattern1> | <pattern2>'

Match if <pattern1> OR <pattern2>.

`! <pattern>'

Match if not <pattern>.

`( <pattern> )'

Evaluate <pattern> first.

Some examples are shown below.

(a) Messages whose From: contains "kazu".

from=kazu

(b) Messages whose To: contains "mew" OR Cc: contains "mew".

to=mew | cc=mew

(c) Messages whose To: contains "mew" OR Cc: contains "mew" AND From: contains "kazu".

(to=mew | cc=mew) & from=kazu

Now you can guess how to input more complex patterns.

7.2 Virtual mode

Virtual mode gives you a single view for matching messages from multiple folders. Press `V' in Summary mode to enter Virtual mode.

First you are asked a name of virtual folder

Virtual folder name (virtual) : 

Input an appropriate string. If you type just `RET', "++virtual" is selected. Then you are asked to input a single or multiple folder name. If you want to specify multiple folders, please separate them with ",". Of course, you can complete folder names with `TAB'.

Folder name (+inbox) : +inbox, +mew

Now input conditions.

pick pattern: 

OK. You get a Virtual mode. In Virtual mode, you can use same commands that you can find in Summary mode except refile, delete, pick and etc. You should take note that Virtual folder is really virtual and it does not exist in file system. If you exit Mew, it then disappears.

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