Conditional Config (ifdef)

Introduction

The “ifdef” feature introduces three new commands to NeoMutt and allows you to share one config file between versions of NeoMutt that may have different features compiled in.

ifdef  symbol "config-command [args...]"  # If a symbol is defined
ifndef symbol "config-command [args...]"  # If a symbol is not defined
finish                                    # Finish reading the current file

Symbols

Example Symbol	Description
sidebar_format	Config variable
status-color, imap	Compiled-in feature
pgp-menu, group-related	Function
:index-format-hook, :tag-transforms	Command
indicator, sidebar_new	Colour
my_var	My variable
lmdb, tokyocabinet	Store (database)
HOME, COLUMNS	Environment variable

A list of compile-time symbols can be seen in the output of the command:

neomutt -v

(in the “Compile options” section).

finish is particularly useful when combined with ifndef. e.g.

# Sidebar config file
ifndef sidebar finish

Commands

ifdef  symbol "config-command [args...]"
ifndef symbol "config-command [args...]"
finish

Example neomuttrc

# Example NeoMutt config file for the ifdef feature.

# This feature introduces three useful commands which allow you to share
# one config file between versions of NeoMutt that may have different
# features compiled in.

#   ifdef  symbol "config-command [args...]"
#   ifndef symbol "config-command [args...]"
#   finish
# The 'ifdef' command tests whether NeoMutt understands the name of
# a variable, environment variable, function, command or compile-time symbol.

# If it does, then it executes a config command.

# The 'ifndef' command tests whether a symbol does NOT exist.

# The 'finish' command tells NeoMutt to stop reading current config file.

# If the 'trash' variable exists, set it.
ifdef trash 'set trash=~/Mail/trash'
# If the 'PS1' environment variable exists, source config file.
ifdef PS1 'source .neomutt/interactive.rc'
# If the 'tag-pattern' function exists, bind a key to it.
ifdef tag-pattern 'bind index <F6> tag-pattern'
# If the 'imap-fetch-mail' command exists, read my IMAP config.
ifdef imap-fetch-mail 'source ~/.neomutt/imap.rc'
# If the compile-time symbol 'sidebar' does not exist, then
# stop reading the current config file.
ifndef sidebar finish