Sensible Browser#
The “sensible browser” is a set of small changes to NeoMutt’s mailbox browser which make the browser behave in a more predictable way.
The behavior is divided into two use cases: Fixed Order; Variable Order.
A Fixed Order of Mailboxes#
This is for users who like their mailboxes in a fixed order, e.g. alphabetical, or unsorted (in the order of the config file).
# Fixed order
set browser_sort = "alpha"
set browser_sort = "unsorted"
When you first start the browser, e.g. c? your current mailbox will be highlighted.
When you navigate to a parent mailbox (“..”) your old mailbox will be highlighted.
“..” will always be listed at the top, however the rest of the list is sorted.
A Variable Order of Mailboxes#
This is for users who like their mailboxes sorted by a characteristic that changes, e.g. count of new mail, or the size of mailbox.
# Variable order
set browser_sort = "reverse-count"
set browser_sort = "reverse-size"
When you first start the browser, e.g. c? the highlight will be on the first mailbox, e.g. the one with the most new mail.
When you navigate to a parent mailbox (“..”) your old mailbox will be highlighted.
“..” will always be listed at the top, however the rest of the list is sorted.
📷 Screenshot Needed
Subject: Mailbox browser with fixed vs variable sort
Description: Two NeoMutt file browser views: (1) with browser_sort=alpha showing mailboxes in alphabetical order with the current mailbox highlighted, and (2) with browser_sort=reverse-count showing mailboxes sorted by message count (highest first) with the highlight on the top entry.
Both views show “..” at the top.
Highlights: The difference in highlight position — in fixed-order mode the current mailbox is highlighted wherever it falls alphabetically, while in variable-order mode the highlight starts at the top (the mailbox with the most mail). The “..” entry always stays at the top regardless of sort.