Pattern Dialog

Introduction – Where am I?

The Pattern Dialog is NeoMutt’s built-in pattern cheat sheet and inserter. It appears while you are building a search, limit, tag, delete-pattern, or other pattern-based command and want help with the available pattern operators. Instead of memorising every ~x code, you can browse and insert the right one from here.

Pattern Dialog

32 ~n RANGE         messages whose score is in RANGE                                                
33 ~N               new messages                                                                    
34 ~O               old messages                                                                    
35 ~p               messages addressed to you                                                       
36 ~P               messages from you                                                               
37 ~Q               messages which have been replied to                                             
38 ~r DATERANGE     messages received in DATERANGE                                                  
39 ~R               read messages                                                                   
40 ~s REGEX         messages whose Subject: header matches REGEX                                    
41 ~S               superseded messages                                                             
42 ~t REGEX         messages whose To: header matches REGEX                                         
43 ~T               tagged messages                                                                 
44 ~u               messages addressed to subscribed mailing lists                                  
45 ~U               unread messages                                                                 
46 ~v               messages in collapsed threads                                                   
47 ~V               cryptographically verified messages                                             
48 ~w REGEX         newsgroups matching REGEX                                                       
49 ~x REGEX         messages whose References: or In-Reply-To: header matches REGEX                 
50 ~X RANGE         messages with RANGE attachments                                                 
51 ~y REGEX         messages whose X-Label: header matches REGEX                                    
52 ~Y REGEX         messages whose tags match REGEX                                                 
53 ~z RANGE         messages whose size is in RANGE                                                 
Patterns                                                                                            
Limit to messages matching: ~                                                                       

What am I looking at?

• Each row shows a pattern number, the pattern expression, and a human-readable description.

• The highlighted row is the pattern that will be inserted into the active prompt.

• The status line identifies the dialog as a patterns reference.

• The prompt line below shows the live pattern you are building in the caller.

What can I do?

• Browse the full list of available pattern operators and their meanings.

• Insert a pattern fragment into the active prompt.

• Search through the list if you remember part of a description but not the exact code.

• Use it as a learning aid while you build more complex searches and limits.

• Full reference: Pattern Syntax, Dialog Functions, Generic Functions.

Where can I go next?

• Selecting an entry returns you to the prompt in the Message Window with the chosen pattern inserted.

• Cancelling returns you to the same prompt without changing it.

Where did I come from?

• Pattern-aware prompts in the Index Dialog, Alias Dialog, and Query Dialog can open this helper.

• You commonly reach it while entering limits, tag patterns, delete patterns, score patterns, or search expressions.

How do I configure this?

• Start with Pattern Options and Pattern Syntax.

• Common options include $pattern_format, $simple_search, $external_search_command, and $thorough_search.

• Pattern-driven workflows often combine with commands such as :score, :unscore, :color, :mailboxes, and the hook commands in Commands.

• Colours come from Colour Objects, especially indicator, status, prompt, search, and message.