EXPIRE +Saved [DAYs=number]
EXPIRE +Outbound [DAYs=number]
* expire +s day=30
EXPIRE deletes old messages that have been in your mailbox more than a certain number of days. If you explicitly specify DAYs=number in the EXPIRE command, MAIL8 uses the given number of days; if you omit this option, MAIL8 checks for messages older than 366 days (a leap year).
You must specify +Saved or +Outbound to tell EXPIRE which drawer to examine. You cannot EXPIRE messages in the Unread or Deleted drawers.
If no message reference is specified for EXPIRE, MAIL8 checks the current message in the appropriate drawer to see if it has expired. Usually, you should specify a range of messages that should be checked, as in
* expire +s day=30
This checks the Saved drawer and deletes all normal messages that have been there for more than 30 days.
EXPIRE does not delete messages with the Memo characteristic.
If EXPIRE deletes messages in the Saved drawer, they are moved to the Deleted drawer; in other words, it works the same way as the Delete command.
If EXPIRE deletes messages in the Outbound drawer, messages are retracted from their intended recipients.
EXPIRE works by looking at the time that the message was placed in the drawer, not the time that it was actually sent. If you use UnDELete to move a message from the Deleted drawer to the Saved drawer, EXPIRE bases its actions on the time that the message was brought back from the Deleted drawer, not the time that the message originally arrived.
MAIL8 also has facilities that delete messages automatically when they get too old. See "expl mail option expire".
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