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org-mode/doc/org.texi
Carsten Dominik dbbc6c5eba Document LaTeX_CLASS_OPTIONS
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\input texinfo
@c %**start of header
@setfilename ../../info/org
@settitle The Org Manual
@set VERSION 6.33trans
@set DATE November 2009
@c Version and Contact Info
@set MAINTAINERSITE @uref{http://orgmode.org,maintainers webpage}
@set AUTHOR Carsten Dominik
@set MAINTAINER Carsten Dominik
@set MAINTAINEREMAIL @email{carsten at orgmode dot org}
@set MAINTAINERCONTACT @uref{mailto:carsten at orgmode dot org,contact the maintainer}
@c %**end of header
@finalout
@c Macro definitions
@iftex
@c @hyphenation{time-stamp time-stamps time-stamp-ing time-stamp-ed}
@end iftex
@macro Ie {}
I.e.,
@end macro
@macro ie {}
i.e.,
@end macro
@macro Eg {}
E.g.,
@end macro
@macro eg {}
e.g.,
@end macro
@c Subheadings inside a table.
@macro tsubheading{text}
@ifinfo
@subsubheading \text\
@end ifinfo
@ifnotinfo
@item @b{\text\}
@end ifnotinfo
@end macro
@copying
This manual is for Org version @value{VERSION}.
Copyright @copyright{} 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009 Free Software Foundation
@quotation
Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document
under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.3 or
any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no
Invariant Sections, with the Front-Cover texts being ``A GNU Manual,''
and with the Back-Cover Texts as in (a) below. A copy of the license
is included in the section entitled ``GNU Free Documentation License.''
(a) The FSF's Back-Cover Text is: ``You have the freedom to copy and
modify this GNU manual. Buying copies from the FSF supports it in
developing GNU and promoting software freedom.''
This document is part of a collection distributed under the GNU Free
Documentation License. If you want to distribute this document
separately from the collection, you can do so by adding a copy of the
license to the document, as described in section 6 of the license.
@end quotation
@end copying
@dircategory Emacs
@direntry
* Org Mode: (org). Outline-based notes management and organizer
@end direntry
@titlepage
@title The Org Manual
@subtitle Release @value{VERSION}
@author by Carsten Dominik
@c The following two commands start the copyright page.
@page
@vskip 0pt plus 1filll
@insertcopying
@end titlepage
@c Output the table of contents at the beginning.
@contents
@ifnottex
@node Top, Introduction, (dir), (dir)
@top Org Mode Manual
@insertcopying
@end ifnottex
@menu
* Introduction:: Getting started
* Document Structure:: A tree works like your brain
* Tables:: Pure magic for quick formatting
* Hyperlinks:: Notes in context
* TODO Items:: Every tree branch can be a TODO item
* Tags:: Tagging headlines and matching sets of tags
* Properties and Columns:: Storing information about an entry
* Dates and Times:: Making items useful for planning
* Capture - Refile - Archive:: The ins and outs for projects
* Agenda Views:: Collecting information into views
* Markup:: Prepare text for rich export
* Exporting:: Sharing and publishing of notes
* Publishing:: Create a web site of linked Org files
* Miscellaneous:: All the rest which did not fit elsewhere
* Hacking:: How to hack your way around
* MobileOrg:: Viewing and capture on a mobile device
* History and Acknowledgments:: How Org came into being
* Main Index:: An index of Org's concepts and features
* Key Index:: Key bindings and where they are described
* Variable Index:: Variables mentioned in the manual
@detailmenu
--- The Detailed Node Listing ---
Introduction
* Summary:: Brief summary of what Org does
* Installation:: How to install a downloaded version of Org
* Activation:: How to activate Org for certain buffers
* Feedback:: Bug reports, ideas, patches etc.
* Conventions:: Type-setting conventions in the manual
Document Structure
* Outlines:: Org is based on Outline mode
* Headlines:: How to typeset Org tree headlines
* Visibility cycling:: Show and hide, much simplified
* Motion:: Jumping to other headlines
* Structure editing:: Changing sequence and level of headlines
* Sparse trees:: Matches embedded in context
* Plain lists:: Additional structure within an entry
* Drawers:: Tucking stuff away
* Blocks:: Folding blocks
* Footnotes:: How footnotes are defined in Org's syntax
* Orgstruct mode:: Structure editing outside Org
Tables
* Built-in table editor:: Simple tables
* Column width and alignment:: Overrule the automatic settings
* Column groups:: Grouping to trigger vertical lines
* Orgtbl mode:: The table editor as minor mode
* The spreadsheet:: The table editor has spreadsheet capabilities
* Org-Plot:: Plotting from org tables
The spreadsheet
* References:: How to refer to another field or range
* Formula syntax for Calc:: Using Calc to compute stuff
* Formula syntax for Lisp:: Writing formulas in Emacs Lisp
* Field formulas:: Formulas valid for a single field
* Column formulas:: Formulas valid for an entire column
* Editing and debugging formulas:: Fixing formulas
* Updating the table:: Recomputing all dependent fields
* Advanced features:: Field names, parameters and automatic recalc
Hyperlinks
* Link format:: How links in Org are formatted
* Internal links:: Links to other places in the current file
* External links:: URL-like links to the world
* Handling links:: Creating, inserting and following
* Using links outside Org:: Linking from my C source code?
* Link abbreviations:: Shortcuts for writing complex links
* Search options:: Linking to a specific location
* Custom searches:: When the default search is not enough
Internal links
* Radio targets:: Make targets trigger links in plain text
TODO Items
* TODO basics:: Marking and displaying TODO entries
* TODO extensions:: Workflow and assignments
* Progress logging:: Dates and notes for progress
* Priorities:: Some things are more important than others
* Breaking down tasks:: Splitting a task into manageable pieces
* Checkboxes:: Tick-off lists
Extended use of TODO keywords
* Workflow states:: From TODO to DONE in steps
* TODO types:: I do this, Fred does the rest
* Multiple sets in one file:: Mixing it all, and still finding your way
* Fast access to TODO states:: Single letter selection of a state
* Per-file keywords:: Different files, different requirements
* Faces for TODO keywords:: Highlighting states
* TODO dependencies:: When one task needs to wait for others
Progress logging
* Closing items:: When was this entry marked DONE?
* Tracking TODO state changes:: When did the status change?
* Tracking your habits:: How consistent have you been?
Tags
* Tag inheritance:: Tags use the tree structure of the outline
* Setting tags:: How to assign tags to a headline
* Tag searches:: Searching for combinations of tags
Properties and Columns
* Property syntax:: How properties are spelled out
* Special properties:: Access to other Org mode features
* Property searches:: Matching property values
* Property inheritance:: Passing values down the tree
* Column view:: Tabular viewing and editing
* Property API:: Properties for Lisp programmers
Column view
* Defining columns:: The COLUMNS format property
* Using column view:: How to create and use column view
* Capturing column view:: A dynamic block for column view
Defining columns
* Scope of column definitions:: Where defined, where valid?
* Column attributes:: Appearance and content of a column
Dates and Times
* Timestamps:: Assigning a time to a tree entry
* Creating timestamps:: Commands which insert timestamps
* Deadlines and scheduling:: Planning your work
* Clocking work time:: Tracking how long you spend on a task
* Resolving idle time:: Resolving time if you've been idle
* Effort estimates:: Planning work effort in advance
* Relative timer:: Notes with a running timer
Creating timestamps
* The date/time prompt:: How Org mode helps you entering date and time
* Custom time format:: Making dates look different
Deadlines and scheduling
* Inserting deadline/schedule:: Planning items
* Repeated tasks:: Items that show up again and again
Capture - Refile - Archive
* Remember:: Capture new tasks/ideas with little interruption
* Attachments:: Add files to tasks.
* RSS Feeds:: Getting input from RSS feeds
* Protocols:: External (e.g. Browser) access to Emacs and Org
* Refiling notes:: Moving a tree from one place to another
* Archiving:: What to do with finished projects
Remember
* Setting up Remember for Org:: Some code for .emacs to get things going
* Remember templates:: Define the outline of different note types
* Storing notes:: Directly get the note to where it belongs
Archiving
* Moving subtrees:: Moving a tree to an archive file
* Internal archiving:: Switch off a tree but keep i in the file
Agenda Views
* Agenda files:: Files being searched for agenda information
* Agenda dispatcher:: Keyboard access to agenda views
* Built-in agenda views:: What is available out of the box?
* Presentation and sorting:: How agenda items are prepared for display
* Agenda commands:: Remote editing of Org trees
* Custom agenda views:: Defining special searches and views
* Exporting Agenda Views:: Writing a view to a file
* Agenda column view:: Using column view for collected entries
The built-in agenda views
* Weekly/daily agenda:: The calendar page with current tasks
* Global TODO list:: All unfinished action items
* Matching tags and properties:: Structured information with fine-tuned search
* Timeline:: Time-sorted view for single file
* Search view:: Find entries by searching for text
* Stuck projects:: Find projects you need to review
Presentation and sorting
* Categories:: Not all tasks are equal
* Time-of-day specifications:: How the agenda knows the time
* Sorting of agenda items:: The order of things
Custom agenda views
* Storing searches:: Type once, use often
* Block agenda:: All the stuff you need in a single buffer
* Setting Options:: Changing the rules
Markup for rich export
* Structural markup elements:: The basic structure as seen by the exporter
* Images and tables:: Tables and Images will be included
* Literal examples:: Source code examples with special formatting
* Include files:: Include additional files into a document
* Macro replacement:: Use macros to create complex output
* Embedded LaTeX:: LaTeX can be freely used inside Org documents
Structural markup elements
* Document title:: Where the title is taken from
* Headings and sections:: The document structure as seen by the exporter
* Table of contents:: The if and where of the table of contents
* Initial text:: Text before the first heading?
* Lists:: Lists
* Paragraphs:: Paragraphs
* Footnote markup:: Footnotes
* Emphasis and monospace:: Bold, italic, etc.
* Horizontal rules:: Make a line
* Comment lines:: What will *not* be exported
Embedded La@TeX{}
* Special symbols:: Greek letters and other symbols
* Subscripts and superscripts:: Simple syntax for raising/lowering text
* LaTeX fragments:: Complex formulas made easy
* Previewing LaTeX fragments:: What will this snippet look like?
* CDLaTeX mode:: Speed up entering of formulas
Exporting
* Selective export:: Using tags to select and exclude trees
* Export options:: Per-file export settings
* The export dispatcher:: How to access exporter commands
* ASCII export:: Exporting to plain ASCII
* HTML export:: Exporting to HTML
* LaTeX and PDF export:: Exporting to La@TeX{}, and processing to PDF
* DocBook export:: Exporting to DocBook
* Freemind export:: Exporting to Freemind mind maps
* XOXO export:: Exporting to XOXO
* iCalendar export:: Exporting in iCalendar format
HTML export
* HTML Export commands:: How to invoke HTML export
* Quoting HTML tags:: Using direct HTML in Org mode
* Links in HTML export:: How links will be interpreted and formatted
* Tables in HTML export:: How to modify the formatting of tables
* Images in HTML export:: How to insert figures into HTML output
* Text areas in HTML export:: An alternative way to show an example
* CSS support:: Changing the appearance of the output
* Javascript support:: Info and Folding in a web browser
La@TeX{} and PDF export
* LaTeX/PDF export commands:: Which key invokes which commands
* Quoting LaTeX code:: Incorporating literal La@TeX{} code
* Sectioning structure:: Changing sectioning in La@TeX{} output
* Tables in LaTeX export:: Options for exporting tables to La@TeX{}
* Images in LaTeX export:: How to insert figures into La@TeX{} output
DocBook export
* DocBook export commands:: How to invoke DocBook export
* Quoting DocBook code:: Incorporating DocBook code in Org files
* Recursive sections:: Recursive sections in DocBook
* Tables in DocBook export:: Tables are exported as HTML tables
* Images in DocBook export:: How to insert figures into DocBook output
* Special characters:: How to handle special characters
Publishing
* Configuration:: Defining projects
* Uploading files:: How to get files up on the server
* Sample configuration:: Example projects
* Triggering publication:: Publication commands
Configuration
* Project alist:: The central configuration variable
* Sources and destinations:: From here to there
* Selecting files:: What files are part of the project?
* Publishing action:: Setting the function doing the publishing
* Publishing options:: Tweaking HTML export
* Publishing links:: Which links keep working after publishing?
* Project page index:: Publishing a list of project files
Sample configuration
* Simple example:: One-component publishing
* Complex example:: A multi-component publishing example
Miscellaneous
* Completion:: M-TAB knows what you need
* Speed keys:: Electic commands at the beginning of a headline
* Customization:: Adapting Org to your taste
* In-buffer settings:: Overview of the #+KEYWORDS
* The very busy C-c C-c key:: When in doubt, press C-c C-c
* Clean view:: Getting rid of leading stars in the outline
* TTY keys:: Using Org on a tty
* Interaction:: Other Emacs packages
Interaction with other packages
* Cooperation:: Packages Org cooperates with
* Conflicts:: Packages that lead to conflicts
Hacking
* Hooks:: Who to reach into Org's internals
* Add-on packages:: Available extensions
* Adding hyperlink types:: New custom link types
* Context-sensitive commands:: How to add functionality to such commands
* Tables in arbitrary syntax:: Orgtbl for La@TeX{} and other programs
* Dynamic blocks:: Automatically filled blocks
* Special agenda views:: Customized views
* Extracting agenda information:: Postprocessing of agenda information
* Using the property API:: Writing programs that use entry properties
* Using the mapping API:: Mapping over all or selected entries
Tables and lists in arbitrary syntax
* Radio tables:: Sending and receiving radio tables
* A LaTeX example:: Step by step, almost a tutorial
* Translator functions:: Copy and modify
* Radio lists:: Doing the same for lists
MobileOrg
* Setting up the staging area:: Where to interact with the mobile device
* Pushing to MobileOrg:: Uploading Org files and agendas
* Pulling from MobileOrg:: Integrating captured and flagged items
@end detailmenu
@end menu
@node Introduction, Document Structure, Top, Top
@chapter Introduction
@cindex introduction
@menu
* Summary:: Brief summary of what Org does
* Installation:: How to install a downloaded version of Org
* Activation:: How to activate Org for certain buffers
* Feedback:: Bug reports, ideas, patches etc.
* Conventions:: Type-setting conventions in the manual
@end menu
@node Summary, Installation, Introduction, Introduction
@section Summary
@cindex summary
Org is a mode for keeping notes, maintaining TODO lists, and doing
project planning with a fast and effective plain-text system.
Org develops organizational tasks around NOTES files that contain
lists or information about projects as plain text. Org is
implemented on top of Outline mode, which makes it possible to keep the
content of large files well structured. Visibility cycling and
structure editing help to work with the tree. Tables are easily created
with a built-in table editor. Org supports TODO items, deadlines,
timestamps, and scheduling. It dynamically compiles entries into an
agenda that utilizes and smoothly integrates much of the Emacs calendar
and diary. Plain text URL-like links connect to websites, emails,
Usenet messages, BBDB entries, and any files related to the projects.
For printing and sharing of notes, an Org file can be exported as a
structured ASCII file, as HTML, or (TODO and agenda items only) as an
iCalendar file. It can also serve as a publishing tool for a set of
linked web pages.
An important design aspect that distinguishes Org from, for example,
Planner/Muse is that it encourages you to store every piece of information
only once. In Planner, you have project pages, day pages and possibly
other files, duplicating some information such as tasks. In Org,
you only have notes files. In your notes you mark entries as tasks, and
label them with tags and timestamps. All necessary lists, like a
schedule for the day, the agenda for a meeting, tasks lists selected by
tags, etc., are created dynamically when you need them.
Org keeps simple things simple. When first fired up, it should
feel like a straightforward, easy to use outliner. Complexity is not
imposed, but a large amount of functionality is available when you need
it. Org is a toolbox and can be used in different ways, for
example as:
@example
@r{@bullet{} an outline extension with visibility cycling and structure editing}
@r{@bullet{} an ASCII system and table editor for taking structured notes}
@r{@bullet{} an ASCII table editor with spreadsheet-like capabilities}
@r{@bullet{} a TODO list editor}
@r{@bullet{} a full agenda and planner with deadlines and work scheduling}
@pindex GTD, Getting Things Done
@r{@bullet{} an environment to implement David Allen's GTD system}
@r{@bullet{} a basic database application}
@r{@bullet{} a simple hypertext system, with HTML and La@TeX{} export}
@r{@bullet{} a publishing tool to create a set of interlinked webpages}
@end example
Org's automatic, context-sensitive table editor with spreadsheet
capabilities can be integrated into any major mode by activating the
minor Orgtbl mode. Using a translation step, it can be used to maintain
tables in arbitrary file types, for example in La@TeX{}. The structure
editing and list creation capabilities can be used outside Org with
the minor Orgstruct mode.
@cindex FAQ
There is a website for Org which provides links to the newest
version of Org, as well as additional information, frequently asked
questions (FAQ), links to tutorials, etc@. This page is located at
@uref{http://orgmode.org}.
@page
@node Installation, Activation, Summary, Introduction
@section Installation
@cindex installation
@cindex XEmacs
@b{Important:} @i{If you are using a version of Org that is part of the Emacs
distribution or an XEmacs package, please skip this section and go directly
to @ref{Activation}.}
If you have downloaded Org from the Web, either as a distribution @file{.zip}
or @file{.tar} file, or as a Git archive, you must take the following steps
to install it: go into the unpacked Org distribution directory and edit the
top section of the file @file{Makefile}. You must set the name of the Emacs
binary (likely either @file{emacs} or @file{xemacs}), and the paths to the
directories where local Lisp and Info files are kept. If you don't have
access to the system-wide directories, you can simply run Org directly from
the distribution directory by adding the @file{lisp} subdirectory to the
Emacs load path. To do this, add the following line to @file{.emacs}:
@example
(setq load-path (cons "~/path/to/orgdir/lisp" load-path))
@end example
@noindent
If you plan to use code from the @file{contrib} subdirectory, do a similar
step for this directory:
@example
(setq load-path (cons "~/path/to/orgdir/contrib/lisp" load-path))
@end example
@sp 2
@cartouche
XEmacs users now need to install the file @file{noutline.el} from
the @file{xemacs} sub-directory of the Org distribution. Use the
command:
@example
make install-noutline
@end example
@end cartouche
@sp 2
@noindent Now byte-compile the Lisp files with the shell command:
@example
make
@end example
@noindent If you are running Org from the distribution directory, this is
all. If you want to install Org into the system directories, use (as
administrator)
@example
make install
@end example
Installing Info files is system dependent, because of differences in the
@file{install-info} program. In Debian it copies the info files into the
correct directory and modifies the info directory file. In many other
systems, the files need to be copied to the correct directory separately, and
@file{install-info} then only modifies the directory file. Check your system
documentation to find out which of the following commands you need:
@example
make install-info
make install-info-debian
@end example
Then add the following line to @file{.emacs}. It is needed so that
Emacs can autoload functions that are located in files not immediately loaded
when Org-mode starts.
@lisp
(require 'org-install)
@end lisp
Do not forget to activate Org as described in the following section.
@page
@node Activation, Feedback, Installation, Introduction
@section Activation
@cindex activation
@cindex autoload
@cindex global key bindings
@cindex key bindings, global
@iftex
@b{Important:} @i{If you use copy-and-paste to copy Lisp code from the
PDF documentation as viewed by some PDF viewers to your @file{.emacs} file, the
single-quote character comes out incorrectly and the code will not work.
You need to fix the single-quotes by hand, or copy from Info
documentation.}
@end iftex
Add the following lines to your @file{.emacs} file. The last three lines
define @emph{global} keys for the commands @command{org-store-link},
@command{org-agenda}, and @command{org-iswitchb}---please choose suitable
keys yourself.
@lisp
;; The following lines are always needed. Choose your own keys.
(add-to-list 'auto-mode-alist '("\\.org\\'" . org-mode))
(global-set-key "\C-cl" 'org-store-link)
(global-set-key "\C-ca" 'org-agenda)
(global-set-key "\C-cb" 'org-iswitchb)
@end lisp
Furthermore, you must activate @code{font-lock-mode} in Org
buffers, because significant functionality depends on font-locking being
active. You can do this with either one of the following two lines
(XEmacs users must use the second option):
@lisp
(global-font-lock-mode 1) ; for all buffers
(add-hook 'org-mode-hook 'turn-on-font-lock) ; Org buffers only
@end lisp
@cindex Org mode, turning on
With this setup, all files with extension @samp{.org} will be put
into Org mode. As an alternative, make the first line of a file look
like this:
@example
MY PROJECTS -*- mode: org; -*-
@end example
@vindex org-insert-mode-line-in-empty-file
@noindent which will select Org mode for this buffer no matter what
the file's name is. See also the variable
@code{org-insert-mode-line-in-empty-file}.
Many commands in Org work on the region if the region is @i{active}. To make
use of this, you need to have @code{transient-mark-mode}
(@code{zmacs-regions} in XEmacs) turned on. In Emacs 23 this is the default,
in Emacs 22 you need to do this yourself with
@lisp
(transient-mark-mode 1)
@end lisp
@noindent If you do not like @code{transient-mark-mode}, you can create an
active region by using the mouse to select a region, or pressing
@kbd{C-@key{SPC}} twice before moving the cursor.
@node Feedback, Conventions, Activation, Introduction
@section Feedback
@cindex feedback
@cindex bug reports
@cindex maintainer
@cindex author
If you find problems with Org, or if you have questions, remarks, or ideas
about it, please mail to the Org mailing list @email{emacs-orgmode@@gnu.org}.
If you are not a member of the mailing list, your mail will be passed to the
list after a moderator has approved it.
For bug reports, please provide as much information as possible, including
the version information of Emacs (@kbd{M-x emacs-version @key{RET}}) and Org
(@kbd{M-x org-version @key{RET}}), as well as the Org related setup in
@file{.emacs}. The easiest way to do this is to use the command
@example
@kbd{M-x org-submit-bug-report}
@end example
@noindent which will put all this information into an Emacs mail buffer so
that you only need to add your description. If you re not sending the Email
from within Emacs, please copy and paste the content into your Email program.
If an error occurs, a backtrace can be very useful (see below on how to
create one). Often a small example file helps, along with clear information
about:
@enumerate
@item What exactly did you do?
@item What did you expect to happen?
@item What happened instead?
@end enumerate
@noindent Thank you for helping to improve this mode.
@subsubheading How to create a useful backtrace
@cindex backtrace of an error
If working with Org produces an error with a message you don't
understand, you may have hit a bug. The best way to report this is by
providing, in addition to what was mentioned above, a @emph{backtrace}.
This is information from the built-in debugger about where and how the
error occurred. Here is how to produce a useful backtrace:
@enumerate
@item
Reload uncompiled versions of all Org-mode Lisp files. The backtrace
contains much more information if it is produced with uncompiled code.
To do this, use
@example
C-u M-x org-reload RET
@end example
@noindent
or select @code{Org -> Refresh/Reload -> Reload Org uncompiled} from the
menu.
@item
Go to the @code{Options} menu and select @code{Enter Debugger on Error}
(XEmacs has this option in the @code{Troubleshooting} sub-menu).
@item
Do whatever you have to do to hit the error. Don't forget to
document the steps you take.
@item
When you hit the error, a @file{*Backtrace*} buffer will appear on the
screen. Save this buffer to a file (for example using @kbd{C-x C-w}) and
attach it to your bug report.
@end enumerate
@node Conventions, , Feedback, Introduction
@section Typesetting conventions used in this manual
Org uses three types of keywords: TODO keywords, tags, and property
names. In this manual we use the following conventions:
@table @code
@item TODO
@itemx WAITING
TODO keywords are written with all capitals, even if they are
user-defined.
@item boss
@itemx ARCHIVE
User-defined tags are written in lowercase; built-in tags with special
meaning are written with all capitals.
@item Release
@itemx PRIORITY
User-defined properties are capitalized; built-in properties with
special meaning are written with all capitals.
@end table
@node Document Structure, Tables, Introduction, Top
@chapter Document Structure
@cindex document structure
@cindex structure of document
Org is based on Outline mode and provides flexible commands to
edit the structure of the document.
@menu
* Outlines:: Org is based on Outline mode
* Headlines:: How to typeset Org tree headlines
* Visibility cycling:: Show and hide, much simplified
* Motion:: Jumping to other headlines
* Structure editing:: Changing sequence and level of headlines
* Sparse trees:: Matches embedded in context
* Plain lists:: Additional structure within an entry
* Drawers:: Tucking stuff away
* Blocks:: Folding blocks
* Footnotes:: How footnotes are defined in Org's syntax
* Orgstruct mode:: Structure editing outside Org
@end menu
@node Outlines, Headlines, Document Structure, Document Structure
@section Outlines
@cindex outlines
@cindex Outline mode
Org is implemented on top of Outline mode. Outlines allow a
document to be organized in a hierarchical structure, which (at least
for me) is the best representation of notes and thoughts. An overview
of this structure is achieved by folding (hiding) large parts of the
document to show only the general document structure and the parts
currently being worked on. Org greatly simplifies the use of
outlines by compressing the entire show/hide functionality into a single
command, @command{org-cycle}, which is bound to the @key{TAB} key.
@node Headlines, Visibility cycling, Outlines, Document Structure
@section Headlines
@cindex headlines
@cindex outline tree
@vindex org-special-ctrl-a/e
Headlines define the structure of an outline tree. The headlines in
Org start with one or more stars, on the left margin@footnote{See
the variable @code{org-special-ctrl-a/e} to configure special behavior
of @kbd{C-a} and @kbd{C-e} in headlines.}. For example:
@example
* Top level headline
** Second level
*** 3rd level
some text
*** 3rd level
more text
* Another top level headline
@end example
@noindent Some people find the many stars too noisy and would prefer an
outline that has whitespace followed by a single star as headline
starters. @ref{Clean view}, describes a setup to realize this.
@vindex org-cycle-separator-lines
An empty line after the end of a subtree is considered part of it and
will be hidden when the subtree is folded. However, if you leave at
least two empty lines, one empty line will remain visible after folding
the subtree, in order to structure the collapsed view. See the
variable @code{org-cycle-separator-lines} to modify this behavior.
@node Visibility cycling, Motion, Headlines, Document Structure
@section Visibility cycling
@cindex cycling, visibility
@cindex visibility cycling
@cindex trees, visibility
@cindex show hidden text
@cindex hide text
Outlines make it possible to hide parts of the text in the buffer.
Org uses just two commands, bound to @key{TAB} and
@kbd{S-@key{TAB}} to change the visibility in the buffer.
@cindex subtree visibility states
@cindex subtree cycling
@cindex folded, subtree visibility state
@cindex children, subtree visibility state
@cindex subtree, subtree visibility state
@table @kbd
@kindex @key{TAB}
@item @key{TAB}
@emph{Subtree cycling}: Rotate current subtree among the states
@example
,-> FOLDED -> CHILDREN -> SUBTREE --.
'-----------------------------------'
@end example
@vindex org-cycle-emulate-tab
@vindex org-cycle-global-at-bob
The cursor must be on a headline for this to work@footnote{see, however,
the option @code{org-cycle-emulate-tab}.}. When the cursor is at the
beginning of the buffer and the first line is not a headline, then
@key{TAB} actually runs global cycling (see below)@footnote{see the
option @code{org-cycle-global-at-bob}.}. Also when called with a prefix
argument (@kbd{C-u @key{TAB}}), global cycling is invoked.
@cindex global visibility states
@cindex global cycling
@cindex overview, global visibility state
@cindex contents, global visibility state
@cindex show all, global visibility state
@kindex S-@key{TAB}
@item S-@key{TAB}
@itemx C-u @key{TAB}
@emph{Global cycling}: Rotate the entire buffer among the states
@example
,-> OVERVIEW -> CONTENTS -> SHOW ALL --.
'--------------------------------------'
@end example
When @kbd{S-@key{TAB}} is called with a numeric prefix argument N, the
CONTENTS view up to headlines of level N will be shown. Note that inside
tables, @kbd{S-@key{TAB}} jumps to the previous field.
@cindex show all, command
@kindex C-u C-u C-u @key{TAB}
@item C-u C-u C-u @key{TAB}
Show all, including drawers.
@kindex C-c C-r
@item C-c C-r
Reveal context around point, showing the current entry, the following heading
and the hierarchy above. Useful for working near a location that has been
exposed by a sparse tree command (@pxref{Sparse trees}) or an agenda command
(@pxref{Agenda commands}). With a prefix argument show, on each
level, all sibling headings.
@kindex C-c C-x b
@item C-c C-x b
Show the current subtree in an indirect buffer@footnote{The indirect
buffer
@ifinfo
(@pxref{Indirect Buffers,,,emacs,GNU Emacs Manual})
@end ifinfo
@ifnotinfo
(see the Emacs manual for more information about indirect buffers)
@end ifnotinfo
will contain the entire buffer, but will be narrowed to the current
tree. Editing the indirect buffer will also change the original buffer,
but without affecting visibility in that buffer.}. With a numeric
prefix argument N, go up to level N and then take that tree. If N is
negative then go up that many levels. With a @kbd{C-u} prefix, do not remove
the previously used indirect buffer.
@end table
@vindex org-startup-folded
@cindex @code{overview}, STARTUP keyword
@cindex @code{content}, STARTUP keyword
@cindex @code{showall}, STARTUP keyword
@cindex @code{showeverything}, STARTUP keyword
When Emacs first visits an Org file, the global state is set to
OVERVIEW, i.e. only the top level headlines are visible. This can be
configured through the variable @code{org-startup-folded}, or on a
per-file basis by adding one of the following lines anywhere in the
buffer:
@example
#+STARTUP: overview
#+STARTUP: content
#+STARTUP: showall
#+STARTUP: showeverything
@end example
@cindex property, VISIBILITY
@noindent
Furthermore, any entries with a @samp{VISIBILITY} property (@pxref{Properties
and Columns}) will get their visibility adapted accordingly. Allowed values
for this property are @code{folded}, @code{children}, @code{content}, and
@code{all}.
@table @kbd
@kindex C-u C-u @key{TAB}
@item C-u C-u @key{TAB}
Switch back to the startup visibility of the buffer, i.e. whatever is
requested by startup options and @samp{VISIBILITY} properties in individual
entries.
@end table
@node Motion, Structure editing, Visibility cycling, Document Structure
@section Motion
@cindex motion, between headlines
@cindex jumping, to headlines
@cindex headline navigation
The following commands jump to other headlines in the buffer.
@table @kbd
@kindex C-c C-n
@item C-c C-n
Next heading.
@kindex C-c C-p
@item C-c C-p
Previous heading.
@kindex C-c C-f
@item C-c C-f
Next heading same level.
@kindex C-c C-b
@item C-c C-b
Previous heading same level.
@kindex C-c C-u
@item C-c C-u
Backward to higher level heading.
@kindex C-c C-j
@item C-c C-j
Jump to a different place without changing the current outline
visibility. Shows the document structure in a temporary buffer, where
you can use the following keys to find your destination:
@vindex org-goto-auto-isearch
@example
@key{TAB} @r{Cycle visibility.}
@key{down} / @key{up} @r{Next/previous visible headline.}
@key{RET} @r{Select this location.}
@kbd{/} @r{Do a Sparse-tree search}
@r{The following keys work if you turn off @code{org-goto-auto-isearch}}
n / p @r{Next/previous visible headline.}
f / b @r{Next/previous headline same level.}
u @r{One level up.}
0-9 @r{Digit argument.}
q @r{Quit}
@end example
@vindex org-goto-interface
@noindent
See also the variable @code{org-goto-interface}.
@end table
@node Structure editing, Sparse trees, Motion, Document Structure
@section Structure editing
@cindex structure editing
@cindex headline, promotion and demotion
@cindex promotion, of subtrees
@cindex demotion, of subtrees
@cindex subtree, cut and paste
@cindex pasting, of subtrees
@cindex cutting, of subtrees
@cindex copying, of subtrees
@cindex sorting, of subtrees
@cindex subtrees, cut and paste
@table @kbd
@kindex M-@key{RET}
@item M-@key{RET}
@vindex org-M-RET-may-split-line
Insert new heading with same level as current. If the cursor is in a
plain list item, a new item is created (@pxref{Plain lists}). To force
creation of a new headline, use a prefix argument, or first press @key{RET}
to get to the beginning of the next line. When this command is used in
the middle of a line, the line is split and the rest of the line becomes
the new headline@footnote{If you do not want the line to be split,
customize the variable @code{org-M-RET-may-split-line}.}. If the
command is used at the beginning of a headline, the new headline is
created before the current line. If at the beginning of any other line,
the content of that line is made the new heading. If the command is
used at the end of a folded subtree (i.e. behind the ellipses at the end
of a headline), then a headline like the current one will be inserted
after the end of the subtree.
@kindex C-@key{RET}
@item C-@key{RET}
Just like @kbd{M-@key{RET}}, except when adding a new heading below the
current heading, the new heading is placed after the body instead of before
it. This command works from anywhere in the entry.
@kindex M-S-@key{RET}
@item M-S-@key{RET}
@vindex org-treat-insert-todo-heading-as-state-change
Insert new TODO entry with same level as current heading. See also the
variable @code{org-treat-insert-todo-heading-as-state-change}.
@kindex C-S-@key{RET}
@item C-S-@key{RET}
Insert new TODO entry with same level as current heading. Like
@kbd{C-@key{RET}}, the new headline will be inserted after the current
subtree.
@kindex @key{TAB}
@item @key{TAB} @r{in new, empty entry}
In a new entry with no text yet, the first @key{TAB} demotes the entry to
become a child of the previous one. The next @key{TAB} makes it a parent,
and so on, all the way to top level. Yet another @key{TAB}, and you are back
to the initial level.
@kindex M-@key{left}
@item M-@key{left}
Promote current heading by one level.
@kindex M-@key{right}
@item M-@key{right}
Demote current heading by one level.
@kindex M-S-@key{left}
@item M-S-@key{left}
Promote the current subtree by one level.
@kindex M-S-@key{right}
@item M-S-@key{right}
Demote the current subtree by one level.
@kindex M-S-@key{up}
@item M-S-@key{up}
Move subtree up (swap with previous subtree of same
level).
@kindex M-S-@key{down}
@item M-S-@key{down}
Move subtree down (swap with next subtree of same level).
@kindex C-c C-x C-w
@item C-c C-x C-w
Kill subtree, i.e. remove it from buffer but save in kill ring.
With a numeric prefix argument N, kill N sequential subtrees.
@kindex C-c C-x M-w
@item C-c C-x M-w
Copy subtree to kill ring. With a numeric prefix argument N, copy the N
sequential subtrees.
@kindex C-c C-x C-y
@item C-c C-x C-y
Yank subtree from kill ring. This does modify the level of the subtree to
make sure the tree fits in nicely at the yank position. The yank level can
also be specified with a numeric prefix argument, or by yanking after a
headline marker like @samp{****}.
@kindex C-y
@item C-y
@vindex org-yank-adjusted-subtrees
@vindex org-yank-folded-subtrees
Depending on the variables @code{org-yank-adjusted-subtrees} and
@code{org-yank-folded-subtrees}, Org's internal @code{yank} command will
paste subtrees folded and in a clever way, using the same command as @kbd{C-c
C-x C-y}. With the default settings, no level adjustment will take place,
but the yanked tree will be folded unless doing so would swallow text
previously visible. Any prefix argument to this command will force a normal
@code{yank} to be executed, with the prefix passed along. A good way to
force a normal yank is @kbd{C-u C-y}. If you use @code{yank-pop} after a
yank, it will yank previous kill items plainly, without adjustment and
folding.
@kindex C-c C-x c
@item C-c C-x c
Clone a subtree by making a number of sibling copies of it. You will be
prompted for the number of copies to make, and you can also specify if any
timestamps in the entry should be shifted. This can be useful, for example,
to create a number of tasks related to a series of lectures to prepare. For
more details, see the docstring of the command
@code{org-clone-subtree-with-time-shift}.
@kindex C-c C-w
@item C-c C-w
Refile entry or region to a different location. @xref{Refiling notes}.
@kindex C-c ^
@item C-c ^
Sort same-level entries. When there is an active region, all entries in the
region will be sorted. Otherwise the children of the current headline are
sorted. The command prompts for the sorting method, which can be
alphabetically, numerically, by time (first timestamp with active preferred,
creation time, scheduled time, deadline time), by priority, by TODO keyword
(in the sequence the keywords have been defined in the setup) or by the value
of a property. Reverse sorting is possible as well. You can also supply
your own function to extract the sorting key. With a @kbd{C-u} prefix,
sorting will be case-sensitive. With two @kbd{C-u C-u} prefixes, duplicate
entries will also be removed.
@kindex C-x n s
@item C-x n s
Narrow buffer to current subtree.
@kindex C-x n w
@item C-x n w
Widen buffer to remove narrowing.
@kindex C-c *
@item C-c *
Turn a normal line or plain list item into a headline (so that it becomes a
subheading at its location). Also turn a headline into a normal line by
removing the stars. If there is an active region, turn all lines in the
region into headlines. If the first line in the region was an item, turn
only the item lines into headlines. Finally, if the first line is a
headline, remove the stars from all headlines in the region.
@end table
@cindex region, active
@cindex active region
@cindex transient mark mode
When there is an active region (Transient Mark mode), promotion and
demotion work on all headlines in the region. To select a region of
headlines, it is best to place both point and mark at the beginning of a
line, mark at the beginning of the first headline, and point at the line
just after the last headline to change. Note that when the cursor is
inside a table (@pxref{Tables}), the Meta-Cursor keys have different
functionality.
@node Sparse trees, Plain lists, Structure editing, Document Structure
@section Sparse trees
@cindex sparse trees
@cindex trees, sparse
@cindex folding, sparse trees
@cindex occur, command
@vindex org-show-hierarchy-above
@vindex org-show-following-heading
@vindex org-show-siblings
@vindex org-show-entry-below
An important feature of Org mode is the ability to construct @emph{sparse
trees} for selected information in an outline tree, so that the entire
document is folded as much as possible, but the selected information is made
visible along with the headline structure above it@footnote{See also the
variables @code{org-show-hierarchy-above}, @code{org-show-following-heading},
@code{org-show-siblings}, and @code{org-show-entry-below} for detailed
control on how much context is shown around each match.}. Just try it out
and you will see immediately how it works.
Org mode contains several commands creating such trees, all these
commands can be accessed through a dispatcher:
@table @kbd
@kindex C-c /
@item C-c /
This prompts for an extra key to select a sparse-tree creating command.
@kindex C-c / r
@item C-c / r
@vindex org-remove-highlights-with-change
Occur. Prompts for a regexp and shows a sparse tree with all matches. If
the match is in a headline, the headline is made visible. If the match is in
the body of an entry, headline and body are made visible. In order to
provide minimal context, also the full hierarchy of headlines above the match
is shown, as well as the headline following the match. Each match is also
highlighted; the highlights disappear when the buffer is changed by an
editing command@footnote{This depends on the option
@code{org-remove-highlights-with-change}}, or by pressing @kbd{C-c C-c}.
When called with a @kbd{C-u} prefix argument, previous highlights are kept,
so several calls to this command can be stacked.
@end table
@noindent
@vindex org-agenda-custom-commands
For frequently used sparse trees of specific search strings, you can
use the variable @code{org-agenda-custom-commands} to define fast
keyboard access to specific sparse trees. These commands will then be
accessible through the agenda dispatcher (@pxref{Agenda dispatcher}).
For example:
@lisp
(setq org-agenda-custom-commands
'(("f" occur-tree "FIXME")))
@end lisp
@noindent will define the key @kbd{C-c a f} as a shortcut for creating
a sparse tree matching the string @samp{FIXME}.
The other sparse tree commands select headings based on TODO keywords,
tags, or properties and will be discussed later in this manual.
@kindex C-c C-e v
@cindex printing sparse trees
@cindex visible text, printing
To print a sparse tree, you can use the Emacs command
@code{ps-print-buffer-with-faces} which does not print invisible parts
of the document @footnote{This does not work under XEmacs, because
XEmacs uses selective display for outlining, not text properties.}.
Or you can use the command @kbd{C-c C-e v} to export only the visible
part of the document and print the resulting file.
@node Plain lists, Drawers, Sparse trees, Document Structure
@section Plain lists
@cindex plain lists
@cindex lists, plain
@cindex lists, ordered
@cindex ordered lists
Within an entry of the outline tree, hand-formatted lists can provide
additional structure. They also provide a way to create lists of
checkboxes (@pxref{Checkboxes}). Org supports editing such lists,
and the HTML exporter (@pxref{Exporting}) parses and formats them.
Org knows ordered lists, unordered lists, and description lists.
@itemize @bullet
@item
@emph{Unordered} list items start with @samp{-}, @samp{+}, or
@samp{*}@footnote{When using @samp{*} as a bullet, lines must be indented or
they will be seen as top-level headlines. Also, when you are hiding leading
stars to get a clean outline view, plain list items starting with a star are
visually indistinguishable from true headlines. In short: even though
@samp{*} is supported, it may be better to not use it for plain list items.}
as bullets.
@item
@emph{Ordered} list items start with a numeral followed by either a period or
a right parenthesis, such as @samp{1.} or @samp{1)}.
@item
@emph{Description} list items are unordered list items, and contain the
separator @samp{ :: } to separate the description @emph{term} from the
description.
@end itemize
@vindex org-empty-line-terminates-plain-lists
Items belonging to the same list must have the same indentation on the first
line. In particular, if an ordered list reaches number @samp{10.}, then the
2--digit numbers must be written left-aligned with the other numbers in the
list. Indentation also determines the end of a list item. It ends before
the next line that is indented like the bullet/number, or less. Empty lines
are part of the previous item, so you can have several paragraphs in one
item. If you would like an empty line to terminate all currently open plain
lists, configure the variable @code{org-empty-line-terminates-plain-lists}.
Here is an example:
@example
@group
** Lord of the Rings
My favorite scenes are (in this order)
1. The attack of the Rohirrim
2. Eowyn's fight with the witch king
+ this was already my favorite scene in the book
+ I really like Miranda Otto.
3. Peter Jackson being shot by Legolas
- on DVD only
He makes a really funny face when it happens.
But in the end, no individual scenes matter but the film as a whole.
Important actors in this film are:
- @b{Elijah Wood} :: He plays Frodo
- @b{Sean Austin} :: He plays Sam, Frodo's friend. I still remember
him very well from his role as Mikey Walsh in @i{The Goonies}.
@end group
@end example
Org supports these lists by tuning filling and wrapping commands to deal with
them correctly@footnote{Org only changes the filling settings for Emacs. For
XEmacs, you should use Kyle E. Jones' @file{filladapt.el}. To turn this on,
put into @file{.emacs}: @code{(require 'filladapt)}}, and by exporting them
properly (@pxref{Exporting}). Since indentation is what governs the
structure of these lists, many structural constructs like @code{#+BEGIN_...}
blocks can be indented to signal that they should be part of a list item.
The following commands act on items when the cursor is in the first line
of an item (the line with the bullet or number).
@table @kbd
@kindex @key{TAB}
@item @key{TAB}
@vindex org-cycle-include-plain-lists
Items can be folded just like headline levels. Normally this works only if
the cursor is on a plain list item. For more details, see the variable
@code{org-cycle-include-plain-lists}. to @code{integrate}, plain list items
will be treated like low-level. The level of an item is then given by the
indentation of the bullet/number. Items are always subordinate to real
headlines, however; the hierarchies remain completely separated.
If @code{org-cycle-include-plain-lists} has not been set, @key{TAB}
fixes the indentation of the current line in a heuristic way.
@kindex M-@key{RET}
@item M-@key{RET}
@vindex org-M-RET-may-split-line
Insert new item at current level. With a prefix argument, force a new
heading (@pxref{Structure editing}). If this command is used in the middle
of a line, the line is @emph{split} and the rest of the line becomes the new
item@footnote{If you do not want the line to be split, customize the variable
@code{org-M-RET-may-split-line}.}. If this command is executed in the
@emph{whitespace before a bullet or number}, the new item is created
@emph{before} the current item. If the command is executed in the white
space before the text that is part of an item but does not contain the
bullet, a bullet is added to the current line.
@kindex M-S-@key{RET}
@item M-S-@key{RET}
Insert a new item with a checkbox (@pxref{Checkboxes}).
@kindex @key{TAB}
@item @key{TAB} @r{in new, empty item}
In a new item with no text yet, the first @key{TAB} demotes the item to
become a child of the previous one. The next @key{TAB} makes it a parent,
and so on, all the way to the left margin. Yet another @key{TAB}, and you
are back to the initial level.
@kindex S-@key{up}
@kindex S-@key{down}
@item S-@key{up}
@itemx S-@key{down}
@cindex shift-selection-mode
@vindex org-support-shift-select
Jump to the previous/next item in the current list, but only if
@code{org-support-shift-select} is off. If not, you can still use paragraph
jumping commands like @kbd{C-@key{up}} and @kbd{C-@key{down}} to quite
similar effect.
@kindex M-S-@key{up}
@kindex M-S-@key{down}
@item M-S-@key{up}
@itemx M-S-@key{down}
Move the item including subitems up/down (swap with previous/next item
of same indentation). If the list is ordered, renumbering is
automatic.
@kindex M-S-@key{left}
@kindex M-S-@key{right}
@item M-S-@key{left}
@itemx M-S-@key{right}
Decrease/increase the indentation of the item, including subitems.
Initially, the item tree is selected based on current indentation.
When these commands are executed several times in direct succession,
the initially selected region is used, even if the new indentation
would imply a different hierarchy. To use the new hierarchy, break
the command chain with a cursor motion or so.
@kindex C-c C-c
@item C-c C-c
If there is a checkbox (@pxref{Checkboxes}) in the item line, toggle the
state of the checkbox. If not, this command makes sure that all the
items on this list level use the same bullet. Furthermore, if this is
an ordered list, make sure the numbering is OK.
@kindex C-c -
@item C-c -
Cycle the entire list level through the different itemize/enumerate bullets
(@samp{-}, @samp{+}, @samp{*}, @samp{1.}, @samp{1)}). With a numeric prefix
argument N, select the Nth bullet from this list. If there is an active
region when calling this, all lines will be converted to list items. If the
first line already was a list item, any item markers will be removed from the
list. Finally, even without an active region, a normal line will be
converted into a list item.
@kindex C-c *
@item C-c *
Turn a plain list item into a headline (so that it becomes a subheading at
its location). @xref{Structure editing}, for a detailed explanation.
@kindex S-@key{left}
@kindex S-@key{right}
@item S-@key{left}/@key{right}
@vindex org-support-shift-select
This command also cycles bullet styles when the cursor in on the bullet or
anywhere in an item line, details depending on
@code{org-support-shift-select}.
@kindex C-c ^
@item C-c ^
Sort the plain list. You will be prompted for the sorting method:
numerically, alphabetically, by time, or by custom function.
@end table
@node Drawers, Blocks, Plain lists, Document Structure
@section Drawers
@cindex drawers
@cindex #+DRAWERS
@cindex visibility cycling, drawers
@vindex org-drawers
Sometimes you want to keep information associated with an entry, but you
normally don't want to see it. For this, Org mode has @emph{drawers}.
Drawers need to be configured with the variable
@code{org-drawers}@footnote{You can define drawers on a per-file basis
with a line like @code{#+DRAWERS: HIDDEN PROPERTIES STATE}}. Drawers
look like this:
@example
** This is a headline
Still outside the drawer
:DRAWERNAME:
This is inside the drawer.
:END:
After the drawer.
@end example
Visibility cycling (@pxref{Visibility cycling}) on the headline will hide and
show the entry, but keep the drawer collapsed to a single line. In order to
look inside the drawer, you need to move the cursor to the drawer line and
press @key{TAB} there. Org mode uses the @code{PROPERTIES} drawer for
storing properties (@pxref{Properties and Columns}), and you can also arrange
for state change notes (@pxref{Tracking TODO state changes}) and clock times
(@pxref{Clocking work time}) to be stored in a drawer @code{LOGBOOK}.
@node Blocks, Footnotes, Drawers, Document Structure
@section Blocks
@vindex org-hide-block-startup
@cindex blocks, folding
Org-mode uses begin...end blocks for various purposes from including source
code examples (@pxref{Literal examples}) to capturing time logging
information (@pxref{Clocking work time}). These blocks can be folded and
unfolded by pressing TAB in the begin line. You can also get all blocks
folded at startup by configuring the variable @code{org-hide-block-startup}
or on a per-file basis by using
@cindex @code{hideblocks}, STARTUP keyword
@cindex @code{nohideblocks}, STARTUP keyword
@example
#+STARTUP: hideblocks
#+STARTUP: nohideblocks
@end example
@node Footnotes, Orgstruct mode, Blocks, Document Structure
@section Footnotes
@cindex footnotes
Org mode supports the creation of footnotes. In contrast to the
@file{footnote.el} package, Org mode's footnotes are designed for work on a
larger document, not only for one-off documents like emails. The basic
syntax is similar to the one used by @file{footnote.el}, i.e. a footnote is
defined in a paragraph that is started by a footnote marker in square
brackets in column 0, no indentation allowed. If you need a paragraph break
inside a footnote, use the La@TeX{} idiom @samp{\par}. The footnote reference
is simply the marker in square brackets, inside text. For example:
@example
The Org homepage[fn:1] now looks a lot better than it used to.
...
[fn:1] The link is: http://orgmode.org
@end example
Org mode extends the number-based syntax to @emph{named} footnotes and
optional inline definition. Using plain numbers as markers (as
@file{footnote.el} does) is supported for backward compatibility, but not
encouraged because of possible conflicts with La@TeX{} snippets (@pxref{Embedded
LaTeX}). Here are the valid references:
@table @code
@item [1]
A plain numeric footnote marker. Compatible with @file{footnote.el}, but not
recommended because somthing like @samp{[1]} could easily be part of a code
snippet.
@item [fn:name]
A named footnote reference, where @code{name} is a unique label word, or, for
simplicity of automatic creation, a number.
@item [fn:: This is the inline definition of this footnote]
A La@TeX{}-like anonymous footnote where the definition is given directly at the
reference point.
@item [fn:name: a definition]
An inline definition of a footnote, which also specifies a name for the note.
Since Org allows multiple references to the same note, you can then use
@code{[fn:name]} to create additional references.
@end table
@vindex org-footnote-auto-label
Footnote labels can be created automatically, or you can create names yourself.
This is handled by the variable @code{org-footnote-auto-label} and its
corresponding @code{#+STARTUP} keywords, see the docstring of that variable
for details.
@noindent The following command handles footnotes:
@table @kbd
@kindex C-c C-x f
@item C-c C-x f
The footnote action command.
When the cursor is on a footnote reference, jump to the definition. When it
is at a definition, jump to the (first) reference.
@vindex org-footnote-define-inline
@vindex org-footnote-section
@vindex org-footnote-auto-adjust
Otherwise, create a new footnote. Depending on the variable
@code{org-footnote-define-inline}@footnote{The corresponding in-buffer
setting is: @code{#+STARTUP: fninline} or @code{#+STARTUP: nofninline}}, the
definition will be placed right into the text as part of the reference, or
separately into the location determined by the variable
@code{org-footnote-section}.
When this command is called with a prefix argument, a menu of additional
options is offered:
@example
s @r{Sort the footnote definitions by reference sequence. During editing,}
@r{Org makes no effort to sort footnote definitions into a particular}
@r{sequence. If you want them sorted, use this command, which will}
@r{also move entries according to @code{org-footnote-section}. Automatic}
@r{sorting after each insertion/deletion can be configured using the}
@r{variable @code{org-footnote-auto-adjust}.}
r @r{Renumber the simple @code{fn:N} footnotes. Automatic renumbering}
@r{after each insertion/deletion can be configured using the variable}
@r{@code{org-footnote-auto-adjust}.}
S @r{Short for first @code{r}, then @code{s} action.}
n @r{Normalize the footnotes by collecting all definitions (including}
@r{inline definitions) into a special section, and then numbering them}
@r{in sequence. The references will then also be numbers. This is}
@r{meant to be the final step before finishing a document (e.g. sending}
@r{off an email). The exporters do this automatically, and so could}
@r{something like @code{message-send-hook}.}
d @r{Delete the footnote at point, and all definitions of and references}
@r{to it.}
@end example
Depending on the variable @code{org-footnote-auto-adjust}@footnote{the
corresponding in-buffer options are @code{fnadjust} and @code{nofnadjust}.},
renumbering and sorting footnotes can be automatic after each insertion or
deletion.
@kindex C-c C-c
@item C-c C-c
If the cursor is on a footnote reference, jump to the definition. If it is a
the definition, jump back to the reference. When called at a footnote
location with a prefix argument, offer the same menu as @kbd{C-c C-x f}.
@kindex C-c C-o
@kindex mouse-1
@kindex mouse-2
@item C-c C-o @r{or} mouse-1/2
Footnote labels are also links to the corresponding definition/reference, and
you can use the usual commands to follow these links.
@end table
@node Orgstruct mode, , Footnotes, Document Structure
@section The Orgstruct minor mode
@cindex Orgstruct mode
@cindex minor mode for structure editing
If you like the intuitive way the Org mode structure editing and list
formatting works, you might want to use these commands in other modes like
Text mode or Mail mode as well. The minor mode @code{orgstruct-mode} makes
this possible. Toggle the mode with @kbd{M-x orgstruct-mode}, or
turn it on by default, for example in Mail mode, with one of:
@lisp
(add-hook 'mail-mode-hook 'turn-on-orgstruct)
(add-hook 'mail-mode-hook 'turn-on-orgstruct++)
@end lisp
When this mode is active and the cursor is on a line that looks to Org like a
headline or the first line of a list item, most structure editing commands
will work, even if the same keys normally have different functionality in the
major mode you are using. If the cursor is not in one of those special
lines, Orgstruct mode lurks silently in the shadow. When you use
@code{orgstruct++-mode}, Org will also export indentation and autofill
settings into that mode, and detect item context after the first line of an
item.
@node Tables, Hyperlinks, Document Structure, Top
@chapter Tables
@cindex tables
@cindex editing tables
Org comes with a fast and intuitive table editor. Spreadsheet-like
calculations are supported in connection with the Emacs @file{calc}
package
@ifinfo
(@pxref{Top,Calc,,Calc,Gnu Emacs Calculator Manual}).
@end ifinfo
@ifnotinfo
(see the Emacs Calculator manual for more information about the Emacs
calculator).
@end ifnotinfo
@menu
* Built-in table editor:: Simple tables
* Column width and alignment:: Overrule the automatic settings
* Column groups:: Grouping to trigger vertical lines
* Orgtbl mode:: The table editor as minor mode
* The spreadsheet:: The table editor has spreadsheet capabilities
* Org-Plot:: Plotting from org tables
@end menu
@node Built-in table editor, Column width and alignment, Tables, Tables
@section The built-in table editor
@cindex table editor, built-in
Org makes it easy to format tables in plain ASCII. Any line with
@samp{|} as the first non-whitespace character is considered part of a
table. @samp{|} is also the column separator. A table might look like
this:
@example
| Name | Phone | Age |
|-------+-------+-----|
| Peter | 1234 | 17 |
| Anna | 4321 | 25 |
@end example
A table is re-aligned automatically each time you press @key{TAB} or
@key{RET} or @kbd{C-c C-c} inside the table. @key{TAB} also moves to
the next field (@key{RET} to the next row) and creates new table rows
at the end of the table or before horizontal lines. The indentation
of the table is set by the first line. Any line starting with
@samp{|-} is considered as a horizontal separator line and will be
expanded on the next re-align to span the whole table width. So, to
create the above table, you would only type
@example
|Name|Phone|Age|
|-
@end example
@noindent and then press @key{TAB} to align the table and start filling in
fields. Even faster would be to type @code{|Name|Phone|Age} followed by
@kbd{C-c @key{RET}}.
@vindex org-enable-table-editor
@vindex org-table-auto-blank-field
When typing text into a field, Org treats @key{DEL},
@key{Backspace}, and all character keys in a special way, so that
inserting and deleting avoids shifting other fields. Also, when
typing @emph{immediately after the cursor was moved into a new field
with @kbd{@key{TAB}}, @kbd{S-@key{TAB}} or @kbd{@key{RET}}}, the
field is automatically made blank. If this behavior is too
unpredictable for you, configure the variables
@code{org-enable-table-editor} and @code{org-table-auto-blank-field}.
@table @kbd
@tsubheading{Creation and conversion}
@kindex C-c |
@item C-c |
Convert the active region to table. If every line contains at least one
TAB character, the function assumes that the material is tab separated.
If every line contains a comma, comma-separated values (CSV) are assumed.
If not, lines are split at whitespace into fields. You can use a prefix
argument to force a specific separator: @kbd{C-u} forces CSV, @kbd{C-u
C-u} forces TAB, and a numeric argument N indicates that at least N
consecutive spaces, or alternatively a TAB will be the separator.
@*
If there is no active region, this command creates an empty Org
table. But it's easier just to start typing, like
@kbd{|Name|Phone|Age @key{RET} |- @key{TAB}}.
@tsubheading{Re-aligning and field motion}
@kindex C-c C-c
@item C-c C-c
Re-align the table without moving the cursor.
@c
@kindex @key{TAB}
@item @key{TAB}
Re-align the table, move to the next field. Creates a new row if
necessary.
@c
@kindex S-@key{TAB}
@item S-@key{TAB}
Re-align, move to previous field.
@c
@kindex @key{RET}
@item @key{RET}
Re-align the table and move down to next row. Creates a new row if
necessary. At the beginning or end of a line, @key{RET} still does
NEWLINE, so it can be used to split a table.
@c
@kindex M-a
@item M-a
Move to beginning of the current table field, or on to the previous field.
@kindex M-e
@item M-e
Move to end of the current table field, or on to the next field.
@tsubheading{Column and row editing}
@kindex M-@key{left}
@kindex M-@key{right}
@item M-@key{left}
@itemx M-@key{right}
Move the current column left/right.
@c
@kindex M-S-@key{left}
@item M-S-@key{left}
Kill the current column.
@c
@kindex M-S-@key{right}
@item M-S-@key{right}
Insert a new column to the left of the cursor position.
@c
@kindex M-@key{up}
@kindex M-@key{down}
@item M-@key{up}
@itemx M-@key{down}
Move the current row up/down.
@c
@kindex M-S-@key{up}
@item M-S-@key{up}
Kill the current row or horizontal line.
@c
@kindex M-S-@key{down}
@item M-S-@key{down}
Insert a new row above the current row. With a prefix argument, the line is
created below the current one.
@c
@kindex C-c -
@item C-c -
Insert a horizontal line below current row. With a prefix argument, the line
is created above the current line.
@c
@kindex C-c @key{RET}
@item C-c @key{RET}
Insert a horizontal line below current row, and move the cursor into the row
below that line.
@c
@kindex C-c ^
@item C-c ^
Sort the table lines in the region. The position of point indicates the
column to be used for sorting, and the range of lines is the range
between the nearest horizontal separator lines, or the entire table. If
point is before the first column, you will be prompted for the sorting
column. If there is an active region, the mark specifies the first line
and the sorting column, while point should be in the last line to be
included into the sorting. The command prompts for the sorting type
(alphabetically, numerically, or by time). When called with a prefix
argument, alphabetic sorting will be case-sensitive.
@tsubheading{Regions}
@kindex C-c C-x M-w
@item C-c C-x M-w
Copy a rectangular region from a table to a special clipboard. Point and
mark determine edge fields of the rectangle. If there is no active region,
copy just the current field. The process ignores horizontal separator lines.
@c
@kindex C-c C-x C-w
@item C-c C-x C-w
Copy a rectangular region from a table to a special clipboard, and
blank all fields in the rectangle. So this is the ``cut'' operation.
@c
@kindex C-c C-x C-y
@item C-c C-x C-y
Paste a rectangular region into a table.
The upper left corner ends up in the current field. All involved fields
will be overwritten. If the rectangle does not fit into the present table,
the table is enlarged as needed. The process ignores horizontal separator
lines.
@c
@kindex M-@key{RET}
@itemx M-@kbd{RET}
Wrap several fields in a column like a paragraph. If there is an active
region, and both point and mark are in the same column, the text in the
column is wrapped to minimum width for the given number of lines. A numeric
prefix argument may be used to change the number of desired lines. If there
is no region, the current field is split at the cursor position and the text
fragment to the right of the cursor is prepended to the field one line
down. If there is no region, but you specify a prefix argument, the current
field is made blank, and the content is appended to the field above.
@tsubheading{Calculations}
@cindex formula, in tables
@cindex calculations, in tables
@cindex region, active
@cindex active region
@cindex transient mark mode
@kindex C-c +
@item C-c +
Sum the numbers in the current column, or in the rectangle defined by
the active region. The result is shown in the echo area and can
be inserted with @kbd{C-y}.
@c
@kindex S-@key{RET}
@item S-@key{RET}
@vindex org-table-copy-increment
When current field is empty, copy from first non-empty field above. When not
empty, copy current field down to next row and move cursor along with it.
Depending on the variable @code{org-table-copy-increment}, integer field
values will be incremented during copy. Integers that are too large will not
be incremented. Also, a @code{0} prefix argument temporarily disables the
increment. This key is also used by shift-selection and related modes
(@pxref{Conflicts}).
@tsubheading{Miscellaneous}
@kindex C-c `
@item C-c `
Edit the current field in a separate window. This is useful for fields that
are not fully visible (@pxref{Column width and alignment}). When called with
a @kbd{C-u} prefix, just make the full field visible, so that it can be
edited in place.
@c
@item M-x org-table-import
Import a file as a table. The table should be TAB or whitespace
separated. Use, for example, to import a spreadsheet table or data
from a database, because these programs generally can write
TAB-separated text files. This command works by inserting the file into
the buffer and then converting the region to a table. Any prefix
argument is passed on to the converter, which uses it to determine the
separator.
@item C-c |
Tables can also be imported by pasting tabular text into the Org
buffer, selecting the pasted text with @kbd{C-x C-x} and then using the
@kbd{C-c |} command (see above under @i{Creation and conversion}).
@c
@item M-x org-table-export
@vindex org-table-export-default-format
Export the table, by default as a TAB-separated file. Use for data
exchange with, for example, spreadsheet or database programs. The format
used to export the file can be configured in the variable
@code{org-table-export-default-format}. You may also use properties
@code{TABLE_EXPORT_FILE} and @code{TABLE_EXPORT_FORMAT} to specify the file
name and the format for table export in a subtree. Org supports quite
general formats for exported tables. The exporter format is the same as the
format used by Orgtbl radio tables, see @ref{Translator functions}, for a
detailed description.
@end table
If you don't like the automatic table editor because it gets in your
way on lines which you would like to start with @samp{|}, you can turn
it off with
@lisp
(setq org-enable-table-editor nil)
@end lisp
@noindent Then the only table command that still works is
@kbd{C-c C-c} to do a manual re-align.
@node Column width and alignment, Column groups, Built-in table editor, Tables
@section Column width and alignment
@cindex narrow columns in tables
@cindex alignment in tables
The width of columns is automatically determined by the table editor. And
also the alignment of a column is determined automatically from the fraction
of number-like versus non-number fields in the column.
Sometimes a single field or a few fields need to carry more text,
leading to inconveniently wide columns. To limit@footnote{This feature
does not work on XEmacs.} the width of a column, one field anywhere in
the column may contain just the string @samp{<N>} where @samp{N} is an
integer specifying the width of the column in characters. The next
re-align will then set the width of this column to no more than this
value.
@example
@group
|---+------------------------------| |---+--------|
| | | | | <6> |
| 1 | one | | 1 | one |
| 2 | two | ----\ | 2 | two |
| 3 | This is a long chunk of text | ----/ | 3 | This=> |
| 4 | four | | 4 | four |
|---+------------------------------| |---+--------|
@end group
@end example
@noindent
Fields that are wider become clipped and end in the string @samp{=>}.
Note that the full text is still in the buffer, it is only invisible.
To see the full text, hold the mouse over the field---a tool-tip window
will show the full content. To edit such a field, use the command
@kbd{C-c `} (that is @kbd{C-c} followed by the backquote). This will
open a new window with the full field. Edit it and finish with @kbd{C-c
C-c}.
@vindex org-startup-align-all-tables
When visiting a file containing a table with narrowed columns, the
necessary character hiding has not yet happened, and the table needs to
be aligned before it looks nice. Setting the option
@code{org-startup-align-all-tables} will realign all tables in a file
upon visiting, but also slow down startup. You can also set this option
on a per-file basis with:
@example
#+STARTUP: align
#+STARTUP: noalign
@end example
If you would like to overrule the automatic alignment of number-rich columns
to the right and of string-rich column to the left, you and use @samp{<r>} or
@samp{<l>} in a similar fashion. You may also combine alignment and field
width like this: @samp{<l10>}.
@node Column groups, Orgtbl mode, Column width and alignment, Tables
@section Column groups
@cindex grouping columns in tables
When Org exports tables, it does so by default without vertical
lines because that is visually more satisfying in general. Occasionally
however, vertical lines can be useful to structure a table into groups
of columns, much like horizontal lines can do for groups of rows. In
order to specify column groups, you can use a special row where the
first field contains only @samp{/}. The further fields can either
contain @samp{<} to indicate that this column should start a group,
@samp{>} to indicate the end of a column, or @samp{<>} to make a column
a group of its own. Boundaries between column groups will upon export be
marked with vertical lines. Here is an example:
@example
| | N | N^2 | N^3 | N^4 | sqrt(n) | sqrt[4](N) |
|---+----+-----+-----+-----+---------+------------|
| / | <> | < | | > | < | > |
| # | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| # | 2 | 4 | 8 | 16 | 1.4142 | 1.1892 |
| # | 3 | 9 | 27 | 81 | 1.7321 | 1.3161 |
|---+----+-----+-----+-----+---------+------------|
#+TBLFM: $3=$2^2::$4=$2^3::$5=$2^4::$6=sqrt($2)::$7=sqrt(sqrt(($2)))
@end example
It is also sufficient to just insert the column group starters after
every vertical line you'd like to have:
@example
| N | N^2 | N^3 | N^4 | sqrt(n) | sqrt[4](N) |
|----+-----+-----+-----+---------+------------|
| / | < | | | < | |
@end example
@node Orgtbl mode, The spreadsheet, Column groups, Tables
@section The Orgtbl minor mode
@cindex Orgtbl mode
@cindex minor mode for tables
If you like the intuitive way the Org table editor works, you
might also want to use it in other modes like Text mode or Mail mode.
The minor mode Orgtbl mode makes this possible. You can always toggle
the mode with @kbd{M-x orgtbl-mode}. To turn it on by default, for
example in mail mode, use
@lisp
(add-hook 'mail-mode-hook 'turn-on-orgtbl)
@end lisp
Furthermore, with some special setup, it is possible to maintain tables
in arbitrary syntax with Orgtbl mode. For example, it is possible to
construct La@TeX{} tables with the underlying ease and power of
Orgtbl mode, including spreadsheet capabilities. For details, see
@ref{Tables in arbitrary syntax}.
@node The spreadsheet, Org-Plot, Orgtbl mode, Tables
@section The spreadsheet
@cindex calculations, in tables
@cindex spreadsheet capabilities
@cindex @file{calc} package
The table editor makes use of the Emacs @file{calc} package to implement
spreadsheet-like capabilities. It can also evaluate Emacs Lisp forms to
derive fields from other fields. While fully featured, Org's
implementation is not identical to other spreadsheets. For example,
Org knows the concept of a @emph{column formula} that will be
applied to all non-header fields in a column without having to copy the
formula to each relevant field.
@menu
* References:: How to refer to another field or range
* Formula syntax for Calc:: Using Calc to compute stuff
* Formula syntax for Lisp:: Writing formulas in Emacs Lisp
* Field formulas:: Formulas valid for a single field
* Column formulas:: Formulas valid for an entire column
* Editing and debugging formulas:: Fixing formulas
* Updating the table:: Recomputing all dependent fields
* Advanced features:: Field names, parameters and automatic recalc
@end menu
@node References, Formula syntax for Calc, The spreadsheet, The spreadsheet
@subsection References
@cindex references
To compute fields in the table from other fields, formulas must
reference other fields or ranges. In Org, fields can be referenced
by name, by absolute coordinates, and by relative coordinates. To find
out what the coordinates of a field are, press @kbd{C-c ?} in that
field, or press @kbd{C-c @}} to toggle the display of a grid.
@subsubheading Field references
@cindex field references
@cindex references, to fields
Formulas can reference the value of another field in two ways. Like in
any other spreadsheet, you may reference fields with a letter/number
combination like @code{B3}, meaning the 2nd field in the 3rd row.
@c Such references are always fixed to that field, they don't change
@c when you copy and paste a formula to a different field. So
@c Org's @code{B3} behaves like @code{$B$3} in other spreadsheets.
@noindent
Org also uses another, more general operator that looks like this:
@example
@@@var{row}$@var{column}
@end example
@noindent
Column references can be absolute like @samp{1}, @samp{2},...@samp{@var{N}},
or relative to the current column like @samp{+1} or @samp{-2}.
The row specification only counts data lines and ignores horizontal
separator lines (hlines). You can use absolute row numbers
@samp{1}...@samp{@var{N}}, and row numbers relative to the current row like
@samp{+3} or @samp{-1}. Or specify the row relative to one of the
hlines: @samp{I} refers to the first hline@footnote{Note that only
hlines are counted that @emph{separate} table lines. If the table
starts with a hline above the header, it does not count.}, @samp{II} to
the second, etc@. @samp{-I} refers to the first such line above the
current line, @samp{+I} to the first such line below the current line.
You can also write @samp{III+2} which is the second data line after the
third hline in the table.
@samp{0} refers to the current row and column. Also, if you omit
either the column or the row part of the reference, the current
row/column is implied.
Org's references with @emph{unsigned} numbers are fixed references
in the sense that if you use the same reference in the formula for two
different fields, the same field will be referenced each time.
Org's references with @emph{signed} numbers are floating
references because the same reference operator can reference different
fields depending on the field being calculated by the formula.
As a special case, references like @samp{$LR5} and @samp{$LR12} can be used
to refer in a stable way to the 5th and 12th field in the last row of the
table.
Here are a few examples:
@example
@@2$3 @r{2nd row, 3rd column}
C2 @r{same as previous}
$5 @r{column 5 in the current row}
E& @r{same as previous}
@@2 @r{current column, row 2}
@@-1$-3 @r{the field one row up, three columns to the left}
@@-I$2 @r{field just under hline above current row, column 2}
@end example
@subsubheading Range references
@cindex range references
@cindex references, to ranges
You may reference a rectangular range of fields by specifying two field
references connected by two dots @samp{..}. If both fields are in the
current row, you may simply use @samp{$2..$7}, but if at least one field
is in a different row, you need to use the general @code{@@row$column}
format at least for the first field (i.e the reference must start with
@samp{@@} in order to be interpreted correctly). Examples:
@example
$1..$3 @r{First three fields in the current row.}
$P..$Q @r{Range, using column names (see under Advanced)}
@@2$1..@@4$3 @r{6 fields between these two fields.}
A2..C4 @r{Same as above.}
@@-1$-2..@@-1 @r{3 numbers from the column to the left, 2 up to current row}
@end example
@noindent Range references return a vector of values that can be fed
into Calc vector functions. Empty fields in ranges are normally
suppressed, so that the vector contains only the non-empty fields (but
see the @samp{E} mode switch below). If there are no non-empty fields,
@samp{[0]} is returned to avoid syntax errors in formulas.
@subsubheading Named references
@cindex named references
@cindex references, named
@cindex name, of column or field
@cindex constants, in calculations
@cindex #+CONSTANTS
@vindex org-table-formula-constants
@samp{$name} is interpreted as the name of a column, parameter or
constant. Constants are defined globally through the variable
@code{org-table-formula-constants}, and locally (for the file) through a
line like
@example
#+CONSTANTS: c=299792458. pi=3.14 eps=2.4e-6
@end example
@noindent
@vindex constants-unit-system
@pindex constants.el
Also properties (@pxref{Properties and Columns}) can be used as
constants in table formulas: for a property @samp{:Xyz:} use the name
@samp{$PROP_Xyz}, and the property will be searched in the current
outline entry and in the hierarchy above it. If you have the
@file{constants.el} package, it will also be used to resolve constants,
including natural constants like @samp{$h} for Planck's constant, and
units like @samp{$km} for kilometers@footnote{@file{constants.el} can
supply the values of constants in two different unit systems, @code{SI}
and @code{cgs}. Which one is used depends on the value of the variable
@code{constants-unit-system}. You can use the @code{#+STARTUP} options
@code{constSI} and @code{constcgs} to set this value for the current
buffer.}. Column names and parameters can be specified in special table
lines. These are described below, see @ref{Advanced features}. All
names must start with a letter, and further consist of letters and
numbers.
@subsubheading Remote references
@cindex remote references
@cindex references, remote
@cindex references, to a different table
@cindex name, of column or field
@cindex constants, in calculations
@cindex #+TBLNAME
You may also reference constants, fields and ranges from a different table,
either in the current file or even in a different file. The syntax is
@example
remote(NAME-OR-ID,REF)
@end example
@noindent
where NAME can be the name of a table in the current file as set by a
@code{#+TBLNAME: NAME} line before the table. It can also be the ID of an
entry, even in a different file, and the reference then refers to the first
table in that entry. REF is an absolute field or range reference as
described above for example @code{@@3$3} or @code{$somename}, valid in the
referenced table.
@node Formula syntax for Calc, Formula syntax for Lisp, References, The spreadsheet
@subsection Formula syntax for Calc
@cindex formula syntax, Calc
@cindex syntax, of formulas
A formula can be any algebraic expression understood by the Emacs
@file{Calc} package. @b{Note that @file{calc} has the
non-standard convention that @samp{/} has lower precedence than
@samp{*}, so that @samp{a/b*c} is interpreted as @samp{a/(b*c)}.} Before
evaluation by @code{calc-eval} (@pxref{Calling Calc from
Your Programs,calc-eval,Calling Calc from Your Lisp Programs,Calc,GNU
Emacs Calc Manual}),
@c FIXME: The link to the Calc manual in HTML does not work.
variable substitution takes place according to the rules described above.
@cindex vectors, in table calculations
The range vectors can be directly fed into the Calc vector functions
like @samp{vmean} and @samp{vsum}.
@cindex format specifier
@cindex mode, for @file{calc}
@vindex org-calc-default-modes
A formula can contain an optional mode string after a semicolon. This
string consists of flags to influence Calc and other modes during
execution. By default, Org uses the standard Calc modes (precision
12, angular units degrees, fraction and symbolic modes off). The display
format, however, has been changed to @code{(float 8)} to keep tables
compact. The default settings can be configured using the variable
@code{org-calc-default-modes}.
@example
p20 @r{switch the internal precision to 20 digits}
n3 s3 e2 f4 @r{normal, scientific, engineering, or fixed display format}
D R @r{angle modes: degrees, radians}
F S @r{fraction and symbolic modes}
N @r{interpret all fields as numbers, use 0 for non-numbers}
T @r{force text interpretation}
E @r{keep empty fields in ranges}
L @r{literal}
@end example
@noindent
In addition, you may provide a @code{printf} format specifier to
reformat the final result. A few examples:
@example
$1+$2 @r{Sum of first and second field}
$1+$2;%.2f @r{Same, format result to two decimals}
exp($2)+exp($1) @r{Math functions can be used}
$0;%.1f @r{Reformat current cell to 1 decimal}
($3-32)*5/9 @r{Degrees F -> C conversion}
$c/$1/$cm @r{Hz -> cm conversion, using @file{constants.el}}
tan($1);Dp3s1 @r{Compute in degrees, precision 3, display SCI 1}
sin($1);Dp3%.1e @r{Same, but use printf specifier for display}
vmean($2..$7) @r{Compute column range mean, using vector function}
vmean($2..$7);EN @r{Same, but treat empty fields as 0}
taylor($3,x=7,2) @r{taylor series of $3, at x=7, second degree}
@end example
Calc also contains a complete set of logical operations. For example
@example
if($1<20,teen,string("")) @r{``teen'' if age $1 less than 20, else empty}
@end example
@node Formula syntax for Lisp, Field formulas, Formula syntax for Calc, The spreadsheet
@subsection Emacs Lisp forms as formulas
@cindex Lisp forms, as table formulas
It is also possible to write a formula in Emacs Lisp; this can be useful
for string manipulation and control structures, if Calc's
functionality is not enough. If a formula starts with a single-quote
followed by an opening parenthesis, then it is evaluated as a Lisp form.
The evaluation should return either a string or a number. Just as with
@file{calc} formulas, you can specify modes and a printf format after a
semicolon. With Emacs Lisp forms, you need to be conscious about the way
field references are interpolated into the form. By default, a
reference will be interpolated as a Lisp string (in double-quotes)
containing the field. If you provide the @samp{N} mode switch, all
referenced elements will be numbers (non-number fields will be zero) and
interpolated as Lisp numbers, without quotes. If you provide the
@samp{L} flag, all fields will be interpolated literally, without quotes.
I.e., if you want a reference to be interpreted as a string by the Lisp
form, enclose the reference operator itself in double-quotes, like
@code{"$3"}. Ranges are inserted as space-separated fields, so you can
embed them in list or vector syntax. A few examples, note how the
@samp{N} mode is used when we do computations in Lisp.
@example
@r{Swap the first two characters of the content of column 1}
'(concat (substring $1 1 2) (substring $1 0 1) (substring $1 2))
@r{Add columns 1 and 2, equivalent to Calc's @code{$1+$2}}
'(+ $1 $2);N
@r{Compute the sum of columns 1-4, like Calc's @code{vsum($1..$4)}}
'(apply '+ '($1..$4));N
@end example
@node Field formulas, Column formulas, Formula syntax for Lisp, The spreadsheet
@subsection Field formulas
@cindex field formula
@cindex formula, for individual table field
To assign a formula to a particular field, type it directly into the
field, preceded by @samp{:=}, for example @samp{:=$1+$2}. When you
press @key{TAB} or @key{RET} or @kbd{C-c C-c} with the cursor still in
the field, the formula will be stored as the formula for this field,
evaluated, and the current field replaced with the result.
@cindex #+TBLFM
Formulas are stored in a special line starting with @samp{#+TBLFM:}
directly below the table. If you typed the equation in the 4th field of
the 3rd data line in the table, the formula will look like
@samp{@@3$4=$1+$2}. When inserting/deleting/swapping column and rows
with the appropriate commands, @i{absolute references} (but not relative
ones) in stored formulas are modified in order to still reference the
same field. Of course this is not true if you edit the table structure
with normal editing commands---then you must fix the equations yourself.
The left-hand side of a formula may also be a named field (@pxref{Advanced
features}), or a last-row reference like @samp{$LR3}.
Instead of typing an equation into the field, you may also use the
following command
@table @kbd
@kindex C-u C-c =
@item C-u C-c =
Install a new formula for the current field. The command prompts for a
formula with default taken from the @samp{#+TBLFM:} line, applies
it to the current field, and stores it.
@end table
@node Column formulas, Editing and debugging formulas, Field formulas, The spreadsheet
@subsection Column formulas
@cindex column formula
@cindex formula, for table column
Often in a table, the same formula should be used for all fields in a
particular column. Instead of having to copy the formula to all fields
in that column, Org allows you to assign a single formula to an entire
column. If the table contains horizontal separator hlines, everything
before the first such line is considered part of the table @emph{header}
and will not be modified by column formulas.
To assign a formula to a column, type it directly into any field in the
column, preceded by an equal sign, like @samp{=$1+$2}. When you press
@key{TAB} or @key{RET} or @kbd{C-c C-c} with the cursor still in the field,
the formula will be stored as the formula for the current column, evaluated
and the current field replaced with the result. If the field contains only
@samp{=}, the previously stored formula for this column is used. For each
column, Org will only remember the most recently used formula. In the
@samp{#+TBLFM:} line, column formulas will look like @samp{$4=$1+$2}. The left-hand
side of a column formula cannot currently be the name of column, it
must be the numeric column reference.
Instead of typing an equation into the field, you may also use the
following command:
@table @kbd
@kindex C-c =
@item C-c =
Install a new formula for the current column and replace current field with
the result of the formula. The command prompts for a formula, with default
taken from the @samp{#+TBLFM} line, applies it to the current field and
stores it. With a numeric prefix argument(e.g. @kbd{C-5 C-c =}) the command
will apply it to that many consecutive fields in the current column.
@end table
@node Editing and debugging formulas, Updating the table, Column formulas, The spreadsheet
@subsection Editing and debugging formulas
@cindex formula editing
@cindex editing, of table formulas
@vindex org-table-use-standard-references
You can edit individual formulas in the minibuffer or directly in the
field. Org can also prepare a special buffer with all active
formulas of a table. When offering a formula for editing, Org
converts references to the standard format (like @code{B3} or @code{D&})
if possible. If you prefer to only work with the internal format (like
@code{@@3$2} or @code{$4}), configure the variable
@code{org-table-use-standard-references}.
@table @kbd
@kindex C-c =
@kindex C-u C-c =
@item C-c =
@itemx C-u C-c =
Edit the formula associated with the current column/field in the
minibuffer. See @ref{Column formulas}, and @ref{Field formulas}.
@kindex C-u C-u C-c =
@item C-u C-u C-c =
Re-insert the active formula (either a
field formula, or a column formula) into the current field, so that you
can edit it directly in the field. The advantage over editing in the
minibuffer is that you can use the command @kbd{C-c ?}.
@kindex C-c ?
@item C-c ?
While editing a formula in a table field, highlight the field(s)
referenced by the reference at the cursor position in the formula.
@kindex C-c @}
@item C-c @}
Toggle the display of row and column numbers for a table, using
overlays. These are updated each time the table is aligned; you can
force it with @kbd{C-c C-c}.
@kindex C-c @{
@item C-c @{
Toggle the formula debugger on and off. See below.
@kindex C-c '
@item C-c '
Edit all formulas for the current table in a special buffer, where the
formulas will be displayed one per line. If the current field has an
active formula, the cursor in the formula editor will mark it.
While inside the special buffer, Org will automatically highlight
any field or range reference at the cursor position. You may edit,
remove and add formulas, and use the following commands:
@table @kbd
@kindex C-c C-c
@kindex C-x C-s
@item C-c C-c
@itemx C-x C-s
Exit the formula editor and store the modified formulas. With @kbd{C-u}
prefix, also apply the new formulas to the entire table.
@kindex C-c C-q
@item C-c C-q
Exit the formula editor without installing changes.
@kindex C-c C-r
@item C-c C-r
Toggle all references in the formula editor between standard (like
@code{B3}) and internal (like @code{@@3$2}).
@kindex @key{TAB}
@item @key{TAB}
Pretty-print or indent Lisp formula at point. When in a line containing
a Lisp formula, format the formula according to Emacs Lisp rules.
Another @key{TAB} collapses the formula back again. In the open
formula, @key{TAB} re-indents just like in Emacs Lisp mode.
@kindex M-@key{TAB}
@item M-@key{TAB}
Complete Lisp symbols, just like in Emacs Lisp mode.
@kindex S-@key{up}
@kindex S-@key{down}
@kindex S-@key{left}
@kindex S-@key{right}
@item S-@key{up}/@key{down}/@key{left}/@key{right}
Shift the reference at point. For example, if the reference is
@code{B3} and you press @kbd{S-@key{right}}, it will become @code{C3}.
This also works for relative references and for hline references.
@kindex M-S-@key{up}
@kindex M-S-@key{down}
@item M-S-@key{up}/@key{down}
Move the test line for column formulas in the Org buffer up and
down.
@kindex M-@key{up}
@kindex M-@key{down}
@item M-@key{up}/@key{down}
Scroll the window displaying the table.
@kindex C-c @}
@item C-c @}
Turn the coordinate grid in the table on and off.
@end table
@end table
Making a table field blank does not remove the formula associated with
the field, because that is stored in a different line (the @samp{#+TBLFM}
line)---during the next recalculation the field will be filled again.
To remove a formula from a field, you have to give an empty reply when
prompted for the formula, or to edit the @samp{#+TBLFM} line.
@kindex C-c C-c
You may edit the @samp{#+TBLFM} directly and re-apply the changed
equations with @kbd{C-c C-c} in that line or with the normal
recalculation commands in the table.
@subsubheading Debugging formulas
@cindex formula debugging
@cindex debugging, of table formulas
When the evaluation of a formula leads to an error, the field content
becomes the string @samp{#ERROR}. If you would like see what is going
on during variable substitution and calculation in order to find a bug,
turn on formula debugging in the @code{Tbl} menu and repeat the
calculation, for example by pressing @kbd{C-u C-u C-c = @key{RET}} in a
field. Detailed information will be displayed.
@node Updating the table, Advanced features, Editing and debugging formulas, The spreadsheet
@subsection Updating the table
@cindex recomputing table fields
@cindex updating, table
Recalculation of a table is normally not automatic, but needs to be
triggered by a command. See @ref{Advanced features}, for a way to make
recalculation at least semi-automatic.
In order to recalculate a line of a table or the entire table, use the
following commands:
@table @kbd
@kindex C-c *
@item C-c *
Recalculate the current row by first applying the stored column formulas
from left to right, and all field formulas in the current row.
@c
@kindex C-u C-c *
@item C-u C-c *
@kindex C-u C-c C-c
@itemx C-u C-c C-c
Recompute the entire table, line by line. Any lines before the first
hline are left alone, assuming that these are part of the table header.
@c
@kindex C-u C-u C-c *
@kindex C-u C-u C-c C-c
@item C-u C-u C-c *
@itemx C-u C-u C-c C-c
Iterate the table by recomputing it until no further changes occur.
This may be necessary if some computed fields use the value of other
fields that are computed @i{later} in the calculation sequence.
@end table
@node Advanced features, , Updating the table, The spreadsheet
@subsection Advanced features
If you want the recalculation of fields to happen automatically, or if
you want to be able to assign @i{names} to fields and columns, you need
to reserve the first column of the table for special marking characters.
@table @kbd
@kindex C-#
@item C-#
Rotate the calculation mark in first column through the states @samp{ },
@samp{#}, @samp{*}, @samp{!}, @samp{$}. When there is an active region,
change all marks in the region.
@end table
Here is an example of a table that collects exam results of students and
makes use of these features:
@example
@group
|---+---------+--------+--------+--------+-------+------|
| | Student | Prob 1 | Prob 2 | Prob 3 | Total | Note |
|---+---------+--------+--------+--------+-------+------|
| ! | | P1 | P2 | P3 | Tot | |
| # | Maximum | 10 | 15 | 25 | 50 | 10.0 |
| ^ | | m1 | m2 | m3 | mt | |
|---+---------+--------+--------+--------+-------+------|
| # | Peter | 10 | 8 | 23 | 41 | 8.2 |
| # | Sam | 2 | 4 | 3 | 9 | 1.8 |
|---+---------+--------+--------+--------+-------+------|
| | Average | | | | 29.7 | |
| ^ | | | | | at | |
| $ | max=50 | | | | | |
|---+---------+--------+--------+--------+-------+------|
#+TBLFM: $6=vsum($P1..$P3)::$7=10*$Tot/$max;%.1f::$at=vmean(@@-II..@@-I);%.1f
@end group
@end example
@noindent @b{Important}: please note that for these special tables,
recalculating the table with @kbd{C-u C-c *} will only affect rows that
are marked @samp{#} or @samp{*}, and fields that have a formula assigned
to the field itself. The column formulas are not applied in rows with
empty first field.
@cindex marking characters, tables
The marking characters have the following meaning:
@table @samp
@item !
The fields in this line define names for the columns, so that you may
refer to a column as @samp{$Tot} instead of @samp{$6}.
@item ^
This row defines names for the fields @emph{above} the row. With such
a definition, any formula in the table may use @samp{$m1} to refer to
the value @samp{10}. Also, if you assign a formula to a names field, it
will be stored as @samp{$name=...}.
@item _
Similar to @samp{^}, but defines names for the fields in the row
@emph{below}.
@item $
Fields in this row can define @emph{parameters} for formulas. For
example, if a field in a @samp{$} row contains @samp{max=50}, then
formulas in this table can refer to the value 50 using @samp{$max}.
Parameters work exactly like constants, only that they can be defined on
a per-table basis.
@item #
Fields in this row are automatically recalculated when pressing
@key{TAB} or @key{RET} or @kbd{S-@key{TAB}} in this row. Also, this row
is selected for a global recalculation with @kbd{C-u C-c *}. Unmarked
lines will be left alone by this command.
@item *
Selects this line for global recalculation with @kbd{C-u C-c *}, but
not for automatic recalculation. Use this when automatic
recalculation slows down editing too much.
@item
Unmarked lines are exempt from recalculation with @kbd{C-u C-c *}.
All lines that should be recalculated should be marked with @samp{#}
or @samp{*}.
@item /
Do not export this line. Useful for lines that contain the narrowing
@samp{<N>} markers or column group markers.
@end table
Finally, just to whet your appetite for what can be done with the
fantastic @file{calc.el} package, here is a table that computes the Taylor
series of degree @code{n} at location @code{x} for a couple of
functions.
@example
@group
|---+-------------+---+-----+--------------------------------------|
| | Func | n | x | Result |
|---+-------------+---+-----+--------------------------------------|
| # | exp(x) | 1 | x | 1 + x |
| # | exp(x) | 2 | x | 1 + x + x^2 / 2 |
| # | exp(x) | 3 | x | 1 + x + x^2 / 2 + x^3 / 6 |
| # | x^2+sqrt(x) | 2 | x=0 | x*(0.5 / 0) + x^2 (2 - 0.25 / 0) / 2 |
| # | x^2+sqrt(x) | 2 | x=1 | 2 + 2.5 x - 2.5 + 0.875 (x - 1)^2 |
| * | tan(x) | 3 | x | 0.0175 x + 1.77e-6 x^3 |
|---+-------------+---+-----+--------------------------------------|
#+TBLFM: $5=taylor($2,$4,$3);n3
@end group
@end example
@node Org-Plot, , The spreadsheet, Tables
@section Org-Plot
@cindex graph, in tables
@cindex plot tables using gnuplot
@cindex #+PLOT
Org-Plot can produce 2D and 3D graphs of information stored in org tables
using @file{Gnuplot} @uref{http://www.gnuplot.info/} and @file{gnuplot-mode}
@uref{http://cars9.uchicago.edu/~ravel/software/gnuplot-mode.html}. To see
this in action, ensure that you have both Gnuplot and Gnuplot mode installed
on your system, then call @code{org-plot/gnuplot} on the following table.
@example
@group
#+PLOT: title:"Citas" ind:1 deps:(3) type:2d with:histograms set:"yrange [0:]"
| Sede | Max cites | H-index |
|-----------+-----------+---------|
| Chile | 257.72 | 21.39 |
| Leeds | 165.77 | 19.68 |
| Sao Paolo | 71.00 | 11.50 |
| Stockholm | 134.19 | 14.33 |
| Morelia | 257.56 | 17.67 |
@end group
@end example
Notice that Org Plot is smart enough to apply the table's headers as labels.
Further control over the labels, type, content, and appearance of plots can
be exercised through the @code{#+PLOT:} lines preceding a table. See below
for a complete list of Org-plot options. For more information and examples
see the Org-plot tutorial at
@uref{http://orgmode.org/worg/org-tutorials/org-plot.php}.
@subsubheading Plot Options
@table @code
@item set
Specify any @command{gnuplot} option to be set when graphing.
@item title
Specify the title of the plot.
@item ind
Specify which column of the table to use as the @code{x} axis.
@item deps
Specify the columns to graph as a Lisp style list, surrounded by parentheses
and separated by spaces for example @code{dep:(3 4)} to graph the third and
fourth columns (defaults to graphing all other columns aside from the @code{ind}
column).
@item type
Specify whether the plot will be @code{2d}, @code{3d}, or @code{grid}.
@item with
Specify a @code{with} option to be inserted for every col being plotted
(e.g. @code{lines}, @code{points}, @code{boxes}, @code{impulses}, etc...).
Defaults to @code{lines}.
@item file
If you want to plot to a file, specify @code{"@var{path/to/desired/output-file}"}.
@item labels
List of labels to be used for the deps (defaults to the column headers if
they exist).
@item line
Specify an entire line to be inserted in the Gnuplot script.
@item map
When plotting @code{3d} or @code{grid} types, set this to @code{t} to graph a
flat mapping rather than a @code{3d} slope.
@item timefmt
Specify format of Org-mode timestamps as they will be parsed by Gnuplot.
Defaults to @samp{%Y-%m-%d-%H:%M:%S}.
@item script
If you want total control, you can specify a script file (place the file name
between double-quotes) which will be used to plot. Before plotting, every
instance of @code{$datafile} in the specified script will be replaced with
the path to the generated data file. Note: even if you set this option, you
may still want to specify the plot type, as that can impact the content of
the data file.
@end table
@node Hyperlinks, TODO Items, Tables, Top
@chapter Hyperlinks
@cindex hyperlinks
Like HTML, Org provides links inside a file, external links to
other files, Usenet articles, emails, and much more.
@menu
* Link format:: How links in Org are formatted
* Internal links:: Links to other places in the current file
* External links:: URL-like links to the world
* Handling links:: Creating, inserting and following
* Using links outside Org:: Linking from my C source code?
* Link abbreviations:: Shortcuts for writing complex links
* Search options:: Linking to a specific location
* Custom searches:: When the default search is not enough
@end menu
@node Link format, Internal links, Hyperlinks, Hyperlinks
@section Link format
@cindex link format
@cindex format, of links
Org will recognize plain URL-like links and activate them as
clickable links. The general link format, however, looks like this:
@example
[[link][description]] @r{or alternatively} [[link]]
@end example
@noindent
Once a link in the buffer is complete (all brackets present), Org
will change the display so that @samp{description} is displayed instead
of @samp{[[link][description]]} and @samp{link} is displayed instead of
@samp{[[link]]}. Links will be highlighted in the face @code{org-link},
which by default is an underlined face. You can directly edit the
visible part of a link. Note that this can be either the @samp{link}
part (if there is no description) or the @samp{description} part. To
edit also the invisible @samp{link} part, use @kbd{C-c C-l} with the
cursor on the link.
If you place the cursor at the beginning or just behind the end of the
displayed text and press @key{BACKSPACE}, you will remove the
(invisible) bracket at that location. This makes the link incomplete
and the internals are again displayed as plain text. Inserting the
missing bracket hides the link internals again. To show the
internal structure of all links, use the menu entry
@code{Org->Hyperlinks->Literal links}.
@node Internal links, External links, Link format, Hyperlinks
@section Internal links
@cindex internal links
@cindex links, internal
@cindex targets, for links
@cindex property, CUSTOM_ID
If the link does not look like a URL, it is considered to be internal in the
current file. The most important case is a link like
@samp{[[#my-custom-id]]} which will link to the entry with the
@code{CUSTOM_ID} property @samp{my-custom-id}. Such custom IDs are very good
for HTML export (@pxref{HTML export}) where they produce pretty section
links. You are responsible yourself to make sure these custom IDs are unique
in a file.
Links such as @samp{[[My Target]]} or @samp{[[My Target][Find my target]]}
lead to a text search in the current file.
The link can be followed with @kbd{C-c C-o} when the cursor is on the link,
or with a mouse click (@pxref{Handling links}). Links to custom IDs will
point to the corresponding headline. The preferred match for a text link is
a @i{dedicated target}: the same string in double angular brackets. Targets
may be located anywhere; sometimes it is convenient to put them into a
comment line. For example
@example
# <<My Target>>
@end example
@noindent In HTML export (@pxref{HTML export}), such targets will become
named anchors for direct access through @samp{http} links@footnote{Note that
text before the first headline is usually not exported, so the first such
target should be after the first headline, or in the line directly before the
first headline.}.
If no dedicated target exists, Org will search for the words in the link. In
the above example the search would be for @samp{my target}. Links starting
with a star like @samp{*My Target} restrict the search to
headlines@footnote{To insert a link targeting a headline, in-buffer
completion can be used. Just type a star followed by a few optional letters
into the buffer and press @kbd{M-@key{TAB}}. All headlines in the current
buffer will be offered as completions. @xref{Handling links}, for more
commands creating links.}. When searching, Org mode will first try an
exact match, but then move on to more and more lenient searches. For
example, the link @samp{[[*My Targets]]} will find any of the following:
@example
** My targets
** TODO my targets are bright
** my 20 targets are
@end example
Following a link pushes a mark onto Org's own mark ring. You can
return to the previous position with @kbd{C-c &}. Using this command
several times in direct succession goes back to positions recorded
earlier.
@menu
* Radio targets:: Make targets trigger links in plain text
@end menu
@node Radio targets, , Internal links, Internal links
@subsection Radio targets
@cindex radio targets
@cindex targets, radio
@cindex links, radio targets
Org can automatically turn any occurrences of certain target names
in normal text into a link. So without explicitly creating a link, the
text connects to the target radioing its position. Radio targets are
enclosed by triple angular brackets. For example, a target @samp{<<<My
Target>>>} causes each occurrence of @samp{my target} in normal text to
become activated as a link. The Org file is scanned automatically
for radio targets only when the file is first loaded into Emacs. To
update the target list during editing, press @kbd{C-c C-c} with the
cursor on or at a target.
@node External links, Handling links, Internal links, Hyperlinks
@section External links
@cindex links, external
@cindex external links
@cindex links, external
@cindex Gnus links
@cindex BBDB links
@cindex IRC links
@cindex URL links
@cindex file links
@cindex VM links
@cindex RMAIL links
@cindex WANDERLUST links
@cindex MH-E links
@cindex USENET links
@cindex SHELL links
@cindex Info links
@cindex Elisp links
Org supports links to files, websites, Usenet and email messages,
BBDB database entries and links to both IRC conversations and their
logs. External links are URL-like locators. They start with a short
identifying string followed by a colon. There can be no space after
the colon. The following list shows examples for each link type.
@example
http://www.astro.uva.nl/~dominik @r{on the web}
file:/home/dominik/images/jupiter.jpg @r{file, absolute path}
/home/dominik/images/jupiter.jpg @r{same as above}
file:papers/last.pdf @r{file, relative path}
./papers/last.pdf @r{same as above}
file:sometextfile::NNN @r{file with line number to jump to}
file:projects.org @r{another Org file}
file:projects.org::some words @r{text search in Org file}
file:projects.org::*task title @r{heading search in Org file}
id:B7423F4D-2E8A-471B-8810-C40F074717E9 @r{Link to heading by ID}
news:comp.emacs @r{Usenet link}
mailto:adent@@galaxy.net @r{Mail link}
vm:folder @r{VM folder link}
vm:folder#id @r{VM message link}
vm://myself@@some.where.org/folder#id @r{VM on remote machine}
wl:folder @r{WANDERLUST folder link}
wl:folder#id @r{WANDERLUST message link}
mhe:folder @r{MH-E folder link}
mhe:folder#id @r{MH-E message link}
rmail:folder @r{RMAIL folder link}
rmail:folder#id @r{RMAIL message link}
gnus:group @r{Gnus group link}
gnus:group#id @r{Gnus article link}
bbdb:R.*Stallman @r{BBDB link (with regexp)}
irc:/irc.com/#emacs/bob @r{IRC link}
shell:ls *.org @r{A shell command}
elisp:org-agenda @r{Interactive Elisp command}
elisp:(find-file-other-frame "Elisp.org") @r{Elisp form to evaluate}
@end example
A link should be enclosed in double brackets and may contain a
descriptive text to be displayed instead of the URL (@pxref{Link
format}), for example:
@example
[[http://www.gnu.org/software/emacs/][GNU Emacs]]
@end example
@noindent
If the description is a file name or URL that points to an image, HTML
export (@pxref{HTML export}) will inline the image as a clickable
button. If there is no description at all and the link points to an
image,
that image will be inlined into the exported HTML file.
@cindex square brackets, around links
@cindex plain text external links
Org also finds external links in the normal text and activates them
as links. If spaces must be part of the link (for example in
@samp{bbdb:Richard Stallman}), or if you need to remove ambiguities
about the end of the link, enclose them in square brackets.
@node Handling links, Using links outside Org, External links, Hyperlinks
@section Handling links
@cindex links, handling
Org provides methods to create a link in the correct syntax, to
insert it into an Org file, and to follow the link.
@table @kbd
@kindex C-c l
@cindex storing links
@item C-c l
Store a link to the current location. This is a @emph{global} command (you
must create the key binding yourself) which can be used in any buffer to
create a link. The link will be stored for later insertion into an Org
buffer (see below). What kind of link will be created depends on the current
buffer:
@b{Org-mode buffers}@*
For Org files, if there is a @samp{<<target>>} at the cursor, the link points
to the target. Otherwise it points to the current headline, which will also
be the description.
@vindex org-link-to-org-use-id
@cindex property, CUSTOM_ID
@cindex property, ID
If the headline has a @code{CUSTOM_ID} property, a link to this custom ID
will be stored. In addition or alternatively (depending on the value of
@code{org-link-to-org-use-id}), a globally unique @code{ID} property will be
created and/or used to construct a link. So using this command in Org
buffers will potentially create two links: a human-readable from the custom
ID, and one that is globally unique and works even if the entry is moved from
file to file. Later, when inserting the link, you need to decide which one
to use.
@b{Email/News clients: VM, Rmail, Wanderlust, MH-E, Gnus}@*
Pretty much all Emacs mail clients are supported. The link will point to the
current article, or, in some GNUS buffers, to the group. The description is
constructed from the author and the subject.
@b{Web browsers: W3 and W3M}@*
Here the link will be the current URL, with the page title as description.
@b{Contacts: BBDB}@*
Links created in a BBDB buffer will point to the current entry.
@b{Chat: IRC}@*
@vindex org-irc-link-to-logs
For IRC links, if you set the variable @code{org-irc-link-to-logs} to
@code{t}, a @samp{file:/} style link to the relevant point in the logs for
the current conversation is created. Otherwise an @samp{irc:/} style link to
the user/channel/server under the point will be stored.
@b{Other files}@*
For any other files, the link will point to the file, with a search string
(@pxref{Search options}) pointing to the contents of the current line. If
there is an active region, the selected words will form the basis of the
search string. If the automatically created link is not working correctly or
accurately enough, you can write custom functions to select the search string
and to do the search for particular file types---see @ref{Custom searches}.
The key binding @kbd{C-c l} is only a suggestion---see @ref{Installation}.
@b{Agenda view}@*
When the cursor is in an agenda view, the created link points to the
entry referenced by the current line.
@c
@kindex C-c C-l
@cindex link completion
@cindex completion, of links
@cindex inserting links
@item C-c C-l
@vindex org-keep-stored-link-after-insertion
Insert a link@footnote{ Note that you don't have to use this command to
insert a link. Links in Org are plain text, and you can type or paste them
straight into the buffer. By using this command, the links are automatically
enclosed in double brackets, and you will be asked for the optional
descriptive text.}. This prompts for a link to be inserted into the buffer.
You can just type a link, using text for an internal link, or one of the link
type prefixes mentioned in the examples above. The link will be inserted
into the buffer@footnote{After insertion of a stored link, the link will be
removed from the list of stored links. To keep it in the list later use, use
a triple @kbd{C-u} prefix argument to @kbd{C-c C-l}, or configure the option
@code{org-keep-stored-link-after-insertion}.}, along with a descriptive text.
If some text was selected when this command is called, the selected text
becomes the default description.
@b{Inserting stored links}@*
All links stored during the
current session are part of the history for this prompt, so you can access
them with @key{up} and @key{down} (or @kbd{M-p/n}).
@b{Completion support}@* Completion with @key{TAB} will help you to insert
valid link prefixes like @samp{http:} or @samp{ftp:}, including the prefixes
defined through link abbreviations (@pxref{Link abbreviations}). If you
press @key{RET} after inserting only the @var{prefix}, Org will offer
specific completion support for some link types@footnote{This works by
calling a special function @code{org-PREFIX-complete-link}.} For
example, if you type @kbd{file @key{RET}}, file name completion (alternative
access: @kbd{C-u C-c C-l}, see below) will be offered, and after @kbd{bbdb
@key{RET}} you can complete contact names.
@kindex C-u C-c C-l
@cindex file name completion
@cindex completion, of file names
@item C-u C-c C-l
When @kbd{C-c C-l} is called with a @kbd{C-u} prefix argument, a link to
a file will be inserted and you may use file name completion to select
the name of the file. The path to the file is inserted relative to the
directory of the current Org file, if the linked file is in the current
directory or in a sub-directory of it, or if the path is written relative
to the current directory using @samp{../}. Otherwise an absolute path
is used, if possible with @samp{~/} for your home directory. You can
force an absolute path with two @kbd{C-u} prefixes.
@c
@item C-c C-l @r{(with cursor on existing link)}
When the cursor is on an existing link, @kbd{C-c C-l} allows you to edit the
link and description parts of the link.
@c
@cindex following links
@kindex C-c C-o
@kindex RET
@item C-c C-o @r{or} @key{RET}
@vindex org-file-apps
Open link at point. This will launch a web browser for URLs (using
@command{browse-url-at-point}), run VM/MH-E/Wanderlust/Rmail/Gnus/BBDB for
the corresponding links, and execute the command in a shell link. When the
cursor is on an internal link, this commands runs the corresponding search.
When the cursor is on a TAG list in a headline, it creates the corresponding
TAGS view. If the cursor is on a timestamp, it compiles the agenda for that
date. Furthermore, it will visit text and remote files in @samp{file:} links
with Emacs and select a suitable application for local non-text files.
Classification of files is based on file extension only. See option
@code{org-file-apps}. If you want to override the default application and
visit the file with Emacs, use a @kbd{C-u} prefix. If you want to avoid
opening in Emacs, use a @kbd{C-u C-u} prefix.@*
If the cursor is on a headline, but not on a link, offer all links in the
headline and entry text.
@c
@kindex mouse-2
@kindex mouse-1
@item mouse-2
@itemx mouse-1
On links, @kbd{mouse-2} will open the link just as @kbd{C-c C-o}
would. Under Emacs 22, @kbd{mouse-1} will also follow a link.
@c
@kindex mouse-3
@item mouse-3
@vindex org-display-internal-link-with-indirect-buffer
Like @kbd{mouse-2}, but force file links to be opened with Emacs, and
internal links to be displayed in another window@footnote{See the
variable @code{org-display-internal-link-with-indirect-buffer}}.
@c
@cindex mark ring
@kindex C-c %
@item C-c %
Push the current position onto the mark ring, to be able to return
easily. Commands following an internal link do this automatically.
@c
@cindex links, returning to
@kindex C-c &
@item C-c &
Jump back to a recorded position. A position is recorded by the
commands following internal links, and by @kbd{C-c %}. Using this
command several times in direct succession moves through a ring of
previously recorded positions.
@c
@kindex C-c C-x C-n
@kindex C-c C-x C-p
@cindex links, finding next/previous
@item C-c C-x C-n
@itemx C-c C-x C-p
Move forward/backward to the next link in the buffer. At the limit of
the buffer, the search fails once, and then wraps around. The key
bindings for this are really too long, you might want to bind this also
to @kbd{C-n} and @kbd{C-p}
@lisp
(add-hook 'org-load-hook
(lambda ()
(define-key 'org-mode-map "\C-n" 'org-next-link)
(define-key 'org-mode-map "\C-p" 'org-previous-link)))
@end lisp
@end table
@node Using links outside Org, Link abbreviations, Handling links, Hyperlinks
@section Using links outside Org
You can insert and follow links that have Org syntax not only in
Org, but in any Emacs buffer. For this, you should create two
global commands, like this (please select suitable global keys
yourself):
@lisp
(global-set-key "\C-c L" 'org-insert-link-global)
(global-set-key "\C-c o" 'org-open-at-point-global)
@end lisp
@node Link abbreviations, Search options, Using links outside Org, Hyperlinks
@section Link abbreviations
@cindex link abbreviations
@cindex abbreviation, links
Long URLs can be cumbersome to type, and often many similar links are
needed in a document. For this you can use link abbreviations. An
abbreviated link looks like this
@example
[[linkword:tag][description]]
@end example
@noindent
@vindex org-link-abbrev-alist
where the tag is optional. The @i{linkword} must be a word; letter, numbers,
@samp{-}, and @samp{_} are allowed here. Abbreviations are resolved
according to the information in the variable @code{org-link-abbrev-alist}
that relates the linkwords to replacement text. Here is an example:
@lisp
@group
(setq org-link-abbrev-alist
'(("bugzilla" . "http://10.1.2.9/bugzilla/show_bug.cgi?id=")
("google" . "http://www.google.com/search?q=")
("ads" . "http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/
nph-abs_connect?author=%s&db_key=AST")))
@end group
@end lisp
If the replacement text contains the string @samp{%s}, it will be
replaced with the tag. Otherwise the tag will be appended to the string
in order to create the link. You may also specify a function that will
be called with the tag as the only argument to create the link.
With the above setting, you could link to a specific bug with
@code{[[bugzilla:129]]}, search the web for @samp{OrgMode} with
@code{[[google:OrgMode]]} and find out what the Org author is
doing besides Emacs hacking with @code{[[ads:Dominik,C]]}.
If you need special abbreviations just for a single Org buffer, you
can define them in the file with
@cindex #+LINK
@example
#+LINK: bugzilla http://10.1.2.9/bugzilla/show_bug.cgi?id=
#+LINK: google http://www.google.com/search?q=%s
@end example
@noindent
In-buffer completion (@pxref{Completion}) can be used after @samp{[} to
complete link abbreviations. You may also define a function
@code{org-PREFIX-complete-link} that implements special (e.g. completion)
support for inserting such a link with @kbd{C-c C-l}. Such a function should
not accept any arguments, and return the full link with prefix.
@node Search options, Custom searches, Link abbreviations, Hyperlinks
@section Search options in file links
@cindex search option in file links
@cindex file links, searching
File links can contain additional information to make Emacs jump to a
particular location in the file when following a link. This can be a
line number or a search option after a double@footnote{For backward
compatibility, line numbers can also follow a single colon.} colon. For
example, when the command @kbd{C-c l} creates a link (@pxref{Handling
links}) to a file, it encodes the words in the current line as a search
string that can be used to find this line back later when following the
link with @kbd{C-c C-o}.
Here is the syntax of the different ways to attach a search to a file
link, together with an explanation:
@example
[[file:~/code/main.c::255]]
[[file:~/xx.org::My Target]]
[[file:~/xx.org::*My Target]]
[[file:~/xx.org::/regexp/]]
@end example
@table @code
@item 255
Jump to line 255.
@item My Target
Search for a link target @samp{<<My Target>>}, or do a text search for
@samp{my target}, similar to the search in internal links, see
@ref{Internal links}. In HTML export (@pxref{HTML export}), such a file
link will become an HTML reference to the corresponding named anchor in
the linked file.
@item *My Target
In an Org file, restrict search to headlines.
@item /regexp/
Do a regular expression search for @code{regexp}. This uses the Emacs
command @code{occur} to list all matches in a separate window. If the
target file is in Org mode, @code{org-occur} is used to create a
sparse tree with the matches.
@c If the target file is a directory,
@c @code{grep} will be used to search all files in the directory.
@end table
As a degenerate case, a file link with an empty file name can be used
to search the current file. For example, @code{[[file:::find me]]} does
a search for @samp{find me} in the current file, just as
@samp{[[find me]]} would.
@node Custom searches, , Search options, Hyperlinks
@section Custom Searches
@cindex custom search strings
@cindex search strings, custom
The default mechanism for creating search strings and for doing the
actual search related to a file link may not work correctly in all
cases. For example, Bib@TeX{} database files have many entries like
@samp{year="1993"} which would not result in good search strings,
because the only unique identification for a Bib@TeX{} entry is the
citation key.
@vindex org-create-file-search-functions
@vindex org-execute-file-search-functions
If you come across such a problem, you can write custom functions to set
the right search string for a particular file type, and to do the search
for the string in the file. Using @code{add-hook}, these functions need
to be added to the hook variables
@code{org-create-file-search-functions} and
@code{org-execute-file-search-functions}. See the docstring for these
variables for more information. Org actually uses this mechanism
for Bib@TeX{} database files, and you can use the corresponding code as
an implementation example. See the file @file{org-bibtex.el}.
@node TODO Items, Tags, Hyperlinks, Top
@chapter TODO Items
@cindex TODO items
Org mode does not maintain TODO lists as separate documents@footnote{Of
course, you can make a document that contains only long lists of TODO items,
but this is not required.}. Instead, TODO items are an integral part of the
notes file, because TODO items usually come up while taking notes! With Org
mode, simply mark any entry in a tree as being a TODO item. In this way,
information is not duplicated, and the entire context from which the TODO
item emerged is always present.
Of course, this technique for managing TODO items scatters them
throughout your notes file. Org mode compensates for this by providing
methods to give you an overview of all the things that you have to do.
@menu
* TODO basics:: Marking and displaying TODO entries
* TODO extensions:: Workflow and assignments
* Progress logging:: Dates and notes for progress
* Priorities:: Some things are more important than others
* Breaking down tasks:: Splitting a task into manageable pieces
* Checkboxes:: Tick-off lists
@end menu
@node TODO basics, TODO extensions, TODO Items, TODO Items
@section Basic TODO functionality
Any headline becomes a TODO item when it starts with the word
@samp{TODO}, for example:
@example
*** TODO Write letter to Sam Fortune
@end example
@noindent
The most important commands to work with TODO entries are:
@table @kbd
@kindex C-c C-t
@cindex cycling, of TODO states
@item C-c C-t
Rotate the TODO state of the current item among
@example
,-> (unmarked) -> TODO -> DONE --.
'--------------------------------'
@end example
The same rotation can also be done ``remotely'' from the timeline and
agenda buffers with the @kbd{t} command key (@pxref{Agenda commands}).
@kindex C-u C-c C-t
@item C-u C-c C-t
Select a specific keyword using completion or (if it has been set up)
the fast selection interface. For the latter, you need to assign keys
to TODO states, see @ref{Per-file keywords}, and @ref{Setting tags}, for
more information.
@kindex S-@key{right}
@kindex S-@key{left}
@vindex org-treat-S-cursor-todo-selection-as-state-change
@item S-@key{right}
@itemx S-@key{left}
Select the following/preceding TODO state, similar to cycling. Useful
mostly if more than two TODO states are possible (@pxref{TODO
extensions}). See also @ref{Conflicts}, for a discussion of the interaction
with @code{shift-selection-mode}. See also the variable
@code{org-treat-S-cursor-todo-selection-as-state-change}.
@kindex C-c C-v
@kindex C-c / t
@cindex sparse tree, for TODO
@item C-c C-v
@itemx C-c / t
@vindex org-todo-keywords
View TODO items in a @emph{sparse tree} (@pxref{Sparse trees}). Folds the
entire buffer, but shows all TODO items and the headings hierarchy above
them. With a prefix argument, search for a specific TODO. You will be
prompted for the keyword, and you can also give a list of keywords like
@code{KWD1|KWD2|...} to list entries that match any one of these keywords.
With numeric prefix argument N, show the tree for the Nth keyword in the
variable @code{org-todo-keywords}. With two prefix arguments, find all TODO
and DONE entries.
@kindex C-c a t
@item C-c a t
Show the global TODO list. Collects the TODO items from all agenda
files (@pxref{Agenda Views}) into a single buffer. The new buffer will
be in @code{agenda-mode}, which provides commands to examine and
manipulate the TODO entries from the new buffer (@pxref{Agenda
commands}). @xref{Global TODO list}, for more information.
@kindex S-M-@key{RET}
@item S-M-@key{RET}
Insert a new TODO entry below the current one.
@end table
@noindent
@vindex org-todo-state-tags-triggers
Changing a TODO state can also trigger tag changes. See the docstring of the
option @code{org-todo-state-tags-triggers} for details.
@node TODO extensions, Progress logging, TODO basics, TODO Items
@section Extended use of TODO keywords
@cindex extended TODO keywords
@vindex org-todo-keywords
By default, marked TODO entries have one of only two states: TODO and
DONE. Org mode allows you to classify TODO items in more complex ways
with @emph{TODO keywords} (stored in @code{org-todo-keywords}). With
special setup, the TODO keyword system can work differently in different
files.
Note that @i{tags} are another way to classify headlines in general and
TODO items in particular (@pxref{Tags}).
@menu
* Workflow states:: From TODO to DONE in steps
* TODO types:: I do this, Fred does the rest
* Multiple sets in one file:: Mixing it all, and still finding your way
* Fast access to TODO states:: Single letter selection of a state
* Per-file keywords:: Different files, different requirements
* Faces for TODO keywords:: Highlighting states
* TODO dependencies:: When one task needs to wait for others
@end menu
@node Workflow states, TODO types, TODO extensions, TODO extensions
@subsection TODO keywords as workflow states
@cindex TODO workflow
@cindex workflow states as TODO keywords
You can use TODO keywords to indicate different @emph{sequential} states
in the process of working on an item, for example@footnote{Changing
this variable only becomes effective after restarting Org mode in a
buffer.}:
@lisp
(setq org-todo-keywords
'((sequence "TODO" "FEEDBACK" "VERIFY" "|" "DONE" "DELEGATED")))
@end lisp
The vertical bar separates the TODO keywords (states that @emph{need
action}) from the DONE states (which need @emph{no further action}). If
you don't provide the separator bar, the last state is used as the DONE
state.
@cindex completion, of TODO keywords
With this setup, the command @kbd{C-c C-t} will cycle an entry from TODO
to FEEDBACK, then to VERIFY, and finally to DONE and DELEGATED. You may
also use a numeric prefix argument to quickly select a specific state. For
example @kbd{C-3 C-c C-t} will change the state immediately to VERIFY.
Or you can use @kbd{S-@key{left}} to go backward through the sequence. If you
define many keywords, you can use in-buffer completion
(@pxref{Completion}) or even a special one-key selection scheme
(@pxref{Fast access to TODO states}) to insert these words into the
buffer. Changing a TODO state can be logged with a timestamp, see
@ref{Tracking TODO state changes}, for more information.
@node TODO types, Multiple sets in one file, Workflow states, TODO extensions
@subsection TODO keywords as types
@cindex TODO types
@cindex names as TODO keywords
@cindex types as TODO keywords
The second possibility is to use TODO keywords to indicate different
@emph{types} of action items. For example, you might want to indicate
that items are for ``work'' or ``home''. Or, when you work with several
people on a single project, you might want to assign action items
directly to persons, by using their names as TODO keywords. This would
be set up like this:
@lisp
(setq org-todo-keywords '((type "Fred" "Sara" "Lucy" "|" "DONE")))
@end lisp
In this case, different keywords do not indicate a sequence, but rather
different types. So the normal work flow would be to assign a task to a
person, and later to mark it DONE. Org mode supports this style by adapting
the workings of the command @kbd{C-c C-t}@footnote{This is also true for the
@kbd{t} command in the timeline and agenda buffers.}. When used several
times in succession, it will still cycle through all names, in order to first
select the right type for a task. But when you return to the item after some
time and execute @kbd{C-c C-t} again, it will switch from any name directly
to DONE. Use prefix arguments or completion to quickly select a specific
name. You can also review the items of a specific TODO type in a sparse tree
by using a numeric prefix to @kbd{C-c C-v}. For example, to see all things
Lucy has to do, you would use @kbd{C-3 C-c C-v}. To collect Lucy's items
from all agenda files into a single buffer, you would use the numeric prefix
argument as well when creating the global TODO list: @kbd{C-3 C-c t}.
@node Multiple sets in one file, Fast access to TODO states, TODO types, TODO extensions
@subsection Multiple keyword sets in one file
@cindex TODO keyword sets
Sometimes you may want to use different sets of TODO keywords in
parallel. For example, you may want to have the basic
@code{TODO}/@code{DONE}, but also a workflow for bug fixing, and a
separate state indicating that an item has been canceled (so it is not
DONE, but also does not require action). Your setup would then look
like this:
@lisp
(setq org-todo-keywords
'((sequence "TODO" "|" "DONE")
(sequence "REPORT" "BUG" "KNOWNCAUSE" "|" "FIXED")
(sequence "|" "CANCELED")))
@end lisp
The keywords should all be different, this helps Org mode to keep track
of which subsequence should be used for a given entry. In this setup,
@kbd{C-c C-t} only operates within a subsequence, so it switches from
@code{DONE} to (nothing) to @code{TODO}, and from @code{FIXED} to
(nothing) to @code{REPORT}. Therefore you need a mechanism to initially
select the correct sequence. Besides the obvious ways like typing a
keyword or using completion, you may also apply the following commands:
@table @kbd
@kindex C-S-@key{right}
@kindex C-S-@key{left}
@kindex C-u C-u C-c C-t
@item C-u C-u C-c C-t
@itemx C-S-@key{right}
@itemx C-S-@key{left}
These keys jump from one TODO subset to the next. In the above example,
@kbd{C-u C-u C-c C-t} or @kbd{C-S-@key{right}} would jump from @code{TODO} or
@code{DONE} to @code{REPORT}, and any of the words in the second row to
@code{CANCELED}. Note that the @kbd{C-S-} key binding conflict with
@code{shift-selection-mode} (@pxref{Conflicts}).
@kindex S-@key{right}
@kindex S-@key{left}
@item S-@key{right}
@itemx S-@key{left}
@kbd{S-@key{<left>}} and @kbd{S-@key{<right>}} and walk through @emph{all}
keywords from all sets, so for example @kbd{S-@key{<right>}} would switch
from @code{DONE} to @code{REPORT} in the example above. See also
@ref{Conflicts}, for a discussion of the interaction with
@code{shift-selection-mode}.
@end table
@node Fast access to TODO states, Per-file keywords, Multiple sets in one file, TODO extensions
@subsection Fast access to TODO states
If you would like to quickly change an entry to an arbitrary TODO state
instead of cycling through the states, you can set up keys for
single-letter access to the states. This is done by adding the section
key after each keyword, in parentheses. For example:
@lisp
(setq org-todo-keywords
'((sequence "TODO(t)" "|" "DONE(d)")
(sequence "REPORT(r)" "BUG(b)" "KNOWNCAUSE(k)" "|" "FIXED(f)")
(sequence "|" "CANCELED(c)")))
@end lisp
@vindex org-fast-tag-selection-include-todo
If you then press @code{C-c C-t} followed by the selection key, the entry
will be switched to this state. @key{SPC} can be used to remove any TODO
keyword from an entry.@footnote{Check also the variable
@code{org-fast-tag-selection-include-todo}, it allows you to change the TODO
state through the tags interface (@pxref{Setting tags}), in case you like to
mingle the two concepts. Note that this means you need to come up with
unique keys across both sets of keywords.}
@node Per-file keywords, Faces for TODO keywords, Fast access to TODO states, TODO extensions
@subsection Setting up keywords for individual files
@cindex keyword options
@cindex per-file keywords
@cindex #+TODO
@cindex #+TYP_TODO
@cindex #+SEQ_TODO
It can be very useful to use different aspects of the TODO mechanism in
different files. For file-local settings, you need to add special lines
to the file which set the keywords and interpretation for that file
only. For example, to set one of the two examples discussed above, you
need one of the following lines, starting in column zero anywhere in the
file:
@example
#+TODO: TODO FEEDBACK VERIFY | DONE CANCELED
@end example
@noindent (you may also write @code{#+SEQ_TODO} to be explicit about the
interpretation, but it means the same as @code{#+TODO}), or
@example
#+TYP_TODO: Fred Sara Lucy Mike | DONE
@end example
A setup for using several sets in parallel would be:
@example
#+TODO: TODO | DONE
#+TODO: REPORT BUG KNOWNCAUSE | FIXED
#+TODO: | CANCELED
@end example
@cindex completion, of option keywords
@kindex M-@key{TAB}
@noindent To make sure you are using the correct keyword, type
@samp{#+} into the buffer and then use @kbd{M-@key{TAB}} completion.
@cindex DONE, final TODO keyword
Remember that the keywords after the vertical bar (or the last keyword
if no bar is there) must always mean that the item is DONE (although you
may use a different word). After changing one of these lines, use
@kbd{C-c C-c} with the cursor still in the line to make the changes
known to Org mode@footnote{Org mode parses these lines only when
Org mode is activated after visiting a file. @kbd{C-c C-c} with the
cursor in a line starting with @samp{#+} is simply restarting Org mode
for the current buffer.}.
@node Faces for TODO keywords, TODO dependencies, Per-file keywords, TODO extensions
@subsection Faces for TODO keywords
@cindex faces, for TODO keywords
@vindex org-todo @r{(face)}
@vindex org-done @r{(face)}
@vindex org-todo-keyword-faces
Org mode highlights TODO keywords with special faces: @code{org-todo}
for keywords indicating that an item still has to be acted upon, and
@code{org-done} for keywords indicating that an item is finished. If
you are using more than 2 different states, you might want to use
special faces for some of them. This can be done using the variable
@code{org-todo-keyword-faces}. For example:
@lisp
@group
(setq org-todo-keyword-faces
'(("TODO" . org-warning)
("DEFERRED" . shadow)
("CANCELED" . (:foreground "blue" :weight bold))))
@end group
@end lisp
While using a list with face properties as shown for CANCELED
@emph{should} work, this does not aways seem to be the case. If
necessary, define a special face and use that.
@node TODO dependencies, , Faces for TODO keywords, TODO extensions
@subsection TODO dependencies
@cindex TODO dependencies
@cindex dependencies, of TODO states
@vindex org-enforce-todo-dependencies
@cindex property, ORDERED
The structure of Org files (hierarchy and lists) makes it easy to define TODO
dependencies. Usually, a parent TODO task should not be marked DONE until
all subtasks (defined as children tasks) are marked as DONE. And sometimes
there is a logical sequence to a number of (sub)tasks, so that one task
cannot be acted upon before all siblings above it are done. If you customize
the variable @code{org-enforce-todo-dependencies}, Org will block entries
from changing state to DONE while they have children that are not DONE.
Furthermore, if an entry has a property @code{ORDERED}, each of its children
will be blocked until all earlier siblings are marked DONE. Here is an
example:
@example
* TODO Blocked until (two) is done
** DONE one
** TODO two
* Parent
:PROPERTIES:
:ORDERED: t
:END:
** TODO a
** TODO b, needs to wait for (a)
** TODO c, needs to wait for (a) and (b)
@end example
@table @kbd
@kindex C-c C-x o
@item C-c C-x o
@vindex org-track-ordered-property-with-tag
@cindex property, ORDERED
Toggle the @code{ORDERED} property of the current entry. A property is used
for this behavior because this should be local to the current entry, not
inherited like a tag. However, if you would like to @i{track} the value of
this property with a tag for better visibility, customize the variable
@code{org-track-ordered-property-with-tag}.
@kindex C-u C-u C-u C-c C-t
@item C-u C-u C-u C-c C-t
Change TODO state, circumventing any state blocking.
@end table
@vindex org-agenda-dim-blocked-tasks
If you set the variable @code{org-agenda-dim-blocked-tasks}, TODO entries
that cannot be closed because of such dependencies will be shown in a dimmed
font or even made invisible in agenda views (@pxref{Agenda Views}).
@cindex checkboxes and TODO dependencies
@vindex org-enforce-todo-dependencies
You can also block changes of TODO states by looking at checkboxes
(@pxref{Checkboxes}). If you set the variable
@code{org-enforce-todo-checkbox-dependencies}, an entry that has unchecked
checkboxes will be blocked from switching to DONE.
If you need more complex dependency structures, for example dependencies
between entries in different trees or files, check out the contributed
module @file{org-depend.el}.
@page
@node Progress logging, Priorities, TODO extensions, TODO Items
@section Progress logging
@cindex progress logging
@cindex logging, of progress
Org mode can automatically record a timestamp and possibly a note when
you mark a TODO item as DONE, or even each time you change the state of
a TODO item. This system is highly configurable, settings can be on a
per-keyword basis and can be localized to a file or even a subtree. For
information on how to clock working time for a task, see @ref{Clocking
work time}.
@menu
* Closing items:: When was this entry marked DONE?
* Tracking TODO state changes:: When did the status change?
* Tracking your habits:: How consistent have you been?
@end menu
@node Closing items, Tracking TODO state changes, Progress logging, Progress logging
@subsection Closing items
The most basic logging is to keep track of @emph{when} a certain TODO
item was finished. This is achieved with@footnote{The corresponding
in-buffer setting is: @code{#+STARTUP: logdone}}.
@lisp
(setq org-log-done 'time)
@end lisp
@noindent
Then each time you turn an entry from a TODO (not-done) state into any
of the DONE states, a line @samp{CLOSED: [timestamp]} will be inserted
just after the headline. If you turn the entry back into a TODO item
through further state cycling, that line will be removed again. If you
want to record a note along with the timestamp, use@footnote{The
corresponding in-buffer setting is: @code{#+STARTUP: lognotedone}}
@lisp
(setq org-log-done 'note)
@end lisp
@noindent
You will then be prompted for a note, and that note will be stored below
the entry with a @samp{Closing Note} heading.
In the timeline (@pxref{Timeline}) and in the agenda
(@pxref{Weekly/daily agenda}), you can then use the @kbd{l} key to
display the TODO items with a @samp{CLOSED} timestamp on each day,
giving you an overview of what has been done.
@node Tracking TODO state changes, Tracking your habits, Closing items, Progress logging
@subsection Tracking TODO state changes
@cindex drawer, for state change recording
@vindex org-log-states-order-reversed
@vindex org-log-into-drawer
@cindex property, LOG_INTO_DRAWER
When TODO keywords are used as workflow states (@pxref{Workflow states}), you
might want to keep track of when a state change occurred and maybe take a
note about this change. You can either record just a timestamp, or a
time-stamped note for a change. These records will be inserted after the
headline as an itemized list, newest first@footnote{See the variable
@code{org-log-states-order-reversed}}. When taking a lot of notes, you might
want to get the notes out of the way into a drawer (@pxref{Drawers}).
Customize the variable @code{org-log-into-drawer} to get this
behavior---the recommended drawer for this is called @code{LOGBOOK}. You can
also overrule the setting of this variable for a subtree by setting a
@code{LOG_INTO_DRAWER} property.
Since it is normally too much to record a note for every state, Org mode
expects configuration on a per-keyword basis for this. This is achieved by
adding special markers @samp{!} (for a timestamp) and @samp{@@} (for a note)
in parentheses after each keyword. For example, with the setting
@lisp
(setq org-todo-keywords
'((sequence "TODO(t)" "WAIT(w@@/!)" "|" "DONE(d!)" "CANCELED(c@@)")))
@end lisp
@noindent
@vindex org-log-done
you not only define global TODO keywords and fast access keys, but also
request that a time is recorded when the entry is set to
DONE@footnote{It is possible that Org mode will record two timestamps
when you are using both @code{org-log-done} and state change logging.
However, it will never prompt for two notes---if you have configured
both, the state change recording note will take precedence and cancel
the @samp{Closing Note}.}, and that a note is recorded when switching to
WAIT or CANCELED. The setting for WAIT is even more special: the
@samp{!} after the slash means that in addition to the note taken when
entering the state, a timestamp should be recorded when @i{leaving} the
WAIT state, if and only if the @i{target} state does not configure
logging for entering it. So it has no effect when switching from WAIT
to DONE, because DONE is configured to record a timestamp only. But
when switching from WAIT back to TODO, the @samp{/!} in the WAIT
setting now triggers a timestamp even though TODO has no logging
configured.
You can use the exact same syntax for setting logging preferences local
to a buffer:
@example
#+TODO: TODO(t) WAIT(w@@/!) | DONE(d!) CANCELED(c@@)
@end example
@cindex property, LOGGING
In order to define logging settings that are local to a subtree or a
single item, define a LOGGING property in this entry. Any non-empty
LOGGING property resets all logging settings to nil. You may then turn
on logging for this specific tree using STARTUP keywords like
@code{lognotedone} or @code{logrepeat}, as well as adding state specific
settings like @code{TODO(!)}. For example
@example
* TODO Log each state with only a time
:PROPERTIES:
:LOGGING: TODO(!) WAIT(!) DONE(!) CANCELED(!)
:END:
* TODO Only log when switching to WAIT, and when repeating
:PROPERTIES:
:LOGGING: WAIT(@@) logrepeat
:END:
* TODO No logging at all
:PROPERTIES:
:LOGGING: nil
:END:
@end example
@node Tracking your habits, , Tracking TODO state changes, Progress logging
@subsection Tracking your habits
@cindex habits
Org has the ability to track the consistency of a special category of TODOs,
called ``habits''. A habit has the following properties:
@enumerate
@item
You have enabled the @code{habits} module by customizing the variable
@code{org-modules}.
@item
The habit is a TODO, with a TODO keyword representing an open state.
@item
The property @code{STYLE} is set to the value @code{habit}.
@item
The TODO has a scheduled date, with a @code{.+} style repeat interval.
@item
The TODO may also have minimum and maximum ranges specified by using the
syntax @samp{.+2d/3d}, which says that you want to do the task at least every
three days, but at most every two days.
@item
You must also have state logging for the @code{DONE} state enabled, in order
for historical data to be represented in the consistency graph. If it's not
enabled it's not an error, but the consistency graphs will be largely
meaningless.
@end enumerate
To give you an idea of what the above rules look like in action, here's an
actual habit with some history:
@example
** TODO Shave
SCHEDULED: <2009-10-17 Sat .+2d/4d>
- State "DONE" from "TODO" [2009-10-15 Thu]
- State "DONE" from "TODO" [2009-10-12 Mon]
- State "DONE" from "TODO" [2009-10-10 Sat]
- State "DONE" from "TODO" [2009-10-04 Sun]
- State "DONE" from "TODO" [2009-10-02 Fri]
- State "DONE" from "TODO" [2009-09-29 Tue]
- State "DONE" from "TODO" [2009-09-25 Fri]
- State "DONE" from "TODO" [2009-09-19 Sat]
- State "DONE" from "TODO" [2009-09-16 Wed]
- State "DONE" from "TODO" [2009-09-12 Sat]
:PROPERTIES:
:STYLE: habit
:LAST_REPEAT: [2009-10-19 Mon 00:36]
:END:
@end example
What this habit says is: I want to shave at most every 2 days (given by the
@code{SCHEDULED} date and repeat interval) and at least every 4 days. If
today is the 15th, then the habit first appears in the agenda on Oct 17,
after the minimum of 2 days has elapsed, and will appear overdue on Oct 19,
after four days have elapsed.
What's really useful about habits is that they are displayed along with a
consistency graph, to show how consistent you've been at getting that task
done in the past. This graph shows every day that the task was done over the
past three weeks, with colors for each day. The colors used are:
@table @code
@item Blue
If the task wasn't to be done yet on that day.
@item Green
If the task could have been done on that day.
@item Yellow
If the task was going to be overdue the next day.
@item Red
If the task was overdue on that day.
@end table
In addition to coloring each day, the day is also marked with an asterix if
the task was actually done that day, and an exclamation mark to show where
the current day falls in the graph.
There are several configuration variables that can be used to change the way
habits are displayed in the agenda.
@table @code
@item org-habit-graph-column
The buffer column at which the consistency graph should be drawn. This will
overwrite any text in that column, so it's a good idea to keep your habits'
titles brief and to the point.
@item org-habit-preceding-days
The amount of history, in days before today, to appear in consistency graphs.
@item org-habit-following-days
The number of days after today that will appear in consistency graphs.
@item org-habit-show-habits-only-for-today
If non-nil, only show habits in today's agenda view. This is set to true by
default.
@end table
Lastly, pressing @kbd{K} in the agenda buffer will cause habits to
temporarily be disabled and they won't appear at all. Press @kbd{K} again to
bring them back. They are also subject to tag filtering, if you have habits
which should only be done in certain contexts, for example.
@node Priorities, Breaking down tasks, Progress logging, TODO Items
@section Priorities
@cindex priorities
If you use Org mode extensively, you may end up enough TODO items that
it starts to make sense to prioritize them. Prioritizing can be done by
placing a @emph{priority cookie} into the headline of a TODO item, like
this
@example
*** TODO [#A] Write letter to Sam Fortune
@end example
@noindent
By default, Org mode supports three priorities: @samp{A}, @samp{B}, and
@samp{C}. @samp{A} is the highest priority. An entry without a cookie
is treated as priority @samp{B}. Priorities make a difference only in
the agenda (@pxref{Weekly/daily agenda}); outside the agenda, they have
no inherent meaning to Org mode.
Priorities can be attached to any outline tree entries; they do not need
to be TODO items.
@table @kbd
@kindex @kbd{C-c ,}
@item @kbd{C-c ,}
Set the priority of the current headline. The command prompts for a
priority character @samp{A}, @samp{B} or @samp{C}. When you press
@key{SPC} instead, the priority cookie is removed from the headline.
The priorities can also be changed ``remotely'' from the timeline and
agenda buffer with the @kbd{,} command (@pxref{Agenda commands}).
@c
@kindex S-@key{up}
@kindex S-@key{down}
@item S-@key{up}
@itemx S-@key{down}
@vindex org-priority-start-cycle-with-default
Increase/decrease priority of current headline@footnote{See also the option
@code{org-priority-start-cycle-with-default}.}. Note that these keys are
also used to modify timestamps (@pxref{Creating timestamps}). See also
@ref{Conflicts}, for a discussion of the interaction with
@code{shift-selection-mode}.
@end table
@vindex org-highest-priority
@vindex org-lowest-priority
@vindex org-default-priority
You can change the range of allowed priorities by setting the variables
@code{org-highest-priority}, @code{org-lowest-priority}, and
@code{org-default-priority}. For an individual buffer, you may set
these values (highest, lowest, default) like this (please make sure that
the highest priority is earlier in the alphabet than the lowest
priority):
@cindex #+PRIORITIES
@example
#+PRIORITIES: A C B
@end example
@node Breaking down tasks, Checkboxes, Priorities, TODO Items
@section Breaking tasks down into subtasks
@cindex tasks, breaking down
@cindex statistics, for TODO items
@vindex org-agenda-todo-list-sublevels
It is often advisable to break down large tasks into smaller, manageable
subtasks. You can do this by creating an outline tree below a TODO item,
with detailed subtasks on the tree@footnote{To keep subtasks out of the
global TODO list, see the @code{org-agenda-todo-list-sublevels}.}. To keep
the overview over the fraction of subtasks that are already completed, insert
either @samp{[/]} or @samp{[%]} anywhere in the headline. These cookies will
be updates each time the todo status of a child changes, or when pressing
@kbd{C-c C-c} on the cookie. For example:
@example
* Organize Party [33%]
** TODO Call people [1/2]
*** TODO Peter
*** DONE Sarah
** TODO Buy food
** DONE Talk to neighbor
@end example
@cindex property, COOKIE_DATA
If a heading has both checkboxes and TODO children below it, the meaning of
the statistics cookie become ambiguous. Set the property
@code{COOKIE_DATA} to either @samp{checkbox} or @samp{todo} to resolve
this issue.
@vindex org-hierarchical-todo-statistics
If you would like to have the statistics cookie count any TODO entries in the
subtree (not just direct children), configure the variable
@code{org-hierarchical-todo-statistics}. To do this for a single subtree,
include the word @samp{recursive} into the value of the @code{COOKIE_DATA}
property.
@example
* Parent capturing statistics [2/20]
:PROPERTIES:
:COOKIE_DATA: todo recursive
:END:
@end example
If you would like a TODO entry to automatically change to DONE
when all children are done, you can use the following setup:
@example
(defun org-summary-todo (n-done n-not-done)
"Switch entry to DONE when all subentries are done, to TODO otherwise."
(let (org-log-done org-log-states) ; turn off logging
(org-todo (if (= n-not-done 0) "DONE" "TODO"))))
(add-hook 'org-after-todo-statistics-hook 'org-summary-todo)
@end example
Another possibility is the use of checkboxes to identify (a hierarchy of) a
large number of subtasks (@pxref{Checkboxes}).
@node Checkboxes, , Breaking down tasks, TODO Items
@section Checkboxes
@cindex checkboxes
Every item in a plain list (@pxref{Plain lists}) can be made into a
checkbox by starting it with the string @samp{[ ]}. This feature is
similar to TODO items (@pxref{TODO Items}), but is more lightweight.
Checkboxes are not included into the global TODO list, so they are often
great to split a task into a number of simple steps. Or you can use
them in a shopping list. To toggle a checkbox, use @kbd{C-c C-c}, or
use the mouse (thanks to Piotr Zielinski's @file{org-mouse.el}).
Here is an example of a checkbox list.
@example
* TODO Organize party [2/4]
- [-] call people [1/3]
- [ ] Peter
- [X] Sarah
- [ ] Sam
- [X] order food
- [ ] think about what music to play
- [X] talk to the neighbors
@end example
Checkboxes work hierarchically, so if a checkbox item has children that
are checkboxes, toggling one of the children checkboxes will make the
parent checkbox reflect if none, some, or all of the children are
checked.
@cindex statistics, for checkboxes
@cindex checkbox statistics
@cindex property, COOKIE_DATA
@vindex org-hierarchical-checkbox-statistics
The @samp{[2/4]} and @samp{[1/3]} in the first and second line are cookies
indicating how many checkboxes present in this entry have been checked off,
and the total number of checkboxes present. This can give you an idea on how
many checkboxes remain, even without opening a folded entry. The cookies can
be placed into a headline or into (the first line of) a plain list item.
Each cookie covers checkboxes of direct children structurally below the
headline/item on which the cookie appears@footnote{Set the variable
@code{org-hierarchical-checkbox-statistics} if you want such cookies to
represent the all checkboxes below the cookie, not just the direct
children.}. You have to insert the cookie yourself by typing either
@samp{[/]} or @samp{[%]}. With @samp{[/]} you get an @samp{n out of m}
result, as in the examples above. With @samp{[%]} you get information about
the percentage of checkboxes checked (in the above example, this would be
@samp{[50%]} and @samp{[33%]}, respectively). In a headline, a cookie can
count either checkboxes below the heading or TODO states of children, and it
will display whatever was changed last. Set the property @code{COOKIE_DATA}
to either @samp{checkbox} or @samp{todo} to resolve this issue.
@cindex blocking, of checkboxes
@cindex checkbox blocking
@cindex property, ORDERED
If the current outline node has an @code{ORDERED} property, checkboxes must
be checked off in sequence, and an error will be thrown if you try to check
off a box while there are unchecked boxes above it.
@noindent The following commands work with checkboxes:
@table @kbd
@kindex C-c C-c
@item C-c C-c
Toggle checkbox status or (with prefix arg) checkbox presence at point. With
double prefix argument, set it to @samp{[-]}, which is considered to be an
intermediate state.
@kindex C-c C-x C-b
@item C-c C-x C-b
Toggle checkbox status or (with prefix arg) checkbox presence at point. With
double prefix argument, set it to @samp{[-]}, which is considered to be an
intermediate state.
@itemize @minus
@item
If there is an active region, toggle the first checkbox in the region
and set all remaining boxes to the same status as the first. With a prefix
arg, add or remove the checkbox for all items in the region.
@item
If the cursor is in a headline, toggle checkboxes in the region between
this headline and the next (so @emph{not} the entire subtree).
@item
If there is no active region, just toggle the checkbox at point.
@end itemize
@kindex M-S-@key{RET}
@item M-S-@key{RET}
Insert a new item with a checkbox.
This works only if the cursor is already in a plain list item
(@pxref{Plain lists}).
@kindex C-c C-x o
@item C-c C-x o
@vindex org-track-ordered-property-with-tag
@cindex property, ORDERED
Toggle the @code{ORDERED} property of the entry, to toggle if checkboxes must
be checked off in sequence. A property is used for this behavior because
this should be local to the current entry, not inherited like a tag.
However, if you would like to @i{track} the value of this property with a tag
for better visibility, customize the variable
@code{org-track-ordered-property-with-tag}.
@kindex C-c #
@item C-c #
Update the statistics cookie in the current outline entry. When called with
a @kbd{C-u} prefix, update the entire file. Checkbox statistic cookies are
updated automatically if you toggle checkboxes with @kbd{C-c C-c} and make
new ones with @kbd{M-S-@key{RET}}. TODO statistics cookies update when
changing TODO states. If you delete boxes/entries or add/change them by
hand, use this command to get things back into sync. Or simply toggle any
entry twice (checkboxes with @kbd{C-c C-c}).
@end table
@node Tags, Properties and Columns, TODO Items, Top
@chapter Tags
@cindex tags
@cindex headline tagging
@cindex matching, tags
@cindex sparse tree, tag based
An excellent way to implement labels and contexts for cross-correlating
information is to assign @i{tags} to headlines. Org mode has extensive
support for tags.
@vindex org-tag-faces
Every headline can contain a list of tags; they occur at the end of the
headline. Tags are normal words containing letters, numbers, @samp{_}, and
@samp{@@}. Tags must be preceded and followed by a single colon, e.g.,
@samp{:work:}. Several tags can be specified, as in @samp{:work:urgent:}.
Tags will by default be in bold face with the same color as the headline.
You may specify special faces for specific tags using the variable
@code{org-tag-faces}, in much the same way as you can for TODO keywords
(@pxref{Faces for TODO keywords}).
@menu
* Tag inheritance:: Tags use the tree structure of the outline
* Setting tags:: How to assign tags to a headline
* Tag searches:: Searching for combinations of tags
@end menu
@node Tag inheritance, Setting tags, Tags, Tags
@section Tag inheritance
@cindex tag inheritance
@cindex inheritance, of tags
@cindex sublevels, inclusion into tags match
@i{Tags} make use of the hierarchical structure of outline trees. If a
heading has a certain tag, all subheadings will inherit the tag as
well. For example, in the list
@example
* Meeting with the French group :work:
** Summary by Frank :boss:notes:
*** TODO Prepare slides for him :action:
@end example
@noindent
the final heading will have the tags @samp{:work:}, @samp{:boss:},
@samp{:notes:}, and @samp{:action:} even though the final heading is not
explicitly marked with those tags. You can also set tags that all entries in
a file should inherit just as if these tags were defined in a hypothetical
level zero that surrounds the entire file. Use a line like this@footnote{As
with all these in-buffer settings, pressing @kbd{C-c C-c} activates any
changes in the line.}:
@cindex #+FILETAGS
@example
#+FILETAGS: :Peter:Boss:Secret:
@end example
@noindent
@vindex org-use-tag-inheritance
@vindex org-tags-exclude-from-inheritance
To limit tag inheritance to specific tags, or to turn it off entirely, use
the variables @code{org-use-tag-inheritance} and
@code{org-tags-exclude-from-inheritance}.
@vindex org-tags-match-list-sublevels
When a headline matches during a tags search while tag inheritance is turned
on, all the sublevels in the same tree will (for a simple match form) match
as well@footnote{This is only true if the search does not involve more
complex tests including properties (@pxref{Property searches}).}. The list
of matches may then become very long. If you only want to see the first tags
match in a subtree, configure the variable
@code{org-tags-match-list-sublevels} (not recommended).
@node Setting tags, Tag searches, Tag inheritance, Tags
@section Setting tags
@cindex setting tags
@cindex tags, setting
@kindex M-@key{TAB}
Tags can simply be typed into the buffer at the end of a headline.
After a colon, @kbd{M-@key{TAB}} offers completion on tags. There is
also a special command for inserting tags:
@table @kbd
@kindex C-c C-q
@item C-c C-q
@cindex completion, of tags
@vindex org-tags-column
Enter new tags for the current headline. Org mode will either offer
completion or a special single-key interface for setting tags, see
below. After pressing @key{RET}, the tags will be inserted and aligned
to @code{org-tags-column}. When called with a @kbd{C-u} prefix, all
tags in the current buffer will be aligned to that column, just to make
things look nice. TAGS are automatically realigned after promotion,
demotion, and TODO state changes (@pxref{TODO basics}).
@kindex C-c C-c
@item C-c C-c
When the cursor is in a headline, this does the same as @kbd{C-c C-q}.
@end table
@vindex org-tag-alist
Org will support tag insertion based on a @emph{list of tags}. By
default this list is constructed dynamically, containing all tags
currently used in the buffer. You may also globally specify a hard list
of tags with the variable @code{org-tag-alist}. Finally you can set
the default tags for a given file with lines like
@cindex #+TAGS
@example
#+TAGS: @@work @@home @@tennisclub
#+TAGS: laptop car pc sailboat
@end example
If you have globally defined your preferred set of tags using the
variable @code{org-tag-alist}, but would like to use a dynamic tag list
in a specific file, add an empty TAGS option line to that file:
@example
#+TAGS:
@end example
@vindex org-tag-persistent-alist
If you have a preferred set of tags that you would like to use in every file,
in addition to those defined on a per-file basis by TAGS option lines, then
you may specify a list of tags with the variable
@code{org-tag-persistent-alist}. You may turn this off on a per-file basis
by adding a STARTUP option line to that file:
@example
#+STARTUP: noptag
@end example
By default Org mode uses the standard minibuffer completion facilities for
entering tags. However, it also implements another, quicker, tag selection
method called @emph{fast tag selection}. This allows you to select and
deselect tags with just a single key press. For this to work well you should
assign unique letters to most of your commonly used tags. You can do this
globally by configuring the variable @code{org-tag-alist} in your
@file{.emacs} file. For example, you may find the need to tag many items in
different files with @samp{:@@home:}. In this case you can set something
like:
@lisp
(setq org-tag-alist '(("@@work" . ?w) ("@@home" . ?h) ("laptop" . ?l)))
@end lisp
@noindent If the tag is only relevant to the file you are working on, then you
can instead set the TAGS option line as:
@example
#+TAGS: @@work(w) @@home(h) @@tennisclub(t) laptop(l) pc(p)
@end example
@noindent The tags interface will show the available tags in a splash
window. If you want to start a new line after a specific tag, insert
@samp{\n} into the tag list
@example
#+TAGS: @@work(w) @@home(h) @@tennisclub(t) \n laptop(l) pc(p)
@end example
@noindent or write them in two lines:
@example
#+TAGS: @@work(w) @@home(h) @@tennisclub(t)
#+TAGS: laptop(l) pc(p)
@end example
@noindent
You can also group together tags that are mutually exclusive by using
braces, as in:
@example
#+TAGS: @{ @@work(w) @@home(h) @@tennisclub(t) @} laptop(l) pc(p)
@end example
@noindent you indicate that at most one of @samp{@@work}, @samp{@@home},
and @samp{@@tennisclub} should be selected. Multiple such groups are allowed.
@noindent Don't forget to press @kbd{C-c C-c} with the cursor in one of
these lines to activate any changes.
@noindent
To set these mutually exclusive groups in the variable @code{org-tags-alist},
you must use the dummy tags @code{:startgroup} and @code{:endgroup} instead
of the braces. Similarly, you can use @code{:newline} to indicate a line
break. The previous example would be set globally by the following
configuration:
@lisp
(setq org-tag-alist '((:startgroup . nil)
("@@work" . ?w) ("@@home" . ?h)
("@@tennisclub" . ?t)
(:endgroup . nil)
("laptop" . ?l) ("pc" . ?p)))
@end lisp
If at least one tag has a selection key then pressing @kbd{C-c C-c} will
automatically present you with a special interface, listing inherited tags,
the tags of the current headline, and a list of all valid tags with
corresponding keys@footnote{Keys will automatically be assigned to tags which
have no configured keys.}. In this interface, you can use the following
keys:
@table @kbd
@item a-z...
Pressing keys assigned to tags will add or remove them from the list of
tags in the current line. Selecting a tag in a group of mutually
exclusive tags will turn off any other tags from that group.
@kindex @key{TAB}
@item @key{TAB}
Enter a tag in the minibuffer, even if the tag is not in the predefined
list. You will be able to complete on all tags present in the buffer.
@kindex @key{SPC}
@item @key{SPC}
Clear all tags for this line.
@kindex @key{RET}
@item @key{RET}
Accept the modified set.
@item C-g
Abort without installing changes.
@item q
If @kbd{q} is not assigned to a tag, it aborts like @kbd{C-g}.
@item !
Turn off groups of mutually exclusive tags. Use this to (as an
exception) assign several tags from such a group.
@item C-c
Toggle auto-exit after the next change (see below).
If you are using expert mode, the first @kbd{C-c} will display the
selection window.
@end table
@noindent
This method lets you assign tags to a headline with very few keys. With
the above setup, you could clear the current tags and set @samp{@@home},
@samp{laptop} and @samp{pc} tags with just the following keys: @kbd{C-c
C-c @key{SPC} h l p @key{RET}}. Switching from @samp{@@home} to
@samp{@@work} would be done with @kbd{C-c C-c w @key{RET}} or
alternatively with @kbd{C-c C-c C-c w}. Adding the non-predefined tag
@samp{Sarah} could be done with @kbd{C-c C-c @key{TAB} S a r a h
@key{RET} @key{RET}}.
@vindex org-fast-tag-selection-single-key
If you find that most of the time you need only a single key press to
modify your list of tags, set the variable
@code{org-fast-tag-selection-single-key}. Then you no longer have to
press @key{RET} to exit fast tag selection---it will immediately exit
after the first change. If you then occasionally need more keys, press
@kbd{C-c} to turn off auto-exit for the current tag selection process
(in effect: start selection with @kbd{C-c C-c C-c} instead of @kbd{C-c
C-c}). If you set the variable to the value @code{expert}, the special
window is not even shown for single-key tag selection, it comes up only
when you press an extra @kbd{C-c}.
@node Tag searches, , Setting tags, Tags
@section Tag searches
@cindex tag searches
@cindex searching for tags
Once a system of tags has been set up, it can be used to collect related
information into special lists.
@table @kbd
@kindex C-c \
@kindex C-c / m
@item C-c \
@itemx C-c / m
Create a sparse tree with all headlines matching a tags search. With a
@kbd{C-u} prefix argument, ignore headlines that are not a TODO line.
@kindex C-c a m
@item C-c a m
Create a global list of tag matches from all agenda files.
@xref{Matching tags and properties}.
@kindex C-c a M
@item C-c a M
@vindex org-tags-match-list-sublevels
Create a global list of tag matches from all agenda files, but check
only TODO items and force checking subitems (see variable
@code{org-tags-match-list-sublevels}).
@end table
These commands all prompt for a match string which allows basic Boolean logic
like @samp{+boss+urgent-project1}, to find entries with tags @samp{boss} and
@samp{urgent}, but not @samp{project1}, or @samp{Kathy|Sally} to find entries
which are tagged, like @samp{Kathy} or @samp{Sally}. The full syntax of the search
string is rich and allows also matching against TODO keywords, entry levels
and properties. For a complete description with many examples, see
@ref{Matching tags and properties}.
@node Properties and Columns, Dates and Times, Tags, Top
@chapter Properties and Columns
@cindex properties
Properties are a set of key-value pairs associated with an entry. There
are two main applications for properties in Org mode. First, properties
are like tags, but with a value. Second, you can use properties to
implement (very basic) database capabilities in an Org buffer. For
an example of the first application, imagine maintaining a file where
you document bugs and plan releases for a piece of software. Instead of
using tags like @code{:release_1:}, @code{:release_2:}, one can use a
property, say @code{:Release:}, that in different subtrees has different
values, such as @code{1.0} or @code{2.0}. For an example of the second
application of properties, imagine keeping track of your music CDs,
where properties could be things such as the album, artist, date of
release, number of tracks, and so on.
Properties can be conveniently edited and viewed in column view
(@pxref{Column view}).
@menu
* Property syntax:: How properties are spelled out
* Special properties:: Access to other Org mode features
* Property searches:: Matching property values
* Property inheritance:: Passing values down the tree
* Column view:: Tabular viewing and editing
* Property API:: Properties for Lisp programmers
@end menu
@node Property syntax, Special properties, Properties and Columns, Properties and Columns
@section Property syntax
@cindex property syntax
@cindex drawer, for properties
Properties are key-value pairs. They need to be inserted into a special
drawer (@pxref{Drawers}) with the name @code{PROPERTIES}. Each property
is specified on a single line, with the key (surrounded by colons)
first, and the value after it. Here is an example:
@example
* CD collection
** Classic
*** Goldberg Variations
:PROPERTIES:
:Title: Goldberg Variations
:Composer: J.S. Bach
:Artist: Glen Gould
:Publisher: Deutsche Grammophon
:NDisks: 1
:END:
@end example
You may define the allowed values for a particular property @samp{:Xyz:}
by setting a property @samp{:Xyz_ALL:}. This special property is
@emph{inherited}, so if you set it in a level 1 entry, it will apply to
the entire tree. When allowed values are defined, setting the
corresponding property becomes easier and is less prone to typing
errors. For the example with the CD collection, we can predefine
publishers and the number of disks in a box like this:
@example
* CD collection
:PROPERTIES:
:NDisks_ALL: 1 2 3 4
:Publisher_ALL: "Deutsche Grammophon" Philips EMI
:END:
@end example
If you want to set properties that can be inherited by any entry in a
file, use a line like
@cindex property, _ALL
@cindex #+PROPERTY
@example
#+PROPERTY: NDisks_ALL 1 2 3 4
@end example
@vindex org-global-properties
Property values set with the global variable
@code{org-global-properties} can be inherited by all entries in all
Org files.
@noindent
The following commands help to work with properties:
@table @kbd
@kindex M-@key{TAB}
@item M-@key{TAB}
After an initial colon in a line, complete property keys. All keys used
in the current file will be offered as possible completions.
@kindex C-c C-x p
@item C-c C-x p
Set a property. This prompts for a property name and a value. If
necessary, the property drawer is created as well.
@item M-x org-insert-property-drawer
Insert a property drawer into the current entry. The drawer will be
inserted early in the entry, but after the lines with planning
information like deadlines.
@kindex C-c C-c
@item C-c C-c
With the cursor in a property drawer, this executes property commands.
@item C-c C-c s
Set a property in the current entry. Both the property and the value
can be inserted using completion.
@kindex S-@key{right}
@kindex S-@key{left}
@item S-@key{left}/@key{right}
Switch property at point to the next/previous allowed value.
@item C-c C-c d
Remove a property from the current entry.
@item C-c C-c D
Globally remove a property, from all entries in the current file.
@item C-c C-c c
Compute the property at point, using the operator and scope from the
nearest column format definition.
@end table
@node Special properties, Property searches, Property syntax, Properties and Columns
@section Special properties
@cindex properties, special
Special properties provide an alternative access method to Org mode
features, like the TODO state or the priority of an entry, discussed in the
previous chapters. This interface exists so that you can include
these states in a column view (@pxref{Column view}), or to use them in
queries. The following property names are special and should not be
used as keys in the properties drawer:
@cindex property, special, TODO
@cindex property, special, TAGS
@cindex property, special, ALLTAGS
@cindex property, special, CATEGORY
@cindex property, special, PRIORITY
@cindex property, special, DEADLINE
@cindex property, special, SCHEDULED
@cindex property, special, CLOSED
@cindex property, special, TIMESTAMP
@cindex property, special, TIMESTAMP_IA
@cindex property, special, CLOCKSUM
@c guessing that ITEM is needed in this area; also, should this list be sorted?
@cindex property, special, ITEM
@example
TODO @r{The TODO keyword of the entry.}
TAGS @r{The tags defined directly in the headline.}
ALLTAGS @r{All tags, including inherited ones.}
CATEGORY @r{The category of an entry.}
PRIORITY @r{The priority of the entry, a string with a single letter.}
DEADLINE @r{The deadline time string, without the angular brackets.}
SCHEDULED @r{The scheduling timestamp, without the angular brackets.}
CLOSED @r{When was this entry closed?}
TIMESTAMP @r{The first keyword-less timestamp in the entry.}
TIMESTAMP_IA @r{The first inactive timestamp in the entry.}
CLOCKSUM @r{The sum of CLOCK intervals in the subtree. @code{org-clock-sum}}
@r{must be run first to compute the values.}
ITEM @r{The content of the entry.}
@end example
@node Property searches, Property inheritance, Special properties, Properties and Columns
@section Property searches
@cindex properties, searching
@cindex searching, of properties
To create sparse trees and special lists with selection based on properties,
the same commands are used as for tag searches (@pxref{Tag searches}).
@table @kbd
@kindex C-c \
@kindex C-c / m
@item C-c \
@itemx C-c / m
Create a sparse tree with all matching entries. With a
@kbd{C-u} prefix argument, ignore headlines that are not a TODO line.
@kindex C-c a m
@item C-c a m
Create a global list of tag/property matches from all agenda files.
@xref{Matching tags and properties}.
@kindex C-c a M
@item C-c a M
@vindex org-tags-match-list-sublevels
Create a global list of tag matches from all agenda files, but check
only TODO items and force checking of subitems (see variable
@code{org-tags-match-list-sublevels}).
@end table
The syntax for the search string is described in @ref{Matching tags and
properties}.
There is also a special command for creating sparse trees based on a
single property:
@table @kbd
@kindex C-c / p
@item C-c / p
Create a sparse tree based on the value of a property. This first
prompts for the name of a property, and then for a value. A sparse tree
is created with all entries that define this property with the given
value. If you enclose the value into curly braces, it is interpreted as
a regular expression and matched against the property values.
@end table
@node Property inheritance, Column view, Property searches, Properties and Columns
@section Property Inheritance
@cindex properties, inheritance
@cindex inheritance, of properties
@vindex org-use-property-inheritance
The outline structure of Org-mode documents lends itself for an
inheritance model of properties: if the parent in a tree has a certain
property, the children can inherit this property. Org mode does not
turn this on by default, because it can slow down property searches
significantly and is often not needed. However, if you find inheritance
useful, you can turn it on by setting the variable
@code{org-use-property-inheritance}. It may be set to @code{t} to make
all properties inherited from the parent, to a list of properties
that should be inherited, or to a regular expression that matches
inherited properties.
Org mode has a few properties for which inheritance is hard-coded, at
least for the special applications for which they are used:
@cindex property, COLUMNS
@table @code
@item COLUMNS
The @code{:COLUMNS:} property defines the format of column view
(@pxref{Column view}). It is inherited in the sense that the level
where a @code{:COLUMNS:} property is defined is used as the starting
point for a column view table, independently of the location in the
subtree from where columns view is turned on.
@item CATEGORY
@cindex property, CATEGORY
For agenda view, a category set through a @code{:CATEGORY:} property
applies to the entire subtree.
@item ARCHIVE
@cindex property, ARCHIVE
For archiving, the @code{:ARCHIVE:} property may define the archive
location for the entire subtree (@pxref{Moving subtrees}).
@item LOGGING
@cindex property, LOGGING
The LOGGING property may define logging settings for an entry or a
subtree (@pxref{Tracking TODO state changes}).
@end table
@node Column view, Property API, Property inheritance, Properties and Columns
@section Column view
A great way to view and edit properties in an outline tree is
@emph{column view}. In column view, each outline node is turned into a
table row. Columns in this table provide access to properties of the
entries. Org mode implements columns by overlaying a tabular structure
over the headline of each item. While the headlines have been turned
into a table row, you can still change the visibility of the outline
tree. For example, you get a compact table by switching to CONTENTS
view (@kbd{S-@key{TAB} S-@key{TAB}}, or simply @kbd{c} while column view
is active), but you can still open, read, and edit the entry below each
headline. Or, you can switch to column view after executing a sparse
tree command and in this way get a table only for the selected items.
Column view also works in agenda buffers (@pxref{Agenda Views}) where
queries have collected selected items, possibly from a number of files.
@menu
* Defining columns:: The COLUMNS format property
* Using column view:: How to create and use column view
* Capturing column view:: A dynamic block for column view
@end menu
@node Defining columns, Using column view, Column view, Column view
@subsection Defining columns
@cindex column view, for properties
@cindex properties, column view
Setting up a column view first requires defining the columns. This is
done by defining a column format line.
@menu
* Scope of column definitions:: Where defined, where valid?
* Column attributes:: Appearance and content of a column
@end menu
@node Scope of column definitions, Column attributes, Defining columns, Defining columns
@subsubsection Scope of column definitions
To define a column format for an entire file, use a line like
@cindex #+COLUMNS
@example
#+COLUMNS: %25ITEM %TAGS %PRIORITY %TODO
@end example
To specify a format that only applies to a specific tree, add a
@code{:COLUMNS:} property to the top node of that tree, for example:
@example
** Top node for columns view
:PROPERTIES:
:COLUMNS: %25ITEM %TAGS %PRIORITY %TODO
:END:
@end example
If a @code{:COLUMNS:} property is present in an entry, it defines columns
for the entry itself, and for the entire subtree below it. Since the
column definition is part of the hierarchical structure of the document,
you can define columns on level 1 that are general enough for all
sublevels, and more specific columns further down, when you edit a
deeper part of the tree.
@node Column attributes, , Scope of column definitions, Defining columns
@subsubsection Column attributes
A column definition sets the attributes of a column. The general
definition looks like this:
@example
%[@var{width}]@var{property}[(@var{title})][@{@var{summary-type}@}]
@end example
@noindent
Except for the percent sign and the property name, all items are
optional. The individual parts have the following meaning:
@example
@var{width} @r{An integer specifying the width of the column in characters.}
@r{If omitted, the width will be determined automatically.}
@var{property} @r{The property that should be edited in this column.}
@r{Special properties representing meta data are allowed here}
@r{as well (@pxref{Special properties})}
(title) @r{The header text for the column. If omitted, the}
@r{property name is used.}
@{@var{summary-type}@} @r{The summary type. If specified, the column values for}
@r{parent nodes are computed from the children.}
@r{Supported summary types are:}
@{+@} @r{Sum numbers in this column.}
@{+;%.1f@} @r{Like @samp{+}, but format result with @samp{%.1f}.}
@{$@} @r{Currency, short for @samp{+;%.2f}.}
@{:@} @r{Sum times, HH:MM:SS, plain numbers are hours.}
@{X@} @r{Checkbox status, @samp{[X]} if all children are @samp{[X]}.}
@{X/@} @r{Checkbox status, @samp{[n/m]}.}
@{X%@} @r{Checkbox status, @samp{[n%]}.}
@{min@} @r{Smallest number in column.}
@{max@} @r{Largest number.}
@{mean@} @r{Arithmetic mean of numbers.}
@{:min@} @r{Smallest time value in column.}
@{:max@} @r{Largest time value.}
@{:mean@} @r{Arithmetic mean of time values.}
@{@@min@} @r{Minimum age (in days/hours/mins/seconds).}
@{@@max@} @r{Maximum age (in days/hours/mins/seconds).}
@{@@mean@} @r{Arithmetic mean of ages (in days/hours/mins/seconds).}
@end example
@noindent
Be aware that you can only have one summary type for any property you
include. Subsequent columns referencing the same property will all display the
same summary information.
Here is an example for a complete columns definition, along with allowed
values.
@example
:COLUMNS: %25ITEM %9Approved(Approved?)@{X@} %Owner %11Status \@footnote{Please note that the COLUMNS definition must be on a single line---it is wrapped here only because of formatting constraints.}
%10Time_Estimate@{:@} %CLOCKSUM
:Owner_ALL: Tammy Mark Karl Lisa Don
:Status_ALL: "In progress" "Not started yet" "Finished" ""
:Approved_ALL: "[ ]" "[X]"
@end example
@noindent
The first column, @samp{%25ITEM}, means the first 25 characters of the
item itself, i.e. of the headline. You probably always should start the
column definition with the @samp{ITEM} specifier. The other specifiers
create columns @samp{Owner} with a list of names as allowed values, for
@samp{Status} with four different possible values, and for a checkbox
field @samp{Approved}. When no width is given after the @samp{%}
character, the column will be exactly as wide as it needs to be in order
to fully display all values. The @samp{Approved} column does have a
modified title (@samp{Approved?}, with a question mark). Summaries will
be created for the @samp{Time_Estimate} column by adding time duration
expressions like HH:MM, and for the @samp{Approved} column, by providing
an @samp{[X]} status if all children have been checked. The
@samp{CLOCKSUM} column is special, it lists the sum of CLOCK intervals
in the subtree.
@node Using column view, Capturing column view, Defining columns, Column view
@subsection Using column view
@table @kbd
@tsubheading{Turning column view on and off}
@kindex C-c C-x C-c
@item C-c C-x C-c
@vindex org-columns-default-format
Turn on column view. If the cursor is before the first headline in the file,
column view is turned on for the entire file, using the @code{#+COLUMNS}
definition. If the cursor is somewhere inside the outline, this command
searches the hierarchy, up from point, for a @code{:COLUMNS:} property that
defines a format. When one is found, the column view table is established
for the tree starting at the entry that contains the @code{:COLUMNS:}
property. If no such property is found, the format is taken from the
@code{#+COLUMNS} line or from the variable @code{org-columns-default-format},
and column view is established for the current entry and its subtree.
@kindex r
@item r
Recreate the column view, to include recent changes made in the buffer.
@kindex g
@item g
Same as @kbd{r}.
@kindex q
@item q
Exit column view.
@tsubheading{Editing values}
@item @key{left} @key{right} @key{up} @key{down}
Move through the column view from field to field.
@kindex S-@key{left}
@kindex S-@key{right}
@item S-@key{left}/@key{right}
Switch to the next/previous allowed value of the field. For this, you
have to have specified allowed values for a property.
@item 1..9,0
Directly select the nth allowed value, @kbd{0} selects the 10th value.
@kindex n
@kindex p
@itemx n / p
Same as @kbd{S-@key{left}/@key{right}}
@kindex e
@item e
Edit the property at point. For the special properties, this will
invoke the same interface that you normally use to change that
property. For example, when editing a TAGS property, the tag completion
or fast selection interface will pop up.
@kindex C-c C-c
@item C-c C-c
When there is a checkbox at point, toggle it.
@kindex v
@item v
View the full value of this property. This is useful if the width of
the column is smaller than that of the value.
@kindex a
@item a
Edit the list of allowed values for this property. If the list is found
in the hierarchy, the modified values is stored there. If no list is
found, the new value is stored in the first entry that is part of the
current column view.
@tsubheading{Modifying the table structure}
@kindex <
@kindex >
@item < / >
Make the column narrower/wider by one character.
@kindex S-M-@key{right}
@item S-M-@key{right}
Insert a new column, to the left of the current column.
@kindex S-M-@key{left}
@item S-M-@key{left}
Delete the current column.
@end table
@node Capturing column view, , Using column view, Column view
@subsection Capturing column view
Since column view is just an overlay over a buffer, it cannot be
exported or printed directly. If you want to capture a column view, use
a @code{columnview} dynamic block (@pxref{Dynamic blocks}). The frame
of this block looks like this:
@cindex #+BEGIN, columnview
@example
* The column view
#+BEGIN: columnview :hlines 1 :id "label"
#+END:
@end example
@noindent This dynamic block has the following parameters:
@table @code
@item :id
This is the most important parameter. Column view is a feature that is
often localized to a certain (sub)tree, and the capture block might be
at a different location in the file. To identify the tree whose view to
capture, you can use 4 values:
@cindex property, ID
@example
local @r{use the tree in which the capture block is located}
global @r{make a global view, including all headings in the file}
"file:@var{path-to-file}"
@r{run column view at the top of this file}
"@var{ID}" @r{call column view in the tree that has an @code{:ID:}}
@r{property with the value @i{label}. You can use}
@r{@kbd{M-x org-id-copy} to create a globally unique ID for}
@r{the current entry and copy it to the kill-ring.}
@end example
@item :hlines
When @code{t}, insert an hline after every line. When a number @var{N}, insert
an hline before each headline with level @code{<= @var{N}}.
@item :vlines
When set to @code{t}, force column groups to get vertical lines.
@item :maxlevel
When set to a number, don't capture entries below this level.
@item :skip-empty-rows
When set to @code{t}, skip rows where the only non-empty specifier of the
column view is @code{ITEM}.
@end table
@noindent
The following commands insert or update the dynamic block:
@table @kbd
@kindex C-c C-x i
@item C-c C-x i
Insert a dynamic block capturing a column view. You will be prompted
for the scope or ID of the view.
@kindex C-c C-c
@item C-c C-c
@kindex C-c C-x C-u
@itemx C-c C-x C-u
Update dynamic block at point. The cursor needs to be in the
@code{#+BEGIN} line of the dynamic block.
@kindex C-u C-c C-x C-u
@item C-u C-c C-x C-u
Update all dynamic blocks (@pxref{Dynamic blocks}). This is useful if
you have several clock table blocks in a buffer.
@end table
You can add formulas to the column view table and you may add plotting
instructions in front of the table---these will survive an update of the
block. If there is a @code{#+TBLFM:} after the table, the table will
actually be recalculated automatically after an update.
An alternative way to capture and process property values into a table is
provided by Eric Schulte's @file{org-collector.el} which is a contributed
package@footnote{Contributed packages are not part of Emacs, but are
distributed with the main distribution of Org (visit
@uref{http://orgmode.org}).}. It provides a general API to collect
properties from entries in a certain scope, and arbitrary Lisp expressions to
process these values before inserting them into a table or a dynamic block.
@node Property API, , Column view, Properties and Columns
@section The Property API
@cindex properties, API
@cindex API, for properties
There is a full API for accessing and changing properties. This API can
be used by Emacs Lisp programs to work with properties and to implement
features based on them. For more information see @ref{Using the
property API}.
@node Dates and Times, Capture - Refile - Archive, Properties and Columns, Top
@chapter Dates and Times
@cindex dates
@cindex times
@cindex timestamp
@cindex date stamp
To assist project planning, TODO items can be labeled with a date and/or
a time. The specially formatted string carrying the date and time
information is called a @emph{timestamp} in Org mode. This may be a
little confusing because timestamp is often used as indicating when
something was created or last changed. However, in Org mode this term
is used in a much wider sense.
@menu
* Timestamps:: Assigning a time to a tree entry
* Creating timestamps:: Commands which insert timestamps
* Deadlines and scheduling:: Planning your work
* Clocking work time:: Tracking how long you spend on a task
* Resolving idle time:: Resolving time if you've been idle
* Effort estimates:: Planning work effort in advance
* Relative timer:: Notes with a running timer
@end menu
@node Timestamps, Creating timestamps, Dates and Times, Dates and Times
@section Timestamps, deadlines, and scheduling
@cindex timestamps
@cindex ranges, time
@cindex date stamps
@cindex deadlines
@cindex scheduling
A timestamp is a specification of a date (possibly with a time or a range of
times) in a special format, either @samp{<2003-09-16 Tue>} or
@samp{<2003-09-16 Tue 09:39>} or @samp{<2003-09-16 Tue
12:00-12:30>}@footnote{This is inspired by the standard ISO 6801 date/time
format. To use an alternative format, see @ref{Custom time format}.}. A
timestamp can appear anywhere in the headline or body of an Org tree entry.
Its presence causes entries to be shown on specific dates in the agenda
(@pxref{Weekly/daily agenda}). We distinguish:
@table @var
@item Plain timestamp; Event; Appointment
@cindex timestamp
A simple timestamp just assigns a date/time to an item. This is just
like writing down an appointment or event in a paper agenda. In the
timeline and agenda displays, the headline of an entry associated with a
plain timestamp will be shown exactly on that date.
@example
* Meet Peter at the movies <2006-11-01 Wed 19:15>
* Discussion on climate change <2006-11-02 Thu 20:00-22:00>
@end example
@item Timestamp with repeater interval
@cindex timestamp, with repeater interval
A timestamp may contain a @emph{repeater interval}, indicating that it
applies not only on the given date, but again and again after a certain
interval of N days (d), weeks (w), months (m), or years (y). The
following will show up in the agenda every Wednesday:
@example
* Pick up Sam at school <2007-05-16 Wed 12:30 +1w>
@end example
@item Diary-style sexp entries
For more complex date specifications, Org mode supports using the
special sexp diary entries implemented in the Emacs calendar/diary
package. For example
@example
* The nerd meeting on every 2nd Thursday of the month
<%%(diary-float t 4 2)>
@end example
@item Time/Date range
@cindex timerange
@cindex date range
Two timestamps connected by @samp{--} denote a range. The headline
will be shown on the first and last day of the range, and on any dates
that are displayed and fall in the range. Here is an example:
@example
** Meeting in Amsterdam
<2004-08-23 Mon>--<2004-08-26 Thu>
@end example
@item Inactive timestamp
@cindex timestamp, inactive
@cindex inactive timestamp
Just like a plain timestamp, but with square brackets instead of
angular ones. These timestamps are inactive in the sense that they do
@emph{not} trigger an entry to show up in the agenda.
@example
* Gillian comes late for the fifth time [2006-11-01 Wed]
@end example
@end table
@node Creating timestamps, Deadlines and scheduling, Timestamps, Dates and Times
@section Creating timestamps
@cindex creating timestamps
@cindex timestamps, creating
For Org mode to recognize timestamps, they need to be in the specific
format. All commands listed below produce timestamps in the correct
format.
@table @kbd
@kindex C-c .
@item C-c .
Prompt for a date and insert a corresponding timestamp. When the cursor is
at an existing timestamp in the buffer, the command is used to modify this
timestamp instead of inserting a new one. When this command is used twice in
succession, a time range is inserted.
@c
@kindex C-c !
@item C-c !
Like @kbd{C-c .}, but insert an inactive timestamp that will not cause
an agenda entry.
@c
@kindex C-u C-c .
@kindex C-u C-c !
@item C-u C-c .
@itemx C-u C-c !
@vindex org-time-stamp-rounding-minutes
Like @kbd{C-c .} and @kbd{C-c !}, but use the alternative format which
contains date and time. The default time can be rounded to multiples of 5
minutes, see the option @code{org-time-stamp-rounding-minutes}.
@c
@kindex C-c <
@item C-c <
Insert a timestamp corresponding to the cursor date in the Calendar.
@c
@kindex C-c >
@item C-c >
Access the Emacs calendar for the current date. If there is a
timestamp in the current line, go to the corresponding date
instead.
@c
@kindex C-c C-o
@item C-c C-o
Access the agenda for the date given by the timestamp or -range at
point (@pxref{Weekly/daily agenda}).
@c
@kindex S-@key{left}
@kindex S-@key{right}
@item S-@key{left}
@itemx S-@key{right}
Change date at cursor by one day. These key bindings conflict with
shift-selection and related modes (@pxref{Conflicts}).
@c
@kindex S-@key{up}
@kindex S-@key{down}
@item S-@key{up}
@itemx S-@key{down}
Change the item under the cursor in a timestamp. The cursor can be on a
year, month, day, hour or minute. When the timestamp contains a time range
like @samp{15:30-16:30}, modifying the first time will also shift the second,
shifting the time block with constant length. To change the length, modify
the second time. Note that if the cursor is in a headline and not at a
timestamp, these same keys modify the priority of an item.
(@pxref{Priorities}). The key bindings also conflict with shift-selection and
related modes (@pxref{Conflicts}).
@c
@kindex C-c C-y
@cindex evaluate time range
@item C-c C-y
Evaluate a time range by computing the difference between start and end.
With a prefix argument, insert result after the time range (in a table: into
the following column).
@end table
@menu
* The date/time prompt:: How Org mode helps you entering date and time
* Custom time format:: Making dates look different
@end menu
@node The date/time prompt, Custom time format, Creating timestamps, Creating timestamps
@subsection The date/time prompt
@cindex date, reading in minibuffer
@cindex time, reading in minibuffer
@vindex org-read-date-prefer-future
When Org mode prompts for a date/time, the default is shown in default
date/time format, and the prompt therefore seems to ask for a specific
format. But it will in fact accept any string containing some date and/or
time information, and it is really smart about interpreting your input. You
can, for example, use @kbd{C-y} to paste a (possibly multi-line) string
copied from an email message. Org mode will find whatever information is in
there and derive anything you have not specified from the @emph{default date
and time}. The default is usually the current date and time, but when
modifying an existing timestamp, or when entering the second stamp of a
range, it is taken from the stamp in the buffer. When filling in
information, Org mode assumes that most of the time you will want to enter a
date in the future: if you omit the month/year and the given day/month is
@i{before} today, it will assume that you mean a future date@footnote{See the
variable @code{org-read-date-prefer-future}. You may set that variable to
the symbol @code{time} to even make a time before now shift the date to
tomorrow.}. If the date has been automatically shifted into the future, the
time prompt will show this with @samp{(=>F).}
For example, let's assume that today is @b{June 13, 2006}. Here is how
various inputs will be interpreted, the items filled in by Org mode are
in @b{bold}.
@example
3-2-5 --> 2003-02-05
14 --> @b{2006}-@b{06}-14
12 --> @b{2006}-@b{07}-12
Fri --> nearest Friday (defaultdate or later)
sep 15 --> @b{2006}-09-15
feb 15 --> @b{2007}-02-15
sep 12 9 --> 2009-09-12
12:45 --> @b{2006}-@b{06}-@b{13} 12:45
22 sept 0:34 --> @b{2006}-09-22 0:34
w4 --> ISO week for of the current year @b{2006}
2012 w4 fri --> Friday of ISO week 4 in 2012
2012-w04-5 --> Same as above
@end example
Furthermore you can specify a relative date by giving, as the
@emph{first} thing in the input: a plus/minus sign, a number and a
letter ([dwmy]) to indicate change in days, weeks, months, or years. With a
single plus or minus, the date is always relative to today. With a
double plus or minus, it is relative to the default date. If instead of
a single letter, you use the abbreviation of day name, the date will be
the nth such day. E.g.
@example
+0 --> today
. --> today
+4d --> four days from today
+4 --> same as above
+2w --> two weeks from today
++5 --> five days from default date
+2tue --> second Tuesday from now.
@end example
@vindex parse-time-months
@vindex parse-time-weekdays
The function understands English month and weekday abbreviations. If
you want to use unabbreviated names and/or other languages, configure
the variables @code{parse-time-months} and @code{parse-time-weekdays}.
@cindex calendar, for selecting date
@vindex org-popup-calendar-for-date-prompt
Parallel to the minibuffer prompt, a calendar is popped up@footnote{If
you don't need/want the calendar, configure the variable
@code{org-popup-calendar-for-date-prompt}.}. When you exit the date
prompt, either by clicking on a date in the calendar, or by pressing
@key{RET}, the date selected in the calendar will be combined with the
information entered at the prompt. You can control the calendar fully
from the minibuffer:
@kindex <
@kindex >
@kindex mouse-1
@kindex S-@key{right}
@kindex S-@key{left}
@kindex S-@key{down}
@kindex S-@key{up}
@kindex M-S-@key{right}
@kindex M-S-@key{left}
@kindex @key{RET}
@example
> / < @r{Scroll calendar forward/backward by one month.}
mouse-1 @r{Select date by clicking on it.}
S-@key{right}/@key{left} @r{One day forward/backward.}
S-@key{down}/@key{up} @r{One week forward/backward.}
M-S-@key{right}/@key{left} @r{One month forward/backward.}
@key{RET} @r{Choose date in calendar.}
@end example
@vindex org-read-date-display-live
The actions of the date/time prompt may seem complex, but I assure you they
will grow on you, and you will start getting annoyed by pretty much any other
way of entering a date/time out there. To help you understand what is going
on, the current interpretation of your input will be displayed live in the
minibuffer@footnote{If you find this distracting, turn the display of with
@code{org-read-date-display-live}.}.
@node Custom time format, , The date/time prompt, Creating timestamps
@subsection Custom time format
@cindex custom date/time format
@cindex time format, custom
@cindex date format, custom
@vindex org-display-custom-times
@vindex org-time-stamp-custom-formats
Org mode uses the standard ISO notation for dates and times as it is
defined in ISO 8601. If you cannot get used to this and require another
representation of date and time to keep you happy, you can get it by
customizing the variables @code{org-display-custom-times} and
@code{org-time-stamp-custom-formats}.
@table @kbd
@kindex C-c C-x C-t
@item C-c C-x C-t
Toggle the display of custom formats for dates and times.
@end table
@noindent
Org mode needs the default format for scanning, so the custom date/time
format does not @emph{replace} the default format---instead it is put
@emph{over} the default format using text properties. This has the
following consequences:
@itemize @bullet
@item
You cannot place the cursor onto a timestamp anymore, only before or
after.
@item
The @kbd{S-@key{up}/@key{down}} keys can no longer be used to adjust
each component of a timestamp. If the cursor is at the beginning of
the stamp, @kbd{S-@key{up}/@key{down}} will change the stamp by one day,
just like @kbd{S-@key{left}/@key{right}}. At the end of the stamp, the
time will be changed by one minute.
@item
If the timestamp contains a range of clock times or a repeater, these
will not be overlayed, but remain in the buffer as they were.
@item
When you delete a timestamp character-by-character, it will only
disappear from the buffer after @emph{all} (invisible) characters
belonging to the ISO timestamp have been removed.
@item
If the custom timestamp format is longer than the default and you are
using dates in tables, table alignment will be messed up. If the custom
format is shorter, things do work as expected.
@end itemize
@node Deadlines and scheduling, Clocking work time, Creating timestamps, Dates and Times
@section Deadlines and scheduling
A timestamp may be preceded by special keywords to facilitate planning:
@table @var
@item DEADLINE
@cindex DEADLINE keyword
Meaning: the task (most likely a TODO item, though not necessarily) is supposed
to be finished on that date.
@vindex org-deadline-warning-days
On the deadline date, the task will be listed in the agenda. In
addition, the agenda for @emph{today} will carry a warning about the
approaching or missed deadline, starting
@code{org-deadline-warning-days} before the due date, and continuing
until the entry is marked DONE. An example:
@example
*** TODO write article about the Earth for the Guide
The editor in charge is [[bbdb:Ford Prefect]]
DEADLINE: <2004-02-29 Sun>
@end example
You can specify a different lead time for warnings for a specific
deadlines using the following syntax. Here is an example with a warning
period of 5 days @code{DEADLINE: <2004-02-29 Sun -5d>}.
@item SCHEDULED
@cindex SCHEDULED keyword
Meaning: you are planning to start working on that task on the given
date.
@vindex org-agenda-skip-scheduled-if-done
The headline will be listed under the given date@footnote{It will still
be listed on that date after it has been marked DONE. If you don't like
this, set the variable @code{org-agenda-skip-scheduled-if-done}.}. In
addition, a reminder that the scheduled date has passed will be present
in the compilation for @emph{today}, until the entry is marked DONE.
I.e. the task will automatically be forwarded until completed.
@example
*** TODO Call Trillian for a date on New Years Eve.
SCHEDULED: <2004-12-25 Sat>
@end example
@noindent
@b{Important:} Scheduling an item in Org mode should @i{not} be
understood in the same way that we understand @i{scheduling a meeting}.
Setting a date for a meeting is just a simple appointment, you should
mark this entry with a simple plain timestamp, to get this item shown
on the date where it applies. This is a frequent misunderstanding by
Org users. In Org mode, @i{scheduling} means setting a date when you
want to start working on an action item.
@end table
You may use timestamps with repeaters in scheduling and deadline
entries. Org mode will issue early and late warnings based on the
assumption that the timestamp represents the @i{nearest instance} of
the repeater. However, the use of diary sexp entries like
@c
@code{<%%(diary-float t 42)>}
@c
in scheduling and deadline timestamps is limited. Org mode does not
know enough about the internals of each sexp function to issue early and
late warnings. However, it will show the item on each day where the
sexp entry matches.
@menu
* Inserting deadline/schedule:: Planning items
* Repeated tasks:: Items that show up again and again
@end menu
@node Inserting deadline/schedule, Repeated tasks, Deadlines and scheduling, Deadlines and scheduling
@subsection Inserting deadlines or schedules
The following commands allow you to quickly insert a deadline or to schedule
an item:
@table @kbd
@c
@kindex C-c C-d
@item C-c C-d
Insert @samp{DEADLINE} keyword along with a stamp. The insertion will happen
in the line directly following the headline. When called with a prefix arg,
an existing deadline will be removed from the entry. Depending on the
variable @code{org-log-redeadline}@footnote{with corresponding
@code{#+STARTUP} keywords @code{logredeadline}, @code{lognoteredeadline},
and @code{nologredeadline}}, a note will be taken when changing an existing
deadline.
@c FIXME Any CLOSED timestamp will be removed.????????
@c
@kindex C-c C-s
@item C-c C-s
Insert @samp{SCHEDULED} keyword along with a stamp. The insertion will
happen in the line directly following the headline. Any CLOSED timestamp
will be removed. When called with a prefix argument, remove the scheduling
date from the entry. Depending on the variable
@code{org-log-reschedule}@footnote{with corresponding @code{#+STARTUP}
keywords @code{logredeadline}, @code{lognoteredeadline}, and
@code{nologredeadline}}, a note will be taken when changing an existing
scheduling time.
@c
@kindex C-c C-x C-k
@kindex k a
@kindex k s
@item C-c C-x C-k
Mark the current entry for agenda action. After you have marked the entry
like this, you can open the agenda or the calendar to find an appropriate
date. With the cursor on the selected date, press @kbd{k s} or @kbd{k d} to
schedule the marked item.
@c
@kindex C-c / d
@cindex sparse tree, for deadlines
@item C-c / d
@vindex org-deadline-warning-days
Create a sparse tree with all deadlines that are either past-due, or
which will become due within @code{org-deadline-warning-days}.
With @kbd{C-u} prefix, show all deadlines in the file. With a numeric
prefix, check that many days. For example, @kbd{C-1 C-c / d} shows
all deadlines due tomorrow.
@c
@kindex C-c / b
@item C-c / b
Sparse tree for deadlines and scheduled items before a given date.
@c
@kindex C-c / a
@item C-c / a
Sparse tree for deadlines and scheduled items after a given date.
@end table
@node Repeated tasks, , Inserting deadline/schedule, Deadlines and scheduling
@subsection Repeated tasks
@cindex tasks, repeated
@cindex repeated tasks
Some tasks need to be repeated again and again. Org mode helps to
organize such tasks using a so-called repeater in a DEADLINE, SCHEDULED,
or plain timestamp. In the following example
@example
** TODO Pay the rent
DEADLINE: <2005-10-01 Sat +1m>
@end example
@noindent
the @code{+1m} is a repeater; the intended interpretation is that the task
has a deadline on <2005-10-01> and repeats itself every (one) month starting
from that time. If you need both a repeater and a special warning period in
a deadline entry, the repeater should come first and the warning period last:
@code{DEADLINE: <2005-10-01 Sat +1m -3d>}.
Deadlines and scheduled items produce entries in the agenda when they
are over-due, so it is important to be able to mark such an entry as
completed once you have done so. When you mark a DEADLINE or a SCHEDULE
with the TODO keyword DONE, it will no longer produce entries in the
agenda. The problem with this is, however, that then also the
@emph{next} instance of the repeated entry will not be active. Org mode
deals with this in the following way: When you try to mark such an entry
DONE (using @kbd{C-c C-t}), it will shift the base date of the repeating
timestamp by the repeater interval, and immediately set the entry state
back to TODO. In the example above, setting the state to DONE would
actually switch the date like this:
@example
** TODO Pay the rent
DEADLINE: <2005-11-01 Tue +1m>
@end example
@vindex org-log-repeat
A timestamp@footnote{You can change this using the option
@code{org-log-repeat}, or the @code{#+STARTUP} options @code{logrepeat},
@code{lognoterepeat}, and @code{nologrepeat}. With @code{lognoterepeat}, you
will also be prompted for a note.} will be added under the deadline, to keep
a record that you actually acted on the previous instance of this deadline.
As a consequence of shifting the base date, this entry will no longer be
visible in the agenda when checking past dates, but all future instances
will be visible.
With the @samp{+1m} cookie, the date shift will always be exactly one
month. So if you have not paid the rent for three months, marking this
entry DONE will still keep it as an overdue deadline. Depending on the
task, this may not be the best way to handle it. For example, if you
forgot to call you father for 3 weeks, it does not make sense to call
him 3 times in a single day to make up for it. Finally, there are tasks
like changing batteries which should always repeat a certain time
@i{after} the last time you did it. For these tasks, Org mode has
special repeaters markers with @samp{++} and @samp{.+}. For example:
@example
** TODO Call Father
DEADLINE: <2008-02-10 Sun ++1w>
Marking this DONE will shift the date by at least one week,
but also by as many weeks as it takes to get this date into
the future. However, it stays on a Sunday, even if you called
and marked it done on Saturday.
** TODO Check the batteries in the smoke detectors
DEADLINE: <2005-11-01 Tue .+1m>
Marking this DONE will shift the date to one month after
today.
@end example
You may have both scheduling and deadline information for a specific
task---just make sure that the repeater intervals on both are the same.
An alternative to using a repeater is to create a number of copies of a task
subtree, with dates shifted in each copy. The command @kbd{C-c C-x c} was
created for this purpose, it is described in @ref{Structure editing}.
@node Clocking work time, Resolving idle time, Deadlines and scheduling, Dates and Times
@section Clocking work time
Org mode allows you to clock the time you spend on specific tasks in a
project. When you start working on an item, you can start the clock.
When you stop working on that task, or when you mark the task done, the
clock is stopped and the corresponding time interval is recorded. It
also computes the total time spent on each subtree of a project. And it
remembers a history or tasks recently clocked, to that you can jump quickly
between a number of tasks absorbing your time.
To save the clock history across Emacs sessions, use
@lisp
(setq org-clock-persist 'history)
(org-clock-persistence-insinuate)
@end lisp
When you clock into a new task after resuming Emacs, the incomplete
clock@footnote{To resume the clock under the assumption that you have worked
on this task while outside Emacs, use @code{(setq org-clock-persist t)}.}
will be found (@pxref{Resolving idle time}) and you will be prompted about
what to do with it.
@table @kbd
@kindex C-c C-x C-i
@item C-c C-x C-i
@vindex org-clock-into-drawer
Start the clock on the current item (clock-in). This inserts the CLOCK
keyword together with a timestamp. If this is not the first clocking of
this item, the multiple CLOCK lines will be wrapped into a
@code{:LOGBOOK:} drawer (see also the variable
@code{org-clock-into-drawer}). When called with a @kbd{C-u} prefix argument,
select the task from a list of recently clocked tasks. With two @kbd{C-u
C-u} prefixes, clock into the task at point and mark it as the default task.
The default task will always be available when selecting a clocking task,
with letter @kbd{d}.@*
@cindex property: CLOCK_MODELINE_TOTAL
@cindex property: LAST_REPEAT
@vindex org-clock-modeline-total
While the clock is running, the current clocking time is shown in the mode
line, along with the title of the task. The clock time shown will be all
time ever clocked for this task and its children. If the task has an effort
estimate (@pxref{Effort estimates}), the mode line displays the current
clocking time against it@footnote{To add an effort estimate ``on the fly'',
hook a function doing this to @code{org-clock-in-prepare-hook}.} If the task
is a repeating one (@pxref{Repeated tasks}), only the time since the last
reset of the task @footnote{as recorded by the @code{LAST_REPEAT} property}
will be shown. More control over what time is shown can be exercised with
the @code{CLOCK_MODELINE_TOTAL} property. It may have the values
@code{current} to show only the current clocking instance, @code{today} to
show all time clocked on this tasks today (see also the variable
@code{org-extend-today-until}), @code{all} to include all time, or
@code{auto} which is the default@footnote{See also the variable
@code{org-clock-modeline-total}.}.@* Clicking with @kbd{mouse-1} onto the
mode line entry will pop up a menu with clocking options.
@kindex C-c C-x C-o
@item C-c C-x C-o
@vindex org-log-note-clock-out
Stop the clock (clock-out). This inserts another timestamp at the same
location where the clock was last started. It also directly computes
the resulting time in inserts it after the time range as @samp{=>
HH:MM}. See the variable @code{org-log-note-clock-out} for the
possibility to record an additional note together with the clock-out
timestamp@footnote{The corresponding in-buffer setting is:
@code{#+STARTUP: lognoteclock-out}}.
@kindex C-c C-x C-e
@item C-c C-x C-e
Update the effort estimate for the current clock task.
@kindex C-c C-y
@kindex C-c C-c
@item C-c C-y @ @ @r{or}@ @ C-c C-c
Recompute the time interval after changing one of the timestamps. This
is only necessary if you edit the timestamps directly. If you change
them with @kbd{S-@key{cursor}} keys, the update is automatic.
@kindex C-c C-t
@item C-c C-t
Changing the TODO state of an item to DONE automatically stops the clock
if it is running in this same item.
@kindex C-c C-x C-x
@item C-c C-x C-x
Cancel the current clock. This is useful if a clock was started by
mistake, or if you ended up working on something else.
@kindex C-c C-x C-j
@item C-c C-x C-j
Jump to the entry that contains the currently running clock. With a
@kbd{C-u} prefix arg, select the target task from a list of recently clocked
tasks.
@kindex C-c C-x C-d
@item C-c C-x C-d
@vindex org-remove-highlights-with-change
Display time summaries for each subtree in the current buffer. This
puts overlays at the end of each headline, showing the total time
recorded under that heading, including the time of any subheadings. You
can use visibility cycling to study the tree, but the overlays disappear
when you change the buffer (see variable
@code{org-remove-highlights-with-change}) or press @kbd{C-c C-c}.
@kindex C-c C-x C-r
@item C-c C-x C-r
Insert a dynamic block (@pxref{Dynamic blocks}) containing a clock
report as an Org-mode table into the current file. When the cursor is
at an existing clock table, just update it. When called with a prefix
argument, jump to the first clock report in the current document and
update it.
@cindex #+BEGIN, clocktable
@example
#+BEGIN: clocktable :maxlevel 2 :emphasize nil :scope file
#+END: clocktable
@end example
@noindent
If such a block already exists at point, its content is replaced by the
new table. The @samp{BEGIN} line can specify options:
@example
:maxlevel @r{Maximum level depth to which times are listed in the table.}
:emphasize @r{When @code{t}, emphasize level one and level two items.}
:scope @r{The scope to consider. This can be any of the following:}
nil @r{the current buffer or narrowed region}
file @r{the full current buffer}
subtree @r{the subtree where the clocktable is located}
tree@var{N} @r{the surrounding level @var{N} tree, for example @code{tree3}}
tree @r{the surrounding level 1 tree}
agenda @r{all agenda files}
("file"..) @r{scan these files}
file-with-archives @r{current file and its archives}
agenda-with-archives @r{all agenda files, including archives}
:block @r{The time block to consider. This block is specified either}
@r{absolute, or relative to the current time and may be any of}
@r{these formats:}
2007-12-31 @r{New year eve 2007}
2007-12 @r{December 2007}
2007-W50 @r{ISO-week 50 in 2007}
2007 @r{the year 2007}
today, yesterday, today-@var{N} @r{a relative day}
thisweek, lastweek, thisweek-@var{N} @r{a relative week}
thismonth, lastmonth, thismonth-@var{N} @r{a relative month}
thisyear, lastyear, thisyear-@var{N} @r{a relative year}
@r{Use @kbd{S-@key{left}/@key{right}} keys to shift the time interval.}
:tstart @r{A time string specifying when to start considering times.}
:tend @r{A time string specifying when to stop considering times.}
:step @r{@code{week} or @code{day}, to split the table into chunks.}
@r{To use this, @code{:block} or @code{:tstart}, @code{:tend} are needed.}
:link @r{Link the item headlines in the table to their origins.}
:formula @r{Content of a @code{#+TBLFM} line to be added and evaluated.}
@r{As a special case, @samp{:formula %} adds a column with % time.}
@r{If you do not specify a formula here, any existing formula.}
@r{below the clock table will survive updates and be evaluated.}
:timestamp @r{A timestamp for the entry, when available. Look for SCHEDULED,}
@r{DEADLINE, TIMESTAMP and TIMESTAMP_IA, in this order.}
@end example
To get a clock summary of the current level 1 tree, for the current
day, you could write
@example
#+BEGIN: clocktable :maxlevel 2 :block today :scope tree1 :link t
#+END: clocktable
@end example
@noindent
and to use a specific time range you could write@footnote{Note that all
parameters must be specified in a single line---the line is broken here
only to fit it into the manual.}
@example
#+BEGIN: clocktable :tstart "<2006-08-10 Thu 10:00>"
:tend "<2006-08-10 Thu 12:00>"
#+END: clocktable
@end example
A summary of the current subtree with % times would be
@example
#+BEGIN: clocktable :scope subtree :link t :formula %
#+END: clocktable
@end example
@kindex C-c C-c
@item C-c C-c
@kindex C-c C-x C-u
@itemx C-c C-x C-u
Update dynamic block at point. The cursor needs to be in the
@code{#+BEGIN} line of the dynamic block.
@kindex C-u C-c C-x C-u
@item C-u C-c C-x C-u
Update all dynamic blocks (@pxref{Dynamic blocks}). This is useful if
you have several clock table blocks in a buffer.
@kindex S-@key{left}
@kindex S-@key{right}
@item S-@key{left}
@itemx S-@key{right}
Shift the current @code{:block} interval and update the table. The cursor
needs to be in the @code{#+BEGIN: clocktable} line for this command. If
@code{:block} is @code{today}, it will be shifted to @code{today-1} etc.
@end table
The @kbd{l} key may be used in the timeline (@pxref{Timeline}) and in
the agenda (@pxref{Weekly/daily agenda}) to show which tasks have been
worked on or closed during a day.
@node Resolving idle time, Effort estimates, Clocking work time, Dates and Times
@section Resolving idle time
@cindex resolve idle time
@cindex idle, resolve, dangling
If you clock in on a work item, and then walk away from your
computer---perhaps to take a phone call---you often need to ``resolve'' the
time you were away by either subtracting it from the current clock, or
applying it to another one.
@vindex org-clock-idle-time
By customizing the variable @code{org-clock-idle-time} to some integer, such
as 10 or 15, Emacs can alert you when you get back to your computer after
being idle for that many minutes@footnote{On computers using Mac OS X,
idleness is based on actual user idleness, not just Emacs' idle time. For
X11, you can install a utility program @file{x11idle.c}, available in the
UTILITIES directory of the Org git distribution, to get the same general
treatment of idleness. On other systems, idle time refers to Emacs idle time
only.}, and ask what you want to do with the idle time. There will be a
question waiting for you when you get back, indicating how much idle time has
passed (constantly updated with the current amount), as well as a set of
choices to correct the discrepancy:
@table @kbd
@item k
To keep some or all of the minutes and stay clocked in, press @kbd{k}. Org
will ask how many of the minutes to keep. Press @key{RET} to keep them all,
effectively changing nothing, or enter a number to keep that many minutes.
@item K
If you use the shift key and press @kbd{K}, it will keep however many minutes
you request and then immediately clock out of that task. If you keep all of
the minutes, this is the same as just clocking out of the current task.
@item s
To keep none of the minutes, use @kbd{s} to subtract all the away time from
the clock, and then check back in from the moment you returned.
@item S
To keep none of the minutes and just clock out at the start of the away time,
use the shift key and press @kbd{S}. Remember that using shift will always
leave you clocked out, no matter which option you choose.
@item C
To cancel the clock altogether, use @kbd{C}. Note that if instead of
cancelling you subtract the away time, and the resulting clock amount is less
than a minute, the clock will still be cancelled rather than clutter up the
log with an empty entry.
@end table
What if you subtracted those away minutes from the current clock, and now
want to apply them to a new clock? Simply clock in to any task immediately
after the subtraction. Org will notice that you have subtracted time ``on
the books'', so to speak, and will ask if you want to apply those minutes to
the next task you clock in on.
There is one other instance when this clock resolution magic occurs. Say you
were clocked in and hacking away, and suddenly your cat chased a mouse who
scared a hamster that crashed into your UPS's power button! You suddenly
lose all your buffers, but thanks to auto-save you still have your recent Org
mode changes, including your last clock in.
If you restart Emacs and clock into any task, Org will notice that you have a
dangling clock which was never clocked out from your last session. Using
that clock's starting time as the beginning of the unaccounted-for period,
Org will ask how you want to resolve that time. The logic and behavior is
identical to dealing with away time due to idleness, it's just happening due
to a recovery event rather than a set amount of idle time.
You can also check all the files visited by your Org agenda for dangling
clocks at any time using @kbd{M-x org-resolve-clocks}.
@node Effort estimates, Relative timer, Resolving idle time, Dates and Times
@section Effort estimates
@cindex effort estimates
@cindex property, Effort
@vindex org-effort-property
If you want to plan your work in a very detailed way, or if you need to
produce offers with quotations of the estimated work effort, you may want to
assign effort estimates to entries. If you are also clocking your work, you
may later want to compare the planned effort with the actual working time, a
great way to improve planning estimates. Effort estimates are stored in a
special property @samp{Effort}@footnote{You may change the property being
used with the variable @code{org-effort-property}.}. You can set the effort
for an entry with the following commands:
@table @kbd
@kindex C-c C-x e
@item C-c C-x e
Set the effort estimate for the current entry. With a numeric prefix
argument, set it to the NTH allowed value (see below). This command is also
accessible from the agenda with the @kbd{e} key.
@kindex C-c C-x C-e
@item C-c C-x C-e
Modify the effort estimate of the item currently being clocked.
@end table
Clearly the best way to work with effort estimates is through column view
(@pxref{Column view}). You should start by setting up discrete values for
effort estimates, and a @code{COLUMNS} format that displays these values
together with clock sums (if you want to clock your time). For a specific
buffer you can use
@example
#+PROPERTY: Effort_ALL 0 0:10 0:30 1:00 2:00 3:00 4:00 5:00 6:00 7:00 8:00
#+COLUMNS: %40ITEM(Task) %17Effort(Estimated Effort)@{:@} %CLOCKSUM
@end example
@noindent
@vindex org-global-properties
@vindex org-columns-default-format
or, even better, you can set up these values globally by customizing the
variables @code{org-global-properties} and @code{org-columns-default-format}.
In particular if you want to use this setup also in the agenda, a global
setup may be advised.
The way to assign estimates to individual items is then to switch to column
mode, and to use @kbd{S-@key{right}} and @kbd{S-@key{left}} to change the
value. The values you enter will immediately be summed up in the hierarchy.
In the column next to it, any clocked time will be displayed.
@vindex org-agenda-columns-add-appointments-to-effort-sum
If you switch to column view in the daily/weekly agenda, the effort column
will summarize the estimated work effort for each day@footnote{Please note
the pitfalls of summing hierarchical data in a flat list (@pxref{Agenda
column view}).}, and you can use this to find space in your schedule. To get
an overview of the entire part of the day that is committed, you can set the
option @code{org-agenda-columns-add-appointments-to-effort-sum}. The
appointments on a day that take place over a specified time interval will
then also be added to the load estimate of the day.
Effort estimates can be used in secondary agenda filtering that is triggered
with the @kbd{/} key in the agenda (@pxref{Agenda commands}). If you have
these estimates defined consistently, two or three key presses will narrow
down the list to stuff that fits into an available time slot.
@node Relative timer, , Effort estimates, Dates and Times
@section Taking notes with a relative timer
@cindex relative timer
When taking notes during, for example, a meeting or a video viewing, it can
be useful to have access to times relative to a starting time. Org provides
such a relative timer and make it easy to create timed notes.
@table @kbd
@kindex C-c C-x .
@item C-c C-x .
Insert a relative time into the buffer. The first time you use this, the
timer will be started. When called with a prefix argument, the timer is
restarted.
@kindex C-c C-x -
@item C-c C-x -
Insert a description list item with the current relative time. With a prefix
argument, first reset the timer to 0.
@kindex M-@key{RET}
@item M-@key{RET}
Once the timer list is started, you can also use @kbd{M-@key{RET}} to insert
new timer items.
@kindex C-c C-x ,
@item C-c C-x ,
Pause the timer, or continue it if it is already paused.
@c removed the sentence because it is redundant to the following item
@kindex C-u C-c C-x ,
@item C-u C-c C-x ,
Stop the timer. After this, you can only start a new timer, not continue the
old one. This command also removes the timer from the mode line.
@kindex C-c C-x 0
@item C-c C-x 0
Reset the timer without inserting anything into the buffer. By default, the
timer is reset to 0. When called with a @kbd{C-u} prefix, reset the timer to
specific starting offset. The user is prompted for the offset, with a
default taken from a timer string at point, if any, So this can be used to
restart taking notes after a break in the process. When called with a double
prefix argument @kbd{C-c C-u}, change all timer strings in the active region
by a certain amount. This can be used to fix timer strings if the timer was
not started at exactly the right moment.
@end table
@node Capture - Refile - Archive, Agenda Views, Dates and Times, Top
@chapter Capture - Refile - Archive
@cindex capture
An important part of any organization system is the ability to quickly
capture new ideas and tasks, and to associate reference material with them.
Org uses the @file{remember.el} package to create tasks, and stores files
related to a task (@i{attachments}) in a special directory. Once in the
system, tasks and projects need to be moved around. Moving completed project
trees to an archive file keeps the system compact and fast.
@menu
* Remember:: Capture new tasks/ideas with little interruption
* Attachments:: Add files to tasks.
* RSS Feeds:: Getting input from RSS feeds
* Protocols:: External (e.g. Browser) access to Emacs and Org
* Refiling notes:: Moving a tree from one place to another
* Archiving:: What to do with finished projects
@end menu
@node Remember, Attachments, Capture - Refile - Archive, Capture - Refile - Archive
@section Remember
@cindex @file{remember.el}
The Remember package by John Wiegley lets you store quick notes with little
interruption of your work flow. It is an excellent way to add new notes and
tasks to Org files. The @code{remember.el} package is part of Emacs 23, not
Emacs 22. See @uref{http://www.emacswiki.org/cgi-bin/wiki/RememberMode} for
more information.
Org significantly expands the possibilities of Remember: you may define
templates for different note types, and associate target files and headlines
with specific templates. It also allows you to select the location where a
note should be stored interactively, on the fly.
@menu
* Setting up Remember for Org:: Some code for .emacs to get things going
* Remember templates:: Define the outline of different note types
* Storing notes:: Directly get the note to where it belongs
@end menu
@node Setting up Remember for Org, Remember templates, Remember, Remember
@subsection Setting up Remember for Org
The following customization will tell Remember to use Org files as
target, and to create annotations compatible with Org links.
@example
(org-remember-insinuate)
(setq org-directory "~/path/to/my/orgfiles/")
(setq org-default-notes-file (concat org-directory "/notes.org"))
(define-key global-map "\C-cr" 'org-remember)
@end example
@noindent
The last line binds the command @code{org-remember} to a global
key@footnote{Please select your own key, @kbd{C-c r} is only a
suggestion.}. @code{org-remember} basically just calls Remember,
but it makes a few things easier: if there is an active region, it will
automatically copy the region into the Remember buffer. It also allows
to jump to the buffer and location where Remember notes are being
stored: just call @code{org-remember} with a prefix argument. If you
use two prefix arguments, Org jumps to the location where the last
remember note was stored.
The Remember buffer will actually use @code{org-mode} as its major mode, so
that all editing features of Org mode are available. In addition to this, a
minor mode @code{org-remember-mode} is turned on, for the single purpose that
you can use its keymap @code{org-remember-mode-map} to overwrite some of
Org mode's key bindings.
You can also call @code{org-remember} in a special way from the agenda,
using the @kbd{k r} key combination. With this access, any timestamps
inserted by the selected Remember template (see below) will default to
the cursor date in the agenda, rather than to the current date.
@node Remember templates, Storing notes, Setting up Remember for Org, Remember
@subsection Remember templates
@cindex templates, for Remember
In combination with Org, you can use templates to generate
different types of Remember notes. For example, if you would like
to use one template to create general TODO entries, another one for
journal entries, and a third one for collecting random ideas, you could
use:
@example
(setq org-remember-templates
'(("Todo" ?t "* TODO %?\n %i\n %a" "~/org/TODO.org" "Tasks")
("Journal" ?j "* %U %?\n\n %i\n %a" "~/org/JOURNAL.org")
("Idea" ?i "* %^@{Title@}\n %i\n %a" "~/org/JOURNAL.org" "New Ideas")))
@end example
@vindex org-remember-default-headline
@vindex org-directory
@noindent In these entries, the first string is just a name, and the
character specifies how to select the template. It is useful if the
character is also the first letter of the name. The next string specifies
the template. Two more (optional) strings give the file in which, and the
headline under which, the new note should be stored. The file (if not
present or @code{nil}) defaults to @code{org-default-notes-file}, the heading
to @code{org-remember-default-headline}. If the file name is not an absolute
path, it will be interpreted relative to @code{org-directory}.
The heading can also be the symbols @code{top} or @code{bottom} to send notes
as level 1 entries to the beginning or end of the file, respectively. It may
also be the symbol @code{date-tree}. Then, a tree with year on level 1,
month on level 2 and day on level three will be build in the file, and the
entry will be filed into the tree under the current date@footnote{If the file
contains an entry with a @code{DATE_TREE} property, the entire date tree will
be build under that entry.}
An optional sixth element specifies the contexts in which the user can select
the template. This element can be a list of major modes or a function.
@code{org-remember} will first check whether the function returns @code{t} or
if we are in any of the listed major modes, and exclude templates for which
this condition is not fulfilled. Templates that do not specify this element
at all, or that use @code{nil} or @code{t} as a value will always be
selectable.
So for example:
@example
(setq org-remember-templates
'(("Bug" ?b "* BUG %?\n %i\n %a" "~/org/BUGS.org" "Bugs" (emacs-lisp-mode))
("Journal" ?j "* %U %?\n\n %i\n %a" "~/org/JOURNAL.org" "X" my-check)
("Idea" ?i "* %^@{Title@}\n %i\n %a" "~/org/JOURNAL.org" "New Ideas")))
@end example
@noindent
The first template will only be available when invoking @code{org-remember}
from an buffer in @code{emacs-lisp-mode}. The second template will only be
available when the function @code{my-check} returns @code{t}. The third
template will be proposed in any context.
When you call @kbd{M-x org-remember} (or @kbd{M-x remember}) to remember
something, Org will prompt for a key to select the template (if you have
more than one template) and then prepare the buffer like
@example
* TODO
[[file:@var{link to where you called remember}]]
@end example
@noindent
During expansion of the template, special @kbd{%}-escapes@footnote{If you
need one of these sequences literally, escape the @kbd{%} with a backslash.}
allow dynamic insertion of content:
@example
%^@{@var{prompt}@} @r{prompt the user for a string and replace this sequence with it.}
@r{You may specify a default value and a completion table with}
@r{%^@{prompt|default|completion2|completion3...@}}
@r{The arrow keys access a prompt-specific history.}
%a @r{annotation, normally the link created with @code{org-store-link}}
%A @r{like @code{%a}, but prompt for the description part}
%i @r{initial content, the region when remember is called with C-u.}
@r{The entire text will be indented like @code{%i} itself.}
%t @r{timestamp, date only}
%T @r{timestamp with date and time}
%u, %U @r{like the above, but inactive timestamps}
%^t @r{like @code{%t}, but prompt for date. Similarly @code{%^T}, @code{%^u}, @code{%^U}}
@r{You may define a prompt like @code{%^@{Birthday@}t}}
%n @r{user name (taken from @code{user-full-name})}
%c @r{Current kill ring head.}
%x @r{Content of the X clipboard.}
%^C @r{Interactive selection of which kill or clip to use.}
%^L @r{Like @code{%^C}, but insert as link.}
%^g @r{prompt for tags, with completion on tags in target file.}
%k @r{title of currently clocked task}
%K @r{link to currently clocked task}
%^G @r{prompt for tags, with completion all tags in all agenda files.}
%^@{@var{prop}@}p @r{Prompt the user for a value for property @var{prop}}
%:keyword @r{specific information for certain link types, see below}
%[@var{file}] @r{insert the contents of the file given by @var{file}}
%(@var{sexp}) @r{evaluate Elisp @var{sexp} and replace with the result}
%! @r{immediately store note after completing the template}
@r{(skipping the @kbd{C-c C-c} that normally triggers storing)}
%& @r{jump to target location immediately after storing note}
@end example
@noindent
For specific link types, the following keywords will be
defined@footnote{If you define your own link types (@pxref{Adding
hyperlink types}), any property you store with
@code{org-store-link-props} can be accessed in remember templates in a
similar way.}:
@vindex org-from-is-user-regexp
@example
Link type | Available keywords
-------------------+----------------------------------------------
bbdb | %:name %:company
bbdb | %::server %:port %:nick
vm, wl, mh, rmail | %:type %:subject %:message-id
| %:from %:fromname %:fromaddress
| %:to %:toname %:toaddress
| %:fromto @r{(either "to NAME" or "from NAME")@footnote{This will always be the other, not the user. See the variable @code{org-from-is-user-regexp}.}}
gnus | %:group, @r{for messages also all email fields}
w3, w3m | %:url
info | %:file %:node
calendar | %:date"
@end example
@noindent
To place the cursor after template expansion use:
@example
%? @r{After completing the template, position cursor here.}
@end example
@noindent
If you change your mind about which template to use, call
@code{org-remember} in the remember buffer. You may then select a new
template that will be filled with the previous context information.
@node Storing notes, , Remember templates, Remember
@subsection Storing notes
@vindex org-remember-clock-out-on-exit
When you are finished preparing a note with Remember, you have to press
@kbd{C-c C-c} to file the note away. If you have started the clock in the
Remember buffer, you will first be asked if you want to clock out
now@footnote{To avoid this query, configure the variable
@code{org-remember-clock-out-on-exit}.}. If you answer @kbd{n}, the clock
will continue to run after the note was filed away.
The handler will then store the note in the file and under the headline
specified in the template, or it will use the default file and headline.
The window configuration will be restored, sending you back to the working
context before the call to Remember. To re-use the location found
during the last call to Remember, exit the Remember buffer with
@kbd{C-0 C-c C-c}, i.e. specify a zero prefix argument to @kbd{C-c C-c}.
Another special case is @kbd{C-2 C-c C-c} which files the note as a child of
the currently clocked item.
@vindex org-remember-store-without-prompt
If you want to store the note directly to a different place, use
@kbd{C-1 C-c C-c} instead to exit Remember@footnote{Configure the
variable @code{org-remember-store-without-prompt} to make this behavior
the default.}. The handler will then first prompt for a target file---if
you press @key{RET}, the value specified for the template is used.
Then the command offers the headings tree of the selected file, with the
cursor position at the default headline (if you specified one in the
template). You can either immediately press @key{RET} to get the note
placed there. Or you can use the following keys to find a different
location:
@example
@key{TAB} @r{Cycle visibility.}
@key{down} / @key{up} @r{Next/previous visible headline.}
n / p @r{Next/previous visible headline.}
f / b @r{Next/previous headline same level.}
u @r{One level up.}
@c 0-9 @r{Digit argument.}
@end example
@noindent
Pressing @key{RET} or @key{left} or @key{right}
then leads to the following result.
@vindex org-reverse-note-order
@multitable @columnfractions 0.2 0.15 0.65
@item @b{Cursor position} @tab @b{Key} @tab @b{Note gets inserted}
@item on headline @tab @key{RET} @tab as sublevel of the heading at cursor, first or last
@item @tab @tab depending on @code{org-reverse-note-order}.
@item @tab @key{left}/@key{right} @tab as same level, before/after current heading
@item buffer-start @tab @key{RET} @tab as level 2 heading at end of file or level 1 at beginning
@item @tab @tab depending on @code{org-reverse-note-order}.
@item not on headline @tab @key{RET}
@tab at cursor position, level taken from context.
@end multitable
Before inserting the text into a tree, the function ensures that the text has
a headline, i.e. a first line that starts with a @samp{*}. If not, a
headline is constructed from the current date. If you have indented the text
of the note below the headline, the indentation will be adapted if inserting
the note into the tree requires demotion from level 1.
@node Attachments, RSS Feeds, Remember, Capture - Refile - Archive
@section Attachments
@cindex attachments
@vindex org-attach-directory
It is often useful to associate reference material with an outline node/task.
Small chunks of plain text can simply be stored in the subtree of a project.
Hyperlinks (@pxref{Hyperlinks}) can be used to establish associations with
files that live elsewhere on your computer or in the cloud, like emails or
source code files belonging to a project. Another method is @i{attachments},
which are files located in a directory belonging to an outline node. Org
uses directories named by the unique ID of each entry. These directories are
located in the @file{data} directory which lives in the same directory where
your Org file lives@footnote{If you move entries or Org files from one
directory to another, you may want to configure @code{org-attach-directory}
to contain an absolute path.}. If you initialize this directory with
@code{git init}, Org will automatically commit changes when it sees them.
The attachment system has been contributed to Org by John Wiegley.
In cases where it seems better to do so, you can also attach a directory of your
choice to an entry. You can also make children inherit the attachment
directory from a parent, so that an entire subtree uses the same attached
directory.
@noindent The following commands deal with attachments.
@table @kbd
@kindex C-c C-a
@item C-c C-a
The dispatcher for commands related to the attachment system. After these
keys, a list of commands is displayed and you need to press an additional key
to select a command:
@table @kbd
@kindex C-c C-a a
@item a
@vindex org-attach-method
Select a file and move it into the task's attachment directory. The file
will be copied, moved, or linked, depending on @code{org-attach-method}.
Note that hard links are not supported on all systems.
@kindex C-c C-a c
@kindex C-c C-a m
@kindex C-c C-a l
@item c/m/l
Attach a file using the copy/move/link method.
Note that hard links are not supported on all systems.
@kindex C-c C-a n
@item n
Create a new attachment as an Emacs buffer.
@kindex C-c C-a z
@item z
Synchronize the current task with its attachment directory, in case you added
attachments yourself.
@kindex C-c C-a o
@item o
@vindex org-file-apps
Open current task's attachment. If there are more than one, prompt for a
file name first. Opening will follow the rules set by @code{org-file-apps}.
For more details, see the information on following hyperlinks
(@pxref{Handling links}).
@kindex C-c C-a O
@item O
Also open the attachment, but force opening the file in Emacs.
@kindex C-c C-a f
@item f
Open the current task's attachment directory.
@kindex C-c C-a F
@item F
Also open the directory, but force using @command{dired} in Emacs.
@kindex C-c C-a d
@item d
Select and delete a single attachment.
@kindex C-c C-a D
@item D
Delete all of a task's attachments. A safer way is to open the directory in
@command{dired} and delete from there.
@kindex C-c C-a s
@item C-c C-a s
@cindex property, ATTACH_DIR
Set a specific directory as the entry's attachment directory. This works by
putting the directory path into the @code{ATTACH_DIR} property.
@kindex C-c C-a i
@item C-c C-a i
@cindex property, ATTACH_DIR_INHERIT
Set the @code{ATTACH_DIR_INHERIT} property, so that children will use the
same directory for attachments as the parent does.
@end table
@end table
@node RSS Feeds, Protocols, Attachments, Capture - Refile - Archive
@section RSS feeds
@cindex RSS feeds
Org has the capability to add and change entries based on information found in
RSS feeds. You could use this to make a task out of each new podcast in a
podcast feed. Or you could use a phone-based note-creating service on the
web to import tasks into Org. To access feeds, you need to configure the
variable @code{org-feed-alist}. The docstring of this variable has detailed
information. Here is just an example:
@example
(setq org-feed-alist
'(("ReQall" "http://www.reqall.com/user/feeds/rss/a1b2c3....."
"~/org/feeds.org" "ReQall Entries")
@end example
@noindent
will configure that new items from the feed provided by @file{reqall.com}
will result in new entries in the file @file{~/org/feeds.org} under the
heading @samp{ReQall Entries}, whenever the following command is used:
@table @kbd
@kindex C-c C-x g
@item C-c C-x g
Collect items from the feeds configured in @code{org-feed-alist} and act upon
them.
@kindex C-c C-x G
@item C-c C-x G
Prompt for a feed name and go to the inbox configured for this feed.
@end table
Under the same headline, Org will create a drawer @samp{FEEDSTATUS} in which
it will store information about the status of items in the feed, to avoid
adding the same item several times. You should add @samp{FEEDSTATUS} to the
list of drawers in that file:
@example
#+DRAWERS: LOGBOOK PROPERTIES FEEDSTATUS
@end example
For more information, see @file{org-feed.el} and the docstring of
@code{org-feed-alist}.
@node Protocols, Refiling notes, RSS Feeds, Capture - Refile - Archive
@section Protocols for external access
@cindex protocols, for external access
@cindex emacsserver
You can set up Org for handling protocol calls from outside applications that
are passed to Emacs through the @file{emacsserver}. For example, you can
configure bookmarks in your web browser to send a link to the current page to
Org and create a note from it using Remember (@pxref{Remember}). Or you
could create a bookmark that will tell Emacs to open the local source file of
a remote website you are looking at with the browser. See
@uref{http://orgmode.org/worg/org-contrib/org-protocol.php} for detailed
documentation and setup instructions.
@node Refiling notes, Archiving, Protocols, Capture - Refile - Archive
@section Refiling notes
@cindex refiling notes
When reviewing the captured data, you may want to refile some of the entries
into a different list, for example into a project. Cutting, finding the
right location, and then pasting the note is cumbersome. To simplify this
process, you can use the following special command:
@table @kbd
@kindex C-c C-w
@item C-c C-w
@vindex org-reverse-note-order
@vindex org-refile-targets
@vindex org-refile-use-outline-path
@vindex org-outline-path-complete-in-steps
@vindex org-refile-allow-creating-parent-nodes
Refile the entry or region at point. This command offers possible locations
for refiling the entry and lets you select one with completion. The item (or
all items in the region) is filed below the target heading as a subitem.
Depending on @code{org-reverse-note-order}, it will be either the first or
last subitem.@*
By default, all level 1 headlines in the current buffer are considered to be
targets, but you can have more complex definitions across a number of files.
See the variable @code{org-refile-targets} for details. If you would like to
select a location via a file-path-like completion along the outline path, see
the variables @code{org-refile-use-outline-path} and
@code{org-outline-path-complete-in-steps}. If you would like to be able to
create new nodes as new parents for for refiling on the fly, check the
variable @code{org-refile-allow-creating-parent-nodes}.
@kindex C-u C-c C-w
@item C-u C-c C-w
Use the refile interface to jump to a heading.
@kindex C-u C-u C-c C-w
@item C-u C-u C-c C-w
Jump to the location where @code{org-refile} last moved a tree to.
@item C-2 C-c C-w
Refile as the child of the item currently being clocked.
@end table
@node Archiving, , Refiling notes, Capture - Refile - Archive
@section Archiving
@cindex archiving
When a project represented by a (sub)tree is finished, you may want
to move the tree out of the way and to stop it from contributing to the
agenda. Archiving is important to keep your working files compact and global
searches like the construction of agenda views fast.
@table @kbd
@kindex C-c C-x C-a
@item C-c C-x C-a
@vindex org-archive-default-command
Archive the current entry using the command specified in the variable
@code{org-archive-default-command}.
@end table
@menu
* Moving subtrees:: Moving a tree to an archive file
* Internal archiving:: Switch off a tree but keep i in the file
@end menu
@node Moving subtrees, Internal archiving, Archiving, Archiving
@subsection Moving a tree to the archive file
@cindex external archiving
The most common archiving action is to move a project tree to another file,
the archive file.
@table @kbd
@kindex C-c $
@kindex C-c C-x C-s
@item C-c C-x C-s@ @r{or short} @ C-c $
@vindex org-archive-location
Archive the subtree starting at the cursor position to the location
given by @code{org-archive-location}.
@kindex C-u C-c C-x C-s
@item C-u C-c C-x C-s
Check if any direct children of the current headline could be moved to
the archive. To do this, each subtree is checked for open TODO entries.
If none are found, the command offers to move it to the archive
location. If the cursor is @emph{not} on a headline when this command
is invoked, the level 1 trees will be checked.
@end table
@cindex archive locations
The default archive location is a file in the same directory as the
current file, with the name derived by appending @file{_archive} to the
current file name. For information and examples on how to change this,
see the documentation string of the variable
@code{org-archive-location}. There is also an in-buffer option for
setting this variable, for example@footnote{For backward compatibility,
the following also works: If there are several such lines in a file,
each specifies the archive location for the text below it. The first
such line also applies to any text before its definition. However,
using this method is @emph{strongly} deprecated as it is incompatible
with the outline structure of the document. The correct method for
setting multiple archive locations in a buffer is using properties.}:
@cindex #+ARCHIVE
@example
#+ARCHIVE: %s_done::
@end example
@cindex property, ARCHIVE
@noindent
If you would like to have a special ARCHIVE location for a single entry
or a (sub)tree, give the entry an @code{:ARCHIVE:} property with the
location as the value (@pxref{Properties and Columns}).
@vindex org-archive-save-context-info
When a subtree is moved, it receives a number of special properties that
record context information like the file from where the entry came, its
outline path the archiving time etc. Configure the variable
@code{org-archive-save-context-info} to adjust the amount of information
added.
@node Internal archiving, , Moving subtrees, Archiving
@subsection Internal archiving
If you want to just switch off (for agenda views) certain subtrees without
moving them to a different file, you can use the @code{ARCHIVE tag}.
A headline that is marked with the ARCHIVE tag (@pxref{Tags}) stays at
its location in the outline tree, but behaves in the following way:
@itemize @minus
@item
@vindex org-cycle-open-archived-trees
It does not open when you attempt to do so with a visibility cycling
command (@pxref{Visibility cycling}). You can force cycling archived
subtrees with @kbd{C-@key{TAB}}, or by setting the option
@code{org-cycle-open-archived-trees}. Also normal outline commands like
@code{show-all} will open archived subtrees.
@item
@vindex org-sparse-tree-open-archived-trees
During sparse tree construction (@pxref{Sparse trees}), matches in
archived subtrees are not exposed, unless you configure the option
@code{org-sparse-tree-open-archived-trees}.
@item
@vindex org-agenda-skip-archived-trees
During agenda view construction (@pxref{Agenda Views}), the content of
archived trees is ignored unless you configure the option
@code{org-agenda-skip-archived-trees}, in which case these trees will always
be included. In the agenda you can press @kbd{v a} to get archives
temporarily included.
@item
@vindex org-export-with-archived-trees
Archived trees are not exported (@pxref{Exporting}), only the headline
is. Configure the details using the variable
@code{org-export-with-archived-trees}.
@item
@vindex org-columns-skip-arrchived-trees
Archived trees are excluded from column view unless the variable
@code{org-columns-skip-arrchived-trees} is configured to @code{nil}.
@end itemize
The following commands help managing the ARCHIVE tag:
@table @kbd
@kindex C-c C-x a
@item C-c C-x a
Toggle the ARCHIVE tag for the current headline. When the tag is set,
the headline changes to a shadowed face, and the subtree below it is
hidden.
@kindex C-u C-c C-x a
@item C-u C-c C-x a
Check if any direct children of the current headline should be archived.
To do this, each subtree is checked for open TODO entries. If none are
found, the command offers to set the ARCHIVE tag for the child. If the
cursor is @emph{not} on a headline when this command is invoked, the
level 1 trees will be checked.
@kindex C-@kbd{TAB}
@item C-@kbd{TAB}
Cycle a tree even if it is tagged with ARCHIVE.
@kindex C-c C-x A
@item C-c C-x A
Move the current entry to the @emph{Archive Sibling}. This is a sibling of
the entry with the heading @samp{Archive} and the tag @samp{ARCHIVE}. The
entry becomes a child of that sibling and in this way retains a lot of its
original context, including inherited tags and approximate position in the
outline.
@end table
@node Agenda Views, Markup, Capture - Refile - Archive, Top
@chapter Agenda Views
@cindex agenda views
Due to the way Org works, TODO items, time-stamped items, and
tagged headlines can be scattered throughout a file or even a number of
files. To get an overview of open action items, or of events that are
important for a particular date, this information must be collected,
sorted and displayed in an organized way.
Org can select items based on various criteria and display them
in a separate buffer. Seven different view types are provided:
@itemize @bullet
@item
an @emph{agenda} that is like a calendar and shows information
for specific dates,
@item
a @emph{TODO list} that covers all unfinished
action items,
@item
a @emph{match view}, showings headlines based on the tags, properties, and
TODO state associated with them,
@item
a @emph{timeline view} that shows all events in a single Org file,
in time-sorted view,
@item
a @emph{text search view} that shows all entries from multiple files
that contain specified keywords,
@item
a @emph{stuck projects view} showing projects that currently don't move
along, and
@item
@emph{custom views} that are special searches and combinations of different
views.
@end itemize
@noindent
The extracted information is displayed in a special @emph{agenda
buffer}. This buffer is read-only, but provides commands to visit the
corresponding locations in the original Org files, and even to
edit these files remotely.
@vindex org-agenda-window-setup
@vindex org-agenda-restore-windows-after-quit
Two variables control how the agenda buffer is displayed and whether the
window configuration is restored when the agenda exits:
@code{org-agenda-window-setup} and
@code{org-agenda-restore-windows-after-quit}.
@menu
* Agenda files:: Files being searched for agenda information
* Agenda dispatcher:: Keyboard access to agenda views
* Built-in agenda views:: What is available out of the box?
* Presentation and sorting:: How agenda items are prepared for display
* Agenda commands:: Remote editing of Org trees
* Custom agenda views:: Defining special searches and views
* Exporting Agenda Views:: Writing a view to a file
* Agenda column view:: Using column view for collected entries
@end menu
@node Agenda files, Agenda dispatcher, Agenda Views, Agenda Views
@section Agenda files
@cindex agenda files
@cindex files for agenda
@vindex org-agenda-files
The information to be shown is normally collected from all @emph{agenda
files}, the files listed in the variable
@code{org-agenda-files}@footnote{If the value of that variable is not a
list, but a single file name, then the list of agenda files will be
maintained in that external file.}. If a directory is part of this list,
all files with the extension @file{.org} in this directory will be part
of the list.
Thus, even if you only work with a single Org file, that file should
be put into the list@footnote{When using the dispatcher, pressing
@kbd{<} before selecting a command will actually limit the command to
the current file, and ignore @code{org-agenda-files} until the next
dispatcher command.}. You can customize @code{org-agenda-files}, but
the easiest way to maintain it is through the following commands
@cindex files, adding to agenda list
@table @kbd
@kindex C-c [
@item C-c [
Add current file to the list of agenda files. The file is added to
the front of the list. If it was already in the list, it is moved to
the front. With a prefix argument, file is added/moved to the end.
@kindex C-c ]
@item C-c ]
Remove current file from the list of agenda files.
@kindex C-,
@kindex C-'
@item C-,
@itemx C-'
Cycle through agenda file list, visiting one file after the other.
@kindex M-x org-iswitchb
@item M-x org-iswitchb
Command to use an @code{iswitchb}-like interface to switch to and between Org
buffers.
@end table
@noindent
The Org menu contains the current list of files and can be used
to visit any of them.
If you would like to focus the agenda temporarily on a file not in
this list, or on just one file in the list, or even on only a subtree in a
file, then this can be done in different ways. For a single agenda command,
you may press @kbd{<} once or several times in the dispatcher
(@pxref{Agenda dispatcher}). To restrict the agenda scope for an
extended period, use the following commands:
@table @kbd
@kindex C-c C-x <
@item C-c C-x <
Permanently restrict the agenda to the current subtree. When with a
prefix argument, or with the cursor before the first headline in a file,
the agenda scope is set to the entire file. This restriction remains in
effect until removed with @kbd{C-c C-x >}, or by typing either @kbd{<}
or @kbd{>} in the agenda dispatcher. If there is a window displaying an
agenda view, the new restriction takes effect immediately.
@kindex C-c C-x >
@item C-c C-x >
Remove the permanent restriction created by @kbd{C-c C-x <}.
@end table
@noindent
When working with @file{speedbar.el}, you can use the following commands in
the Speedbar frame:
@table @kbd
@kindex <
@item < @r{in the speedbar frame}
Permanently restrict the agenda to the item---either an Org file or a subtree
in such a file---at the cursor in the Speedbar frame.
If there is a window displaying an agenda view, the new restriction takes
effect immediately.
@kindex >
@item > @r{in the speedbar frame}
Lift the restriction.
@end table
@node Agenda dispatcher, Built-in agenda views, Agenda files, Agenda Views
@section The agenda dispatcher
@cindex agenda dispatcher
@cindex dispatching agenda commands
The views are created through a dispatcher, which should be bound to a
global key---for example @kbd{C-c a} (@pxref{Installation}). In the
following we will assume that @kbd{C-c a} is indeed how the dispatcher
is accessed and list keyboard access to commands accordingly. After
pressing @kbd{C-c a}, an additional letter is required to execute a
command. The dispatcher offers the following default commands:
@table @kbd
@item a
Create the calendar-like agenda (@pxref{Weekly/daily agenda}).
@item t @r{/} T
Create a list of all TODO items (@pxref{Global TODO list}).
@item m @r{/} M
Create a list of headlines matching a TAGS expression (@pxref{Matching
tags and properties}).
@item L
Create the timeline view for the current buffer (@pxref{Timeline}).
@item s
Create a list of entries selected by a boolean expression of keywords
and/or regular expressions that must or must not occur in the entry.
@item /
@vindex org-agenda-text-search-extra-files
Search for a regular expression in all agenda files and additionally in
the files listed in @code{org-agenda-text-search-extra-files}. This
uses the Emacs command @code{multi-occur}. A prefix argument can be
used to specify the number of context lines for each match, default is
1.
@item # @r{/} !
Create a list of stuck projects (@pxref{Stuck projects}).
@item <
Restrict an agenda command to the current buffer@footnote{For backward
compatibility, you can also press @kbd{1} to restrict to the current
buffer.}. After pressing @kbd{<}, you still need to press the character
selecting the command.
@item < <
If there is an active region, restrict the following agenda command to
the region. Otherwise, restrict it to the current subtree@footnote{For
backward compatibility, you can also press @kbd{0} to restrict to the
current region/subtree.}. After pressing @kbd{< <}, you still need to press the
character selecting the command.
@end table
You can also define custom commands that will be accessible through the
dispatcher, just like the default commands. This includes the
possibility to create extended agenda buffers that contain several
blocks together, for example the weekly agenda, the global TODO list and
a number of special tags matches. @xref{Custom agenda views}.
@node Built-in agenda views, Presentation and sorting, Agenda dispatcher, Agenda Views
@section The built-in agenda views
In this section we describe the built-in views.
@menu
* Weekly/daily agenda:: The calendar page with current tasks
* Global TODO list:: All unfinished action items
* Matching tags and properties:: Structured information with fine-tuned search
* Timeline:: Time-sorted view for single file
* Search view:: Find entries by searching for text
* Stuck projects:: Find projects you need to review
@end menu
@node Weekly/daily agenda, Global TODO list, Built-in agenda views, Built-in agenda views
@subsection The weekly/daily agenda
@cindex agenda
@cindex weekly agenda
@cindex daily agenda
The purpose of the weekly/daily @emph{agenda} is to act like a page of a
paper agenda, showing all the tasks for the current week or day.
@table @kbd
@cindex org-agenda, command
@kindex C-c a a
@item C-c a a
@vindex org-agenda-ndays
Compile an agenda for the current week from a list of Org files. The agenda
shows the entries for each day. With a numeric prefix@footnote{For backward
compatibility, the universal prefix @kbd{C-u} causes all TODO entries to be
listed before the agenda. This feature is deprecated, use the dedicated TODO
list, or a block agenda instead (@pxref{Block agenda}).} (like @kbd{C-u 2 1
C-c a a}) you may set the number of days to be displayed (see also the
variable @code{org-agenda-ndays})
@end table
Remote editing from the agenda buffer means, for example, that you can
change the dates of deadlines and appointments from the agenda buffer.
The commands available in the Agenda buffer are listed in @ref{Agenda
commands}.
@subsubheading Calendar/Diary integration
@cindex calendar integration
@cindex diary integration
Emacs contains the calendar and diary by Edward M. Reingold. The
calendar displays a three-month calendar with holidays from different
countries and cultures. The diary allows you to keep track of
anniversaries, lunar phases, sunrise/set, recurrent appointments
(weekly, monthly) and more. In this way, it is quite complementary to
Org. It can be very useful to combine output from Org with
the diary.
In order to include entries from the Emacs diary into Org mode's
agenda, you only need to customize the variable
@lisp
(setq org-agenda-include-diary t)
@end lisp
@noindent After that, everything will happen automatically. All diary
entries including holidays, anniversaries, etc., will be included in the
agenda buffer created by Org mode. @key{SPC}, @key{TAB}, and
@key{RET} can be used from the agenda buffer to jump to the diary
file in order to edit existing diary entries. The @kbd{i} command to
insert new entries for the current date works in the agenda buffer, as
well as the commands @kbd{S}, @kbd{M}, and @kbd{C} to display
Sunrise/Sunset times, show lunar phases and to convert to other
calendars, respectively. @kbd{c} can be used to switch back and forth
between calendar and agenda.
If you are using the diary only for sexp entries and holidays, it is
faster to not use the above setting, but instead to copy or even move
the entries into an Org file. Org mode evaluates diary-style sexp
entries, and does it faster because there is no overhead for first
creating the diary display. Note that the sexp entries must start at
the left margin, no whitespace is allowed before them. For example,
the following segment of an Org file will be processed and entries
will be made in the agenda:
@example
* Birthdays and similar stuff
#+CATEGORY: Holiday
%%(org-calendar-holiday) ; special function for holiday names
#+CATEGORY: Ann
%%(diary-anniversary 14 5 1956) Arthur Dent is %d years old
%%(diary-anniversary 2 10 1869) Mahatma Gandhi would be %d years old
@end example
@subsubheading Anniversaries from BBDB
@cindex BBDB, anniversaries
@cindex anniversaries, from BBDB
If you are using the Big Brothers Database to store your contacts, you will
very likely prefer to store anniversaries in BBDB rather than in a
separate Org or diary file. Org supports this and will show BBDB
anniversaries as part of the agenda. All you need to do is to add the
following to one your your agenda files:
@example
* Anniversaries
:PROPERTIES:
:CATEGORY: Anniv
:END
%%(org-bbdb-anniversaries)
@end example
You can then go ahead and define anniversaries for a BBDB record. Basically,
you need to press @kbd{C-o anniversary @key{RET}} with the cursor in a BBDB
record and then add the date in the format @code{YYYY-MM-DD}, followed by a
space and the class of the anniversary (@samp{birthday} or @samp{wedding}, or
a format string). If you omit the class, it will default to @samp{birthday}.
Here are a few examples, the header for the file @file{org-bbdb.el} contains
more detailed information.
@example
1973-06-22
1955-08-02 wedding
2008-04-14 %s released version 6.01 of org-mode, %d years ago
@end example
After a change to BBDB, or for the first agenda display during an Emacs
session, the agenda display will suffer a short delay as Org updates its
hash with anniversaries. However, from then on things will be very fast---much
faster in fact than a long list of @samp{%%(diary-anniversary)} entries
in an Org or Diary file.
@subsubheading Appointment reminders
@cindex @file{appt.el}
@cindex appointment reminders
Org can interact with Emacs appointments notification facility. To add all
the appointments of your agenda files, use the command
@code{org-agenda-to-appt}. This command also lets you filter through the
list of your appointments and add only those belonging to a specific category
or matching a regular expression. See the docstring for details.
@node Global TODO list, Matching tags and properties, Weekly/daily agenda, Built-in agenda views
@subsection The global TODO list
@cindex global TODO list
@cindex TODO list, global
The global TODO list contains all unfinished TODO items formatted and
collected into a single place.
@table @kbd
@kindex C-c a t
@item C-c a t
Show the global TODO list. This collects the TODO items from all
agenda files (@pxref{Agenda Views}) into a single buffer. The buffer is in
@code{agenda-mode}, so there are commands to examine and manipulate
the TODO entries directly from that buffer (@pxref{Agenda commands}).
@kindex C-c a T
@item C-c a T
@cindex TODO keyword matching
@vindex org-todo-keywords
Like the above, but allows selection of a specific TODO keyword. You
can also do this by specifying a prefix argument to @kbd{C-c a t}. With
a @kbd{C-u} prefix you are prompted for a keyword, and you may also
specify several keywords by separating them with @samp{|} as the boolean OR
operator. With a numeric prefix, the nth keyword in
@code{org-todo-keywords} is selected.
@kindex r
The @kbd{r} key in the agenda buffer regenerates it, and you can give
a prefix argument to this command to change the selected TODO keyword,
for example @kbd{3 r}. If you often need a search for a specific
keyword, define a custom command for it (@pxref{Agenda dispatcher}).@*
Matching specific TODO keywords can also be done as part of a tags
search (@pxref{Tag searches}).
@end table
Remote editing of TODO items means that you can change the state of a
TODO entry with a single key press. The commands available in the
TODO list are described in @ref{Agenda commands}.
@cindex sublevels, inclusion into TODO list
Normally the global TODO list simply shows all headlines with TODO
keywords. This list can become very long. There are two ways to keep
it more compact:
@itemize @minus
@item
@vindex org-agenda-todo-ignore-scheduled
@vindex org-agenda-todo-ignore-deadlines
@vindex org-agenda-todo-ignore-with-date
Some people view a TODO item that has been @emph{scheduled} for execution or
have a @emph{deadline} (@pxref{Timestamps}) as no longer @emph{open}.
Configure the variables @code{org-agenda-todo-ignore-scheduled},
@code{org-agenda-todo-ignore-deadlines}, and/or
@code{org-agenda-todo-ignore-with-date} to exclude such items from the
global TODO list.
@item
@vindex org-agenda-todo-list-sublevels
TODO items may have sublevels to break up the task into subtasks. In
such cases it may be enough to list only the highest level TODO headline
and omit the sublevels from the global list. Configure the variable
@code{org-agenda-todo-list-sublevels} to get this behavior.
@end itemize
@node Matching tags and properties, Timeline, Global TODO list, Built-in agenda views
@subsection Matching tags and properties
@cindex matching, of tags
@cindex matching, of properties
@cindex tags view
@cindex match view
If headlines in the agenda files are marked with @emph{tags} (@pxref{Tags}),
or have properties (@pxref{Properties and Columns}), you can select headlines
based on this metadata and collect them into an agenda buffer. The match
syntax described here also applies when creating sparse trees with @kbd{C-c /
m}.
@table @kbd
@kindex C-c a m
@item C-c a m
Produce a list of all headlines that match a given set of tags. The
command prompts for a selection criterion, which is a boolean logic
expression with tags, like @samp{+work+urgent-withboss} or
@samp{work|home} (@pxref{Tags}). If you often need a specific search,
define a custom command for it (@pxref{Agenda dispatcher}).
@kindex C-c a M
@item C-c a M
@vindex org-tags-match-list-sublevels
@vindex org-agenda-tags-todo-honor-ignore-options
Like @kbd{C-c a m}, but only select headlines that are also TODO items and
force checking subitems (see variable @code{org-tags-match-list-sublevels}).
To exclude scheduled/deadline items, see the variable
@code{org-agenda-tags-todo-honor-ignore-options}. Matching specific TODO
keywords together with a tags match is also possible, see @ref{Tag searches}.
@end table
The commands available in the tags list are described in @ref{Agenda
commands}.
@subsubheading Match syntax
@cindex Boolean logic, for tag/property searches
A search string can use Boolean operators @samp{&} for AND and @samp{|} for
OR. @samp{&} binds more strongly than @samp{|}. Parentheses are currently
not implemented. Each element in the search is either a tag, a regular
expression matching tags, or an expression like @code{PROPERTY OPERATOR
VALUE} with a comparison operator, accessing a property value. Each element
may be preceded by @samp{-}, to select against it, and @samp{+} is syntactic
sugar for positive selection. The AND operator @samp{&} is optional when
@samp{+} or @samp{-} is present. Here are some examples, using only tags.
@table @samp
@item +work-boss
Select headlines tagged @samp{:work:}, but discard those also tagged
@samp{:boss:}.
@item work|laptop
Selects lines tagged @samp{:work:} or @samp{:laptop:}.
@item work|laptop+night
Like before, but require the @samp{:laptop:} lines to be tagged also
@samp{:night:}.
@end table
@cindex regular expressions, with tags search
Instead of a tag, you may also specify a regular expression enclosed in curly
braces. For example,
@samp{work+@{^boss.*@}} matches headlines that contain the tag
@samp{:work:} and any tag @i{starting} with @samp{boss}.
@cindex TODO keyword matching, with tags search
@cindex level, require for tags/property match
@cindex category, require for tags/property match
@vindex org-odd-levels-only
You may also test for properties (@pxref{Properties and Columns}) at the same
time as matching tags. The properties may be real properties, or special
properties that represent other metadata (@pxref{Special properties}). For
example, the ``property'' @code{TODO} represents the TODO keyword of the
entry. Or, the ``property'' @code{LEVEL} represents the level of an entry.
So a search @samp{+LEVEL=3+boss-TODO="DONE"} lists all level three headlines
that have the tag @samp{boss} and are @emph{not} marked with the TODO keyword
DONE. In buffers with @code{org-odd-levels-only} set, @samp{LEVEL} does not
count the number of stars, but @samp{LEVEL=2} will correspond to 3 stars etc.
Here are more examples:
@table @samp
@item work+TODO="WAITING"
Select @samp{:work:}-tagged TODO lines with the specific TODO
keyword @samp{WAITING}.
@item work+TODO="WAITING"|home+TODO="WAITING"
Waiting tasks both at work and at home.
@end table
When matching properties, a number of different operators can be used to test
the value of a property. Here is a complex example:
@example
+work-boss+PRIORITY="A"+Coffee="unlimited"+Effort<2 \
+With=@{Sarah\|Denny@}+SCHEDULED>="<2008-10-11>"
@end example
@noindent
The type of comparison will depend on how the comparison value is written:
@itemize @minus
@item
If the comparison value is a plain number, a numerical comparison is done,
and the allowed operators are @samp{<}, @samp{=}, @samp{>}, @samp{<=},
@samp{>=}, and @samp{<>}.
@item
If the comparison value is enclosed in double-quotes,
a string comparison is done, and the same operators are allowed.
@item
If the comparison value is enclosed in double-quotes @emph{and} angular
brackets (like @samp{DEADLINE<="<2008-12-24 18:30>"}), both values are
assumed to be date/time specifications in the standard Org way, and the
comparison will be done accordingly. Special values that will be recognized
are @code{"<now>"} for now (including time), and @code{"<today>"}, and
@code{"<tomorrow>"} for these days at 0:00 hours, i.e. without a time
specification. Also strings like @code{"<+5d>"} or @code{"<-2m>"} with units
@code{d}, @code{w}, @code{m}, and @code{y} for day, week, month, and year,
respectively, can be used.
@item
If the comparison value is enclosed
in curly braces, a regexp match is performed, with @samp{=} meaning that the
regexp matches the property value, and @samp{<>} meaning that it does not
match.
@end itemize
So the search string in the example finds entries tagged @samp{:work:} but
not @samp{:boss:}, which also have a priority value @samp{A}, a
@samp{:Coffee:} property with the value @samp{unlimited}, an @samp{Effort}
property that is numerically smaller than 2, a @samp{:With:} property that is
matched by the regular expression @samp{Sarah\|Denny}, and that are scheduled
on or after October 11, 2008.
Accessing TODO, LEVEL, and CATEGORY during a search is fast. Accessing any
other properties will slow down the search. However, once you have paid the
price by accessing one property, testing additional properties is cheap
again.
You can configure Org mode to use property inheritance during a search, but
beware that this can slow down searches considerably. See @ref{Property
inheritance}, for details.
For backward compatibility, and also for typing speed, there is also a
different way to test TODO states in a search. For this, terminate the
tags/property part of the search string (which may include several terms
connected with @samp{|}) with a @samp{/} and then specify a Boolean
expression just for TODO keywords. The syntax is then similar to that for
tags, but should be applied with care: for example, a positive
selection on several TODO keywords cannot meaningfully be combined with
boolean AND. However, @emph{negative selection} combined with AND can be
meaningful. To make sure that only lines are checked that actually have any
TODO keyword (resulting in a speed-up), use @kbd{C-c a M}, or equivalently
start the TODO part after the slash with @samp{!}. Examples:
@table @samp
@item work/WAITING
Same as @samp{work+TODO="WAITING"}
@item work/!-WAITING-NEXT
Select @samp{:work:}-tagged TODO lines that are neither @samp{WAITING}
nor @samp{NEXT}
@item work/!+WAITING|+NEXT
Select @samp{:work:}-tagged TODO lines that are either @samp{WAITING} or
@samp{NEXT}.
@end table
@node Timeline, Search view, Matching tags and properties, Built-in agenda views
@subsection Timeline for a single file
@cindex timeline, single file
@cindex time-sorted view
The timeline summarizes all time-stamped items from a single Org mode
file in a @emph{time-sorted view}. The main purpose of this command is
to give an overview over events in a project.
@table @kbd
@kindex C-c a L
@item C-c a L
Show a time-sorted view of the Org file, with all time-stamped items.
When called with a @kbd{C-u} prefix, all unfinished TODO entries
(scheduled or not) are also listed under the current date.
@end table
@noindent
The commands available in the timeline buffer are listed in
@ref{Agenda commands}.
@node Search view, Stuck projects, Timeline, Built-in agenda views
@subsection Search view
@cindex search view
@cindex text search
@cindex searching, for text
This agenda view is a general text search facility for Org mode entries.
It is particularly useful to find notes.
@table @kbd
@kindex C-c a s
@item C-c a s
This is a special search that lets you select entries by matching a substring
or specific words using a boolean logic.
@end table
For example, the search string @samp{computer equipment} will find entries
that contain @samp{computer equipment} as a substring. If the two words are
separated by more space or a line break, the search will still match.
Search view can also search for specific keywords in the entry, using Boolean
logic. The search string @samp{+computer +wifi -ethernet -@{8\.11[bg]@}}
will search for note entries that contain the keywords @code{computer}
and @code{wifi}, but not the keyword @code{ethernet}, and which are also
not matched by the regular expression @code{8\.11[bg]}, meaning to
exclude both 8.11b and 8.11g.
@vindex org-agenda-text-search-extra-files
Note that in addition to the agenda files, this command will also search
the files listed in @code{org-agenda-text-search-extra-files}.
@node Stuck projects, , Search view, Built-in agenda views
@subsection Stuck projects
If you are following a system like David Allen's GTD to organize your
work, one of the ``duties'' you have is a regular review to make sure
that all projects move along. A @emph{stuck} project is a project that
has no defined next actions, so it will never show up in the TODO lists
Org mode produces. During the review, you need to identify such
projects and define next actions for them.
@table @kbd
@kindex C-c a #
@item C-c a #
List projects that are stuck.
@kindex C-c a !
@item C-c a !
@vindex org-stuck-projects
Customize the variable @code{org-stuck-projects} to define what a stuck
project is and how to find it.
@end table
You almost certainly will have to configure this view before it will
work for you. The built-in default assumes that all your projects are
level-2 headlines, and that a project is not stuck if it has at least
one entry marked with a TODO keyword TODO or NEXT or NEXTACTION.
Let's assume that you, in your own way of using Org mode, identify
projects with a tag PROJECT, and that you use a TODO keyword MAYBE to
indicate a project that should not be considered yet. Let's further
assume that the TODO keyword DONE marks finished projects, and that NEXT
and TODO indicate next actions. The tag @@SHOP indicates shopping and
is a next action even without the NEXT tag. Finally, if the project
contains the special word IGNORE anywhere, it should not be listed
either. In this case you would start by identifying eligible projects
with a tags/todo match@footnote{@xref{Tag searches}.}
@samp{+PROJECT/-MAYBE-DONE}, and then check for TODO, NEXT, @@SHOP, and
IGNORE in the subtree to identify projects that are not stuck. The
correct customization for this is
@lisp
(setq org-stuck-projects
'("+PROJECT/-MAYBE-DONE" ("NEXT" "TODO") ("@@SHOP")
"\\<IGNORE\\>"))
@end lisp
Note that if a project is identified as non-stuck, the subtree of this entry
will still be searched for stuck projects.
@node Presentation and sorting, Agenda commands, Built-in agenda views, Agenda Views
@section Presentation and sorting
@cindex presentation, of agenda items
@vindex org-agenda-prefix-format
Before displaying items in an agenda view, Org mode visually prepares
the items and sorts them. Each item occupies a single line. The line
starts with a @emph{prefix} that contains the @emph{category}
(@pxref{Categories}) of the item and other important information. You can
customize the prefix using the option @code{org-agenda-prefix-format}.
The prefix is followed by a cleaned-up version of the outline headline
associated with the item.
@menu
* Categories:: Not all tasks are equal
* Time-of-day specifications:: How the agenda knows the time
* Sorting of agenda items:: The order of things
@end menu
@node Categories, Time-of-day specifications, Presentation and sorting, Presentation and sorting
@subsection Categories
@cindex category
The category is a broad label assigned to each agenda item. By default,
the category is simply derived from the file name, but you can also
specify it with a special line in the buffer, like this@footnote{For
backward compatibility, the following also works: if there are several
such lines in a file, each specifies the category for the text below it.
The first category also applies to any text before the first CATEGORY
line. However, using this method is @emph{strongly} deprecated as it is
incompatible with the outline structure of the document. The correct
method for setting multiple categories in a buffer is using a
property.}:
@example
#+CATEGORY: Thesis
@end example
@noindent
@cindex property, CATEGORY
If you would like to have a special CATEGORY for a single entry or a
(sub)tree, give the entry a @code{:CATEGORY:} property with the
special category you want to apply as the value.
@noindent
The display in the agenda buffer looks best if the category is not
longer than 10 characters.
@node Time-of-day specifications, Sorting of agenda items, Categories, Presentation and sorting
@subsection Time-of-day specifications
@cindex time-of-day specification
Org mode checks each agenda item for a time-of-day specification. The
time can be part of the timestamp that triggered inclusion into the
agenda, for example as in @w{@samp{<2005-05-10 Tue 19:00>}}. Time
ranges can be specified with two timestamps, like
@c
@w{@samp{<2005-05-10 Tue 20:30>--<2005-05-10 Tue 22:15>}}.
In the headline of the entry itself, a time(range) may also appear as
plain text (like @samp{12:45} or a @samp{8:30-1pm}). If the agenda
integrates the Emacs diary (@pxref{Weekly/daily agenda}), time
specifications in diary entries are recognized as well.
For agenda display, Org mode extracts the time and displays it in a
standard 24 hour format as part of the prefix. The example times in
the previous paragraphs would end up in the agenda like this:
@example
8:30-13:00 Arthur Dent lies in front of the bulldozer
12:45...... Ford Prefect arrives and takes Arthur to the pub
19:00...... The Vogon reads his poem
20:30-22:15 Marvin escorts the Hitchhikers to the bridge
@end example
@cindex time grid
If the agenda is in single-day mode, or for the display of today, the
timed entries are embedded in a time grid, like
@example
8:00...... ------------------
8:30-13:00 Arthur Dent lies in front of the bulldozer
10:00...... ------------------
12:00...... ------------------
12:45...... Ford Prefect arrives and takes Arthur to the pub
14:00...... ------------------
16:00...... ------------------
18:00...... ------------------
19:00...... The Vogon reads his poem
20:00...... ------------------
20:30-22:15 Marvin escorts the Hitchhikers to the bridge
@end example
@vindex org-agenda-use-time-grid
@vindex org-agenda-time-grid
The time grid can be turned on and off with the variable
@code{org-agenda-use-time-grid}, and can be configured with
@code{org-agenda-time-grid}.
@node Sorting of agenda items, , Time-of-day specifications, Presentation and sorting
@subsection Sorting of agenda items
@cindex sorting, of agenda items
@cindex priorities, of agenda items
Before being inserted into a view, the items are sorted. How this is
done depends on the type of view.
@itemize @bullet
@item
@vindex org-agenda-files
For the daily/weekly agenda, the items for each day are sorted. The
default order is to first collect all items containing an explicit
time-of-day specification. These entries will be shown at the beginning
of the list, as a @emph{schedule} for the day. After that, items remain
grouped in categories, in the sequence given by @code{org-agenda-files}.
Within each category, items are sorted by priority (@pxref{Priorities}),
which is composed of the base priority (2000 for priority @samp{A}, 1000
for @samp{B}, and 0 for @samp{C}), plus additional increments for
overdue scheduled or deadline items.
@item
For the TODO list, items remain in the order of categories, but within
each category, sorting takes place according to priority
(@pxref{Priorities}). The priority used for sorting derives from the
priority cookie, with additions depending on how close an item is to its due
or scheduled date.
@item
For tags matches, items are not sorted at all, but just appear in the
sequence in which they are found in the agenda files.
@end itemize
@vindex org-agenda-sorting-strategy
Sorting can be customized using the variable
@code{org-agenda-sorting-strategy}, and may also include criteria based on
the estimated effort of an entry (@pxref{Effort estimates}).
@node Agenda commands, Custom agenda views, Presentation and sorting, Agenda Views
@section Commands in the agenda buffer
@cindex commands, in agenda buffer
Entries in the agenda buffer are linked back to the Org file or diary
file where they originate. You are not allowed to edit the agenda
buffer itself, but commands are provided to show and jump to the
original entry location, and to edit the Org files ``remotely'' from
the agenda buffer. In this way, all information is stored only once,
removing the risk that your agenda and note files may diverge.
Some commands can be executed with mouse clicks on agenda lines. For
the other commands, the cursor needs to be in the desired line.
@table @kbd
@tsubheading{Motion}
@cindex motion commands in agenda
@kindex n
@item n
Next line (same as @key{up} and @kbd{C-p}).
@kindex p
@item p
Previous line (same as @key{down} and @kbd{C-n}).
@tsubheading{View/Go to Org file}
@kindex mouse-3
@kindex @key{SPC}
@item mouse-3
@itemx @key{SPC}
Display the original location of the item in another window.
With prefix arg, make sure that the entire entry is made visible in the
outline, not only the heading.
@c
@kindex L
@item L
Display original location and recenter that window.
@c
@kindex mouse-2
@kindex mouse-1
@kindex @key{TAB}
@item mouse-2
@itemx mouse-1
@itemx @key{TAB}
Go to the original location of the item in another window. Under Emacs
22, @kbd{mouse-1} will also works for this.
@c
@kindex @key{RET}
@itemx @key{RET}
Go to the original location of the item and delete other windows.
@c
@kindex F
@item F
@vindex org-agenda-start-with-follow-mode
Toggle Follow mode. In Follow mode, as you move the cursor through
the agenda buffer, the other window always shows the corresponding
location in the Org file. The initial setting for this mode in new
agenda buffers can be set with the variable
@code{org-agenda-start-with-follow-mode}.
@c
@kindex C-c C-x b
@item C-c C-x b
Display the entire subtree of the current item in an indirect buffer. With a
numeric prefix argument N, go up to level N and then take that tree. If N is
negative, go up that many levels. With a @kbd{C-u} prefix, do not remove the
previously used indirect buffer.
@kindex C-c C-o
@item C-c C-o
Follow a link in the entry. This will offer a selection of any links in the
text belonging to the referenced Org node. If there is only one link, it
will be followed without a selection prompt.
@tsubheading{Change display}
@cindex display changing, in agenda
@kindex o
@item o
Delete other windows.
@c
@kindex v d
@kindex d
@kindex v w
@kindex w
@kindex v m
@kindex v y
@item v d @ @r{or short} @ d
@itemx v w @ @r{or short} @ w
@itemx v m
@itemx v y
Switch to day/week/month/year view. When switching to day or week view,
this setting becomes the default for subsequent agenda commands. Since
month and year views are slow to create, they do not become the default.
A numeric prefix argument may be used to jump directly to a specific day
of the year, ISO week, month, or year, respectively. For example,
@kbd{32 d} jumps to February 1st, @kbd{9 w} to ISO week number 9. When
setting day, week, or month view, a year may be encoded in the prefix
argument as well. For example, @kbd{200712 w} will jump to week 12 in
2007. If such a year specification has only one or two digits, it will
be mapped to the interval 1938-2037.
@c
@kindex f
@item f
@vindex org-agenda-ndays
Go forward in time to display the following @code{org-agenda-ndays} days.
For example, if the display covers a week, switch to the following week.
With prefix arg, go forward that many times @code{org-agenda-ndays} days.
@c
@kindex b
@item b
Go backward in time to display earlier dates.
@c
@kindex .
@item .
Go to today.
@c
@kindex j
@item j
Prompt for a date and go there.
@c
@kindex D
@item D
Toggle the inclusion of diary entries. See @ref{Weekly/daily agenda}.
@c
@kindex v l
@kindex l
@item v l @ @r{or short} @ l
@vindex org-log-done
@vindex org-agenda-log-mode-items
Toggle Logbook mode. In Logbook mode, entries that were marked DONE while
logging was on (variable @code{org-log-done}) are shown in the agenda, as are
entries that have been clocked on that day. You can configure the entry
types that should be included in log mode using the variable
@code{org-agenda-log-mode-items}. When called with a @kbd{C-u} prefix, show
all possible logbook entries, including state changes. When called with two
prefix args @kbd{C-u C-u}, show only logging information, nothing else.
@c
@kindex v [
@kindex [
@item v [ @ @r{or short} @ [
Include inactive timestamps into the current view. Only for weekly/daily
agenda and timeline views.
@c
@kindex v a
@kindex v A
@item v a
@itemx v A
Toggle Archives mode. In Archives mode, trees that are marked
@code{ARCHIVED} are also scanned when producing the agenda. When you use the
capital @kbd{A}, even all archive files are included. To exit archives mode,
press @kbd{v a} again.
@c
@kindex v R
@kindex R
@item v R @ @r{or short} @ R
@vindex org-agenda-start-with-clockreport-mode
Toggle Clockreport mode. In Clockreport mode, the daily/weekly agenda will
always show a table with the clocked times for the timespan and file scope
covered by the current agenda view. The initial setting for this mode in new
agenda buffers can be set with the variable
@code{org-agenda-start-with-clockreport-mode}.
@c
@kindex v E
@kindex E
@item v E @ @r{or short} @ E
@vindex org-agenda-start-with-entry-text-mode
@vindex org-agenda-entry-text-maxlines
Toggle entry text mode. In entry text mode, a number of lines from the Org
outline node referenced by an agenda line will be displayed below the line.
The maximum number of lines is given by the variable
@code{org-agenda-entry-text-maxlines}. Calling this command with a numeric
prefix argument will temporarily modify that number to the prefix value.
@c
@kindex G
@item G
@vindex org-agenda-use-time-grid
@vindex org-agenda-time-grid
Toggle the time grid on and off. See also the variables
@code{org-agenda-use-time-grid} and @code{org-agenda-time-grid}.
@c
@kindex r
@item r
Recreate the agenda buffer, for example to reflect the changes after
modification of the timestamps of items with @kbd{S-@key{left}} and
@kbd{S-@key{right}}. When the buffer is the global TODO list, a prefix
argument is interpreted to create a selective list for a specific TODO
keyword.
@kindex g
@item g
Same as @kbd{r}.
@c
@kindex s
@kindex C-x C-s
@item s
@itemx C-x C-s
Save all Org buffers in the current Emacs session, and also the locations of
IDs.
@c
@kindex C-c C-x C-c
@item C-c C-x C-c
@vindex org-columns-default-format
Invoke column view (@pxref{Column view}) in the agenda buffer. The column
view format is taken from the entry at point, or (if there is no entry at
point), from the first entry in the agenda view. So whatever the format for
that entry would be in the original buffer (taken from a property, from a
@code{#+COLUMNS} line, or from the default variable
@code{org-columns-default-format}), will be used in the agenda.
@kindex C-c C-x >
@item C-c C-x >
Remove the restriction lock on the agenda, if it is currently restricted to a
file or subtree (@pxref{Agenda files}).
@tsubheading{Secondary filtering and query editing}
@cindex filtering, by tag and effort, in agenda
@cindex tag filtering, in agenda
@cindex effort filtering, in agenda
@cindex query editing, in agenda
@kindex /
@item /
@vindex org-agenda-filter-preset
Filter the current agenda view with respect to a tag and/or effort estimates.
The difference between this and a custom agenda command is that filtering is
very fast, so that you can switch quickly between different filters without
having to recreate the agenda@footnote{Custom commands can preset a filter by
binding the variable @code{org-agenda-filter-preset} as an option. This
filter will then be applied to the view and persist as a basic filter through
refreshes and more secondary filtering.}
You will be prompted for a tag selection letter, SPC will mean any tag at
all. Pressing @key{TAB} at that prompt will offer use completion to select a
tag (including any tags that do not have a selection character). The command
then hides all entries that do not contain or inherit this tag. When called
with prefix arg, remove the entries that @emph{do} have the tag. A second
@kbd{/} at the prompt will turn off the filter and unhide any hidden entries.
If the first key you press is either @kbd{+} or @kbd{-}, the previous filter
will be narrowed by requiring or forbidding the selected additional tag.
Instead of pressing @kbd{+} or @kbd{-} after @kbd{/}, you can also
immediately use the @kbd{\} command.
@vindex org-sort-agenda-noeffort-is-high
In order to filter for effort estimates, you should set-up allowed
efforts globally, for example
@lisp
(setq org-global-properties
'(("Effort_ALL". "0 0:10 0:30 1:00 2:00 3:00 4:00")))
@end lisp
You can then filter for an effort by first typing an operator, one of
@kbd{<}, @kbd{>}, and @kbd{=}, and then the one-digit index of an effort
estimate in your array of allowed values, where @kbd{0} means the 10th value.
The filter will then restrict to entries with effort smaller-or-equal, equal,
or larger-or-equal than the selected value. If the digits 0-9 are not used
as fast access keys to tags, you can also simply press the index digit
directly without an operator. In this case, @kbd{<} will be assumed. For
application of the operator, entries without a defined effort will be treated
according to the value of @code{org-sort-agenda-noeffort-is-high}. To filter
for tasks without effort definition, press @kbd{?} as the operator.
Org also supports automatic, context-aware tag filtering. If the variable
@code{org-agenda-auto-exclude-function} is set to a user-defined function,
that function can decide which tags should be excluded from the agenda
automatically. Once this is set, the @kbd{/} command then accepts @kbd{RET}
as a sub-option key and runs the auto exclusion logic. For example, let's
say you use a @code{Net} tag to identify tasks which need network access, an
@code{Errand} tag for errands in town, and a @code{Call} tag for making phone
calls. You could auto-exclude these tags based on the availability of the
Internet, and outside of business hours, with something like this:
@lisp
@group
(defun org-my-auto-exclude-function (tag)
(and (cond
((string= tag "Net")
(/= 0 (call-process "/sbin/ping" nil nil nil
"-c1" "-q" "-t1" "mail.gnu.org")))
((or (string= tag "Errand") (string= tag "Call"))
(let ((hour (nth 2 (decode-time))))
(or (< hour 8) (> hour 21)))))
(concat "-" tag)))
(setq org-agenda-auto-exclude-function 'org-my-auto-exclude-function)
@end group
@end lisp
@kindex \
@item \
Narrow the current agenda filter by an additional condition. When called with
prefix arg, remove the entries that @emph{do} have the tag, or that do match
the effort criterion. You can achieve the same effect by pressing @kbd{+} or
@kbd{-} as the first key after the @kbd{/} command.
@kindex [
@kindex ]
@kindex @{
@kindex @}
@item [ ] @{ @}
@table @i
@item @r{in} search view
add new search words (@kbd{[} and @kbd{]}) or new regular expressions
(@kbd{@{} and @kbd{@}}) to the query string. The opening bracket/brace will
add a positive search term prefixed by @samp{+}, indicating that this search
term @i{must} occur/match in the entry. The closing bracket/brace will add a
negative search term which @i{must not} occur/match in the entry for it to be
selected.
@end table
@page
@tsubheading{Remote editing}
@cindex remote editing, from agenda
@item 0-9
Digit argument.
@c
@cindex undoing remote-editing events
@cindex remote editing, undo
@kindex C-_
@item C-_
Undo a change due to a remote editing command. The change is undone
both in the agenda buffer and in the remote buffer.
@c
@kindex t
@item t
Change the TODO state of the item, both in the agenda and in the
original org file.
@c
@kindex C-S-@key{right}
@kindex C-S-@key{left}
@item C-S-@key{right}@r{/}@key{left}
Switch to the next/previous set of TODO keywords.
@c
@kindex C-k
@item C-k
@vindex org-agenda-confirm-kill
Delete the current agenda item along with the entire subtree belonging
to it in the original Org file. If the text to be deleted remotely
is longer than one line, the kill needs to be confirmed by the user. See
variable @code{org-agenda-confirm-kill}.
@c
@kindex C-c C-w
@item C-c C-w
Refile the entry at point.
@c
@kindex C-c C-x C-a
@kindex a
@item C-c C-x C-a @ @r{or short} @ a
@vindex org-archive-default-command
Archive the subtree corresponding to the entry at point using the default
archiving command set in @code{org-archive-default-command}. When using the
@code{a} key, confirmation will be required.
@c
@kindex C-c C-x a
@item C-c C-x a
Toggle the ARCHIVE tag for the current headline.
@c
@kindex C-c C-x A
@item C-c C-x A
Move the subtree corresponding to the current entry to its @emph{archive
sibling}.
@c
@kindex $
@kindex C-c C-x C-s
@item C-c C-x C-s @ @r{or short} @ $
Archive the subtree corresponding to the current headline. This means the
entry will be moved to the configured archive location, most likely a
different file.
@c
@kindex T
@item T
@vindex org-agenda-show-inherited-tags
Show all tags associated with the current item. This is useful if you have
turned off @code{org-agenda-show-inherited-tags}, but still want to see all
tags of a headline occasionally.
@c
@kindex :
@item :
Set tags for the current headline. If there is an active region in the
agenda, change a tag for all headings in the region.
@c
@kindex ,
@item ,
Set the priority for the current item. Org mode prompts for the
priority character. If you reply with @key{SPC}, the priority cookie
is removed from the entry.
@c
@kindex P
@item P
Display weighted priority of current item.
@c
@kindex +
@kindex S-@key{up}
@item +
@itemx S-@key{up}
Increase the priority of the current item. The priority is changed in
the original buffer, but the agenda is not resorted. Use the @kbd{r}
key for this.
@c
@kindex -
@kindex S-@key{down}
@item -
@itemx S-@key{down}
Decrease the priority of the current item.
@c
@kindex z
@item z
@vindex org-log-into-drawer
Add a note to the entry. This note will be recorded, and then files to the
same location where state change notes are put. Depending on
@code{org-log-into-drawer}, this maybe inside a drawer.
@c
@kindex C-c C-a
@item C-c C-a
Dispatcher for all command related to attachments.
@c
@kindex C-c C-s
@item C-c C-s
Schedule this item
@c
@kindex C-c C-d
@item C-c C-d
Set a deadline for this item.
@c
@kindex k
@item k
Agenda actions, to set dates for selected items to the cursor date.
This command also works in the calendar! The command prompts for an
additional key:
@example
m @r{Mark the entry at point for action. You can also make entries}
@r{in Org files with @kbd{C-c C-x C-k}.}
d @r{Set the deadline of the marked entry to the date at point.}
s @r{Schedule the marked entry at the date at point.}
r @r{Call @code{org-remember} with the cursor date as default date.}
@end example
@noindent
Press @kbd{r} afterward to refresh the agenda and see the effect of the
command.
@c
@kindex S-@key{right}
@item S-@key{right}
Change the timestamp associated with the current line by one day into the
future. With a numeric prefix argument, change it by that many days. For
example, @kbd{3 6 5 S-@key{right}} will change it by a year. With a
@kbd{C-u} prefix, change the time by one hour. If you immediately repeat the
command, it will continue to change hours even without the prefix arg. With
a double @kbd{C-u C-u} prefix, do the same for changing minutes. The stamp
is changed in the original Org file, but the change is not directly reflected
in the agenda buffer. Use @kbd{r} or @kbd{g} to update the buffer.
@c
@kindex S-@key{left}
@item S-@key{left}
Change the timestamp associated with the current line by one day
into the past.
@c
@kindex >
@item >
Change the timestamp associated with the current line to today.
The key @kbd{>} has been chosen, because it is the same as @kbd{S-.}
on my keyboard.
@c
@kindex I
@item I
Start the clock on the current item. If a clock is running already, it
is stopped first.
@c
@kindex O
@item O
Stop the previously started clock.
@c
@kindex X
@item X
Cancel the currently running clock.
@kindex J
@item J
Jump to the running clock in another window.
@tsubheading{Bulk remote editing selected entries}
@cindex remote editing, bulk, from agenda
@kindex m
@item s
Mark the entry at point for bulk action.
@kindex u
@item u
Unmark entry for bulk action.
@kindex U
@item U
Unmark all marked entries for bulk action.
@kindex B
@item B
Bulk action: act on all marked entries in the agenda. This will prompt for
another key to select the action to be applied:
@example
r @r{Prompt for a single refile target and move all entries. The entries}
@r{will no longer be in the agenda, refresh (@kbd{g}) to bring them back.}
$ @r{Archive all selected entries.}
A @r{Archive entries by moving them to their respective archive siblings.}
t @r{Change TODO state. This prompts for a single TODO keyword and}
@r{changes the state of all selected entries, bypassing blocking and}
@r{suppressing logging notes (but not time stamps).}
+ @r{Add a tag to all selected entries.}
- @r{Remove a tag from all selected entries.}
s @r{Schedule all items to a new date. To shift existing schedule dates}
@r{by a fixed number of days, use something starting with double plus}
@r{at the prompt, for example @samp{++8d} or @samp{++2w}.}
d @r{Set deadline to a specific date.}
@end example
@tsubheading{Calendar commands}
@cindex calendar commands, from agenda
@kindex c
@item c
Open the Emacs calendar and move to the date at the agenda cursor.
@c
@item c
When in the calendar, compute and show the Org mode agenda for the
date at the cursor.
@c
@cindex diary entries, creating from agenda
@kindex i
@item i
@vindex org-agenda-diary-file
Insert a new entry into the diary, using the date at the cursor and (for
block entries) the date at the mark. This will add to the Emacs diary
file@footnote{This file is parsed for the agenda when
@code{org-agenda-include-diary} is set.}, in a way similar to the @kbd{i}
command in the calendar. The diary file will pop up in another window, where
you can add the entry.
If you configure @code{org-agenda-diary-file} to point to an Org-mode file,
Org will create entries (in org-mode syntax) in that file instead. Most
entries will be stored in a date-based outline tree that will later make it
easy to archive appointments from previous months/years. The tree will be
build under an entry with a @code{DATE_TREE} property, or else with years as
top-level entries. Emacs will prompt you for the entry text - if you specify
it, the entry will be created in @code{org-agenda-diary-file} without further
interaction. If you directly press @key{RET} at the prompt without typing
text, the target file will be shown in another window for you to finish the
entry there. See also the @kbd{k r} command.
@c
@kindex M
@item M
Show the phases of the moon for the three months around current date.
@c
@kindex S
@item S
Show sunrise and sunset times. The geographical location must be set
with calendar variables, see the documentation for the Emacs calendar.
@c
@kindex C
@item C
Convert the date at cursor into many other cultural and historic
calendars.
@c
@kindex H
@item H
Show holidays for three months around the cursor date.
@item M-x org-export-icalendar-combine-agenda-files
Export a single iCalendar file containing entries from all agenda files.
This is a globally available command, and also available in the agenda menu.
@tsubheading{Exporting to a file}
@kindex C-x C-w
@item C-x C-w
@cindex exporting agenda views
@cindex agenda views, exporting
@vindex org-agenda-exporter-settings
Write the agenda view to a file. Depending on the extension of the selected
file name, the view will be exported as HTML (extension @file{.html} or
@file{.htm}), Postscript (extension @file{.ps}), PDF (extension @file{.pdf}),
and plain text (any other extension). When called with a @kbd{C-u} prefix
argument, immediately open the newly created file. Use the variable
@code{org-agenda-exporter-settings} to set options for @file{ps-print} and
for @file{htmlize} to be used during export.
@tsubheading{Quit and Exit}
@kindex q
@item q
Quit agenda, remove the agenda buffer.
@c
@kindex x
@cindex agenda files, removing buffers
@item x
Exit agenda, remove the agenda buffer and all buffers loaded by Emacs
for the compilation of the agenda. Buffers created by the user to
visit Org files will not be removed.
@end table
@node Custom agenda views, Exporting Agenda Views, Agenda commands, Agenda Views
@section Custom agenda views
@cindex custom agenda views
@cindex agenda views, custom
Custom agenda commands serve two purposes: to store and quickly access
frequently used TODO and tags searches, and to create special composite
agenda buffers. Custom agenda commands will be accessible through the
dispatcher (@pxref{Agenda dispatcher}), just like the default commands.
@menu
* Storing searches:: Type once, use often
* Block agenda:: All the stuff you need in a single buffer
* Setting Options:: Changing the rules
@end menu
@node Storing searches, Block agenda, Custom agenda views, Custom agenda views
@subsection Storing searches
The first application of custom searches is the definition of keyboard
shortcuts for frequently used searches, either creating an agenda
buffer, or a sparse tree (the latter covering of course only the current
buffer).
@kindex C-c a C
@vindex org-agenda-custom-commands
Custom commands are configured in the variable
@code{org-agenda-custom-commands}. You can customize this variable, for
example by pressing @kbd{C-c a C}. You can also directly set it with
Emacs Lisp in @file{.emacs}. The following example contains all valid
search types:
@lisp
@group
(setq org-agenda-custom-commands
'(("w" todo "WAITING")
("W" todo-tree "WAITING")
("u" tags "+boss-urgent")
("v" tags-todo "+boss-urgent")
("U" tags-tree "+boss-urgent")
("f" occur-tree "\\<FIXME\\>")
("h" . "HOME+Name tags searches") ; description for "h" prefix
("hl" tags "+home+Lisa")
("hp" tags "+home+Peter")
("hk" tags "+home+Kim")))
@end group
@end lisp
@noindent
The initial string in each entry defines the keys you have to press
after the dispatcher command @kbd{C-c a} in order to access the command.
Usually this will be just a single character, but if you have many
similar commands, you can also define two-letter combinations where the
first character is the same in several combinations and serves as a
prefix key@footnote{You can provide a description for a prefix key by
inserting a cons cell with the prefix and the description.}. The second
parameter is the search type, followed by the string or regular
expression to be used for the matching. The example above will
therefore define:
@table @kbd
@item C-c a w
as a global search for TODO entries with @samp{WAITING} as the TODO
keyword
@item C-c a W
as the same search, but only in the current buffer and displaying the
results as a sparse tree
@item C-c a u
as a global tags search for headlines marked @samp{:boss:} but not
@samp{:urgent:}
@item C-c a v
as the same search as @kbd{C-c a u}, but limiting the search to
headlines that are also TODO items
@item C-c a U
as the same search as @kbd{C-c a u}, but only in the current buffer and
displaying the result as a sparse tree
@item C-c a f
to create a sparse tree (again: current buffer only) with all entries
containing the word @samp{FIXME}
@item C-c a h
as a prefix command for a HOME tags search where you have to press an
additional key (@kbd{l}, @kbd{p} or @kbd{k}) to select a name (Lisa,
Peter, or Kim) as additional tag to match.
@end table
@node Block agenda, Setting Options, Storing searches, Custom agenda views
@subsection Block agenda
@cindex block agenda
@cindex agenda, with block views
Another possibility is the construction of agenda views that comprise
the results of @emph{several} commands, each of which creates a block in
the agenda buffer. The available commands include @code{agenda} for the
daily or weekly agenda (as created with @kbd{C-c a a}), @code{alltodo}
for the global TODO list (as constructed with @kbd{C-c a t}), and the
matching commands discussed above: @code{todo}, @code{tags}, and
@code{tags-todo}. Here are two examples:
@lisp
@group
(setq org-agenda-custom-commands
'(("h" "Agenda and Home-related tasks"
((agenda "")
(tags-todo "home")
(tags "garden")))
("o" "Agenda and Office-related tasks"
((agenda "")
(tags-todo "work")
(tags "office")))))
@end group
@end lisp
@noindent
This will define @kbd{C-c a h} to create a multi-block view for stuff
you need to attend to at home. The resulting agenda buffer will contain
your agenda for the current week, all TODO items that carry the tag
@samp{home}, and also all lines tagged with @samp{garden}. Finally the
command @kbd{C-c a o} provides a similar view for office tasks.
@node Setting Options, , Block agenda, Custom agenda views
@subsection Setting options for custom commands
@cindex options, for custom agenda views
@vindex org-agenda-custom-commands
Org mode contains a number of variables regulating agenda construction
and display. The global variables define the behavior for all agenda
commands, including the custom commands. However, if you want to change
some settings just for a single custom view, you can do so. Setting
options requires inserting a list of variable names and values at the
right spot in @code{org-agenda-custom-commands}. For example:
@lisp
@group
(setq org-agenda-custom-commands
'(("w" todo "WAITING"
((org-agenda-sorting-strategy '(priority-down))
(org-agenda-prefix-format " Mixed: ")))
("U" tags-tree "+boss-urgent"
((org-show-following-heading nil)
(org-show-hierarchy-above nil)))
("N" search ""
((org-agenda-files '("~org/notes.org"))
(org-agenda-text-search-extra-files nil)))))
@end group
@end lisp
@noindent
Now the @kbd{C-c a w} command will sort the collected entries only by
priority, and the prefix format is modified to just say @samp{ Mixed: }
instead of giving the category of the entry. The sparse tags tree of
@kbd{C-c a U} will now turn out ultra-compact, because neither the
headline hierarchy above the match, nor the headline following the match
will be shown. The command @kbd{C-c a N} will do a text search limited
to only a single file.
@vindex org-agenda-custom-commands
For command sets creating a block agenda,
@code{org-agenda-custom-commands} has two separate spots for setting
options. You can add options that should be valid for just a single
command in the set, and options that should be valid for all commands in
the set. The former are just added to the command entry, the latter
must come after the list of command entries. Going back to the block
agenda example (@pxref{Block agenda}), let's change the sorting strategy
for the @kbd{C-c a h} commands to @code{priority-down}, but let's sort
the results for GARDEN tags query in the opposite order,
@code{priority-up}. This would look like this:
@lisp
@group
(setq org-agenda-custom-commands
'(("h" "Agenda and Home-related tasks"
((agenda)
(tags-todo "home")
(tags "garden"
((org-agenda-sorting-strategy '(priority-up)))))
((org-agenda-sorting-strategy '(priority-down))))
("o" "Agenda and Office-related tasks"
((agenda)
(tags-todo "work")
(tags "office")))))
@end group
@end lisp
As you see, the values and parentheses setting is a little complex.
When in doubt, use the customize interface to set this variable---it
fully supports its structure. Just one caveat: when setting options in
this interface, the @emph{values} are just Lisp expressions. So if the
value is a string, you need to add the double-quotes around the value
yourself.
@node Exporting Agenda Views, Agenda column view, Custom agenda views, Agenda Views
@section Exporting Agenda Views
@cindex agenda views, exporting
If you are away from your computer, it can be very useful to have a printed
version of some agenda views to carry around. Org mode can export custom
agenda views as plain text, HTML@footnote{You need to install Hrvoje Niksic's
@file{htmlize.el}.}, Postscript, PDF@footnote{To create PDF output, the
ghostscript @file{ps2pdf} utility must be installed on the system. Selecting
a PDF file with also create the postscript file.}, and iCalendar files. If
you want to do this only occasionally, use the command
@table @kbd
@kindex C-x C-w
@item C-x C-w
@cindex exporting agenda views
@cindex agenda views, exporting
@vindex org-agenda-exporter-settings
Write the agenda view to a file. Depending on the extension of the selected
file name, the view will be exported as HTML (extension @file{.html} or
@file{.htm}), Postscript (extension @file{.ps}), iCalendar (extension
@file{.ics}), or plain text (any other extension). Use the variable
@code{org-agenda-exporter-settings} to set options for @file{ps-print} and
for @file{htmlize} to be used during export, for example
@vindex org-agenda-add-entry-text-maxlines
@vindex htmlize-output-type
@vindex ps-number-of-columns
@vindex ps-landscape-mode
@lisp
(setq org-agenda-exporter-settings
'((ps-number-of-columns 2)
(ps-landscape-mode t)
(org-agenda-add-entry-text-maxlines 5)
(htmlize-output-type 'css)))
@end lisp
@end table
If you need to export certain agenda views frequently, you can associate
any custom agenda command with a list of output file names
@footnote{If you want to store standard views like the weekly agenda
or the global TODO list as well, you need to define custom commands for
them in order to be able to specify file names.}. Here is an example
that first defines custom commands for the agenda and the global
TODO list, together with a number of files to which to export them.
Then we define two block agenda commands and specify file names for them
as well. File names can be relative to the current working directory,
or absolute.
@lisp
@group
(setq org-agenda-custom-commands
'(("X" agenda "" nil ("agenda.html" "agenda.ps"))
("Y" alltodo "" nil ("todo.html" "todo.txt" "todo.ps"))
("h" "Agenda and Home-related tasks"
((agenda "")
(tags-todo "home")
(tags "garden"))
nil
("~/views/home.html"))
("o" "Agenda and Office-related tasks"
((agenda)
(tags-todo "work")
(tags "office"))
nil
("~/views/office.ps" "~/calendars/office.ics"))))
@end group
@end lisp
The extension of the file name determines the type of export. If it is
@file{.html}, Org mode will use the @file{htmlize.el} package to convert
the buffer to HTML and save it to this file name. If the extension is
@file{.ps}, @code{ps-print-buffer-with-faces} is used to produce
Postscript output. If the extension is @file{.ics}, iCalendar export is
run export over all files that were used to construct the agenda, and
limit the export to entries listed in the agenda. Any other
extension produces a plain ASCII file.
The export files are @emph{not} created when you use one of those
commands interactively because this might use too much overhead.
Instead, there is a special command to produce @emph{all} specified
files in one step:
@table @kbd
@kindex C-c a e
@item C-c a e
Export all agenda views that have export file names associated with
them.
@end table
You can use the options section of the custom agenda commands to also
set options for the export commands. For example:
@lisp
(setq org-agenda-custom-commands
'(("X" agenda ""
((ps-number-of-columns 2)
(ps-landscape-mode t)
(org-agenda-prefix-format " [ ] ")
(org-agenda-with-colors nil)
(org-agenda-remove-tags t))
("theagenda.ps"))))
@end lisp
@noindent
This command sets two options for the Postscript exporter, to make it
print in two columns in landscape format---the resulting page can be cut
in two and then used in a paper agenda. The remaining settings modify
the agenda prefix to omit category and scheduling information, and
instead include a checkbox to check off items. We also remove the tags
to make the lines compact, and we don't want to use colors for the
black-and-white printer. Settings specified in
@code{org-agenda-exporter-settings} will also apply, but the settings
in @code{org-agenda-custom-commands} take precedence.
@noindent
From the command line you may also use
@example
emacs -f org-batch-store-agenda-views -kill
@end example
@noindent
or, if you need to modify some parameters@footnote{Quoting depends on the
system you use, please check the FAQ for examples.}
@example
emacs -eval '(org-batch-store-agenda-views \
org-agenda-ndays 30 \
org-agenda-start-day "2007-11-01" \
org-agenda-include-diary nil \
org-agenda-files (quote ("~/org/project.org")))' \
-kill
@end example
@noindent
which will create the agenda views restricted to the file
@file{~/org/project.org}, without diary entries and with a 30-day
extent.
You can also extract agenda information in a way that allows further
processing by other programs. See @ref{Extracting agenda information}, for
more information.
@node Agenda column view, , Exporting Agenda Views, Agenda Views
@section Using column view in the agenda
@cindex column view, in agenda
@cindex agenda, column view
Column view (@pxref{Column view}) is normally used to view and edit
properties embedded in the hierarchical structure of an Org file. It can be
quite useful to use column view also from the agenda, where entries are
collected by certain criteria.
@table @kbd
@kindex C-c C-x C-c
@item C-c C-x C-c
Turn on column view in the agenda.
@end table
To understand how to use this properly, it is important to realize that the
entries in the agenda are no longer in their proper outline environment.
This causes the following issues:
@enumerate
@item
@vindex org-columns-default-format
@vindex org-overriding-columns-format
Org needs to make a decision which @code{COLUMNS} format to use. Since the
entries in the agenda are collected from different files, and different files
may have different @code{COLUMNS} formats, this is a non-trivial problem.
Org first checks if the variable @code{org-overriding-columns-format} is
currently set, and if so, takes the format from there. Otherwise it takes
the format associated with the first item in the agenda, or, if that item
does not have a specific format (defined in a property, or in its file), it
uses @code{org-columns-default-format}.
@item
@cindex property, special, CLOCKSUM
If any of the columns has a summary type defined (@pxref{Column attributes}),
turning on column view in the agenda will visit all relevant agenda files and
make sure that the computations of this property are up to date. This is
also true for the special @code{CLOCKSUM} property. Org will then sum the
values displayed in the agenda. In the daily/weekly agenda, the sums will
cover a single day, in all other views they cover the entire block. It is
vital to realize that the agenda may show the same entry @emph{twice} (for
example as scheduled and as a deadline), and it may show two entries from the
same hierarchy (for example a @emph{parent} and its @emph{child}). In these
cases, the summation in the agenda will lead to incorrect results because
some values will count double.
@item
When the column view in the agenda shows the @code{CLOCKSUM}, that is always
the entire clocked time for this item. So even in the daily/weekly agenda,
the clocksum listed in column view may originate from times outside the
current view. This has the advantage that you can compare these values with
a column listing the planned total effort for a task---one of the major
applications for column view in the agenda. If you want information about
clocked time in the displayed period use clock table mode (press @kbd{R} in
the agenda).
@end enumerate
@node Markup, Exporting, Agenda Views, Top
@chapter Markup for rich export
When exporting Org-mode documents, the exporter tries to reflect the
structure of the document as accurately as possible in the backend. Since
export targets like HTML, La@TeX{}, or DocBook allow much richer formatting,
Org mode has rules on how to prepare text for rich export. This section
summarizes the markup rules used in an Org-mode buffer.
@menu
* Structural markup elements:: The basic structure as seen by the exporter
* Images and tables:: Tables and Images will be included
* Literal examples:: Source code examples with special formatting
* Include files:: Include additional files into a document
* Macro replacement:: Use macros to create complex output
* Embedded LaTeX:: LaTeX can be freely used inside Org documents
@end menu
@node Structural markup elements, Images and tables, Markup, Markup
@section Structural markup elements
@menu
* Document title:: Where the title is taken from
* Headings and sections:: The document structure as seen by the exporter
* Table of contents:: The if and where of the table of contents
* Initial text:: Text before the first heading?
* Lists:: Lists
* Paragraphs:: Paragraphs
* Footnote markup:: Footnotes
* Emphasis and monospace:: Bold, italic, etc.
* Horizontal rules:: Make a line
* Comment lines:: What will *not* be exported
@end menu
@node Document title, Headings and sections, Structural markup elements, Structural markup elements
@subheading Document title
@cindex document title, markup rules
@noindent
The title of the exported document is taken from the special line
@cindex #+TITLE
@example
#+TITLE: This is the title of the document
@end example
@noindent
If this line does not exist, the title is derived from the first non-empty,
non-comment line in the buffer. If no such line exists, or if you have
turned off exporting of the text before the first headline (see below), the
title will be the file name without extension.
@cindex property, EXPORT_TITLE
If you are exporting only a subtree by marking is as the region, the heading
of the subtree will become the title of the document. If the subtree has a
property @code{EXPORT_TITLE}, that will take precedence.
@node Headings and sections, Table of contents, Document title, Structural markup elements
@subheading Headings and sections
@cindex headings and sections, markup rules
@vindex org-export-headline-levels
The outline structure of the document as described in @ref{Document
Structure}, forms the basis for defining sections of the exported document.
However, since the outline structure is also used for (for example) lists of
tasks, only the first three outline levels will be used as headings. Deeper
levels will become itemized lists. You can change the location of this
switch globally by setting the variable @code{org-export-headline-levels}, or on a
per-file basis with a line
@cindex #+OPTIONS
@example
#+OPTIONS: H:4
@end example
@node Table of contents, Initial text, Headings and sections, Structural markup elements
@subheading Table of contents
@cindex table of contents, markup rules
@vindex org-export-with-toc
The table of contents is normally inserted directly before the first headline
of the file. If you would like to get it to a different location, insert the
string @code{[TABLE-OF-CONTENTS]} on a line by itself at the desired
location. The depth of the table of contents is by default the same as the
number of headline levels, but you can choose a smaller number, or turn off
the table of contents entirely, by configuring the variable
@code{org-export-with-toc}, or on a per-file basis with a line like
@example
#+OPTIONS: toc:2 (only to two levels in TOC)
#+OPTIONS: toc:nil (no TOC at all)
@end example
@node Initial text, Lists, Table of contents, Structural markup elements
@subheading Text before the first headline
@cindex text before first headline, markup rules
@cindex #+TEXT
Org mode normally exports the text before the first headline, and even uses
the first line as the document title. The text will be fully marked up. If
you need to include literal HTML, La@TeX{}, or DocBook code, use the special
constructs described below in the sections for the individual exporters.
@vindex org-export-skip-text-before-1st-heading
Some people like to use the space before the first headline for setup and
internal links and therefore would like to control the exported text before
the first headline in a different way. You can do so by setting the variable
@code{org-export-skip-text-before-1st-heading} to @code{t}. On a per-file
basis, you can get the same effect with @samp{#+OPTIONS: skip:t}.
@noindent
If you still want to have some text before the first headline, use the
@code{#+TEXT} construct:
@example
#+OPTIONS: skip:t
#+TEXT: This text will go before the *first* headline.
#+TEXT: [TABLE-OF-CONTENTS]
#+TEXT: This goes between the table of contents and the first headline
@end example
@node Lists, Paragraphs, Initial text, Structural markup elements
@subheading Lists
@cindex lists, markup rules
Plain lists as described in @ref{Plain lists}, are translated to the backend's
syntax for such lists. Most backends support unordered, ordered, and
description lists.
@node Paragraphs, Footnote markup, Lists, Structural markup elements
@subheading Paragraphs, line breaks, and quoting
@cindex paragraphs, markup rules
Paragraphs are separated by at least one empty line. If you need to enforce
a line break within a paragraph, use @samp{\\} at the end of a line.
To keep the line breaks in a region, but otherwise use normal formatting, you
can use this construct, which can also be used to format poetry.
@cindex #+BEGIN_VERSE
@example
#+BEGIN_VERSE
Great clouds overhead
Tiny black birds rise and fall
Snow covers Emacs
-- AlexSchroeder
#+END_VERSE
@end example
When quoting a passage from another document, it is customary to format this
as a paragraph that is indented on both the left and the right margin. You
can include quotations in Org-mode documents like this:
@cindex #+BEGIN_QUOTE
@example
#+BEGIN_QUOTE
Everything should be made as simple as possible,
but not any simpler -- Albert Einstein
#+END_QUOTE
@end example
If you would like to center some text, do it like this:
@cindex #+BEGIN_CENTER
@example
#+BEGIN_CENTER
Everything should be made as simple as possible, \\
but not any simpler
#+END_CENTER
@end example
@node Footnote markup, Emphasis and monospace, Paragraphs, Structural markup elements
@subheading Footnote markup
@cindex footnotes, markup rules
@cindex @file{footnote.el}
Footnotes defined in the way described in @ref{Footnotes}, will be exported by
all backends. Org allows multiple references to the same note, and
different backends support this to varying degrees.
@node Emphasis and monospace, Horizontal rules, Footnote markup, Structural markup elements
@subheading Emphasis and monospace
@cindex underlined text, markup rules
@cindex bold text, markup rules
@cindex italic text, markup rules
@cindex verbatim text, markup rules
@cindex code text, markup rules
@cindex strike-through text, markup rules
You can make words @b{*bold*}, @i{/italic/}, _underlined_, @code{=code=}
and @code{~verbatim~}, and, if you must, @samp{+strike-through+}. Text
in the code and verbatim string is not processed for Org-mode specific
syntax, it is exported verbatim.
@node Horizontal rules, Comment lines, Emphasis and monospace, Structural markup elements
@subheading Horizontal rules
@cindex horizontal rules, markup rules
A line consisting of only dashes, and at least 5 of them, will be
exported as a horizontal line (@samp{<hr/>} in HTML).
@node Comment lines, , Horizontal rules, Structural markup elements
@subheading Comment lines
@cindex comment lines
@cindex exporting, not
@cindex #+BEGIN_COMMENT
Lines starting with @samp{#} in column zero are treated as comments and will
never be exported. If you want an indented line to be treated as a comment,
start it with @samp{#+ }. Also entire subtrees starting with the word
@samp{COMMENT} will never be exported. Finally, regions surrounded by
@samp{#+BEGIN_COMMENT} ... @samp{#+END_COMMENT} will not be exported.
@table @kbd
@kindex C-c ;
@item C-c ;
Toggle the COMMENT keyword at the beginning of an entry.
@end table
@node Images and tables, Literal examples, Structural markup elements, Markup
@section Images and Tables
@cindex tables, markup rules
@cindex #+CAPTION
@cindex #+LABEL
Both the native Org mode tables (@pxref{Tables}) and tables formatted with
the @file{table.el} package will be exported properly. For Org mode tables,
the lines before the first horizontal separator line will become table header
lines. You can use the following lines somewhere before the table to assign
a caption and a label for cross references:
@example
#+CAPTION: This is the caption for the next table (or link)
#+LABEL: tbl:basic-data
| ... | ...|
|-----|----|
@end example
@cindex inlined images, markup rules
Some backends (HTML, La@TeX{}, and DocBook) allow you to directly include
images into the exported document. Org does this, if a link to an image
files does not have a description part, for example @code{[[./img/a.jpg]]}.
If you wish to define a caption for the image and maybe a label for internal
cross references, you sure that the link is on a line by itself precede it
with:
@example
#+CAPTION: This is the caption for the next figure link (or table)
#+LABEL: fig:SED-HR4049
[[./img/a.jpg]]
@end example
You may also define additional attributes for the figure. As this is
backend-specific, see the sections about the individual backends for more
information.
@node Literal examples, Include files, Images and tables, Markup
@section Literal examples
@cindex literal examples, markup rules
@cindex code line references, markup rules
You can include literal examples that should not be subjected to
markup. Such examples will be typeset in monospace, so this is well suited
for source code and similar examples.
@cindex #+BEGIN_EXAMPLE
@example
#+BEGIN_EXAMPLE
Some example from a text file.
#+END_EXAMPLE
@end example
Note that such blocks may be @i{indented} in order to align nicely with
indented text and in particular with plain list structure (@pxref{Plain
lists}). For simplicity when using small examples, you can also start the
example lines with a colon followed by a space. There may also be additional
whitespace before the colon:
@example
Here is an example
: Some example from a text file.
@end example
@cindex formatting source code, markup rules
If the example is source code from a programming language, or any other text
that can be marked up by font-lock in Emacs, you can ask for the example to
look like the fontified Emacs buffer@footnote{Currently this works for the
HTML backend, and requires the @file{htmlize.el} package version 1.34 or
later. It also works for LaTeX with the listings package, if you turn on the
option @code{org-export-latex-listings} and make sure that the listings
package is included by the LaTeX header.}. This is done with the @samp{src}
block, where you also need to specify the name of the major mode that should
be used to fontify the example:
@cindex #+BEGIN_SRC
@example
#+BEGIN_SRC emacs-lisp
(defun org-xor (a b)
"Exclusive or."
(if a (not b) b))
#+END_SRC
@end example
Both in @code{example} and in @code{src} snippets, you can add a @code{-n}
switch to the end of the @code{BEGIN} line, to get the lines of the example
numbered. If you use a @code{+n} switch, the numbering from the previous
numbered snippet will be continued in the current one. In literal examples,
Org will interpret strings like @samp{(ref:name)} as labels, and use them as
targets for special hyperlinks like @code{[[(name)]]} (i.e. the reference name
enclosed in single parenthesis). In HTML, hovering the mouse over such a
link will remote-highlight the corresponding code line, which is kind of
cool.
You can also add a @code{-r} switch which @i{removes} the labels from the
source code@footnote{Adding @code{-k} to @code{-n -r} will @i{keep} the
labels in the source code while using line numbers for the links, which might
be useful to explain those in an org-mode example code.}. With the @code{-n}
switch, links to these references will be labeled by the line numbers from
the code listing, otherwise links will use the labels with no parentheses.
Here is an example:
@example
#+BEGIN_SRC emacs-lisp -n -r
(save-excursion (ref:sc)
(goto-char (point-min)) (ref:jump)
#+END_SRC
In line [[(sc)]] we remember the current position. [[(jump)][Line (jump)]]
jumps to point-min.
@end example
@vindex org-coderef-label-format
If the syntax for the label format conflicts with the language syntax, use a
@code{-l} switch to change the format, for example @samp{#+BEGIN_SRC pascal
-n -r -l "((%s))"}. See also the variable @code{org-coderef-label-format}.
HTML export also allows examples to be published as text areas, @xref{Text
areas in HTML export}.
@table @kbd
@kindex C-c '
@item C-c '
Edit the source code example at point in its native mode. This works by
switching to a temporary buffer with the source code. You need to exit by
pressing @kbd{C-c '} again@footnote{Upon exit, lines starting with @samp{*}
or @samp{#} will get a comma prepended, to keep them from being interpreted
by Org as outline nodes or special comments. These commas will be striped
for editing with @kbd{C-c '}, and also for export.}, the edited version will
then replace the old version in the Org buffer. Fixed-width regions
(where each line starts with a colon followed by a space) will be edited
using @code{artist-mode}@footnote{You may select a different-mode with the
variable @code{org-edit-fixed-width-region-mode}.} to allow creating ASCII
drawings easily. Using this command in an empty line will create a new
fixed-width region.
@kindex C-c l
@item C-c l
Calling @code{org-store-link} while editing a source code example in a
temporary buffer created with @kbd{C-c '} will prompt for a label, make sure
that it is unique in the current buffer, and insert it with the proper
formatting like @samp{(ref:label)} at the end of the current line. Then the
label is stored as a link @samp{(label)}, for retrieval with @kbd{C-c C-l}.
@end table
@node Include files, Macro replacement, Literal examples, Markup
@section Include files
@cindex include files, markup rules
During export, you can include the content of another file. For example, to
include your @file{.emacs} file, you could use:
@cindex #+INCLUDE
@example
#+INCLUDE: "~/.emacs" src emacs-lisp
@end example
@noindent
The optional second and third parameter are the markup (e.g. @samp{quote},
@samp{example}, or @samp{src}), and, if the markup is @samp{src}, the
language for formatting the contents. The markup is optional, if it is not
given, the text will be assumed to be in Org mode format and will be
processed normally. The include line will also allow additional keyword
parameters @code{:prefix1} and @code{:prefix} to specify prefixes for the
first line and for each following line, as well as any options accepted by
the selected markup. For example, to include a file as an item, use
@example
#+INCLUDE: "~/snippets/xx" :prefix1 " + " :prefix " "
@end example
@table @kbd
@kindex C-c '
@item C-c '
Visit the include file at point.
@end table
@node Macro replacement, Embedded LaTeX, Include files, Markup
@section Macro replacement
@cindex macro replacement, during export
@cindex #+MACRO
You can define text snippets with
@example
#+MACRO: name replacement text $1, $2 are arguments
@end example
@noindent which can be referenced anywhere in the document (even in
code examples) with @code{@{@{@{name(arg1,arg2)@}@}@}}. In addition to
defined macros, @code{@{@{@{title@}@}@}}, @code{@{@{@{author@}@}@}}, etc.,
will reference information set by the @code{#+TITLE:}, @code{#+AUTHOR:}, and
similar lines. Also, @code{@{@{@{date(@var{FORMAT})@}@}@}} and
@code{@{@{@{modification-time(@var{FORMAT})@}@}@}} refer to current date time
and to the modification time of the file being exported, respectively.
@var{FORMAT} should be a format string understood by
@code{format-time-string}.
Macro expansion takes place during export, and some people use it to
construct complex HTML code.
@node Embedded LaTeX, , Macro replacement, Markup
@section Embedded La@TeX{}
@cindex @TeX{} interpretation
@cindex La@TeX{} interpretation
Plain ASCII is normally sufficient for almost all note taking. One
exception, however, are scientific notes which need to be able to contain
mathematical symbols and the occasional formula. La@TeX{}@footnote{La@TeX{}
is a macro system based on Donald E. Knuth's @TeX{} system. Many of the
features described here as ``La@TeX{}'' are really from @TeX{}, but for
simplicity I am blurring this distinction.} is widely used to typeset
scientific documents. Org mode supports embedding La@TeX{} code into its
files, because many academics are used to reading La@TeX{} source code, and
because it can be readily processed into images for HTML production.
It is not necessary to mark La@TeX{} macros and code in any special way.
If you observe a few conventions, Org mode knows how to find it and what
to do with it.
@menu
* Special symbols:: Greek letters and other symbols
* Subscripts and superscripts:: Simple syntax for raising/lowering text
* LaTeX fragments:: Complex formulas made easy
* Previewing LaTeX fragments:: What will this snippet look like?
* CDLaTeX mode:: Speed up entering of formulas
@end menu
@node Special symbols, Subscripts and superscripts, Embedded LaTeX, Embedded LaTeX
@subsection Special symbols
@cindex math symbols
@cindex special symbols
@cindex @TeX{} macros
@cindex La@TeX{} fragments, markup rules
@cindex HTML entities
@cindex La@TeX{} entities
You can use La@TeX{} macros to insert special symbols like @samp{\alpha} to
indicate the Greek letter, or @samp{\to} to indicate an arrow. Completion
for these macros is available, just type @samp{\} and maybe a few letters,
and press @kbd{M-@key{TAB}} to see possible completions. Unlike La@TeX{}
code, Org mode allows these macros to be present without surrounding math
delimiters, for example:
@example
Angles are written as Greek letters \alpha, \beta and \gamma.
@end example
@vindex org-html-entities
During export, these symbols will be transformed into the native format of
the exporter backend. Strings like @code{\alpha} will be exported as
@code{&alpha;} in the HTML output, and as @code{$\alpha$} in the La@TeX{}
output. Similarly, @code{\nbsp} will become @code{&nbsp;} in HTML and
@code{~} in La@TeX{}. If you need such a symbol inside a word, terminate it
like this: @samp{\Aacute@{@}stor}.
A large number of entities is provided, with names taken from both HTML and
La@TeX{}, see the variable @code{org-html-entities} for the complete list.
@samp{\-} is treated as a shy hyphen, and @samp{--}, @samp{---}, and
@samp{...} are all converted into special commands creating hyphens of
different lengths or a compact set of dots.
@node Subscripts and superscripts, LaTeX fragments, Special symbols, Embedded LaTeX
@subsection Subscripts and superscripts
@cindex subscript
@cindex superscript
Just like in La@TeX{}, @samp{^} and @samp{_} are used to indicate super-
and subscripts. Again, these can be used without embedding them in
math-mode delimiters. To increase the readability of ASCII text, it is
not necessary (but OK) to surround multi-character sub- and superscripts
with curly braces. For example
@example
The mass if the sun is M_sun = 1.989 x 10^30 kg. The radius of
the sun is R_@{sun@} = 6.96 x 10^8 m.
@end example
@vindex org-export-with-sub-superscripts
To avoid interpretation as raised or lowered text, you can quote @samp{^} and
@samp{_} with a backslash: @samp{\^} and @samp{\_}. If you write a text
where the underscore is often used in a different context, Org's convention
to always interpret these as subscripts can get in your way. Configure the
variable @code{org-export-with-sub-superscripts} to globally change this
convention, or use, on a per-file basis:
@example
#+OPTIONS: ^:@{@}
@end example
@node LaTeX fragments, Previewing LaTeX fragments, Subscripts and superscripts, Embedded LaTeX
@subsection La@TeX{} fragments
@cindex La@TeX{} fragments
@vindex org-format-latex-header
With symbols, sub- and superscripts, HTML is pretty much at its end when
it comes to representing mathematical formulas@footnote{Yes, there is
MathML, but that is not yet fully supported by many browsers, and there
is no decent converter for turning La@TeX{} or ASCII representations of
formulas into MathML. So for the time being, converting formulas into
images seems the way to go.}. More complex expressions need a dedicated
formula processor. To this end, Org mode can contain arbitrary La@TeX{}
fragments. It provides commands to preview the typeset result of these
fragments, and upon export to HTML, all fragments will be converted to
images and inlined into the HTML document@footnote{The La@TeX{} export
will not use images for displaying La@TeX{} fragments but include these
fragments directly into the La@TeX{} code.}. For this to work you
need to be on a system with a working La@TeX{} installation. You also
need the @file{dvipng} program, available at
@url{http://sourceforge.net/projects/dvipng/}. The La@TeX{} header that
will be used when processing a fragment can be configured with the
variable @code{org-format-latex-header}.
La@TeX{} fragments don't need any special marking at all. The following
snippets will be identified as La@TeX{} source code:
@itemize @bullet
@item
Environments of any kind. The only requirement is that the
@code{\begin} statement appears on a new line, preceded by only
whitespace.
@item
Text within the usual La@TeX{} math delimiters. To avoid conflicts with
currency specifications, single @samp{$} characters are only recognized as
math delimiters if the enclosed text contains at most two line breaks, is
directly attached to the @samp{$} characters with no whitespace in between,
and if the closing @samp{$} is followed by whitespace, punctuation or a dash.
For the other delimiters, there is no such restriction, so when in doubt, use
@samp{\(...\)} as inline math delimiters.
@end itemize
@noindent For example:
@example
\begin@{equation@} % arbitrary environments,
x=\sqrt@{b@} % even tables, figures
\end@{equation@} % etc
If $a^2=b$ and \( b=2 \), then the solution must be
either $$ a=+\sqrt@{2@} $$ or \[ a=-\sqrt@{2@} \].
@end example
@noindent
@vindex org-format-latex-options
If you need any of the delimiter ASCII sequences for other purposes, you
can configure the option @code{org-format-latex-options} to deselect the
ones you do not wish to have interpreted by the La@TeX{} converter.
@node Previewing LaTeX fragments, CDLaTeX mode, LaTeX fragments, Embedded LaTeX
@subsection Previewing LaTeX fragments
@cindex LaTeX fragments, preview
La@TeX{} fragments can be processed to produce preview images of the
typeset expressions:
@table @kbd
@kindex C-c C-x C-l
@item C-c C-x C-l
Produce a preview image of the La@TeX{} fragment at point and overlay it
over the source code. If there is no fragment at point, process all
fragments in the current entry (between two headlines). When called
with a prefix argument, process the entire subtree. When called with
two prefix arguments, or when the cursor is before the first headline,
process the entire buffer.
@kindex C-c C-c
@item C-c C-c
Remove the overlay preview images.
@end table
@vindex org-format-latex-options
You can customize the variable @code{org-format-latex-options} to influence
some aspects of the preview. In particular, the @code{:scale} (and for HTML
export, @code{:html-scale}) property can be used to adjust the size of the
preview images.
During HTML export (@pxref{HTML export}), all La@TeX{} fragments are
converted into images and inlined into the document if the following
setting is active:
@lisp
(setq org-export-with-LaTeX-fragments t)
@end lisp
@node CDLaTeX mode, , Previewing LaTeX fragments, Embedded LaTeX
@subsection Using CDLa@TeX{} to enter math
@cindex CDLa@TeX{}
CDLa@TeX{} mode is a minor mode that is normally used in combination with a
major La@TeX{} mode like AUC@TeX{} in order to speed-up insertion of
environments and math templates. Inside Org mode, you can make use of
some of the features of CDLa@TeX{} mode. You need to install
@file{cdlatex.el} and @file{texmathp.el} (the latter comes also with
AUC@TeX{}) from @url{http://www.astro.uva.nl/~dominik/Tools/cdlatex}.
Don't use CDLa@TeX{} mode itself under Org mode, but use the light
version @code{org-cdlatex-mode} that comes as part of Org mode. Turn it
on for the current buffer with @code{M-x org-cdlatex-mode}, or for all
Org files with
@lisp
(add-hook 'org-mode-hook 'turn-on-org-cdlatex)
@end lisp
When this mode is enabled, the following features are present (for more
details see the documentation of CDLa@TeX{} mode):
@itemize @bullet
@kindex C-c @{
@item
Environment templates can be inserted with @kbd{C-c @{}.
@item
@kindex @key{TAB}
The @key{TAB} key will do template expansion if the cursor is inside a
La@TeX{} fragment@footnote{Org mode has a method to test if the cursor is
inside such a fragment, see the documentation of the function
@code{org-inside-LaTeX-fragment-p}.}. For example, @key{TAB} will
expand @code{fr} to @code{\frac@{@}@{@}} and position the cursor
correctly inside the first brace. Another @key{TAB} will get you into
the second brace. Even outside fragments, @key{TAB} will expand
environment abbreviations at the beginning of a line. For example, if
you write @samp{equ} at the beginning of a line and press @key{TAB},
this abbreviation will be expanded to an @code{equation} environment.
To get a list of all abbreviations, type @kbd{M-x cdlatex-command-help}.
@item
@kindex _
@kindex ^
@vindex cdlatex-simplify-sub-super-scripts
Pressing @kbd{_} and @kbd{^} inside a La@TeX{} fragment will insert these
characters together with a pair of braces. If you use @key{TAB} to move
out of the braces, and if the braces surround only a single character or
macro, they are removed again (depending on the variable
@code{cdlatex-simplify-sub-super-scripts}).
@item
@kindex `
Pressing the backquote @kbd{`} followed by a character inserts math
macros, also outside La@TeX{} fragments. If you wait more than 1.5 seconds
after the backquote, a help window will pop up.
@item
@kindex '
Pressing the single-quote @kbd{'} followed by another character modifies
the symbol before point with an accent or a font. If you wait more than
1.5 seconds after the backquote, a help window will pop up. Character
modification will work only inside La@TeX{} fragments, outside the quote
is normal.
@end itemize
@node Exporting, Publishing, Markup, Top
@chapter Exporting
@cindex exporting
Org-mode documents can be exported into a variety of other formats. For
printing and sharing of notes, ASCII export produces a readable and simple
version of an Org file. HTML export allows you to publish a notes file on
the web, while the XOXO format provides a solid base for exchange with a
broad range of other applications. La@TeX{} export lets you use Org mode and
its structured editing functions to easily create La@TeX{} files. DocBook
export makes it possible to convert Org files to many other formats using
DocBook tools. To incorporate entries with associated times like deadlines
or appointments into a desktop calendar program like iCal, Org mode can also
produce extracts in the iCalendar format. Currently Org mode only supports
export, not import of these different formats.
Org supports export of selected regions when @code{transient-mark-mode} is
enabled (default in Emacs 23).
@menu
* Selective export:: Using tags to select and exclude trees
* Export options:: Per-file export settings
* The export dispatcher:: How to access exporter commands
* ASCII export:: Exporting to plain ASCII
* HTML export:: Exporting to HTML
* LaTeX and PDF export:: Exporting to La@TeX{}, and processing to PDF
* DocBook export:: Exporting to DocBook
* Freemind export:: Exporting to Freemind mind maps
* XOXO export:: Exporting to XOXO
* iCalendar export:: Exporting in iCalendar format
@end menu
@node Selective export, Export options, Exporting, Exporting
@section Selective export
@cindex export, selective by tags
@vindex org-export-select-tags
@vindex org-export-exclude-tags
You may use tags to select the parts of a document that should be exported,
or to exclude parts from export. This behavior is governed by two variables:
@code{org-export-select-tags} and @code{org-export-exclude-tags}.
Org first checks if any of the @emph{select} tags is present in the buffer.
If yes, all trees that do not carry one of these tags will be excluded. If a
selected tree is a subtree, the heading hierarchy above it will also be
selected for export, but not the text below those headings.
@noindent
If none of the select tags is found, the whole buffer will be selected for
export.
@noindent
Finally, all subtrees that are marked by any of the @emph{exclude} tags will
be removed from the export buffer.
@node Export options, The export dispatcher, Selective export, Exporting
@section Export options
@cindex options, for export
@cindex completion, of option keywords
The exporter recognizes special lines in the buffer which provide
additional information. These lines may be put anywhere in the file.
The whole set of lines can be inserted into the buffer with @kbd{C-c
C-e t}. For individual lines, a good way to make sure the keyword is
correct is to type @samp{#+} and then use @kbd{M-@key{TAB}} completion
(@pxref{Completion}). For a summary of other in-buffer settings not
specifically related to export, see @ref{In-buffer settings}.
In particular, note that you can place commonly-used (export) options in
a separate file which can be included using @code{#+SETUPFILE}.
@table @kbd
@kindex C-c C-e t
@item C-c C-e t
Insert template with export options, see example below.
@end table
@cindex #+TITLE
@cindex #+AUTHOR
@cindex #+DATE
@cindex #+EMAIL
@cindex #+DESCRIPTION
@cindex #+KEYWORDS
@cindex #+LANGUAGE
@cindex #+TEXT
@cindex #+OPTIONS
@cindex #+BIND
@cindex #+LINK_UP
@cindex #+LINK_HOME
@cindex #+EXPORT_SELECT_TAGS
@cindex #+EXPORT_EXCLUDE_TAGS
@cindex #+LATEX_HEADER
@vindex user-full-name
@vindex user-mail-address
@vindex org-export-default-language
@example
#+TITLE: the title to be shown (default is the buffer name)
#+AUTHOR: the author (default taken from @code{user-full-name})
#+DATE: a date, fixed, of a format string for @code{format-time-string}
#+EMAIL: his/her email address (default from @code{user-mail-address})
#+DESCRIPTION: the page description, e.g. for the XHTML meta tag
#+KEYWORDS: the page keywords, e.g. for the XHTML meta tag
#+LANGUAGE: language for HTML, e.g. @samp{en} (@code{org-export-default-language})
#+TEXT: Some descriptive text to be inserted at the beginning.
#+TEXT: Several lines may be given.
#+OPTIONS: H:2 num:t toc:t \n:nil @@:t ::t |:t ^:t f:t TeX:t ...
#+BIND: lisp-var lisp-val, e.g.: org-export-latex-low-levels itemize
@r{You need to confirm using these, or configure @code{org-export-allow-BIND}}
#+LINK_UP: the ``up'' link of an exported page
#+LINK_HOME: the ``home'' link of an exported page
#+LATEX_HEADER: extra line(s) for the LaTeX header, like \usepackage@{xyz@}
#+EXPORT_SELECT_TAGS: Tags that select a tree for export
#+EXPORT_EXCLUDE_TAGS: Tags that exclude a tree from export
@end example
@noindent
The OPTIONS line is a compact@footnote{If you want to configure many options
this way, you can use several OPTIONS lines.} form to specify export settings. Here
you can:
@cindex headline levels
@cindex section-numbers
@cindex table of contents
@cindex line-break preservation
@cindex quoted HTML tags
@cindex fixed-width sections
@cindex tables
@cindex @TeX{}-like syntax for sub- and superscripts
@cindex footnotes
@cindex special strings
@cindex emphasized text
@cindex @TeX{} macros
@cindex La@TeX{} fragments
@cindex author info, in export
@cindex time info, in export
@example
H: @r{set the number of headline levels for export}
num: @r{turn on/off section-numbers}
toc: @r{turn on/off table of contents, or set level limit (integer)}
\n: @r{turn on/off line-break-preservation}
@@: @r{turn on/off quoted HTML tags}
:: @r{turn on/off fixed-width sections}
|: @r{turn on/off tables}
^: @r{turn on/off @TeX{}-like syntax for sub- and superscripts. If}
@r{you write "^:@{@}", @code{a_@{b@}} will be interpreted, but}
@r{the simple @code{a_b} will be left as it is.}
-: @r{turn on/off conversion of special strings.}
f: @r{turn on/off footnotes like this[1].}
todo: @r{turn on/off inclusion of TODO keywords into exported text}
pri: @r{turn on/off priority cookies}
tags: @r{turn on/off inclusion of tags, may also be @code{not-in-toc}}
<: @r{turn on/off inclusion of any time/date stamps like DEADLINES}
*: @r{turn on/off emphasized text (bold, italic, underlined)}
TeX: @r{turn on/off simple @TeX{} macros in plain text}
LaTeX: @r{turn on/off La@TeX{} fragments}
skip: @r{turn on/off skipping the text before the first heading}
author: @r{turn on/off inclusion of author name/email into exported file}
creator: @r{turn on/off inclusion of creator info into exported file}
timestamp: @r{turn on/off inclusion creation time into exported file}
d: @r{turn on/off inclusion of drawers}
@end example
@noindent
These options take effect in both the HTML and La@TeX{} export, except
for @code{TeX} and @code{LaTeX}, which are respectively @code{t} and
@code{nil} for the La@TeX{} export.
When exporting only a single subtree by selecting it with @kbd{C-c @@} before
calling an export command, the subtree can overrule some of the file's export
settings with properties @code{EXPORT_FILE_NAME}, @code{EXPORT_TITLE},
@code{EXPORT_TEXT}, @code{EXPORT_AUTHOR}, @code{EXPORT_DATE}, and
@code{EXPORT_OPTIONS}.
@node The export dispatcher, ASCII export, Export options, Exporting
@section The export dispatcher
@cindex dispatcher, for export commands
All export commands can be reached using the export dispatcher, which is a
prefix key that prompts for an additional key specifying the command.
Normally the entire file is exported, but if there is an active region that
contains one outline tree, the first heading is used as document title and
the subtrees are exported.
@table @kbd
@kindex C-c C-e
@item C-c C-e
@vindex org-export-run-in-background
Dispatcher for export and publishing commands. Displays a help-window
listing the additional key(s) needed to launch an export or publishing
command. The prefix arg is passed through to the exporter. A double prefix
@kbd{C-u C-u} causes most commands to be executed in the background, in a
separate Emacs process@footnote{To make this behavior the default, customize
the variable @code{org-export-run-in-background}.}.
@kindex C-c C-e v
@item C-c C-e v
Like @kbd{C-c C-e}, but only export the text that is currently visible
(i.e. not hidden by outline visibility).
@kindex C-u C-u C-c C-e
@item C-u C-u C-c C-e
@vindex org-export-run-in-background
Call an the exporter, but reverse the setting of
@code{org-export-run-in-background}, i.e. request background processing if
not set, or force processing in the current Emacs process if set.
@end table
@node ASCII export, HTML export, The export dispatcher, Exporting
@section ASCII export
@cindex ASCII export
ASCII export produces a simple and very readable version of an Org-mode
file.
@cindex region, active
@cindex active region
@cindex transient-mark-mode
@table @kbd
@kindex C-c C-e a
@item C-c C-e a
@cindex property, EXPORT_FILE_NAME
Export as ASCII file. For an Org file, @file{myfile.org}, the ASCII file
will be @file{myfile.txt}. The file will be overwritten without
warning. If there is an active region@footnote{This requires
@code{transient-mark-mode} be turned on.}, only the region will be
exported. If the selected region is a single tree@footnote{To select the
current subtree, use @kbd{C-c @@}.}, the tree head will
become the document title. If the tree head entry has or inherits an
@code{EXPORT_FILE_NAME} property, that name will be used for the
export.
@kindex C-c C-e A
@item C-c C-e A
Export to a temporary buffer, do not create a file.
@kindex C-c C-e v a
@item C-c C-e v a
Export only the visible part of the document.
@end table
@cindex headline levels, for exporting
In the exported version, the first 3 outline levels will become
headlines, defining a general document structure. Additional levels
will be exported as itemized lists. If you want that transition to occur
at a different level, specify it with a prefix argument. For example,
@example
@kbd{C-1 C-c C-e a}
@end example
@noindent
creates only top level headlines and does the rest as items. When
headlines are converted to items, the indentation of the text following
the headline is changed to fit nicely under the item. This is done with
the assumption that the first body line indicates the base indentation of
the body text. Any indentation larger than this is adjusted to preserve
the layout relative to the first line. Should there be lines with less
indentation than the first, these are left alone.
@vindex org-export-ascii-links-to-notes
Links will be exported in a footnote-like style, with the descriptive part in
the text and the link in a note before the next heading. See the variable
@code{org-export-ascii-links-to-notes} for details and other options.
@node HTML export, LaTeX and PDF export, ASCII export, Exporting
@section HTML export
@cindex HTML export
Org mode contains an HTML (XHTML 1.0 strict) exporter with extensive
HTML formatting, in ways similar to John Gruber's @emph{markdown}
language, but with additional support for tables.
@menu
* HTML Export commands:: How to invoke HTML export
* Quoting HTML tags:: Using direct HTML in Org mode
* Links in HTML export:: How links will be interpreted and formatted
* Tables in HTML export:: How to modify the formatting of tables
* Images in HTML export:: How to insert figures into HTML output
* Text areas in HTML export:: An alternative way to show an example
* CSS support:: Changing the appearance of the output
* Javascript support:: Info and Folding in a web browser
@end menu
@node HTML Export commands, Quoting HTML tags, HTML export, HTML export
@subsection HTML export commands
@cindex region, active
@cindex active region
@cindex transient-mark-mode
@table @kbd
@kindex C-c C-e h
@item C-c C-e h
@cindex property, EXPORT_FILE_NAME
Export as HTML file @file{myfile.html}. For an Org file @file{myfile.org},
the ASCII file will be @file{myfile.html}. The file will be overwritten
without warning. If there is an active region@footnote{This requires
@code{transient-mark-mode} be turned on.}, only the region will be
exported. If the selected region is a single tree@footnote{To select the
current subtree, use @kbd{C-c @@}.}, the tree head will become the document
title. If the tree head entry has, or inherits, an @code{EXPORT_FILE_NAME}
property, that name will be used for the export.
@kindex C-c C-e b
@item C-c C-e b
Export as HTML file and immediately open it with a browser.
@kindex C-c C-e H
@item C-c C-e H
Export to a temporary buffer, do not create a file.
@kindex C-c C-e R
@item C-c C-e R
Export the active region to a temporary buffer. With a prefix argument, do
not produce the file header and footer, but just the plain HTML section for
the region. This is good for cut-and-paste operations.
@kindex C-c C-e v h
@kindex C-c C-e v b
@kindex C-c C-e v H
@kindex C-c C-e v R
@item C-c C-e v h
@item C-c C-e v b
@item C-c C-e v H
@item C-c C-e v R
Export only the visible part of the document.
@item M-x org-export-region-as-html
Convert the region to HTML under the assumption that it was Org-mode
syntax before. This is a global command that can be invoked in any
buffer.
@item M-x org-replace-region-by-HTML
Replace the active region (assumed to be in Org-mode syntax) by HTML
code.
@end table
@cindex headline levels, for exporting
In the exported version, the first 3 outline levels will become headlines,
defining a general document structure. Additional levels will be exported as
itemized lists. If you want that transition to occur at a different level,
specify it with a numeric prefix argument. For example,
@example
@kbd{C-2 C-c C-e b}
@end example
@noindent
creates two levels of headings and does the rest as items.
@node Quoting HTML tags, Links in HTML export, HTML Export commands, HTML export
@subsection Quoting HTML tags
Plain @samp{<} and @samp{>} are always transformed to @samp{&lt;} and
@samp{&gt;} in HTML export. If you want to include simple HTML tags
which should be interpreted as such, mark them with @samp{@@} as in
@samp{@@<b>bold text@@</b>}. Note that this really works only for
simple tags. For more extensive HTML that should be copied verbatim to
the exported file use either
@cindex #+HTML
@cindex #+BEGIN_HTML
@example
#+HTML: Literal HTML code for export
@end example
@noindent or
@cindex #+BEGIN_HTML
@example
#+BEGIN_HTML
All lines between these markers are exported literally
#+END_HTML
@end example
@node Links in HTML export, Tables in HTML export, Quoting HTML tags, HTML export
@subsection Links in HTML export
@cindex links, in HTML export
@cindex internal links, in HTML export
@cindex external links, in HTML export
Internal links (@pxref{Internal links}) will continue to work in HTML. This
includes automatic links created by radio targets (@pxref{Radio
targets}). Links to external files will still work if the target file is on
the same @i{relative} path as the published Org file. Links to other
@file{.org} files will be translated into HTML links under the assumption
that an HTML version also exists of the linked file, at the same relative
path. @samp{id:} links can then be used to jump to specific entries across
files. For information related to linking files while publishing them to a
publishing directory see @ref{Publishing links}.
If you want to specify attributes for links, you can do so using a special
@code{#+ATTR_HTML} line to define attributes that will be added to the
@code{<a>} or @code{<img>} tags. Here is an example that sets @code{title}
and @code{style} attributes for a link:
@cindex #+ATTR_HTML
@example
#+ATTR_HTML: title="The Org-mode homepage" style="color:red;"
[[http://orgmode.org]]
@end example
@node Tables in HTML export, Images in HTML export, Links in HTML export, HTML export
@subsection Tables
@cindex tables, in HTML
@vindex org-export-html-table-tag
Org-mode tables are exported to HTML using the table tag defined in
@code{org-export-html-table-tag}. The default setting makes tables without
cell borders and frame. If you would like to change this for individual
tables, place somthing like the following before the table:
@cindex #+CAPTION
@cindex #+ATTR_HTML
@example
#+CAPTION: This is a table with lines around and between cells
#+ATTR_HTML: border="2" rules="all" frame="all"
@end example
@node Images in HTML export, Text areas in HTML export, Tables in HTML export, HTML export
@subsection Images in HTML export
@cindex images, inline in HTML
@cindex inlining images in HTML
@vindex org-export-html-inline-images
HTML export can inline images given as links in the Org file, and
it can make an image the clickable part of a link. By
default@footnote{But see the variable
@code{org-export-html-inline-images}.}, images are inlined if a link does
not have a description. So @samp{[[file:myimg.jpg]]} will be inlined,
while @samp{[[file:myimg.jpg][the image]]} will just produce a link
@samp{the image} that points to the image. If the description part
itself is a @code{file:} link or a @code{http:} URL pointing to an
image, this image will be inlined and activated so that clicking on the
image will activate the link. For example, to include a thumbnail that
will link to a high resolution version of the image, you could use:
@example
[[file:highres.jpg][file:thumb.jpg]]
@end example
If you need to add attributes to an inlines image, use a @code{#+ATTR_HTML}.
In the example below we specify the @code{alt} and @code{title} attributes to
support text viewers and accessibility, and align it to the right.
@cindex #+CAPTION
@cindex #+ATTR_HTML
@example
#+CAPTION: A black cat stalking a spider
#+ATTR_HTML: alt="cat/spider image" title="Action!" align="right"
[[./img/a.jpg]]
@end example
@noindent
and you could use @code{http} addresses just as well.
@node Text areas in HTML export, CSS support, Images in HTML export, HTML export
@subsection Text areas in HTML export
@cindex text areas, in HTML
An alternative way to publish literal code examples in HTML is to use text
areas, where the example can even be edited before pasting it into an
application. It is triggered by a @code{-t} switch at an @code{example} or
@code{src} block. Using this switch disables any options for syntax and
label highlighting, and line numbering, which may be present. You may also
use @code{-h} and @code{-w} switches to specify the height and width of the
text area, which default to the number of lines in the example, and 80,
respectively. For example
@example
#+BEGIN_EXAMPLE -t -w 40
(defun org-xor (a b)
"Exclusive or."
(if a (not b) b))
#+END_EXAMPLE
@end example
@node CSS support, Javascript support, Text areas in HTML export, HTML export
@subsection CSS support
@cindex CSS, for HTML export
@cindex HTML export, CSS
@vindex org-export-html-todo-kwd-class-prefix
@vindex org-export-html-tag-class-prefix
You can also give style information for the exported file. The HTML exporter
assigns the following special CSS classes@footnote{If the classes on TODO
keywords and tags lead to conflicts, use the variables
@code{org-export-html-todo-kwd-class-prefix} and
@code{org-export-html-tag-class-prefix} to make them unique.} to appropriate
parts of the document---your style specifications may change these, in
addition to any of the standard classes like for headlines, tables, etc.
@example
p.author @r{author information, including email}
p.date @r{publishing date}
p.creator @r{creator info, about org-mode version}
.title @r{document title}
.todo @r{TODO keywords, all not-done states}
.done @r{the DONE keywords, all stated the count as done}
.WAITING @r{each TODO keyword also uses a class named after itself}
.timestamp @r{timestamp}
.timestamp-kwd @r{keyword associated with a timestamp, like SCHEDULED}
.timestamp-wrapper @r{span around keyword plus timestamp}
.tag @r{tag in a headline}
._HOME @r{each tag uses itself as a class, "@@" replaced by "_"}
.target @r{target for links}
.linenr @r{the line number in a code example}
.code-highlighted @r{for highlighting referenced code lines}
div.outline-N @r{div for outline level N (headline plus text))}
div.outline-text-N @r{extra div for text at outline level N}
.section-number-N @r{section number in headlines, different for each level}
div.figure @r{how to format an inlined image}
pre.src @r{formatted source code}
pre.example @r{normal example}
p.verse @r{verse paragraph}
div.footnotes @r{footnote section headline}
p.footnote @r{footnote definition paragraph, containing a footnote}
.footref @r{a footnote reference number (always a <sup>)}
.footnum @r{footnote number in footnote definition (always <sup>)}
@end example
@vindex org-export-html-style-default
@vindex org-export-html-style-include-default
@vindex org-export-html-style
@vindex org-export-html-extra
@vindex org-export-html-style-default
Each exported file contains a compact default style that defines these
classes in a basic way@footnote{This style is defined in the constant
@code{org-export-html-style-default}, which you should not modify. To turn
inclusion of these defaults off, customize
@code{org-export-html-style-include-default}}. You may overwrite these
settings, or add to them by using the variables @code{org-export-html-style}
(for Org-wide settings) and @code{org-export-html-style-extra} (for more
granular settings, like file-local settings). To set the latter variable
individually for each file, you can use
@cindex #+STYLE
@example
#+STYLE: <link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="stylesheet.css" />
@end example
@noindent
For longer style definitions, you can use several such lines. You could also
directly write a @code{<style>} @code{</style>} section in this way, without
referring to an external file.
@c FIXME: More about header and footer styles
@c FIXME: Talk about links and targets.
@node Javascript support, , CSS support, HTML export
@subsection Javascript supported display of web pages
@cindex Rose, Sebastian
Sebastian Rose has written a JavaScript program especially designed to
enhance the web viewing experience of HTML files created with Org. This
program allows you to view large files in two different ways. The first one
is an @emph{Info}-like mode where each section is displayed separately and
navigation can be done with the @kbd{n} and @kbd{p} keys (and some other keys
as well, press @kbd{?} for an overview of the available keys). The second
view type is a @emph{folding} view much like Org provides inside Emacs. The
script is available at @url{http://orgmode.org/org-info.js} and you can find
the documentation for it at @url{http://orgmode.org/worg/code/org-info-js/}.
We host the script at our site, but if you use it a lot, you might
not want to be dependent on @url{orgmode.org} and prefer to install a local
copy on your own web server.
To use the script, you need to make sure that the @file{org-jsinfo.el} module
gets loaded. It should be loaded by default, but you can try @kbd{M-x
customize-variable @key{RET} org-modules @key{RET}} to convince yourself that
this is indeed the case. All it then takes to make use of the program is
adding a single line to the Org file:
@cindex #+INFOJS_OPT
@example
#+INFOJS_OPT: view:info toc:nil
@end example
@noindent
If this line is found, the HTML header will automatically contain the code
needed to invoke the script. Using the line above, you can set the following
viewing options:
@example
path: @r{The path to the script. The default is to grab the script from}
@r{@url{http://orgmode.org/org-info.js}, but you might want to have}
@r{a local copy and use a path like @samp{../scripts/org-info.js}.}
view: @r{Initial view when website is first shown. Possible values are:}
info @r{Info-like interface with one section per page.}
overview @r{Folding interface, initially showing only top-level.}
content @r{Folding interface, starting with all headlines visible.}
showall @r{Folding interface, all headlines and text visible.}
sdepth: @r{Maximum headline level that will still become an independent}
@r{section for info and folding modes. The default is taken from}
@r{@code{org-export-headline-levels} (= the @code{H} switch in @code{#+OPTIONS}).}
@r{If this is smaller than in @code{org-export-headline-levels}, each}
@r{info/folding section can still contain child headlines.}
toc: @r{Should the table of content @emph{initially} be visible?}
@r{Even when @code{nil}, you can always get to the "toc" with @kbd{i}.}
tdepth: @r{The depth of the table of contents. The defaults are taken from}
@r{the variables @code{org-export-headline-levels} and @code{org-export-with-toc}.}
ftoc: @r{Does the css of the page specify a fixed position for the "toc"?}
@r{If yes, the toc will never be displayed as a section.}
ltoc: @r{Should there be short contents (children) in each section?}
@r{Make this @code{above} if the section should be above initial text.}
mouse: @r{Headings are highlighted when the mouse is over them. Should be}
@r{@samp{underline} (default) or a background color like @samp{#cccccc}.}
buttons: @r{Should view-toggle buttons be everywhere? When @code{nil} (the}
@r{default), only one such button will be present.}
@end example
@noindent
@vindex org-infojs-options
@vindex org-export-html-use-infojs
You can choose default values for these options by customizing the variable
@code{org-infojs-options}. If you always want to apply the script to your
pages, configure the variable @code{org-export-html-use-infojs}.
@node LaTeX and PDF export, DocBook export, HTML export, Exporting
@section La@TeX{} and PDF export
@cindex La@TeX{} export
@cindex PDF export
@cindex Guerry, Bastien
Org mode contains a La@TeX{} exporter written by Bastien Guerry. With
further processing, this backend is also used to produce PDF output. Since
the La@TeX{} output uses @file{hyperref} to implement links and cross
references, the PDF output file will be fully linked.
@menu
* LaTeX/PDF export commands:: Which key invokes which commands
* Quoting LaTeX code:: Incorporating literal La@TeX{} code
* Sectioning structure:: Changing sectioning in La@TeX{} output
* Tables in LaTeX export:: Options for exporting tables to La@TeX{}
* Images in LaTeX export:: How to insert figures into La@TeX{} output
@end menu
@node LaTeX/PDF export commands, Quoting LaTeX code, LaTeX and PDF export, LaTeX and PDF export
@subsection La@TeX{} export commands
@cindex region, active
@cindex active region
@cindex transient-mark-mode
@table @kbd
@kindex C-c C-e l
@item C-c C-e l
@cindex property EXPORT_FILE_NAME
Export as La@TeX{} file @file{myfile.tex}. For an Org file
@file{myfile.org}, the ASCII file will be @file{myfile.tex}. The file will
be overwritten without warning. If there is an active region@footnote{This
requires @code{transient-mark-mode} be turned on.}, only the region will be
exported. If the selected region is a single tree@footnote{To select the
current subtree, use @kbd{C-c @@}.}, the tree head will become the document
title. If the tree head entry has or inherits an @code{EXPORT_FILE_NAME}
property, that name will be used for the export.
@kindex C-c C-e L
@item C-c C-e L
Export to a temporary buffer, do not create a file.
@kindex C-c C-e v l
@kindex C-c C-e v L
@item C-c C-e v l
@item C-c C-e v L
Export only the visible part of the document.
@item M-x org-export-region-as-latex
Convert the region to La@TeX{} under the assumption that it was Org mode
syntax before. This is a global command that can be invoked in any
buffer.
@item M-x org-replace-region-by-latex
Replace the active region (assumed to be in Org mode syntax) by La@TeX{}
code.
@kindex C-c C-e p
@item C-c C-e p
Export as La@TeX{} and then process to PDF.
@kindex C-c C-e d
@item C-c C-e d
Export as La@TeX{} and then process to PDF, then open the resulting PDF file.
@end table
@cindex headline levels, for exporting
@vindex org-latex-low-levels
In the exported version, the first 3 outline levels will become
headlines, defining a general document structure. Additional levels
will be exported as description lists. The exporter can ignore them or
convert them to a custom string depending on
@code{org-latex-low-levels}.
If you want that transition to occur at a different level, specify it
with a numeric prefix argument. For example,
@example
@kbd{C-2 C-c C-e l}
@end example
@noindent
creates two levels of headings and does the rest as items.
@node Quoting LaTeX code, Sectioning structure, LaTeX/PDF export commands, LaTeX and PDF export
@subsection Quoting La@TeX{} code
Embedded La@TeX{} as described in @ref{Embedded LaTeX}, will be correctly
inserted into the La@TeX{} file. This includes simple macros like
@samp{\ref@{LABEL@}} to create a cross reference to a figure. Furthermore,
you can add special code that should only be present in La@TeX{} export with
the following constructs:
@cindex #+LaTeX
@cindex #+BEGIN_LaTeX
@example
#+LaTeX: Literal LaTeX code for export
@end example
@noindent or
@cindex #+BEGIN_LaTeX
@example
#+BEGIN_LaTeX
All lines between these markers are exported literally
#+END_LaTeX
@end example
@node Sectioning structure, Tables in LaTeX export, Quoting LaTeX code, LaTeX and PDF export
@subsection Sectioning structure
@cindex La@TeX{} class
@cindex La@TeX{} sectioning structure
By default, the La@TeX{} output uses the class @code{article}.
@vindex org-export-latex-default-class
@vindex org-export-latex-classes
@cindex #+LATEX_HEADER
@cindex #+LATEX_CLASS
@cindex #+LATEX_CLASS_OPTIONS
@cindex property, LATEX_CLASS
@cindex property, LATEX_CLASS_OPTIONS
You can change this globally by setting a different value for
@code{org-export-latex-default-class} or locally by adding an option like
@code{#+LaTeX_CLASS: myclass} in your file, or with a @code{:LaTeX_CLASS:}
property that applies when exporting a region containing only this (sub)tree.
The class should be listed in @code{org-export-latex-classes}, where you can
also define the sectioning structure for each class, as well as defining
additional classes. In a similar way, @code{#+LaTeX_CLASS_OPTIONS} or a
@code{LaTeX_CLASS_OPTIONS} property can specify the options for the
@code{\documentclass} macro. You can also use @code{#+LATEX_HEADER:
\usepackage@{xyz@}} to add lines to the header.
@node Tables in LaTeX export, Images in LaTeX export, Sectioning structure, LaTeX and PDF export
@subsection Tables in La@TeX{} export
@cindex tables, in La@TeX{} export
For La@TeX{} export of a table, you can specify a label and a caption
(@pxref{Images and tables}). You can also use the @code{ATTR_LaTeX} line to
request a longtable environment for the table, so that it may span several
pages. Finally, you can set the alignment string:
@cindex #+CAPTION
@cindex #+LABEL
@cindex #+ATTR_LaTeX
@example
#+CAPTION: A long table
#+LABEL: tbl:long
#+ATTR_LaTeX: longtable align=l|lp@{3cm@}r|l
| ..... | ..... |
| ..... | ..... |
@end example
@node Images in LaTeX export, , Tables in LaTeX export, LaTeX and PDF export
@subsection Images in La@TeX{} export
@cindex images, inline in La@TeX{}
@cindex inlining images in La@TeX{}
Images that are linked to without a description part in the link, like
@samp{[[file:img.jpg]]} or @samp{[[./img.jpg]]} will be inserted into the PDF
output file resulting from La@TeX{} processing. Org will use an
@code{\includegraphics} macro to insert the image. If you have specified a
caption and/or a label as described in @ref{Images and tables}, the figure
will be wrapped into a @code{figure} environment and thus become a floating
element. You can use an @code{#+ATTR_LaTeX:} line to specify the various
options that can be used in the optional argument of the
@code{\includegraphics} macro. To modify the placement option of the
@code{figure} environment, add something like @samp{placement=[h!]} to the
Attributes.
If you'd like to let text flow around the image, add the word @samp{wrap} to
the @code{#+ATTR_LaTeX:} line, which will make the figure occupy the left
half of the page. To fine-tune, the @code{placement} field will be the
set of additional arguments needed by the @code{wrapfigure} environment.
Note that if you change the size of the image, you need to use compatible
settings for @code{\includegraphics} and @code{wrapfigure}.
@cindex #+CAPTION
@cindex #+LABEL
@cindex #+ATTR_LaTeX
@example
#+CAPTION: The black-body emission of the disk around HR 4049
#+LABEL: fig:SED-HR4049
#+ATTR_LaTeX: width=5cm,angle=90
[[./img/sed-hr4049.pdf]]
#+ATTR_LaTeX: width=0.38\textwidth wrap placement=@{r@}@{0.4\textwidth@}
[[./img/hst.png]]
@end example
If you need references to a label created in this way, write
@samp{\ref@{fig:SED-HR4049@}} just like in La@TeX{}.
@node DocBook export, Freemind export, LaTeX and PDF export, Exporting
@section DocBook export
@cindex DocBook export
@cindex PDF export
@cindex Cui, Baoqui
Org contains a DocBook exporter written by Baoqiu Cui. Once an Org file is
exported to DocBook format, it can be further processed to produce other
formats, including PDF, HTML, man pages, etc., using many available DocBook
tools and stylesheets.
Currently DocBook exporter only supports DocBook V5.0.
@menu
* DocBook export commands:: How to invoke DocBook export
* Quoting DocBook code:: Incorporating DocBook code in Org files
* Recursive sections:: Recursive sections in DocBook
* Tables in DocBook export:: Tables are exported as HTML tables
* Images in DocBook export:: How to insert figures into DocBook output
* Special characters:: How to handle special characters
@end menu
@node DocBook export commands, Quoting DocBook code, DocBook export, DocBook export
@subsection DocBook export commands
@cindex region, active
@cindex active region
@cindex transient-mark-mode
@table @kbd
@kindex C-c C-e D
@item C-c C-e D
@cindex property EXPORT_FILE_NAME
Export as DocBook file. For an Org file, @file{myfile.org}, the DocBook XML
file will be @file{myfile.xml}. The file will be overwritten without
warning. If there is an active region@footnote{This requires
@code{transient-mark-mode} to be turned on}, only the region will be
exported. If the selected region is a single tree@footnote{To select the
current subtree, use @kbd{C-c @@}.}, the tree head will become the document
title. If the tree head entry has, or inherits, an @code{EXPORT_FILE_NAME}
property, that name will be used for the export.
@kindex C-c C-e V
@item C-c C-e V
Export as DocBook file, process to PDF, then open the resulting PDF file.
@vindex org-export-docbook-xslt-proc-command
@vindex org-export-docbook-xsl-fo-proc-command
Note that, in order to produce PDF output based on exported DocBook file, you
need to have XSLT processor and XSL-FO processor software installed on your
system. Check variables @code{org-export-docbook-xslt-proc-command} and
@code{org-export-docbook-xsl-fo-proc-command}.
@kindex C-c C-e v D
@item C-c C-e v D
Export only the visible part of the document.
@end table
@node Quoting DocBook code, Recursive sections, DocBook export commands, DocBook export
@subsection Quoting DocBook code
You can quote DocBook code in Org files and copy it verbatim into exported
DocBook file with the following constructs:
@cindex #+DOCBOOK
@cindex #+BEGIN_DOCBOOK
@example
#+DOCBOOK: Literal DocBook code for export
@end example
@noindent or
@cindex #+BEGIN_DOCBOOK
@example
#+BEGIN_DOCBOOK
All lines between these markers are exported by DocBook exporter
literally.
#+END_DOCBOOK
@end example
For example, you can use the following lines to include a DocBook warning
admonition. As to what this warning says, you should pay attention to the
document context when quoting DocBook code in Org files. You may make
exported DocBook XML files invalid by not quoting DocBook code correctly.
@example
#+BEGIN_DOCBOOK
<warning>
<para>You should know what you are doing when quoting DocBook XML code
in your Org file. Invalid DocBook XML file may be generated by
DocBook exporter if you are not careful!</para>
</warning>
#+END_DOCBOOK
@end example
@node Recursive sections, Tables in DocBook export, Quoting DocBook code, DocBook export
@subsection Recursive sections
@cindex DocBook recursive sections
DocBook exporter exports Org files as articles using the @code{article}
element in DocBook. Recursive sections, i.e. @code{section} elements, are
used in exported articles. Top level headlines in Org files are exported as
top level sections, and lower level headlines are exported as nested
sections. The entire structure of Org files will be exported completely, no
matter how many nested levels of headlines there are.
Using recursive sections makes it easy to port and reuse exported DocBook
code in other DocBook document types like @code{book} or @code{set}.
@node Tables in DocBook export, Images in DocBook export, Recursive sections, DocBook export
@subsection Tables in DocBook export
@cindex tables, in DocBook export
Tables in Org files are exported as HTML tables, which have been supported since
DocBook V4.3.
If a table does not have a caption, an informal table is generated using the
@code{informaltable} element; otherwise, a formal table will be generated
using the @code{table} element.
@node Images in DocBook export, Special characters, Tables in DocBook export, DocBook export
@subsection Images in DocBook export
@cindex images, inline in DocBook
@cindex inlining images in DocBook
Images that are linked to without a description part in the link, like
@samp{[[file:img.jpg]]} or @samp{[[./img.jpg]]}, will be exported to DocBook
using @code{mediaobject} elements. Each @code{mediaobject} element contains
an @code{imageobject} that wraps an @code{imagedata} element. If you have
specified a caption for an image as described in @ref{Images and tables}, a
@code{caption} element will be added in @code{mediaobject}. If a label is
also specified, it will be exported as an @code{xml:id} attribute of the
@code{mediaobject} element.
@vindex org-export-docbook-default-image-attributes
Image attributes supported by the @code{imagedata} element, like @code{align}
or @code{width}, can be specified in two ways: you can either customize
variable @code{org-export-docbook-default-image-attributes} or use the
@code{#+ATTR_DOCBOOK:} line. Attributes specified in variable
@code{org-export-docbook-default-image-attributes} are applied to all inline
images in the Org file to be exported (unless they are overwritten by image
attributes specified in @code{#+ATTR_DOCBOOK:} lines).
The @code{#+ATTR_DOCBOOK:} line can be used to specify additional image
attributes or overwrite default image attributes for individual images. If
the same attribute appears in both the @code{#+ATTR_DOCBOOK:} line and
variable @code{org-export-docbook-default-image-attributes}, the former
overwrites the latter. Here is an example about how image attributes can be
set:
@cindex #+CAPTION
@cindex #+LABEL
@cindex #+ATTR_DOCBOOK
@example
#+CAPTION: The logo of Org mode
#+LABEL: unicorn-svg
#+ATTR_DOCBOOK: scalefit="1" width="100%" depth="100%"
[[./img/org-mode-unicorn.svg]]
@end example
@vindex org-export-docbook-inline-image-extensions
By default, DocBook exporter recognizes the following image file types:
@file{jpeg}, @file{jpg}, @file{png}, @file{gif}, and @file{svg}. You can
customize variable @code{org-export-docbook-inline-image-extensions} to add
more types to this list as long as DocBook supports them.
@node Special characters, , Images in DocBook export, DocBook export
@subsection Special characters in DocBook export
@cindex Special characters in DocBook export
@vindex org-export-docbook-doctype
@vindex org-html-entities
Special characters that are written in @TeX{}-like syntax, such as @code{\alpha},
@code{\Gamma}, and @code{\Zeta}, are supported by DocBook exporter. These
characters are rewritten to XML entities, like @code{&alpha;},
@code{&Gamma;}, and @code{&Zeta;}, based on the list saved in variable
@code{org-html-entities}. As long as the generated DocBook file includes the
corresponding entities, these special characters are recognized.
You can customize variable @code{org-export-docbook-doctype} to include the
entities you need. For example, you can set variable
@code{org-export-docbook-doctype} to the following value to recognize all
special characters included in XHTML entities:
@example
"<!DOCTYPE article [
<!ENTITY % xhtml1-symbol PUBLIC
\"-//W3C//ENTITIES Symbol for HTML//EN//XML\"
\"http://www.w3.org/2003/entities/2007/xhtml1-symbol.ent\"
>
%xhtml1-symbol;
]>
"
@end example
@node Freemind export, XOXO export, DocBook export, Exporting
@section Freemind export
@cindex Freemind export
@cindex mind map
The freemind exporter was written by Lennart Borgman.
@table @kbd
@kindex C-c C-e m
@item C-c C-e m
Export as Freemind mind map @file{myfile.mm}.
@end table
@node XOXO export, iCalendar export, Freemind export, Exporting
@section XOXO export
@cindex XOXO export
Org mode contains an exporter that produces XOXO-style output.
Currently, this exporter only handles the general outline structure and
does not interpret any additional Org-mode features.
@table @kbd
@kindex C-c C-e x
@item C-c C-e x
Export as XOXO file @file{myfile.html}.
@kindex C-c C-e v
@item C-c C-e v x
Export only the visible part of the document.
@end table
@node iCalendar export, , XOXO export, Exporting
@section iCalendar export
@cindex iCalendar export
@vindex org-icalendar-include-todo
@vindex org-icalendar-use-deadline
@vindex org-icalendar-use-scheduled
@vindex org-icalendar-categories
Some people use Org mode for keeping track of projects, but still prefer a
standard calendar application for anniversaries and appointments. In this
case it can be useful to show deadlines and other time-stamped items in Org
files in the calendar application. Org mode can export calendar information
in the standard iCalendar format. If you also want to have TODO entries
included in the export, configure the variable
@code{org-icalendar-include-todo}. Plain timestamps are exported as VEVENT,
and TODO items as VTODO. It will also create events from deadlines that are
in non-TODO items. Deadlines and scheduling dates in TODO items will be used
to set the start and due dates for the TODO entry@footnote{See the variables
@code{org-icalendar-use-deadline} and @code{org-icalendar-use-scheduled}.}.
As categories, it will use the tags locally defined in the heading, and the
file/tree category@footnote{To add inherited tags or the TODO state,
configure the variable @code{org-icalendar-categories}.}.
@vindex org-icalendar-store-UID
@cindex property, ID
The iCalendar standard requires each entry to have a globally unique
identifier (UID). Org creates these identifiers during export. If you set
the variable @code{org-icalendar-store-UID}, the UID will be stored in the
@code{:ID:} property of the entry and re-used next time you report this
entry. Since a single entry can give rise to multiple iCalendar entries (as
a timestamp, a deadline, a scheduled item, and as a TODO item), Org adds
prefixes to the UID, depending on what triggered the inclusion of the entry.
In this way the UID remains unique, but a synchronization program can still
figure out from which entry all the different instances originate.
@table @kbd
@kindex C-c C-e i
@item C-c C-e i
Create iCalendar entries for the current file and store them in the same
directory, using a file extension @file{.ics}.
@kindex C-c C-e I
@item C-c C-e I
@vindex org-agenda-files
Like @kbd{C-c C-e i}, but do this for all files in
@code{org-agenda-files}. For each of these files, a separate iCalendar
file will be written.
@kindex C-c C-e c
@item C-c C-e c
@vindex org-combined-agenda-icalendar-file
Create a single large iCalendar file from all files in
@code{org-agenda-files} and write it to the file given by
@code{org-combined-agenda-icalendar-file}.
@end table
@vindex org-use-property-inheritance
@vindex org-icalendar-include-body
@cindex property, SUMMARY
@cindex property, DESCRIPTION
@cindex property, LOCATION
The export will honor SUMMARY, DESCRIPTION and LOCATION@footnote{The LOCATION
property can be inherited from higher in the hierarchy if you configure
@code{org-use-property-inheritance} accordingly.} properties if the selected
entries have them. If not, the summary will be derived from the headline,
and the description from the body (limited to
@code{org-icalendar-include-body} characters).
How this calendar is best read and updated, depends on the application
you are using. The FAQ covers this issue.
@node Publishing, Miscellaneous, Exporting, Top
@chapter Publishing
@cindex publishing
@cindex O'Toole, David
Org includes a publishing management system that allows you to configure
automatic HTML conversion of @emph{projects} composed of interlinked org
files. You can also configure Org to automatically upload your exported HTML
pages and related attachments, such as images and source code files, to a web
server.
You can also use Org to convert files into PDF, or even combine HTML and PDF
conversion so that files are available in both formats on the server.
Publishing has been contributed to Org by David O'Toole.
@menu
* Configuration:: Defining projects
* Uploading files:: How to get files up on the server
* Sample configuration:: Example projects
* Triggering publication:: Publication commands
@end menu
@node Configuration, Uploading files, Publishing, Publishing
@section Configuration
Publishing needs significant configuration to specify files, destination
and many other properties of a project.
@menu
* Project alist:: The central configuration variable
* Sources and destinations:: From here to there
* Selecting files:: What files are part of the project?
* Publishing action:: Setting the function doing the publishing
* Publishing options:: Tweaking HTML export
* Publishing links:: Which links keep working after publishing?
* Project page index:: Publishing a list of project files
@end menu
@node Project alist, Sources and destinations, Configuration, Configuration
@subsection The variable @code{org-publish-project-alist}
@cindex org-publish-project-alist
@cindex projects, for publishing
@vindex org-publish-project-alist
Publishing is configured almost entirely through setting the value of one
variable, called @code{org-publish-project-alist}. Each element of the list
configures one project, and may be in one of the two following forms:
@lisp
("project-name" :property value :property value ...)
@r{or}
("project-name" :components ("project-name" "project-name" ...))
@end lisp
In both cases, projects are configured by specifying property values. A
project defines the set of files that will be published, as well as the
publishing configuration to use when publishing those files. When a project
takes the second form listed above, the individual members of the
@code{:components} property are taken to be sub-projects, which group
together files requiring different publishing options. When you publish such
a ``meta-project'', all the components will also be published, in the
sequence given.
@node Sources and destinations, Selecting files, Project alist, Configuration
@subsection Sources and destinations for files
@cindex directories, for publishing
Most properties are optional, but some should always be set. In
particular, Org needs to know where to look for source files,
and where to put published files.
@multitable @columnfractions 0.3 0.7
@item @code{:base-directory}
@tab Directory containing publishing source files
@item @code{:publishing-directory}
@tab Directory where output files will be published. You can directly
publish to a webserver using a file name syntax appropriate for
the Emacs @file{tramp} package. Or you can publish to a local directory and
use external tools to upload your website (@pxref{Uploading files}).
@item @code{:preparation-function}
@tab Function called before starting the publishing process, for example, to
run @code{make} for updating files to be published.
@item @code{:completion-function}
@tab Function called after finishing the publishing process, for example, to
change permissions of the resulting files.
@end multitable
@noindent
@node Selecting files, Publishing action, Sources and destinations, Configuration
@subsection Selecting files
@cindex files, selecting for publishing
By default, all files with extension @file{.org} in the base directory
are considered part of the project. This can be modified by setting the
properties
@multitable @columnfractions 0.25 0.75
@item @code{:base-extension}
@tab Extension (without the dot!) of source files. This actually is a
regular expression. Set this to the symbol @code{any} if you want to get all
files in @code{:base-directory}, even without extension.
@item @code{:exclude}
@tab Regular expression to match file names that should not be
published, even though they have been selected on the basis of their
extension.
@item @code{:include}
@tab List of files to be included regardless of @code{:base-extension}
and @code{:exclude}.
@end multitable
@node Publishing action, Publishing options, Selecting files, Configuration
@subsection Publishing action
@cindex action, for publishing
Publishing means that a file is copied to the destination directory and
possibly transformed in the process. The default transformation is to export
Org files as HTML files, and this is done by the function
@code{org-publish-org-to-html} which calls the HTML exporter (@pxref{HTML
export}). But you also can publish your content as PDF files using
@code{org-publish-org-to-pdf}. If you want to publish the Org file itself,
but with @i{archived}, @i{commented}, and @i{tag-excluded} trees removed, use
@code{org-publish-org-to-org} and set the parameters @code{:plain-source}
and/or @code{:htmlized-source}. This will produce @file{file.org} and
@file{file.org.html} in the publishing
directory@footnote{@file{file-source.org} and @file{file-source.org.html} if
source and publishing directories are equal. Note that with this kind of
setup, you need to add @code{:exclude "-source\\.org"} to the project
definition in @code{org-publish-project-alist} to avoid that the published
source files will be considered as new org files the next time the project is
published.}. Other files like images only
need to be copied to the publishing destination, for this you may use
@code{org-publish-attachment}. For non-Org files, you always need to
specify the publishing function:
@multitable @columnfractions 0.3 0.7
@item @code{:publishing-function}
@tab Function executing the publication of a file. This may also be a
list of functions, which will all be called in turn.
@item @code{:plain-source}
@tab Non-nil means, publish plain source.
@item @code{:htmlized-source}
@tab Non-nil means, publish htmlized source.
@end multitable
The function must accept two arguments: a property list containing at least a
@code{:publishing-directory} property, and the name of the file to be
published. It should take the specified file, make the necessary
transformation (if any) and place the result into the destination folder.
@node Publishing options, Publishing links, Publishing action, Configuration
@subsection Options for the HTML/La@TeX{} exporters
@cindex options, for publishing
The property list can be used to set many export options for the HTML
and La@TeX{} exporters. In most cases, these properties correspond to user
variables in Org. The table below lists these properties along
with the variable they belong to. See the documentation string for the
respective variable for details.
@vindex org-export-html-link-up
@vindex org-export-html-link-home
@vindex org-export-default-language
@vindex org-display-custom-times
@vindex org-export-headline-levels
@vindex org-export-with-section-numbers
@vindex org-export-section-number-format
@vindex org-export-with-toc
@vindex org-export-preserve-breaks
@vindex org-export-with-archived-trees
@vindex org-export-with-emphasize
@vindex org-export-with-sub-superscripts
@vindex org-export-with-special-strings
@vindex org-export-with-footnotes
@vindex org-export-with-drawers
@vindex org-export-with-tags
@vindex org-export-with-todo-keywords
@vindex org-export-with-priority
@vindex org-export-with-TeX-macros
@vindex org-export-with-LaTeX-fragments
@vindex org-export-skip-text-before-1st-heading
@vindex org-export-with-fixed-width
@vindex org-export-with-timestamps
@vindex org-export-author-info
@vindex org-export-creator-info
@vindex org-export-with-tables
@vindex org-export-highlight-first-table-line
@vindex org-export-html-style-include-default
@vindex org-export-html-style
@vindex org-export-html-style-extra
@vindex org-export-html-link-org-files-as-html
@vindex org-export-html-inline-images
@vindex org-export-html-extension
@vindex org-export-html-table-tag
@vindex org-export-html-expand
@vindex org-export-html-with-timestamp
@vindex org-export-publishing-directory
@vindex org-export-html-preamble
@vindex org-export-html-postamble
@vindex org-export-html-auto-preamble
@vindex org-export-html-auto-postamble
@vindex user-full-name
@vindex user-mail-address
@vindex org-export-select-tags
@vindex org-export-exclude-tags
@multitable @columnfractions 0.32 0.68
@item @code{:link-up} @tab @code{org-export-html-link-up}
@item @code{:link-home} @tab @code{org-export-html-link-home}
@item @code{:language} @tab @code{org-export-default-language}
@item @code{:customtime} @tab @code{org-display-custom-times}
@item @code{:headline-levels} @tab @code{org-export-headline-levels}
@item @code{:section-numbers} @tab @code{org-export-with-section-numbers}
@item @code{:section-number-format} @tab @code{org-export-section-number-format}
@item @code{:table-of-contents} @tab @code{org-export-with-toc}
@item @code{:preserve-breaks} @tab @code{org-export-preserve-breaks}
@item @code{:archived-trees} @tab @code{org-export-with-archived-trees}
@item @code{:emphasize} @tab @code{org-export-with-emphasize}
@item @code{:sub-superscript} @tab @code{org-export-with-sub-superscripts}
@item @code{:special-strings} @tab @code{org-export-with-special-strings}
@item @code{:footnotes} @tab @code{org-export-with-footnotes}
@item @code{:drawers} @tab @code{org-export-with-drawers}
@item @code{:tags} @tab @code{org-export-with-tags}
@item @code{:todo-keywords} @tab @code{org-export-with-todo-keywords}
@item @code{:priority} @tab @code{org-export-with-priority}
@item @code{:TeX-macros} @tab @code{org-export-with-TeX-macros}
@item @code{:LaTeX-fragments} @tab @code{org-export-with-LaTeX-fragments}
@item @code{:latex-listings} @tab @code{org-export-latex-listings}
@item @code{:skip-before-1st-heading} @tab @code{org-export-skip-text-before-1st-heading}
@item @code{:fixed-width} @tab @code{org-export-with-fixed-width}
@item @code{:timestamps} @tab @code{org-export-with-timestamps}
@item @code{:author-info} @tab @code{org-export-author-info}
@item @code{:creator-info} @tab @code{org-export-creator-info}
@item @code{:tables} @tab @code{org-export-with-tables}
@item @code{:table-auto-headline} @tab @code{org-export-highlight-first-table-line}
@item @code{:style-include-default} @tab @code{org-export-html-style-include-default}
@item @code{:style} @tab @code{org-export-html-style}
@item @code{:style-extra} @tab @code{org-export-html-style-extra}
@item @code{:convert-org-links} @tab @code{org-export-html-link-org-files-as-html}
@item @code{:inline-images} @tab @code{org-export-html-inline-images}
@item @code{:html-extension} @tab @code{org-export-html-extension}
@item @code{:xml-declaration} @tab @code{org-export-html-xml-declaration}
@item @code{:html-table-tag} @tab @code{org-export-html-table-tag}
@item @code{:expand-quoted-html} @tab @code{org-export-html-expand}
@item @code{:timestamp} @tab @code{org-export-html-with-timestamp}
@item @code{:publishing-directory} @tab @code{org-export-publishing-directory}
@item @code{:preamble} @tab @code{org-export-html-preamble}
@item @code{:postamble} @tab @code{org-export-html-postamble}
@item @code{:auto-preamble} @tab @code{org-export-html-auto-preamble}
@item @code{:auto-postamble} @tab @code{org-export-html-auto-postamble}
@item @code{:author} @tab @code{user-full-name}
@item @code{:email} @tab @code{user-mail-address} : @code{addr;addr;..}
@item @code{:select-tags} @tab @code{org-export-select-tags}
@item @code{:exclude-tags} @tab @code{org-export-exclude-tags}
@item @code{:latex-image-options} @tab @code{org-export-latex-image-default-option}
@end multitable
Most of the @code{org-export-with-*} variables have the same effect in
both HTML and La@TeX{} exporters, except for @code{:TeX-macros} and
@code{:LaTeX-fragments}, respectively @code{nil} and @code{t} in the
La@TeX{} export.
@vindex org-publish-project-alist
When a property is given a value in @code{org-publish-project-alist},
its setting overrides the value of the corresponding user variable (if
any) during publishing. Options set within a file (@pxref{Export
options}), however, override everything.
@node Publishing links, Project page index, Publishing options, Configuration
@subsection Links between published files
@cindex links, publishing
To create a link from one Org file to another, you would use
something like @samp{[[file:foo.org][The foo]]} or simply
@samp{file:foo.org.} (@pxref{Hyperlinks}). When published, this link
becomes a link to @file{foo.html}. In this way, you can interlink the
pages of your "org web" project and the links will work as expected when
you publish them to HTML. If you also publish the Org source file and want
to link to that, use an @code{http:} link instead of a @code{file:} link,
because @code{file:} links are converted to link to the corresponding
@file{html} file.
You may also link to related files, such as images. Provided you are careful
with relative file names, and provided you have also configured Org to upload
the related files, these links will work too. See @ref{Complex example}, for
an example of this usage.
Sometimes an Org file to be published may contain links that are
only valid in your production environment, but not in the publishing
location. In this case, use the property
@multitable @columnfractions 0.4 0.6
@item @code{:link-validation-function}
@tab Function to validate links
@end multitable
@noindent
to define a function for checking link validity. This function must
accept two arguments, the file name and a directory relative to which
the file name is interpreted in the production environment. If this
function returns @code{nil}, then the HTML generator will only insert a
description into the HTML file, but no link. One option for this
function is @code{org-publish-validate-link} which checks if the given
file is part of any project in @code{org-publish-project-alist}.
@node Project page index, , Publishing links, Configuration
@subsection Project page index
@cindex index, of published pages
The following properties may be used to control publishing of an
index of files or a summary page for a given project.
@multitable @columnfractions 0.25 0.75
@item @code{:auto-index}
@tab When non-nil, publish an index during @code{org-publish-current-project}
or @code{org-publish-all}.
@item @code{:index-filename}
@tab Filename for output of index. Defaults to @file{sitemap.org} (which
becomes @file{sitemap.html}).
@item @code{:index-title}
@tab Title of index page. Defaults to name of file.
@item @code{:index-function}
@tab Plug-in function to use for generation of index.
Defaults to @code{org-publish-org-index}, which generates a plain list
of links to all files in the project.
@end multitable
@node Uploading files, Sample configuration, Configuration, Publishing
@section Uploading files
@cindex rsync
@cindex unison
For those people already utilizing third party sync tools such as
@command{rsync} or @command{unison}, it might be preferable not to use the built in
@i{remote} publishing facilities of Org mode which rely heavily on
Tramp. Tramp, while very useful and powerful, tends not to be
so efficient for multiple file transfer and has been known to cause problems
under heavy usage.
Specialized synchronization utilities offer several advantages. In addition
to timestamp comparison, they also do content and permissions/attribute
checks. For this reason you might prefer to publish your web to a local
directory (possibly even @i{in place} with your Org files) and then use
@file{unison} or @file{rsync} to do the synchronization with the remote host.
Since Unison (for example) can be configured as to which files to transfer to
a certain remote destination, it can greatly simplify the project publishing
definition. Simply keep all files in the correct location, process your Org
files with @code{org-publish} and let the synchronization tool do the rest.
You do not need, in this scenario, to include attachments such as @file{jpg},
@file{css} or @file{gif} files in the project definition since the 3rd party
tool syncs them.
Publishing to a local directory is also much faster than to a remote one, so
that you can afford more easily to republish entire projects. If you set
@code{org-publish-use-timestamps-flag} to @code{nil}, you gain the main
benefit of re-including any changed external files such as source example
files you might include with @code{#+INCLUDE}. The timestamp mechanism in
Org is not smart enough to detect if included files have been modified.
@node Sample configuration, Triggering publication, Uploading files, Publishing
@section Sample configuration
Below we provide two example configurations. The first one is a simple
project publishing only a set of Org files. The second example is
more complex, with a multi-component project.
@menu
* Simple example:: One-component publishing
* Complex example:: A multi-component publishing example
@end menu
@node Simple example, Complex example, Sample configuration, Sample configuration
@subsection Example: simple publishing configuration
This example publishes a set of Org files to the @file{public_html}
directory on the local machine.
@lisp
(setq org-publish-project-alist
'(("org"
:base-directory "~/org/"
:publishing-directory "~/public_html"
:section-numbers nil
:table-of-contents nil
:style "<link rel=\"stylesheet\"
href=\"../other/mystyle.css\"
type=\"text/css\"/>")))
@end lisp
@node Complex example, , Simple example, Sample configuration
@subsection Example: complex publishing configuration
This more complicated example publishes an entire website, including
Org files converted to HTML, image files, Emacs Lisp source code, and
style sheets. The publishing directory is remote and private files are
excluded.
To ensure that links are preserved, care should be taken to replicate
your directory structure on the web server, and to use relative file
paths. For example, if your Org files are kept in @file{~/org} and your
publishable images in @file{~/images}, you'd link to an image with
@c
@example
file:../images/myimage.png
@end example
@c
On the web server, the relative path to the image should be the
same. You can accomplish this by setting up an "images" folder in the
right place on the web server, and publishing images to it.
@lisp
(setq org-publish-project-alist
'(("orgfiles"
:base-directory "~/org/"
:base-extension "org"
:publishing-directory "/ssh:user@@host:~/html/notebook/"
:publishing-function org-publish-org-to-html
:exclude "PrivatePage.org" ;; regexp
:headline-levels 3
:section-numbers nil
:table-of-contents nil
:style "<link rel=\"stylesheet\"
href=\"../other/mystyle.css\" type=\"text/css\"/>"
:auto-preamble t
:auto-postamble nil)
("images"
:base-directory "~/images/"
:base-extension "jpg\\|gif\\|png"
:publishing-directory "/ssh:user@@host:~/html/images/"
:publishing-function org-publish-attachment)
("other"
:base-directory "~/other/"
:base-extension "css\\|el"
:publishing-directory "/ssh:user@@host:~/html/other/"
:publishing-function org-publish-attachment)
("website" :components ("orgfiles" "images" "other"))))
@end lisp
@node Triggering publication, , Sample configuration, Publishing
@section Triggering publication
Once properly configured, Org can publish with the following commands:
@table @kbd
@kindex C-c C-e C
@item C-c C-e C
Prompt for a specific project and publish all files that belong to it.
@kindex C-c C-e P
@item C-c C-e P
Publish the project containing the current file.
@kindex C-c C-e F
@item C-c C-e F
Publish only the current file.
@kindex C-c C-e E
@item C-c C-e E
Publish every project.
@end table
@vindex org-publish-use-timestamps-flag
Org uses timestamps to track when a file has changed. The above functions
normally only publish changed files. You can override this and force
publishing of all files by giving a prefix argument to any of the commands
above, or by customizing the variable @code{org-publish-use-timestamps-flag}.
This may be necessary in particular if files include other files via
@code{#+SETUPFILE:} or @code{#+INCLUDE:}.
@node Miscellaneous, Hacking, Publishing, Top
@chapter Miscellaneous
@menu
* Completion:: M-TAB knows what you need
* Speed keys:: Electic commands at the beginning of a headline
* Customization:: Adapting Org to your taste
* In-buffer settings:: Overview of the #+KEYWORDS
* The very busy C-c C-c key:: When in doubt, press C-c C-c
* Clean view:: Getting rid of leading stars in the outline
* TTY keys:: Using Org on a tty
* Interaction:: Other Emacs packages
@end menu
@node Completion, Speed keys, Miscellaneous, Miscellaneous
@section Completion
@cindex completion, of @TeX{} symbols
@cindex completion, of TODO keywords
@cindex completion, of dictionary words
@cindex completion, of option keywords
@cindex completion, of tags
@cindex completion, of property keys
@cindex completion, of link abbreviations
@cindex @TeX{} symbol completion
@cindex TODO keywords completion
@cindex dictionary word completion
@cindex option keyword completion
@cindex tag completion
@cindex link abbreviations, completion of
Emacs would not be Emacs without completion, and Org-mode uses it whenever it
makes sense. If you prefer an @i{iswitchb}- or @i{ido}-like interface for
some of the completion prompts, you can specify your preference by setting at
most one of the variables @code{org-completion-use-iswitchb}
@code{org-completion-use-ido}.
Org supports in-buffer completion. This type of completion does
not make use of the minibuffer. You simply type a few letters into
the buffer and use the key to complete text right there.
@table @kbd
@kindex M-@key{TAB}
@item M-@key{TAB}
Complete word at point
@itemize @bullet
@item
At the beginning of a headline, complete TODO keywords.
@item
After @samp{\}, complete @TeX{} symbols supported by the exporter.
@item
After @samp{*}, complete headlines in the current buffer so that they
can be used in search links like @samp{[[*find this headline]]}.
@item
After @samp{:} in a headline, complete tags. The list of tags is taken
from the variable @code{org-tag-alist} (possibly set through the
@samp{#+TAGS} in-buffer option, @pxref{Setting tags}), or it is created
dynamically from all tags used in the current buffer.
@item
After @samp{:} and not in a headline, complete property keys. The list
of keys is constructed dynamically from all keys used in the current
buffer.
@item
After @samp{[}, complete link abbreviations (@pxref{Link abbreviations}).
@item
After @samp{#+}, complete the special keywords like @samp{TYP_TODO} or
@samp{OPTIONS} which set file-specific options for Org mode. When the
option keyword is already complete, pressing @kbd{M-@key{TAB}} again
will insert example settings for this keyword.
@item
In the line after @samp{#+STARTUP: }, complete startup keywords,
i.e. valid keys for this line.
@item
Elsewhere, complete dictionary words using Ispell.
@end itemize
@end table
@node Speed keys, Customization, Completion, Miscellaneous
@section Speed keys
@cindex speed keys
@vindex org-use-speed-commands
@vindex org-speed-commands-user
Single keys can be made to execute commands when the cursor is at the
beginning of a headline, i.e. before the first star. Configure the variable
@code{org-use-speed-commands} to activate this feature. There is a
pre-defined list of commands, and you can add more such commands using the
variable @code{org-speed-commands-user}. Speed keys do not only speed up
navigation and other commands, but they also provide an alternative way to
execute commands bound to keys that are not or not easily available on a tty,
or on a small mobile device with a limited keyboard.
To see which commands are available, activate the feature and press @kbd{?}
with the cursor at the beginning of a headline.
@node Customization, In-buffer settings, Speed keys, Miscellaneous
@section Customization
@cindex customization
@cindex options, for customization
@cindex variables, for customization
There are more than 180 variables that can be used to customize
Org. For the sake of compactness of the manual, I am not
describing the variables here. A structured overview of customization
variables is available with @kbd{M-x org-customize}. Or select
@code{Browse Org Group} from the @code{Org->Customization} menu. Many
settings can also be activated on a per-file basis, by putting special
lines into the buffer (@pxref{In-buffer settings}).
@node In-buffer settings, The very busy C-c C-c key, Customization, Miscellaneous
@section Summary of in-buffer settings
@cindex in-buffer settings
@cindex special keywords
Org mode uses special lines in the buffer to define settings on a
per-file basis. These lines start with a @samp{#+} followed by a
keyword, a colon, and then individual words defining a setting. Several
setting words can be in the same line, but you can also have multiple
lines for the keyword. While these settings are described throughout
the manual, here is a summary. After changing any of those lines in the
buffer, press @kbd{C-c C-c} with the cursor still in the line to
activate the changes immediately. Otherwise they become effective only
when the file is visited again in a new Emacs session.
@vindex org-archive-location
@table @kbd
@item #+ARCHIVE: %s_done::
This line sets the archive location for the agenda file. It applies for
all subsequent lines until the next @samp{#+ARCHIVE} line, or the end
of the file. The first such line also applies to any entries before it.
The corresponding variable is @code{org-archive-location}.
@item #+CATEGORY:
This line sets the category for the agenda file. The category applies
for all subsequent lines until the next @samp{#+CATEGORY} line, or the
end of the file. The first such line also applies to any entries before it.
@item #+COLUMNS: %25ITEM .....
@cindex property, COLUMNS
Set the default format for columns view. This format applies when
columns view is invoked in locations where no @code{COLUMNS} property
applies.
@item #+CONSTANTS: name1=value1 ...
@vindex org-table-formula-constants
@vindex org-table-formula
Set file-local values for constants to be used in table formulas. This
line set the local variable @code{org-table-formula-constants-local}.
The global version of this variable is
@code{org-table-formula-constants}.
@item #+FILETAGS: :tag1:tag2:tag3:
Set tags that can be inherited by any entry in the file, including the
top-level entries.
@item #+DRAWERS: NAME1 .....
@vindex org-drawers
Set the file-local set of drawers. The corresponding global variable is
@code{org-drawers}.
@item #+LINK: linkword replace
@vindex org-link-abbrev-alist
These lines (several are allowed) specify link abbreviations.
@xref{Link abbreviations}. The corresponding variable is
@code{org-link-abbrev-alist}.
@item #+PRIORITIES: highest lowest default
@vindex org-highest-priority
@vindex org-lowest-priority
@vindex org-default-priority
This line sets the limits and the default for the priorities. All three
must be either letters A-Z or numbers 0-9. The highest priority must
have a lower ASCII number that the lowest priority.
@item #+PROPERTY: Property_Name Value
This line sets a default inheritance value for entries in the current
buffer, most useful for specifying the allowed values of a property.
@cindex #+SETUPFILE
@item #+SETUPFILE: file
This line defines a file that holds more in-buffer setup. Normally this is
entirely ignored. Only when the buffer is parsed for option-setting lines
(i.e. when starting Org mode for a file, when pressing @kbd{C-c C-c} in a
settings line, or when exporting), then the contents of this file are parsed
as if they had been included in the buffer. In particular, the file can be
any other Org mode file with internal setup. You can visit the file the
cursor is in the line with @kbd{C-c '}.
@item #+STARTUP:
@cindex #+STARTUP:
This line sets options to be used at startup of Org mode, when an
Org file is being visited.
The first set of options deals with the initial visibility of the outline
tree. The corresponding variable for global default settings is
@code{org-startup-folded}, with a default value @code{t}, which means
@code{overview}.
@vindex org-startup-folded
@cindex @code{overview}, STARTUP keyword
@cindex @code{content}, STARTUP keyword
@cindex @code{showall}, STARTUP keyword
@cindex @code{showeverything}, STARTUP keyword
@example
overview @r{top-level headlines only}
content @r{all headlines}
showall @r{no folding of any entries}
showeverything @r{show even drawer contents}
@end example
@vindex org-startup-indented
@cindex @code{indent}, STARTUP keyword
@cindex @code{noindent}, STARTUP keyword
Dynamic virtual indentation is controlled by the variable
@code{org-startup-indented}@footnote{Emacs 23 and Org-mode 6.29 are required}
@example
indent @r{start with @code{org-indent-mode} turned on}
noindent @r{start with @code{org-indent-mode} turned off}
@end example
@vindex org-startup-align-all-tables
Then there are options for aligning tables upon visiting a file. This
is useful in files containing narrowed table columns. The corresponding
variable is @code{org-startup-align-all-tables}, with a default value
@code{nil}.
@cindex @code{align}, STARTUP keyword
@cindex @code{noalign}, STARTUP keyword
@example
align @r{align all tables}
noalign @r{don't align tables on startup}
@end example
@vindex org-log-done
@vindex org-log-note-clock-out
@vindex org-log-repeat
Logging the closing and reopening of TODO items and clock intervals can be
configured using these options (see variables @code{org-log-done},
@code{org-log-note-clock-out} and @code{org-log-repeat})
@cindex @code{logdone}, STARTUP keyword
@cindex @code{lognotedone}, STARTUP keyword
@cindex @code{nologdone}, STARTUP keyword
@cindex @code{lognoteclock-out}, STARTUP keyword
@cindex @code{nolognoteclock-out}, STARTUP keyword
@cindex @code{logrepeat}, STARTUP keyword
@cindex @code{lognoterepeat}, STARTUP keyword
@cindex @code{nologrepeat}, STARTUP keyword
@cindex @code{logreschedule}, STARTUP keyword
@cindex @code{lognotereschedule}, STARTUP keyword
@cindex @code{nologreschedule}, STARTUP keyword
@cindex @code{logredeadline}, STARTUP keyword
@cindex @code{lognoteredeadline}, STARTUP keyword
@cindex @code{nologredeadline}, STARTUP keyword
@example
logdone @r{record a timestamp when an item is marked DONE}
lognotedone @r{record timestamp and a note when DONE}
nologdone @r{don't record when items are marked DONE}
logrepeat @r{record a time when reinstating a repeating item}
lognoterepeat @r{record a note when reinstating a repeating item}
nologrepeat @r{do not record when reinstating repeating item}
lognoteclock-out @r{record a note when clocking out}
nolognoteclock-out @r{don't record a note when clocking out}
logreschedule @r{record a timestamp when scheduling time changes}
lognotereschedule @r{record a note when scheduling time changes}
nologreschedule @r{do not record when a scheduling date changes}
logredeadline @r{record a timestamp when deadline changes}
lognoteredeadline @r{record a note when deadline changes}
nologredeadline @r{do not record when a deadline date changes}
@end example
@vindex org-hide-leading-stars
@vindex org-odd-levels-only
Here are the options for hiding leading stars in outline headings, and for
indenting outlines. The corresponding variables are
@code{org-hide-leading-stars} and @code{org-odd-levels-only}, both with a
default setting @code{nil} (meaning @code{showstars} and @code{oddeven}).
@cindex @code{hidestars}, STARTUP keyword
@cindex @code{showstars}, STARTUP keyword
@cindex @code{odd}, STARTUP keyword
@cindex @code{even}, STARTUP keyword
@example
hidestars @r{make all but one of the stars starting a headline invisible.}
showstars @r{show all stars starting a headline}
indent @r{virtual indentation according to outline level}
noindent @r{no virtual indentation according to outline level}
odd @r{allow only odd outline levels (1,3,...)}
oddeven @r{allow all outline levels}
@end example
@vindex org-put-time-stamp-overlays
@vindex org-time-stamp-overlay-formats
To turn on custom format overlays over timestamps (variables
@code{org-put-time-stamp-overlays} and
@code{org-time-stamp-overlay-formats}), use
@cindex @code{customtime}, STARTUP keyword
@example
customtime @r{overlay custom time format}
@end example
@vindex constants-unit-system
The following options influence the table spreadsheet (variable
@code{constants-unit-system}).
@cindex @code{constcgs}, STARTUP keyword
@cindex @code{constSI}, STARTUP keyword
@example
constcgs @r{@file{constants.el} should use the c-g-s unit system}
constSI @r{@file{constants.el} should use the SI unit system}
@end example
@vindex org-footnote-define-inline
@vindex org-footnote-auto-label
@vindex org-footnote-auto-adjust
To influence footnote settings, use the following keywords. The
corresponding variables are @code{org-footnote-define-inline},
@code{org-footnote-auto-label}, and @code{org-footnote-auto-adjust}.
@cindex @code{fninline}, STARTUP keyword
@cindex @code{nofninline}, STARTUP keyword
@cindex @code{fnlocal}, STARTUP keyword
@cindex @code{fnprompt}, STARTUP keyword
@cindex @code{fnauto}, STARTUP keyword
@cindex @code{fnconfirm}, STARTUP keyword
@cindex @code{fnplain}, STARTUP keyword
@cindex @code{fnadjust}, STARTUP keyword
@cindex @code{nofnadjust}, STARTUP keyword
@example
fninline @r{define footnotes inline}
fnnoinline @r{define footnotes in separate section}
fnlocal @r{define footnotes near first reference, but not inline}
fnprompt @r{prompt for footnote labels}
fnauto @r{create [fn:1]-like labels automatically (default)}
fnconfirm @r{offer automatic label for editing or confirmation}
fnplain @r{create [1]-like labels automatically}
fnadjust @r{automatically renumber and sort footnotes}
nofnadjust @r{do not renumber and sort automatically}
@end example
@cindex org-hide-block-startup
To hide blocks on startup, use these keywords. The corresponding variable is
@code{org-hide-block-startup}.
@cindex @code{hideblocks}, STARTUP keyword
@cindex @code{nohideblocks}, STARTUP keyword
@example
hideblocks @r{Hide all begin/end blocks on startup}
nohideblocks @r{Do not hide blocks on startup}
@end example
@item #+TAGS: TAG1(c1) TAG2(c2)
@vindex org-tag-alist
These lines (several such lines are allowed) specify the valid tags in
this file, and (potentially) the corresponding @emph{fast tag selection}
keys. The corresponding variable is @code{org-tag-alist}.
@item #+TBLFM:
This line contains the formulas for the table directly above the line.
@item #+TITLE:, #+AUTHOR:, #+EMAIL:, #+LANGUAGE:, #+TEXT:, #+DATE:,
@itemx #+OPTIONS:, #+BIND:
@itemx #+DESCRIPTION:, #+KEYWORDS:
@itemx #+LATEX_HEADER:, #+STYLE:, #+LINK_UP:, #+LINK_HOME:,
@itemx #+EXPORT_SELECT_TAGS:, #+EXPORT_EXCLUDE_TAGS:
These lines provide settings for exporting files. For more details see
@ref{Export options}.
@item #+TODO: #+SEQ_TODO: #+TYP_TODO:
@vindex org-todo-keywords
These lines set the TODO keywords and their interpretation in the
current file. The corresponding variable is @code{org-todo-keywords}.
@end table
@node The very busy C-c C-c key, Clean view, In-buffer settings, Miscellaneous
@section The very busy C-c C-c key
@kindex C-c C-c
@cindex C-c C-c, overview
The key @kbd{C-c C-c} has many purposes in Org, which are all
mentioned scattered throughout this manual. One specific function of
this key is to add @emph{tags} to a headline (@pxref{Tags}). In many
other circumstances it means something like @emph{``Hey Org, look
here and update according to what you see here''}. Here is a summary of
what this means in different contexts.
@itemize @minus
@item
If there are highlights in the buffer from the creation of a sparse
tree, or from clock display, remove these highlights.
@item
If the cursor is in one of the special @code{#+KEYWORD} lines, this
triggers scanning the buffer for these lines and updating the
information.
@item
If the cursor is inside a table, realign the table. This command
works even if the automatic table editor has been turned off.
@item
If the cursor is on a @code{#+TBLFM} line, re-apply the formulas to
the entire table.
@item
If the cursor is inside a table created by the @file{table.el} package,
activate that table.
@item
If the current buffer is a Remember buffer, close the note and file it.
With a prefix argument, file it, without further interaction, to the
default location.
@item
If the cursor is on a @code{<<<target>>>}, update radio targets and
corresponding links in this buffer.
@item
If the cursor is in a property line or at the start or end of a property
drawer, offer property commands.
@item
If the cursor is at a footnote reference, go to the corresponding
definition, and vice versa.
@item
If the cursor is on a statistics cookie, update it.
@item
If the cursor is in a plain list item with a checkbox, toggle the status
of the checkbox.
@item
If the cursor is on a numbered item in a plain list, renumber the
ordered list.
@item
If the cursor is on the @code{#+BEGIN} line of a dynamic block, the
block is updated.
@end itemize
@node Clean view, TTY keys, The very busy C-c C-c key, Miscellaneous
@section A cleaner outline view
@cindex hiding leading stars
@cindex dynamic indentation
@cindex odd-levels-only outlines
@cindex clean outline view
Some people find it noisy and distracting that the Org headlines start with a
potentially large number of stars, and that text below the headlines is not
indented. While this is no problem when writing a @emph{book-like} document
where the outline headings are really section headings, in a more
@emph{list-oriented} outline, indented structure is a lot cleaner:
@example
@group
* Top level headline | * Top level headline
** Second level | * Second level
*** 3rd level | * 3rd level
some text | some text
*** 3rd level | * 3rd level
more text | more text
* Another top level headline | * Another top level headline
@end group
@end example
@noindent
If you are using at least Emacs 23.1.50.3 and version 6.29 of Org, this kind
of view can be achieved dynamically at display time using
@code{org-indent-mode}. In this minor mode, all lines are prefixed for
display with the necessary amount of space. Also headlines are prefixed with
additional stars, so that the amount of indentation shifts by
two@footnote{See the variable @code{org-indent-indentation-per-level}.}
spaces per level. All headline stars but the last one are made invisible
using the @code{org-hide} face@footnote{Turning on @code{org-indent-mode}
sets @code{org-hide-leading-stars} to @code{t} and
@code{org-adapt-indentation} to @code{nil}.} - see below under @samp{2.} for
more information on how this works. You can turn on @code{org-indent-mode}
for all files by customizing the variable @code{org-startup-indented}, or you
can turn it on for individual files using
@example
#+STARTUP: indent
@end example
If you want a similar effect in earlier version of Emacs and/or Org, or if
you want the indentation to be hard space characters so that the plain text
file looks as similar as possible to the Emacs display, Org supports you in
the following way:
@enumerate
@item
@emph{Indentation of text below headlines}@*
You may indent text below each headline to make the left boundary line up
with the headline, like
@example
*** 3rd level
more text, now indented
@end example
@vindex org-adapt-indentation
Org supports this with paragraph filling, line wrapping, and structure
editing@footnote{See also the variable @code{org-adapt-indentation}.},
preserving or adapting the indentation as appropriate.
@item
@vindex org-hide-leading-stars
@emph{Hiding leading stars}@* You can modify the display in such a way that
all leading stars become invisible. To do this in a global way, configure
the variable @code{org-hide-leading-stars} or change this on a per-file basis
with
@example
#+STARTUP: hidestars
#+STARTUP: showstars
@end example
With hidden stars, the tree becomes:
@example
@group
* Top level headline
* Second level
* 3rd level
...
@end group
@end example
@noindent
@vindex org-hide @r{(face)}
The leading stars are not truly replaced by whitespace, they are only
fontified with the face @code{org-hide} that uses the background color as
font color. If you are not using either white or black background, you may
have to customize this face to get the wanted effect. Another possibility is
to set this font such that the extra stars are @i{almost} invisible, for
example using the color @code{grey90} on a white background.
@item
@vindex org-odd-levels-only
Things become cleaner still if you skip all the even levels and use only odd
levels 1, 3, 5..., effectively adding two stars to go from one outline level
to the next@footnote{When you need to specify a level for a property search
or refile targets, @samp{LEVEL=2} will correspond to 3 stars, etc@.}. In this
way we get the outline view shown at the beginning of this section. In order
to make the structure editing and export commands handle this convention
correctly, configure the variable @code{org-odd-levels-only}, or set this on
a per-file basis with one of the following lines:
@example
#+STARTUP: odd
#+STARTUP: oddeven
@end example
You can convert an Org file from single-star-per-level to the
double-star-per-level convention with @kbd{M-x org-convert-to-odd-levels
RET} in that file. The reverse operation is @kbd{M-x
org-convert-to-oddeven-levels}.
@end enumerate
@node TTY keys, Interaction, Clean view, Miscellaneous
@section Using Org on a tty
@cindex tty key bindings
Because Org contains a large number of commands, by default many of
Org's core commands are bound to keys that are generally not
accessible on a tty, such as the cursor keys (@key{left}, @key{right},
@key{up}, @key{down}), @key{TAB} and @key{RET}, in particular when used
together with modifiers like @key{Meta} and/or @key{Shift}. To access
these commands on a tty when special keys are unavailable, the following
alternative bindings can be used. The tty bindings below will likely be
more cumbersome; you may find for some of the bindings below that a
customized workaround suits you better. For example, changing a timestamp
is really only fun with @kbd{S-@key{cursor}} keys, whereas on a
tty you would rather use @kbd{C-c .} to re-insert the timestamp.
@multitable @columnfractions 0.15 0.2 0.1 0.2
@item @b{Default} @tab @b{Alternative 1} @tab @b{Speed key} @tab @b{Alternative 2}
@item @kbd{S-@key{TAB}} @tab @kbd{C-u @key{TAB}} @tab @kbd{C} @tab
@item @kbd{M-@key{left}} @tab @kbd{C-c C-x l} @tab @kbd{l} @tab @kbd{@key{Esc} @key{left}}
@item @kbd{M-S-@key{left}} @tab @kbd{C-c C-x L} @tab @kbd{L} @tab
@item @kbd{M-@key{right}} @tab @kbd{C-c C-x r} @tab @kbd{r} @tab @kbd{@key{Esc} @key{right}}
@item @kbd{M-S-@key{right}} @tab @kbd{C-c C-x R} @tab @kbd{R} @tab
@item @kbd{M-@key{up}} @tab @kbd{C-c C-x u} @tab @kbd{ } @tab @kbd{@key{Esc} @key{up}}
@item @kbd{M-S-@key{up}} @tab @kbd{C-c C-x U} @tab @kbd{U} @tab
@item @kbd{M-@key{down}} @tab @kbd{C-c C-x d} @tab @kbd{ } @tab @kbd{@key{Esc} @key{down}}
@item @kbd{M-S-@key{down}} @tab @kbd{C-c C-x D} @tab @kbd{D} @tab
@item @kbd{S-@key{RET}} @tab @kbd{C-c C-x c} @tab @kbd{ } @tab
@item @kbd{M-@key{RET}} @tab @kbd{C-c C-x m} @tab @kbd{ } @tab @kbd{@key{Esc} @key{RET}}
@item @kbd{M-S-@key{RET}} @tab @kbd{C-c C-x M} @tab @kbd{ } @tab
@item @kbd{S-@key{left}} @tab @kbd{C-c @key{left}} @tab @kbd{ } @tab
@item @kbd{S-@key{right}} @tab @kbd{C-c @key{right}} @tab @kbd{ } @tab
@item @kbd{S-@key{up}} @tab @kbd{C-c @key{up}} @tab @kbd{ } @tab
@item @kbd{S-@key{down}} @tab @kbd{C-c @key{down}} @tab @kbd{ } @tab
@item @kbd{C-S-@key{left}} @tab @kbd{C-c C-x @key{left}} @tab @kbd{ } @tab
@item @kbd{C-S-@key{right}} @tab @kbd{C-c C-x @key{right}} @tab @kbd{ } @tab
@end multitable
@node Interaction, , TTY keys, Miscellaneous
@section Interaction with other packages
@cindex packages, interaction with other
Org lives in the world of GNU Emacs and interacts in various ways
with other code out there.
@menu
* Cooperation:: Packages Org cooperates with
* Conflicts:: Packages that lead to conflicts
@end menu
@node Cooperation, Conflicts, Interaction, Interaction
@subsection Packages that Org cooperates with
@table @asis
@cindex @file{calc.el}
@cindex Gillespie, Dave
@item @file{calc.el} by Dave Gillespie
Org uses the Calc package for implementing spreadsheet
functionality in its tables (@pxref{The spreadsheet}). Org
checks for the availability of Calc by looking for the function
@code{calc-eval} which will have been autoloaded during setup if Calc has
been installed properly. As of Emacs 22, Calc is part of the Emacs
distribution. Another possibility for interaction between the two
packages is using Calc for embedded calculations. @xref{Embedded Mode,
, Embedded Mode, Calc, GNU Emacs Calc Manual}.
@item @file{constants.el} by Carsten Dominik
@cindex @file{constants.el}
@cindex Dominik, Carsten
@vindex org-table-formula-constants
In a table formula (@pxref{The spreadsheet}), it is possible to use
names for natural constants or units. Instead of defining your own
constants in the variable @code{org-table-formula-constants}, install
the @file{constants} package which defines a large number of constants
and units, and lets you use unit prefixes like @samp{M} for
@samp{Mega}, etc@. You will need version 2.0 of this package, available
at @url{http://www.astro.uva.nl/~dominik/Tools}. Org checks for
the function @code{constants-get}, which has to be autoloaded in your
setup. See the installation instructions in the file
@file{constants.el}.
@item @file{cdlatex.el} by Carsten Dominik
@cindex @file{cdlatex.el}
@cindex Dominik, Carsten
Org mode can make use of the CDLa@TeX{} package to efficiently enter
La@TeX{} fragments into Org files. See @ref{CDLaTeX mode}.
@item @file{imenu.el} by Ake Stenhoff and Lars Lindberg
@cindex @file{imenu.el}
Imenu allows menu access to an index of items in a file. Org mode
supports Imenu---all you need to do to get the index is the following:
@lisp
(add-hook 'org-mode-hook
(lambda () (imenu-add-to-menubar "Imenu")))
@end lisp
@vindex org-imenu-depth
By default the index is two levels deep---you can modify the depth using
the option @code{org-imenu-depth}.
@item @file{remember.el} by John Wiegley
@cindex @file{remember.el}
@cindex Wiegley, John
Org cooperates with remember, see @ref{Remember}.
@file{Remember.el} is not part of Emacs, find it on the web.
@item @file{speedbar.el} by Eric M. Ludlam
@cindex @file{speedbar.el}
@cindex Ludlam, Eric M.
Speedbar is a package that creates a special frame displaying files and
index items in files. Org mode supports Speedbar and allows you to
drill into Org files directly from the Speedbar. It also allows you to
restrict the scope of agenda commands to a file or a subtree by using
the command @kbd{<} in the Speedbar frame.
@cindex @file{table.el}
@item @file{table.el} by Takaaki Ota
@kindex C-c C-c
@cindex table editor, @file{table.el}
@cindex @file{table.el}
@cindex Ota, Takaaki
Complex ASCII tables with automatic line wrapping, column- and
row-spanning, and alignment can be created using the Emacs table
package by Takaaki Ota (@uref{http://sourceforge.net/projects/table},
and also part of Emacs 22).
When @key{TAB} or @kbd{C-c C-c} is pressed in such a table, Org mode
will call @command{table-recognize-table} and move the cursor into the
table. Inside a table, the keymap of Org mode is inactive. In order
to execute Org mode-related commands, leave the table.
@table @kbd
@kindex C-c C-c
@item C-c C-c
Recognize @file{table.el} table. Works when the cursor is in a
table.el table.
@c
@kindex C-c ~
@item C-c ~
Insert a @file{table.el} table. If there is already a table at point, this
command converts it between the @file{table.el} format and the Org-mode
format. See the documentation string of the command
@code{org-convert-table} for the restrictions under which this is
possible.
@end table
@file{table.el} is part of Emacs 22.
@item @file{footnote.el} by Steven L. Baur
@cindex @file{footnote.el}
@cindex Baur, Steven L.
Org mode recognizes numerical footnotes as provided by this package.
However, Org mode also has its own footnote support (@pxref{Footnotes}),
which makes using @file{footnote.el} unnecessary.
@end table
@node Conflicts, , Cooperation, Interaction
@subsection Packages that lead to conflicts with Org mode
@table @asis
@cindex @code{shift-selection-mode}
@vindex org-support-shift-select
In Emacs 23, @code{shift-selection-mode} is on by default, meaning that
cursor motions combined with the shift key should start or enlarge regions.
This conflicts with the use of @kbd{S-@key{cursor}} commands in Org to change
timestamps, TODO keywords, priorities, and item bullet types if the cursor is
at such a location. By default, @kbd{S-@key{cursor}} commands outside
special contexts don't do anything, but you can customize the variable
@code{org-support-shift-select}. Org mode then tries to accommodate shift
selection by (i) using it outside of the special contexts where special
commands apply, and by (ii) extending an existing active region even if the
cursor moves across a special context.
@item @file{CUA.el} by Kim. F. Storm
@cindex @file{CUA.el}
@cindex Storm, Kim. F.
@vindex org-replace-disputed-keys
Key bindings in Org conflict with the @kbd{S-<cursor>} keys used by CUA mode
(as well as @code{pc-select-mode} and @code{s-region-mode}) to select and extend the
region. In fact, Emacs 23 has this built-in in the form of
@code{shift-selection-mode}, see previous paragraph. If you are using Emacs
23, you probably don't want to use another package for this purpose. However,
if you prefer to leave these keys to a different package while working in
Org mode, configure the variable @code{org-replace-disputed-keys}. When set,
Org will move the following key bindings in Org files, and in the agenda
buffer (but not during date selection).
@example
S-UP -> M-p S-DOWN -> M-n
S-LEFT -> M-- S-RIGHT -> M-+
C-S-LEFT -> M-S-- C-S-RIGHT -> M-S-+
@end example
@vindex org-disputed-keys
Yes, these are unfortunately more difficult to remember. If you want
to have other replacement keys, look at the variable
@code{org-disputed-keys}.
@item @file{yasnippet.el}
@cindex @file{yasnippet.el}
The way Org-mode binds the TAB key (binding to @code{[tab]} instead of
@code{"\t"}) overrules yasnippets' access to this key. The following code
fixed this problem:
@lisp
(add-hook 'org-mode-hook
(lambda ()
(org-set-local 'yas/trigger-key [tab])
(define-key yas/keymap [tab] 'yas/next-field-group)))
@end lisp
@item @file{windmove.el} by Hovav Shacham
@cindex @file{windmove.el}
This package also uses the @kbd{S-<cursor>} keys, so everything written
in the paragraph above about CUA mode also applies here.
@item @file{viper.el} by Michael Kifer
@cindex @file{viper.el}
@kindex C-c /
Viper uses @kbd{C-c /} and therefore makes this key not access the
corresponding Org-mode command @code{org-sparse-tree}. You need to find
another key for this command, or override the key in
@code{viper-vi-global-user-map} with
@lisp
(define-key viper-vi-global-user-map "C-c /" 'org-sparse-tree)
@end lisp
@end table
@node Hacking, MobileOrg, Miscellaneous, Top
@appendix Hacking
@cindex hacking
This appendix covers some aspects where users can extend the functionality of
Org.
@menu
* Hooks:: Who to reach into Org's internals
* Add-on packages:: Available extensions
* Adding hyperlink types:: New custom link types
* Context-sensitive commands:: How to add functionality to such commands
* Tables in arbitrary syntax:: Orgtbl for La@TeX{} and other programs
* Dynamic blocks:: Automatically filled blocks
* Special agenda views:: Customized views
* Extracting agenda information:: Postprocessing of agenda information
* Using the property API:: Writing programs that use entry properties
* Using the mapping API:: Mapping over all or selected entries
@end menu
@node Hooks, Add-on packages, Hacking, Hacking
@section Hooks
@cindex hooks
Org has a large number of hook variables that can be used to add
functionality. This appendix about hacking is going to illustrate the
use of some of them. A complete list of all hooks with documentation is
maintained by the Worg project and can be found at
@uref{http://orgmode.org/worg/org-configs/org-hooks.php}.
@node Add-on packages, Adding hyperlink types, Hooks, Hacking
@section Add-on packages
@cindex add-on packages
A large number of add-on packages have been written by various authors.
These packages are not part of Emacs, but they are distributed as contributed
packages with the separate release available at the Org mode home page at
@uref{http://orgmode.org}. The list of contributed packages, along with
documentation about each package, is maintained by the Worg project at
@uref{http://orgmode.org/worg/org-contrib/}.
@node Adding hyperlink types, Context-sensitive commands, Add-on packages, Hacking
@section Adding hyperlink types
@cindex hyperlinks, adding new types
Org has a large number of hyperlink types built-in
(@pxref{Hyperlinks}). If you would like to add new link types, Org
provides an interface for doing so. Let's look at an example file,
@file{org-man.el}, that will add support for creating links like
@samp{[[man:printf][The printf manpage]]} to show Unix manual pages inside
Emacs:
@lisp
;;; org-man.el - Support for links to manpages in Org
(require 'org)
(org-add-link-type "man" 'org-man-open)
(add-hook 'org-store-link-functions 'org-man-store-link)
(defcustom org-man-command 'man
"The Emacs command to be used to display a man page."
:group 'org-link
:type '(choice (const man) (const woman)))
(defun org-man-open (path)
"Visit the manpage on PATH.
PATH should be a topic that can be thrown at the man command."
(funcall org-man-command path))
(defun org-man-store-link ()
"Store a link to a manpage."
(when (memq major-mode '(Man-mode woman-mode))
;; This is a man page, we do make this link
(let* ((page (org-man-get-page-name))
(link (concat "man:" page))
(description (format "Manpage for %s" page)))
(org-store-link-props
:type "man"
:link link
:description description))))
(defun org-man-get-page-name ()
"Extract the page name from the buffer name."
;; This works for both `Man-mode' and `woman-mode'.
(if (string-match " \\(\\S-+\\)\\*" (buffer-name))
(match-string 1 (buffer-name))
(error "Cannot create link to this man page")))
(provide 'org-man)
;;; org-man.el ends here
@end lisp
@noindent
You would activate this new link type in @file{.emacs} with
@lisp
(require 'org-man)
@end lisp
@noindent
Let's go through the file and see what it does.
@enumerate
@item
It does @code{(require 'org)} to make sure that @file{org.el} has been
loaded.
@item
The next line calls @code{org-add-link-type} to define a new link type
with prefix @samp{man}. The call also contains the name of a function
that will be called to follow such a link.
@item
@vindex org-store-link-functions
The next line adds a function to @code{org-store-link-functions}, in
order to allow the command @kbd{C-c l} to record a useful link in a
buffer displaying a man page.
@end enumerate
The rest of the file defines the necessary variables and functions.
First there is a customization variable that determines which Emacs
command should be used to display man pages. There are two options,
@code{man} and @code{woman}. Then the function to follow a link is
defined. It gets the link path as an argument---in this case the link
path is just a topic for the manual command. The function calls the
value of @code{org-man-command} to display the man page.
Finally the function @code{org-man-store-link} is defined. When you try
to store a link with @kbd{C-c l}, this function will be called to
try to make a link. The function must first decide if it is supposed to
create the link for this buffer type; we do this by checking the value
of the variable @code{major-mode}. If not, the function must exit and
return the value @code{nil}. If yes, the link is created by getting the
manual topic from the buffer name and prefixing it with the string
@samp{man:}. Then it must call the command @code{org-store-link-props}
and set the @code{:type} and @code{:link} properties. Optionally you
can also set the @code{:description} property to provide a default for
the link description when the link is later inserted into an Org
buffer with @kbd{C-c C-l}.
When is makes sense for your new link type, you may also define a function
@code{org-PREFIX-complete-link} that implements special (e.g. completion)
support for inserting such a link with @kbd{C-c C-l}. Such a function should
not accept any arguments, and return the full link with prefix.
@node Context-sensitive commands, Tables in arbitrary syntax, Adding hyperlink types, Hacking
@section Context-sensitive commands
@cindex context-sensitive commands, hooks
@cindex add-ons, context-sensitive commands
@vindex org-ctrl-c-ctrl-c-hook
Org has several commands that act differently depending on context. The most
important example it the @kbd{C-c C-c} (@pxref{The very busy C-c C-c key}).
Also the @kbd{M-cursor} and @kbd{M-S-cursor} keys have this property.
Add-ons can tap into this functionality by providing a function that detects
special context for that add-on and executes functionality appropriate for
the context. Here is an example from Dan Davison's @file{org-R.el} which
allows you to evaluate commands based on the @file{R} programming language. For
this package, special contexts are lines that start with @code{#+R:} or
@code{#+RR:}.
@lisp
(defun org-R-apply-maybe ()
"Detect if this is context for org-R and execute R commands."
(if (save-excursion
(beginning-of-line 1)
(looking-at "#\\+RR?:"))
(progn (call-interactively 'org-R-apply)
t) ;; to signal that we took action
nil)) ;; to signal that we did not
(add-hook 'org-ctrl-c-ctrl-c-hook 'org-R-apply-maybe)
@end lisp
The function first checks if the cursor is in such a line. If that is the
case, @code{org-R-apply} is called and the function returns @code{t} to
signal that action was taken, and @kbd{C-c C-c} will stop looking for other
contexts. If the function finds it should do nothing locally, it returns @code{nil} so that other, similar functions can have a try.
@node Tables in arbitrary syntax, Dynamic blocks, Context-sensitive commands, Hacking
@section Tables and lists in arbitrary syntax
@cindex tables, in other modes
@cindex lists, in other modes
@cindex Orgtbl mode
Since Orgtbl mode can be used as a minor mode in arbitrary buffers, a
frequent feature request has been to make it work with native tables in
specific languages, for example La@TeX{}. However, this is extremely
hard to do in a general way, would lead to a customization nightmare,
and would take away much of the simplicity of the Orgtbl-mode table
editor.
This appendix describes a different approach. We keep the Orgtbl mode
table in its native format (the @i{source table}), and use a custom
function to @i{translate} the table to the correct syntax, and to
@i{install} it in the right location (the @i{target table}). This puts
the burden of writing conversion functions on the user, but it allows
for a very flexible system.
Bastien added the ability to do the same with lists. You can use Org's
facilities to edit and structure lists by turning @code{orgstruct-mode}
on, then locally exporting such lists in another format (HTML, La@TeX{}
or Texinfo.)
@menu
* Radio tables:: Sending and receiving radio tables
* A LaTeX example:: Step by step, almost a tutorial
* Translator functions:: Copy and modify
* Radio lists:: Doing the same for lists
@end menu
@node Radio tables, A LaTeX example, Tables in arbitrary syntax, Tables in arbitrary syntax
@subsection Radio tables
@cindex radio tables
To define the location of the target table, you first need to create two
lines that are comments in the current mode, but contain magic words for
Orgtbl mode to find. Orgtbl mode will insert the translated table
between these lines, replacing whatever was there before. For example:
@example
/* BEGIN RECEIVE ORGTBL table_name */
/* END RECEIVE ORGTBL table_name */
@end example
@noindent
Just above the source table, we put a special line that tells
Orgtbl mode how to translate this table and where to install it. For
example:
@cindex #+ORGTBL
@example
#+ORGTBL: SEND table_name translation_function arguments....
@end example
@noindent
@code{table_name} is the reference name for the table that is also used
in the receiver lines. @code{translation_function} is the Lisp function
that does the translation. Furthermore, the line can contain a list of
arguments (alternating key and value) at the end. The arguments will be
passed as a property list to the translation function for
interpretation. A few standard parameters are already recognized and
acted upon before the translation function is called:
@table @code
@item :skip N
Skip the first N lines of the table. Hlines do count as separate lines for
this parameter!
@item :skipcols (n1 n2 ...)
List of columns that should be skipped. If the table has a column with
calculation marks, that column is automatically discarded as well.
Please note that the translator function sees the table @emph{after} the
removal of these columns, the function never knows that there have been
additional columns.
@end table
@noindent
The one problem remaining is how to keep the source table in the buffer
without disturbing the normal workings of the file, for example during
compilation of a C file or processing of a La@TeX{} file. There are a
number of different solutions:
@itemize @bullet
@item
The table could be placed in a block comment if that is supported by the
language. For example, in C mode you could wrap the table between
@samp{/*} and @samp{*/} lines.
@item
Sometimes it is possible to put the table after some kind of @i{END}
statement, for example @samp{\bye} in @TeX{} and @samp{\end@{document@}}
in La@TeX{}.
@item
You can just comment the table line-by-line whenever you want to process
the file, and uncomment it whenever you need to edit the table. This
only sounds tedious---the command @kbd{M-x orgtbl-toggle-comment}
makes this comment-toggling very easy, in particular if you bind it to a
key.
@end itemize
@node A LaTeX example, Translator functions, Radio tables, Tables in arbitrary syntax
@subsection A La@TeX{} example of radio tables
@cindex La@TeX{}, and Orgtbl mode
The best way to wrap the source table in La@TeX{} is to use the
@code{comment} environment provided by @file{comment.sty}. It has to be
activated by placing @code{\usepackage@{comment@}} into the document
header. Orgtbl mode can insert a radio table skeleton@footnote{By
default this works only for La@TeX{}, HTML, and Texinfo. Configure the
variable @code{orgtbl-radio-tables} to install templates for other
modes.} with the command @kbd{M-x orgtbl-insert-radio-table}. You will
be prompted for a table name, let's say we use @samp{salesfigures}. You
will then get the following template:
@cindex #+ORGTBL, SEND
@example
% BEGIN RECEIVE ORGTBL salesfigures
% END RECEIVE ORGTBL salesfigures
\begin@{comment@}
#+ORGTBL: SEND salesfigures orgtbl-to-latex
| | |
\end@{comment@}
@end example
@noindent
@vindex La@TeX{}-verbatim-environments
The @code{#+ORGTBL: SEND} line tells Orgtbl mode to use the function
@code{orgtbl-to-latex} to convert the table into La@TeX{} and to put it
into the receiver location with name @code{salesfigures}. You may now
fill in the table, feel free to use the spreadsheet features@footnote{If
the @samp{#+TBLFM} line contains an odd number of dollar characters,
this may cause problems with font-lock in La@TeX{} mode. As shown in the
example you can fix this by adding an extra line inside the
@code{comment} environment that is used to balance the dollar
expressions. If you are using AUC@TeX{} with the font-latex library, a
much better solution is to add the @code{comment} environment to the
variable @code{LaTeX-verbatim-environments}.}:
@example
% BEGIN RECEIVE ORGTBL salesfigures
% END RECEIVE ORGTBL salesfigures
\begin@{comment@}
#+ORGTBL: SEND salesfigures orgtbl-to-latex
| Month | Days | Nr sold | per day |
|-------+------+---------+---------|
| Jan | 23 | 55 | 2.4 |
| Feb | 21 | 16 | 0.8 |
| March | 22 | 278 | 12.6 |
#+TBLFM: $4=$3/$2;%.1f
% $ (optional extra dollar to keep font-lock happy, see footnote)
\end@{comment@}
@end example
@noindent
When you are done, press @kbd{C-c C-c} in the table to get the converted
table inserted between the two marker lines.
Now let's assume you want to make the table header by hand, because you
want to control how columns are aligned, etc@. In this case we make sure
that the table translator skips the first 2 lines of the source
table, and tell the command to work as a @i{splice}, i.e. to not produce
header and footer commands of the target table:
@example
\begin@{tabular@}@{lrrr@}
Month & \multicolumn@{1@}@{c@}@{Days@} & Nr.\ sold & per day\\
% BEGIN RECEIVE ORGTBL salesfigures
% END RECEIVE ORGTBL salesfigures
\end@{tabular@}
%
\begin@{comment@}
#+ORGTBL: SEND salesfigures orgtbl-to-latex :splice t :skip 2
| Month | Days | Nr sold | per day |
|-------+------+---------+---------|
| Jan | 23 | 55 | 2.4 |
| Feb | 21 | 16 | 0.8 |
| March | 22 | 278 | 12.6 |
#+TBLFM: $4=$3/$2;%.1f
\end@{comment@}
@end example
The La@TeX{} translator function @code{orgtbl-to-latex} is already part of
Orgtbl mode. It uses a @code{tabular} environment to typeset the table
and marks horizontal lines with @code{\hline}. Furthermore, it
interprets the following parameters (see also @pxref{Translator functions}):
@table @code
@item :splice nil/t
When set to t, return only table body lines, don't wrap them into a
tabular environment. Default is nil.
@item :fmt fmt
A format to be used to wrap each field, it should contain @code{%s} for the
original field value. For example, to wrap each field value in dollars,
you could use @code{:fmt "$%s$"}. This may also be a property list with
column numbers and formats. for example @code{:fmt (2 "$%s$" 4 "%s\\%%")}.
A function of one argument can be used in place of the strings; the
function must return a formatted string.
@item :efmt efmt
Use this format to print numbers with exponentials. The format should
have @code{%s} twice for inserting mantissa and exponent, for example
@code{"%s\\times10^@{%s@}"}. The default is @code{"%s\\,(%s)"}. This
may also be a property list with column numbers and formats, for example
@code{:efmt (2 "$%s\\times10^@{%s@}$" 4 "$%s\\cdot10^@{%s@}$")}. After
@code{efmt} has been applied to a value, @code{fmt} will also be
applied. Similar to @code{fmt}, functions of two arguments can be
supplied instead of strings.
@end table
@node Translator functions, Radio lists, A LaTeX example, Tables in arbitrary syntax
@subsection Translator functions
@cindex HTML, and Orgtbl mode
@cindex translator function
Orgtbl mode has several translator functions built-in: @code{orgtbl-to-csv}
(comma-separated values), @code{orgtbl-to-tsv} (TAB-separated values)
@code{orgtbl-to-latex}, @code{orgtbl-to-html}, and @code{orgtbl-to-texinfo}.
Except for @code{orgtbl-to-html}@footnote{The HTML translator uses the same
code that produces tables during HTML export.}, these all use a generic
translator, @code{orgtbl-to-generic}. For example, @code{orgtbl-to-latex}
itself is a very short function that computes the column definitions for the
@code{tabular} environment, defines a few field and line separators and then
hands processing over to the generic translator. Here is the entire code:
@lisp
@group
(defun orgtbl-to-latex (table params)
"Convert the Orgtbl mode TABLE to LaTeX."
(let* ((alignment (mapconcat (lambda (x) (if x "r" "l"))
org-table-last-alignment ""))
(params2
(list
:tstart (concat "\\begin@{tabular@}@{" alignment "@}")
:tend "\\end@{tabular@}"
:lstart "" :lend " \\\\" :sep " & "
:efmt "%s\\,(%s)" :hline "\\hline")))
(orgtbl-to-generic table (org-combine-plists params2 params))))
@end group
@end lisp
As you can see, the properties passed into the function (variable
@var{PARAMS}) are combined with the ones newly defined in the function
(variable @var{PARAMS2}). The ones passed into the function (i.e. the
ones set by the @samp{ORGTBL SEND} line) take precedence. So if you
would like to use the La@TeX{} translator, but wanted the line endings to
be @samp{\\[2mm]} instead of the default @samp{\\}, you could just
overrule the default with
@example
#+ORGTBL: SEND test orgtbl-to-latex :lend " \\\\[2mm]"
@end example
For a new language, you can either write your own converter function in
analogy with the La@TeX{} translator, or you can use the generic function
directly. For example, if you have a language where a table is started
with @samp{!BTBL!}, ended with @samp{!ETBL!}, and where table lines are
started with @samp{!BL!}, ended with @samp{!EL!}, and where the field
separator is a TAB, you could call the generic translator like this (on
a single line!):
@example
#+ORGTBL: SEND test orgtbl-to-generic :tstart "!BTBL!" :tend "!ETBL!"
:lstart "!BL! " :lend " !EL!" :sep "\t"
@end example
@noindent
Please check the documentation string of the function
@code{orgtbl-to-generic} for a full list of parameters understood by
that function, and remember that you can pass each of them into
@code{orgtbl-to-latex}, @code{orgtbl-to-texinfo}, and any other function
using the generic function.
Of course you can also write a completely new function doing complicated
things the generic translator cannot do. A translator function takes
two arguments. The first argument is the table, a list of lines, each
line either the symbol @code{hline} or a list of fields. The second
argument is the property list containing all parameters specified in the
@samp{#+ORGTBL: SEND} line. The function must return a single string
containing the formatted table. If you write a generally useful
translator, please post it on @email{emacs-orgmode@@gnu.org} so that
others can benefit from your work.
@node Radio lists, , Translator functions, Tables in arbitrary syntax
@subsection Radio lists
@cindex radio lists
@cindex org-list-insert-radio-list
Sending and receiving radio lists works exactly the same way than sending and
receiving radio tables (@pxref{Radio tables}). As for radio tables, you can
insert radio lists templates in HTML, La@TeX{} and Texinfo modes by calling
@code{org-list-insert-radio-list}.
Here are the differences with radio tables:
@itemize @minus
@item
Use @code{ORGLST} instead of @code{ORGTBL}.
@item
The available translation functions for radio lists don't take
parameters.
@item
@kbd{C-c C-c} will work when pressed on the first item of the list.
@end itemize
Here is a La@TeX{} example. Let's say that you have this in your
La@TeX{} file:
@cindex #+ORGLIST
@example
% BEGIN RECEIVE ORGLST to-buy
% END RECEIVE ORGLST to-buy
\begin@{comment@}
#+ORGLIST: SEND to-buy orgtbl-to-latex
- a new house
- a new computer
+ a new keyboard
+ a new mouse
- a new life
\end@{comment@}
@end example
Pressing `C-c C-c' on @code{a new house} and will insert the converted
La@TeX{} list between the two marker lines.
@node Dynamic blocks, Special agenda views, Tables in arbitrary syntax, Hacking
@section Dynamic blocks
@cindex dynamic blocks
Org documents can contain @emph{dynamic blocks}. These are
specially marked regions that are updated by some user-written function.
A good example for such a block is the clock table inserted by the
command @kbd{C-c C-x C-r} (@pxref{Clocking work time}).
Dynamic block are enclosed by a BEGIN-END structure that assigns a name
to the block and can also specify parameters for the function producing
the content of the block.
#+BEGIN:dynamic block
@example
#+BEGIN: myblock :parameter1 value1 :parameter2 value2 ...
#+END:
@end example
Dynamic blocks are updated with the following commands
@table @kbd
@kindex C-c C-x C-u
@item C-c C-x C-u
Update dynamic block at point.
@kindex C-u C-c C-x C-u
@item C-u C-c C-x C-u
Update all dynamic blocks in the current file.
@end table
Updating a dynamic block means to remove all the text between BEGIN and
END, parse the BEGIN line for parameters and then call the specific
writer function for this block to insert the new content. If you want
to use the original content in the writer function, you can use the
extra parameter @code{:content}.
For a block with name @code{myblock}, the writer function is
@code{org-dblock-write:myblock} with as only parameter a property list
with the parameters given in the begin line. Here is a trivial example
of a block that keeps track of when the block update function was last
run:
@example
#+BEGIN: block-update-time :format "on %m/%d/%Y at %H:%M"
#+END:
@end example
@noindent
The corresponding block writer function could look like this:
@lisp
(defun org-dblock-write:block-update-time (params)
(let ((fmt (or (plist-get params :format) "%d. %m. %Y")))
(insert "Last block update at: "
(format-time-string fmt (current-time)))))
@end lisp
If you want to make sure that all dynamic blocks are always up-to-date,
you could add the function @code{org-update-all-dblocks} to a hook, for
example @code{before-save-hook}. @code{org-update-all-dblocks} is
written in a way such that it does nothing in buffers that are not in
@code{org-mode}.
@node Special agenda views, Extracting agenda information, Dynamic blocks, Hacking
@section Special agenda views
@cindex agenda views, user-defined
Org provides a special hook that can be used to narrow down the
selection made by any of the agenda views. You may specify a function
that is used at each match to verify if the match should indeed be part
of the agenda view, and if not, how much should be skipped.
Let's say you want to produce a list of projects that contain a WAITING
tag anywhere in the project tree. Let's further assume that you have
marked all tree headings that define a project with the TODO keyword
PROJECT. In this case you would run a TODO search for the keyword
PROJECT, but skip the match unless there is a WAITING tag anywhere in
the subtree belonging to the project line.
To achieve this, you must write a function that searches the subtree for
the tag. If the tag is found, the function must return @code{nil} to
indicate that this match should not be skipped. If there is no such
tag, return the location of the end of the subtree, to indicate that
search should continue from there.
@lisp
(defun my-skip-unless-waiting ()
"Skip trees that are not waiting"
(let ((subtree-end (save-excursion (org-end-of-subtree t))))
(if (re-search-forward ":waiting:" subtree-end t)
nil ; tag found, do not skip
subtree-end))) ; tag not found, continue after end of subtree
@end lisp
Now you may use this function in an agenda custom command, for example
like this:
@lisp
(org-add-agenda-custom-command
'("b" todo "PROJECT"
((org-agenda-skip-function 'my-skip-unless-waiting)
(org-agenda-overriding-header "Projects waiting for something: "))))
@end lisp
@vindex org-agenda-overriding-header
Note that this also binds @code{org-agenda-overriding-header} to get a
meaningful header in the agenda view.
@vindex org-odd-levels-only
@vindex org-agenda-skip-function
A general way to create custom searches is to base them on a search for
entries with a certain level limit. If you want to study all entries with
your custom search function, simply do a search for
@samp{LEVEL>0}@footnote{Note that, when using @code{org-odd-levels-only}, a
level number corresponds to order in the hierarchy, not to the number of
stars.}, and then use @code{org-agenda-skip-function} to select the entries
you really want to have.
You may also put a Lisp form into @code{org-agenda-skip-function}. In
particular, you may use the functions @code{org-agenda-skip-entry-if}
and @code{org-agenda-skip-subtree-if} in this form, for example:
@table @code
@item '(org-agenda-skip-entry-if 'scheduled)
Skip current entry if it has been scheduled.
@item '(org-agenda-skip-entry-if 'notscheduled)
Skip current entry if it has not been scheduled.
@item '(org-agenda-skip-entry-if 'deadline)
Skip current entry if it has a deadline.
@item '(org-agenda-skip-entry-if 'scheduled 'deadline)
Skip current entry if it has a deadline, or if it is scheduled.
@item '(org-agenda-skip-entry-if 'timestamp)
Skip current entry if it has any timestamp, may also be deadline or scheduled.
@item '(org-agenda-skip-entry 'regexp "regular expression")
Skip current entry if the regular expression matches in the entry.
@item '(org-agenda-skip-entry 'notregexp "regular expression")
Skip current entry unless the regular expression matches.
@item '(org-agenda-skip-subtree-if 'regexp "regular expression")
Same as above, but check and skip the entire subtree.
@end table
Therefore we could also have written the search for WAITING projects
like this, even without defining a special function:
@lisp
(org-add-agenda-custom-command
'("b" todo "PROJECT"
((org-agenda-skip-function '(org-agenda-skip-subtree-if
'regexp ":waiting:"))
(org-agenda-overriding-header "Projects waiting for something: "))))
@end lisp
@node Extracting agenda information, Using the property API, Special agenda views, Hacking
@section Extracting agenda information
@cindex agenda, pipe
@cindex Scripts, for agenda processing
@vindex org-agenda-custom-commands
Org provides commands to access agenda information for the command
line in Emacs batch mode. This extracted information can be sent
directly to a printer, or it can be read by a program that does further
processing of the data. The first of these commands is the function
@code{org-batch-agenda}, that produces an agenda view and sends it as
ASCII text to STDOUT. The command takes a single string as parameter.
If the string has length 1, it is used as a key to one of the commands
you have configured in @code{org-agenda-custom-commands}, basically any
key you can use after @kbd{C-c a}. For example, to directly print the
current TODO list, you could use
@example
emacs -batch -l ~/.emacs -eval '(org-batch-agenda "t")' | lpr
@end example
If the parameter is a string with 2 or more characters, it is used as a
tags/TODO match string. For example, to print your local shopping list
(all items with the tag @samp{shop}, but excluding the tag
@samp{NewYork}), you could use
@example
emacs -batch -l ~/.emacs \
-eval '(org-batch-agenda "+shop-NewYork")' | lpr
@end example
@noindent
You may also modify parameters on the fly like this:
@example
emacs -batch -l ~/.emacs \
-eval '(org-batch-agenda "a" \
org-agenda-ndays 30 \
org-agenda-include-diary nil \
org-agenda-files (quote ("~/org/project.org")))' \
| lpr
@end example
@noindent
which will produce a 30-day agenda, fully restricted to the Org file
@file{~/org/projects.org}, not even including the diary.
If you want to process the agenda data in more sophisticated ways, you
can use the command @code{org-batch-agenda-csv} to get a comma-separated
list of values for each agenda item. Each line in the output will
contain a number of fields separated by commas. The fields in a line
are:
@example
category @r{The category of the item}
head @r{The headline, without TODO keyword, TAGS and PRIORITY}
type @r{The type of the agenda entry, can be}
todo @r{selected in TODO match}
tagsmatch @r{selected in tags match}
diary @r{imported from diary}
deadline @r{a deadline}
scheduled @r{scheduled}
timestamp @r{appointment, selected by timestamp}
closed @r{entry was closed on date}
upcoming-deadline @r{warning about nearing deadline}
past-scheduled @r{forwarded scheduled item}
block @r{entry has date block including date}
todo @r{The TODO keyword, if any}
tags @r{All tags including inherited ones, separated by colons}
date @r{The relevant date, like 2007-2-14}
time @r{The time, like 15:00-16:50}
extra @r{String with extra planning info}
priority-l @r{The priority letter if any was given}
priority-n @r{The computed numerical priority}
@end example
@noindent
Time and date will only be given if a timestamp (or deadline/scheduled)
led to the selection of the item.
A CSV list like this is very easy to use in a post-processing script.
For example, here is a Perl program that gets the TODO list from
Emacs/Org and prints all the items, preceded by a checkbox:
@example
#!/usr/bin/perl
# define the Emacs command to run
$cmd = "emacs -batch -l ~/.emacs -eval '(org-batch-agenda-csv \"t\")'";
# run it and capture the output
$agenda = qx@{$cmd 2>/dev/null@};
# loop over all lines
foreach $line (split(/\n/,$agenda)) @{
# get the individual values
($category,$head,$type,$todo,$tags,$date,$time,$extra,
$priority_l,$priority_n) = split(/,/,$line);
# process and print
print "[ ] $head\n";
@}
@end example
@node Using the property API, Using the mapping API, Extracting agenda information, Hacking
@section Using the property API
@cindex API, for properties
@cindex properties, API
Here is a description of the functions that can be used to work with
properties.
@defun org-entry-properties &optional pom which
Get all properties of the entry at point-or-marker POM.@*
This includes the TODO keyword, the tags, time strings for deadline,
scheduled, and clocking, and any additional properties defined in the
entry. The return value is an alist, keys may occur multiple times
if the property key was used several times.@*
POM may also be nil, in which case the current entry is used.
If WHICH is nil or `all', get all properties. If WHICH is
`special' or `standard', only get that subclass.
@end defun
@vindex org-use-property-inheritance
@defun org-entry-get pom property &optional inherit
Get value of PROPERTY for entry at point-or-marker POM. By default,
this only looks at properties defined locally in the entry. If INHERIT
is non-nil and the entry does not have the property, then also check
higher levels of the hierarchy. If INHERIT is the symbol
@code{selective}, use inheritance if and only if the setting of
@code{org-use-property-inheritance} selects PROPERTY for inheritance.
@end defun
@defun org-entry-delete pom property
Delete the property PROPERTY from entry at point-or-marker POM.
@end defun
@defun org-entry-put pom property value
Set PROPERTY to VALUE for entry at point-or-marker POM.
@end defun
@defun org-buffer-property-keys &optional include-specials
Get all property keys in the current buffer.
@end defun
@defun org-insert-property-drawer
Insert a property drawer at point.
@end defun
@defun org-entry-put-multivalued-property pom property &rest values
Set PROPERTY at point-or-marker POM to VALUES. VALUES should be a list of
strings. They will be concatenated, with spaces as separators.
@end defun
@defun org-entry-get-multivalued-property pom property
Treat the value of the property PROPERTY as a whitespace-separated list of
values and return the values as a list of strings.
@end defun
@defun org-entry-add-to-multivalued-property pom property value
Treat the value of the property PROPERTY as a whitespace-separated list of
values and make sure that VALUE is in this list.
@end defun
@defun org-entry-remove-from-multivalued-property pom property value
Treat the value of the property PROPERTY as a whitespace-separated list of
values and make sure that VALUE is @emph{not} in this list.
@end defun
@defun org-entry-member-in-multivalued-property pom property value
Treat the value of the property PROPERTY as a whitespace-separated list of
values and check if VALUE is in this list.
@end defun
@node Using the mapping API, , Using the property API, Hacking
@section Using the mapping API
@cindex API, for mapping
@cindex mapping entries, API
Org has sophisticated mapping capabilities to find all entries satisfying
certain criteria. Internally, this functionality is used to produce agenda
views, but there is also an API that can be used to execute arbitrary
functions for each or selected entries. The main entry point for this API
is:
@defun org-map-entries func &optional match scope &rest skip
Call FUNC at each headline selected by MATCH in SCOPE.
FUNC is a function or a Lisp form. The function will be called without
arguments, with the cursor positioned at the beginning of the headline.
The return values of all calls to the function will be collected and
returned as a list.
The call to FUNC will be wrapped into a save-excursion form, so FUNC
does not need to preserve point. After evaluation, the cursor will be
moved to the end of the line (presumably of the headline of the
processed entry) and search continues from there. Under some
circumstances, this may not produce the wanted results. For example,
if you have removed (e.g. archived) the current (sub)tree it could
mean that the next entry will be skipped entirely. In such cases, you
can specify the position from where search should continue by making
FUNC set the variable `org-map-continue-from' to the desired buffer
position.
MATCH is a tags/property/todo match as it is used in the agenda match view.
Only headlines that are matched by this query will be considered during
the iteration. When MATCH is nil or t, all headlines will be
visited by the iteration.
SCOPE determines the scope of this command. It can be any of:
@example
nil @r{the current buffer, respecting the restriction if any}
tree @r{the subtree started with the entry at point}
file @r{the current buffer, without restriction}
file-with-archives
@r{the current buffer, and any archives associated with it}
agenda @r{all agenda files}
agenda-with-archives
@r{all agenda files with any archive files associated with them}
(file1 file2 ...)
@r{if this is a list, all files in the list will be scanned}
@end example
@noindent
The remaining args are treated as settings for the skipping facilities of
the scanner. The following items can be given here:
@vindex org-agenda-skip-function
@example
archive @r{skip trees with the archive tag}
comment @r{skip trees with the COMMENT keyword}
function or Lisp form
@r{will be used as value for @code{org-agenda-skip-function},}
@r{so whenever the function returns t, FUNC}
@r{will not be called for that entry and search will}
@r{continue from the point where the function leaves it}
@end example
@end defun
The function given to that mapping routine can really do anything you like.
It can use the property API (@pxref{Using the property API}) to gather more
information about the entry, or in order to change metadata in the entry.
Here are a couple of functions that might be handy:
@defun org-todo &optional arg
Change the TODO state of the entry, see the docstring of the functions for
the many possible values for the argument ARG.
@end defun
@defun org-priority &optional action
Change the priority of the entry, see the docstring of this function for the
possible values for ACTION.
@end defun
@defun org-toggle-tag tag &optional onoff
Toggle the tag TAG in the current entry. Setting ONOFF to either @code{on}
or @code{off} will not toggle tag, but ensure that it is either on or off.
@end defun
@defun org-promote
Promote the current entry.
@end defun
@defun org-demote
Demote the current entry.
@end defun
Here is a simple example that will turn all entries in the current file with
a tag @code{TOMORROW} into TODO entries with the keyword @code{UPCOMING}.
Entries in comment trees and in archive trees will be ignored.
@lisp
(org-map-entries
'(org-todo "UPCOMING")
"+TOMORROW" 'file 'archive 'comment)
@end lisp
The following example counts the number of entries with TODO keyword
@code{WAITING}, in all agenda files.
@lisp
(length (org-map-entries t "/+WAITING" 'agenda))
@end lisp
@node MobileOrg, History and Acknowledgments, Hacking, Top
@appendix MobileOrg
@cindex iPhone
@cindex MobileOrg
@i{MobileOrg} is an application for the @i{iPhone/iPod Touch} series of
devices, developed by Richard Moreland. @i{MobileOrg} offers offline viewing
and capture support for an Org-mode system rooted on a ``real'' computer. It
does also allow you to record changes to existing entries. For information
about @i{MobileOrg}, see @uref{http://mobileorg.ncogni.to/}).
This appendix describes the support Org has for creating agenda views in a
format that can be displayed by @i{MobileOrg}, and for integrating notes
captured and changes made by @i{MobileOrg} into the main system.
For changing tags and TODO states in MobileOrg, you should have set up the
customization variables @code{org-todo-keywords} and @code{org-tags-alist} to
cover all important tags and todo keywords, even if individual files use only
part of these. MobileOrg will also offer you states and tags set up with
in-buffer settings, but it will understand the logistics of todo state
@i{sets} (@pxref{Per-file keywords}) and @i{mutually exclusive} tags
(@pxref{Setting tags}) only for those set in these variables.
@menu
* Setting up the staging area:: Where to interact with the mobile device
* Pushing to MobileOrg:: Uploading Org files and agendas
* Pulling from MobileOrg:: Integrating captured and flagged items
@end menu
@node Setting up the staging area, Pushing to MobileOrg, MobileOrg, MobileOrg
@section Setting up the staging area
Org-mode has commands to prepare a directory with files for @i{MobileOrg},
and to read captured notes from there. If Emacs can directly write to the
WebDAV directory accessed by @i{MobileOrg}, just point to this directory
using the variable @code{org-mobile-directory}. Using the @file{tramp}
method, @code{org-mobile-directory} may point to a remote directory
accessible through, for example,
@file{ssh/scp}:
@smallexample
(setq org-mobile-directory "/scpc:user@@remote.host:org/webdav/")
@end smallexample
If Emacs cannot access the WebDAV directory directly using a @file{tramp}
method, or you prefer to maintain a local copy, you can use a local directory
for staging. Other means must then be used to keep this directory in sync
with the WebDAV directory. In the following example, files are staged in
@file{~/stage}, and Org-mode hooks take care of moving files to and from the
WebDAV directory using @file{scp}.
@smallexample
(setq org-mobile-directory "~/stage/")
(add-hook 'org-mobile-post-push-hook
(lambda () (shell-command "scp -r ~/stage/* user@@wdhost:mobile/")))
(add-hook 'org-mobile-pre-pull-hook
(lambda () (shell-command "scp user@@wdhost:mobile/mobileorg.org ~/stage/ ")))
(add-hook 'org-mobile-post-pull-hook
(lambda () (shell-command "scp ~/stage/mobileorg.org user@@wdhost:mobile/")))
@end smallexample
@node Pushing to MobileOrg, Pulling from MobileOrg, Setting up the staging area, MobileOrg
@section Pushing to MobileOrg
This operation copies all files currently listed in @code{org-mobile-files}
to the directory @code{org-mobile-directory}. By default this list contains
all agenda files (as listed in @code{org-agenda-files}), but additional files
can be included by customizing @code{org-mobiles-files}. File names will be
staged with path relative to @code{org-directory}, so all files should be
inside this directory. The push operation also creates (in the same
directory) a special Org file @file{agendas.org}. This file is an Org-mode
style outline, containing every custom agenda view defined by the user.
While creating the agendas, Org-mode will force@footnote{See the variable
@code{org-mobile-force-id-on-agenda-items}.} an ID property on all entries
referenced by the agendas, so that these entries can be uniquely identified
if @i{MobileOrg} flags them for further action. Finally, Org writes the file
@file{index.org}, containing links to all other files. If @i{MobileOrg} is
configured to request this file from the WebDAV server, all agendas and Org
files will be downloaded to the device. To speed up the download, MobileOrg
will only read files whose checksums@footnote{stored automatically in the
file @file{checksums.dat}} have changed.
@node Pulling from MobileOrg, , Pushing to MobileOrg, MobileOrg
@section Pulling from MobileOrg
When @i{MobileOrg} synchronizes with the WebDAV server, it not only pulls the
Org files for viewing. It also appends captured entries and pointers to
flagged and changed entries to the file @file{mobileorg.org} on the server.
Org has a @emph{pull} operation that integrates this information into an
inbox file and operates on the pointers to flagged entries. Here is how it
works:
@enumerate
@item
Org moves all entries found in
@file{mobileorg.org}@footnote{@file{mobileorg.org} will be empty after this
operation.} and appends them to the file pointed to by the variable
@code{org-mobile-inbox-for-pull}. Each captured entry and each editing event
will be a top-level entry in the inbox file.
@item
After moving the entries, Org will attempt to implement the changes made in
@i{MobileOrg}. Some changes are applied directly and without user
interaction. Examples are all changes to tags, TODO state, headline and body
text that can be cleanly applied. Entries that have been flagged for further
action will receive a tag @code{:FLAGGED:}, so that they can be easily found
again. When there is a problem finding an entry or applying the change, the
pointer entry will remain in the inbox and will be marked with an error
message. You need to later resolve these issues by hand.
@item
Org will then generate an agenda view with all flagged entries. The user
should then go through these entries and do whatever actions are necessary.
If a note has been stored while flagging an entry in @i{MobileOrg}, that note
will be displayed in the echo area when the cursor is on the corresponding
agenda line.
@table @kbd
@kindex ?
@item ?
Pressing @kbd{?} in that special agenda will display the full flagging note in
another window and also push it onto the kill ring. So you could use @kbd{?
z C-y C-c C-c} to store that flagging note as a normal note in the entry.
Pressing @kbd{?} twice in succession will offer to remove the
@code{:FLAGGED:} tag along with the recorded flagging note (which is stored
in a property). In this way you indicate, that the intended processing for
this flagged entry is finished.
@end table
@end enumerate
@kindex C-c a ?
If you are not able to process all flagged entries directly, you can always
return to this agenda view using @kbd{C-c a ?}. Note, however, that there is
a subtle difference. The view created automatically by @kbd{M-x
org-mobile-pull RET} is guaranteed to search all files that have been
addressed by the last pull. This might include a file that is not currently
in your list of agenda files. If you later use @kbd{C-c a ?} to regenerate
the view, only the current agenda files will be searched.
@node History and Acknowledgments, Main Index, MobileOrg, Top
@appendix History and Acknowledgments
@cindex acknowledgements
@cindex history
@cindex thanks
Org was born in 2003, out of frustration over the user interface
of the Emacs Outline mode. I was trying to organize my notes and
projects, and using Emacs seemed to be the natural way to go. However,
having to remember eleven different commands with two or three keys per
command, only to hide and show parts of the outline tree, that seemed
entirely unacceptable to me. Also, when using outlines to take notes, I
constantly wanted to restructure the tree, organizing it parallel to my
thoughts and plans. @emph{Visibility cycling} and @emph{structure
editing} were originally implemented in the package
@file{outline-magic.el}, but quickly moved to the more general
@file{org.el}. As this environment became comfortable for project
planning, the next step was adding @emph{TODO entries}, basic
@emph{timestamps}, and @emph{table support}. These areas highlighted the two main
goals that Org still has today: to be a new, outline-based,
plain text mode with innovative and intuitive editing features, and to
incorporate project planning functionality directly into a notes file.
A special thanks goes to @i{Bastien Guerry} who has not only written a large
number of extensions to Org (most of them integrated into the core by now),
but who has also helped in the development and maintenance of Org so much that he
should be considered the main co-contributor to this package.
Since the first release, literally thousands of emails to me or to
@email{emacs-orgmode@@gnu.org} have provided a constant stream of bug
reports, feedback, new ideas, and sometimes patches and add-on code.
Many thanks to everyone who has helped to improve this package. I am
trying to keep here a list of the people who had significant influence
in shaping one or more aspects of Org. The list may not be
complete, if I have forgotten someone, please accept my apologies and
let me know.
@itemize @bullet
@item
@i{Russel Adams} came up with the idea for drawers.
@item
@i{Thomas Baumann} wrote @file{org-bbdb.el} and @file{org-mhe.el}.
@item
@i{Christophe Bataillon} created the great unicorn logo that we use on the
Org-mode website.
@item
@i{Alex Bochannek} provided a patch for rounding timestamps.
@item
@i{Brad Bozarth} showed how to pull RSS feed data into Org-mode files.
@item
@i{Tom Breton} wrote @file{org-choose.el}.
@item
@i{Charles Cave}'s suggestion sparked the implementation of templates
for Remember.
@item
@i{Pavel Chalmoviansky} influenced the agenda treatment of items with
specified time.
@item
@i{Gregory Chernov} patched support for Lisp forms into table
calculations and improved XEmacs compatibility, in particular by porting
@file{nouline.el} to XEmacs.
@item
@i{Sacha Chua} suggested copying some linking code from Planner.
@item
@i{Baoqiu Cui} contributed the DocBook exporter.
@item
@i{Dan Davison} wrote (together with @i{Eric Schulte}) Org Babel.
@item
@i{Eddward DeVilla} proposed and tested checkbox statistics. He also
came up with the idea of properties, and that there should be an API for
them.
@item
@i{Nick Dokos} tracked down several nasty bugs.
@item
@i{Kees Dullemond} used to edit projects lists directly in HTML and so
inspired some of the early development, including HTML export. He also
asked for a way to narrow wide table columns.
@item
@i{Christian Egli} converted the documentation into Texinfo format,
patched CSS formatting into the HTML exporter, and inspired the agenda.
@item
@i{David Emery} provided a patch for custom CSS support in exported
HTML agendas.
@item
@i{Nic Ferrier} contributed mailcap and XOXO support.
@item
@i{Miguel A. Figueroa-Villanueva} implemented hierarchical checkboxes.
@item
@i{John Foerch} figured out how to make incremental search show context
around a match in a hidden outline tree.
@item
@i{Raimar Finken} wrote @file{org-git-line.el}.
@item
@i{Mikael Fornius} works as a mailing list moderator.
@item
@i{Austin Frank} works as a mailing list moderator.
@item
@i{Niels Giesen} had the idea to automatically archive DONE trees.
@item
@i{Bastien Guerry} wrote the La@TeX{} exporter and @file{org-bibtex.el}, and
has been prolific with patches, ideas, and bug reports.
@item
@i{Kai Grossjohann} pointed out key-binding conflicts with other packages.
@item
@i{Bernt Hansen} has driven much of the support for auto-repeating tasks,
task state change logging, and the clocktable. His clear explanations have
been critical when we started to adopt the Git version control system.
@item
@i{Manuel Hermenegildo} has contributed various ideas, small fixes and
patches.
@item
@i{Phil Jackson} wrote @file{org-irc.el}.
@item
@i{Scott Jaderholm} proposed footnotes, control over whitespace between
folded entries, and column view for properties.
@item
@i{Tokuya Kameshima} wrote @file{org-wl.el} and @file{org-mew.el}.
@item
@i{Shidai Liu} ("Leo") asked for embedded La@TeX{} and tested it. He also
provided frequent feedback and some patches.
@item
@i{Matt Lundin} has proposed last-row references for table formulas and named
invisible anchors. He has also worked a lot on the FAQ.
@item
@i{Jason F. McBrayer} suggested agenda export to CSV format.
@item
@i{Max Mikhanosha} came up with the idea of refiling.
@item
@i{Dmitri Minaev} sent a patch to set priority limits on a per-file
basis.
@item
@i{Stefan Monnier} provided a patch to keep the Emacs-Lisp compiler
happy.
@item
@i{Richard Moreland} wrote @i{MobileOrg} for the iPhone.
@item
@i{Rick Moynihan} proposed allowing multiple TODO sequences in a file
and being able to quickly restrict the agenda to a subtree.
@item
@i{Todd Neal} provided patches for links to Info files and Elisp forms.
@item
@i{Greg Newman} refreshed the unicorn logo into its current form.
@item
@i{Tim O'Callaghan} suggested in-file links, search options for general
file links, and TAGS.
@item
@i{Takeshi Okano} translated the manual and David O'Toole's tutorial
into Japanese.
@item
@i{Oliver Oppitz} suggested multi-state TODO items.
@item
@i{Scott Otterson} sparked the introduction of descriptive text for
links, among other things.
@item
@i{Pete Phillips} helped during the development of the TAGS feature, and
provided frequent feedback.
@item
@i{Martin Pohlack} provided the code snippet to bundle character insertion
into bundles of 20 for undo.
@item
@i{T.V. Raman} reported bugs and suggested improvements.
@item
@i{Matthias Rempe} (Oelde) provided ideas, Windows support, and quality
control.
@item
@i{Paul Rivier} provided the basic implementation of named footnotes. He
also acted as mailing list moderator for some time.
@item
@i{Kevin Rogers} contributed code to access VM files on remote hosts.
@item
@i{Sebastian Rose} wrote @file{org-info.js}, a Java script for displaying
webpages derived from Org using an Info-like or a folding interface with
single-key navigation.
@item
@i{Frank Ruell} solved the mystery of the @code{keymapp nil} bug, a
conflict with @file{allout.el}.
@item
@i{Jason Riedy} generalized the send-receive mechanism for Orgtbl tables with
extensive patches.
@item
@i{Philip Rooke} created the Org reference card, provided lots
of feedback, developed and applied standards to the Org documentation.
@item
@i{Christian Schlauer} proposed angular brackets around links, among
other things.
@item
@i{Eric Schulte} wrote @file{org-plot.el} and (together with @i{Dan Davison})
Org Babel, and contributed various patches, small features and modules.
@item
Linking to VM/BBDB/Gnus was first inspired by @i{Tom Shannon}'s
@file{organizer-mode.el}.
@item
@i{Ilya Shlyakhter} proposed the Archive Sibling, line numbering in literal
examples, and remote highlighting for referenced code lines.
@item
@i{Stathis Sideris} wrote the @file{ditaa.jar} ASCII to PNG converter that is
now packaged into Org's @file{contrib} directory.
@item
@i{Daniel Sinder} came up with the idea of internal archiving by locking
subtrees.
@item
@i{Dale Smith} proposed link abbreviations.
@item
@i{James TD Smith} has contributed a large number of patches for useful
tweaks and features.
@item
@i{Adam Spiers} asked for global linking commands, inspired the link
extension system, added support for mairix, and proposed the mapping API.
@item
@i{Andy Stewart} contributed code to @file{org-w3m.el}, to copy HTML content
with links transformation to Org syntax.
@item
@i{David O'Toole} wrote @file{org-publish.el} and drafted the manual
chapter about publishing.
@item
@i{J@"urgen Vollmer} contributed code generating the table of contents
in HTML output.
@item
@i{Chris Wallace} provided a patch implementing the @samp{QUOTE}
keyword.
@item
@i{David Wainberg} suggested archiving, and improvements to the linking
system.
@item
@i{John Wiegley} wrote @file{emacs-wiki.el}, @file{planner.el}, and
@file{muse.el}, which have some overlap with Org. Initially the development
of Org was fully independent because I was not aware of the existence of
these packages. But with time I have occasionally looked at John's code and
learned a lot from it. John has also contributed a number of great ideas and
patches directly to Org, including the attachment system
(@file{org-attach.el}), integration with Apple Mail
(@file{org-mac-message.el}), hierarchical dependencies of TODO items, habit
tracking (@file{org-habits.el}) and support for pcomplete.
@item
@i{Carsten Wimmer} suggested some changes and helped fix a bug in
linking to Gnus.
@item
@i{Roland Winkler} requested additional key bindings to make Org
work on a tty.
@item
@i{Piotr Zielinski} wrote @file{org-mouse.el}, proposed agenda blocks
and contributed various ideas and code snippets.
@end itemize
@node Main Index, Key Index, History and Acknowledgments, Top
@unnumbered Concept Index
@printindex cp
@node Key Index, Variable Index, Main Index, Top
@unnumbered Key Index
@printindex ky
@node Variable Index, , Key Index, Top
@unnumbered Variable Index
This is not a complete index of variables and faces, only the ones that are
mentioned in the manual. For a more complete list, use @kbd{M-x
org-customize @key{RET}} and then click yourself through the tree.
@printindex vr
@bye
@ignore
arch-tag: 7893d1Fe-cc57-4d13-b5e5-f494a1CBC7ac
@end ignore
@c Local variables:
@c ispell-local-dictionary: "en_US-w_accents"
@c ispell-local-pdict: "./.aspell.org.pws"
@c fill-column: 77
@c End:
@c LocalWords: webdavhost pre
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