3 @setfilename ../info/org
4 @settitle Org Mode Manual
7 @set DATE November 2006
11 * Org Mode: (org). outline-based notes management and organizer
14 @c Version and Contact Info
15 @set MAINTAINERSITE @uref{http://www.astro.uva.nl/~dominik/Tools/org/,maintainers webpage}
16 @set AUTHOR Carsten Dominik
17 @set MAINTAINER Carsten Dominik
18 @set MAINTAINEREMAIL @email{dominik at science dot uva dot nl}
19 @set MAINTAINERCONTACT @uref{mailto:dominik at science dot uva dot nl,contact the maintainer}
25 @c Subheadings inside a table.
26 @macro tsubheading{text}
36 This manual is for Org-mode (version @value{VERSION}).
38 Copyright @copyright{} 2004, 2005, 2006 Free Software Foundation
41 Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document
42 under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.1 or
43 any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no
44 Invariant Sections, with the Front-Cover texts being ``A GNU Manual,''
45 and with the Back-Cover Texts as in (a) below. A copy of the
46 license is included in the section entitled ``GNU Free Documentation
49 (a) The FSF's Back-Cover Text is: ``You have freedom to copy and modify
50 this GNU Manual, like GNU software. Copies published by the Free
51 Software Foundation raise funds for GNU development.''
56 @title Org Mode Manual
58 @subtitle Release @value{VERSION}
59 @author by Carsten Dominik
61 @c The following two commands start the copyright page.
63 @vskip 0pt plus 1filll
67 @c Output the table of contents at the beginning.
71 @node Top, Introduction, (dir), (dir)
78 * Introduction:: Getting started
79 * Document structure:: A tree works like your brain
80 * Tables:: Pure magic for quick formatting
81 * Hyperlinks:: Notes in context
82 * TODO items:: Every tree branch can be a TODO item
83 * Timestamps:: Assign date and time to items
84 * Tags:: Tagging headlines and matching sets of tags
85 * Agenda views:: Collecting information into views
86 * Embedded LaTeX:: LaTeX fragments and formulas
87 * Exporting:: Sharing and publishing of notes
88 * Publishing:: Create a web site of linked Org-mode files
89 * Miscellaneous:: All the rest which did not fit elsewhere
90 * Extensions and Hacking:: It is possible to write add-on code
91 * History and Acknowledgments:: How Org-mode came into being
92 * Index:: The fast road to specific information
93 * Key Index:: Key bindings and where they are described
96 --- The Detailed Node Listing ---
100 * Summary:: Brief summary of what Org-mode does
101 * Installation:: How to install a downloaded version of Org-mode
102 * Activation:: How to activate Org-mode for certain buffers.
103 * Feedback:: Bug reports, ideas, patches etc.
107 * Outlines:: Org-mode is based on outline-mode
108 * Headlines:: How to typeset org-tree headlines
109 * Visibility cycling:: Show and hide, much simplified
110 * Motion:: Jumping to other headlines
111 * Structure editing:: Changing sequence and level of headlines
112 * Archiving:: Move done task trees to a different place
113 * Sparse trees:: Matches embedded in context
114 * Plain lists:: Additional structure within an entry
118 * ARCHIVE tag:: Marking a tree as inactive
119 * Moving subtrees:: Moving a tree to an archive file
123 * Built-in table editor:: Simple tables
124 * Narrow columns:: Stop wasting space in tables
125 * Table calculations:: Compute a field from other fields
126 * orgtbl-mode:: The table editor as minor mode
127 * table.el:: Complex tables
129 Calculations in tables
131 * Formula syntax:: How to write a formula
132 * Lisp formulas:: An alternative way to write formulas
133 * Column formulas:: Formulas valid for all fields in a column
134 * Advanced features:: Field names, parameters and automatic recalc
135 * Named-field formulas:: Formulas valid in single fields
136 * Editing/debugging formulas:: Changing a stored formula
137 * Appetizer:: Taste the power of calc
141 * Link format:: How links in Org-mode are formatted
142 * Internal links:: Links to other places in the current file
143 * External links:: URL-like links to the world
144 * Handling links:: Creating, inserting and following
145 * Link abbreviations:: Shortcuts for writing complex links
146 * Search options:: Linking to a specific location
147 * Custom searches:: When the default search is not enough
148 * Remember:: Org-trees store quick notes
152 * Radio targets:: Make targets trigger links in plain text.
153 * CamelCase links:: Activating CamelCase words as links
157 * TODO basics:: Marking and displaying TODO entries
158 * TODO extensions:: Workflow and assignments
159 * Priorities:: Some things are more important than others
160 * Breaking down tasks:: Splitting a task into managable pieces
161 * Checkboxes:: Tick-off lists
163 Extended use of TODO keywords
165 * Workflow states:: From TODO to DONE in steps
166 * TODO types:: I do this, Fred the rest
167 * Per file keywords:: Different files, different requirements
171 * Time stamps:: Assigning a time to a tree entry
172 * Creating timestamps:: Commands which insert timestamps
173 * Custom time format:: If you cannot work with the ISO format
174 * Progress logging:: Documenting when what work was done.
178 * The date/time prompt:: How org-mode helps you entering date and time
182 * Closing items:: When was this entry marked DONE?
183 * Clocking work time:: When exactly did you work on this item?
187 * Tag inheritance:: Tags use the tree structure of the outline
188 * Setting tags:: How to assign tags to a headline
189 * Tag searches:: Searching for combinations of tags
193 * Agenda files:: Files being searched for agenda information
194 * Agenda dispatcher:: Keyboard access to agenda views
195 * Weekly/Daily agenda:: The calendar page with current tasks
196 * Global TODO list:: All unfinished action items
197 * Matching headline tags:: Structured information with fine-tuned search
198 * Timeline:: Time-sorted view for single file
199 * Presentation and sorting:: How agenda items are prepared for display
200 * Agenda commands:: Remote editing of org trees
201 * Custom agenda views:: Defining special searches and views
203 The weekly/daily agenda
205 * Calendar/Diary integration:: Integrating Anniversaries and more
207 Presentation and sorting
209 * Categories:: Not all tasks are equal
210 * Time-of-day specifications:: How the agenda knows the time
211 * Sorting of agenda items:: The order of things
215 * Storing searches:: Type once, use often
216 * Block agenda:: All the stuff you need in a single buffer
217 * Setting Options:: Changing the rules
218 * Batch processing:: Agenda views from the command line
222 * Math symbols:: TeX macros for symbols and Greek letters
223 * Subscripts and Superscripts:: Simple syntax for raising/lowering text
224 * LaTeX fragments:: Complex formulas made easy
225 * Processing LaTeX fragments:: Previewing LaTeX processing
226 * CDLaTeX mode:: Speed up entering of formulas
230 * ASCII export:: Exporting to plain ASCII
231 * HTML export:: Exporting to HTML
232 * XOXO export:: Exporting to XOXO
233 * iCalendar export:: Exporting in iCalendar format
234 * Text interpretation:: How the exporter looks at the file
236 Text interpretation by the exporter
238 * Comment lines:: Some lines will not be exported
239 * Enhancing text:: Subscripts, symbols and more
240 * Export options:: How to influence the export settings
244 * Configuration:: Defining projects
245 * Sample configuration:: Example projects
246 * Triggering publication:: Publication commands
250 * Project alist:: The central configuration variable
251 * Sources and destinations:: From here to there
252 * Selecting files:: What files are part of the project?
253 * Publishing action:: Setting the function doing the publishing
254 * Publishing options:: Tweaking HTML export
255 * Publishing links:: Which links keep working after publishing?
256 * Project page index:: Publishing a list of project files
260 * Simple example:: One-component publishing
261 * Complex example:: A multi-component publishing example
265 * Completion:: M-TAB knows what you need
266 * Customization:: Adapting Org-mode to your taste
267 * In-buffer settings:: Overview of the #+KEYWORDS
268 * The very busy C-c C-c key:: When in doubt, press C-c C-c
269 * Clean view:: Getting rid of leading stars in the outline
270 * TTY keys:: Using Org-mode on a tty
271 * Interaction:: Other Emacs packages
272 * Bugs:: Things which do not work perfectly
274 Interaction with other packages
276 * Cooperation:: Packages Org-mode cooperates with
277 * Conflicts:: Packages that lead to conflicts
279 Extensions, Hooks and Hacking
281 * Extensions:: Existing 3rd-part extensions
282 * Dynamic blocks:: Automatically filled blocks
287 @node Introduction, Document structure, Top, Top
288 @chapter Introduction
292 * Summary:: Brief summary of what Org-mode does
293 * Installation:: How to install a downloaded version of Org-mode
294 * Activation:: How to activate Org-mode for certain buffers.
295 * Feedback:: Bug reports, ideas, patches etc.
298 @node Summary, Installation, Introduction, Introduction
302 Org-mode is a mode for keeping notes, maintaining ToDo lists, and doing
303 project planning with a fast and effective plain-text system.
305 Org-mode develops organizational tasks around NOTES files that contain
306 lists or information about projects as plain text. Org-mode is
307 implemented on top of outline-mode, which makes it possible to keep the
308 content of large files well structured. Visibility cycling and
309 structure editing help to work with the tree. Tables are easily created
310 with a built-in table editor. Org-mode supports ToDo items, deadlines,
311 time stamps, and scheduling. It dynamically compiles entries into an
312 agenda that utilizes and smoothly integrates much of the Emacs calendar
313 and diary. Plain text URL-like links connect to websites, emails,
314 Usenet messages, BBDB entries, and any files related to the projects.
315 For printing and sharing of notes, an Org-mode file can be exported as a
316 structured ASCII file, as HTML, or (todo and agenda items only) as an
317 iCalendar file. It can also serve as a publishing tool for a set of
320 An important design aspect that distinguishes Org-mode from for example
321 Planner/Muse is that it encougages to store every piece of information
322 only once. In Planner, you have project pages, day pages and possibly
323 other files, duplicating some information such as tasks. In Org-mode,
324 you only have notes files. In your notes you mark entries as tasks,
325 label them with tags and timestamps. All necessary lists like a
326 schedule for the day, the agenda for a meeting, tasks lists selected by
327 tags etc are created dynamically when you need them.
329 Org-mode keeps simple things simple. When first fired up, it should
330 feel like a straightforward, easy to use outliner. Complexity is not
331 imposed, but a large amount of functionality is available when you need
332 it. Org-mode can be used on different levels and in different ways, for
336 @r{@bullet{} as an outline extension with visibility cycling and structure editing}
337 @r{@bullet{} as an ASCII system and table editor for taking structured notes}
338 @r{@bullet{} as an ASCII table editor with spreadsheet-like capabilities}
339 @r{@bullet{} as a TODO list editor}
340 @r{@bullet{} as a full agenda and planner with deadlines and work scheduling}
341 @r{@bullet{} as an environment to implement David Allen's GTD system}
342 @r{@bullet{} as a simple hypertext system, with HTML export}
343 @r{@bullet{} as a publishing tool to create a set of interlinked webpages}
346 Org-mode's automatic, context sensitive table editor can be integrated
347 into any major mode by activating the minor Orgtbl-mode.
350 There is a website for Org-mode which provides links to the newest
351 version of Org-mode, as well as additional information, frequently asked
352 questions (FAQ), links to tutorials etc. This page is located at
353 @uref{http://www.astro.uva.nl/~dominik/Tools/org/}.
357 @node Installation, Activation, Summary, Introduction
358 @section Installation
362 @b{Important:} If Org-mode is part of the Emacs distribution or an
363 XEmacs package, please skip this section and go directly to
366 If you have downloaded Org-mode from the Web, you must take the
367 following steps to install it: Go into the Org-mode distribution
368 directory and edit the top section of the file @file{Makefile}. You
369 must set the name of the Emacs binary (likely either @file{emacs} or
370 @file{xemacs}), and the paths to the directories where local Lisp and
371 Info files are kept. If you don't have access to the system-wide
372 directories, create your own two directories for these files, enter them
373 into the Makefile, and make sure Emacs finds the Lisp files by adding
374 the following line to @file{.emacs}:
377 (setq load-path (cons "~/path/to/lispdir" load-path))
380 @b{XEmacs users now need to install the file @file{noutline.el} from
381 the @file{xemacs} subdirectory of the Org-mode distribution. Use the
385 @b{make install-noutline}
388 @noindent Now byte-compile and install the Lisp files with the shell
396 @noindent If you want to install the info documentation, use this command:
402 @noindent Then add to @file{.emacs}:
405 ;; This line only if org-mode is not part of the X/Emacs distribution.
406 (require 'org-install)
409 @node Activation, Feedback, Installation, Introduction
413 @cindex global keybindings
414 @cindex keybindings, global
416 Add the following lines to your @file{.emacs} file. The last two lines
417 define @emph{global} keys for the commands @command{org-store-link} and
418 @command{org-agenda} - please choose suitable keys yourself.
421 ;; The following lines are always needed. Choose your own keys.
422 (add-to-list 'auto-mode-alist '("\\.org$" . org-mode))
423 (define-key global-map "\C-cl" 'org-store-link)
424 (define-key global-map "\C-ca" 'org-agenda)
427 Furthermore, you must activate @code{font-lock-mode} in org-mode
428 buffers, because significant functionality depends on font-locking being
429 active. You can do this with either one of the following two lines
430 (XEmacs user must use the second option):
432 (global-font-lock-mode 1) ; for all buffers
433 (add-hook 'org-mode-hook 'turn-on-font-lock) ; org-mode buffers only
436 @cindex org-mode, turning on
437 With this setup, all files with extension @samp{.org} will be put
438 into Org-mode. As an alternative, make the first line of a file look
442 MY PROJECTS -*- mode: org; -*-
445 @noindent which will select Org-mode for this buffer no matter what
446 the file's name is. See also the variable
447 @code{org-insert-mode-line-in-empty-file}.
449 @node Feedback, , Activation, Introduction
456 If you find problems with Org-mode, or if you have questions, remarks,
457 or ideas about it, please contact the maintainer @value{MAINTAINER} at
458 @value{MAINTAINEREMAIL}.
460 For bug reports, please provide as much information as possible,
461 including the version information of Emacs (@kbd{C-h v emacs-version
462 @key{RET}}) and Org-mode (@kbd{C-h v org-version @key{RET}}), as well as
463 the Org-mode related setup in @file{.emacs}. If an error occurs, a
464 backtrace can be very useful (see below on how to create one). Often a
465 small example file helps, along with clear information about:
468 @item What exactly did you do?
469 @item What did you expect to happen?
470 @item What happened instead?
472 @noindent Thank you for helping to improve this mode.
474 @subsubheading How to create a useful backtrace
476 @cindex backtrace of an error
477 If working with Org-mode produces an error with a message you don't
478 understand, you may have hit a bug. The best way to report this is by
479 providing, in addition to what was mentioned above, a @emph{Backtrace}.
480 This is information from the built-in debugger about where and how the
481 error occurred. Here is how to produce a useful backtrace:
485 Start a fresh Emacs or XEmacs, and make sure that it will load the
486 original Lisp code in @file{org.el} instead of the compiled version in
487 @file{org.elc}. The backtrace contains much more information if it is
488 produced with uncompiled code. To do this, either rename @file{org.elc}
489 to something else before starting Emacs, or ask Emacs explicitly to load
490 @file{org.el} by using the command line
492 emacs -l /path/to/org.el
495 Go to the @code{Options} menu and select @code{Enter Debugger on Error}
496 (XEmacs has this option in the @code{Troubleshooting} sub-menu).
498 Do whatever you have to do to hit the error. Don't forget to
499 document the steps you take.
501 When you hit the error, a @file{*Backtrace*} buffer will appear on the
502 screen. Save this buffer to a file (for example using @kbd{C-x C-w}) and
503 attach it to your bug report.
506 @node Document structure, Tables, Introduction, Top
507 @chapter Document Structure
508 @cindex document structure
509 @cindex structure of document
511 Org-mode is based on outline mode and provides flexible commands to
512 edit the structure of the document.
515 * Outlines:: Org-mode is based on outline-mode
516 * Headlines:: How to typeset org-tree headlines
517 * Visibility cycling:: Show and hide, much simplified
518 * Motion:: Jumping to other headlines
519 * Structure editing:: Changing sequence and level of headlines
520 * Archiving:: Move done task trees to a different place
521 * Sparse trees:: Matches embedded in context
522 * Plain lists:: Additional structure within an entry
525 @node Outlines, Headlines, Document structure, Document structure
530 Org-mode is implemented on top of outline-mode. Outlines allow to
531 organize a document in a hierarchical structure, which (at least for
532 me) is the best representation of notes and thoughts. Overview over
533 this structure is achieved by folding (hiding) large parts of the
534 document to show only the general document structure and the parts
535 currently being worked on. Org-mode greatly simplifies the use of
536 outlines by compressing the entire show/hide functionality into a
537 single command @command{org-cycle}, which is bound to the @key{TAB}
540 @node Headlines, Visibility cycling, Outlines, Document structure
545 Headlines define the structure of an outline tree. The headlines in
546 Org-mode start with one or more stars, on the left margin. For
556 * Another top level headline
559 @noindent Some people find the many stars too noisy and would prefer an
560 outline that has whitespace followed by a single star as headline
561 starters. @ref{Clean view} describes a setup to realize this.
563 @node Visibility cycling, Motion, Headlines, Document structure
564 @section Visibility cycling
565 @cindex cycling, visibility
566 @cindex visibility cycling
567 @cindex trees, visibility
568 @cindex show hidden text
571 Outlines make it possible to hide parts of the text in the buffer.
572 Org-mode uses just two commands, bound to @key{TAB} and
573 @kbd{S-@key{TAB}} to change the visibility in the buffer.
575 @cindex subtree visibility states
576 @cindex subtree cycling
577 @cindex folded, subtree visibility state
578 @cindex children, subtree visibility state
579 @cindex subtree, subtree visibility state
583 @emph{Subtree cycling}: Rotate current subtree between the states
586 ,-> FOLDED -> CHILDREN -> SUBTREE --.
587 '-----------------------------------'
590 The cursor must be on a headline for this to work@footnote{see, however,
591 the option @code{org-cycle-emulate-tab}.}. When the cursor is at the
592 beginning of the buffer and the first line is not a headline, then
593 @key{TAB} actually runs global cycling (see below)@footnote{see the
594 option @code{org-cycle-global-at-bob}.}. Also when called with a prefix
595 argument (@kbd{C-u @key{TAB}}), global cycling is invoked.
597 @cindex global visibility states
598 @cindex global cycling
599 @cindex overview, global visibility state
600 @cindex contents, global visibility state
601 @cindex show all, global visibility state
605 @emph{Global cycling}: Rotate the entire buffer between the states
608 ,-> OVERVIEW -> CONTENTS -> SHOW ALL --.
609 '--------------------------------------'
612 Note that inside tables, @kbd{S-@key{TAB}} jumps to the previous field.
614 @cindex show all, command
620 Reveal context around point, showing the current entry, the following
621 heading and the hierarchy above. Useful for working near a location
622 exposed by a sparse tree command (@pxref{Sparse trees}) or an agenda
623 command (@pxref{Agenda commands}).
626 When Emacs first visits an Org-mode file, the global state is set to
627 OVERVIEW, i.e. only the top level headlines are visible. This can be
628 configured through the variable @code{org-startup-folded}, or on a
629 per-file basis by adding one of the following lines anywhere in the
638 @node Motion, Structure editing, Visibility cycling, Document structure
640 @cindex motion, between headlines
641 @cindex jumping, to headlines
642 @cindex headline navigation
643 The following commands jump to other headlines in the buffer.
654 Next heading same level.
657 Previous heading same level.
660 Backward to higher level heading.
663 Jump to a different place without changing the current outline
664 visibility. Shows the document structure in a temporary buffer, where
665 you can use visibility cycling (@key{TAB}) to find your destination.
666 After pressing @key{RET}, the cursor moves to the selected location in
667 the original buffer, and the headings hierarchy above it is made
671 @node Structure editing, Archiving, Motion, Document structure
672 @section Structure editing
673 @cindex structure editing
674 @cindex headline, promotion and demotion
675 @cindex promotion, of subtrees
676 @cindex demotion, of subtrees
677 @cindex subtree, cut and paste
678 @cindex pasting, of subtrees
679 @cindex cutting, of subtrees
680 @cindex copying, of subtrees
681 @cindex subtrees, cut and paste
686 Insert new heading with same level as current. If the cursor is in a
687 plain list item, a new item is created (@pxref{Plain lists}). To force
688 creation of a new headline, use a prefix arg, or first press @key{RET}
689 to get to the beginning of the next line. When this command is used in
690 the middle of a line, the line is split and the rest of the line becomes
691 the new headline. If the command is used at the beginning of a
692 headline, the new headline is created before the current line. If at
693 the beginning of any other line, the content of that line is made the
694 new heading. If the command is used at the end of a folded subtree
695 (i.e. behind the ellipses at the end of a headline), then a headline
696 like the current one will be inserted after the end of the subtree.
697 @kindex M-S-@key{RET}
699 Insert new TODO entry with same level as current heading.
702 Promote current heading by one level.
703 @kindex M-@key{right}
705 Demote current heading by one level.
706 @kindex M-S-@key{left}
708 Promote the current subtree by one level.
709 @kindex M-S-@key{right}
710 @item M-S-@key{right}
711 Demote the current subtree by one level.
714 Move subtree up (swap with previous subtree of same
716 @kindex M-S-@key{down}
718 Move subtree down (swap with next subtree of same level).
723 Kill subtree, i.e. remove it from buffer but save in kill ring.
726 Copy subtree to kill ring.
729 Yank subtree from kill ring. This does modify the level of the subtree to
730 make sure the tree fits in nicely at the yank position. The yank
731 level can also be specified with a prefix arg, or by yanking after a
732 headline marker like @samp{****}.
735 @cindex region, active
736 @cindex active region
737 @cindex transient-mark-mode
738 When there is an active region (transient-mark-mode), promotion and
739 demotion work on all headlines in the region. To select a region of
740 headlines, it is best to place both point and mark at the beginning of a
741 line, mark at the beginning of the first headline, and point at the line
742 just after the last headline to change. Note that when the cursor is
743 inside a table (@pxref{Tables}), the Meta-Cursor keys have different
746 @node Archiving, Sparse trees, Structure editing, Document structure
750 When a project represented by a (sub)tree is finished, you may want
751 to move the tree out of the way and to stop it from contributing to the
752 agenda. Org-mode knows two ways of archiving. You can mark a tree with
753 the ARCHIVE tag, or you can move an entire (sub)tree to a different
757 * ARCHIVE tag:: Marking a tree as inactive
758 * Moving subtrees:: Moving a tree to an archive file
761 @node ARCHIVE tag, Moving subtrees, Archiving, Archiving
762 @subsection The ARCHIVE tag
763 @cindex internal archiving
765 A headline that is marked with the ARCHIVE tag (@pxref{Tags}) stays at
766 its location in the outline tree, but behaves in the following way:
769 It does not open when you attempt to do so with a visibility cycling
770 command (@pxref{Visibility cycling}). You can force cycling archived
771 subtrees with @kbd{C-@key{TAB}}, or by setting the option
772 @code{org-cycle-open-archived-trees}. Also normal outline commands like
773 @code{show-all} will open archived subtrees.
775 During sparse tree construction (@pxref{Sparse trees}), matches in
776 archived subtrees are not exposed, unless you configure the option
777 @code{org-sparse-tree-open-archived-trees}.
779 During agenda view construction (@pxref{Agenda views}), the content of
780 archived trees is ignored unless you configure the option
781 @code{org-agenda-skip-archived-trees}.
783 Archived trees are not exported (@pxref{Exporting}), only the headline
784 is. Configure the details using the variable
785 @code{org-export-with-archived-trees}.
788 The following commands help managing the ARCHIVE tag:
793 Toggle the ARCHIVE tag for the current headline. When the tag is set,
794 the headline changes to a shadowish face, and the subtree below it is
796 @kindex C-u C-c C-x C-a
797 @item C-u C-c C-x C-a
798 Check if any direct children of the current headline should be archived.
799 To do this, each subtree is checked for open TODO entries. If none are
800 found, the command offers to set the ARCHIVE tag for the child. If the
801 cursor is @emph{not} on a headline when this command is invoked, the
802 level 1 trees will be checked.
805 Cycle a tree even if it is tagged with ARCHIVE.
808 @node Moving subtrees, , ARCHIVE tag, Archiving
809 @subsection Moving subtrees
810 @cindex external archiving
812 Once an entire project is finished, you may want to move it to a
813 different location, either in the current file, or even in a different
814 file, the archive file.
819 Archive the subtree starting at the cursor position to the location
820 given by @code{org-archive-location}.
823 Check if any direct children of the current headline could be moved to
824 the archive. To do this, each subtree is checked for open TODO entries.
825 If none are found, the command offers to move it to the archive
826 location. If the cursor is @emph{not} on a headline when this command
827 is invoked, the level 1 trees will be checked.
830 @cindex archive locations
831 The default archive location is a file in the same directory as the
832 current file, with the name derived by appending @file{_archive} to the
833 current file name. For information and examples on how to change this,
834 see the documentation string of the variable
835 @code{org-archive-location}.
837 @node Sparse trees, Plain lists, Archiving, Document structure
838 @section Sparse trees
840 @cindex trees, sparse
841 @cindex folding, sparse trees
842 @cindex occur, command
844 An important feature of Org-mode is the ability to construct
845 @emph{sparse trees} for selected information in an outline tree. A
846 sparse tree means that the entire document is folded as much as
847 possible, but the selected information is made visible along with the
848 headline structure above it@footnote{See also the variables
849 @code{org-show-hierarchy-above} and
850 @code{org-show-following-heading}.}. Just try it out and you will see
851 immediately how it works.
853 Org-mode contains several commands creating such trees. The most
854 basic one is @command{org-occur}:
859 Occur. Prompts for a regexp and shows a sparse tree with all matches.
860 If the match is in a headline, the headline is made visible. If the
861 match is in the body of an entry, headline and body are made visible.
862 In order to provide minimal context, also the full hierarchy of
863 headlines above the match is shown, as well as the headline following
864 the match. Each match is also highlighted; the highlights disappear
865 when the bufer is changes an editing command, or by pressing @kbd{C-c
866 C-c}. When called with a @kbd{C-u} prefix argument, previous highlights
867 are kept, so several calls to this command can be stacked.
870 For frequently used sparse trees of specific search strings, you can
871 use the variable @code{org-agenda-custom-commands} to define fast
872 keyboard access to specific sparse trees. These commands will then be
873 accessible through the agenda dispatcher (@pxref{Agenda dispatcher}).
877 (setq org-agenda-custom-commands
878 '(("f" occur-tree "FIXME")))
881 @noindent will define the key @kbd{C-c a f} as a shortcut for creating
882 a sparse tree matching the string @samp{FIXME}.
884 Other commands use sparse trees as well. For example @kbd{C-c
885 C-v} creates a sparse TODO tree (@pxref{TODO basics}).
888 @cindex printing sparse trees
889 @cindex visible text, printing
890 To print a sparse tree, you can use the Emacs command
891 @code{ps-print-buffer-with-faces} which does not print invisible parts
892 of the document @footnote{This does not work under XEmacs, because
893 XEmacs uses selective display for outlining, not text properties.}.
894 Or you can use the command @kbd{C-c C-e v} to export only the visible
895 part of the document and print the resulting file.
897 @node Plain lists, , Sparse trees, Document structure
901 @cindex lists, ordered
902 @cindex ordered lists
904 Within an entry of the outline tree, hand-formatted lists can provide
905 additional structure. They also provide a way to create lists of
906 checkboxes (@pxref{Checkboxes}). Org-mode supports editing such lists,
907 and the HTML exporter (@pxref{Exporting}) does parse and format them.
909 Org-mode knows ordered and unordered lists. Unordered list items start
910 with @samp{-}, @samp{+}, or @samp{*}@footnote{When using @samp{*} as a
911 bullet, lines must be indented or they will be seen as top-level
912 headlines. Also, when you are hiding leading stars to get a clean
913 outline view, plain list items starting with a star are visually
914 indistinguishable from true headlines. In short: even though @samp{*}
915 is supported, it may be better not to use it for plain list items} as
916 bullets. Ordered list items start with @samp{1.} or @samp{1)}. Items
917 belonging to the same list must have the same indentation on the first
918 line. In particular, if an ordered list reaches number @samp{10.}, then
919 the 2--digit numbers must be written left-aligned with the other numbers
920 in the list. Indentation also determines the end of a list item. It
921 ends before the next line that is indented like the bullet/number, or
927 My favorite scenes are (in this order)
928 1. The attack of the Rohirrim
929 2. Eowyns fight with the witch king
930 + this was already my favorite scene in the book
931 + I really like Miranda Otto.
932 3. Peter Jackson being shot by Legolas
934 He makes a really funny face when it happens.
935 But in the end, not individual scenes matter but the film as a whole.
939 Org-mode supports these lists by tuning filling and wrapping commands to
940 deal with them correctly@footnote{Org-mode only changes the filling
941 settings for Emacs. For XEmacs, you should use Kyle E. Jones'
942 @file{filladapt.el}. To turn this on, put into @file{.emacs}:
948 The following commands act on items when the cursor is in the first line
949 of an item (the line with the bullet or number).
954 Items can be folded just like headline levels if you set the variable
955 @code{org-cycle-include-plain-lists}. The level of an item is then
956 given by the indentation of the bullet/number. Items are always
957 subordinate to real headlines, however; the hierarchies remain
958 completely separated.
961 Insert new item at current level. With prefix arg, force a new heading
962 (@pxref{Structure editing}). If this command is used in the middle of a
963 line, the line is @emph{split} and the rest of the line becomes the new
964 item. If this command is executed in the @emph{whitespace before a bullet or
965 number}, the new item is created @emph{before} the current item. If the
966 command is executed in the white space before the text that is part of
967 an item but does not contain the bullet, a bullet is added to the
969 @kindex M-S-@key{RET}
971 Insert a new item with a checkbox (@pxref{Checkboxes}).
976 Jump to the previous/next item in the current list.
978 @kindex M-S-@key{down}
980 @itemx M-S-@key{down}
981 Move the item including subitems up/down (swap with previous/next item
982 of same indentation). If the list is ordered, renumbering is
984 @kindex M-S-@key{left}
985 @kindex M-S-@key{right}
987 @itemx M-S-@key{right}
988 Decrease/increase the indentation of the item, including subitems.
989 Initially, the item tree is selected based on current indentation.
990 When these commands are executed several times in direct succession,
991 the initially selected region is used, even if the new indentation
992 would imply a different hierarchy. To use the new hierarchy, break
993 the command chain with a cursor motion or so.
996 If there is a checkbox (@pxref{Checkboxes}) in the item line, toggle the
997 state of the checkbox. Otherwise, if this is an ordered list, renumber
998 the ordered list at the cursor.
1001 @node Tables, Hyperlinks, Document structure, Top
1004 @cindex editing tables
1006 Org-mode has a very fast and intuitive table editor built-in.
1007 Spreadsheet-like calculations are supported in connection with the
1008 Emacs @file{calc} package.
1011 * Built-in table editor:: Simple tables
1012 * Narrow columns:: Stop wasting space in tables
1013 * Table calculations:: Compute a field from other fields
1014 * orgtbl-mode:: The table editor as minor mode
1015 * table.el:: Complex tables
1018 @node Built-in table editor, Narrow columns, Tables, Tables
1019 @section The built-in table editor
1020 @cindex table editor, builtin
1022 Org-mode makes it easy to format tables in plain ASCII. Any line with
1023 @samp{|} as the first non-white character is considered part of a
1024 table. @samp{|} is also the column separator. A table might look
1028 | Name | Phone | Age |
1029 |-------+-------+-----|
1030 | Peter | 1234 | 17 |
1031 | Anna | 4321 | 25 |
1034 A table is re-aligned automatically each time you press @key{TAB} or
1035 @key{RET} or @kbd{C-c C-c} inside the table. @key{TAB} also moves to
1036 the next field (@key{RET} to the next row) and creates new table rows
1037 at the end of the table or before horizontal lines. The indentation
1038 of the table is set by the first line. Any line starting with
1039 @samp{|-} is considered as a horizontal separator line and will be
1040 expanded on the next re-align to span the whole table width. So, to
1041 create the above table, you would only type
1048 @noindent and then press @key{TAB} to align the table and start filling in
1051 When typing text into a field, Org-mode treats @key{DEL},
1052 @key{Backspace}, and all character keys in a special way, so that
1053 inserting and deleting avoids shifting other fields. Also, when
1054 typing @emph{immediately after the cursor was moved into a new field
1055 with @kbd{@key{TAB}}, @kbd{S-@key{TAB}} or @kbd{@key{RET}}}, the
1056 field is automatically made blank. If this behavior is too
1057 unpredictable for you, configure the variables
1058 @code{org-enable-table-editor} and @code{org-table-auto-blank-field}.
1061 @tsubheading{Creation and conversion}
1064 Convert the active region to table. If every line contains at least one
1065 TAB character, the function assumes that the material is tab separated.
1066 If not, lines are split at whitespace into fields. You can use a prefix
1067 argument to indicate the minimum number of consecutive spaces required
1068 to identify a field separator (default: just one).@*
1069 If there is no active region, this command creates an empty Org-mode
1070 table. But it's easier just to start typing, like
1071 @kbd{|Name|Phone|Age @key{RET} |- @key{TAB}}.
1073 @tsubheading{Re-aligning and field motion}
1076 Re-align the table without moving the cursor.
1080 Re-align the table, move to the next field. Creates a new row if
1085 Re-align, move to previous field.
1089 Re-align the table and move down to next row. Creates a new row if
1090 necessary. At the beginning or end of a line, @key{RET} still does
1091 NEWLINE, so it can be used to split a table.
1093 @tsubheading{Column and row editing}
1094 @kindex M-@key{left}
1095 @kindex M-@key{right}
1097 @itemx M-@key{right}
1098 Move the current column left/right.
1100 @kindex M-S-@key{left}
1101 @item M-S-@key{left}
1102 Kill the current column.
1104 @kindex M-S-@key{right}
1105 @item M-S-@key{right}
1106 Insert a new column to the left of the cursor position.
1109 @kindex M-@key{down}
1112 Move the current row up/down.
1114 @kindex M-S-@key{up}
1116 Kill the current row or horizontal line.
1118 @kindex M-S-@key{down}
1119 @item M-S-@key{down}
1120 Insert a new row above (with arg: below) the current row.
1124 Insert a horizontal line below current row. With prefix arg, the line
1125 is created above the current line.
1129 Sort the table lines in the region. Point and mark must be in the first
1130 and last line to be included, and must be in the column that should be
1131 used for sorting. The command prompts for numerical versus
1132 alphanumerical sorting.
1134 @tsubheading{Regions}
1137 Copy a rectangular region from a table to a special clipboard. Point
1138 and mark determine edge fields of the rectangle. The process ignores
1139 horizontal separator lines.
1142 Copy a rectangular region from a table to a special clipboard, and
1143 blank all fields in the rectangle. So this is the ``cut'' operation.
1146 Paste a rectangular region into a table.
1147 The upper right corner ends up in the current field. All involved fields
1148 will be overwritten. If the rectangle does not fit into the present table,
1149 the table is enlarged as needed. The process ignores horizontal separator
1153 Wrap several fields in a column like a paragraph. If there is an active
1154 region, and both point and mark are in the same column, the text in the
1155 column is wrapped to minimum width for the given number of lines. A
1156 prefix ARG may be used to change the number of desired lines. If there
1157 is no region, the current field is split at the cursor position and the
1158 text fragment to the right of the cursor is prepended to the field one
1159 line down. If there is no region, but you specify a prefix ARG, the
1160 current field is made blank, and the content is appended to the field
1163 @tsubheading{Calculations}
1164 @cindex formula, in tables
1165 @cindex calculations, in tables
1168 Install a new formula for the current column and replace current field
1169 with the result of the formula.
1173 Install a new formula for the current field, which must be a named
1174 field. Evaluate the formula and replace the field content with the
1179 Edit all formulas associated with the current table in a separate
1184 Recalculate the current row by applying the stored formulas from left
1185 to right. When called with a @kbd{C-u} prefix, recalculate the
1186 entire table, starting with the first non-header line (i.e. below the
1187 first horizontal separator line). For details, see @ref{Table calculations}.
1191 Rotate the calculation mark in first column through the states
1192 @samp{}, @samp{#}, @samp{*}, @samp{!}, @samp{$}. For the meaning of
1193 these marks see @ref{Advanced features}. When there is an active
1194 region, change all marks in the region.
1198 Which table column is the cursor in? Displays number >0 in echo
1201 @cindex region, active
1202 @cindex active region
1203 @cindex transient-mark-mode
1206 Sum the numbers in the current column, or in the rectangle defined by
1207 the active region. The result is shown in the echo area and can
1208 be inserted with @kbd{C-y}.
1212 When current field is empty, copy from first non-empty field above.
1213 When not empty, copy current field down to next row and move cursor
1214 along with it. Depending on the variable
1215 @code{org-table-copy-increment}, integer field values will be
1216 incremented during copy. This key is also used by CUA-mode
1217 (@pxref{Cooperation}).
1219 @tsubheading{Miscellaneous}
1222 Edit the current field in a separate window. This is useful for fields
1223 that are not fully visible (@pxref{Narrow columns}). When called with a
1224 @kbd{C-u} prefix, just make the full field visible, so that it can be
1227 @kindex C-c @key{TAB}
1229 This is an alias for @kbd{C-u C-c `} to make the current field fully
1232 @item M-x org-table-import
1233 Import a file as a table. The table should be TAB- or whitespace
1234 separated. Useful, for example, to import an Excel table or data from a
1235 database, because these programs generally can write TAB-separated text
1236 files. This command works by inserting the file into the buffer and
1237 then converting the region to a table. Any prefix argument is passed on
1238 to the converter, which uses it to determine the separator.
1240 @item M-x org-table-export
1241 Export the table as a TAB-separated file. Useful for data exchange with,
1242 for example, Excel or database programs.
1246 If you don't like the automatic table editor because it gets in your
1247 way on lines which you would like to start with @samp{|}, you can turn
1251 (setq org-enable-table-editor nil)
1254 @noindent Then the only table command that still works is
1255 @kbd{C-c C-c} to do a manual re-align.
1257 @node Narrow columns, Table calculations, Built-in table editor, Tables
1258 @section Narrow columns
1259 @cindex narrow columns in tables
1261 The width of columns is automatically determined by the table editor.
1262 Sometimes a single field or a few fields need to carry more text,
1263 leading to inconveniently wide columns. To limit@footnote{This feature
1264 does not work on XEmacs.} the width of a column, one field anywhere in
1265 the column may contain just the string @samp{<N>} where @samp{N} is an
1266 integer specifying the width of the column in characters. The next
1267 re-align will then set the width of this column to no more than this
1271 |---+------------------------------| |---+--------|
1273 | 1 | one | | 1 | one |
1274 | 2 | two | ----\ | 2 | two |
1275 | 3 | This is a long chunk of text | ----/ | 3 | This=> |
1276 | 4 | four | | 4 | four |
1277 |---+------------------------------| |---+--------|
1281 Fields that are wider become clipped and end in the string @samp{=>}.
1282 Note that the full text is still in the buffer, it is only invisible.
1283 To see the full text, hold the mouse over the field - a tooltip window
1284 will show the full content. To edit such a field, use the command
1285 @kbd{C-c `} (that is @kbd{C-c} followed by the backquote). This will
1286 open a new window with the full field. Edit it and finish with @kbd{C-c
1289 When visiting a file containing a table with narrowed columns, the
1290 necessary character hiding has not yet happened, and the table needs to
1291 be aligned before it looks nice. Setting the option
1292 @code{org-startup-align-all-tables} will realign all tables in a file
1293 upon visiting, but also slow down startup. You can also set this option
1294 on a per-file basis with:
1301 @node Table calculations, orgtbl-mode, Narrow columns, Tables
1302 @section Calculations in tables
1303 @cindex calculations, in tables
1304 @cindex spreadsheet capabilities
1305 @cindex @file{calc} package
1307 The table editor makes use of the Emacs @file{calc} package to implement
1308 spreadsheet-like capabilities. It can also evaluate Emacs Lisp forms to
1309 derive fields from other fields. Org-mode has two levels of complexity
1310 for table calculations. On the basic level, tables do only horizontal
1311 computations, so a field can be computed from other fields @emph{in the
1312 same row}, and Org-mode assumes that there is only one formula for each
1313 column. This is very efficient to work with and enough for many tasks.
1314 On the complex level, columns and individual fields can be named for
1315 easier referencing in formulas, individual named fields can have their
1316 own formula associated with them, and recalculation can be automated.
1319 * Formula syntax:: How to write a formula
1320 * Lisp formulas:: An alternative way to write formulas
1321 * Column formulas:: Formulas valid for all fields in a column
1322 * Advanced features:: Field names, parameters and automatic recalc
1323 * Named-field formulas:: Formulas valid in single fields
1324 * Editing/debugging formulas:: Changing a stored formula
1325 * Appetizer:: Taste the power of calc
1328 @node Formula syntax, Lisp formulas, Table calculations, Table calculations
1329 @subsection Formula syntax
1330 @cindex formula syntax
1331 @cindex syntax, of formulas
1333 A formula can be any algebraic expression understood by the Emacs
1334 @file{calc} package. Note that @file{calc} has the slightly
1335 non-standard convention that @samp{/} has lower precedence than
1336 @samp{*}, so that @samp{a/b*c} is interpreted as @samp{a/(b*c)}. Before
1337 evaluation by @code{calc-eval} (@pxref{Calling Calc from Your
1338 Programs,calc-eval,Calling calc from Your Lisp Programs,calc,GNU Emacs
1339 Calc Manual}), variable substitution takes place:
1342 $ @r{refers to the current field}
1343 $3 @r{refers to the field in column 3 of the current row}
1344 $3..$7 @r{a vector of the fields in columns 3-7 of current row}
1345 $P1..$P3 @r{vector of column range, using column names}
1346 &2 @r{second data field above the current, in same column}
1347 &5-2 @r{vector from fifth to second field above current}
1348 &III-II @r{vector of fields between 2nd and 3rd hline above}
1349 &III @r{vector of fields between third hline above and current field}
1350 $name @r{a named field, parameter or constant}
1353 @cindex vectors, in table calculations
1354 The range vectors can be directly fed into the calc vector functions
1355 like @samp{vmean} and @samp{vsum}.
1357 @cindex name, of column or field
1358 @cindex constants, in calculations
1359 @samp{$name} is interpreted as the name of a column, parameter or
1360 constant. Constants are defined globally through the variable
1361 @code{org-table-formula-constants}. If you have the
1362 @file{constants.el} package, it will also be used to resolve
1363 constants, including natural constants like @samp{$h} for Planck's
1364 constant, and units like @samp{$km} for kilometers. Column names and
1365 parameters can be specified in special table lines. These are
1366 described below, see @ref{Advanced features}.
1368 @cindex format specifier
1369 @cindex mode, for @file{calc}
1370 A formula can contain an optional mode string after a semicolon. This
1371 string consists of flags to influence calc's modes@footnote{By
1372 default, Org-mode uses the standard calc modes (precision 12, angular
1373 units degrees, fraction and symbolic modes off). The display format,
1374 however, has been changed to @code{(float 5)} to keep tables compact.
1375 The default settings can be configured using the variable
1376 @code{org-calc-default-modes}.} during execution, e.g. @samp{p20} to
1377 switch the internal precision to 20 digits, @samp{n3}, @samp{s3},
1378 @samp{e2} or @samp{f4} to switch to normal, scientific, engineering,
1379 or fixed display format, respectively, and @samp{D}, @samp{R}, @samp{F},
1380 and @samp{S} to turn on degrees, radians, fraction and symbolic modes,
1381 respectively. In addition, you may provide a @code{printf} format
1382 specifier to reformat the final result. A few examples:
1385 $1+$2 @r{Sum of first and second field}
1386 $1+$2;%.2f @r{Same, format result to two decimals}
1387 exp($2)+exp($1) @r{Math functions can be used}
1388 $;%.1f @r{Reformat current cell to 1 decimal}
1389 ($3-32)*5/9 @r{Degrees F -> C conversion}
1390 $c/$1/$cm @r{Hz -> cm conversion, using @file{constants.el}}
1391 tan($1);Dp3s1 @r{Compute in degrees, precision 3, display SCI 1}
1392 sin($1);Dp3%.1e @r{Same, but use printf specifier for display}
1393 vmean($2..$7) @r{Compute column range mean, using vector function}
1394 vsum(&III) @r{Sum numbers from 3rd hline above, up to here}
1395 taylor($3,x=7,2) @r{taylor series of $3, at x=7, second degree}
1398 @node Lisp formulas, Column formulas, Formula syntax, Table calculations
1399 @subsection Emacs Lisp forms as formulas
1400 @cindex Lisp forms, as table formulas
1402 It is also possible to write a formula in Emacs lisp; this can be useful
1403 for string manipulation and control structures. If a formula starts
1404 with a single quote followed by an opening parenthesis, then it is
1405 evaluated as a lisp form. The evaluation should return either a string
1406 or a number. Just as with @file{calc} formulas, you can provide a
1407 format specifier after a semicolon. A few examples:
1410 @r{swap the first two characters of the content of column 1}
1411 '(concat (substring "$1" 1 2) (substring "$1" 0 1) (substring "$1" 2))
1412 @r{Add columns 1 and 2, equivalent to the calc's @code{$1+$2}}
1416 @node Column formulas, Advanced features, Lisp formulas, Table calculations
1417 @subsection Column formulas
1418 @cindex column formula
1419 @cindex formula, for table column
1421 To apply a formula to a field, type it directly into the field,
1422 preceded by an equal sign, like @samp{=$1+$2}. When you press
1423 @key{TAB} or @key{RET} or @kbd{C-c C-c} with the cursor still in the
1424 field, the formula will be stored as the formula for the current
1425 column, evaluated and the current field replaced with the result. If
1426 the field contains only @samp{=}, the previously stored formula for
1427 this column is used.
1429 For each column, Org-mode will remember the most recently used
1430 formula. The information is stored in a special line starting with
1431 @samp{#+TBLFM} directly below the table. When adding/deleting/moving
1432 columns with the appropriate commands, the stored equations will be
1433 modified accordingly. When a column used in a calculation is removed,
1434 references to this column become invalid and will cause an error upon
1435 applying the equation.
1437 Instead of typing an equation into the field, you may also use the
1438 command @kbd{C-c =}. It prompts for a formula (with default taken
1439 from the @samp{#+TBLFM:} line) and applies it to the current field. A
1440 numerical prefix (e.g. @kbd{C-5 C-c =}) will apply it to that many
1441 consecutive fields in the current column.
1443 @cindex recomputing table fields
1444 To recompute all the fields in a line, use the command @kbd{C-c *}.
1445 It re-applies all stored equations to the current row, from left to
1446 right. With a @kbd{C-u} prefix, this will be done to every line in
1447 the table, so use this command it you want to make sure the entire
1448 table is up-to-date. @kbd{C-u C-c C-c} is another way to update the
1449 entire table. Global updating does not touch the line(s) above the
1450 first horizontal separator line, assuming that this is the table
1453 @node Advanced features, Named-field formulas, Column formulas, Table calculations
1454 @subsection Advanced features
1456 If you want the recalculation of fields to happen automatically,
1457 or if you want to be able to assign a formula to an individual field
1458 (instead of an entire column) you need to reserve the first column of
1459 the table for special marking characters. Here is an example of a
1460 table that collects exam results of students and makes use of these
1465 |---+---------+--------+--------+--------+-------+------|
1466 | | Student | Prob 1 | Prob 2 | Prob 3 | Total | Note |
1467 |---+---------+--------+--------+--------+-------+------|
1468 | ! | | P1 | P2 | P3 | Tot | |
1469 | # | Maximum | 10 | 15 | 25 | 50 | 10.0 |
1470 | ^ | | m1 | m2 | m3 | mt | |
1471 |---+---------+--------+--------+--------+-------+------|
1472 | # | Peter | 10 | 8 | 23 | 41 | 8.2 |
1473 | # | Sara | 6 | 14 | 19 | 39 | 7.8 |
1474 | # | Sam | 2 | 4 | 3 | 9 | 1.8 |
1475 |---+---------+--------+--------+--------+-------+------|
1476 | | Average | | | | 29.7 | |
1477 | ^ | | | | | at | |
1478 | $ | max=50 | | | | | |
1479 |---+---------+--------+--------+--------+-------+------|
1480 #+TBLFM: $6=vsum($P1..$P3)::$7=10*$Tot/$max;%.1f::$at=vmean(&II);%.1f
1484 @noindent @b{Important}: Please note that for these special tables,
1485 recalculating the table with @kbd{C-u C-c *} will only affect rows
1486 that are marked @samp{#} or @samp{*}, and named fields. The column
1487 formulas are not applied in rows with empty first field.
1489 @cindex marking characters, tables
1490 The marking characters have the following meaning:
1493 The fields in this line define names for the columns, so that you may
1494 refer to a column as @samp{$Tot} instead of @samp{$6}.
1496 This row defines names for the fields @emph{above} the row. With such
1497 a definition, any formula in the table may use @samp{$m1} to refer to
1498 the value @samp{10}. Also, named fields can have their own formula
1499 associated with them.
1501 Similar to @samp{^}, but defines names for the fields in the row
1504 Fields in this row can define @emph{parameters} for formulas. For
1505 example, if a field in a @samp{$} row contains @samp{max=50}, then
1506 formulas in this table can refer to the value 50 using @samp{$max}.
1507 Parameters work exactly like constants, only that they can be defined on
1508 a per-table basis. Changing a parameter and then recalculating the
1509 table can be useful.
1511 Fields in this row are automatically recalculated when pressing
1512 @key{TAB} or @key{RET} or @kbd{S-@key{TAB}} in this row. Also, this row
1513 is selected for a global recalculation with @kbd{C-u C-c *}. Unmarked
1514 lines will be left alone by this command.
1516 Selects this line for global recalculation with @kbd{C-u C-c *}, but
1517 not for automatic recalculation. Use this when automatic
1518 recalculation slows down editing too much.
1520 Unmarked lines are exempt from recalculation with @kbd{C-u C-c *}.
1521 All lines that should be recalculated should be marked with @samp{#}
1525 @node Named-field formulas, Editing/debugging formulas, Advanced features, Table calculations
1526 @subsection Named-field formulas
1527 @cindex named field formula
1528 @cindex formula, for named table field
1530 A named field can have its own formula associated with it. In the
1531 example above, this is used for the @samp{at} field that contains
1532 the average result of the students. To enter a formula for a named
1533 field, just type it into the buffer, preceded by @samp{:=}. Or use
1534 @kbd{C-u C-c =}. This equation will be stored below the table like
1535 @samp{$name=...}. Any recalculation in the table (even if only
1536 requested for the current line) will also update all named field
1539 @node Editing/debugging formulas, Appetizer, Named-field formulas, Table calculations
1540 @subsection Editing and debugging formulas
1541 @cindex formula editing
1542 @cindex editing, of table formulas
1544 To edit a column or field formula, use the commands @kbd{C-c
1545 =} and @kbd{C-u C-c =}, respectively. The currently active expression
1546 is then presented as default in the minibuffer, where it may be edited.
1548 Note that making a table field blank does not remove the formula
1549 associated with the field - during the next recalculation the field
1550 will be filled again. To remove a formula from a field, you have to
1551 give an empty reply when prompted for the formula, or to edit the
1552 @samp{#+TBLFM} line.
1555 You may edit the @samp{#+TBLFM} directly and re-apply
1556 the changed equations with @kbd{C-c C-c} in that line, or with the
1557 normal recalculation commands in the table.
1563 In particular for large tables with many formulas, it is convenient to
1564 use the command @kbd{C-c '} to edit the formulas of the current table
1565 in a separate buffer. That buffer will show the formulas one per
1566 line, and you are free to edit, add and remove formulas. Press
1567 @kbd{C-c ?} on a @samp{$...} expression to get information about its
1568 interpretation. Exiting the buffer with @kbd{C-c C-c} only stores the
1569 modified formulas below the table. Exiting with @kbd{C-u C-c C-c}
1570 also applies them to the entire table. @kbd{C-c C-q} exits without
1571 installing the changes.
1573 When the evaluation of a formula leads to an error, the field content
1574 becomes the string @samp{#ERROR}. If you would like see what is going
1575 on during variable substitution and calculation in order to find a
1576 bug, turn on formula debugging in the menu and repeat the calculation,
1577 for example by pressing @kbd{C-c = @key{RET}} in a field.
1578 Detailed information will be displayed.
1580 @node Appetizer, , Editing/debugging formulas, Table calculations
1581 @subsection Appetizer
1583 Finally, just to whet your appetite on what can be done with the fantastic
1584 @file{calc} package, here is a table that computes the Taylor series
1585 for a couple of functions (homework: try that with Excel :-)
1589 |---+-------------+---+-----+--------------------------------------|
1590 | | Func | n | x | Result |
1591 |---+-------------+---+-----+--------------------------------------|
1592 | # | exp(x) | 1 | x | 1 + x |
1593 | # | exp(x) | 2 | x | 1 + x + x^2 / 2 |
1594 | # | exp(x) | 3 | x | 1 + x + x^2 / 2 + x^3 / 6 |
1595 | # | x^2+sqrt(x) | 2 | x=0 | x*(0.5 / 0) + x^2 (2 - 0.25 / 0) / 2 |
1596 | # | x^2+sqrt(x) | 2 | x=1 | 2 + 2.5 x - 2.5 + 0.875 (x - 1)^2 |
1597 | * | tan(x) | 3 | x | 0.0175 x + 1.77e-6 x^3 |
1598 |---+-------------+---+-----+--------------------------------------|
1599 #+TBLFM: $5=taylor($2,$4,$3);n3
1603 @node orgtbl-mode, table.el, Table calculations, Tables
1604 @section The Orgtbl minor mode
1606 @cindex minor mode for tables
1608 If you like the intuitive way the Org-mode table editor works, you
1609 might also want to use it in other modes like text-mode or mail-mode.
1610 The minor mode Orgtbl-mode makes this possible. You can always toggle
1611 the mode with @kbd{M-x orgtbl-mode}. To turn it on by default, for
1612 example in mail mode, use
1615 (add-hook 'mail-mode-hook 'turn-on-orgtbl)
1618 @node table.el, , orgtbl-mode, Tables
1619 @section The @file{table.el} package
1621 @cindex table editor, @file{table.el}
1622 @cindex @file{table.el}
1624 Complex ASCII tables with automatic line wrapping, column- and
1625 row-spanning, and alignment can be created using the Emacs table
1626 package by Takaaki Ota (@uref{http://sourceforge.net/projects/table},
1627 and also part of Emacs 22).
1628 When @key{TAB} or @kbd{C-c C-c} is pressed in such a table, Org-mode
1629 will call @command{table-recognize-table} and move the cursor into the
1630 table. Inside a table, the keymap of Org-mode is inactive. In order
1631 to execute Org-mode-related commands, leave the table.
1636 Recognize @file{table.el} table. Works when the cursor is in a
1641 Insert a table.el table. If there is already a table at point, this
1642 command converts it between the table.el format and the Org-mode
1643 format. See the documentation string of the command
1644 @code{org-convert-table} for the restrictions under which this is
1648 @node Hyperlinks, TODO items, Tables, Top
1652 Just like HTML, Org-mode provides links inside a file, and external
1653 links to other files, Usenet articles, emails, and much more.
1656 * Link format:: How links in Org-mode are formatted
1657 * Internal links:: Links to other places in the current file
1658 * External links:: URL-like links to the world
1659 * Handling links:: Creating, inserting and following
1660 * Link abbreviations:: Shortcuts for writing complex links
1661 * Search options:: Linking to a specific location
1662 * Custom searches:: When the default search is not enough
1663 * Remember:: Org-trees store quick notes
1666 @node Link format, Internal links, Hyperlinks, Hyperlinks
1667 @section Link format
1669 @cindex format, of links
1671 Org-mode will recognize plain URL-like links and activate them as
1672 clickable links. The general link format, however, looks like this:
1675 [[link][description]] @r{or alternatively} [[link]]
1678 Once a link in the buffer is complete (all brackets present), Org-mode
1679 will change the display so that @samp{description} is displayed instead
1680 of @samp{[[link][description]]} and @samp{link} is displayed instead of
1681 @samp{[[link]]}. Links will be highlighted in the face @code{org-link},
1682 which by default is an underlined face. You can directly edit the
1683 visible part of a link. Note that this can be either the @samp{link}
1684 part (if there is no description) or the @samp{description} part. To
1685 edit also the invisible @samp{link} part, use @kbd{C-c C-l} with the
1688 If you place the cursor at the beginning or just behind the end of the
1689 displayed text and press @key{BACKSPACE}, you will remove the
1690 (invisible) bracket at that location. This makes the link incomplete
1691 and the internals are again displayed as plain text. Inserting the
1692 missing bracket hides the link internals again. To show the
1693 internal structure of all links, use the menu entry
1694 @code{Org->Hyperlinks->Literal links}.
1696 @node Internal links, External links, Link format, Hyperlinks
1697 @section Internal links
1698 @cindex internal links
1699 @cindex links, internal
1700 @cindex CamelCase links
1701 @cindex targets, for links
1703 If the link does not look like a URL, it is considered to be internal in
1704 the current file. Links such as @samp{[[My Target]]} or @samp{[[My
1705 Target][Find my target]]} lead to a text search in the current file.
1706 The link can be followed with @kbd{C-c C-o} when the cursor is on the
1707 link, or with a mouse click (@pxref{Handling links}). The preferred
1708 match for such a link is a dedicated target: the same string in double
1709 angular brackets. Targets may be located anywhere; often it is
1710 convenient to put them into a comment line. For example
1716 @noindent In HTML export (@pxref{HTML export}), such targets will become
1717 named anchors for direct access through @samp{http} links@footnote{Note
1718 that text before the first headline will never be exported, so the first
1719 such target must be after the first headline.}.
1721 If no dedicated target exists, Org-mode will search for the words in the
1722 link. In the above example the search would be for @samp{my target}.
1723 Links starting with a star like @samp{*My Target} restrict the search to
1724 headlines. When searching, Org-mode will first try an exact match, but
1725 then move on to more and more lenient searches. For example, the link
1726 @samp{[[*My Targets]]} will find any of the following:
1730 ** TODO my targets are bright
1731 ** my 20 targets are
1734 To insert a link targeting a headline, in-buffer completion can be used.
1735 Just type a star followed by a few optional letters into the buffer and
1736 press @kbd{M-@key{TAB}}. All headlines in the current buffer will be
1737 offered as completions. @xref{Handling links}, for more commands
1740 Following a link pushes a mark onto Org-mode's own mark ring. You can
1741 return to the previous position with @kbd{C-c &}. Using this command
1742 several times in direct succession goes back to positions recorded
1746 * Radio targets:: Make targets trigger links in plain text.
1747 * CamelCase links:: Activating CamelCase words as links
1750 @node Radio targets, CamelCase links, Internal links, Internal links
1751 @subsection Radio targets
1752 @cindex radio targets
1753 @cindex targets, radio
1754 @cindex links, radio targets
1756 You can configure Org-mode to link any occurrences of certain target
1757 names in normal text. So without explicitly creating a link, the text
1758 connects to the target radioing its position. Radio targets are
1759 enclosed by triple angular brackets. For example, a target
1760 @samp{<<<My Target>>>} causes each occurrence of @samp{my target} in
1761 normal text to become activated as a link. The Org-mode file is
1762 scanned automatically for radio targets only when the file is first
1763 loaded into Emacs. To update the target list during editing, press
1764 @kbd{C-c C-c} with the cursor on or at a target.
1766 @node CamelCase links, , Radio targets, Internal links
1767 @subsection CamelCase words as links
1768 @cindex completion, of CamelCase links
1769 @cindex CamelCase links, completion of
1771 Org-mode also supports CamelCase words as links. This feature is not
1772 turned on by default because of the inconsistencies this system suffers
1773 from. It is also possible that this feature will disappear entirely in
1774 a future version of Org-mode. To activate CamelCase words as links, you
1775 need to customize the option @code{org-activate-links}. A CamelCase
1776 word then leads to a text search such that @samp{CamelCaseLink} is
1777 equivalent to @samp{[[camel case link]]}.
1779 @node External links, Handling links, Internal links, Hyperlinks
1780 @section External links
1781 @cindex links, external
1782 @cindex external links
1783 @cindex links, external
1790 @cindex WANDERLUST links
1792 @cindex USENET links
1797 Org-mode supports links to files, websites, Usenet and email messages,
1798 and BBDB database entries. External links are URL-like locators. They
1799 start with a short identifying string followed by a colon. There can be
1800 no space after the colon. The following list shows examples for each
1804 http://www.astro.uva.nl/~dominik @r{on the web}
1805 file:/home/dominik/images/jupiter.jpg @r{file, absolute path}
1806 file:papers/last.pdf @r{file, relative path}
1807 news:comp.emacs @r{Usenet link}
1808 mailto:adent@@galaxy.net @r{Mail link}
1809 vm:folder @r{VM folder link}
1810 vm:folder#id @r{VM message link}
1811 vm://myself@@some.where.org/folder#id @r{VM on remote machine}
1812 wl:folder @r{WANDERLUST folder link}
1813 wl:folder#id @r{WANDERLUST message link}
1814 mhe:folder @r{MH-E folder link}
1815 mhe:folder#id @r{MH-E message link}
1816 rmail:folder @r{RMAIL folder link}
1817 rmail:folder#id @r{RMAIL message link}
1818 gnus:group @r{GNUS group link}
1819 gnus:group#id @r{GNUS article link}
1820 bbdb:Richard Stallman @r{BBDB link}
1821 shell:ls *.org @r{A shell command}
1822 elisp:(find-file-other-frame "Elisp.org") @r{An elisp form to evaluate}
1825 A link should be enclosed in double brackets and may contain a
1826 descriptive text to be displayed instead of the url (@pxref{Link
1827 format}), for example:
1830 [[http://www.gnu.org/software/emacs/][GNU Emacs]]
1833 @cindex angular brackets, around links
1834 @cindex plain text external links
1835 Org-mode also finds external links in the normal text and activates them
1836 as links. If spaces must be part of the link (for example in
1837 @samp{bbdb:Richard Stallman}), or you need to remove ambiguities about the end of
1838 the link, enclose them in angular brackets.
1840 @node Handling links, Link abbreviations, External links, Hyperlinks
1841 @section Handling links
1842 @cindex links, handling
1844 Org-mode provides methods to create a link in the correct syntax, to
1845 insert it into an org-mode file, and to follow the link.
1849 @cindex storing links
1851 Store a link to the current location. This is a @emph{global} command
1852 which can be used in any buffer to create a link. The link will be
1853 stored for later insertion into an Org-mode buffer (see below). For
1854 Org-mode files, if there is a @samp{<<target>>} at the cursor, the link
1855 points to the target. Otherwise it points to the current headline. For
1856 VM, RMAIL, WANDERLUST, MH-E, GNUS and BBDB buffers, the link will
1857 indicate the current article/entry. For W3 and W3M buffers, the link
1858 goes to the current URL. For any other files, the link will point to
1859 the file, with a search string (@pxref{Search options}) pointing to the
1860 contents of the current line. If there is an active region, the
1861 selected words will form the basis of the search string. If the
1862 automatically created link is not working correctly or accurately
1863 enough, you can write custom functions to select the search string and
1864 to do the search for particular file types - see @ref{Custom searches}.
1865 The key binding @kbd{C-c l} is only a suggestion - see @ref{Installation}.
1868 @cindex link completion
1869 @cindex completion, of links
1870 @cindex inserting links
1872 Insert a link. This prompts for a link to be inserted into the buffer.
1873 You can just type a link, using text for an internal link, or one of the
1874 link type prefixes mentioned in the examples above. Through completion,
1875 all links stored during the current session can be
1876 accessed@footnote{After insertion of a stored link, the link will be
1877 removed from the list of stored links. To keep it in the list later
1878 use, use a triple @kbd{C-u} prefix to @kbd{C-c C-l}, or configure the
1879 option @code{org-keep-stored-link-after-insertion}.}. The link
1880 will be inserted into the buffer, along with a descriptive text. Note
1881 that you don't have to use this command to insert a link. Links in
1882 Org-mode are plain text, and you can type or paste them straight into
1883 the buffer. By using this command, the links are automatically enclosed
1884 in double brackets, and you will be asked for the optional descriptive
1885 text. If the link is a @samp{file:} link and the linked file is located
1886 in the same directory as the current file or a subdirectory of it, the
1887 path of the file will be inserted relative to the current directory.
1890 @cindex file name completion
1891 @cindex completion, of file names
1893 When @kbd{C-c C-l} is called with a @kbd{C-u} prefix argument, a link to
1894 a file will be inserted and you may use file name completion to select
1895 the name of the file. The path to the file is inserted relative to the
1896 directory of the current org file, if the linked file is in the current
1897 directory or in a subdirectory of it, or if the path is written relative
1898 to the current directory using @samp{../}. Otherwise an absolute path
1899 is used, if possible with @samp{~/} for your home directory. You can
1900 force an absolute path with two @kbd{C-u} prefixes.
1902 @item C-c C-l @r{with cursor on existing link}
1903 When the cursor is on an existing link, @kbd{C-c C-l} allows you to edit the
1904 link and description parts of the link.
1906 @cindex following links
1909 Open link at point. This will launch a web browser for URLs (using
1910 @command{browse-url-at-point}), run vm/mh-e/wanderlust/rmail/gnus/bbdb
1911 for the corresponding links, and execute the command in a shell link.
1912 When the cursor is on an internal link, this commands runs the
1913 corresponding search. When the cursor is on a TAG list in a headline,
1914 it creates the corresponding TAGS view. If the cursor is on a time
1915 stamp, it compiles the agenda for that date. Furthermore, it will visit
1916 text and remote files in @samp{file:} links with Emacs and select a
1917 suitable application for local non-text files. Classification of files
1918 is based on file extension only. See option @code{org-file-apps}. If
1919 you want to override the default application and visit the file with
1920 Emacs, use a @kbd{C-u} prefix.
1926 On links, @kbd{mouse-2} will open the link just as @kbd{C-c C-o}
1927 would. Under Emacs 22, also @kbd{mouse-1} will follow a link.
1931 Like @kbd{mouse-2}, but force file links to be opened with Emacs, and
1932 internal links to be displayed in another window@footnote{See the
1933 variable @code{org-display-internal-link-with-indirect-buffer}}.
1938 Push the current position onto the mark ring, to be able to return
1939 easily. Commands following an internal link do this automatically.
1941 @cindex links, returning to
1944 Jump back to a recorded position. A position is recorded by the
1945 commands following internal links, and by @kbd{C-c %}. Using this
1946 command several times in direct succession moves through a ring of
1947 previously recorded positions.
1950 @node Link abbreviations, Search options, Handling links, Hyperlinks
1951 @section Link abbreviatons
1952 @cindex link abbreviations
1953 @cindex abbreviation, links
1955 Long URLs can be cumbersome to type, and often many similar links are
1956 needed in a document. For this you can use link abbreviations. An
1957 abbreviated link looks like this
1960 [[linkword::tag][description]]
1964 where the tag is optional. Such abbreviations are resolved according to
1965 the information in the variable @code{org-link-abbrev-alist} that
1966 relates the linkwords to replacement text. Here is an example:
1970 (setq org-link-abbrev-alist
1971 '(("bugzilla" . "http://10.1.2.9/bugzilla/show_bug.cgi?id=")
1972 ("google" . "http://www.google.com/search?q=")
1973 ("ads" . "http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/
1974 nph-abs_connect?author=%s&db_key=AST")))
1978 If the replacement text contains the string @samp{%s}, it will be
1979 replaced with the tag. Otherwise the tag will be appended to the string
1980 in order to create the link. You may also specify a function that will
1981 be called with the tag as the only argument to create the link.
1983 With the above setting, you could link to a specific bug with
1984 @code{[[bugzilla::129]]}, search the web for OrgMode with
1985 @code{[[google::OrgMode]]} and find out what the Org-mode author is
1986 doing besides Emacs hacking with @code{[[ads::Dominik,C]]}.
1988 If you need special abbreviations just for a single Org-mode buffer, you
1989 can define them in the file with
1992 #+LINK: bugzilla http://10.1.2.9/bugzilla/show_bug.cgi?id=
1993 #+LINK: google http://www.google.com/search?q=%s
1997 In-buffer completion @pxref{Completion} can be used after @samp{[} to
1998 complete link abbreviations.
2000 @node Search options, Custom searches, Link abbreviations, Hyperlinks
2001 @section Search options in file links
2002 @cindex search option in file links
2003 @cindex file links, searching
2005 File links can contain additional information to make Emacs jump to a
2006 particular location in the file when following a link. This can be a
2007 line number or a search option after a double@footnote{For backward
2008 compatibility, line numbers can also follow a single colon.} colon. For
2009 example, when the command @kbd{C-c l} creates a link (@pxref{Handling
2010 links}) to a file, it encodes the words in the current line as a search
2011 string that can be used to find this line back later when following the
2012 link with @kbd{C-c C-o}.
2014 Here is the syntax of the different ways to attach a search to a file
2015 link, together with an explanation:
2018 [[file:~/code/main.c::255]]
2019 [[file:~/xx.org::My Target]]
2020 [[file:~/xx.org::*My Target]]
2021 [[file:~/xx.org::/regexp/]]
2028 Search for a link target @samp{<<My Target>>}, or do a text search for
2029 @samp{my target}, similar to the search in internal links, see
2030 @ref{Internal links}. In HTML export (@pxref{HTML export}), such a file
2031 link will become an HTML reference to the corresponding named anchor in
2034 In an Org-mode file, restrict search to headlines.
2036 Do a regular expression search for @code{regexp}. This uses the Emacs
2037 command @code{occur} to list all matches in a separate window. If the
2038 target file is in Org-mode, @code{org-occur} is used to create a
2039 sparse tree with the matches.
2040 @c If the target file is a directory,
2041 @c @code{grep} will be used to search all files in the directory.
2044 As a degenerate case, a file link with an empty file name can be used
2045 to search the current file. For example, @code{<file:::find me>} does
2046 a search for @samp{find me} in the current file, just as
2047 @samp{[[find me]]} would.
2049 @node Custom searches, Remember, Search options, Hyperlinks
2050 @section Custom Searches
2051 @cindex custom search strings
2052 @cindex search strings, custom
2054 The default mechanism for creating search strings and for doing the
2055 actual search related to a file link may not work correctly in all
2056 cases. For example, BibTeX database files have many entries like
2057 @samp{year="1993"} which would not result in good search strings,
2058 because the only unique identification for a BibTeX entry is the
2061 If you come across such a problem, you can write custom functions to set
2062 the right search string for a particular file type, and to do the search
2063 for the string in the file. Using @code{add-hook}, these functions need
2064 to be added to the hook variables
2065 @code{org-create-file-search-functions} and
2066 @code{org-execute-file-search-functions}. See the docstring for these
2067 variables for more information. Org-mode actually uses this mechanism
2068 for Bib@TeX{} database files, and you can use the corresponding code as
2069 an implementation example. Search for @samp{BibTeX links} in the source
2073 @node Remember, , Custom searches, Hyperlinks
2075 @cindex @file{remember.el}
2077 Another way to create org entries with links to other files is through
2078 the @emph{Remember} package by John Wiegley. @emph{Remember} lets you
2079 store quick notes with little interruption of your work flow. See
2080 @uref{http://www.emacswiki.org/cgi-bin/wiki/RememberMode} for more
2081 information. The notes produced by @emph{Remember} can be stored in
2082 different ways, and Org-mode files are a good target. Org-mode allows
2083 you to file away notes either to a default file, or directly to the correct
2084 location in your Org-mode outline tree. The following customization
2085 will tell @emph{Remember} to use org files as target, and to create
2086 annotations compatible with Org-mode links.
2089 (setq org-directory "~/path/to/my/orgfiles/")
2090 (setq org-default-notes-file "~/.notes")
2091 (setq remember-annotation-functions '(org-remember-annotation))
2092 (setq remember-handler-functions '(org-remember-handler))
2093 (add-hook 'remember-mode-hook 'org-remember-apply-template)
2096 @cindex templates, for remember
2097 In combination with Org-mode, you can use templates to generate
2098 different types of remember notes. For example, if you would like to
2099 use one template to create general TODO entries, and another one for
2100 journal entries, you could use:
2103 (setq org-remember-templates
2104 '((?t "* TODO %?\n %i\n %a" "~/org/TODO.org")
2105 (?j "* %U %?\n\n %i\n %a" "~/org/JOURNAL.org")))
2108 @noindent In these entries, the character specifies how to select the
2109 template, the first string specifies the template, and the (optional)
2110 second string specifies a default file (overruling
2111 @code{org-default-notes-file}) as a target for this note.
2113 When you call @kbd{M-x remember} to remember something, org will prompt
2114 for a key to select the template and then prepare the buffer like
2117 <file:link to where you called remember>
2123 * [2006-03-21 Tue 15:37]
2125 <file:link to where you called remember>
2128 @noindent See the variable @code{org-remember-templates} for more details.
2130 When you are finished composing a note with remember, you have to press
2131 @kbd{C-c C-c} to file the note away. The handler first prompts for a
2132 target file - if you press @key{RET}, the value of
2133 @code{org-default-notes-file} is used. Then the command offers the
2134 headings tree of the selected file. You can either immediately press
2135 @key{RET} to get the note appended to the file. Or you can use vertical
2136 cursor motion (@key{up} and @key{down}) and visibility cycling
2137 (@key{TAB}) to find a better place. Pressing @key{RET} or @key{left} or
2138 @key{right} leads to the following result.
2140 @multitable @columnfractions 0.2 0.1 0.7
2141 @item @b{Cursor position} @tab @b{Key} @tab @b{Note gets inserted}
2142 @item buffer-start @tab @key{RET} @tab as level 2 heading at end of file
2143 @item on headline @tab @key{RET} @tab as sublevel of the heading at cursor
2144 @item @tab @key{left} @tab as same level, before current heading
2145 @item @tab @key{right} @tab as same level, after current heading
2146 @item not on headline @tab @key{RET}
2147 @tab at cursor position, level taken from context.
2148 Or use prefix arg to specify level manually.
2151 So a fast way to store the note is to press @kbd{C-c C-c @key{RET}
2152 @key{RET}} to append it to the default file. Even shorter would be
2153 @kbd{C-u C-c C-c}, which does the same without even showing the tree.
2154 But with little extra effort, you can push it directly to the correct
2157 Before inserting the text into a tree, the function ensures that the
2158 text has a headline, i.e. a first line that starts with a @samp{*}.
2159 If not, a headline is constructed from the current date and some
2160 additional data. If the variable @code{org-adapt-indentation} is
2161 non-nil, the entire text is also indented so that it starts in the
2162 same column as the headline (after the asterisks).
2165 @node TODO items, Timestamps, Hyperlinks, Top
2169 Org-mode does not maintain TODO lists as a separate document. TODO
2170 items are an integral part of the notes file, because TODO items
2171 usually come up while taking notes! With Org-mode, you simply mark
2172 any entry in a tree as being a TODO item. In this way, the
2173 information is not duplicated, and the entire context from which the
2174 item emerged is always present when you check.
2176 Of course, this technique causes TODO items to be scattered throughout
2177 your file. Org-mode provides methods to give you an overview over all
2178 things you have to do.
2181 * TODO basics:: Marking and displaying TODO entries
2182 * TODO extensions:: Workflow and assignments
2183 * Priorities:: Some things are more important than others
2184 * Breaking down tasks:: Splitting a task into managable pieces
2185 * Checkboxes:: Tick-off lists
2188 @node TODO basics, TODO extensions, TODO items, TODO items
2189 @section Basic TODO functionality
2191 Any headline can become a TODO item by starting it with the word TODO,
2195 *** TODO Write letter to Sam Fortune
2199 The most important commands to work with TODO entries are:
2203 @cindex cycling, of TODO states
2205 Rotate the TODO state of the current item between
2208 ,-> (unmarked) -> TODO -> DONE --.
2209 '--------------------------------'
2212 The same rotation can also be done ``remotely'' from the timeline and
2213 agenda buffers with the @kbd{t} command key (@pxref{Agenda commands}).
2214 @kindex S-@key{right}
2215 @kindex S-@key{left}
2218 Select the following/preceding TODO state, similar to cycling. Mostly
2219 useful if more than two TODO states are possible (@pxref{TODO extensions}).
2221 @cindex sparse tree, for TODO
2223 View TODO items in a @emph{sparse tree} (@pxref{Sparse trees}). Folds
2224 the entire buffer, but shows all TODO items and the headings hierarchy
2225 above them. With prefix arg, show also the DONE entries. With
2226 numerical prefix N, show the tree for the Nth keyword in the variable
2227 @code{org-todo-keywords}.
2230 Show the global TODO list. This collects the TODO items from all
2231 agenda files (@pxref{Agenda views}) into a single buffer. The buffer is in
2232 @code{agenda-mode}, so there are commands to examine and manipulate
2233 the TODO entries directly from that buffer (@pxref{Agenda commands}).
2234 @xref{Global TODO list}, for more information.
2235 @c @item @code{org-agenda-include-all-todo}
2236 @c If you would like to have all your TODO items listed as part of your
2237 @c agenda, customize the variable @code{org-agenda-include-all-todo}.
2241 @node TODO extensions, Priorities, TODO basics, TODO items
2242 @section Extended use of TODO keywords
2243 @cindex extended TODO keywords
2245 The default implementation of TODO entries is just two states: TODO and
2246 DONE. You can, however, use the TODO feature for more complicated
2247 things by configuring the variables @code{org-todo-keywords} and
2248 @code{org-todo-interpretation}. Using special setup, you can even use
2249 TODO keywords in different ways in different org files.
2251 Note that @i{tags} are another way to classify headlines in general and
2252 TODO items in particular (@pxref{Tags}).
2255 * Workflow states:: From TODO to DONE in steps
2256 * TODO types:: I do this, Fred the rest
2257 * Per file keywords:: Different files, different requirements
2260 @node Workflow states, TODO types, TODO extensions, TODO extensions
2261 @subsection TODO keywords as workflow states
2262 @cindex TODO workflow
2263 @cindex workflow states as TODO keywords
2265 You can use TODO keywords to indicate different states in the process
2266 of working on an item, for example:
2269 (setq org-todo-keywords '("TODO" "FEEDBACK" "VERIFY" "DONE")
2270 org-todo-interpretation 'sequence)
2273 @cindex completion, of TODO keywords
2274 Changing these variables only becomes effective in a new Emacs session.
2275 With this setup, the command @kbd{C-c C-t} will cycle an entry from
2276 TODO to FEEDBACK, then to VERIFY, and finally to DONE. You may also
2277 use a prefix argument to quickly select a specific state. For example
2278 @kbd{C-3 C-c C-t} will change the state immediately to VERIFY.
2279 If you define many keywords, you can use in-buffer completion (see
2280 @ref{Completion}) to insert these words into the buffer.
2282 @node TODO types, Per file keywords, Workflow states, TODO extensions
2283 @subsection TODO keywords as types
2285 @cindex names as TODO keywords
2286 @cindex types as TODO keywords
2288 The second possibility is to use TODO keywords to indicate different
2289 types of action items. For example, you might want to indicate that
2290 items are for ``work'' or ``home''. If you are into David Allen's
2291 @emph{Getting Things DONE}, you might want to use todo types
2292 @samp{NEXTACTION}, @samp{WAITING}, @samp{MAYBE}. Or, when you work
2293 with several people on a single project, you might want to assign
2294 action items directly to persons, by using their names as TODO
2295 keywords. This would be set up like this:
2298 (setq org-todo-keywords '("Fred" "Sara" "Lucy" "Mike" "DONE")
2299 org-todo-interpretation 'type)
2302 In this case, different keywords do not indicate a sequence, but
2303 rather different types. So it is normally not useful to change from
2304 one type to another. Therefore, in this case the behavior of the
2305 command @kbd{C-c C-t} is changed slightly@footnote{This is also true
2306 for the @kbd{t} command in the timeline and agenda buffers.}. When
2307 used several times in succession, it will still cycle through all
2308 names. But when you return to the item after some time and execute
2309 @kbd{C-c C-t} again, it will switch from each name directly to DONE.
2310 Use prefix arguments or completion to quickly select a specific name.
2311 You can also review the items of a specific TODO type in a sparse tree
2312 by using a numeric prefix to @kbd{C-c C-v}. For example, to see all
2313 things Lucy has to do, you would use @kbd{C-3 C-c C-v}. To collect
2314 Lucy's items from all agenda files into a single buffer, you
2315 would use the prefix arg as well when creating the global todo list:
2318 @node Per file keywords, , TODO types, TODO extensions
2319 @subsection Setting up TODO keywords for individual files
2320 @cindex keyword options
2321 @cindex per file keywords
2323 It can be very useful to use different aspects of the TODO mechanism
2324 in different files, which is not possible with the global settings
2325 described above. For file-local settings, you need to add special
2326 lines to the file which set the keywords and interpretation for that
2327 file only. For example, to set one of the two examples discussed
2328 above, you need one of the following lines, starting in column zero
2329 anywhere in the file:
2332 #+SEQ_TODO: TODO FEEDBACK VERIFY DONE
2333 #+TYP_TODO: Fred Sara Lucy Mike DONE
2336 @cindex Completion, of option keywords
2338 @noindent To make sure you are using the correct keyword, type
2339 @samp{#+} into the buffer and then use @kbd{M-@key{TAB}} completion.
2341 @cindex DONE, final TODO keyword
2342 Remember that the last keyword must always mean that the item is DONE
2343 (although you may use a different word). Also note that in each file,
2344 only one of the two aspects of TODO keywords can be used. After
2345 changing one of these lines, use @kbd{C-c C-c} with the cursor still
2346 in the line to make the changes known to Org-mode@footnote{Org-mode
2347 parses these lines only when Org-mode is activated after visiting a
2348 file. @kbd{C-c C-c} with the cursor in a line starting with @samp{#+}
2349 is simply restarting Org-mode for the current buffer.}.
2351 If you want to use very many keywords, for example when working with a
2352 large group of people, you may split the names over several lines:
2355 #+TYP_TODO: Fred Sara Lucy Mike
2356 #+TYP_TODO: Luis George Jules Jessica
2357 #+TYP_TODO: Kim Arnold Peter
2361 @node Priorities, Breaking down tasks, TODO extensions, TODO items
2365 If you use Org-mode extensively to organize your work, you may end up
2366 with a number of TODO entries so large that you'd like to prioritize
2367 them. This can be done by placing a @emph{priority cookie} into the
2371 *** TODO [#A] Write letter to Sam Fortune
2375 With its standard setup, Org-mode supports priorities @samp{A},
2376 @samp{B}, and @samp{C}. @samp{A} is the highest priority. An entry
2377 without a cookie is treated as priority @samp{B}. Priorities make a
2378 difference only in the agenda (@pxref{Weekly/Daily agenda}).
2383 Set the priority of the current headline. The command prompts for a
2384 priority character @samp{A}, @samp{B} or @samp{C}. When you press
2385 @key{SPC} instead, the priority cookie is removed from the headline.
2386 The priorities can also be changed ``remotely'' from the timeline and
2387 agenda buffer with the @kbd{,} command (@pxref{Agenda commands}).
2390 @kindex S-@key{down}
2393 Increase/decrease priority of current headline. Note that these keys
2394 are also used to modify time stamps (@pxref{Creating timestamps}).
2395 Furthermore, these keys are also used by CUA-mode (@pxref{Conflicts}).
2398 @node Breaking down tasks, Checkboxes, Priorities, TODO items
2399 @section Breaking tasks down into subtasks
2400 @cindex tasks, breaking down
2402 It is often advisable to break down large tasks into smaller, managable
2403 subtasks. You can do this by creating an outline tree below a TODO
2404 item, with detailed subtasks on the tree@footnote{To keep subtasks out
2405 of the global TODO list, see the
2406 @code{org-agenda-todo-list-sublevels}.}. Another possibility is the use
2407 of checkboxes to identify (a hierarchy of) a large number of subtasks
2408 (@pxref{Checkboxes}).
2411 @node Checkboxes, , Breaking down tasks, TODO items
2415 Every item in a plain list (@pxref{Plain lists}) can be made a checkbox
2416 by starting it with the string @samp{[ ]}. This feature is similar to
2417 TODO items (@pxref{TODO items}), but more lightweight. Checkboxes are
2418 not included into the global TODO list, so they are often great to split
2419 a task into a number of simple steps. Or you can use them in a shopping
2420 list. To toggle a checkbox, use @kbd{C-c C-c}, or try Piotr Zielinski's
2421 @file{org-mouse.el}. Here is an example of a checkbox list.
2424 * TODO Organize party [3/6]
2430 - [ ] think about what music to play
2431 - [X] talk to the neighbors
2434 @cindex statistics, for checkboxes
2435 @cindex checkbox statistics
2436 The @samp{[3/6]} and @samp{[1/3]} in the first and second line are
2437 cookies indicating how many checkboxes are present in this entry, and
2438 how many of them have been checked off. This can give you an idea on
2439 how many checkboxes remain, even without opening a folded entry. The
2440 cookies can be placed into a headline or into (the first line of) a
2441 plain list item. Each cookie covers all checkboxes structurally below
2442 that headline/item. You have to insert the cookie yourself by typing
2443 either @samp{[/]} or @samp{[%]}. In the first case you get an @samp{n
2444 out of m} result, in the second case you get information about the
2445 percentage of checkboxes checked (in the above example, this would be
2446 @samp{[50%]} and @samp{[33%], respectively}).
2448 @noindent The following commands work with checkboxes:
2453 Toggle checkbox at point.
2456 Toggle checkbox at point.
2459 If there is an active region, toggle the first checkbox in the region
2460 and set all remaining boxes to the same status as the first. If you
2461 want to toggle all boxes in the region independently, use a prefix
2464 If the cursor is in a headline, toggle checkboxes in the region between
2465 this headline and the next (so @emph{not} the entire subtree).
2467 If there is no active region, just toggle the checkbox at point.
2469 @kindex M-S-@key{RET}
2471 Insert a new item with a checkbox.
2472 This works only if the cursor is already in a plain list item
2473 (@pxref{Plain lists}).
2476 Update the checkbox statistics in the current outline entry. When
2477 called with a @kbd{C-u} prefix, update the entire file. Checkbox
2478 statistic cookies are updated automatically if you toggle checkboxes
2479 with @kbd{C-c C-c} and make new ones with @kbd{M-S-@key{RET}}. If you
2480 delete boxes or add/change them by hand, use this command to get things
2481 back into synch. Or simply toggle any checkbox twice with @kbd{C-c C-c}.
2484 @node Timestamps, Tags, TODO items, Top
2489 Items can be labeled with timestamps to make them useful for project
2493 * Time stamps:: Assigning a time to a tree entry
2494 * Creating timestamps:: Commands which insert timestamps
2495 * Custom time format:: If you cannot work with the ISO format
2496 * Progress logging:: Documenting when what work was done.
2500 @node Time stamps, Creating timestamps, Timestamps, Timestamps
2501 @section Time stamps, deadlines and scheduling
2503 @cindex ranges, time
2508 A time stamp is a specification of a date (possibly with time) in a
2509 special format, either @samp{<2003-09-16 Tue>} or @samp{<2003-09-16 Tue
2510 09:39>}@footnote{This is the standard ISO date/time format. If you
2511 cannot get used to these, see @ref{Custom time format}}. A time stamp
2512 can appear anywhere in the headline or body of an org-tree entry. Its
2513 presence allows entries to be shown on specific dates in the agenda
2514 (@pxref{Weekly/Daily agenda}). We distinguish:
2517 @item Plain time stamp
2519 A simple time stamp just assigns a date/time to an item. This is just
2520 like writing down an appointment in a paper agenda, or like writing down
2521 an event in a diary, when you want to take note of when something
2522 happened. In the timeline and agenda displays, the headline of an entry
2523 associated with a plain time stamp will be shown exactly on that date.
2526 * Meet Peter at the movies <2006-11-01 Wed 19:15>
2529 @item Inactive time stamp
2530 @cindex timestamp, inactive
2531 @cindex inactive timestamp
2532 Just like a plain time stamp, but with square brackets instead of
2533 angular ones. These time stamps are inactive in the sense that they do
2534 @emph{not} trigger an entry to show up in the agenda.
2537 * Gillian comes late for the fifth time [2006-11-01 Wed]
2540 @item Time stamp range
2542 Two time stamps connected by @samp{--} denote a time range. The
2543 headline will be shown on the first and last day of the range, and on
2544 any dates that are displayed and fall in the range. Here is an
2548 ** Meeting in Amsterdam
2549 <2004-08-23 Mon>--<2004-08-26 Thu>
2552 @item Time stamp with SCHEDULED keyword
2553 @cindex SCHEDULED keyword
2554 If a time stamp is preceded by the word @samp{SCHEDULED:}, it means you
2555 are planning to start working on that task on the given date. So this is
2556 not about recording an event, but about planning your work. The
2557 headline will be listed under the given date. In addition, a reminder
2558 that the scheduled date has passed will be present in the compilation
2559 for @emph{today}, until the entry is marked DONE. I.e., the task will
2560 automatically be forwarded until completed.
2563 *** TODO Call Trillian for a date on New Years Eve.
2564 SCHEDULED: <2004-12-25 Sat>
2567 @item Time stamp with DEADLINE keyword
2568 @cindex DEADLINE keyword
2569 If a time stamp is preceded by the word @samp{DEADLINE:}, the task
2570 (most likely a TODO item) is supposed to be finished on that date, and
2571 it will be listed then. In addition, the compilation for @emph{today}
2572 will carry a warning about the approaching or missed deadline,
2573 starting @code{org-deadline-warning-days} before the due date, and
2574 continuing until the entry is marked DONE. An example:
2577 *** TODO write article about the Earth for the Guide
2578 The editor in charge is <bbdb:Ford Prefect>
2579 DEADLINE: <2004-02-29 Sun>
2581 @item Time stamp with CLOSED keyword
2582 @cindex CLOSED keyword
2583 When @code{org-log-done} is non-nil, Org-mode will automatically insert
2584 a special time stamp each time a TODO entry is marked done
2585 (@pxref{Progress logging}). This time stamp is enclosed in square
2586 brackets instead of angular brackets.
2588 @item Time range with CLOCK keyword
2589 @cindex CLOCK keyword
2590 When using the clock to time the work that is being done on specific
2591 items, time ranges preceded by the CLOCK keyword are inserted
2592 automatically into the file. The time stamps are enclosed in square
2593 brackets instead of angular brackets. @xref{Clocking work time}.
2596 @node Creating timestamps, Custom time format, Time stamps, Timestamps
2597 @section Creating timestamps
2598 @cindex creating timestamps
2599 @cindex timestamps, creating
2601 For Org-mode to recognize time stamps, they need to be in the specific
2602 format. All commands listed below produce time stamps in the correct
2608 Prompt for a date and insert a corresponding time stamp. When the
2609 cursor is at a previously used time stamp, it is updated to NOW. When
2610 this command is used twice in succession, a time range is inserted.
2614 Like @kbd{C-c .}, but use the alternative format which contains date
2615 and time. The default time can be rounded to multiples of 5 minutes,
2616 see the option @code{org-time-stamp-rounding-minutes}.
2620 Like @kbd{C-c .}, but insert an inactive time stamp not triggering the
2625 Insert a time stamp corresponding to the cursor date in the Calendar.
2629 Access the Emacs calendar for the current date. If there is a
2630 timestamp in the current line, goto the corresponding date
2635 Access the agenda for the date given by the time stamp or -range at
2636 point (@pxref{Weekly/Daily agenda}).
2640 Insert @samp{DEADLINE} keyword along with a stamp. The insertion will
2641 happen in the line directly following the headline.
2642 @c FIXME Any CLOSED timestamp will be removed.????????
2645 @cindex sparse tree, for deadlines
2647 Create a sparse tree with all deadlines that are either past-due, or
2648 which will become due within @code{org-deadline-warning-days}.
2649 With @kbd{C-u} prefix, show all deadlines in the file. With a numeric
2650 prefix, check that many days. For example, @kbd{C-1 C-c C-w} shows
2651 all deadlines due tomorrow.
2655 Insert @samp{SCHEDULED} keyword along with a stamp. The insertion will
2656 happen in the line directly following the headline. Any CLOSED
2657 timestamp will be removed.
2659 @kindex S-@key{left}
2660 @kindex S-@key{right}
2662 @itemx S-@key{right}
2663 Change date at cursor by one day. These key bindings conflict with
2664 CUA-mode (@pxref{Conflicts}).
2667 @kindex S-@key{down}
2670 Change the item under the cursor in a timestamp. The cursor can be on a
2671 year, month, day, hour or minute. Note that if the cursor is in a
2672 headline and not at a time stamp, these same keys modify the priority of
2673 an item. (@pxref{Priorities}). The key bindings also conflict with
2674 CUA-mode (@pxref{Conflicts}).
2678 @cindex evaluate time range
2680 Evaluate a time range by computing the difference between start and
2681 end. With prefix arg, insert result after the time range (in a table:
2682 into the following column).
2687 * The date/time prompt:: How org-mode helps you entering date and time
2690 @node The date/time prompt, , Creating timestamps, Creating timestamps
2691 @subsection The date/time prompt
2692 @cindex date, reading in minibuffer
2693 @cindex time, reading in minibuffer
2695 When Org-mode prompts for a date/time, the prompt suggests to enter an
2696 ISO date. But it will in fact accept any string containing some date
2697 and/or time information. You can, for example, use @kbd{C-y} to paste a
2698 (possibly multi-line) string copied from an email message. Org-mode
2699 will find whatever information is in there and will replace anything not
2700 specified with the current date and time. For example:
2703 3-2-5 --> 2003-02-05
2704 feb 15 --> currentyear-02-15
2705 sep 12 9 --> 2009-09-12
2706 12:45 --> today 12:45
2707 22 sept 0:34 --> currentyear-09-22 0:34
2708 12 --> currentyear-currentmonth-12
2709 Fri --> nearest Friday (today or later)
2712 The function understands English month and weekday abbreviations. If
2713 you want to use unabbreviated names and/or other languages, configure
2714 the variables @code{parse-time-months} and @code{parse-time-weekdays}.
2716 @cindex calendar, for selecting date
2717 Parallel to the minibuffer prompt, a calendar is popped up@footnote{If
2718 you don't need/want the calendar, configure the variable
2719 @code{org-popup-calendar-for-date-prompt}.}. You can control the
2720 calendar fully from the minibuffer:
2725 Scroll calendar backwards by one month.
2728 Scroll calendar forwards by one month.
2731 Select date by clicking on it.
2732 @kindex S-@key{right}
2735 @kindex S-@key{left}
2738 @kindex S-@key{down}
2744 @kindex M-S-@key{right}
2745 @item M-S-@key{right}
2747 @kindex M-S-@key{left}
2748 @item M-S-@key{left}
2752 Choose date in calendar (only if nothing was typed into minibuffer).
2755 @node Custom time format, Progress logging, Creating timestamps, Timestamps
2756 @section Custom time format
2757 @cindex custom date/time format
2758 @cindex time format, custom
2759 @cindex date format, custom
2761 Org-mode uses the standard ISO notation for dates and times as it is
2762 defined in ISO 8601. If you cannot get used to this and require another
2763 representation of date and time to keep you happy, you can get it by
2764 customizing the variables @code{org-display-custom-times} and
2765 @code{org-time-stamp-custom-formats}.
2770 Toggle the display of custom formats for dates and times.
2774 Org-mode needs the default format for scanning, so the custom date/time
2775 format does not @emph{replace} the default format - instead it is put
2776 @emph{over} the default format using text properties. This has the
2777 following consequences:
2780 You cannot place the cursor onto a time stamp anymore, only before or
2783 The @kbd{S-@key{up}/@key{down}} keys can no longer be used to adjust
2784 each component of a time stamp. If the cursor is at the beginning of
2785 the stamp, @kbd{S-@key{up}/@key{down}} will change the stamp by one day,
2786 just like @kbd{S-@key{left}/@key{right}}. At the end of the stamp, the
2787 time will be changed by one minute.
2789 When you delete a time stamp character-by-character, it will only
2790 disappear from the buffer after @emph{all} (invisible) characters
2791 belonging to the ISO timestamp have been removed.
2793 If the custom time stamp format is longer than the default and you are
2794 using dates in tables, table alignment will be messed up. If the custom
2795 format is shorter, things do work as expected.
2798 @node Progress logging, , Custom time format, Timestamps
2799 @section Progress Logging
2800 @cindex progress logging
2801 @cindex logging, of progress
2803 Org-mode can automatically record a time stamp when you mark a TODO item
2804 as DONE. You can also measure precisely the time you spent on specific
2805 items in a project by starting and stopping a clock when you start and
2806 stop working on an aspect of a project.
2809 * Closing items:: When was this entry marked DONE?
2810 * Clocking work time:: When exactly did you work on this item?
2813 @node Closing items, Clocking work time, Progress logging, Progress logging
2814 @subsection Closing items
2816 If you want to keep track of @emph{when} a certain TODO item was
2817 finished, turn on logging with
2820 (setq org-log-done t)
2824 Then each time you turn a TODO entry into DONE using either @kbd{C-c
2825 C-t} in the Org-mode buffer or @kbd{t} in the agenda buffer, a line
2826 @samp{CLOSED: [timestamp]} will be inserted just after the headline.
2827 If you turn the entry back into a TODO item again through further
2828 state cycling, that line will be removed again. In the timeline
2829 (@pxref{Timeline}) and in the agenda (@pxref{Weekly/Daily agenda}),
2830 you can then use the @kbd{l} key to display the TODO items closed on
2831 each day, giving you an overview of what has been done on a day.
2832 See the variable @code{org-log-done} for the possibility to record an
2833 additional note together with a timestamp.
2835 @node Clocking work time, , Closing items, Progress logging
2836 @subsection Clocking work time
2838 Org-mode allows you to clock the time you spent on specific tasks in a
2839 project. When you start working on an item, you can start the clock.
2840 When you stop working on that task, or when you mark the task done, the
2841 clock is stopped and the corresponding time interval is recorded. It
2842 also computes the total time spent on each subtree of a project.
2847 Start the clock on the current item (clock-in). This inserts the CLOCK
2848 keyword together with a timestamp.
2851 Stop the clock (clock-out). The inserts another timestamp at the same
2852 location where the clock was last started. It also directly computes
2853 the resulting time in inserts it after the time range as @samp{=>
2854 HH:MM}. See the variable @code{org-log-done} for the possibility to
2855 record an additional note together with the clock-out time stamp.
2858 Recompute the time interval after changing one of the time stamps. This
2859 is only necessary if you edit the time stamps directly. If you change
2860 them with @kbd{S-@key{cursor}} keys, the update is automatic.
2863 Changing the TODO state of an item to DONE automatically stops the clock
2864 if it is running in this same item.
2867 Cancel the current clock. This is useful if a clock was started by
2868 mistake, or if you ended up working on something else.
2871 Display time summaries for each subtree in the current buffer. This
2872 puts overlays at the end of each headline, showing the total time
2873 recorded under that heading, including the time of any subheadings. You
2874 can use visibility cycling to study the tree, but the overlays disappear
2875 when you change the buffer (see variable
2876 @code{org-remove-highlights-with-change}) or press @kbd{C-c C-c}.
2879 Insert a dynamic block (@pxref{Dynamic blocks}) containing a clock
2880 report as an org-mode table into the current file.
2882 #+BEGIN: clocktable :maxlevel 2 :emphasize nil
2887 If such a block already exists, its content is replaced by the new
2888 table. The @samp{BEGIN} line can specify options:
2890 :maxlevels @r{Maximum level depth to which times are listed in the table.}
2891 :emphasize @r{When @code{t}, emphasize level one and level two items}
2892 :block @r{The time block to consider. This block is specified relative}
2893 @r{to the current time and may be any of these keywords:}
2894 @r{@code{today}, @code{yesterday}, @code{thisweek}, @code{lastweek},}
2895 @r{@code{thismonth}, @code{lastmonth}, @code{thisyear}, or @code{lastyear}}.
2896 :tstart @r{A time string specifying when to start considering times}
2897 :tend @r{A time string specifying when to stop considering times}
2899 So to get a clock summary for the current day, you could write
2901 #+BEGIN: clocktable :maxlevel 2 :block today
2905 and to use a specific time range you could write@footnote{Note that all
2906 parameters must be specified in a single line - the line is broken here
2907 only to fit it onto the manual.}
2909 #+BEGIN: clocktable :tstart "<2006-08-10 Thu 10:00>"
2910 :tend "<2006-08-10 Thu 12:00>"
2914 @kindex C-u C-c C-x C-u
2915 @item C-u C-c C-x C-u
2916 Update all dynamic blocks (@pxref{Dynamic blocks}). This is useful if
2917 you have several clocktable blocks in a buffer.
2920 The @kbd{l} key may be used in the timeline (@pxref{Timeline}) and in
2921 the agenda (@pxref{Weekly/Daily agenda}) to show which tasks have been
2922 worked on or closed during a day.
2924 @node Tags, Agenda views, Timestamps, Top
2927 @cindex headline tagging
2928 @cindex matching, tags
2929 @cindex sparse tree, tag based
2931 If you wish to implement a system of labels and contexts for
2932 cross-correlating information, an excellent way is to assign @i{tags} to
2933 headlines. Org-mode has extensive support for using tags.
2935 Every headline can contain a list of tags, at the end of the headline.
2936 Tags are normal words containing letters, numbers, @samp{_}, and
2937 @samp{@@}. Tags must be preceded and followed by a single colon; like
2938 @samp{:WORK:}. Several tags can be specified like @samp{:WORK:URGENT:}.
2941 * Tag inheritance:: Tags use the tree structure of the outline
2942 * Setting tags:: How to assign tags to a headline
2943 * Tag searches:: Searching for combinations of tags
2946 @node Tag inheritance, Setting tags, Tags, Tags
2947 @section Tag inheritance
2948 @cindex inheritance, of tags
2949 @cindex sublevels, inclusion into tags match
2951 @i{Tags} make use of the hierarchical structure of outline trees. If a
2952 heading has a certain tag, all subheadings will inherit the tag as
2953 well. For example, in the list
2956 * Meeting with the French group :WORK:
2957 ** Summary by Frank :BOSS:NOTES:
2958 *** TODO Prepare slides for him :ACTION:
2962 the final heading will have the tags @samp{:WORK:}, @samp{:BOSS:},
2963 @samp{:NOTES:}, and @samp{:ACTION:}. When executing tag searches and
2964 Org-mode finds that a certain headline matches the search criterion, it
2965 will not check any sublevel headline, assuming that these likely also
2966 match, and that the list of matches can become very long. This may
2967 not be what you want, however, and you can influence inheritance and
2968 searching using the variables @code{org-use-tag-inheritance} and
2969 @code{org-tags-match-list-sublevels}.
2971 @node Setting tags, Tag searches, Tag inheritance, Tags
2972 @section Setting tags
2973 @cindex setting tags
2974 @cindex tags, setting
2977 Tags can simply be typed into the buffer at the end of a headline.
2978 After a colon, @kbd{M-@key{TAB}} offers completion on tags. There is
2979 also a special command for inserting tags:
2984 @cindex completion, of tags
2985 Enter new tags for the current headline. Org-mode will either offer
2986 completion or a special single-key interface for setting tags, see
2987 below. After pressing @key{RET}, the tags will be inserted and aligned
2988 to @code{org-tags-column}. When called with a @kbd{C-u} prefix, all
2989 tags in the current buffer will be aligned to that column, just to make
2990 things look nice. TAGS are automatically realigned after promotion,
2991 demotion, and TODO state changes (@pxref{TODO basics}).
2994 Org will support tag insertion based on a @emph{list of tags}. By
2995 default this list is constructed dynamically, containing all tags
2996 currently used in the buffer. You may also globally specify a hard list
2997 of tags with the variable @code{org-tag-alist}. Finally you can set
2998 the default tags for a given file with lines like
3001 #+TAGS: @@WORK @@HOME @@TENNISCLUB
3002 #+TAGS: Laptop Car PC Sailboat
3005 If you have globally defined your preferred set of tags using the
3006 variable @code{org-tag-alist}, but would like to use a dynamic tag list
3007 in a specific file: Just add an empty TAGS option line to that file:
3013 The default support method for entering tags is minibuffer completion.
3014 However, Org-mode also implements a much better method: @emph{fast tag
3015 selection}. This method allows to select and deselect tags with a
3016 single key per tag. To function efficiently, you should assign unique
3017 keys to most tags. This can be done globally with
3020 (setq org-tag-alist '(("@@WORK" . ?w) ("@@HOME" . ?h) ("Laptop" . ?l)))
3023 @noindent or on a per-file basis with
3026 #+TAGS: @@WORK(w) @@HOME(h) @@TENNISCLUB(t) Laptop(l) PC(p)
3030 You can also group together tags that are mutually exclusive. With
3031 curly braces@footnote{In @code{org-mode-alist} use
3032 @code{'(:startgroup)} and @code{'(:endgroup)}, respectively. Several
3033 groups are allowed.}
3036 #+TAGS: @{ @@WORK(w) @@HOME(h) @@TENNISCLUB(t) @} Laptop(l) PC(p)
3039 @noindent you indicate that at most one of @samp{@@WORK}, @samp{@@HOME},
3040 and @samp{@@TENNISCLUB} should be selected.
3042 @noindent Don't forget to press @kbd{C-c C-c} with the cursor in one of
3043 these lines to activate any changes.
3045 If at least one tag has a selection key, pressing @kbd{C-c C-c} will
3046 automatically present you with a special interface, listing inherited
3047 tags, the tags of the current headline, and a list of all legal tags
3048 with corresponding keys@footnote{Keys will automatically be assigned to
3049 tags which have no configured keys.}. In this interface, you can use
3054 Pressing keys assigned to tags will add or remove them from the list of
3055 tags in the current line. Selecting a tag in a group of mutually
3056 exclusive tags will turn off any other tags from that group.
3059 Enter a tag in the minibuffer, even if the tag is not in the predefined
3060 list. You will be able to complete on all tags present in the buffer.
3063 Clear all tags for this line.
3066 Accept the modified set.
3068 Abort without installing changes.
3070 If @kbd{q} is not assigned to a tag, it aborts like @kbd{C-g}.
3072 Turn off groups of mutually exclusive tags. Use this to (as an
3073 exception) assign several tags from such a group.
3075 Toggle auto-exit after the next change (see below).
3079 This method lets you assign tags to a headline with very few keys. With
3080 the above setup, you could clear the current tags and set @samp{@@HOME},
3081 @samp{Laptop} and @samp{PC} tags with just the following keys: @kbd{C-c
3082 C-c @key{SPC} h l p @key{RET}}. Switching from @samp{@@HOME} to
3083 @samp{@@WORK} would be done with @kbd{C-c C-c w @key{RET}} or
3084 alternatively with @kbd{C-c C-c C-c w}. Adding the non-predefined tag
3085 @samp{Sarah} could be done with @kbd{C-c C-c @key{TAB} S a r a h
3086 @key{RET} @key{RET}}.
3088 If you find that most of the time, you need only a single keypress to
3089 modify your list of tags, set the variable
3090 @code{org-fast-tag-selection-single-key}. Then you no longer have to
3091 press @key{RET} to exit fast tag selection - it will immediately exit
3092 after the first change. If you then occasionally need more keys, press
3093 @kbd{C-c} to turn off auto-exit for the current tag selection process.
3095 @node Tag searches, , Setting tags, Tags
3096 @section Tag searches
3097 @cindex tag searches
3098 @cindex searching for tags
3100 Once a tags system has been set up, it can be used to collect related
3101 information into special lists.
3106 Create a sparse tree with all headlines matching a tags search.
3109 Create a global list of tag matches from all agenda files.
3110 @xref{Matching headline tags}.
3113 Create a global list of tag matches from all agenda files, but check
3114 only TODO items and force checking subitems (see variable
3115 @code{org-tags-match-list-sublevels}).
3118 @cindex Boolean logic, for tag searches
3119 A @i{tags} search string can use Boolean operators @samp{&} for AND and
3120 @samp{|} for OR. @samp{&} binds more strongly than @samp{|}.
3121 Parenthesis are currently not implemented. A tag may also be preceded
3122 by @samp{-}, to select against it, and @samp{+} is syntactic sugar for
3123 positive selection. The AND operator @samp{&} is optional when @samp{+}
3124 or @samp{-} is present. Examples:
3128 Select all headlines that are tagged @samp{:WORK:}, but discard those also tagged
3131 Selects lines tagged @samp{:WORK:} or @samp{:LAPTOP:}.
3132 @item WORK|LAPTOP&NIGHT
3133 Like the previous example, but require the @samp{:LAPTOP:} lines to be
3134 tagged also @samp{NIGHT}.
3137 @cindex TODO keyword matching, with tags search
3138 If you are using multi-state TODO keywords (@pxref{TODO extensions}), it
3139 can be useful to also match on the TODO keyword. This can be done by
3140 adding a condition after a slash to a tags match. The syntax is similar
3141 to the tag matches, but should be applied with consideration: For
3142 example, a positive selection on several TODO keywords can not
3143 meaningfully be combined with boolean AND. However, @emph{negative
3144 selection} combined with AND can be meaningful. Examples:
3148 Select @samp{:WORK:}-tagged TODO lines with the specific TODO
3149 keyword @samp{WAITING}.
3150 @item WORK/-WAITING-NEXT
3151 Select @samp{:WORK:}-tagged TODO lines that are neither @samp{WAITING}
3153 @item WORK/+WAITING|+NEXT
3154 Select @samp{:WORK:}-tagged TODO lines that are either @samp{WAITING} or
3158 @node Agenda views, Embedded LaTeX, Tags, Top
3159 @chapter Agenda Views
3160 @cindex agenda views
3162 Due to the way Org-mode works, TODO items, time-stamped items, and
3163 tagged headlines can be scattered throughout a file or even a number of
3164 files. To get an overview over open action items, or over events that
3165 are important for a particular date, this information must be collected,
3166 sorted and displayed in an organized way.
3168 Org-mode can select items based on various criteria, and display them
3169 in a separate buffer. Five different view types are provided:
3173 an @emph{agenda} that is like a calendar and shows information
3176 a @emph{TODO list} that covers all unfinished
3179 a @emph{tags view} that shows information based on
3180 the tags associated with headlines in the outline tree,
3182 a @emph{timeline view} that shows all events in a single Org-mode file,
3185 @emph{custom views} that are special tag and keyword searches and
3186 combinations of different views.
3190 The extracted information is displayed in a special @emph{agenda
3191 buffer}. This buffer is read-only, but provides commands to visit the
3192 corresponding locations in the original Org-mode files, and even to
3193 edit these files remotely.
3195 Two variables control how the agenda buffer is displayed and whether the
3196 window configuration is restored when the agenda exits:
3197 @code{org-agenda-window-setup} and
3198 @code{org-agenda-restore-windows-after-quit}.
3201 * Agenda files:: Files being searched for agenda information
3202 * Agenda dispatcher:: Keyboard access to agenda views
3203 * Weekly/Daily agenda:: The calendar page with current tasks
3204 * Global TODO list:: All unfinished action items
3205 * Matching headline tags:: Structured information with fine-tuned search
3206 * Timeline:: Time-sorted view for single file
3207 * Presentation and sorting:: How agenda items are prepared for display
3208 * Agenda commands:: Remote editing of org trees
3209 * Custom agenda views:: Defining special searches and views
3212 @node Agenda files, Agenda dispatcher, Agenda views, Agenda views
3213 @section Agenda files
3214 @cindex agenda files
3215 @cindex files for agenda
3217 The information to be shown is collected from all @emph{agenda files},
3218 the files listed in the variable @code{org-agenda-files}@footnote{If the
3219 value of that variable is not a list, but a single file name, then the
3220 list of agenda files will be maintained in that external file.}. Thus even
3221 if you only work with a single Org-mode file, this file should be put
3222 into that list@footnote{When using the dispatcher, pressing @kbd{1}
3223 before selecting a command will actually limit the command to the
3224 current file, and ignore @code{org-agenda-files} until the next
3225 dispatcher command.}. You can customize @code{org-agenda-files}, but
3226 the easiest way to maintain it is through the following commands
3228 @cindex files, adding to agenda list
3232 Add current file to the list of agenda files. The file is added to
3233 the front of the list. If it was already in the list, it is moved to
3234 the front. With prefix arg, file is added/moved to the end.
3237 Remove current file from the list of agenda files.
3240 Cycle through agenda file list, visiting one file after the other.
3244 The Org menu contains the current list of files and can be used
3245 to visit any of them.
3247 @node Agenda dispatcher, Weekly/Daily agenda, Agenda files, Agenda views
3248 @section The agenda dispatcher
3249 @cindex agenda dispatcher
3250 @cindex dispatching agenda commands
3251 The views are created through a dispatcher that should be bound to a
3252 global key, for example @kbd{C-c a} (@pxref{Installation}). In the
3253 following we will assume that @kbd{C-c a} is indeed how the dispatcher
3254 is accessed and list keyboard access to commands accordingly. After
3255 pressing @kbd{C-c a}, an additional letter is required to execute a
3256 command. The dispatcher offers the following default commands:
3259 Create the calendar-like agenda (@pxref{Weekly/Daily agenda}).
3261 Create a list of all TODO items (@pxref{Global TODO list}).
3263 Create a list of headlines matching a TAGS expression (@pxref{Matching
3266 Create the timeline view for the current buffer (@pxref{Timeline}).
3268 Restrict an agenda command to the current buffer. After pressing
3269 @kbd{1}, you still need to press the character selecting the command.
3271 If there is an active region, restrict the following agenda command to
3272 the region. Otherwise, restrict it to the current subtree. After
3273 pressing @kbd{0}, you still need to press the character selecting the
3277 You can also define custom commands that will be accessible through the
3278 dispatcher, just like the default commands. This includes the
3279 possibility to create extended agenda buffers that contain several
3280 blocks together, for example the weekly agenda, the global TODO list and
3281 a number of special tags matches. @xref{Custom agenda views}.
3283 @node Weekly/Daily agenda, Global TODO list, Agenda dispatcher, Agenda views
3284 @section The weekly/daily agenda
3286 @cindex weekly agenda
3287 @cindex daily agenda
3289 The purpose of the weekly/daily @emph{agenda} is to act like a page of a
3290 paper agenda, showing all the tasks for the current week or day.
3293 @cindex org-agenda, command
3296 Compile an agenda for the current week from a list of org files. The
3297 agenda shows the entries for each day. With a @kbd{C-u} prefix (or
3298 when the variable @code{org-agenda-include-all-todo} is @code{t}), all
3299 unfinished TODO items (including those without a date) are also listed at
3300 the beginning of the buffer, before the first date.@*
3303 Remote editing from the agenda buffer means, for example, that you can
3304 change the dates of deadlines and appointments from the agenda buffer.
3305 The commands available in the Agenda buffer are listed in @ref{Agenda
3309 * Calendar/Diary integration:: Integrating Anniversaries and more
3313 @node Calendar/Diary integration, , Weekly/Daily agenda, Weekly/Daily agenda
3314 @subsection Calendar/Diary integration
3315 @cindex calendar integration
3316 @cindex diary integration
3318 Emacs contains the calendar and diary by Edward M. Reingold. The
3319 calendar displays a three-month calendar with holidays from different
3320 countries and cultures. The diary allows you to keep track of
3321 anniversaries, lunar phases, sunrise/set, recurrent appointments
3322 (weekly, monthly) and more. In this way, it is quite complementary to
3323 Org-mode. It can be very useful to combine output from Org-mode with
3326 In order to include entries from the Emacs diary into Org-mode's
3327 agenda, you only need to customize the variable
3330 (setq org-agenda-include-diary t)
3333 @noindent After that, everything will happen automatically. All diary
3334 entries including holidays, anniversaries etc will be included in the
3335 agenda buffer created by Org-mode. @key{SPC}, @key{TAB}, and
3336 @key{RET} can be used from the agenda buffer to jump to the diary
3337 file in order to edit existing diary entries. The @kbd{i} command to
3338 insert new entries for the current date works in the agenda buffer, as
3339 well as the commands @kbd{S}, @kbd{M}, and @kbd{C} to display
3340 Sunrise/Sunset times, show lunar phases and to convert to other
3341 calendars, respectively. @kbd{c} can be used to switch back and forth
3342 between calendar and agenda.
3345 @node Global TODO list, Matching headline tags, Weekly/Daily agenda, Agenda views
3346 @section The global TODO list
3347 @cindex global TODO list
3348 @cindex TODO list, global
3350 The global TODO list contains all unfinished TODO items, formatted and
3351 collected into a single place.
3356 Show the global TODO list. This collects the TODO items from all
3357 agenda files (@pxref{Agenda views}) into a single buffer. The buffer is in
3358 @code{agenda-mode}, so there are commands to examine and manipulate
3359 the TODO entries directly from that buffer (@pxref{Agenda commands}).
3362 @cindex TODO keyword matching
3363 Like the above, but allows selection of a specific TODO keyword. You can
3364 also do this by specifying a prefix argument to @kbd{C-c a t}. With a
3365 @kbd{C-u} prefix you are prompted for a keyword. With a numeric
3366 prefix, the Nth keyword in @code{org-todo-keywords} is selected.
3368 The @kbd{r} key in the agenda buffer regenerates it, and you can give
3369 a prefix argument to this command to change the selected TODO keyword,
3370 for example @kbd{3 r}. If you often need a search for a specific
3371 keyword, define a custom command for it (@pxref{Agenda dispatcher}).@*
3372 Matching specific TODO keywords can also be done as part of a tags
3373 search (@pxref{Tag searches}).
3376 Remote editing of TODO items means that you can change the state of a
3377 TODO entry with a single key press. The commands available in the
3378 TODO list are described in @ref{Agenda commands}.
3380 @cindex sublevels, inclusion into todo list
3381 Normally the global todo list simply shows all headlines with TODO
3382 keywords. This list can become very long. There are two ways to keep
3386 Some people view a TODO item that has been @emph{scheduled} for
3387 execution (@pxref{Time stamps}) as no longer @emph{open}. Configure the
3388 variable @code{org-agenda-todo-ignore-scheduled} to exclude scheduled
3389 items from the global TODO list.
3391 TODO items may have sublevels to break up the task into subtasks. In
3392 such cases it may be enough to list only the highest level TODO headline
3393 and omit the sublevels from the global list. Configure the variable
3394 @code{org-agenda-todo-list-sublevels} to get this behavior.
3397 @node Matching headline tags, Timeline, Global TODO list, Agenda views
3398 @section Matching headline tags
3399 @cindex matching, of tags
3402 If headlines in the agenda files are marked with @emph{tags}
3403 (@pxref{Tags}), you can select headlines based on the tags that apply
3404 to them and collect them into an agenda buffer.
3409 Produce a list of all headlines that match a given set of tags. The
3410 command prompts for a selection criterion, which is a boolean logic
3411 expression with tags, like @samp{+WORK+URGENT-WITHBOSS} or
3412 @samp{WORK|HOME} (@pxref{Tags}). If you often need a specific search,
3413 define a custom command for it (@pxref{Agenda dispatcher}).
3416 Like @kbd{C-c a m}, but only select headlines that are also TODO items
3417 and force checking subitems (see variable
3418 @code{org-tags-match-list-sublevels}). Matching specific todo keywords
3419 together with a tags match is also possible, see @ref{Tag searches}.
3422 The commands available in the tags list are described in @ref{Agenda
3425 @node Timeline, Presentation and sorting, Matching headline tags, Agenda views
3426 @section Timeline for a single file
3427 @cindex timeline, single file
3428 @cindex time-sorted view
3430 The timeline summarizes all time-stamped items from a single Org-mode
3431 file in a @emph{time-sorted view}. The main purpose of this command is
3432 to give an overview over events in a project.
3437 Show a time-sorted view of the org file, with all time-stamped items.
3438 When called with a @kbd{C-u} prefix, all unfinished TODO entries
3439 (scheduled or not) are also listed under the current date.
3443 The commands available in the timeline buffer are listed in
3444 @ref{Agenda commands}.
3447 @node Presentation and sorting, Agenda commands, Timeline, Agenda views
3448 @section Presentation and sorting
3449 @cindex presentation, of agenda items
3451 Before displaying items in an agenda view, Org-mode visually prepares
3452 the items and sorts them. Each item occupies a single line. The line
3453 starts with a @emph{prefix} that contains the @emph{category}
3454 (@pxref{Categories}) of the item and other important information. You can
3455 customize the prefix using the option @code{org-agenda-prefix-format}.
3456 The prefix is followed by a cleaned-up version of the outline headline
3457 associated with the item.
3460 * Categories:: Not all tasks are equal
3461 * Time-of-day specifications:: How the agenda knows the time
3462 * Sorting of agenda items:: The order of things
3465 @node Categories, Time-of-day specifications, Presentation and sorting, Presentation and sorting
3466 @subsection Categories
3469 The category is a broad label assigned to each agenda item. By default,
3470 the category is simply derived from the file name, but you can also
3471 specify it with a special line in the buffer, like this:
3477 If there are several such lines in a file, each specifies the category
3478 for the text below it (but the first category also applies to any text
3479 before the first CATEGORY line). The display in the agenda buffer looks
3480 best if the category is not longer than 10 characters.
3482 @node Time-of-day specifications, Sorting of agenda items, Categories, Presentation and sorting
3483 @subsection Time-of-Day Specifications
3484 @cindex time-of-day specification
3486 Org-mode checks each agenda item for a time-of-day specification. The
3487 time can be part of the time stamp that triggered inclusion into the
3488 agenda, for example as in @w{@samp{<2005-05-10 Tue 19:00>}}. Time
3489 ranges can be specified with two time stamps, like
3491 @w{@samp{<2005-05-10 Tue 20:30>--<2005-05-10 Tue 22:15>}}.
3493 In the headline of the entry itself, a time(range) may also appear as
3494 plain text (like @samp{12:45} or a @samp{8:30-1pm}. If the agenda
3495 integrates the Emacs diary (@pxref{Calendar/Diary integration}), time
3496 specifications in diary entries are recognized as well.
3498 For agenda display, Org-mode extracts the time and displays it in a
3499 standard 24 hour format as part of the prefix. The example times in
3500 the previous paragraphs would end up in the agenda like this:
3503 8:30-13:00 Arthur Dent lies in front of the bulldozer
3504 12:45...... Ford Prefect arrives and takes Arthur to the pub
3505 19:00...... The Vogon reads his poem
3506 20:30-22:15 Marwin escorts the Hitchhikers to the bridge
3510 If the agenda is in single-day mode, or for the display of today, the
3511 timed entries are embedded in a time grid, like
3514 8:00...... ------------------
3515 8:30-13:00 Arthur Dent lies in front of the bulldozer
3516 10:00...... ------------------
3517 12:00...... ------------------
3518 12:45...... Ford Prefect arrives and takes Arthur to the pub
3519 14:00...... ------------------
3520 16:00...... ------------------
3521 18:00...... ------------------
3522 19:00...... The Vogon reads his poem
3523 20:00...... ------------------
3524 20:30-22:15 Marwin escorts the Hitchhikers to the bridge
3527 The time grid can be turned on and off with the variable
3528 @code{org-agenda-use-time-grid}, and can be configured with
3529 @code{org-agenda-time-grid}.
3531 @node Sorting of agenda items, , Time-of-day specifications, Presentation and sorting
3532 @subsection Sorting of agenda items
3533 @cindex sorting, of agenda items
3534 @cindex priorities, of agenda items
3535 Before being inserted into a view, the items are sorted. How this is
3536 done depends on the type of view.
3539 For the daily/weekly agenda, the items for each day are sorted. The
3540 default order is to first collect all items containing an explicit
3541 time-of-day specification. These entries will be shown at the beginning
3542 of the list, as a @emph{schedule} for the day. After that, items remain
3543 grouped in categories, in the sequence given by @code{org-agenda-files}.
3544 Within each category, items are sorted by priority (@pxref{Priorities}),
3545 which is composed of the base priority (2000 for priority @samp{A}, 1000
3546 for @samp{B}, and 0 for @samp{C}), plus additional increments for
3547 overdue scheduled or deadline items.
3549 For the TODO list, items remain in the order of categories, but within
3550 each category, sorting takes place according to priority
3551 (@pxref{Priorities}).
3553 For tags matches, items are not sorted at all, but just appear in the
3554 sequence in which they are found in the agenda files.
3557 Sorting can be customized using the variable
3558 @code{org-agenda-sorting-strategy}.
3561 @node Agenda commands, Custom agenda views, Presentation and sorting, Agenda views
3562 @section Commands in the agenda buffer
3563 @cindex commands, in agenda buffer
3565 Entries in the agenda buffer are linked back to the org file or diary
3566 file where they originate. You are not allowed to edit the agenda
3567 buffer itself, but commands are provided to show and jump to the
3568 original entry location, and to edit the org-files ``remotely'' from
3569 the agenda buffer. In this way, all information is stored only once,
3570 removing the risk that your agenda and note files may diverge.
3572 Some commands can be executed with mouse clicks on agenda lines. For
3573 the other commands, the cursor needs to be in the desired line.
3576 @tsubheading{Motion}
3577 @cindex motion commands in agenda
3580 Next line (same as @key{up}).
3583 Previous line (same as @key{down}).
3584 @tsubheading{View/GoTo org file}
3589 Display the original location of the item in another window.
3593 Display original location and recenter that window.
3601 Go to the original location of the item in another window. Under Emacs
3602 22, @kbd{mouse-1} will also works for this.
3606 Go to the original location of the item and delete other windows.
3610 Toggle Follow mode. In Follow mode, as you move the cursor through
3611 the agenda buffer, the other window always shows the corresponding
3612 location in the org file. The initial setting for this mode in new
3613 agenda buffers can be set with the variable
3614 @code{org-agenda-start-with-follow-mode}.
3618 Toggle Logbook mode. In Logbook mode, entries that where marked DONE while
3619 logging was on (variable @code{org-log-done}) are shown in the agenda,
3620 as are entries that have been clocked on that day.
3622 @tsubheading{Change display}
3623 @cindex display changing, in agenda
3626 Delete other windows.
3630 Switch to weekly view (7 days displayed together).
3634 Switch to daily view (just one day displayed).
3638 Toggle the inclusion of diary entries. See @ref{Calendar/Diary integration}.
3642 Toggle the time grid on and off. See also the variables
3643 @code{org-agenda-use-time-grid} and @code{org-agenda-time-grid}.
3647 Recreate the agenda buffer, for example to reflect the changes
3648 after modification of the time stamps of items with S-@key{left} and
3649 S-@key{right}. When the buffer is the global todo list, a prefix
3650 argument is interpreted to create a selective list for a specific TODO
3655 Save all Org-mode buffers in the current Emacs session.
3659 Display the following @code{org-agenda-ndays} days. For example, if
3660 the display covers a week, switch to the following week. With prefix
3661 arg, go forward that many times @code{org-agenda-ndays} days.
3665 Display the previous dates.
3671 @tsubheading{Remote editing}
3672 @cindex remote editing, from agenda
3679 Change the TODO state of the item, both in the agenda and in the
3684 Delete the current agenda item along with the entire subtree belonging
3685 to it in the original Org-mode file. If the text to be deleted remotely
3686 is longer than one line, the kill needs to be confirmed by the user. See
3687 variable @code{org-agenda-confirm-kill}.
3691 Show all tags associated with the current item. Because of
3692 inheritance, this may be more than the tags listed in the line itself.
3696 Set tags for the current headline.
3700 Toggle the ARCHIVE tag for the current headline.
3704 Set the priority for the current item. Org-mode prompts for the
3705 priority character. If you reply with @key{SPC}, the priority cookie
3706 is removed from the entry.
3710 Display weighted priority of current item.
3716 Increase the priority of the current item. The priority is changed in
3717 the original buffer, but the agenda is not resorted. Use the @kbd{r}
3721 @kindex S-@key{down}
3724 Decrease the priority of the current item.
3732 Set a deadline for this item.
3734 @kindex S-@key{right}
3736 Change the time stamp associated with the current line by one day into
3737 the future. With prefix argument, change it by that many days. For
3738 example, @kbd{3 6 5 S-@key{right}} will change it by a year. The
3739 stamp is changed in the original org file, but the change is not
3740 directly reflected in the agenda buffer. Use the
3741 @kbd{r} key to update the buffer.
3743 @kindex S-@key{left}
3745 Change the time stamp associated with the current line by one day
3750 Change the time stamp associated with the current line to today.
3751 The key @kbd{>} has been chosen, because it is the same as @kbd{S-.}
3756 Start the clock on the current item. If a clock is running already, it
3760 Stop the previously started clock.
3763 Cancel the currently running clock.
3765 @tsubheading{Calendar commands}
3766 @cindex calendar commands, from agenda
3769 Open the Emacs calendar and move to the date at the agenda cursor.
3772 When in the calendar, compute and show the Org-mode agenda for the
3775 @cindex diary entries, creating from agenda
3778 Insert a new entry into the diary. Prompts for the type of entry
3779 (day, weekly, monthly, yearly, anniversary, cyclic) and creates a new
3780 entry in the diary, just as @kbd{i d} etc. would do in the calendar.
3781 The date is taken from the cursor position.
3785 Show the phases of the moon for the three months around current date.
3789 Show sunrise and sunset times. The geographical location must be set
3790 with calendar variables, see documentation of the Emacs calendar.
3794 Convert the date at cursor into many other cultural and historic
3799 Show holidays for three month around the cursor date.
3801 @c FIXME: This should be a different key.
3804 Export a single iCalendar file containing entries from all agenda files.
3806 @tsubheading{Quit and Exit}
3809 Quit agenda, remove the agenda buffer.
3812 @cindex agenda files, removing buffers
3814 Exit agenda, remove the agenda buffer and all buffers loaded by Emacs
3815 for the compilation of the agenda. Buffers created by the user to
3816 visit org files will not be removed.
3821 @node Custom agenda views, , Agenda commands, Agenda views
3822 @section Custom agenda views
3823 @cindex custom agenda views
3824 @cindex agenda views, custom
3826 Custom agenda commands serve two purposes: to store and quickly access
3827 frequently used TODO and tags searches, and to create special composite
3828 agenda buffers. Custom agenda commands will be accessible through the
3829 dispatcher (@pxref{Agenda dispatcher}), just like the default commands.
3832 * Storing searches:: Type once, use often
3833 * Block agenda:: All the stuff you need in a single buffer
3834 * Setting Options:: Changing the rules
3835 * Batch processing:: Agenda views from the command line
3838 @node Storing searches, Block agenda, Custom agenda views, Custom agenda views
3839 @subsection Storing searches
3841 The first application of custom searches is the definition of keyboard
3842 shortcuts for frequently used searches, either creating an agenda
3843 buffer, or a sparse tree (the latter covering of course only the current
3846 Custom commands are configured in the variable
3847 @code{org-agenda-custom-commands}. You can customize this variable, for
3848 example by pressing @kbd{C-c a C}. You can also directly set it with
3849 Emacs Lisp in @file{.emacs}. The following example contains all valid
3854 (setq org-agenda-custom-commands
3855 '(("w" todo "WAITING")
3856 ("W" todo-tree "WAITING")
3857 ("u" tags "+BOSS-URGENT")
3858 ("v" tags-todo "+BOSS-URGENT")
3859 ("U" tags-tree "+BOSS-URGENT")
3860 ("f" occur-tree "\\<FIXME\\>")))
3865 The initial single-character string in each entry defines the character
3866 you have to press after the dispatcher command @kbd{C-c a} in order to
3867 access the command. The second parameter is the search type, followed
3868 by the string or regular expression to be used for the matching. The
3869 example above will therefore define:
3873 as a global search for TODO entries with @samp{WAITING} as the TODO
3876 as the same search, but only in the current buffer and displaying the
3877 results as a sparse tree
3879 as a global tags search for headlines marked @samp{:BOSS:} but not
3882 as the same search as @kbd{C-c a u}, but limiting the search to
3883 headlines that are also TODO items
3885 as the same search as @kbd{C-c a u}, but only in the current buffer and
3886 displaying the result as a sparse tree
3888 to create a sparse tree (again: current buffer only) with all entries
3889 containing the word @samp{FIXME}.
3892 @node Block agenda, Setting Options, Storing searches, Custom agenda views
3893 @subsection Block agenda
3894 @cindex block agenda
3895 @cindex agenda, with block views
3897 Another possibility is the construction of agenda views that comprise
3898 the results of @emph{several} commands, each of which creates a block in
3899 the agenda buffer. The available commands include @code{agenda} for the
3900 daily or weekly agenda (as created with @kbd{C-c a a}), @code{alltodo}
3901 for the global todo list (as constructed with @kbd{C-c a t}), and the
3902 matching commands discussed above: @code{todo}, @code{tags}, and
3903 @code{tags-todo}. Here are two examples:
3907 (setq org-agenda-custom-commands
3908 '(("h" "Agenda and Home-related tasks"
3912 ("o" "Agenda and Office-related tasks"
3920 This will define @kbd{C-c a h} to create a multi-block view for stuff
3921 you need to attend to at home. The resulting agenda buffer will contain
3922 your agenda for the current week, all TODO items that carry the tag
3923 @samp{HOME}, and also all lines tagged with @samp{GARDEN}. Finally the
3924 command @kbd{C-c a o} provides a similar view for office tasks.
3927 @node Setting Options, Batch processing, Block agenda, Custom agenda views
3928 @subsection Setting Options for custom commands
3929 @cindex options, for custom agenda views
3931 Org-mode contains a number of variables regulating agenda construction
3932 and display. The global variables define the behavior for all agenda
3933 commands, including the custom commands. However, if you want to change
3934 some settings just for a single custom view, you can do so. Setting
3935 options requires inserting a list of variable names and values at the
3936 right spot in @code{org-agenda-custom-commands}. For example:
3940 (setq org-agenda-custom-commands
3941 '(("w" todo "WAITING"
3942 ((org-agenda-sorting-strategy '(priority-down))
3943 (org-agenda-prefix-format " Mixed: ")))
3944 ("U" tags-tree "+BOSS-URGENT"
3945 ((org-show-following-heading nil)
3946 (org-show-hierarchy-above nil)))))
3951 Now the @kbd{C-c a w} command will sort the collected entries only by
3952 priority, and the prefix format is modified to just say @samp{ Mixed:}
3953 instead of giving the category of the entry. The sparse tags tree of
3954 @kbd{C-c a U} will now turn out ultra-compact, because neither the
3955 headline hierarchy above the match, nor the headline following the match
3958 For command sets creating a block agenda,
3959 @code{org-agenda-custom-commands} has two separate spots for setting
3960 options. You can add options that should be valid for just a single
3961 command in the set, and options that should be valid for all commands in
3962 the set. The former are just added to the command entry, the latter
3963 must come after the list of command entries. Going back to the block
3964 agenda example (@pxref{Block agenda}), let's change the sorting strategy
3965 for the @kbd{C-c a h} commands to @code{priority-down}, but let's sort
3966 the results for GARDEN tags query in the opposite order,
3967 @code{priority-up}. This would look like this:
3971 (setq org-agenda-custom-commands
3972 '(("h" "Agenda and Home-related tasks"
3975 (tags "GARDEN" ((org-agenda-sorting-strategy '(priority-up)))))
3976 ((org-agenda-sorting-strategy '(priority-down))))
3977 ("o" "Agenda and Office-related tasks"
3984 As you see, the values and parenthesis setting is a little complex.
3985 When in doubt, use the customize interface to set this variable - it
3986 fully supports its structure. Just one caveat: When setting options in
3987 this interface, the @emph{values} are just lisp expressions. So if the
3988 value is a string, you need to add the double quotes around the value
3991 @node Batch processing, , Setting Options, Custom agenda views
3992 @subsection Creating agenda views in batch processing
3993 @cindex agenda, batch production
3995 If you want to print or otherwise reprocess agenda views, it can be
3996 useful to create an agenda from the command line. This is the purpose
3997 of the function @code{org-batch-agenda}. It takes as a parameter one of
3998 the strings that are the keys in @code{org-agenda-custom-commands}. For
3999 example, to directly print the current TODO list, you could use
4002 emacs -batch -l ~/.emacs -eval '(org-batch-agenda "t")' | lpr
4006 You may also modify parameters on the fly like this:
4009 emacs -batch -l ~/.emacs \
4010 -eval '(org-batch-agenda "a" \
4011 org-agenda-ndays 300 \
4012 org-agenda-include-diary nil \
4013 org-agenda-files (quote ("~/org/project.org")))' \
4018 which will produce a 300 day agenda, fully restricted to the Org file
4019 @file{~/org/projects.org}, not even including the diary.
4021 @node Embedded LaTeX, Exporting, Agenda views, Top
4022 @chapter Embedded LaTeX
4023 @cindex @TeX{} interpretation
4024 @cindex La@TeX{} interpretation
4026 Plain ASCII is normally sufficient for almost all note taking. One
4027 exception, however, are scientific notes which need to be able to
4028 contain mathematical symbols and the occasional formula.
4029 La@TeX{}@footnote{La@TeX{} is a macro system based on Donald E. Knuth's
4030 @TeX{} system. Many of the features described here as ``La@TeX{}'' are
4031 really from @TeX{}, but for simplicity I am blurring this distinction.}
4032 is widely used to typeset scientific documents. Org-mode supports
4033 embedding La@TeX{} code into its files, because many academics are used
4034 to read La@TeX{} source code, and because it can be readily processed
4035 into images for HTML production.
4037 It is not necessary to mark La@TeX{} macros and code in any special way.
4038 If you observe a few conventions, Org-mode knows how to find it and what
4042 * Math symbols:: TeX macros for symbols and Greek letters
4043 * Subscripts and Superscripts:: Simple syntax for raising/lowering text
4044 * LaTeX fragments:: Complex formulas made easy
4045 * Processing LaTeX fragments:: Previewing LaTeX processing
4046 * CDLaTeX mode:: Speed up entering of formulas
4049 @node Math symbols, Subscripts and Superscripts, Embedded LaTeX, Embedded LaTeX
4050 @section Math symbols
4051 @cindex math symbols
4054 You can use La@TeX{} macros to insert special symbols like @samp{\alpha}
4055 to indicate the Greek letter, or @samp{\to} to indicate an arrow.
4056 Completion for these macros is available, just type @samp{\} and maybe a
4057 few letters, and press @kbd{M-@key{TAB}} to see possible completions.
4058 Unlike La@TeX{} code, Org-mode allows these macros to be present
4059 without surrounding math delimiters, for example:
4062 Angles are written as Greek letters \alpha, \beta and \gamma.
4065 During HTML export (@pxref{HTML export}), these symbols are translated
4066 into the proper syntax for HTML, for the above examples this is
4067 @samp{α} and @samp{→}, respectively.
4069 @node Subscripts and Superscripts, LaTeX fragments, Math symbols, Embedded LaTeX
4070 @section Subscripts and Superscripts
4074 Just like in La@TeX{}, @samp{^} and @samp{_} are used to indicate super-
4075 and subscripts. Again, these can be used without embedding them in
4076 math-mode delimiters. To increase the readability of ASCII text, it is
4077 not necessary (but OK) to surround multi-character sub- and superscripts
4078 with curly braces. For example
4081 The mass if the sun is M_sun = 1.989 x 10^30 kg. The radius of
4082 the sun is R_@{sun@} = 6.96 x 10^8 m.
4085 To avoid interpretation as raised or lowered text, you can quote
4086 @samp{^} and @samp{_} with a backslash: @samp{\_} and @samp{\^}.
4088 During HTML export (@pxref{HTML export}), subscript and superscripts
4089 are surrounded with @code{<sub>} and @code{<sup>} tags, respectively.
4091 @node LaTeX fragments, Processing LaTeX fragments, Subscripts and Superscripts, Embedded LaTeX
4092 @section LaTeX fragments
4093 @cindex LaTeX fragments
4095 With symbols, sub- and superscripts, HTML is pretty much at its end when
4096 it comes to representing mathematical formulas@footnote{Yes, there is
4097 MathML, but that is not yet fully supported by many browsers, and there
4098 is no decent converter for turning LaTeX of ASCII representations of
4099 formulas into MathML. So for the time being, converting formulas into
4100 images seems the way to go.}. More complex
4101 expressions need a dedicated formula processor. To this end, Org-mode
4102 can contain arbitrary La@TeX{} fragments. It provides commands to
4103 preview the typeset result of these fragments, and upon export to HTML,
4104 all fragments will be converted to images and inlined into the HTML
4105 document. For this to work you need to be on a system with a working
4106 La@TeX{} installation. You also need the @file{dvipng} program,
4107 available at @url{http://sourceforge.net/projects/dvipng/}.
4109 La@TeX{} fragments don't need any special marking at all. The following
4110 snippets will be identified as LaTeX source code:
4113 Environments of any kind. The only requirement is that the
4114 @code{\begin} statement appears on a new line, preceded by only
4117 Text within the usual La@TeX{} math delimiters. To avoid conflicts with
4118 currency specifications, single @samp{$} characters are only recognized
4119 as math delimiters if the enclosed text contains at most two line breaks,
4120 is directly attached to the @samp{$} characters with no whitespace in
4121 between, and if the closing @samp{$} is followed by whitespace or
4122 punctuation. For the other delimiters, there is no such restriction, so
4123 when in doubt, use @samp{\(...\)} as inline math delimiters.
4126 @noindent For example:
4129 \begin@{equation@} % arbitrary environments,
4130 x=\sqrt@{b@} % even tables, figures
4131 \end@{equation@} % etc
4133 If $a^2=b$ and \( b=2 \), then the solution must be
4134 either $$ a=+\sqrt@{2@} $$ or \[ a=-\sqrt@{2@} \].
4138 If you need any of the delimiter ASCII sequences for other purposes, you
4139 can configure the option @code{org-format-latex-options} to deselect the
4140 ones you do not wish to have interpreted by the La@TeX{} converter.
4142 @node Processing LaTeX fragments, CDLaTeX mode, LaTeX fragments, Embedded LaTeX
4143 @section Processing LaTeX fragments
4144 @cindex LaTeX fragments, preview
4146 La@TeX{} fragments can be processed to produce a preview images of the
4147 typeset expressions:
4152 Produce a preview image of the La@TeX{} fragment at point and overlay it
4153 over the source code. If there is no fragment at point, process all
4154 fragments in the current entry (between two headlines). When called
4155 with a prefix argument, process the entire subtree. When called with
4156 two prefix arguments, or when the cursor is before the first headline,
4157 process the entire buffer.
4160 Remove the overlay preview images.
4163 During HTML export (@pxref{HTML export}), all La@TeX{} fragments are
4164 converted into images and inlined into the document if the following
4168 (setq org-export-with-LaTeX-fragments t)
4171 @node CDLaTeX mode, , Processing LaTeX fragments, Embedded LaTeX
4172 @section Using CDLaTeX to enter math
4175 CDLaTeX-mode is a minor mode that is normally used in combination with a
4176 major LaTeX mode like AUCTeX in order to speed-up insertion of
4177 environments and math templates. Inside Org-mode, you can make use of
4178 some of the features of cdlatex-mode. You need to install
4179 @file{cdlatex.el} and @file{texmathp.el} (the latter comes also with
4180 AUCTeX) from @url{http://www.astro.uva.nl/~dominik/Tools/cdlatex}.
4181 Don't turn cdlatex-mode itself under Org-mode, but use the light
4182 version @code{org-cdlatex-mode} that comes as part of Org-mode. Turn it
4183 on for the current buffer with @code{M-x org-cdlatex-mode}, or for all
4187 (add-hook 'org-mode-hook 'turn-on-org-cdlatex)
4190 When this mode is enabled, the following features are present (for more
4191 details see the documentation of cdlatex-mode):
4195 Environment templates can be inserted with @kbd{C-c @{}.
4198 The @key{TAB} key will do template expansion if the cursor is inside a
4199 LaTeX fragment@footnote{Org-mode has a method to test if the cursor is
4200 inside such a fragment, see the documentation of the function
4201 @code{org-inside-LaTeX-fragment-p}.}. For example, @key{TAB} will
4202 expand @code{fr} to @code{\frac@{@}@{@}} and position the cursor
4203 correctly inside the first brace. Another @key{TAB} will get you into
4204 the second brace. Even outside fragments, @key{TAB} will expand
4205 environment abbreviations at the beginning of a line. For example, if
4206 you write @samp{equ} at the beginning of a line and press @key{TAB},
4207 this abbreviation will be expanded to an @code{equation} environment.
4208 To get a list of all abbreviations, type @kbd{M-x cdlatex-command-help}.
4212 Pressing @kbd{_} and @kbd{^} inside a LaTeX fragment will insert these
4213 characters together with a pair of braces. If you use @key{TAB} to move
4214 out of the braces, and if the braces surround only a single character or
4215 macro, they are removed again (depending on the variable
4216 @code{cdlatex-simplify-sub-super-scripts}).
4219 Pressing the backquote @kbd{`} followed by a character inserts math
4220 macros, also outside LaTeX fragments. If you wait more than 1.5 seconds
4221 after the backquote, a help window will pop up.
4224 Pressing the normal quote @kbd{'} followed by another character modifies
4225 the symbol before point with an accent or a font. If you wait more than
4226 1.5 seconds after the backquote, a help window will pop up. Character
4227 modification will work only inside La@TeX{} fragments, outside the quote
4231 @node Exporting, Publishing, Embedded LaTeX, Top
4235 Org-mode documents can be exported into a variety of other formats. For
4236 printing and sharing of notes, ASCII export produces a readable and
4237 simple version of an Org-mode file. HTML export allows you to publish a
4238 notes file on the web, while the XOXO format provides a solid base for
4239 exchange with a broad range of other applications. To incorporate
4240 entries with associated times like deadlines or appointments into a
4241 desktop calendar program like iCal, Org-mode can also produce extracts
4242 in the iCalendar format. Currently Org-mode only supports export, not
4243 import of these different formats.
4245 When exporting, Org-mode uses special conventions to enrich the output
4246 produced. @xref{Text interpretation}, for more details.
4251 Dispatcher for export and publishing commands. Displays a help-window
4252 listing the additional key(s) needed to launch an export or publishing
4257 * ASCII export:: Exporting to plain ASCII
4258 * HTML export:: Exporting to HTML
4259 * XOXO export:: Exporting to XOXO
4260 * iCalendar export:: Exporting in iCalendar format
4261 * Text interpretation:: How the exporter looks at the file
4264 @node ASCII export, HTML export, Exporting, Exporting
4265 @section ASCII export
4266 @cindex ASCII export
4268 ASCII export produces a simple and very readable version of an Org-mode
4271 @cindex region, active
4272 @cindex active region
4273 @cindex transient-mark-mode
4277 Export as ASCII file. If there is an active region, only the region
4278 will be exported. For an org file @file{myfile.org}, the ASCII file
4279 will be @file{myfile.txt}. The file will be overwritten without
4283 Export only the visible part of the document.
4286 @cindex headline levels, for exporting
4287 In the exported version, the first 3 outline levels will become
4288 headlines, defining a general document structure. Additional levels
4289 will be exported as itemized lists. If you want that transition to occur
4290 at a different level, specify it with a prefix argument. For example,
4297 creates only top level headlines and does the rest as items. When
4298 headlines are converted to items, the indentation of the text following
4299 the headline is changed to fit nicely under the item. This is done with
4300 the assumption that the first bodyline indicates the base indentation of
4301 the body text. Any indentation larger than this is adjusted to preserve
4302 the layout relative to the first line. Should there be lines with less
4303 indentation than the first, these are left alone.
4305 @node HTML export, XOXO export, ASCII export, Exporting
4306 @section HTML export
4309 Org-mode contains an HTML (XHTML 1.0 strict) exporter with extensive
4310 HTML formatting, in ways similar to John Grubers @emph{markdown}
4311 language, but with additional support for tables.
4313 @cindex region, active
4314 @cindex active region
4315 @cindex transient-mark-mode
4319 Export as HTML file @file{myfile.html}.
4322 Export as HTML file and open it with a browser.
4327 Export only the visible part of the document.
4330 @cindex headline levels, for exporting
4331 In the exported version, the first 3 outline levels will become
4332 headlines, defining a general document structure. Additional levels
4333 will be exported as itemized lists. If you want that transition to occur
4334 at a different level, specify it with a prefix argument. For example,
4341 creates two levels of headings and does the rest as items.
4343 If you want to include HTML tags which should be interpreted as such,
4344 mark them with @samp{@@} as in @samp{@@<b>bold text@@</b>}.
4345 Plain @samp{<} and @samp{>} are always transformed to @samp{<} and
4346 @samp{>} in HTML export.
4348 @cindex links, in HTML export
4349 @cindex internal links, in HTML export
4350 @cindex external links, in HTML export
4351 Internal links (@pxref{Internal links}) will continue to work in HTML
4352 files only if they match a dedicated @samp{<<target>>}. Automatic links
4353 created by radio targets (@pxref{Radio targets}) will also work in the
4354 HTML file. Links to external files will still work if the HTML file is
4355 in the same directory as the Org-mode file. Links to other @file{.org}
4356 files will be translated into HTML links under the assumption that an
4357 HTML version also exists of the linked file. For information related to
4358 linking files while publishing them to a publishing directory see
4359 @ref{Publishing links}.
4361 You can also give style information for the exported file. The HTML
4362 exporter assigns the following CSS classes to appropriate parts of the
4363 document - your style specifications may change these:
4365 .todo @r{TODO keywords}
4366 .done @r{the DONE keyword}
4367 .timestamp @r{time stamp}
4368 .timestamp-kwd @r{keyword associated with a time stamp, like SCHEDULED}
4369 .tag @r{tag in a headline}
4370 .target @r{target for links}
4373 The default style specification can be configured through the option
4374 @code{org-export-html-style}. If you want to use a file-local style,
4375 you may use file variables, best wrapped into a COMMENT section at the
4376 end of the outline tree. For example:
4379 * COMMENT HTML style specifications
4382 # org-export-html-style: " <style type=\"text/css\">
4383 # p @{font-weight: normal; color: gray; @}
4384 # h1 @{color: black; @}
4389 Remember to execute @kbd{M-x normal-mode} after changing this to make
4390 the new style visible to Emacs. This command restarts org-mode for the
4391 current buffer and forces Emacs to re-evaluate the local variables
4392 section in the buffer.
4394 @c FIXME: More about header and footer styles
4395 @c FIXME: Talk about links and targets.
4397 @node XOXO export, iCalendar export, HTML export, Exporting
4398 @section XOXO export
4401 Org-mode contains an exporter that produces XOXO-style output.
4402 Currently, this exporter only handles the general outline structure and
4403 does not interpret any additional Org-mode features.
4408 Export as XOXO file @file{myfile.html}.
4411 Export only the visible part of the document.
4414 @node iCalendar export, Text interpretation, XOXO export, Exporting
4415 @section iCalendar export
4416 @cindex iCalendar export
4418 Some people like to use Org-mode for keeping track of projects, but
4419 still prefer a standard calendar application for anniversaries and
4420 appointments. In this case it can be useful to have deadlines and
4421 other time-stamped items in Org-mode files show up in the calendar
4422 application. Org-mode can export calendar information in the standard
4428 Create iCalendar entries for the current file and store them in the same
4429 directory, using a file extension @file{.ics}.
4432 Like @kbd{C-c C-e i}, but do this for all files in
4433 @code{org-agenda-files}. For each of these files, a separate iCalendar
4434 file will be written.
4437 Create a single large iCalendar file from all files in
4438 @code{org-agenda-files} and write it to the file given by
4439 @code{org-combined-agenda-icalendar-file}.
4442 How this calendar is best read and updated, depends on the application
4443 you are using. For example, when using iCal under Apple MacOS X, you
4444 could create a new calendar @samp{OrgMode} (the default name for the
4445 calendar created by @kbd{C-c C-e c}, see the variables
4446 @code{org-icalendar-combined-name} and
4447 @code{org-combined-agenda-icalendar-file}). Then set Org-mode to
4448 overwrite the corresponding file
4449 @file{~/Library/Calendars/OrgMode.ics}. You may even use AppleScript
4450 to make iCal re-read the calendar files each time a new version of
4451 @file{OrgMode.ics} is produced. Here is the setup needed for this:
4453 @cindex applescript, for calendar update
4455 (setq org-combined-agenda-icalendar-file
4456 "~/Library/Calendars/OrgMode.ics")
4457 (add-hook 'org-after-save-iCalendar-file-hook
4460 "osascript -e 'tell application \"iCal\" to reload calendars'")))
4463 @node Text interpretation, , iCalendar export, Exporting
4464 @section Text interpretation by the exporter
4466 The exporter backends interpret additional structure in the Org-mode file
4467 in order to produce better output.
4470 * Comment lines:: Some lines will not be exported
4471 * Enhancing text:: Subscripts, symbols and more
4472 * Export options:: How to influence the export settings
4475 @node Comment lines, Enhancing text, Text interpretation, Text interpretation
4476 @subsection Comment lines
4477 @cindex comment lines
4478 @cindex exporting, not
4480 Lines starting with @samp{#} in column zero are treated as comments
4481 and will never be exported. Also entire subtrees starting with the
4482 word @samp{COMMENT} will never be exported. Finally, any text before
4483 the first headline will not be exported either.
4488 Toggle the COMMENT keyword at the beginning of an entry.
4491 @node Enhancing text, Export options, Comment lines, Text interpretation
4492 @subsection Enhancing text for export
4493 @cindex enhancing text
4496 Some of the export backends of Org-mode allow for sophisticated text
4497 formatting, this is true in particular for the HTML backend. Org-mode
4498 has a number of typing conventions that allow to produce a richly
4503 @cindex hand-formatted lists
4504 @cindex lists, hand-formatted
4506 Plain lists @samp{-}, @samp{*} or @samp{+} as bullet, or with @samp{1.}
4507 or @samp{2)} as enumerator will be recognized and transformed if the
4508 backend supports lists. See @xref{Plain lists}.
4510 @cindex underlined text
4514 You can make words @b{*bold*}, @i{/italic/}, _underlined_,
4515 @code{=code=}, and @samp{+strikethrough+}.
4517 @cindex LaTeX fragments, export
4518 @cindex TeX macros, export
4520 Many @TeX{} macros and entire La@TeX{} fragments are converted into HTML
4521 entities or images (@pxref{Embedded LaTeX}).
4523 @cindex tables, export
4525 Tables are transformed into native tables under the exporter, if the
4526 export backend supports this. Data fields before the first horizontal
4527 separator line will be formatted as table header fields.
4531 If a headline starts with the word @samp{QUOTE}, the text below the
4532 headline will be typeset as fixed-width, to allow quoting of computer
4533 codes etc. Lines starting with @samp{:} are also typeset in
4538 Toggle fixed-width for entry (QUOTE) or region, see below.
4541 @cindex linebreak, forced
4543 A double backslash @emph{at the end of a line} enforces a line break at
4547 If these conversions conflict with your habits of typing ASCII text,
4548 they can all be turned off with corresponding variables (see the
4549 customization group @code{org-export-general}, and the following section
4550 which explains how to set export options with special lines in a
4554 @node Export options, , Enhancing text, Text interpretation
4555 @subsection Export options
4556 @cindex options, for export
4558 @cindex completion, of option keywords
4559 The exporter recognizes special lines in the buffer which provide
4560 additional information. These lines may be put anywhere in the file.
4561 The whole set of lines can be inserted into the buffer with @kbd{C-c
4562 C-e t}. For individual lines, a good way to make sure the keyword is
4563 correct is to type @samp{#+} and then use @kbd{M-@key{TAB}} completion
4564 (@pxref{Completion}).
4569 Insert template with export options, see example below.
4573 #+TITLE: the title to be shown (default is the buffer name)
4574 #+AUTHOR: the author (default taken from @code{user-full-name})
4575 #+EMAIL: his/her email address (default from @code{user-mail-address})
4576 #+LANGUAGE: language for HTML, e.g. @samp{en} (@code{org-export-default-language})
4577 #+TEXT: Some descriptive text to be inserted at the beginning.
4578 #+TEXT: Several lines may be given.
4579 #+OPTIONS: H:2 num:t toc:t \n:nil @@:t ::t |:t ^:t *:nil TeX:t LaTeX:t
4583 The OPTIONS line is a compact form to specify export settings. Here
4585 @cindex headline levels
4586 @cindex section-numbers
4587 @cindex table of contents
4588 @cindex linebreak preservation
4589 @cindex quoted HTML tags
4590 @cindex fixed-width sections
4592 @cindex @TeX{}-like syntax for sub- and superscripts
4593 @cindex emphasized text
4594 @cindex @TeX{} macros
4595 @cindex La@TeX{} fragments
4597 H: @r{set the number of headline levels for export}
4598 num: @r{turn on/off section-numbers}
4599 toc: @r{turn on/off table of contents}
4600 \n: @r{turn on/off linebreak-preservation}
4601 @@: @r{turn on/off quoted HTML tags}
4602 :: @r{turn on/off fixed-width sections}
4603 |: @r{turn on/off tables}
4604 ^: @r{turn on/off @TeX{}-like syntax for sub- and superscripts.}
4605 *: @r{turn on/off emphasized text (bold, italic, underlined)}
4606 TeX: @r{turn on/off simple @TeX{} macros in plain text}
4607 LaTeX: @r{turn on/off La@TeX{} fragments}
4610 @node Publishing, Miscellaneous, Exporting, Top
4614 Org-mode includes@footnote{@file{org-publish.el} is not yet part of
4615 Emacs, so if you are using @file{org.el} as it comes with Emacs, you
4616 need to download this file separately. Also make sure org.el is at
4617 least version 4.27.} a publishing management system
4618 that allows you to configure automatic HTML conversion of
4619 @emph{projects} composed of interlinked org files. This system is
4620 called @emph{org-publish}. You can also configure org-publish to
4621 automatically upload your exported HTML pages and related attachments,
4622 such as images and source code files, to a web server. Org-publish turns
4623 org-mode into a web-site authoring tool.
4625 Org-publish has been contributed to Org-mode by David O'Toole.
4628 * Configuration:: Defining projects
4629 * Sample configuration:: Example projects
4630 * Triggering publication:: Publication commands
4633 @node Configuration, Sample configuration, Publishing, Publishing
4634 @section Configuration
4636 Publishing needs significant configuration to specify files, destination
4637 and many other properties of a project.
4640 * Project alist:: The central configuration variable
4641 * Sources and destinations:: From here to there
4642 * Selecting files:: What files are part of the project?
4643 * Publishing action:: Setting the function doing the publishing
4644 * Publishing options:: Tweaking HTML export
4645 * Publishing links:: Which links keep working after publishing?
4646 * Project page index:: Publishing a list of project files
4649 @node Project alist, Sources and destinations, Configuration, Configuration
4650 @subsection The variable @code{org-publish-project-alist}
4651 @cindex org-publish-project-alist
4652 @cindex projects, for publishing
4654 Org-publish is configured almost entirely through setting the value of
4655 one variable, called @code{org-publish-project-alist}.
4656 Each element of the list configures one project, and may be in one of
4657 the two following forms:
4660 ("project-name" :property value :property value ...)
4664 ("project-name" :components ("project-name" "project-name" ...))
4668 In both cases, projects are configured by specifying property values.
4669 A project defines the set of files that will be published, as well as
4670 the publishing configuration to use when publishing those files. When
4671 a project takes the second form listed above, the individual members
4672 of the ``components'' property are taken to be components of the
4673 project, which group together files requiring different publishing
4674 options. When you publish such a ``meta-project'' all the components
4677 @node Sources and destinations, Selecting files, Project alist, Configuration
4678 @subsection Sources and destinations for files
4679 @cindex directories, for publishing
4681 Most properties are optional, but some should always be set. In
4682 particular, org-publish needs to know where to look for source files,
4683 and where to put published files.
4685 @multitable @columnfractions 0.3 0.7
4686 @item @code{:base-directory}
4687 @tab Directory containing publishing source files
4688 @item @code{:publishing-directory}
4689 @tab Directory (possibly remote) where output files will be published.
4690 @item @code{:preparation-function}
4691 @tab Function called before starting publishing process, for example to
4692 run @code{make} for updating files to be published.
4696 @node Selecting files, Publishing action, Sources and destinations, Configuration
4697 @subsection Selecting files
4698 @cindex files, selecting for publishing
4700 By default, all files with extension @file{.org} in the base directory
4701 are considered part of the project. This can be modified by setting the
4703 @multitable @columnfractions 0.25 0.75
4704 @item @code{:base-extension}
4705 @tab Extension (without the dot!) of source files. This actually is a
4708 @item @code{:exclude}
4709 @tab Regular expression to match file names that should not be
4710 published, even though they have been selected on the basis of their
4713 @item @code{:include}
4714 @tab List of files to be included regardless of @code{:base-extension}
4715 and @code{:exclude}.
4718 @node Publishing action, Publishing options, Selecting files, Configuration
4719 @subsection Publishing Action
4720 @cindex action, for publishing
4722 Publishing means that a file is copied to the destination directory and
4723 possibly transformed in the process. The default transformation is to
4724 export Org-mode files as HTML files, and this is done by the function
4725 @code{org-publish-org-to-html} which calls the HTML exporter
4726 (@pxref{HTML export}). Other files like images only need to be copied
4727 to the publishing destination. For non-Org-mode files, you need to
4728 specify the publishing function.
4730 @multitable @columnfractions 0.3 0.7
4731 @item @code{:publishing-function}
4732 @tab Function executing the publication of a file. This may also be a
4733 list of functions, which will all be called in turn.
4736 The function must accept two arguments: a property list containing at
4737 least a @code{:publishing-directory} property, and the name of the file
4738 to be published. It should take the specified file, make the necessary
4739 transformation (if any) and place the result into the destination folder.
4740 You can write your own publishing function, but @code{org-publish}
4741 provides one for attachments (files that only need to be copied):
4742 @code{org-publish-attachment}.
4744 @node Publishing options, Publishing links, Publishing action, Configuration
4745 @subsection Options for the HTML exporter
4746 @cindex options, for publishing
4748 The property list can be used to set many export options for the HTML
4749 exporter. In most cases, these properties correspond to user variables
4750 in Org-mode. The table below lists these properties along with the
4751 variable they belong to. See the documentation string for the
4752 respective variable for details.
4754 @multitable @columnfractions 0.3 0.7
4755 @item @code{:language} @tab @code{org-export-default-language}
4756 @item @code{:headline-levels} @tab @code{org-export-headline-levels}
4757 @item @code{:section-numbers} @tab @code{org-export-with-section-numbers}
4758 @item @code{:table-of-contents} @tab @code{org-export-with-toc}
4759 @item @code{:archived-trees} @tab @code{org-export-with-archived-trees}
4760 @item @code{:emphasize} @tab @code{org-export-with-emphasize}
4761 @item @code{:sub-superscript} @tab @code{org-export-with-sub-superscripts}
4762 @item @code{:TeX-macros} @tab @code{org-export-with-TeX-macros}
4763 @item @code{:LaTeX-fragments} @tab @code{org-export-with-LaTeX-fragments}
4764 @item @code{:fixed-width} @tab @code{org-export-with-fixed-width}
4765 @item @code{:timestamps} .@tab @code{org-export-with-timestamps}
4766 @item @code{:tags} .@tab @code{org-export-with-tags}
4767 @item @code{:tables} @tab @code{org-export-with-tables}
4768 @item @code{:table-auto-headline} @tab @code{org-export-highlight-first-table-line}
4769 @item @code{:style} @tab @code{org-export-html-style}
4770 @item @code{:convert-org-links} @tab @code{org-export-html-link-org-files-as-html}
4771 @item @code{:inline-images} @tab @code{org-export-html-inline-images}
4772 @item @code{:expand-quoted-html} @tab @code{org-export-html-expand}
4773 @item @code{:timestamp} @tab @code{org-export-html-with-timestamp}
4774 @item @code{:publishing-directory} @tab @code{org-export-publishing-directory}
4775 @item @code{:preamble} @tab @code{org-export-html-preamble}
4776 @item @code{:postamble} @tab @code{org-export-html-postamble}
4777 @item @code{:auto-preamble} @tab @code{org-export-html-auto-preamble}
4778 @item @code{:auto-postamble} @tab @code{org-export-html-auto-postamble}
4779 @item @code{:author} @tab @code{user-full-name}
4780 @item @code{:email} @tab @code{user-mail-address}
4783 When a property is given a value in org-publish-project-alist, its
4784 setting overrides the value of the corresponding user variable (if any)
4785 during publishing. options set within a file (@pxref{Export
4786 options}), however, override everything.
4788 @node Publishing links, Project page index, Publishing options, Configuration
4789 @subsection Links between published files
4790 @cindex links, publishing
4792 To create a link from one Org-mode file to another, you would use
4793 something like @samp{[[file:foo.org][The foo]]} or simply
4794 @samp{file:foo.org.} (@pxref{Hyperlinks}). Upon publishing this link
4795 becomes a link to @file{foo.html}. In this way, you can interlink the
4796 pages of your "org web" project and the links will work as expected when
4797 you publish them to HTML.
4799 You may also link to related files, such as images. Provided you are
4800 careful with relative pathnames, and provided you have also configured
4801 org-publish to upload the related files, these links will work
4802 too. @ref{Complex example} for an example of this usage.
4804 Sometime an Org-mode file to be published may contain links that are
4805 only valid in your production environment, but not in the publishing
4806 location. In this case, use the property
4808 @multitable @columnfractions 0.4 0.6
4809 @item @code{:link-validation-function}
4810 @tab Function to validate links
4814 to define a function for checking link validity. This function must
4815 accept two arguments, the file name and a directory relative to which
4816 the file name is interpreted in the production environment. If this
4817 function returns @code{nil}, then the HTML generator will only insert a
4818 description into the HTML file, but no link. One option for this
4819 function is @code{org-publish-validate-link} which checks if the given
4820 file is part of any project in @code{org-publish-project-alist}.
4822 @node Project page index, , Publishing links, Configuration
4823 @subsection Project page index
4824 @cindex index, of published pages
4826 The following properties may be used to control publishing of an
4827 index of files or summary page for a given project.
4829 @multitable @columnfractions 0.25 0.75
4830 @item @code{:auto-index}
4831 @tab When non-nil, publish an index during org-publish-current-project or
4834 @item @code{:index-filename}
4835 @tab Filename for output of index. Defaults to @file{index.org} (which
4836 becomes @file{index.html}).
4838 @item @code{:index-title}
4839 @tab Title of index page. Defaults to name of file.
4841 @item @code{:index-function}
4842 @tab Plugin function to use for generation of index.
4843 Defaults to @code{org-publish-org-index}, which generates a plain list
4844 of links to all files in the project.
4847 @node Sample configuration, Triggering publication, Configuration, Publishing
4848 @section Sample configuration
4850 Below we provide two example configurations. The first one is a simple
4851 project publishing only a set of Org-mode files. The second example is
4852 more complex, with a multi-component project.
4855 * Simple example:: One-component publishing
4856 * Complex example:: A multi-component publishing example
4859 @node Simple example, Complex example, Sample configuration, Sample configuration
4860 @subsection Example: simple publishing configuration
4862 This example publishes a set of Org-mode files to the @file{public_html}
4863 directory on the local machine.
4866 (setq org-publish-project-alist
4868 :base-directory "~/org/"
4869 :publishing-directory "~/public_html"
4870 :section-numbers nil
4871 :table-of-contents nil
4872 :style "<link rel=stylesheet
4873 href=\"../other/mystyle.css\"
4874 type=\"text/css\">")))
4877 @node Complex example, , Simple example, Sample configuration
4878 @subsection Example: complex publishing configuration
4880 This more complicated example publishes an entire website, including
4881 org files converted to HTML, image files, emacs lisp source code, and
4882 stylesheets. The publishing-directory is remote and private files are
4885 To ensure that links are preserved, care should be taken to replicate
4886 your directory structure on the web server, and to use relative file
4887 paths. For example, if your org files are kept in @file{~/org} and your
4888 publishable images in @file{~/images}, you'd link to an image with
4891 file:../images/myimage.png
4894 On the web server, the relative path to the image should be the
4895 same. You can accomplish this by setting up an "images" folder in the
4896 right place on the webserver, and publishing images to it.
4899 (setq org-publish-project-alist
4901 :base-directory "~/org/"
4902 :base-extension "org"
4903 :publishing-directory "/ssh:user@@host:~/html/notebook/"
4904 :publishing-function org-publish-org-to-html
4905 :exclude "PrivatePage.org" ;; regexp
4907 :section-numbers nil
4908 :table-of-contents nil
4909 :style "<link rel=stylesheet
4910 href=\"../other/mystyle.css\" type=\"text/css\">"
4912 :auto-postamble nil)
4915 :base-directory "~/images/"
4916 :base-extension "jpg\\|gif\\|png"
4917 :publishing-directory "/ssh:user@@host:~/html/images/"
4918 :publishing-function org-publish-attachment)
4921 :base-directory "~/other/"
4922 :base-extension "css\\|el"
4923 :publishing-directory "/ssh:user@@host:~/html/other/"
4924 :publishing-function org-publish-attachment)
4925 ("website" :components ("orgfiles" "images" "other"))))
4928 @node Triggering publication, , Sample configuration, Publishing
4929 @section Triggering publication
4931 Once org-publish is properly configured, you can publish with the
4932 following functions:
4936 Prompt for a specific project and publish all files that belong to it.
4938 Publish the project containing the current file.
4940 Publish only the current file.
4942 Publish all projects.
4945 Org uses timestamps to track when a file has changed. The above
4946 functions normally only publish changed files. You can override this and
4947 force publishing of all files by giving a prefix argument.
4949 @node Miscellaneous, Extensions and Hacking, Publishing, Top
4950 @chapter Miscellaneous
4953 * Completion:: M-TAB knows what you need
4954 * Customization:: Adapting Org-mode to your taste
4955 * In-buffer settings:: Overview of the #+KEYWORDS
4956 * The very busy C-c C-c key:: When in doubt, press C-c C-c
4957 * Clean view:: Getting rid of leading stars in the outline
4958 * TTY keys:: Using Org-mode on a tty
4959 * Interaction:: Other Emacs packages
4960 * Bugs:: Things which do not work perfectly
4963 @node Completion, Customization, Miscellaneous, Miscellaneous
4965 @cindex completion, of @TeX{} symbols
4966 @cindex completion, of TODO keywords
4967 @cindex completion, of dictionary words
4968 @cindex completion, of option keywords
4969 @cindex completion, of CamelCase links
4970 @cindex completion, of tags
4971 @cindex @TeX{} symbol completion
4972 @cindex TODO keywords completion
4973 @cindex dictionary word completion
4974 @cindex option keyword completion
4975 @cindex CamelCase link completion
4976 @cindex tag completion
4978 Org-mode supports in-buffer completion. This type of completion does
4979 not make use of the minibuffer. You simply type a few letters into
4980 the buffer and use the key to complete text right there.
4985 Complete word at point
4988 At the beginning of a headline, complete TODO keywords.
4990 After @samp{\}, complete @TeX{} symbols supported by the exporter.
4992 After @samp{*}, complete headlines in the current buffer so that they
4993 can be used in search links like @samp{[[*find this headline]]}.
4995 After @samp{:}, complete tags. The list of tags is taken from the
4996 variable @code{org-tag-alist} (possibly set through the @samp{#+TAGS}
4997 in-buffer option, @pxref{Setting tags}), or it is created dynamically
4998 from all tags used in the current buffer.
5000 After @samp{[}, complete link abbreviations (@pxref{Link abbreviations}).
5002 After @samp{#+}, complete the special keywords like @samp{TYP_TODO} or
5003 @samp{OPTIONS} which set file-specific options for Org-mode. When the
5004 option keyword is already complete, pressing @kbd{M-@key{TAB}} again
5005 will insert example settings for this keyword.
5007 In the line after @samp{#+STARTUP: }, complete startup keywords,
5008 i.e. valid keys for this line.
5010 Elsewhere, complete dictionary words using ispell.
5014 @node Customization, In-buffer settings, Completion, Miscellaneous
5015 @section Customization
5016 @cindex customization
5017 @cindex options, for customization
5018 @cindex variables, for customization
5020 There are more than 100 variables that can be used to customize
5021 Org-mode. For the sake of compactness of the manual, we are not
5022 describing the variables here. A structured overview of customization
5023 variables is available with @kbd{M-x org-customize}. Or select
5024 @code{Browse Org Group} from the @code{Org->Customization} menu. Many
5025 settings can also be activated on a per-file basis, by putting special
5026 lines into the buffer (@pxref{In-buffer settings}).
5028 @node In-buffer settings, The very busy C-c C-c key, Customization, Miscellaneous
5029 @section Summary of in-buffer settings
5030 @cindex in-buffer settings
5031 @cindex special keywords
5033 Org-mode uses special lines in the buffer to define settings on a
5034 per-file basis. These lines start with a @samp{#+} followed by a
5035 keyword, a colon, and then individual words defining a setting. Several
5036 setting words can be in the same line, but you can also have multiple
5037 lines for the keyword. While these settings are described throughout
5038 the manual, here is a summary. After changing any of those lines in the
5039 buffer, press @kbd{C-c C-c} with the cursor still in the line to
5040 activate the changes immediately. Otherwise they become effective only
5041 when the file is visited again in a new Emacs session.
5045 This line sets options to be used at startup of org-mode, when an
5046 Org-mode file is being visited. The first set of options deals with the
5047 initial visibility of the outline tree. The corresponding variable for
5048 global default settings is @code{org-startup-folded}, with a default
5049 value @code{t}, which means @code{overview}.
5051 overview @r{top-level headlines only}
5052 content @r{all headlines}
5053 showall @r{no folding at all, show everything}
5055 Then there are options for aligning tables upon visiting a file. This
5056 is useful in files containing narrowed table columns. The corresponding
5057 variable is @code{org-startup-align-all-tables}, with a default value
5060 align @r{align all tables}
5061 noalign @r{don't align tables on startup}
5063 Logging when a TODO item is marked DONE (variable @code{org-log-done})
5064 can be configured using these options.
5066 logging @r{record a timestamp when an item is marked DONE}
5067 nologging @r{don't record when items are marked DONE}
5069 Here are the options for hiding leading stars in outline headings. The
5070 corresponding variables are @code{org-hide-leading-stars} and
5071 @code{org-odd-levels-only}, both with a default setting @code{nil}
5072 (meaning @code{showstars} and @code{oddeven}).
5074 hidestars @r{make all but one of the stars starting a headline invisible.}
5075 showstars @r{show all stars starting a headline}
5076 odd @r{allow only odd outline levels (1,3,...)}
5077 oddeven @r{allow all outline levels}
5079 To turn on custom format overlays over time stamps (variables
5080 @code{org-put-time-stamp-overlays} and
5081 @code{org-time-stamp-overlay-formats}), use
5083 customtime @r{overlay custom time format}
5085 @item #+SEQ_TODO: #+TYP_TODO:
5086 These lines set the TODO keywords and their interpretation in the
5087 current file. The corresponding variables are @code{org-todo-keywords}
5088 and @code{org-todo-interpretation}.
5089 @item #+TAGS: TAG1(c1) TAG2(c2)
5090 These lines (several such lines are allowed) specify the legal tags in
5091 this file, and (potentially) the corresponding @emph{fast tag selection}
5092 keys. The corresponding variable is @code{org-tag-alist}.
5093 @item #+LINK: linkword replace
5094 These lines (several are allowed) specify link abbreviations.
5095 @xref{Link abbreviations}. The corresponding variable is
5096 @code{org-link-abbrev-alist}.
5098 This line sets the category for the agenda file. The category applies
5099 for all subsequent lines until the next @samp{#+CATEGORY} line, or the
5102 This line contains the formulas for the table directly above the line.
5103 @item #+TITLE:, #+AUTHOR:, #+EMAIL:, #+LANGUAGE:, #+TEXT:, #+OPTIONS:
5104 These lines provide settings for exporting files. For more details see
5105 @ref{Export options}.
5108 @node The very busy C-c C-c key, Clean view, In-buffer settings, Miscellaneous
5109 @section The very busy C-c C-c key
5111 @cindex C-c C-c, overview
5113 The key @kbd{C-c C-c} has many purposes in org-mode, which are all
5114 mentioned scattered throughout this manual. One specific function of
5115 this key is to add @emph{tags} to a headline (@pxref{Tags}). In many
5116 other circumstances it means something like @emph{Hey Org-mode, look
5117 here and update according to what you see here}. Here is a summary of
5118 what this means in different contexts.
5122 If there are highlights in the buffer from the creation of a sparse
5123 tree, or from clock display, remove these highlights.
5125 If the cursor is in one of the special @code{#+KEYWORD} lines, this
5126 triggers scanning the buffer for these lines and updating the
5129 If the cursor is inside a table, realign the table. This command
5130 works even if the automatic table editor has been turned off.
5132 If the cursor is on a @code{#+TBLFM} line, re-apply the formulas to
5135 If the cursor is inside a table created by the @file{table.el} package,
5136 activate that table.
5138 If the current buffer is a remember buffer, close the note and file it.
5139 With a prefix argument, file it, without further interaction, to the
5142 If the cursor is on a @code{<<<target>>>}, update radio targets and
5143 corresponding links in this buffer.
5145 If the cursor is in a plain list item with a checkbox, toggle the status
5148 If the cursor is on a numbered item in a plain list, renumber the
5152 @node Clean view, TTY keys, The very busy C-c C-c key, Miscellaneous
5153 @section A cleaner outline view
5154 @cindex hiding leading stars
5155 @cindex clean outline view
5157 Some people find it noisy and distracting that the Org-mode headlines
5158 are starting with a potentially large number of stars. For example
5159 the tree from @ref{Headlines}:
5162 * Top level headline
5168 * Another top level headline
5172 Unfortunately this is deeply ingrained into the code of Org-mode and
5173 cannot be easily changed. You can, however, modify the display in such
5174 a way that all leading stars become invisible and the outline more easy
5175 to read. To do this, customize the variable
5176 @code{org-hide-leading-stars} like this:
5179 (setq org-hide-leading-stars t)
5183 or change this on a per-file basis with one of the lines (anywhere in
5187 #+STARTUP: showstars
5188 #+STARTUP: hidestars
5192 Press @kbd{C-c C-c} with the cursor in a @samp{STARTUP} line to activate
5195 With stars hidden, the tree becomes:
5198 * Top level headline
5204 * Another top level headline
5208 Note that the leading stars are not truly replaced by whitespace, they
5209 are only fontified with the face @code{org-hide} that uses the
5210 background color as font color. If you are not using either white or
5211 black background, you may have to customize this face to get the wanted
5212 effect. Another possibility is to set this font such that the extra
5213 stars are @i{almost} invisible, for example using the color
5214 @code{grey90} on a white background.
5216 Things become cleaner still if you skip all the even levels and use only
5217 odd levels 1, 3, 5..., effectively adding two stars to go from one
5218 outline level to the next:
5221 * Top level headline
5227 * Another top level headline
5231 In order to make the structure editing and export commands handle this
5232 convention correctly, use
5235 (setq org-odd-levels-only t)
5239 or set this on a per-file basis with one of the following lines (don't
5240 forget to press @kbd{C-c C-c} with the cursor in the startup line to
5241 activate changes immediately).
5248 You can convert an Org-mode file from single-star-per-level to the
5249 double-star-per-level convention with @kbd{M-x org-convert-to-odd-levels
5250 RET} in that file. The reverse operation is @kbd{M-x
5251 org-convert-to-oddeven-levels}.
5253 @node TTY keys, Interaction, Clean view, Miscellaneous
5254 @section Using org-mode on a tty
5255 @cindex tty keybindings
5257 Org-mode uses a number of keys that are not accessible on a tty. This
5258 applies to most special keys like cursor keys, @key{TAB} and
5259 @key{RET}, when these are combined with modifier keys like @key{Meta}
5260 and/or @key{Shift}. Org-mode uses these bindings because it needs to
5261 provide keys for a large number of commands, and because these keys
5262 appeared particularly easy to remember. In order to still be able to
5263 access the core functionality of Org-mode on a tty, alternative
5264 bindings are provided. Here is a complete list of these bindings,
5265 which are obviously more cumbersome to use. Note that sometimes a
5266 work-around can be better. For example changing a time stamp is
5267 really only fun with @kbd{S-@key{cursor}} keys. On a tty you would
5268 rather use @kbd{C-c .} to re-insert the timestamp.
5270 @multitable @columnfractions 0.15 0.2 0.2
5271 @item @b{Default} @tab @b{Alternative 1} @tab @b{Alternative 2}
5272 @item @kbd{S-@key{TAB}} @tab @kbd{C-u @key{TAB}} @tab
5273 @item @kbd{M-@key{left}} @tab @kbd{C-c C-x l} @tab @kbd{@key{Esc} @key{left}}
5274 @item @kbd{M-S-@key{left}} @tab @kbd{C-c C-x L} @tab
5275 @item @kbd{M-@key{right}} @tab @kbd{C-c C-x r} @tab @kbd{@key{Esc} @key{right}}
5276 @item @kbd{M-S-@key{right}} @tab @kbd{C-c C-x R} @tab
5277 @item @kbd{M-@key{up}} @tab @kbd{C-c C-x u} @tab @kbd{@key{Esc} @key{up}}
5278 @item @kbd{M-S-@key{up}} @tab @kbd{C-c C-x U} @tab
5279 @item @kbd{M-@key{down}} @tab @kbd{C-c C-x d} @tab @kbd{@key{Esc} @key{down}}
5280 @item @kbd{M-S-@key{down}} @tab @kbd{C-c C-x D} @tab
5281 @item @kbd{S-@key{RET}} @tab @kbd{C-c C-x c} @tab
5282 @item @kbd{M-@key{RET}} @tab @kbd{C-c C-x m} @tab @kbd{@key{Esc} @key{RET}}
5283 @item @kbd{M-S-@key{RET}} @tab @kbd{C-c C-x M} @tab
5284 @item @kbd{S-@key{left}} @tab @kbd{C-c C-x @key{left}} @tab
5285 @item @kbd{S-@key{right}} @tab @kbd{C-c C-x @key{right}} @tab
5286 @item @kbd{S-@key{up}} @tab @kbd{C-c C-x @key{up}} @tab
5287 @item @kbd{S-@key{down}} @tab @kbd{C-c C-x @key{down}} @tab
5290 @node Interaction, Bugs, TTY keys, Miscellaneous
5291 @section Interaction with other packages
5292 @cindex packages, interaction with other
5293 Org-mode lives in the world of GNU Emacs and interacts in various ways
5294 with other code out there.
5297 * Cooperation:: Packages Org-mode cooperates with
5298 * Conflicts:: Packages that lead to conflicts
5301 @node Cooperation, Conflicts, Interaction, Interaction
5302 @subsection Packages that Org-mode cooperates with
5305 @cindex @file{calc.el}
5306 @item @file{calc.el} by Dave Gillespie
5307 Org-mode uses the calc package for implementing spreadsheet
5308 functionality in its tables (@pxref{Table calculations}). Org-modes
5309 checks for the availability of calc by looking for the function
5310 @code{calc-eval} which should be autoloaded in your setup if calc has
5311 been installed properly. As of Emacs 22, calc is part of the Emacs
5312 distribution. Another possibility for interaction between the two
5313 packages is using calc for embedded calculations. @xref{Embedded Mode,
5314 , Embedded Mode, calc, GNU Emacs Calc Manual}.
5315 @cindex @file{constants.el}
5316 @item @file{constants.el} by Carsten Dominik
5317 In a table formula (@pxref{Table calculations}), it is possible to use
5318 names for natural constants or units. Instead of defining your own
5319 constants in the variable @code{org-table-formula-constants}, install
5320 the @file{constants} package which defines a large number of constants
5321 and units, and lets you use unit prefixes like @samp{M} for
5322 @samp{Mega} etc. You will need version 2.0 of this package, available
5323 at @url{http://www.astro.uva.nl/~dominik/Tools}. Org-mode checks for
5324 the function @code{constants-get}, which has to be autoloaded in your
5325 setup. See the installation instructions in the file
5326 @file{constants.el}.
5327 @item @file{cdlatex.el} by Carsten Dominik
5328 @cindex @file{cdlatex.el}
5329 Org-mode can make use of the cdlatex package to efficiently enter
5330 La@TeX{} fragments into Org-mode files. See @ref{CDLaTeX mode}.
5331 @item @file{remember.el} by John Wiegley
5332 @cindex @file{remember.el}
5333 Org mode cooperates with remember, see @ref{Remember}.
5334 @file{Remember.el} is not part of Emacs, find it on the web.
5335 @cindex @file{table.el}
5336 @item @file{table.el} by Takaaki Ota
5337 Org mode cooperates with table.el, see @ref{table.el}. @file{table.el}
5338 is part of Emacs 22.
5341 @node Conflicts, , Cooperation, Interaction
5342 @subsection Packages that lead to conflicts with Org-mode
5346 @cindex @file{allout.el}
5347 @item @file{allout.el} by Ken Manheimer
5348 Startup of Org-mode may fail with the error message
5349 @code{(wrong-type-argument keymapp nil)} when there is an outdated
5350 version @file{allout.el} on the load path, for example the version
5351 distributed with Emacs 21.x. Upgrade to Emacs 22 and this problem will
5352 disappear. If for some reason you cannot do this, make sure that org.el
5353 is loaded @emph{before} @file{allout.el}, for example by putting
5354 @code{(require 'org)} early enough into your @file{.emacs} file.
5356 @cindex @file{CUA.el}
5357 @item @file{CUA.el} by Kim. F. Storm
5358 Keybindings in Org-mode conflict with the @kbd{S-<cursor>} keys
5359 used by CUA-mode (as well as pc-select-mode and s-region-mode) to
5360 select and extend the region. If you want to use one of these
5361 packages along with Org-mode, configure the variable
5362 @code{org-CUA-compatible}. When set, Org-mode will move the following
5363 keybindings in org-mode files, and in the agenda buffer (but not
5364 during date selection).
5367 S-UP -> M-p S-DOWN -> M-n
5368 S-LEFT -> M-- S-RIGHT -> M-+
5372 Yes, these are unfortunately more difficult to remember. If you want
5373 to have other replacement keys, look at the variable
5374 @code{org-disputed-keys}.
5375 @item @file{windmove.el} by Hovav Shacham
5376 @cindex @file{windmove.el}
5377 Also this package uses the @kbd{S-<cursor>} keys, so everything written
5378 in the paragraph above about CUA mode also applies here.
5382 @node Bugs, , Interaction, Miscellaneous
5386 Here is a list of things that should work differently, but which I
5387 have found too hard to fix.
5391 If a table field starts with a link, and if the corresponding table
5392 column is narrowed (@pxref{Narrow columns}) to a width too small to
5393 display the link, the field would look entirely empty even though it is
5394 not. To prevent this, Org-mode throws an error. The work-around is to
5395 make the column wide enough to fit the link, or to add some text (at
5396 least 2 characters) before the link in the same field.
5398 Narrowing table columns does not work on XEmacs, because the
5399 @code{format} function does not transport text properties.
5401 Text in an entry protected with the @samp{QUOTE} keyword should not
5404 When the application called by @kbd{C-c C-o} to open a file link fails
5405 (for example because the application does not exist or refuses to open
5406 the file), it does so silently. No error message is displayed.
5408 The remote-editing commands in the agenda buffer cannot be undone with
5409 @code{undo} called from within the agenda buffer. But you can go to
5410 the corresponding buffer (using @key{TAB} or @key{RET} and execute
5413 Recalculating a table line applies the formulas from left to right.
5414 If a formula uses @emph{calculated} fields further down the row,
5415 multiple recalculation may be needed to get all fields consistent.
5417 A single letter cannot be made bold, for example @samp{*a*}.
5419 The exporters work well, but could be made more efficient.
5423 @node Extensions and Hacking, History and Acknowledgments, Miscellaneous, Top
5424 @appendix Extensions, Hooks and Hacking
5426 This appendix lists extensions for Org-mode written by other authors.
5427 It also covers some aspects where users can easily extend the
5428 functionality of Org-mode.
5431 * Extensions:: Existing 3rd-part extensions
5432 * Dynamic blocks:: Automatically filled blocks
5435 @node Extensions, Dynamic blocks, Extensions and Hacking, Extensions and Hacking
5436 @section Third-party extensions for Org-mode
5438 The following extensions for Org-mode have been written by other people:
5441 @cindex @file{org-publish.el}
5442 @item @file{org-publish.el} by David O'Toole
5443 This package provides facilities for publishing related sets of Org-mode
5444 files together with linked files like images as a webpages. It is
5445 highly configurable and can be used for other publishing purposes as
5446 well. As of Org-mode version 4.30, @file{org-publish.el} is part of the
5447 Org-mode distribution. It is not yet part of Emacs, however, a delay
5448 caused by the preparations for the 22.1 release. In the mean time,
5449 @file{org-publish.el} can be downloaded from David's site:
5450 @url{http://dto.freeshell.org/e/org-publish.el}.
5451 @cindex @file{org-mouse.el}
5452 @item @file{org-mouse.el} by Piotr Zielinski
5453 This package implements extended mouse functionality for Org-mode. It
5454 allows you to cycle visibility and to edit the document structure with
5455 the mouse. Best of all, it provides a context-sensitive menu on
5456 @key{mouse-3} that changes depending on the context of a mouse-click.
5457 As of Org-mode version 4.53, @file{org-mouse.el} is part of the
5458 Org-mode distribution. It is not yet part of Emacs, however, a delay
5459 caused by the preparations for the 22.1 release. In the mean time,
5460 @file{org-mouse.el} can be downloaded from Piotr's site:
5461 @url{http://www.cl.cam.ac.uk/~pz215/files/org-mouse.el}.
5462 @cindex @file{org-blog.el}
5463 @item @file{org-blog.el} by David O'Toole
5464 A blogging plug-in for @file{org-publish.el}.@*
5465 @url{http://dto.freeshell.org/notebook/OrgMode.html}.
5466 @cindex @file{org-blogging.el}
5467 @item @file{org-blogging.el} by Bastien Guerry
5468 Publish Org-mode files as
5469 blogs. @url{http://www.cognition.ens.fr/~guerry/org-blogging.html}.
5472 @node Dynamic blocks, , Extensions, Extensions and Hacking
5473 @section Dynamic blocks
5475 Org-mode documents can contain @emph{dynamic blocks}. These are
5476 specially marked regions that are updated by some user-written
5477 function. A good example for such a block is the clock table inserted
5478 by the command @kbd{C-c C-x C-r} (@pxref{Clocking work time}).
5480 Dynamic block are enclosed by a BEGIN-END structure that assigns a name
5481 to the block and can also specify parameters for the function producing
5482 the content of the block.
5485 #+BEGIN: myblock :parameter1 value1 :parameter2 value2 ...
5490 Dynamic blocks are updated with the following commands
5495 Update dynamic block at point.
5496 @kindex C-u C-c C-x C-u
5497 @item C-u C-c C-x C-u
5498 Update all dynamic blocks in the current file.
5501 Updating a dynamic block means to remove all the text between BEGIN and
5502 END, parse the BEGIN line for parameters and then call the specific
5503 writer function for this block to insert the new content. For a block
5504 with name @code{myblock}, the writer function is
5505 @code{org-dblock-write:myblock} with as only parameter a property list
5506 with the parameters given in the begin line. Here is a trivial example
5507 of a block that keeps track of when the block update function was last
5511 #+BEGIN: block-update-time :format "on %m/%d/%Y at %H:%M"
5517 The corresponding block writer function could look like this:
5520 (defun org-dblock-write:block-update-time (params)
5521 (let ((fmt (or (plist-get params :format) "%d. %m. %Y")))
5522 (insert "Last block update at: "
5523 (format-time-string fmt (current-time)))))
5526 If you want to make sure that all dynamic blocks are always up-to-date,
5527 you could add the function @code{org-update-all-dblocks} to a hook, for
5528 example @code{before-save-hook}. @code{org-update-all-dblocks} is
5529 written in a way that is does nothing in buffers that are not in Org-mode.
5531 @node History and Acknowledgments, Index, Extensions and Hacking, Top
5532 @appendix History and Acknowledgments
5533 @cindex acknowledgments
5537 Org-mode was borne in 2003, out of frustration over the user interface
5538 of the Emacs outline-mode. All I wanted was to make working with an
5539 outline tree possible without having to remember more than 10 commands
5540 just for hiding and unhiding parts of the outline tree, and to allow to
5541 restructure a tree easily. Visibility cycling and structure editing
5542 were originally implemented in the package @file{outline-magic.el}, but
5543 quickly moved to the more general @file{org.el}. TODO entries, basic
5544 time stamps, and table support were added next, and highlight the two
5545 main goals that Org-mode still has today: To create a new,
5546 outline-based, plain text mode with innovative and intuitive editing
5547 features, and to incorporate project planning functionality directly
5550 Since the first release, hundreds of emails to me or on
5551 @code{emacs-orgmode@@gnu.org} have provided a constant stream of bug
5552 reports, feedback, new ideas, and sometimes even patches and add-on
5553 code. Many thanks to everyone who has helped to improve this package.
5554 I am trying to keep here a list of the people who had significant
5555 influence in shaping one or more aspects of Org-mode. The list may not
5556 be complete, if I have forgotten someone, please accept my apologies and
5562 @i{Thomas Baumann} contributed the code for links to the MH-E email
5565 @i{Alex Bochannek} provided a patch for rounding time stamps.
5567 @i{Charles Cave}'s suggestion sparked the implementation of templates
5570 @i{Pavel Chalmoviansky} influenced the agenda treatment of items with
5573 @i{Gregory Chernov} patched support for lisp forms into table
5574 calculations and improved XEmacs compatibility, in particular by porting
5575 @file{nouline.el} to XEmacs.
5577 @i{Sacha Chua} suggested to copy some linking code from Planner.
5579 @i{Eddward DeVilla} proposed and tested checkbox statistics.
5581 @i{Kees Dullemond} inspired the use of narrowed tabled columns.
5583 @i{Christian Egli} converted the documentation into TeXInfo format,
5584 patched CSS formatting into the HTML exporter, and inspired the agenda.
5586 @i{Nic Ferrier} contributed mailcap and XOXO support.
5588 @i{Niels Giessen} had the idea to automatically archive DONE trees.
5590 @i{Bastien Guerry} provided extensive feedback.
5592 @i{Kai Grossjohann} pointed out key-binding conflicts with other packages.
5594 @i{Leon Liu} asked for embedded LaTeX and tested it.
5596 @i{Stefan Monnier} provided a patch to keep the Emacs-Lisp compiler
5599 @i{Todd Neal} provided patches for links to Info files and elisp forms.
5601 @i{Tim O'Callaghan} suggested in-file links, search options for general
5602 file links, and TAGS.
5604 @i{Oliver Oppitz} suggested multi-state TODO items.
5606 @i{Scott Otterson} sparked the introduction of descriptive text for
5607 links, among other things.
5609 @i{Pete Phillips} helped during the development of the TAGS feature, and
5610 provided frequent feedback.
5612 @i{T.V. Raman} reported bugs and suggested improvements.
5614 @i{Matthias Rempe} (Oelde) provided ideas, Windows support, and quality
5617 @i{Kevin Rogers} contributed code to access VM files on remote hosts.
5619 @i{Frank Ruell} solved the mystery of the @code{keymapp nil} bug, a
5620 conflict with @file{allout.el}.
5622 @i{Jason Riedy} sent a patch to fix a bug with export of TODO keywords.
5624 @i{Philip Rooke} created the Org-mode reference card and provided lots
5627 @i{Christian Schlauer} proposed angular brackets around links, among
5630 Linking to VM/BBDB/GNUS was inspired by @i{Tom Shannon}'s
5631 @file{organizer-mode.el}.
5633 @i{Daniel Sinder} came up with the idea of internal archiving by locking
5636 @i{Dale Smith} proposed link abbreviations.
5638 @i{David O'Toole} wrote @file{org-publish.el} and drafted the manual
5639 chapter about publishing.
5641 @i{J@"urgen Vollmer} contributed code generating the table of contents
5644 @i{Chris Wallace} provided a patch implementing the @samp{QUOTE}
5647 @i{David Wainberg} suggested archiving, and improvements to the linking
5650 @i{John Wiegley} wrote @file{emacs-wiki.el} and @file{planner.el}. The
5651 development of Org-mode was fully independent, and both systems are
5652 really different beasts in their basic ideas and implementation details.
5653 I later looked at John's code, however, and learned from his
5654 implementation of (i) links where the link itself is hidden and only a
5655 description is shown, and (ii) popping up a calendar to select a date.
5657 @i{Carsten Wimmer} suggested some changes and helped fix a bug in
5660 @i{Roland Winkler} requested additional keybindings to make Org-mode
5663 @i{Piotr Zielinski} wrote @file{org-mouse.el}, proposed agenda blocks
5664 and contributed various ideas and code snippets.
5668 @node Index, Key Index, History and Acknowledgments, Top
5673 @node Key Index, , Index, Top
5674 @unnumbered Key Index
5681 arch-tag: 7893d1fe-cc57-4d13-b5e5-f494a1bcc7ac