3 @setfilename ../info/org
4 @settitle Org Mode Manual
7 @set DATE February 2007
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, 2007 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 * orgtbl-mode:: The table editor as minor mode
126 * The spreadsheet:: The table editor has spreadsheet capabilities.
130 * References:: How to refer to another field or range
131 * Formula syntax for Calc:: Using Calc to compute stuff
132 * Formula syntax for Lisp:: Writing formulas in Emacs Lisp
133 * Field formulas:: Formulas valid for a single field
134 * Column formulas:: Formulas valid for an entire column
135 * Editing and debugging formulas:: Fixing formulas
136 * Updating the table:: Recomputing all dependent fields
137 * Advanced features:: Field names, parameters and automatic recalc
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.
156 * Setting up remember:: Some code for .emacs to get things going
157 * Remember templates:: Define the outline of different note types
158 * Storing notes:: Directly get the note to where it belongs
162 * TODO basics:: Marking and displaying TODO entries
163 * TODO extensions:: Workflow and assignments
164 * Priorities:: Some things are more important than others
165 * Breaking down tasks:: Splitting a task into managable pieces
166 * Checkboxes:: Tick-off lists
168 Extended use of TODO keywords
170 * Workflow states:: From TODO to DONE in steps
171 * TODO types:: I do this, Fred the rest
172 * Per file keywords:: Different files, different requirements
176 * Time stamps:: Assigning a time to a tree entry
177 * Creating timestamps:: Commands which insert timestamps
178 * Custom time format:: If you cannot work with the ISO format
179 * Repeating items:: Deadlines that come back again and again
180 * Progress logging:: Documenting when what work was done.
184 * The date/time prompt:: How org-mode helps you entering date and time
188 * Closing items:: When was this entry marked DONE?
189 * Tracking TODO state changes:: When did the status change?
190 * Clocking work time:: When exactly did you work on this item?
194 * Tag inheritance:: Tags use the tree structure of the outline
195 * Setting tags:: How to assign tags to a headline
196 * Tag searches:: Searching for combinations of tags
200 * Agenda files:: Files being searched for agenda information
201 * Agenda dispatcher:: Keyboard access to agenda views
202 * Built-in agenda views:: What is available out of the box?
203 * Presentation and sorting:: How agenda items are prepared for display
204 * Agenda commands:: Remote editing of org trees
205 * Custom agenda views:: Defining special searches and views
207 The built-in agenda views
209 * Weekly/Daily agenda:: The calendar page with current tasks
210 * Global TODO list:: All unfinished action items
211 * Matching headline tags:: Structured information with fine-tuned search
212 * Timeline:: Time-sorted view for single file
213 * Stuck projects:: Find projects you need to review
215 Presentation and sorting
217 * Categories:: Not all tasks are equal
218 * Time-of-day specifications:: How the agenda knows the time
219 * Sorting of agenda items:: The order of things
223 * Storing searches:: Type once, use often
224 * Block agenda:: All the stuff you need in a single buffer
225 * Setting Options:: Changing the rules
226 * Batch processing:: Agenda views from the command line
230 * Math symbols:: TeX macros for symbols and Greek letters
231 * Subscripts and Superscripts:: Simple syntax for raising/lowering text
232 * LaTeX fragments:: Complex formulas made easy
233 * Processing LaTeX fragments:: Previewing LaTeX processing
234 * CDLaTeX mode:: Speed up entering of formulas
238 * ASCII export:: Exporting to plain ASCII
239 * HTML export:: Exporting to HTML
240 * XOXO export:: Exporting to XOXO
241 * iCalendar export:: Exporting in iCalendar format
242 * Text interpretation:: How the exporter looks at the file
246 * Export commands:: How to invode HTML export
247 * Quoting HTML tags:: Using direct HTML in Org-mode
248 * Links:: How hyperlinks get transferred to HTML
249 * Images:: To inline or not to inline?
250 * CSS support:: Style specifications
252 Text interpretation by the exporter
254 * Comment lines:: Some lines will not be exported
255 * Enhancing text:: Subscripts, symbols and more
256 * Export options:: How to influence the export settings
260 * Configuration:: Defining projects
261 * Sample configuration:: Example projects
262 * Triggering publication:: Publication commands
266 * Project alist:: The central configuration variable
267 * Sources and destinations:: From here to there
268 * Selecting files:: What files are part of the project?
269 * Publishing action:: Setting the function doing the publishing
270 * Publishing options:: Tweaking HTML export
271 * Publishing links:: Which links keep working after publishing?
272 * Project page index:: Publishing a list of project files
276 * Simple example:: One-component publishing
277 * Complex example:: A multi-component publishing example
281 * Completion:: M-TAB knows what you need
282 * Customization:: Adapting Org-mode to your taste
283 * In-buffer settings:: Overview of the #+KEYWORDS
284 * The very busy C-c C-c key:: When in doubt, press C-c C-c
285 * Clean view:: Getting rid of leading stars in the outline
286 * TTY keys:: Using Org-mode on a tty
287 * Interaction:: Other Emacs packages
288 * Bugs:: Things which do not work perfectly
290 Interaction with other packages
292 * Cooperation:: Packages Org-mode cooperates with
293 * Conflicts:: Packages that lead to conflicts
295 Extensions, Hooks and Hacking
297 * Extensions:: Existing 3rd-part extensions
298 * Tables in arbitrary syntax:: Orgtbl for LaTeX and other programs
299 * Dynamic blocks:: Automatically filled blocks
300 * Special agenda views:: Customized views
302 Tables in arbitrary syntax
304 * Radio tables:: Sending and receiving
305 * A LaTeX example:: Step by step, almost a tutorial
306 * Translator functions:: Copy and modify
311 @node Introduction, Document structure, Top, Top
312 @chapter Introduction
316 * Summary:: Brief summary of what Org-mode does
317 * Installation:: How to install a downloaded version of Org-mode
318 * Activation:: How to activate Org-mode for certain buffers.
319 * Feedback:: Bug reports, ideas, patches etc.
322 @node Summary, Installation, Introduction, Introduction
326 Org-mode is a mode for keeping notes, maintaining ToDo lists, and doing
327 project planning with a fast and effective plain-text system.
329 Org-mode develops organizational tasks around NOTES files that contain
330 lists or information about projects as plain text. Org-mode is
331 implemented on top of outline-mode, which makes it possible to keep the
332 content of large files well structured. Visibility cycling and
333 structure editing help to work with the tree. Tables are easily created
334 with a built-in table editor. Org-mode supports ToDo items, deadlines,
335 time stamps, and scheduling. It dynamically compiles entries into an
336 agenda that utilizes and smoothly integrates much of the Emacs calendar
337 and diary. Plain text URL-like links connect to websites, emails,
338 Usenet messages, BBDB entries, and any files related to the projects.
339 For printing and sharing of notes, an Org-mode file can be exported as a
340 structured ASCII file, as HTML, or (todo and agenda items only) as an
341 iCalendar file. It can also serve as a publishing tool for a set of
344 An important design aspect that distinguishes Org-mode from for example
345 Planner/Muse is that it encourages to store every piece of information
346 only once. In Planner, you have project pages, day pages and possibly
347 other files, duplicating some information such as tasks. In Org-mode,
348 you only have notes files. In your notes you mark entries as tasks,
349 label them with tags and timestamps. All necessary lists like a
350 schedule for the day, the agenda for a meeting, tasks lists selected by
351 tags etc are created dynamically when you need them.
353 Org-mode keeps simple things simple. When first fired up, it should
354 feel like a straightforward, easy to use outliner. Complexity is not
355 imposed, but a large amount of functionality is available when you need
356 it. Org-mode can be used on different levels and in different ways, for
360 @r{@bullet{} outline extension with visibility cycling and structure editing}
361 @r{@bullet{} ASCII system and table editor for taking structured notes}
362 @r{@bullet{} ASCII table editor with spreadsheet-like capabilities}
363 @r{@bullet{} TODO list editor}
364 @r{@bullet{} full agenda and planner with deadlines and work scheduling}
365 @r{@bullet{} environment to implement David Allen's GTD system}
366 @r{@bullet{} simple hypertext system, with HTML export}
367 @r{@bullet{} publishing tool to create a set of interlinked webpages}
370 Org-mode's automatic, context sensitive table editor with spreadsheet
371 capabilities can be integrated into any major mode by activating the
372 minor Orgtbl-mode. Using a translation step, it can be used to maintain
373 tables in arbitray file types, for example in LaTeX.
376 There is a website for Org-mode which provides links to the newest
377 version of Org-mode, as well as additional information, frequently asked
378 questions (FAQ), links to tutorials etc. This page is located at
379 @uref{http://www.astro.uva.nl/~dominik/Tools/org/}.
384 @node Installation, Activation, Summary, Introduction
385 @section Installation
389 @b{Important:} @i{If Org-mode is part of the Emacs distribution or an
390 XEmacs package, please skip this section and go directly to
393 If you have downloaded Org-mode from the Web, you must take the
394 following steps to install it: Go into the Org-mode distribution
395 directory and edit the top section of the file @file{Makefile}. You
396 must set the name of the Emacs binary (likely either @file{emacs} or
397 @file{xemacs}), and the paths to the directories where local Lisp and
398 Info files are kept. If you don't have access to the system-wide
399 directories, create your own two directories for these files, enter them
400 into the Makefile, and make sure Emacs finds the Lisp files by adding
401 the following line to @file{.emacs}:
404 (setq load-path (cons "~/path/to/lispdir" load-path))
407 @b{XEmacs users now need to install the file @file{noutline.el} from
408 the @file{xemacs} subdirectory of the Org-mode distribution. Use the
412 @b{make install-noutline}
415 @noindent Now byte-compile and install the Lisp files with the shell
423 @noindent If you want to install the info documentation, use this command:
429 @noindent Then add to @file{.emacs}:
432 ;; This line only if org-mode is not part of the X/Emacs distribution.
433 (require 'org-install)
436 @node Activation, Feedback, Installation, Introduction
440 @cindex global keybindings
441 @cindex keybindings, global
444 @b{Important:} @i{If you use copy-and-paste to copy lisp code from the
445 PDF documentation to your .emacs file, the single quote character comes
446 out incorrectly and the code will not work. You need to fix the single
447 quotes by hand, or copy from Info documentation.}
450 Add the following lines to your @file{.emacs} file. The last two lines
451 define @emph{global} keys for the commands @command{org-store-link} and
452 @command{org-agenda} - please choose suitable keys yourself.
455 ;; The following lines are always needed. Choose your own keys.
456 (add-to-list 'auto-mode-alist '("\\.org$" . org-mode))
457 (define-key global-map "\C-cl" 'org-store-link)
458 (define-key global-map "\C-ca" 'org-agenda)
461 Furthermore, you must activate @code{font-lock-mode} in org-mode
462 buffers, because significant functionality depends on font-locking being
463 active. You can do this with either one of the following two lines
464 (XEmacs user must use the second option):
466 (global-font-lock-mode 1) ; for all buffers
467 (add-hook 'org-mode-hook 'turn-on-font-lock) ; org-mode buffers only
470 @cindex org-mode, turning on
471 With this setup, all files with extension @samp{.org} will be put
472 into Org-mode. As an alternative, make the first line of a file look
476 MY PROJECTS -*- mode: org; -*-
479 @noindent which will select Org-mode for this buffer no matter what
480 the file's name is. See also the variable
481 @code{org-insert-mode-line-in-empty-file}.
483 @node Feedback, , Activation, Introduction
490 If you find problems with Org-mode, or if you have questions, remarks,
491 or ideas about it, please contact the maintainer @value{MAINTAINER} at
492 @value{MAINTAINEREMAIL}.
494 For bug reports, please provide as much information as possible,
495 including the version information of Emacs (@kbd{C-h v emacs-version
496 @key{RET}}) and Org-mode (@kbd{C-h v org-version @key{RET}}), as well as
497 the Org-mode related setup in @file{.emacs}. If an error occurs, a
498 backtrace can be very useful (see below on how to create one). Often a
499 small example file helps, along with clear information about:
502 @item What exactly did you do?
503 @item What did you expect to happen?
504 @item What happened instead?
506 @noindent Thank you for helping to improve this mode.
508 @subsubheading How to create a useful backtrace
510 @cindex backtrace of an error
511 If working with Org-mode produces an error with a message you don't
512 understand, you may have hit a bug. The best way to report this is by
513 providing, in addition to what was mentioned above, a @emph{Backtrace}.
514 This is information from the built-in debugger about where and how the
515 error occurred. Here is how to produce a useful backtrace:
519 Start a fresh Emacs or XEmacs, and make sure that it will load the
520 original Lisp code in @file{org.el} instead of the compiled version in
521 @file{org.elc}. The backtrace contains much more information if it is
522 produced with uncompiled code. To do this, either rename @file{org.elc}
523 to something else before starting Emacs, or ask Emacs explicitly to load
524 @file{org.el} by using the command line
526 emacs -l /path/to/org.el
529 Go to the @code{Options} menu and select @code{Enter Debugger on Error}
530 (XEmacs has this option in the @code{Troubleshooting} sub-menu).
532 Do whatever you have to do to hit the error. Don't forget to
533 document the steps you take.
535 When you hit the error, a @file{*Backtrace*} buffer will appear on the
536 screen. Save this buffer to a file (for example using @kbd{C-x C-w}) and
537 attach it to your bug report.
540 @node Document structure, Tables, Introduction, Top
541 @chapter Document Structure
542 @cindex document structure
543 @cindex structure of document
545 Org-mode is based on outline mode and provides flexible commands to
546 edit the structure of the document.
549 * Outlines:: Org-mode is based on outline-mode
550 * Headlines:: How to typeset org-tree headlines
551 * Visibility cycling:: Show and hide, much simplified
552 * Motion:: Jumping to other headlines
553 * Structure editing:: Changing sequence and level of headlines
554 * Archiving:: Move done task trees to a different place
555 * Sparse trees:: Matches embedded in context
556 * Plain lists:: Additional structure within an entry
559 @node Outlines, Headlines, Document structure, Document structure
564 Org-mode is implemented on top of outline-mode. Outlines allow to
565 organize a document in a hierarchical structure, which (at least for
566 me) is the best representation of notes and thoughts. Overview over
567 this structure is achieved by folding (hiding) large parts of the
568 document to show only the general document structure and the parts
569 currently being worked on. Org-mode greatly simplifies the use of
570 outlines by compressing the entire show/hide functionality into a
571 single command @command{org-cycle}, which is bound to the @key{TAB}
574 @node Headlines, Visibility cycling, Outlines, Document structure
579 Headlines define the structure of an outline tree. The headlines in
580 Org-mode start with one or more stars, on the left margin. For
590 * Another top level headline
593 @noindent Some people find the many stars too noisy and would prefer an
594 outline that has whitespace followed by a single star as headline
595 starters. @ref{Clean view} describes a setup to realize this.
597 @node Visibility cycling, Motion, Headlines, Document structure
598 @section Visibility cycling
599 @cindex cycling, visibility
600 @cindex visibility cycling
601 @cindex trees, visibility
602 @cindex show hidden text
605 Outlines make it possible to hide parts of the text in the buffer.
606 Org-mode uses just two commands, bound to @key{TAB} and
607 @kbd{S-@key{TAB}} to change the visibility in the buffer.
609 @cindex subtree visibility states
610 @cindex subtree cycling
611 @cindex folded, subtree visibility state
612 @cindex children, subtree visibility state
613 @cindex subtree, subtree visibility state
617 @emph{Subtree cycling}: Rotate current subtree between the states
620 ,-> FOLDED -> CHILDREN -> SUBTREE --.
621 '-----------------------------------'
624 The cursor must be on a headline for this to work@footnote{see, however,
625 the option @code{org-cycle-emulate-tab}.}. When the cursor is at the
626 beginning of the buffer and the first line is not a headline, then
627 @key{TAB} actually runs global cycling (see below)@footnote{see the
628 option @code{org-cycle-global-at-bob}.}. Also when called with a prefix
629 argument (@kbd{C-u @key{TAB}}), global cycling is invoked.
631 @cindex global visibility states
632 @cindex global cycling
633 @cindex overview, global visibility state
634 @cindex contents, global visibility state
635 @cindex show all, global visibility state
639 @emph{Global cycling}: Rotate the entire buffer between the states
642 ,-> OVERVIEW -> CONTENTS -> SHOW ALL --.
643 '--------------------------------------'
646 When @kbd{S-@key{TAB}} is called with a numerical prefix N, the CONTENTS
647 view up to headlines of level N will be shown.
648 Note that inside tables, @kbd{S-@key{TAB}} jumps to the previous field.
650 @cindex show all, command
656 Reveal context around point, showing the current entry, the following
657 heading and the hierarchy above. Useful for working near a location
658 exposed by a sparse tree command (@pxref{Sparse trees}) or an agenda
659 command (@pxref{Agenda commands}). With prefix arg show, on each
660 level, all sibling headings.
663 Show the current subtree in an indirect buffer@footnote{The indirect
664 buffer (@pxref{Indirect Buffers,Indirect Buffers,Indirect
665 Buffers,emacs,GNU Emacs Manual}) will contain the entire buffer, but
666 will be narrowed to the current tree. Editing the indirect buffer will
667 also change the original buffer, but without affecting visibility in
668 that buffer.}. With numerical prefix ARG, go up to this level and then
669 take that tree. If ARG is negative, go up that many levels. With
670 @kbd{C-u} prefix, do not remove the previously used indirect buffer.
673 When Emacs first visits an Org-mode file, the global state is set to
674 OVERVIEW, i.e. only the top level headlines are visible. This can be
675 configured through the variable @code{org-startup-folded}, or on a
676 per-file basis by adding one of the following lines anywhere in the
685 @node Motion, Structure editing, Visibility cycling, Document structure
687 @cindex motion, between headlines
688 @cindex jumping, to headlines
689 @cindex headline navigation
690 The following commands jump to other headlines in the buffer.
701 Next heading same level.
704 Previous heading same level.
707 Backward to higher level heading.
710 Jump to a different place without changing the current outline
711 visibility. Shows the document structure in a temporary buffer, where
712 you can use visibility cycling (@key{TAB}) to find your destination.
713 After pressing @key{RET}, the cursor moves to the selected location in
714 the original buffer, and the headings hierarchy above it is made
718 @node Structure editing, Archiving, Motion, Document structure
719 @section Structure editing
720 @cindex structure editing
721 @cindex headline, promotion and demotion
722 @cindex promotion, of subtrees
723 @cindex demotion, of subtrees
724 @cindex subtree, cut and paste
725 @cindex pasting, of subtrees
726 @cindex cutting, of subtrees
727 @cindex copying, of subtrees
728 @cindex subtrees, cut and paste
733 Insert new heading with same level as current. If the cursor is in a
734 plain list item, a new item is created (@pxref{Plain lists}). To force
735 creation of a new headline, use a prefix arg, or first press @key{RET}
736 to get to the beginning of the next line. When this command is used in
737 the middle of a line, the line is split and the rest of the line becomes
738 the new headline. If the command is used at the beginning of a
739 headline, the new headline is created before the current line. If at
740 the beginning of any other line, the content of that line is made the
741 new heading. If the command is used at the end of a folded subtree
742 (i.e. behind the ellipses at the end of a headline), then a headline
743 like the current one will be inserted after the end of the subtree.
744 @kindex M-S-@key{RET}
746 Insert new TODO entry with same level as current heading.
749 Promote current heading by one level.
750 @kindex M-@key{right}
752 Demote current heading by one level.
753 @kindex M-S-@key{left}
755 Promote the current subtree by one level.
756 @kindex M-S-@key{right}
757 @item M-S-@key{right}
758 Demote the current subtree by one level.
761 Move subtree up (swap with previous subtree of same
763 @kindex M-S-@key{down}
765 Move subtree down (swap with next subtree of same level).
770 Kill subtree, i.e. remove it from buffer but save in kill ring.
773 Copy subtree to kill ring.
776 Yank subtree from kill ring. This does modify the level of the subtree to
777 make sure the tree fits in nicely at the yank position. The yank
778 level can also be specified with a prefix arg, or by yanking after a
779 headline marker like @samp{****}.
782 Sort same-level entries. When there is an active region, all entries in
783 the region will be sorted. Otherwise the children of the current
784 headline are sorted. The command prompts for the sorting method, which
785 can be alphabetically, numerically, by time (using the first time stamp
786 in each entry), and each of these in reverse order. With a @kbd{C-u}
787 prefix, sorting will be case-sensitive. With two @kbd{C-u C-u}
788 prefixes, duplicate entries will also be removed.
791 @cindex region, active
792 @cindex active region
793 @cindex transient-mark-mode
794 When there is an active region (transient-mark-mode), promotion and
795 demotion work on all headlines in the region. To select a region of
796 headlines, it is best to place both point and mark at the beginning of a
797 line, mark at the beginning of the first headline, and point at the line
798 just after the last headline to change. Note that when the cursor is
799 inside a table (@pxref{Tables}), the Meta-Cursor keys have different
802 @node Archiving, Sparse trees, Structure editing, Document structure
806 When a project represented by a (sub)tree is finished, you may want
807 to move the tree out of the way and to stop it from contributing to the
808 agenda. Org-mode knows two ways of archiving. You can mark a tree with
809 the ARCHIVE tag, or you can move an entire (sub)tree to a different
813 * ARCHIVE tag:: Marking a tree as inactive
814 * Moving subtrees:: Moving a tree to an archive file
817 @node ARCHIVE tag, Moving subtrees, Archiving, Archiving
818 @subsection The ARCHIVE tag
819 @cindex internal archiving
821 A headline that is marked with the ARCHIVE tag (@pxref{Tags}) stays at
822 its location in the outline tree, but behaves in the following way:
825 It does not open when you attempt to do so with a visibility cycling
826 command (@pxref{Visibility cycling}). You can force cycling archived
827 subtrees with @kbd{C-@key{TAB}}, or by setting the option
828 @code{org-cycle-open-archived-trees}. Also normal outline commands like
829 @code{show-all} will open archived subtrees.
831 During sparse tree construction (@pxref{Sparse trees}), matches in
832 archived subtrees are not exposed, unless you configure the option
833 @code{org-sparse-tree-open-archived-trees}.
835 During agenda view construction (@pxref{Agenda views}), the content of
836 archived trees is ignored unless you configure the option
837 @code{org-agenda-skip-archived-trees}.
839 Archived trees are not exported (@pxref{Exporting}), only the headline
840 is. Configure the details using the variable
841 @code{org-export-with-archived-trees}.
844 The following commands help managing the ARCHIVE tag:
849 Toggle the ARCHIVE tag for the current headline. When the tag is set,
850 the headline changes to a shadowish face, and the subtree below it is
852 @kindex C-u C-c C-x C-a
853 @item C-u C-c C-x C-a
854 Check if any direct children of the current headline should be archived.
855 To do this, each subtree is checked for open TODO entries. If none are
856 found, the command offers to set the ARCHIVE tag for the child. If the
857 cursor is @emph{not} on a headline when this command is invoked, the
858 level 1 trees will be checked.
861 Cycle a tree even if it is tagged with ARCHIVE.
864 @node Moving subtrees, , ARCHIVE tag, Archiving
865 @subsection Moving subtrees
866 @cindex external archiving
868 Once an entire project is finished, you may want to move it to a
869 different location, either in the current file, or even in a different
870 file, the archive file.
875 Archive the subtree starting at the cursor position to the location
876 given by @code{org-archive-location}.
877 @kindex C-u C-c C-x C-s
878 @item C-u C-c C-x C-s
879 Check if any direct children of the current headline could be moved to
880 the archive. To do this, each subtree is checked for open TODO entries.
881 If none are found, the command offers to move it to the archive
882 location. If the cursor is @emph{not} on a headline when this command
883 is invoked, the level 1 trees will be checked.
886 @cindex archive locations
887 The default archive location is a file in the same directory as the
888 current file, with the name derived by appending @file{_archive} to the
889 current file name. For information and examples on how to change this,
890 see the documentation string of the variable
891 @code{org-archive-location}. There is also an in-buffer option for
892 setting this variable, for example
899 You may have several such lines in the buffer, they will then be valid
900 for the entries following the line (the first will also apply to any
903 @node Sparse trees, Plain lists, Archiving, Document structure
904 @section Sparse trees
906 @cindex trees, sparse
907 @cindex folding, sparse trees
908 @cindex occur, command
910 An important feature of Org-mode is the ability to construct
911 @emph{sparse trees} for selected information in an outline tree. A
912 sparse tree means that the entire document is folded as much as
913 possible, but the selected information is made visible along with the
914 headline structure above it@footnote{See also the variables
915 @code{org-show-hierarchy-above}, @code{org-show-following-heading}, and
916 @code{org-show-siblings} for detailed control on how much context is
917 shown around each match.}. Just try it out and you will see immediately
920 Org-mode contains several commands creating such trees. The most
921 basic one is @command{org-occur}:
926 Occur. Prompts for a regexp and shows a sparse tree with all matches.
927 If the match is in a headline, the headline is made visible. If the
928 match is in the body of an entry, headline and body are made visible.
929 In order to provide minimal context, also the full hierarchy of
930 headlines above the match is shown, as well as the headline following
931 the match. Each match is also highlighted; the highlights disappear
932 when the buffer is changes an editing command, or by pressing @kbd{C-c
933 C-c}. When called with a @kbd{C-u} prefix argument, previous highlights
934 are kept, so several calls to this command can be stacked.
937 For frequently used sparse trees of specific search strings, you can
938 use the variable @code{org-agenda-custom-commands} to define fast
939 keyboard access to specific sparse trees. These commands will then be
940 accessible through the agenda dispatcher (@pxref{Agenda dispatcher}).
944 (setq org-agenda-custom-commands
945 '(("f" occur-tree "FIXME")))
948 @noindent will define the key @kbd{C-c a f} as a shortcut for creating
949 a sparse tree matching the string @samp{FIXME}.
951 Other commands use sparse trees as well. For example @kbd{C-c
952 C-v} creates a sparse TODO tree (@pxref{TODO basics}).
955 @cindex printing sparse trees
956 @cindex visible text, printing
957 To print a sparse tree, you can use the Emacs command
958 @code{ps-print-buffer-with-faces} which does not print invisible parts
959 of the document @footnote{This does not work under XEmacs, because
960 XEmacs uses selective display for outlining, not text properties.}.
961 Or you can use the command @kbd{C-c C-e v} to export only the visible
962 part of the document and print the resulting file.
964 @node Plain lists, , Sparse trees, Document structure
968 @cindex lists, ordered
969 @cindex ordered lists
971 Within an entry of the outline tree, hand-formatted lists can provide
972 additional structure. They also provide a way to create lists of
973 checkboxes (@pxref{Checkboxes}). Org-mode supports editing such lists,
974 and the HTML exporter (@pxref{Exporting}) does parse and format them.
976 Org-mode knows ordered and unordered lists. Unordered list items start
977 with @samp{-}, @samp{+}, or @samp{*}@footnote{When using @samp{*} as a
978 bullet, lines must be indented or they will be seen as top-level
979 headlines. Also, when you are hiding leading stars to get a clean
980 outline view, plain list items starting with a star are visually
981 indistinguishable from true headlines. In short: even though @samp{*}
982 is supported, it may be better not to use it for plain list items} as
983 bullets. Ordered list items start with @samp{1.} or @samp{1)}. Items
984 belonging to the same list must have the same indentation on the first
985 line. In particular, if an ordered list reaches number @samp{10.}, then
986 the 2--digit numbers must be written left-aligned with the other numbers
987 in the list. Indentation also determines the end of a list item. It
988 ends before the next line that is indented like the bullet/number, or
994 My favorite scenes are (in this order)
995 1. The attack of the Rohirrim
996 2. Eowyns fight with the witch king
997 + this was already my favorite scene in the book
998 + I really like Miranda Otto.
999 3. Peter Jackson being shot by Legolas
1001 He makes a really funny face when it happens.
1002 But in the end, not individual scenes matter but the film as a whole.
1006 Org-mode supports these lists by tuning filling and wrapping commands to
1007 deal with them correctly@footnote{Org-mode only changes the filling
1008 settings for Emacs. For XEmacs, you should use Kyle E. Jones'
1009 @file{filladapt.el}. To turn this on, put into @file{.emacs}:
1011 (require 'filladapt)
1015 The following commands act on items when the cursor is in the first line
1016 of an item (the line with the bullet or number).
1021 Items can be folded just like headline levels if you set the variable
1022 @code{org-cycle-include-plain-lists}. The level of an item is then
1023 given by the indentation of the bullet/number. Items are always
1024 subordinate to real headlines, however; the hierarchies remain
1025 completely separated.
1028 Insert new item at current level. With prefix arg, force a new heading
1029 (@pxref{Structure editing}). If this command is used in the middle of a
1030 line, the line is @emph{split} and the rest of the line becomes the new
1031 item. If this command is executed in the @emph{whitespace before a bullet or
1032 number}, the new item is created @emph{before} the current item. If the
1033 command is executed in the white space before the text that is part of
1034 an item but does not contain the bullet, a bullet is added to the
1036 @kindex M-S-@key{RET}
1038 Insert a new item with a checkbox (@pxref{Checkboxes}).
1040 @kindex S-@key{down}
1043 Jump to the previous/next item in the current list.
1044 @kindex M-S-@key{up}
1045 @kindex M-S-@key{down}
1047 @itemx M-S-@key{down}
1048 Move the item including subitems up/down (swap with previous/next item
1049 of same indentation). If the list is ordered, renumbering is
1051 @kindex M-S-@key{left}
1052 @kindex M-S-@key{right}
1053 @item M-S-@key{left}
1054 @itemx M-S-@key{right}
1055 Decrease/increase the indentation of the item, including subitems.
1056 Initially, the item tree is selected based on current indentation.
1057 When these commands are executed several times in direct succession,
1058 the initially selected region is used, even if the new indentation
1059 would imply a different hierarchy. To use the new hierarchy, break
1060 the command chain with a cursor motion or so.
1063 If there is a checkbox (@pxref{Checkboxes}) in the item line, toggle the
1064 state of the checkbox. Otherwise, if this is an ordered list, renumber
1065 the ordered list at the cursor.
1068 @node Tables, Hyperlinks, Document structure, Top
1071 @cindex editing tables
1073 Org-mode has a very fast and intuitive table editor built-in.
1074 Spreadsheet-like calculations are supported in connection with the
1075 Emacs @file{calc} package.
1078 * Built-in table editor:: Simple tables
1079 * Narrow columns:: Stop wasting space in tables
1080 * orgtbl-mode:: The table editor as minor mode
1081 * The spreadsheet:: The table editor has spreadsheet capabilities.
1084 @node Built-in table editor, Narrow columns, Tables, Tables
1085 @section The built-in table editor
1086 @cindex table editor, built-in
1088 Org-mode makes it easy to format tables in plain ASCII. Any line with
1089 @samp{|} as the first non-white character is considered part of a
1090 table. @samp{|} is also the column separator. A table might look
1094 | Name | Phone | Age |
1095 |-------+-------+-----|
1096 | Peter | 1234 | 17 |
1097 | Anna | 4321 | 25 |
1100 A table is re-aligned automatically each time you press @key{TAB} or
1101 @key{RET} or @kbd{C-c C-c} inside the table. @key{TAB} also moves to
1102 the next field (@key{RET} to the next row) and creates new table rows
1103 at the end of the table or before horizontal lines. The indentation
1104 of the table is set by the first line. Any line starting with
1105 @samp{|-} is considered as a horizontal separator line and will be
1106 expanded on the next re-align to span the whole table width. So, to
1107 create the above table, you would only type
1114 @noindent and then press @key{TAB} to align the table and start filling in
1117 When typing text into a field, Org-mode treats @key{DEL},
1118 @key{Backspace}, and all character keys in a special way, so that
1119 inserting and deleting avoids shifting other fields. Also, when
1120 typing @emph{immediately after the cursor was moved into a new field
1121 with @kbd{@key{TAB}}, @kbd{S-@key{TAB}} or @kbd{@key{RET}}}, the
1122 field is automatically made blank. If this behavior is too
1123 unpredictable for you, configure the variables
1124 @code{org-enable-table-editor} and @code{org-table-auto-blank-field}.
1127 @tsubheading{Creation and conversion}
1130 Convert the active region to table. If every line contains at least one
1131 TAB character, the function assumes that the material is tab separated.
1132 If not, lines are split at whitespace into fields. You can use a prefix
1133 argument to indicate the minimum number of consecutive spaces required
1134 to identify a field separator (default: just one).@*
1135 If there is no active region, this command creates an empty Org-mode
1136 table. But it's easier just to start typing, like
1137 @kbd{|Name|Phone|Age @key{RET} |- @key{TAB}}.
1139 @tsubheading{Re-aligning and field motion}
1142 Re-align the table without moving the cursor.
1146 Re-align the table, move to the next field. Creates a new row if
1151 Re-align, move to previous field.
1155 Re-align the table and move down to next row. Creates a new row if
1156 necessary. At the beginning or end of a line, @key{RET} still does
1157 NEWLINE, so it can be used to split a table.
1159 @tsubheading{Column and row editing}
1160 @kindex M-@key{left}
1161 @kindex M-@key{right}
1163 @itemx M-@key{right}
1164 Move the current column left/right.
1166 @kindex M-S-@key{left}
1167 @item M-S-@key{left}
1168 Kill the current column.
1170 @kindex M-S-@key{right}
1171 @item M-S-@key{right}
1172 Insert a new column to the left of the cursor position.
1175 @kindex M-@key{down}
1178 Move the current row up/down.
1180 @kindex M-S-@key{up}
1182 Kill the current row or horizontal line.
1184 @kindex M-S-@key{down}
1185 @item M-S-@key{down}
1186 Insert a new row above (with arg: below) the current row.
1190 Insert a horizontal line below current row. With prefix arg, the line
1191 is created above the current line.
1195 Sort the table lines in the region. The position of point indicates the
1196 column to be used for sorting, and the range of lines is the range
1197 between the nearest horizontal separator lines, or the entire table. If
1198 point is before the first column, you will be prompted for the sorting
1199 column. If there is an active region, the mark specifies the first line
1200 and the sorting column, while point should be in the last line to be
1201 included into the sorting. The command prompts for the sorting type
1202 (alphabetically, numerically, or by time). When called with a prefix
1203 argument, alphabetic sorting will be case-sensitive.
1205 @tsubheading{Regions}
1208 Copy a rectangular region from a table to a special clipboard. Point
1209 and mark determine edge fields of the rectangle. The process ignores
1210 horizontal separator lines.
1213 Copy a rectangular region from a table to a special clipboard, and
1214 blank all fields in the rectangle. So this is the ``cut'' operation.
1217 Paste a rectangular region into a table.
1218 The upper right corner ends up in the current field. All involved fields
1219 will be overwritten. If the rectangle does not fit into the present table,
1220 the table is enlarged as needed. The process ignores horizontal separator
1224 Wrap several fields in a column like a paragraph. If there is an active
1225 region, and both point and mark are in the same column, the text in the
1226 column is wrapped to minimum width for the given number of lines. A
1227 prefix ARG may be used to change the number of desired lines. If there
1228 is no region, the current field is split at the cursor position and the
1229 text fragment to the right of the cursor is prepended to the field one
1230 line down. If there is no region, but you specify a prefix ARG, the
1231 current field is made blank, and the content is appended to the field
1234 @tsubheading{Calculations}
1235 @cindex formula, in tables
1236 @cindex calculations, in tables
1238 @cindex region, active
1239 @cindex active region
1240 @cindex transient-mark-mode
1243 Sum the numbers in the current column, or in the rectangle defined by
1244 the active region. The result is shown in the echo area and can
1245 be inserted with @kbd{C-y}.
1249 When current field is empty, copy from first non-empty field above.
1250 When not empty, copy current field down to next row and move cursor
1251 along with it. Depending on the variable
1252 @code{org-table-copy-increment}, integer field values will be
1253 incremented during copy. This key is also used by CUA-mode
1254 (@pxref{Cooperation}).
1256 @tsubheading{Miscellaneous}
1259 Edit the current field in a separate window. This is useful for fields
1260 that are not fully visible (@pxref{Narrow columns}). When called with a
1261 @kbd{C-u} prefix, just make the full field visible, so that it can be
1264 @kindex C-c @key{TAB}
1266 This is an alias for @kbd{C-u C-c `} to make the current field fully
1269 @item M-x org-table-import
1270 Import a file as a table. The table should be TAB- or whitespace
1271 separated. Useful, for example, to import an Excel table or data from a
1272 database, because these programs generally can write TAB-separated text
1273 files. This command works by inserting the file into the buffer and
1274 then converting the region to a table. Any prefix argument is passed on
1275 to the converter, which uses it to determine the separator.
1277 @item M-x org-table-export
1278 Export the table as a TAB-separated file. Useful for data exchange with,
1279 for example, Excel or database programs.
1283 If you don't like the automatic table editor because it gets in your
1284 way on lines which you would like to start with @samp{|}, you can turn
1288 (setq org-enable-table-editor nil)
1291 @noindent Then the only table command that still works is
1292 @kbd{C-c C-c} to do a manual re-align.
1294 @node Narrow columns, orgtbl-mode, Built-in table editor, Tables
1295 @section Narrow columns
1296 @cindex narrow columns in tables
1298 The width of columns is automatically determined by the table editor.
1299 Sometimes a single field or a few fields need to carry more text,
1300 leading to inconveniently wide columns. To limit@footnote{This feature
1301 does not work on XEmacs.} the width of a column, one field anywhere in
1302 the column may contain just the string @samp{<N>} where @samp{N} is an
1303 integer specifying the width of the column in characters. The next
1304 re-align will then set the width of this column to no more than this
1309 |---+------------------------------| |---+--------|
1311 | 1 | one | | 1 | one |
1312 | 2 | two | ----\ | 2 | two |
1313 | 3 | This is a long chunk of text | ----/ | 3 | This=> |
1314 | 4 | four | | 4 | four |
1315 |---+------------------------------| |---+--------|
1320 Fields that are wider become clipped and end in the string @samp{=>}.
1321 Note that the full text is still in the buffer, it is only invisible.
1322 To see the full text, hold the mouse over the field - a tooltip window
1323 will show the full content. To edit such a field, use the command
1324 @kbd{C-c `} (that is @kbd{C-c} followed by the backquote). This will
1325 open a new window with the full field. Edit it and finish with @kbd{C-c
1328 When visiting a file containing a table with narrowed columns, the
1329 necessary character hiding has not yet happened, and the table needs to
1330 be aligned before it looks nice. Setting the option
1331 @code{org-startup-align-all-tables} will realign all tables in a file
1332 upon visiting, but also slow down startup. You can also set this option
1333 on a per-file basis with:
1340 @node orgtbl-mode, The spreadsheet, Narrow columns, Tables
1341 @section The Orgtbl minor mode
1343 @cindex minor mode for tables
1345 If you like the intuitive way the Org-mode table editor works, you
1346 might also want to use it in other modes like text-mode or mail-mode.
1347 The minor mode Orgtbl-mode makes this possible. You can always toggle
1348 the mode with @kbd{M-x orgtbl-mode}. To turn it on by default, for
1349 example in mail mode, use
1352 (add-hook 'mail-mode-hook 'turn-on-orgtbl)
1355 Furthermore, with some special setup, it is possible to maintain tables
1356 in arbitrary syntax with Orgtbl-mode. For example, it is possible to
1357 construct LaTeX tables with the underlying ease and power of
1358 Orgtbl-mode, including spreadsheet capabulities. For details, see
1359 @ref{Tables in arbitrary syntax}.
1361 @node The spreadsheet, , orgtbl-mode, Tables
1362 @section The spreadsheet
1363 @cindex calculations, in tables
1364 @cindex spreadsheet capabilities
1365 @cindex @file{calc} package
1367 The table editor makes use of the Emacs @file{calc} package to implement
1368 spreadsheet-like capabilities. It can also evaluate Emacs Lisp forms to
1369 derive fields from other fields.
1371 * References:: How to refer to another field or range
1372 * Formula syntax for Calc:: Using Calc to compute stuff
1373 * Formula syntax for Lisp:: Writing formulas in Emacs Lisp
1374 * Field formulas:: Formulas valid for a single field
1375 * Column formulas:: Formulas valid for an entire column
1376 * Editing and debugging formulas:: Fixing formulas
1377 * Updating the table:: Recomputing all dependent fields
1378 * Advanced features:: Field names, parameters and automatic recalc
1381 @node References, Formula syntax for Calc, The spreadsheet, The spreadsheet
1382 @subsection References
1385 To compute fields in the table from other fields, formulas must
1386 reference other fields or ranges. In Org-mode, fields can be referenced
1387 by name, by absolute coordinates, and by relative coordinates. To find
1388 out what the coordinates of a field are, press @kbd{C-c ?} in that
1391 @subsubheading Field references
1392 @cindex field references
1393 @cindex references, to fields
1395 Formulas can reference the value of another field with the operator
1400 Column references can be absolute like @samp{1}, @samp{2},...@samp{N},
1401 or relative to the current column like @samp{+1} or @samp{-2}.
1403 The row specification only counts data lines and ignores horizontal
1404 separator lines (hlines). You can use absolute row numbers
1405 @samp{1}...@samp{N}, and row numbers relative to the current row like
1406 @samp{+3} or @samp{-1}. Or specify the row relative to one of the
1407 hlines: @samp{I} refers to the first hline, @samp{II} to the second etc.
1408 @samp{-I} refers to the first such line above the current line,
1409 @samp{+I} to the first such line below the current line. You can also
1410 write @samp{III+2} which is the second data line after the third hline
1411 in the table. Relative row numbers like @samp{-3} will not cross hlines
1412 if the current line is too close to the hline. Instead, the value
1413 directly at the hline is used.
1415 @samp{0} refers to the current row and column. Also, if you omit
1416 either the column or the row part of the reference, the current
1417 row/column is implied.
1419 Org-mode's references with @emph{positive} numbers correspond to fixed
1420 references in other spreadsheet programs. For example, @code{@@3$28}
1421 corresponds to @code{$AB$3}. Org-mode's references with @emph{negative}
1422 numbers behave similar to non-fixed references in other spreadsheet
1423 programs, because when the same formula is used in several fields,
1424 different fields are referenced each time.
1426 Here are a few examples:
1429 @@2$3 @r{2nd row, 3rd column}
1430 $5 @r{column 5 in the current row}
1431 @@2 @r{current column, row 2}
1432 @@-1$-3 @r{the field one row up, three columns to the left}
1433 @@-I$2 @r{field just under hline above current row, column 2}
1436 @subsubheading Range references
1437 @cindex range references
1438 @cindex references, to ranges
1440 You may reference a rectangular range of fields by specifying two field
1441 references connected by two dots @samp{..}. If both fields are in the
1442 current row, you may simply use @samp{$2..$7}, but if at least one field
1443 is in a different row, you need to use the general @code{@@row$column}
1444 format at least for the first field (i.e the reference must start with
1445 @samp{@@} in order to be interpreted correctly). Examples:
1448 $1..$3 @r{First three fields in the current row.}
1449 $P..$Q @r{Range, using column names (see under Advanced)}
1450 @@2$1..@@4$3 @r{6 fields between these two fields.}
1451 @@-1$-2..@@-1 @r{3 numbers from the column to the left, 2 up to current row}
1454 @noindent Range references return a vector of values that can be fed
1455 into Calc vector functions. Empty fields in ranges are normally
1456 suppressed, so that the vector contains only the non-empty fields (but
1457 see the @samp{E} mode switch below). If there are no non-empty fields,
1458 @samp{[0]} is returned to avoid syntax errors in formulas.
1460 @subsubheading Named references
1461 @cindex named references
1462 @cindex references, named
1463 @cindex name, of column or field
1464 @cindex constants, in calculations
1466 @samp{$name} is interpreted as the name of a column, parameter or
1467 constant. Constants are defined globally through the variable
1468 @code{org-table-formula-constants}. If you have the
1469 @file{constants.el} package, it will also be used to resolve
1470 constants, including natural constants like @samp{$h} for Planck's
1471 constant, and units like @samp{$km} for kilometers. Column names and
1472 parameters can be specified in special table lines. These are
1473 described below, see @ref{Advanced features}.
1475 @node Formula syntax for Calc, Formula syntax for Lisp, References, The spreadsheet
1476 @subsection Formula syntax for Calc
1477 @cindex formula syntax, Calc
1478 @cindex syntax, of formulas
1480 A formula can be any algebraic expression understood by the Emacs
1481 @file{Calc} package. Note that @file{calc} has the slightly
1482 non-standard convention that @samp{/} has lower precedence than
1483 @samp{*}, so that @samp{a/b*c} is interpreted as @samp{a/(b*c)}. Before
1484 evaluation by @code{calc-eval} (@pxref{Calling Calc from
1485 Your Programs,calc-eval,Calling calc from Your Lisp Programs,calc,GNU
1486 Emacs Calc Manual}),
1487 variable substitution takes place according to the rules described above.
1488 @cindex vectors, in table calculations
1489 The range vectors can be directly fed into the calc vector functions
1490 like @samp{vmean} and @samp{vsum}.
1492 @cindex format specifier
1493 @cindex mode, for @file{calc}
1494 A formula can contain an optional mode string after a semicolon. This
1495 string consists of flags to influence Calc and other modes during
1496 execution. By default, Org-mode uses the standard calc modes (precision
1497 12, angular units degrees, fraction and symbolic modes off. The display
1498 format, however, has been changed to @code{(float 5)} to keep tables
1499 compact. The default settings can be configured using the variable
1500 @code{org-calc-default-modes}.
1503 p20 @r{switch the internal precision to 20 digits}
1504 n3 s3 e2 f4 @r{normal, scientific, engineering, or fixed display format}
1505 D R @r{angle modes: degrees, radians}
1506 F S @r{fraction and symbolic modes}
1507 N @r{interpret all fields as numbers, use 0 for non-numbers}
1508 T @r{force text interpretation}
1509 E @r{keep empty fields in ranges}
1513 In addition, you may provide a @code{printf} format specifier to
1514 reformat the final result. A few examples:
1517 $1+$2 @r{Sum of first and second field}
1518 $1+$2;%.2f @r{Same, format result to two decimals}
1519 exp($2)+exp($1) @r{Math functions can be used}
1520 $;%.1f @r{Reformat current cell to 1 decimal}
1521 ($3-32)*5/9 @r{Degrees F -> C conversion}
1522 $c/$1/$cm @r{Hz -> cm conversion, using @file{constants.el}}
1523 tan($1);Dp3s1 @r{Compute in degrees, precision 3, display SCI 1}
1524 sin($1);Dp3%.1e @r{Same, but use printf specifier for display}
1525 vmean($2..$7) @r{Compute column range mean, using vector function}
1526 vmean($2..$7);EN @r{Same, but treat empty fields as 0}
1527 taylor($3,x=7,2) @r{taylor series of $3, at x=7, second degree}
1530 @node Formula syntax for Lisp, Field formulas, Formula syntax for Calc, The spreadsheet
1531 @subsection Emacs Lisp forms as formulas
1532 @cindex Lisp forms, as table formulas
1534 It is also possible to write a formula in Emacs Lisp; this can be useful
1535 for string manipulation and control structures. If a formula starts
1536 with a single quote followed by an opening parenthesis, then it is
1537 evaluated as a lisp form. The evaluation should return either a string
1538 or a number. Just as with @file{calc} formulas, you can specify modes
1539 and a printf format after a semicolon. A reference will be replaced
1540 with a string (in double quotes) containing the field. If you provide
1541 the @samp{N} mode switch, all referenced elements will be numbers.
1542 Ranges are inserted as space-separated fields, so you can embed them in
1543 list or vector syntax. A few examples, note how the @samp{N} mode is
1544 used when we do computations in lisp.
1547 @r{Swap the first two characters of the content of column 1}
1548 '(concat (substring $1 1 2) (substring $1 0 1) (substring $1 2))
1549 @r{Add columns 1 and 2, equivalent to the Calc's @code{$1+$2}}
1551 @r{Compute the sum of columns 1-4, like Calc's @code{vsum($1..$4)}}
1552 '(apply '+ '($1..$4));N
1555 @node Field formulas, Column formulas, Formula syntax for Lisp, The spreadsheet
1556 @subsection Field formulas
1557 @cindex field formula
1558 @cindex formula, for individual table field
1560 To assign a formula to a particular field, type it directly into the
1561 field, preceded by @samp{:=}, for example @samp{:=$1+$2}. When you
1562 press @key{TAB} or @key{RET} or @kbd{C-c C-c} with the cursor still in
1563 the field, the formula will be stored as the formula for this field,
1564 evaluated, and the current field replaced with the result.
1566 Formulas are stored in a special line starting with @samp{#+TBLFM:}
1567 directly below the table. If you typed the equation in the 4th field of
1568 the 3rd data line in the table, the formula will look like
1569 @samp{@@3$2=$1+$2}. When inserting/deleting/swapping column and rows
1570 with the appropriate commands, @i{absolute references} (but not relative
1571 ones) in stored formulas are modified in order to
1572 still reference the same field. Of cause this is not true if you edit
1573 the table structure with normal editing commands - then you must go and
1574 fix equations yourself.
1576 Instead of typing an equation into the field, you may also use the
1582 Install a new formula for the current field. The command prompts for a
1583 formula, with default taken from the @samp{#+TBLFM:} line, applies
1584 it to the current field and stores it.
1587 @node Column formulas, Editing and debugging formulas, Field formulas, The spreadsheet
1588 @subsection Column formulas
1589 @cindex column formula
1590 @cindex formula, for table column
1592 Often in a table, the same formula should be used for all fields in a
1593 particular column. Instead of having to copy the formula to all fields
1594 in that column, org-mode allows to assign a single formula to an entire
1597 To assign a formula to a column, type it directly into any field in the
1598 column, preceded by an equal sign, like @samp{=$1+$2}. When you press
1599 @key{TAB} or @key{RET} or @kbd{C-c C-c} with the cursor still in the
1600 field, the formula will be stored as the formula for the current column,
1601 evaluated and the current field replaced with the result. If the field
1602 contains only @samp{=}, the previously stored formula for this column is
1603 used. For each column, Org-mode will only remember the most recently
1604 used formula. In the @samp{TBLFM:} line, column formulas will look like
1607 Instead of typing an equation into the field, you may also use the
1613 Install a new formula for the current column and replace current field
1614 with the result of the formula. The command prompts for a formula, with
1615 default taken from the @samp{#+TBLFM} line, applies it to the current
1616 field and stores it. With a numerical prefix (e.g. @kbd{C-5 C-c =})
1617 will apply it to that many consecutive fields in the current column.
1621 @node Editing and debugging formulas, Updating the table, Column formulas, The spreadsheet
1622 @subsection Editing and Debugging formulas
1623 @cindex formula editing
1624 @cindex editing, of table formulas
1626 You can edit individual formulas in the minibuffer or directly in the
1627 field. Org-mode can also prepare a special buffer with all active
1628 formulas of a table.
1635 Edit the formula associated with the current column/field in the
1636 minibuffer. See @ref{Column formulas} and @ref{Field formulas}.
1637 @kindex C-u C-u C-c =
1639 Re-insert the active formula (either a
1640 field formula, or a column formula) into the current field, so that you
1641 can edit it directly in the field. The advantage over editing in the
1642 minibuffer is that you can use the command @kbd{C-c ?}.
1645 While editing a formula in a table field, highlight the field(s)
1646 referenced by the reference at the cursor position in the formula.
1649 Edit all formulas for the current table in a special buffer, where the
1650 formulas will be displayed one per line.
1651 While inside the special buffer, Org-mode will automatically highlight
1652 any field or range reference at the cursor position. You may edit,
1653 remove and add formulas, and use the following commands:
1657 Exit the buffer and store the modified formulas. With @kbd{C-u} prefix,
1658 also apply the new formulas to the entire table.
1661 Exit the buffer without installing changes.
1664 Pretty-print or indent lisp formula at point. When in a line containing
1665 a lisp formula, format the formula according to Emacs Lisp rules.
1666 Another @key{TAB} collapses the formula back again. In the open
1667 formula, @key{TAB} re-indents just like in Emacs-lisp-mode.
1670 Complete Lisp symbols, just like in Emacs-lisp-mode.
1672 @kindex S-@key{down}
1673 @item S-@key{up}/@key{down}
1674 Move the reference line in the Org-mode buffer up and down. This is
1675 important for highlighting the references of column formulas for
1678 @kindex M-@key{down}
1679 @item M-@key{up}/@key{down}
1680 Scroll the window displaying the table.
1684 Toggle the display of row and column numbers for a table, using
1685 overlays. These are uptated each time the table is aligned, you can
1686 force it with @kbd{C-c C-c}.
1689 Toggle the formula debugger on and off. See below.
1692 Making a table field blank does not remove the formula associated with
1693 the field, because that is stored in a different line (the @samp{TBLFM}
1694 line) - during the next recalculation the field will be filled again.
1695 To remove a formula from a field, you have to give an empty reply when
1696 prompted for the formula, or to edit the @samp{#+TBLFM} line.
1699 You may edit the @samp{#+TBLFM} directly and re-apply the changed
1700 equations with @kbd{C-c C-c} in that line, or with the normal
1701 recalculation commands in the table.
1703 @subsubheading Debugging formulas
1704 @cindex formula debugging
1705 @cindex debugging, of table formulas
1706 When the evaluation of a formula leads to an error, the field content
1707 becomes the string @samp{#ERROR}. If you would like see what is going
1708 on during variable substitution and calculation in order to find a bug,
1709 turn on formula debugging in the @code{Tbl} menu and repeat the
1710 calculation, for example by pressing @kbd{C-c = @key{RET}} in a field.
1711 Detailed information will be displayed.
1713 @node Updating the table, Advanced features, Editing and debugging formulas, The spreadsheet
1714 @subsection Updating the Table
1715 @cindex recomputing table fields
1716 @cindex updating, table
1718 Recalculation of a table is normally not automatic, but needs to be
1719 triggered by a command. See @ref{Advanced features} for a way to make
1720 recalculation at least semi-automatically.
1722 In order to recalculate a line of a table or the entire table, use the
1728 Recalculate the current row by first applying the stored column formulas
1729 from left to right, and all field formulas in the current row.
1735 Recompute the entire table, line by line. Any lines before the first
1736 hline are left alone, assuming that these are part of the table header.
1738 @kindex C-u C-u C-c *
1740 Iterate the table by recomputing it until no further changes occur.
1741 This may be necessary if some computed fields use the value of other
1742 fields that are computed @i{later} in the calculation sequence.
1746 @node Advanced features, , Updating the table, The spreadsheet
1747 @subsection Advanced features
1749 If you want the recalculation of fields to happen automatically, or if
1750 you want to be able to assign @i{names} to fields and columns, you need
1751 to reserve the first column of the table for special marking characters.
1755 Rotate the calculation mark in first column through the states @samp{},
1756 @samp{#}, @samp{*}, @samp{!}, @samp{$}. The meaning of these characters
1757 is discussed below. When there is an active region, change all marks in
1761 Here is an example of a table that collects exam results of students and
1762 makes use of these features:
1766 |---+---------+--------+--------+--------+-------+------|
1767 | | Student | Prob 1 | Prob 2 | Prob 3 | Total | Note |
1768 |---+---------+--------+--------+--------+-------+------|
1769 | ! | | P1 | P2 | P3 | Tot | |
1770 | # | Maximum | 10 | 15 | 25 | 50 | 10.0 |
1771 | ^ | | m1 | m2 | m3 | mt | |
1772 |---+---------+--------+--------+--------+-------+------|
1773 | # | Peter | 10 | 8 | 23 | 41 | 8.2 |
1774 | # | Sara | 6 | 14 | 19 | 39 | 7.8 |
1775 | # | Sam | 2 | 4 | 3 | 9 | 1.8 |
1776 |---+---------+--------+--------+--------+-------+------|
1777 | | Average | | | | 29.7 | |
1778 | ^ | | | | | at | |
1779 | $ | max=50 | | | | | |
1780 |---+---------+--------+--------+--------+-------+------|
1781 #+TBLFM: $6=vsum($P1..$P3)::$7=10*$Tot/$max;%.1f::$at=vmean(@@-II..@@-I);%.1f
1785 @noindent @b{Important}: Please note that for these special tables,
1786 recalculating the table with @kbd{C-u C-c *} will only affect rows that
1787 are marked @samp{#} or @samp{*}, and fields that have a formula assigned
1788 to the field itself. The column formulas are not applied in rows with
1791 @cindex marking characters, tables
1792 The marking characters have the following meaning:
1795 The fields in this line define names for the columns, so that you may
1796 refer to a column as @samp{$Tot} instead of @samp{$6}.
1798 This row defines names for the fields @emph{above} the row. With such
1799 a definition, any formula in the table may use @samp{$m1} to refer to
1800 the value @samp{10}. Also, if you assign a formula to a names field, it
1801 will be stored as @samp{$name=...}.
1803 Similar to @samp{^}, but defines names for the fields in the row
1806 Fields in this row can define @emph{parameters} for formulas. For
1807 example, if a field in a @samp{$} row contains @samp{max=50}, then
1808 formulas in this table can refer to the value 50 using @samp{$max}.
1809 Parameters work exactly like constants, only that they can be defined on
1812 Fields in this row are automatically recalculated when pressing
1813 @key{TAB} or @key{RET} or @kbd{S-@key{TAB}} in this row. Also, this row
1814 is selected for a global recalculation with @kbd{C-u C-c *}. Unmarked
1815 lines will be left alone by this command.
1817 Selects this line for global recalculation with @kbd{C-u C-c *}, but
1818 not for automatic recalculation. Use this when automatic
1819 recalculation slows down editing too much.
1821 Unmarked lines are exempt from recalculation with @kbd{C-u C-c *}.
1822 All lines that should be recalculated should be marked with @samp{#}
1825 Do not export this line. Useful for lines that contain the narrowing
1829 Finally, just to whet your appetite on what can be done with the
1830 fantastic @file{calc} package, here is a table that computes the Taylor
1831 series of degree @code{n} at location @code{x} for a couple of functions
1832 (homework: try that with Excel :-)
1836 |---+-------------+---+-----+--------------------------------------|
1837 | | Func | n | x | Result |
1838 |---+-------------+---+-----+--------------------------------------|
1839 | # | exp(x) | 1 | x | 1 + x |
1840 | # | exp(x) | 2 | x | 1 + x + x^2 / 2 |
1841 | # | exp(x) | 3 | x | 1 + x + x^2 / 2 + x^3 / 6 |
1842 | # | x^2+sqrt(x) | 2 | x=0 | x*(0.5 / 0) + x^2 (2 - 0.25 / 0) / 2 |
1843 | # | x^2+sqrt(x) | 2 | x=1 | 2 + 2.5 x - 2.5 + 0.875 (x - 1)^2 |
1844 | * | tan(x) | 3 | x | 0.0175 x + 1.77e-6 x^3 |
1845 |---+-------------+---+-----+--------------------------------------|
1846 #+TBLFM: $5=taylor($2,$4,$3);n3
1850 @node Hyperlinks, TODO items, Tables, Top
1854 Just like HTML, Org-mode provides links inside a file, and external
1855 links to other files, Usenet articles, emails, and much more.
1858 * Link format:: How links in Org-mode are formatted
1859 * Internal links:: Links to other places in the current file
1860 * External links:: URL-like links to the world
1861 * Handling links:: Creating, inserting and following
1862 * Link abbreviations:: Shortcuts for writing complex links
1863 * Search options:: Linking to a specific location
1864 * Custom searches:: When the default search is not enough
1865 * Remember:: Org-trees store quick notes
1868 @node Link format, Internal links, Hyperlinks, Hyperlinks
1869 @section Link format
1871 @cindex format, of links
1873 Org-mode will recognize plain URL-like links and activate them as
1874 clickable links. The general link format, however, looks like this:
1877 [[link][description]] @r{or alternatively} [[link]]
1880 Once a link in the buffer is complete (all brackets present), Org-mode
1881 will change the display so that @samp{description} is displayed instead
1882 of @samp{[[link][description]]} and @samp{link} is displayed instead of
1883 @samp{[[link]]}. Links will be highlighted in the face @code{org-link},
1884 which by default is an underlined face. You can directly edit the
1885 visible part of a link. Note that this can be either the @samp{link}
1886 part (if there is no description) or the @samp{description} part. To
1887 edit also the invisible @samp{link} part, use @kbd{C-c C-l} with the
1890 If you place the cursor at the beginning or just behind the end of the
1891 displayed text and press @key{BACKSPACE}, you will remove the
1892 (invisible) bracket at that location. This makes the link incomplete
1893 and the internals are again displayed as plain text. Inserting the
1894 missing bracket hides the link internals again. To show the
1895 internal structure of all links, use the menu entry
1896 @code{Org->Hyperlinks->Literal links}.
1898 @node Internal links, External links, Link format, Hyperlinks
1899 @section Internal links
1900 @cindex internal links
1901 @cindex links, internal
1902 @cindex targets, for links
1904 If the link does not look like a URL, it is considered to be internal in
1905 the current file. Links such as @samp{[[My Target]]} or @samp{[[My
1906 Target][Find my target]]} lead to a text search in the current file.
1907 The link can be followed with @kbd{C-c C-o} when the cursor is on the
1908 link, or with a mouse click (@pxref{Handling links}). The preferred
1909 match for such a link is a dedicated target: the same string in double
1910 angular brackets. Targets may be located anywhere; sometimes it is
1911 convenient to put them into a comment line. For example
1917 @noindent In HTML export (@pxref{HTML export}), such targets will become
1918 named anchors for direct access through @samp{http} links@footnote{Note
1919 that text before the first headline will never be exported, so the first
1920 such target must be after the first headline.}.
1922 If no dedicated target exists, Org-mode will search for the words in the
1923 link. In the above example the search would be for @samp{my target}.
1924 Links starting with a star like @samp{*My Target} restrict the search to
1925 headlines. When searching, Org-mode will first try an exact match, but
1926 then move on to more and more lenient searches. For example, the link
1927 @samp{[[*My Targets]]} will find any of the following:
1931 ** TODO my targets are bright
1932 ** my 20 targets are
1935 To insert a link targeting a headline, in-buffer completion can be used.
1936 Just type a star followed by a few optional letters into the buffer and
1937 press @kbd{M-@key{TAB}}. All headlines in the current buffer will be
1938 offered as completions. @xref{Handling links}, for more commands
1941 Following a link pushes a mark onto Org-mode's own mark ring. You can
1942 return to the previous position with @kbd{C-c &}. Using this command
1943 several times in direct succession goes back to positions recorded
1947 * Radio targets:: Make targets trigger links in plain text.
1950 @node Radio targets, , Internal links, Internal links
1951 @subsection Radio targets
1952 @cindex radio targets
1953 @cindex targets, radio
1954 @cindex links, radio targets
1956 You can configure Org-mode to link any occurrences of certain target
1957 names in normal text. So without explicitly creating a link, the text
1958 connects to the target radioing its position. Radio targets are
1959 enclosed by triple angular brackets. For example, a target
1960 @samp{<<<My Target>>>} causes each occurrence of @samp{my target} in
1961 normal text to become activated as a link. The Org-mode file is
1962 scanned automatically for radio targets only when the file is first
1963 loaded into Emacs. To update the target list during editing, press
1964 @kbd{C-c C-c} with the cursor on or at a target.
1966 @node External links, Handling links, Internal links, Hyperlinks
1967 @section External links
1968 @cindex links, external
1969 @cindex external links
1970 @cindex links, external
1977 @cindex WANDERLUST links
1979 @cindex USENET links
1984 Org-mode supports links to files, websites, Usenet and email messages,
1985 and BBDB database entries. External links are URL-like locators. They
1986 start with a short identifying string followed by a colon. There can be
1987 no space after the colon. The following list shows examples for each
1991 http://www.astro.uva.nl/~dominik @r{on the web}
1992 file:/home/dominik/images/jupiter.jpg @r{file, absolute path}
1993 file:papers/last.pdf @r{file, relative path}
1994 news:comp.emacs @r{Usenet link}
1995 mailto:adent@@galaxy.net @r{Mail link}
1996 vm:folder @r{VM folder link}
1997 vm:folder#id @r{VM message link}
1998 vm://myself@@some.where.org/folder#id @r{VM on remote machine}
1999 wl:folder @r{WANDERLUST folder link}
2000 wl:folder#id @r{WANDERLUST message link}
2001 mhe:folder @r{MH-E folder link}
2002 mhe:folder#id @r{MH-E message link}
2003 rmail:folder @r{RMAIL folder link}
2004 rmail:folder#id @r{RMAIL message link}
2005 gnus:group @r{GNUS group link}
2006 gnus:group#id @r{GNUS article link}
2007 bbdb:Richard Stallman @r{BBDB link}
2008 shell:ls *.org @r{A shell command}
2009 elisp:(find-file-other-frame "Elisp.org") @r{An elisp form to evaluate}
2012 A link should be enclosed in double brackets and may contain a
2013 descriptive text to be displayed instead of the url (@pxref{Link
2014 format}), for example:
2017 [[http://www.gnu.org/software/emacs/][GNU Emacs]]
2021 If the description is a file name or URL that points to an image, HTML
2022 export (@pxref{HTML export}) will inline the image as a clickable
2023 button. If there is no description at all and the link points to an
2025 that image will be inlined into the exported HTML file.
2027 @cindex angular brackets, around links
2028 @cindex plain text external links
2029 Org-mode also finds external links in the normal text and activates them
2030 as links. If spaces must be part of the link (for example in
2031 @samp{bbdb:Richard Stallman}), or if you need to remove ambiguities
2032 about the end of the link, enclose them in angular brackets.
2034 @node Handling links, Link abbreviations, External links, Hyperlinks
2035 @section Handling links
2036 @cindex links, handling
2038 Org-mode provides methods to create a link in the correct syntax, to
2039 insert it into an org-mode file, and to follow the link.
2043 @cindex storing links
2045 Store a link to the current location. This is a @emph{global} command
2046 which can be used in any buffer to create a link. The link will be
2047 stored for later insertion into an Org-mode buffer (see below). For
2048 Org-mode files, if there is a @samp{<<target>>} at the cursor, the link
2049 points to the target. Otherwise it points to the current headline. For
2050 VM, RMAIL, WANDERLUST, MH-E, GNUS and BBDB buffers, the link will
2051 indicate the current article/entry. For W3 and W3M buffers, the link
2052 goes to the current URL. For any other files, the link will point to
2053 the file, with a search string (@pxref{Search options}) pointing to the
2054 contents of the current line. If there is an active region, the
2055 selected words will form the basis of the search string. If the
2056 automatically created link is not working correctly or accurately
2057 enough, you can write custom functions to select the search string and
2058 to do the search for particular file types - see @ref{Custom searches}.
2059 The key binding @kbd{C-c l} is only a suggestion - see @ref{Installation}.
2062 @cindex link completion
2063 @cindex completion, of links
2064 @cindex inserting links
2066 Insert a link. This prompts for a link to be inserted into the buffer.
2067 You can just type a link, using text for an internal link, or one of the
2068 link type prefixes mentioned in the examples above. All links stored
2069 during the current session are part of the history for this prompt, so
2070 you can access them with @key{up} and @key{down}, or with
2071 completion@footnote{After insertion of a stored link, the link will be
2072 removed from the list of stored links. To keep it in the list later
2073 use, use a triple @kbd{C-u} prefix to @kbd{C-c C-l}, or configure the
2074 option @code{org-keep-stored-link-after-insertion}.}. The link will be
2075 inserted into the buffer, along with a descriptive text. If some text
2076 was selected when this command is called, the selected text becomes the
2077 default description.@* Note that you don't have to use this command to
2078 insert a link. Links in Org-mode are plain text, and you can type or
2079 paste them straight into the buffer. By using this command, the links
2080 are automatically enclosed in double brackets, and you will be asked for
2081 the optional descriptive text.
2083 @c If the link is a @samp{file:} link and
2084 @c the linked file is located in the same directory as the current file or
2085 @c a subdirectory of it, the path of the file will be inserted relative to
2086 @c the current directory.
2089 @cindex file name completion
2090 @cindex completion, of file names
2092 When @kbd{C-c C-l} is called with a @kbd{C-u} prefix argument, a link to
2093 a file will be inserted and you may use file name completion to select
2094 the name of the file. The path to the file is inserted relative to the
2095 directory of the current org file, if the linked file is in the current
2096 directory or in a subdirectory of it, or if the path is written relative
2097 to the current directory using @samp{../}. Otherwise an absolute path
2098 is used, if possible with @samp{~/} for your home directory. You can
2099 force an absolute path with two @kbd{C-u} prefixes.
2101 @item C-c C-l @r{with cursor on existing link}
2102 When the cursor is on an existing link, @kbd{C-c C-l} allows you to edit the
2103 link and description parts of the link.
2105 @cindex following links
2108 Open link at point. This will launch a web browser for URLs (using
2109 @command{browse-url-at-point}), run vm/mh-e/wanderlust/rmail/gnus/bbdb
2110 for the corresponding links, and execute the command in a shell link.
2111 When the cursor is on an internal link, this commands runs the
2112 corresponding search. When the cursor is on a TAG list in a headline,
2113 it creates the corresponding TAGS view. If the cursor is on a time
2114 stamp, it compiles the agenda for that date. Furthermore, it will visit
2115 text and remote files in @samp{file:} links with Emacs and select a
2116 suitable application for local non-text files. Classification of files
2117 is based on file extension only. See option @code{org-file-apps}. If
2118 you want to override the default application and visit the file with
2119 Emacs, use a @kbd{C-u} prefix.
2125 On links, @kbd{mouse-2} will open the link just as @kbd{C-c C-o}
2126 would. Under Emacs 22, also @kbd{mouse-1} will follow a link.
2130 Like @kbd{mouse-2}, but force file links to be opened with Emacs, and
2131 internal links to be displayed in another window@footnote{See the
2132 variable @code{org-display-internal-link-with-indirect-buffer}}.
2137 Push the current position onto the mark ring, to be able to return
2138 easily. Commands following an internal link do this automatically.
2140 @cindex links, returning to
2143 Jump back to a recorded position. A position is recorded by the
2144 commands following internal links, and by @kbd{C-c %}. Using this
2145 command several times in direct succession moves through a ring of
2146 previously recorded positions.
2150 @cindex links, finding next/previous
2153 Move forward/backward to the next link in the buffer. At the limit of
2154 the buffer, the search fails once, and then wraps around. The key
2155 bindings for this are really too long, you might want to bind this also
2156 to @kbd{C-n} and @kbd{C-p}
2158 (add-hook 'org-load-hook
2160 (define-key 'org-mode-map "\C-n" 'org-next-link)
2161 (define-key 'org-mode-map "\C-p" 'org-previous-link)))
2165 @node Link abbreviations, Search options, Handling links, Hyperlinks
2166 @section Link abbreviations
2167 @cindex link abbreviations
2168 @cindex abbreviation, links
2170 Long URLs can be cumbersome to type, and often many similar links are
2171 needed in a document. For this you can use link abbreviations. An
2172 abbreviated link looks like this
2175 [[linkword:tag][description]]
2179 where the tag is optional. Such abbreviations are resolved according to
2180 the information in the variable @code{org-link-abbrev-alist} that
2181 relates the linkwords to replacement text. Here is an example:
2185 (setq org-link-abbrev-alist
2186 '(("bugzilla" . "http://10.1.2.9/bugzilla/show_bug.cgi?id=")
2187 ("google" . "http://www.google.com/search?q=")
2188 ("ads" . "http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/
2189 nph-abs_connect?author=%s&db_key=AST")))
2193 If the replacement text contains the string @samp{%s}, it will be
2194 replaced with the tag. Otherwise the tag will be appended to the string
2195 in order to create the link. You may also specify a function that will
2196 be called with the tag as the only argument to create the link.
2198 With the above setting, you could link to a specific bug with
2199 @code{[[bugzilla:129]]}, search the web for @samp{OrgMode} with
2200 @code{[[google:OrgMode]]} and find out what the Org-mode author is
2201 doing besides Emacs hacking with @code{[[ads:Dominik,C]]}.
2203 If you need special abbreviations just for a single Org-mode buffer, you
2204 can define them in the file with
2207 #+LINK: bugzilla http://10.1.2.9/bugzilla/show_bug.cgi?id=
2208 #+LINK: google http://www.google.com/search?q=%s
2212 In-buffer completion @pxref{Completion} can be used after @samp{[} to
2213 complete link abbreviations.
2215 @node Search options, Custom searches, Link abbreviations, Hyperlinks
2216 @section Search options in file links
2217 @cindex search option in file links
2218 @cindex file links, searching
2220 File links can contain additional information to make Emacs jump to a
2221 particular location in the file when following a link. This can be a
2222 line number or a search option after a double@footnote{For backward
2223 compatibility, line numbers can also follow a single colon.} colon. For
2224 example, when the command @kbd{C-c l} creates a link (@pxref{Handling
2225 links}) to a file, it encodes the words in the current line as a search
2226 string that can be used to find this line back later when following the
2227 link with @kbd{C-c C-o}.
2229 Here is the syntax of the different ways to attach a search to a file
2230 link, together with an explanation:
2233 [[file:~/code/main.c::255]]
2234 [[file:~/xx.org::My Target]]
2235 [[file:~/xx.org::*My Target]]
2236 [[file:~/xx.org::/regexp/]]
2243 Search for a link target @samp{<<My Target>>}, or do a text search for
2244 @samp{my target}, similar to the search in internal links, see
2245 @ref{Internal links}. In HTML export (@pxref{HTML export}), such a file
2246 link will become an HTML reference to the corresponding named anchor in
2249 In an Org-mode file, restrict search to headlines.
2251 Do a regular expression search for @code{regexp}. This uses the Emacs
2252 command @code{occur} to list all matches in a separate window. If the
2253 target file is in Org-mode, @code{org-occur} is used to create a
2254 sparse tree with the matches.
2255 @c If the target file is a directory,
2256 @c @code{grep} will be used to search all files in the directory.
2259 As a degenerate case, a file link with an empty file name can be used
2260 to search the current file. For example, @code{[[file:::find me]]} does
2261 a search for @samp{find me} in the current file, just as
2262 @samp{[[find me]]} would.
2264 @node Custom searches, Remember, Search options, Hyperlinks
2265 @section Custom Searches
2266 @cindex custom search strings
2267 @cindex search strings, custom
2269 The default mechanism for creating search strings and for doing the
2270 actual search related to a file link may not work correctly in all
2271 cases. For example, BibTeX database files have many entries like
2272 @samp{year="1993"} which would not result in good search strings,
2273 because the only unique identification for a BibTeX entry is the
2276 If you come across such a problem, you can write custom functions to set
2277 the right search string for a particular file type, and to do the search
2278 for the string in the file. Using @code{add-hook}, these functions need
2279 to be added to the hook variables
2280 @code{org-create-file-search-functions} and
2281 @code{org-execute-file-search-functions}. See the docstring for these
2282 variables for more information. Org-mode actually uses this mechanism
2283 for Bib@TeX{} database files, and you can use the corresponding code as
2284 an implementation example. Search for @samp{BibTeX links} in the source
2288 @node Remember, , Custom searches, Hyperlinks
2290 @cindex @file{remember.el}
2292 Another way to create org entries with links to other files is through
2293 the @i{remember} package by John Wiegley. @i{Remember} lets you store
2294 quick notes with little interruption of your work flow. See
2295 @uref{http://www.emacswiki.org/cgi-bin/wiki/RememberMode} for more
2296 information. The notes produced by @i{Remember} can be stored in
2297 different ways, and Org-mode files are a good target. Org-mode
2298 significantly expands the possibilities of @i{remember}: You may define
2299 templates for different note types, and to associate target files and
2300 headlines with specific templates. It also allows you to select the
2301 location where a note should be stored interactively, on the fly.
2304 * Setting up remember:: Some code for .emacs to get things going
2305 * Remember templates:: Define the outline of different note types
2306 * Storing notes:: Directly get the note to where it belongs
2309 @node Setting up remember, Remember templates, Remember, Remember
2310 @subsection Setting up remember
2312 The following customization will tell @i{remember} to use org files as
2313 target, and to create annotations compatible with Org-mode links.
2316 (setq org-directory "~/path/to/my/orgfiles/")
2317 (setq org-default-notes-file "~/.notes")
2318 (setq remember-annotation-functions '(org-remember-annotation))
2319 (setq remember-handler-functions '(org-remember-handler))
2320 (add-hook 'remember-mode-hook 'org-remember-apply-template)
2323 @node Remember templates, Storing notes, Setting up remember, Remember
2324 @subsection Remember templates
2325 @cindex templates, for remember
2327 In combination with Org-mode, you can use templates to generate
2328 different types of @i{remember} notes. For example, if you would like
2329 to use one template to create general TODO entries, another one for
2330 journal entries, and a third one for collecting random ideas, you could
2334 (setq org-remember-templates
2335 '((?t "* TODO %?\n %i\n %a" "~/org/TODO.org")
2336 (?j "* %U %?\n\n %i\n %a" "~/org/JOURNAL.org")
2337 (?i "* %^@{Title@}\n %i\n %a" "~/org/JOURNAL.org" "New Ideas")))
2340 @noindent In these entries, the character specifies how to select the
2341 template. The first string specifies the template. Two more (optional)
2342 strings give the file in which, and the headline under which the new
2343 note should be stored. The file defaults to
2344 @code{org-default-notes-file}, the heading to
2345 @code{org-remember-default-headline}. Both defaults help to get to the
2346 storing location quickly, but you can change the location interactively
2347 while storing the note.
2349 When you call @kbd{M-x remember} (or @kbd{M-x org-remember}) to remember
2350 something, org will prompt for a key to select the template (if you have
2351 more than one template) and then prepare the buffer like
2354 [[file:link to where you called remember]]
2360 * [2006-03-21 Tue 15:37]
2362 [[file:link to where you called remember]]
2366 During expansion of the template, special @kbd{%}-escapes allow dynamic
2367 insertion of content:
2369 %^@{prompt@} @r{prompt the user for a string and replace this sequence with it.}
2370 %t @r{time stamp, date only}
2371 %T @r{time stamp with date and time}
2372 %u, %U @r{like the above, but inactive time stamps}
2373 %^t @r{like @code{%t}, but prompt for date. Similarly @code{%^T}, @code{%^u}, @code{%^U}}
2374 @r{You may define a prompt like @code{%^@{Birthday@}t}}
2375 %n @r{user name (taken from @code{user-full-name})}
2376 %a @r{annotation, normally the link created with @code{org-store-link}}
2377 %i @r{initial content, the region when remember is called with C-u.}
2378 @r{The entire text will be indented like @code{%i} itself.}
2379 %:keyword @r{specific information for certain link types, see below}
2383 For specific link types, the following keywords will be defined:
2386 Link type | Available keywords
2387 -------------------+----------------------------------------------
2388 bbdb | %:name %:company
2389 vm, wl, mh, rmail | %:type %:subject %:message-id
2390 | %:from %:fromname %:fromaddress
2391 | %:to %:toname %:toaddress
2392 | %:fromto @r{(either "to NAME" or "from NAME")@footnote{This will always be the other, not the user. See the variable @code{org-from-is-user-regexp}.}}
2393 gnus | %:group, @r{for messages also all email fields}
2395 info | %:file %:node
2400 If you would like to have the cursor in a specific position after the
2401 template has been expanded:
2404 %? @r{After completing the template, position cursor here.}
2408 If you change you mind about which template to use, call
2409 @code{org-remember} in the remember buffer. You may then select a new
2410 template that will be filled with the previoous context information.
2412 @node Storing notes, , Remember templates, Remember
2413 @subsection Storing notes
2415 When you are finished preparing a note with @i{remember}, you have to press
2416 @kbd{C-c C-c} to file the note away. The handler first prompts for a
2417 target file - if you press @key{RET}, the value specified for the
2418 template is used. Then the command offers the headings tree of the
2419 selected file, with the cursor position at the default headline (if you
2420 had specified one in the template). You can either immediately press
2421 @key{RET} to get the note placed there. Or you can use vertical cursor
2422 motion (@key{up} and @key{down}) and visibility cycling (@key{TAB}) to
2423 find a better place. Pressing @key{RET} or @key{left} or @key{right}
2424 then leads to the following result.
2426 @multitable @columnfractions 0.2 0.1 0.7
2427 @item @b{Cursor position} @tab @b{Key} @tab @b{Note gets inserted}
2428 @item buffer-start @tab @key{RET} @tab as level 2 heading at end of file
2429 @item on headline @tab @key{RET} @tab as sublevel of the heading at cursor
2430 @item @tab @key{left} @tab as same level, before current heading
2431 @item @tab @key{right} @tab as same level, after current heading
2432 @item not on headline @tab @key{RET}
2433 @tab at cursor position, level taken from context.
2434 Or use prefix arg to specify level manually.
2437 So a fast way to store the note to its default location is to press
2438 @kbd{C-c C-c @key{RET} @key{RET}}. Even shorter would be @kbd{C-u C-c
2439 C-c}, which does the same without even asking for a file or showing the
2442 Before inserting the text into a tree, the function ensures that the
2443 text has a headline, i.e. a first line that starts with a @samp{*}.
2444 If not, a headline is constructed from the current date and some
2445 additional data. If the variable @code{org-adapt-indentation} is
2446 non-nil, the entire text is also indented so that it starts in the
2447 same column as the headline (after the asterisks).
2450 @node TODO items, Timestamps, Hyperlinks, Top
2454 Org-mode does not maintain TODO lists as a separate document. TODO
2455 items are an integral part of the notes file, because TODO items
2456 usually come up while taking notes! With Org-mode, you simply mark
2457 any entry in a tree as being a TODO item. In this way, the
2458 information is not duplicated, and the entire context from which the
2459 item emerged is always present when you check.
2461 Of course, this technique causes TODO items to be scattered throughout
2462 your file. Org-mode provides methods to give you an overview over all
2463 things you have to do.
2466 * TODO basics:: Marking and displaying TODO entries
2467 * TODO extensions:: Workflow and assignments
2468 * Priorities:: Some things are more important than others
2469 * Breaking down tasks:: Splitting a task into managable pieces
2470 * Checkboxes:: Tick-off lists
2473 @node TODO basics, TODO extensions, TODO items, TODO items
2474 @section Basic TODO functionality
2476 Any headline can become a TODO item by starting it with the word TODO,
2480 *** TODO Write letter to Sam Fortune
2484 The most important commands to work with TODO entries are:
2488 @cindex cycling, of TODO states
2490 Rotate the TODO state of the current item between
2493 ,-> (unmarked) -> TODO -> DONE --.
2494 '--------------------------------'
2497 The same rotation can also be done ``remotely'' from the timeline and
2498 agenda buffers with the @kbd{t} command key (@pxref{Agenda commands}).
2499 @kindex S-@key{right}
2500 @kindex S-@key{left}
2503 Select the following/preceding TODO state, similar to cycling. Mostly
2504 useful if more than two TODO states are possible (@pxref{TODO extensions}).
2506 @cindex sparse tree, for TODO
2508 View TODO items in a @emph{sparse tree} (@pxref{Sparse trees}). Folds
2509 the entire buffer, but shows all TODO items and the headings hierarchy
2510 above them. With prefix arg, show also the DONE entries. With
2511 numerical prefix N, show the tree for the Nth keyword in the variable
2512 @code{org-todo-keywords}.
2515 Show the global TODO list. This collects the TODO items from all
2516 agenda files (@pxref{Agenda views}) into a single buffer. The buffer is in
2517 @code{agenda-mode}, so there are commands to examine and manipulate
2518 the TODO entries directly from that buffer (@pxref{Agenda commands}).
2519 @xref{Global TODO list}, for more information.
2520 @c @item @code{org-agenda-include-all-todo}
2521 @c If you would like to have all your TODO items listed as part of your
2522 @c agenda, customize the variable @code{org-agenda-include-all-todo}.
2526 @node TODO extensions, Priorities, TODO basics, TODO items
2527 @section Extended use of TODO keywords
2528 @cindex extended TODO keywords
2530 The default implementation of TODO entries is just two states: TODO and
2531 DONE. You can, however, use the TODO feature for more complicated
2532 things by configuring the variables @code{org-todo-keywords} and
2533 @code{org-todo-interpretation}. Using special setup, you can even use
2534 TODO keywords in different ways in different org files.
2536 Note that @i{tags} are another way to classify headlines in general and
2537 TODO items in particular (@pxref{Tags}).
2540 * Workflow states:: From TODO to DONE in steps
2541 * TODO types:: I do this, Fred the rest
2542 * Per file keywords:: Different files, different requirements
2545 @node Workflow states, TODO types, TODO extensions, TODO extensions
2546 @subsection TODO keywords as workflow states
2547 @cindex TODO workflow
2548 @cindex workflow states as TODO keywords
2550 You can use TODO keywords to indicate different states in the process
2551 of working on an item, for example:
2554 (setq org-todo-keywords '("TODO" "FEEDBACK" "VERIFY" "DONE")
2555 org-todo-interpretation 'sequence)
2558 @cindex completion, of TODO keywords
2559 Changing these variables only becomes effective in a new Emacs session.
2560 With this setup, the command @kbd{C-c C-t} will cycle an entry from
2561 TODO to FEEDBACK, then to VERIFY, and finally to DONE. You may also
2562 use a prefix argument to quickly select a specific state. For example
2563 @kbd{C-3 C-c C-t} will change the state immediately to VERIFY.
2564 If you define many keywords, you can use in-buffer completion (see
2565 @ref{Completion}) to insert these words into the buffer. Changing a todo
2566 state can be logged with a timestamp, see @ref{Tracking TODO state
2567 changes} for more information.
2569 @node TODO types, Per file keywords, Workflow states, TODO extensions
2570 @subsection TODO keywords as types
2572 @cindex names as TODO keywords
2573 @cindex types as TODO keywords
2575 The second possibility is to use TODO keywords to indicate different
2576 types of action items. For example, you might want to indicate that
2577 items are for ``work'' or ``home''. If you are into David Allen's
2578 @emph{Getting Things DONE}, you might want to use todo types
2579 @samp{NEXTACTION}, @samp{WAITING}, @samp{MAYBE}. Or, when you work
2580 with several people on a single project, you might want to assign
2581 action items directly to persons, by using their names as TODO
2582 keywords. This would be set up like this:
2585 (setq org-todo-keywords '("Fred" "Sara" "Lucy" "Mike" "DONE")
2586 org-todo-interpretation 'type)
2589 In this case, different keywords do not indicate a sequence, but
2590 rather different types. So it is normally not useful to change from
2591 one type to another. Therefore, in this case the behavior of the
2592 command @kbd{C-c C-t} is changed slightly@footnote{This is also true
2593 for the @kbd{t} command in the timeline and agenda buffers.}. When
2594 used several times in succession, it will still cycle through all
2595 names. But when you return to the item after some time and execute
2596 @kbd{C-c C-t} again, it will switch from each name directly to DONE.
2597 Use prefix arguments or completion to quickly select a specific name.
2598 You can also review the items of a specific TODO type in a sparse tree
2599 by using a numeric prefix to @kbd{C-c C-v}. For example, to see all
2600 things Lucy has to do, you would use @kbd{C-3 C-c C-v}. To collect
2601 Lucy's items from all agenda files into a single buffer, you
2602 would use the prefix arg as well when creating the global todo list:
2605 @node Per file keywords, , TODO types, TODO extensions
2606 @subsection Setting up TODO keywords for individual files
2607 @cindex keyword options
2608 @cindex per file keywords
2610 It can be very useful to use different aspects of the TODO mechanism
2611 in different files, which is not possible with the global settings
2612 described above. For file-local settings, you need to add special
2613 lines to the file which set the keywords and interpretation for that
2614 file only. For example, to set one of the two examples discussed
2615 above, you need one of the following lines, starting in column zero
2616 anywhere in the file:
2619 #+SEQ_TODO: TODO FEEDBACK VERIFY DONE
2620 #+TYP_TODO: Fred Sara Lucy Mike DONE
2623 @cindex completion, of option keywords
2625 @noindent To make sure you are using the correct keyword, type
2626 @samp{#+} into the buffer and then use @kbd{M-@key{TAB}} completion.
2628 @cindex DONE, final TODO keyword
2629 Remember that the last keyword must always mean that the item is DONE
2630 (although you may use a different word). Also note that in each file,
2631 only one of the two aspects of TODO keywords can be used. After
2632 changing one of these lines, use @kbd{C-c C-c} with the cursor still
2633 in the line to make the changes known to Org-mode@footnote{Org-mode
2634 parses these lines only when Org-mode is activated after visiting a
2635 file. @kbd{C-c C-c} with the cursor in a line starting with @samp{#+}
2636 is simply restarting Org-mode for the current buffer.}.
2638 If you want to use very many keywords, for example when working with a
2639 large group of people, you may split the names over several lines:
2642 #+TYP_TODO: Fred Sara Lucy Mike
2643 #+TYP_TODO: Luis George Jules Jessica
2644 #+TYP_TODO: Kim Arnold Peter
2648 @node Priorities, Breaking down tasks, TODO extensions, TODO items
2652 If you use Org-mode extensively to organize your work, you may end up
2653 with a number of TODO entries so large that you'd like to prioritize
2654 them. This can be done by placing a @emph{priority cookie} into the
2658 *** TODO [#A] Write letter to Sam Fortune
2662 With its standard setup, Org-mode supports priorities @samp{A},
2663 @samp{B}, and @samp{C}. @samp{A} is the highest priority. An entry
2664 without a cookie is treated as priority @samp{B}. Priorities make a
2665 difference only in the agenda (@pxref{Weekly/Daily agenda}).
2670 Set the priority of the current headline. The command prompts for a
2671 priority character @samp{A}, @samp{B} or @samp{C}. When you press
2672 @key{SPC} instead, the priority cookie is removed from the headline.
2673 The priorities can also be changed ``remotely'' from the timeline and
2674 agenda buffer with the @kbd{,} command (@pxref{Agenda commands}).
2677 @kindex S-@key{down}
2680 Increase/decrease priority of current headline. Note that these keys
2681 are also used to modify time stamps (@pxref{Creating timestamps}).
2682 Furthermore, these keys are also used by CUA-mode (@pxref{Conflicts}).
2685 @node Breaking down tasks, Checkboxes, Priorities, TODO items
2686 @section Breaking tasks down into subtasks
2687 @cindex tasks, breaking down
2689 It is often advisable to break down large tasks into smaller, managable
2690 subtasks. You can do this by creating an outline tree below a TODO
2691 item, with detailed subtasks on the tree@footnote{To keep subtasks out
2692 of the global TODO list, see the
2693 @code{org-agenda-todo-list-sublevels}.}. Another possibility is the use
2694 of checkboxes to identify (a hierarchy of) a large number of subtasks
2695 (@pxref{Checkboxes}).
2698 @node Checkboxes, , Breaking down tasks, TODO items
2702 Every item in a plain list (@pxref{Plain lists}) can be made a checkbox
2703 by starting it with the string @samp{[ ]}. This feature is similar to
2704 TODO items (@pxref{TODO items}), but more lightweight. Checkboxes are
2705 not included into the global TODO list, so they are often great to split
2706 a task into a number of simple steps. Or you can use them in a shopping
2707 list. To toggle a checkbox, use @kbd{C-c C-c}, or try Piotr Zielinski's
2708 @file{org-mouse.el}. Here is an example of a checkbox list.
2711 * TODO Organize party [3/6]
2717 - [ ] think about what music to play
2718 - [X] talk to the neighbors
2721 @cindex statistics, for checkboxes
2722 @cindex checkbox statistics
2723 The @samp{[3/6]} and @samp{[1/3]} in the first and second line are
2724 cookies indicating how many checkboxes are present in this entry, and
2725 how many of them have been checked off. This can give you an idea on
2726 how many checkboxes remain, even without opening a folded entry. The
2727 cookies can be placed into a headline or into (the first line of) a
2728 plain list item. Each cookie covers all checkboxes structurally below
2729 that headline/item. You have to insert the cookie yourself by typing
2730 either @samp{[/]} or @samp{[%]}. In the first case you get an @samp{n
2731 out of m} result, in the second case you get information about the
2732 percentage of checkboxes checked (in the above example, this would be
2733 @samp{[50%]} and @samp{[33%], respectively}).
2735 @noindent The following commands work with checkboxes:
2740 Toggle checkbox at point.
2743 Toggle checkbox at point.
2746 If there is an active region, toggle the first checkbox in the region
2747 and set all remaining boxes to the same status as the first. If you
2748 want to toggle all boxes in the region independently, use a prefix
2751 If the cursor is in a headline, toggle checkboxes in the region between
2752 this headline and the next (so @emph{not} the entire subtree).
2754 If there is no active region, just toggle the checkbox at point.
2756 @kindex M-S-@key{RET}
2758 Insert a new item with a checkbox.
2759 This works only if the cursor is already in a plain list item
2760 (@pxref{Plain lists}).
2763 Update the checkbox statistics in the current outline entry. When
2764 called with a @kbd{C-u} prefix, update the entire file. Checkbox
2765 statistic cookies are updated automatically if you toggle checkboxes
2766 with @kbd{C-c C-c} and make new ones with @kbd{M-S-@key{RET}}. If you
2767 delete boxes or add/change them by hand, use this command to get things
2768 back into synch. Or simply toggle any checkbox twice with @kbd{C-c C-c}.
2771 @node Timestamps, Tags, TODO items, Top
2776 Items can be labeled with timestamps to make them useful for project
2780 * Time stamps:: Assigning a time to a tree entry
2781 * Creating timestamps:: Commands which insert timestamps
2782 * Custom time format:: If you cannot work with the ISO format
2783 * Repeating items:: Deadlines that come back again and again
2784 * Progress logging:: Documenting when what work was done.
2788 @node Time stamps, Creating timestamps, Timestamps, Timestamps
2789 @section Time stamps, deadlines and scheduling
2791 @cindex ranges, time
2796 A time stamp is a specification of a date (possibly with time) in a
2797 special format, either @samp{<2003-09-16 Tue>} or @samp{<2003-09-16 Tue
2798 09:39>}@footnote{This is the standard ISO date/time format. If you
2799 cannot get used to these, see @ref{Custom time format}}. A time stamp
2800 can appear anywhere in the headline or body of an org-tree entry. Its
2801 presence allows entries to be shown on specific dates in the agenda
2802 (@pxref{Weekly/Daily agenda}). We distinguish:
2805 @item Plain time stamp
2807 A simple time stamp just assigns a date/time to an item. This is just
2808 like writing down an appointment in a paper agenda, or like writing down
2809 an event in a diary, when you want to take note of when something
2810 happened. In the timeline and agenda displays, the headline of an entry
2811 associated with a plain time stamp will be shown exactly on that date.
2814 * Meet Peter at the movies <2006-11-01 Wed 19:15>
2817 @item Inactive time stamp
2818 @cindex timestamp, inactive
2819 @cindex inactive timestamp
2820 Just like a plain time stamp, but with square brackets instead of
2821 angular ones. These time stamps are inactive in the sense that they do
2822 @emph{not} trigger an entry to show up in the agenda.
2825 * Gillian comes late for the fifth time [2006-11-01 Wed]
2828 @item Time stamp range
2830 Two time stamps connected by @samp{--} denote a time range. The
2831 headline will be shown on the first and last day of the range, and on
2832 any dates that are displayed and fall in the range. Here is an
2836 ** Meeting in Amsterdam
2837 <2004-08-23 Mon>--<2004-08-26 Thu>
2840 @item Time stamp with SCHEDULED keyword
2841 @cindex SCHEDULED keyword
2842 If a time stamp is preceded by the word @samp{SCHEDULED:}, it means you
2843 are planning to start working on that task on the given date. So this is
2844 not about recording an event, but about planning your work. The
2845 headline will be listed under the given date@footnote{It will still be
2846 listed on that date after it has been marked DONE. If you don't like
2847 this, set the variable @code{org-agenda-skip-scheduled-if-done}.}. In
2848 addition, a reminder that the scheduled date has passed will be present
2849 in the compilation for @emph{today}, until the entry is marked DONE.
2850 I.e., the task will automatically be forwarded until completed.
2853 *** TODO Call Trillian for a date on New Years Eve.
2854 SCHEDULED: <2004-12-25 Sat>
2857 @item Time stamp with DEADLINE keyword
2858 @cindex DEADLINE keyword
2859 If a time stamp is preceded by the word @samp{DEADLINE:}, the task
2860 (most likely a TODO item) is supposed to be finished on that date, and
2861 it will be listed then. In addition, the compilation for @emph{today}
2862 will carry a warning about the approaching or missed deadline,
2863 starting @code{org-deadline-warning-days} before the due date, and
2864 continuing until the entry is marked DONE. An example:
2867 *** TODO write article about the Earth for the Guide
2868 The editor in charge is [[bbdb:Ford Prefect]]
2869 DEADLINE: <2004-02-29 Sun>
2871 @item Time stamp with CLOSED keyword
2872 @cindex CLOSED keyword
2873 When @code{org-log-done} is non-nil, Org-mode will automatically insert
2874 a special time stamp each time a TODO entry is marked done
2875 (@pxref{Progress logging}). This time stamp is enclosed in square
2876 brackets instead of angular brackets.
2878 @item Time range with CLOCK keyword
2879 @cindex CLOCK keyword
2880 When using the clock to time the work that is being done on specific
2881 items, time ranges preceded by the CLOCK keyword are inserted
2882 automatically into the file. The time stamps are enclosed in square
2883 brackets instead of angular brackets. @xref{Clocking work time}.
2886 @node Creating timestamps, Custom time format, Time stamps, Timestamps
2887 @section Creating timestamps
2888 @cindex creating timestamps
2889 @cindex timestamps, creating
2891 For Org-mode to recognize time stamps, they need to be in the specific
2892 format. All commands listed below produce time stamps in the correct
2898 Prompt for a date and insert a corresponding time stamp. When the
2899 cursor is at a previously used time stamp, it is updated to NOW. When
2900 this command is used twice in succession, a time range is inserted.
2904 Like @kbd{C-c .}, but use the alternative format which contains date
2905 and time. The default time can be rounded to multiples of 5 minutes,
2906 see the option @code{org-time-stamp-rounding-minutes}.
2910 Like @kbd{C-c .}, but insert an inactive time stamp not triggering the
2915 Insert a time stamp corresponding to the cursor date in the Calendar.
2919 Access the Emacs calendar for the current date. If there is a
2920 timestamp in the current line, goto the corresponding date
2925 Access the agenda for the date given by the time stamp or -range at
2926 point (@pxref{Weekly/Daily agenda}).
2930 Insert @samp{DEADLINE} keyword along with a stamp. The insertion will
2931 happen in the line directly following the headline.
2932 @c FIXME Any CLOSED timestamp will be removed.????????
2935 @cindex sparse tree, for deadlines
2937 Create a sparse tree with all deadlines that are either past-due, or
2938 which will become due within @code{org-deadline-warning-days}.
2939 With @kbd{C-u} prefix, show all deadlines in the file. With a numeric
2940 prefix, check that many days. For example, @kbd{C-1 C-c C-w} shows
2941 all deadlines due tomorrow.
2945 Insert @samp{SCHEDULED} keyword along with a stamp. The insertion will
2946 happen in the line directly following the headline. Any CLOSED
2947 timestamp will be removed.
2949 @kindex S-@key{left}
2950 @kindex S-@key{right}
2952 @itemx S-@key{right}
2953 Change date at cursor by one day. These key bindings conflict with
2954 CUA-mode (@pxref{Conflicts}).
2957 @kindex S-@key{down}
2960 Change the item under the cursor in a timestamp. The cursor can be on a
2961 year, month, day, hour or minute. Note that if the cursor is in a
2962 headline and not at a time stamp, these same keys modify the priority of
2963 an item. (@pxref{Priorities}). The key bindings also conflict with
2964 CUA-mode (@pxref{Conflicts}).
2968 @cindex evaluate time range
2970 Evaluate a time range by computing the difference between start and
2971 end. With prefix arg, insert result after the time range (in a table:
2972 into the following column).
2977 * The date/time prompt:: How org-mode helps you entering date and time
2980 @node The date/time prompt, , Creating timestamps, Creating timestamps
2981 @subsection The date/time prompt
2982 @cindex date, reading in minibuffer
2983 @cindex time, reading in minibuffer
2985 When Org-mode prompts for a date/time, the prompt suggests to enter an
2986 ISO date. But it will in fact accept any string containing some date
2987 and/or time information. You can, for example, use @kbd{C-y} to paste a
2988 (possibly multi-line) string copied from an email message. Org-mode
2989 will find whatever information is in there and will replace anything not
2990 specified with the current date and time. For example:
2993 3-2-5 --> 2003-02-05
2994 feb 15 --> currentyear-02-15
2995 sep 12 9 --> 2009-09-12
2996 12:45 --> today 12:45
2997 22 sept 0:34 --> currentyear-09-22 0:34
2998 12 --> currentyear-currentmonth-12
2999 Fri --> nearest Friday (today or later)
3000 +4 --> 4 days from now (if +N is the only thing given)
3003 The function understands English month and weekday abbreviations. If
3004 you want to use unabbreviated names and/or other languages, configure
3005 the variables @code{parse-time-months} and @code{parse-time-weekdays}.
3007 @cindex calendar, for selecting date
3008 Parallel to the minibuffer prompt, a calendar is popped up@footnote{If
3009 you don't need/want the calendar, configure the variable
3010 @code{org-popup-calendar-for-date-prompt}.}. When you exit the date
3011 prompt, either by clicking on a date in the calendar, or by pressing
3012 @key{RET}, the date selected in the calendar will be combined with the
3013 information entered at the prompt. You can control the calendar fully
3014 from the minibuffer:
3019 Scroll calendar backwards by one month.
3022 Scroll calendar forwards by one month.
3025 Select date by clicking on it.
3026 @kindex S-@key{right}
3029 @kindex S-@key{left}
3032 @kindex S-@key{down}
3038 @kindex M-S-@key{right}
3039 @item M-S-@key{right}
3041 @kindex M-S-@key{left}
3042 @item M-S-@key{left}
3046 Choose date in calendar (only if nothing was typed into minibuffer).
3049 @node Custom time format, Repeating items, Creating timestamps, Timestamps
3050 @section Custom time format
3051 @cindex custom date/time format
3052 @cindex time format, custom
3053 @cindex date format, custom
3055 Org-mode uses the standard ISO notation for dates and times as it is
3056 defined in ISO 8601. If you cannot get used to this and require another
3057 representation of date and time to keep you happy, you can get it by
3058 customizing the variables @code{org-display-custom-times} and
3059 @code{org-time-stamp-custom-formats}.
3064 Toggle the display of custom formats for dates and times.
3068 Org-mode needs the default format for scanning, so the custom date/time
3069 format does not @emph{replace} the default format - instead it is put
3070 @emph{over} the default format using text properties. This has the
3071 following consequences:
3074 You cannot place the cursor onto a time stamp anymore, only before or
3077 The @kbd{S-@key{up}/@key{down}} keys can no longer be used to adjust
3078 each component of a time stamp. If the cursor is at the beginning of
3079 the stamp, @kbd{S-@key{up}/@key{down}} will change the stamp by one day,
3080 just like @kbd{S-@key{left}/@key{right}}. At the end of the stamp, the
3081 time will be changed by one minute.
3083 When you delete a time stamp character-by-character, it will only
3084 disappear from the buffer after @emph{all} (invisible) characters
3085 belonging to the ISO timestamp have been removed.
3087 If the custom time stamp format is longer than the default and you are
3088 using dates in tables, table alignment will be messed up. If the custom
3089 format is shorter, things do work as expected.
3092 @node Repeating items, Progress logging, Custom time format, Timestamps
3093 @section Repeating items
3094 @cindex TODO items, repeating
3095 @cindex deadlines, repeating
3096 @cindex scheduling, repeating
3098 Org-mode integrates with the Emacs calendar and diary to display cyclic
3099 appointments, anniversaries and other special entries in the agenda
3100 (@pxref{Weekly/Daily agenda}). However, it can be useful to have
3101 certain deadlines and scheduling items to auto-repeat. The advantage of
3102 a deadline or scheduled item is that the they produce warnings ahead of
3103 time and automatically forward themselves in the agenda until they are
3104 done. The abstract difference is therefore between cyclic
3105 @i{appointments} and cyclic @i{action items}. For appointments you
3106 should use the diary, for actions you can uses an org-mode deadline or
3107 scheduling time stamp together with a REPEAT cookie. For example:
3110 * TODO Replace batteries in smoke detector REPEAT(+18m)
3111 SCHEDULED: <2007-01-01 Mon>
3113 * TODO Get dentist appointment REPEAT(+6m)
3114 SCHEDULED: <2006-12-19 Tue>
3116 * TODO Tax report to IRS REPEAT(+1y)
3117 DEADLINE: <2007-04-01 Sun>
3120 Each time you try to mark one of these entries DONE using @kbd{C-c C-t},
3121 they will automatically switch back to the state TODO, and the
3122 deadline/scheduling will be shifted accordingly. The time units
3123 recognized by org-mode are year (y), month (m), week (w), and day (d).
3124 Org-mode will also prompt you for a note and record the fact that you
3125 have closed this item in a note under the headline.
3127 One unusual property of these repeating items is that only one instance
3128 of each exist at any given time. So if you look back or ahead in the
3129 agenda, you will not find past and future instances, only the current
3130 one will show up. Use a cyclic diary entry if you need all past and
3131 future instances to be visible in the agenda.
3133 @node Progress logging, , Repeating items, Timestamps
3134 @section Progress Logging
3135 @cindex progress logging
3136 @cindex logging, of progress
3138 Org-mode can automatically record a time stamp when you mark a TODO item
3139 as DONE, or even each time when you change the state of a TODO item.
3140 You can also measure precisely the time you spent on specific items in a
3141 project by starting and stopping a clock when you start and stop working
3142 on an aspect of a project.
3145 * Closing items:: When was this entry marked DONE?
3146 * Tracking TODO state changes:: When did the status change?
3147 * Clocking work time:: When exactly did you work on this item?
3150 @node Closing items, Tracking TODO state changes, Progress logging, Progress logging
3151 @subsection Closing items
3153 If you want to keep track of @emph{when} a certain TODO item was
3154 finished, turn on logging with@footnote{The corresponding in-buffer
3155 setting is: @code{#+STARTUP: logdone}}
3158 (setq org-log-done t)
3162 Then each time you turn a TODO entry into DONE using either @kbd{C-c
3163 C-t} in the Org-mode buffer or @kbd{t} in the agenda buffer, a line
3164 @samp{CLOSED: [timestamp]} will be inserted just after the headline. If
3165 you turn the entry back into a TODO item through further state cycling,
3166 that line will be removed again. In the timeline (@pxref{Timeline}) and
3167 in the agenda (@pxref{Weekly/Daily agenda}), you can then use the
3168 @kbd{l} key to display the TODO items closed on each day, giving you an
3169 overview of what has been done on a day. If you want to record a note
3170 along with the timestamp, use@footnote{The corresponding in-buffer
3171 setting is: @code{#+STARTUP: lognotedone}}
3174 (setq org-log-done '(done))
3177 @node Tracking TODO state changes, Clocking work time, Closing items, Progress logging
3178 @subsection Tracking TODO state changes
3180 When TODO keywords are used as workflow states (@pxref{Workflow
3181 states}), you might want to keep track of when a state change occurred,
3182 and you may even want to attach notes to that state change. With the
3186 (setq org-log-done '(state))
3190 each state change will prompt you for a note that will be attached to
3191 the current headline. Very likely you do not want this verbose tracking
3192 all the time, so it is probably better to configure this behavior with
3193 in-buffer options. For example, if you are tracking purchases, put
3194 these into a separate file that starts with:
3197 #+SEQ_TODO: TODO ORDERED INVOICE PAYED RECEIVED SENT
3198 #+STARTUP: lognotestate
3201 @node Clocking work time, , Tracking TODO state changes, Progress logging
3202 @subsection Clocking work time
3204 Org-mode allows you to clock the time you spent on specific tasks in a
3205 project. When you start working on an item, you can start the clock.
3206 When you stop working on that task, or when you mark the task done, the
3207 clock is stopped and the corresponding time interval is recorded. It
3208 also computes the total time spent on each subtree of a project.
3213 Start the clock on the current item (clock-in). This inserts the CLOCK
3214 keyword together with a timestamp.
3217 Stop the clock (clock-out). The inserts another timestamp at the same
3218 location where the clock was last started. It also directly computes
3219 the resulting time in inserts it after the time range as @samp{=>
3220 HH:MM}. See the variable @code{org-log-done} for the possibility to
3221 record an additional note together with the clock-out time
3222 stamp@footnote{The corresponding in-buffer setting is: @code{#+STARTUP:
3226 Recompute the time interval after changing one of the time stamps. This
3227 is only necessary if you edit the time stamps directly. If you change
3228 them with @kbd{S-@key{cursor}} keys, the update is automatic.
3231 Changing the TODO state of an item to DONE automatically stops the clock
3232 if it is running in this same item.
3235 Cancel the current clock. This is useful if a clock was started by
3236 mistake, or if you ended up working on something else.
3239 Display time summaries for each subtree in the current buffer. This
3240 puts overlays at the end of each headline, showing the total time
3241 recorded under that heading, including the time of any subheadings. You
3242 can use visibility cycling to study the tree, but the overlays disappear
3243 when you change the buffer (see variable
3244 @code{org-remove-highlights-with-change}) or press @kbd{C-c C-c}.
3247 Insert a dynamic block (@pxref{Dynamic blocks}) containing a clock
3248 report as an org-mode table into the current file.
3250 #+BEGIN: clocktable :maxlevel 2 :emphasize nil
3255 If such a block already exists, its content is replaced by the new
3256 table. The @samp{BEGIN} line can specify options:
3258 :maxlevels @r{Maximum level depth to which times are listed in the table.}
3259 :emphasize @r{When @code{t}, emphasize level one and level two items}
3260 :block @r{The time block to consider. This block is specified relative}
3261 @r{to the current time and may be any of these keywords:}
3262 @r{@code{today}, @code{yesterday}, @code{thisweek}, @code{lastweek},}
3263 @r{@code{thismonth}, @code{lastmonth}, @code{thisyear}, or @code{lastyear}}.
3264 :tstart @r{A time string specifying when to start considering times}
3265 :tend @r{A time string specifying when to stop considering times}
3267 So to get a clock summary for the current day, you could write
3269 #+BEGIN: clocktable :maxlevel 2 :block today
3273 and to use a specific time range you could write@footnote{Note that all
3274 parameters must be specified in a single line - the line is broken here
3275 only to fit it onto the manual.}
3277 #+BEGIN: clocktable :tstart "<2006-08-10 Thu 10:00>"
3278 :tend "<2006-08-10 Thu 12:00>"
3282 @kindex C-u C-c C-x C-u
3283 @item C-u C-c C-x C-u
3284 Update all dynamic blocks (@pxref{Dynamic blocks}). This is useful if
3285 you have several clocktable blocks in a buffer.
3288 The @kbd{l} key may be used in the timeline (@pxref{Timeline}) and in
3289 the agenda (@pxref{Weekly/Daily agenda}) to show which tasks have been
3290 worked on or closed during a day.
3292 @node Tags, Agenda views, Timestamps, Top
3295 @cindex headline tagging
3296 @cindex matching, tags
3297 @cindex sparse tree, tag based
3299 If you wish to implement a system of labels and contexts for
3300 cross-correlating information, an excellent way is to assign @i{tags} to
3301 headlines. Org-mode has extensive support for using tags.
3303 Every headline can contain a list of tags, at the end of the headline.
3304 Tags are normal words containing letters, numbers, @samp{_}, and
3305 @samp{@@}. Tags must be preceded and followed by a single colon; like
3306 @samp{:WORK:}. Several tags can be specified like @samp{:WORK:URGENT:}.
3309 * Tag inheritance:: Tags use the tree structure of the outline
3310 * Setting tags:: How to assign tags to a headline
3311 * Tag searches:: Searching for combinations of tags
3314 @node Tag inheritance, Setting tags, Tags, Tags
3315 @section Tag inheritance
3316 @cindex inheritance, of tags
3317 @cindex sublevels, inclusion into tags match
3319 @i{Tags} make use of the hierarchical structure of outline trees. If a
3320 heading has a certain tag, all subheadings will inherit the tag as
3321 well. For example, in the list
3324 * Meeting with the French group :WORK:
3325 ** Summary by Frank :BOSS:NOTES:
3326 *** TODO Prepare slides for him :ACTION:
3330 the final heading will have the tags @samp{:WORK:}, @samp{:BOSS:},
3331 @samp{:NOTES:}, and @samp{:ACTION:}. When executing tag searches and
3332 Org-mode finds that a certain headline matches the search criterion, it
3333 will not check any sublevel headline, assuming that these likely also
3334 match, and that the list of matches can become very long. This may
3335 not be what you want, however, and you can influence inheritance and
3336 searching using the variables @code{org-use-tag-inheritance} and
3337 @code{org-tags-match-list-sublevels}.
3339 @node Setting tags, Tag searches, Tag inheritance, Tags
3340 @section Setting tags
3341 @cindex setting tags
3342 @cindex tags, setting
3345 Tags can simply be typed into the buffer at the end of a headline.
3346 After a colon, @kbd{M-@key{TAB}} offers completion on tags. There is
3347 also a special command for inserting tags:
3352 @cindex completion, of tags
3353 Enter new tags for the current headline. Org-mode will either offer
3354 completion or a special single-key interface for setting tags, see
3355 below. After pressing @key{RET}, the tags will be inserted and aligned
3356 to @code{org-tags-column}. When called with a @kbd{C-u} prefix, all
3357 tags in the current buffer will be aligned to that column, just to make
3358 things look nice. TAGS are automatically realigned after promotion,
3359 demotion, and TODO state changes (@pxref{TODO basics}).
3362 Org will support tag insertion based on a @emph{list of tags}. By
3363 default this list is constructed dynamically, containing all tags
3364 currently used in the buffer. You may also globally specify a hard list
3365 of tags with the variable @code{org-tag-alist}. Finally you can set
3366 the default tags for a given file with lines like
3369 #+TAGS: @@WORK @@HOME @@TENNISCLUB
3370 #+TAGS: Laptop Car PC Sailboat
3373 If you have globally defined your preferred set of tags using the
3374 variable @code{org-tag-alist}, but would like to use a dynamic tag list
3375 in a specific file: Just add an empty TAGS option line to that file:
3381 The default support method for entering tags is minibuffer completion.
3382 However, Org-mode also implements a much better method: @emph{fast tag
3383 selection}. This method allows to select and deselect tags with a
3384 single key per tag. To function efficiently, you should assign unique
3385 keys to most tags. This can be done globally with
3388 (setq org-tag-alist '(("@@WORK" . ?w) ("@@HOME" . ?h) ("Laptop" . ?l)))
3391 @noindent or on a per-file basis with
3394 #+TAGS: @@WORK(w) @@HOME(h) @@TENNISCLUB(t) Laptop(l) PC(p)
3398 You can also group together tags that are mutually exclusive. With
3399 curly braces@footnote{In @code{org-mode-alist} use
3400 @code{'(:startgroup)} and @code{'(:endgroup)}, respectively. Several
3401 groups are allowed.}
3404 #+TAGS: @{ @@WORK(w) @@HOME(h) @@TENNISCLUB(t) @} Laptop(l) PC(p)
3407 @noindent you indicate that at most one of @samp{@@WORK}, @samp{@@HOME},
3408 and @samp{@@TENNISCLUB} should be selected.
3410 @noindent Don't forget to press @kbd{C-c C-c} with the cursor in one of
3411 these lines to activate any changes.
3413 If at least one tag has a selection key, pressing @kbd{C-c C-c} will
3414 automatically present you with a special interface, listing inherited
3415 tags, the tags of the current headline, and a list of all legal tags
3416 with corresponding keys@footnote{Keys will automatically be assigned to
3417 tags which have no configured keys.}. In this interface, you can use
3422 Pressing keys assigned to tags will add or remove them from the list of
3423 tags in the current line. Selecting a tag in a group of mutually
3424 exclusive tags will turn off any other tags from that group.
3427 Enter a tag in the minibuffer, even if the tag is not in the predefined
3428 list. You will be able to complete on all tags present in the buffer.
3431 Clear all tags for this line.
3434 Accept the modified set.
3436 Abort without installing changes.
3438 If @kbd{q} is not assigned to a tag, it aborts like @kbd{C-g}.
3440 Turn off groups of mutually exclusive tags. Use this to (as an
3441 exception) assign several tags from such a group.
3443 Toggle auto-exit after the next change (see below).
3444 If you are using expert mode, the first @kbd{C-c} will display the
3449 This method lets you assign tags to a headline with very few keys. With
3450 the above setup, you could clear the current tags and set @samp{@@HOME},
3451 @samp{Laptop} and @samp{PC} tags with just the following keys: @kbd{C-c
3452 C-c @key{SPC} h l p @key{RET}}. Switching from @samp{@@HOME} to
3453 @samp{@@WORK} would be done with @kbd{C-c C-c w @key{RET}} or
3454 alternatively with @kbd{C-c C-c C-c w}. Adding the non-predefined tag
3455 @samp{Sarah} could be done with @kbd{C-c C-c @key{TAB} S a r a h
3456 @key{RET} @key{RET}}.
3458 If you find that most of the time, you need only a single keypress to
3459 modify your list of tags, set the variable
3460 @code{org-fast-tag-selection-single-key}. Then you no longer have to
3461 press @key{RET} to exit fast tag selection - it will immediately exit
3462 after the first change. If you then occasionally need more keys, press
3463 @kbd{C-c} to turn off auto-exit for the current tag selection process
3464 (in effect: start selection with @kbd{C-c C-c C-c} instead of @kbd{C-c
3465 C-c}). If you set the variable to the value @code{expert}, the special
3466 window is not even shown for single-key tag selection, it comes up only
3467 when you press an extra @kbd{C-c}.
3469 @node Tag searches, , Setting tags, Tags
3470 @section Tag searches
3471 @cindex tag searches
3472 @cindex searching for tags
3474 Once a tags system has been set up, it can be used to collect related
3475 information into special lists.
3480 Create a sparse tree with all headlines matching a tags search. With a
3481 @kbd{C-u} prefix argument, ignore headlines that are not a TODO line.
3484 Create a global list of tag matches from all agenda files.
3485 @xref{Matching headline tags}.
3488 Create a global list of tag matches from all agenda files, but check
3489 only TODO items and force checking subitems (see variable
3490 @code{org-tags-match-list-sublevels}).
3493 @cindex Boolean logic, for tag searches
3494 A @i{tags} search string can use Boolean operators @samp{&} for AND and
3495 @samp{|} for OR. @samp{&} binds more strongly than @samp{|}.
3496 Parenthesis are currently not implemented. A tag may also be preceded
3497 by @samp{-}, to select against it, and @samp{+} is syntactic sugar for
3498 positive selection. The AND operator @samp{&} is optional when @samp{+}
3499 or @samp{-} is present. Examples:
3503 Select headlines tagged @samp{:WORK:}, but discard those also tagged
3506 Selects lines tagged @samp{:WORK:} or @samp{:LAPTOP:}.
3507 @item WORK|LAPTOP&NIGHT
3508 Like before, but require the @samp{:LAPTOP:} lines to be tagged also
3512 @cindex TODO keyword matching, with tags search
3513 If you are using multi-state TODO keywords (@pxref{TODO extensions}), it
3514 can be useful to also match on the TODO keyword. This can be done by
3515 adding a condition after a slash to a tags match. The syntax is similar
3516 to the tag matches, but should be applied with consideration: For
3517 example, a positive selection on several TODO keywords can not
3518 meaningfully be combined with boolean AND. However, @emph{negative
3519 selection} combined with AND can be meaningful. To make sure that only
3520 lines are checked that actually have any TODO keyword, use @kbd{C-c a
3521 M}, or equivalently start the todo part after the slash with @samp{!}.
3526 Select @samp{:WORK:}-tagged TODO lines with the specific TODO
3527 keyword @samp{WAITING}.
3528 @item WORK/!-WAITING-NEXT
3529 Select @samp{:WORK:}-tagged TODO lines that are neither @samp{WAITING}
3531 @item WORK/+WAITING|+NEXT
3532 Select @samp{:WORK:}-tagged TODO lines that are either @samp{WAITING} or
3536 @cindex regular expressions, with tags search
3537 Any element of the tag/todo match can be a regular expression - in this
3538 case it must be enclosed in curly braces. For example,
3539 @samp{WORK+@{^BOSS.*@}} matches headlines that contain the tag
3540 @samp{WORK} and any tag @i{starting} with @samp{BOSS}.
3542 @cindex level, require for tags match
3543 You can also require a headline to be of a certain level, by writing
3544 instead of any TAG an expression like @samp{LEVEL=3}. For example, a
3545 search @samp{+LEVEL=3+BOSS/-DONE} lists all level three headlines that
3546 have the tag BOSS and are @emph{not} marked with the todo keyword DONE.
3548 @node Agenda views, Embedded LaTeX, Tags, Top
3549 @chapter Agenda Views
3550 @cindex agenda views
3552 Due to the way Org-mode works, TODO items, time-stamped items, and
3553 tagged headlines can be scattered throughout a file or even a number of
3554 files. To get an overview over open action items, or over events that
3555 are important for a particular date, this information must be collected,
3556 sorted and displayed in an organized way.
3558 Org-mode can select items based on various criteria, and display them
3559 in a separate buffer. Six different view types are provided:
3563 an @emph{agenda} that is like a calendar and shows information
3566 a @emph{TODO list} that covers all unfinished
3569 a @emph{tags view}, showings headlines based on
3570 the tags associated with them,
3572 a @emph{timeline view} that shows all events in a single Org-mode file,
3573 in time-sorted view,
3575 a @emph{stuck projects view} showing projects that currently don't move
3578 @emph{custom views} that are special tag/keyword searches and
3579 combinations of different views.
3583 The extracted information is displayed in a special @emph{agenda
3584 buffer}. This buffer is read-only, but provides commands to visit the
3585 corresponding locations in the original Org-mode files, and even to
3586 edit these files remotely.
3588 Two variables control how the agenda buffer is displayed and whether the
3589 window configuration is restored when the agenda exits:
3590 @code{org-agenda-window-setup} and
3591 @code{org-agenda-restore-windows-after-quit}.
3594 * Agenda files:: Files being searched for agenda information
3595 * Agenda dispatcher:: Keyboard access to agenda views
3596 * Built-in agenda views:: What is available out of the box?
3597 * Presentation and sorting:: How agenda items are prepared for display
3598 * Agenda commands:: Remote editing of org trees
3599 * Custom agenda views:: Defining special searches and views
3602 @node Agenda files, Agenda dispatcher, Agenda views, Agenda views
3603 @section Agenda files
3604 @cindex agenda files
3605 @cindex files for agenda
3607 The information to be shown is collected from all @emph{agenda files},
3608 the files listed in the variable @code{org-agenda-files}@footnote{If the
3609 value of that variable is not a list, but a single file name, then the
3610 list of agenda files will be maintained in that external file.}. Thus even
3611 if you only work with a single Org-mode file, this file should be put
3612 into that list@footnote{When using the dispatcher, pressing @kbd{1}
3613 before selecting a command will actually limit the command to the
3614 current file, and ignore @code{org-agenda-files} until the next
3615 dispatcher command.}. You can customize @code{org-agenda-files}, but
3616 the easiest way to maintain it is through the following commands
3618 @cindex files, adding to agenda list
3622 Add current file to the list of agenda files. The file is added to
3623 the front of the list. If it was already in the list, it is moved to
3624 the front. With prefix arg, file is added/moved to the end.
3627 Remove current file from the list of agenda files.
3632 Cycle through agenda file list, visiting one file after the other.
3636 The Org menu contains the current list of files and can be used
3637 to visit any of them.
3639 @node Agenda dispatcher, Built-in agenda views, Agenda files, Agenda views
3640 @section The agenda dispatcher
3641 @cindex agenda dispatcher
3642 @cindex dispatching agenda commands
3643 The views are created through a dispatcher that should be bound to a
3644 global key, for example @kbd{C-c a} (@pxref{Installation}). In the
3645 following we will assume that @kbd{C-c a} is indeed how the dispatcher
3646 is accessed and list keyboard access to commands accordingly. After
3647 pressing @kbd{C-c a}, an additional letter is required to execute a
3648 command. The dispatcher offers the following default commands:
3651 Create the calendar-like agenda (@pxref{Weekly/Daily agenda}).
3653 Create a list of all TODO items (@pxref{Global TODO list}).
3655 Create a list of headlines matching a TAGS expression (@pxref{Matching
3658 Create the timeline view for the current buffer (@pxref{Timeline}).
3660 Create a list of stuck projects (@pxref{Stuck projects}).
3662 Restrict an agenda command to the current buffer. After pressing
3663 @kbd{1}, you still need to press the character selecting the command.
3665 If there is an active region, restrict the following agenda command to
3666 the region. Otherwise, restrict it to the current subtree. After
3667 pressing @kbd{0}, you still need to press the character selecting the
3671 You can also define custom commands that will be accessible through the
3672 dispatcher, just like the default commands. This includes the
3673 possibility to create extended agenda buffers that contain several
3674 blocks together, for example the weekly agenda, the global TODO list and
3675 a number of special tags matches. @xref{Custom agenda views}.
3677 @node Built-in agenda views, Presentation and sorting, Agenda dispatcher, Agenda views
3678 @section The built-in agenda views
3680 In this section we describe the built-in views.
3683 * Weekly/Daily agenda:: The calendar page with current tasks
3684 * Global TODO list:: All unfinished action items
3685 * Matching headline tags:: Structured information with fine-tuned search
3686 * Timeline:: Time-sorted view for single file
3687 * Stuck projects:: Find projects you need to review
3690 @node Weekly/Daily agenda, Global TODO list, Built-in agenda views, Built-in agenda views
3691 @subsection The weekly/daily agenda
3693 @cindex weekly agenda
3694 @cindex daily agenda
3696 The purpose of the weekly/daily @emph{agenda} is to act like a page of a
3697 paper agenda, showing all the tasks for the current week or day.
3700 @cindex org-agenda, command
3703 Compile an agenda for the current week from a list of org files. The
3704 agenda shows the entries for each day. With a @kbd{C-u} prefix (or
3705 when the variable @code{org-agenda-include-all-todo} is @code{t}), all
3706 unfinished TODO items (including those without a date) are also listed at
3707 the beginning of the buffer, before the first date.@*
3710 Remote editing from the agenda buffer means, for example, that you can
3711 change the dates of deadlines and appointments from the agenda buffer.
3712 The commands available in the Agenda buffer are listed in @ref{Agenda
3715 @subsubheading Calendar/Diary integration
3716 @cindex calendar integration
3717 @cindex diary integration
3719 Emacs contains the calendar and diary by Edward M. Reingold. The
3720 calendar displays a three-month calendar with holidays from different
3721 countries and cultures. The diary allows you to keep track of
3722 anniversaries, lunar phases, sunrise/set, recurrent appointments
3723 (weekly, monthly) and more. In this way, it is quite complementary to
3724 Org-mode. It can be very useful to combine output from Org-mode with
3727 In order to include entries from the Emacs diary into Org-mode's
3728 agenda, you only need to customize the variable
3731 (setq org-agenda-include-diary t)
3734 @noindent After that, everything will happen automatically. All diary
3735 entries including holidays, anniversaries etc will be included in the
3736 agenda buffer created by Org-mode. @key{SPC}, @key{TAB}, and
3737 @key{RET} can be used from the agenda buffer to jump to the diary
3738 file in order to edit existing diary entries. The @kbd{i} command to
3739 insert new entries for the current date works in the agenda buffer, as
3740 well as the commands @kbd{S}, @kbd{M}, and @kbd{C} to display
3741 Sunrise/Sunset times, show lunar phases and to convert to other
3742 calendars, respectively. @kbd{c} can be used to switch back and forth
3743 between calendar and agenda.
3746 @node Global TODO list, Matching headline tags, Weekly/Daily agenda, Built-in agenda views
3747 @subsection The global TODO list
3748 @cindex global TODO list
3749 @cindex TODO list, global
3751 The global TODO list contains all unfinished TODO items, formatted and
3752 collected into a single place.
3757 Show the global TODO list. This collects the TODO items from all
3758 agenda files (@pxref{Agenda views}) into a single buffer. The buffer is in
3759 @code{agenda-mode}, so there are commands to examine and manipulate
3760 the TODO entries directly from that buffer (@pxref{Agenda commands}).
3763 @cindex TODO keyword matching
3764 Like the above, but allows selection of a specific TODO keyword. You can
3765 also do this by specifying a prefix argument to @kbd{C-c a t}. With a
3766 @kbd{C-u} prefix you are prompted for a keyword. With a numeric
3767 prefix, the Nth keyword in @code{org-todo-keywords} is selected.
3769 The @kbd{r} key in the agenda buffer regenerates it, and you can give
3770 a prefix argument to this command to change the selected TODO keyword,
3771 for example @kbd{3 r}. If you often need a search for a specific
3772 keyword, define a custom command for it (@pxref{Agenda dispatcher}).@*
3773 Matching specific TODO keywords can also be done as part of a tags
3774 search (@pxref{Tag searches}).
3777 Remote editing of TODO items means that you can change the state of a
3778 TODO entry with a single key press. The commands available in the
3779 TODO list are described in @ref{Agenda commands}.
3781 @cindex sublevels, inclusion into todo list
3782 Normally the global todo list simply shows all headlines with TODO
3783 keywords. This list can become very long. There are two ways to keep
3787 Some people view a TODO item that has been @emph{scheduled} for
3788 execution (@pxref{Time stamps}) as no longer @emph{open}. Configure the
3789 variable @code{org-agenda-todo-ignore-scheduled} to exclude scheduled
3790 items from the global TODO list.
3792 TODO items may have sublevels to break up the task into subtasks. In
3793 such cases it may be enough to list only the highest level TODO headline
3794 and omit the sublevels from the global list. Configure the variable
3795 @code{org-agenda-todo-list-sublevels} to get this behavior.
3798 @node Matching headline tags, Timeline, Global TODO list, Built-in agenda views
3799 @subsection Matching headline tags
3800 @cindex matching, of tags
3803 If headlines in the agenda files are marked with @emph{tags}
3804 (@pxref{Tags}), you can select headlines based on the tags that apply
3805 to them and collect them into an agenda buffer.
3810 Produce a list of all headlines that match a given set of tags. The
3811 command prompts for a selection criterion, which is a boolean logic
3812 expression with tags, like @samp{+WORK+URGENT-WITHBOSS} or
3813 @samp{WORK|HOME} (@pxref{Tags}). If you often need a specific search,
3814 define a custom command for it (@pxref{Agenda dispatcher}).
3817 Like @kbd{C-c a m}, but only select headlines that are also TODO items
3818 and force checking subitems (see variable
3819 @code{org-tags-match-list-sublevels}). Matching specific todo keywords
3820 together with a tags match is also possible, see @ref{Tag searches}.
3823 The commands available in the tags list are described in @ref{Agenda
3826 @node Timeline, Stuck projects, Matching headline tags, Built-in agenda views
3827 @subsection Timeline for a single file
3828 @cindex timeline, single file
3829 @cindex time-sorted view
3831 The timeline summarizes all time-stamped items from a single Org-mode
3832 file in a @emph{time-sorted view}. The main purpose of this command is
3833 to give an overview over events in a project.
3838 Show a time-sorted view of the org file, with all time-stamped items.
3839 When called with a @kbd{C-u} prefix, all unfinished TODO entries
3840 (scheduled or not) are also listed under the current date.
3844 The commands available in the timeline buffer are listed in
3845 @ref{Agenda commands}.
3848 @node Stuck projects, , Timeline, Built-in agenda views
3849 @subsection Stuck projects
3851 If you are following a system like David Allen's GTD to organize your
3852 work, one of the ``duties'' you have is a regular review to make sure
3853 that all projects move along. A @emph{stuck} project is a project that
3854 has no defined next actions, so it will never show up in the TODO lists
3855 Org-mode produces. During the review, you need to identify such
3856 projects and define next actions for them.
3861 List projects that are stuck.
3864 Customize the variable @code{org-stuck-projects} to define what a stuck
3865 project is and how to find it.
3868 You almost certainly will have to configure this view before it will
3869 work for you. The built-in default assumes that all your projects are
3870 level-2 headlines, and that a project is not stuck if it has at least
3871 one entry marked with a todo keyword TODO or NEXT or NEXTACTION.
3873 Lets assume that you, in your own way of using Org-mode, identify
3874 projects with a tag PROJECT, and that you use a todo keyword MAYBE to
3875 indicate a project that should not be considered yet. Lets further
3876 assume that the todo keyword DONE marks finished projects, and that NEXT
3877 and TODO indicate next actions. Finally, the tag @@SHOP indicates
3878 shopping and is a next action even without the NEXT tag. In this case
3879 you would start by identifying eligible projects with a tags/todo match
3880 @samp{+PROJECT/-MAYBE-DONE}, and then check for TODO, NEXT and @@SHOP in
3881 the subtree to identify projects that are not stuck. The correct
3882 customization for this is
3885 (setq org-stuck-projects
3886 ("+PROJECT/-MAYBE-DONE" ("NEXT" "TODO") ("@@SHOP")))
3890 @node Presentation and sorting, Agenda commands, Built-in agenda views, Agenda views
3891 @section Presentation and sorting
3892 @cindex presentation, of agenda items
3894 Before displaying items in an agenda view, Org-mode visually prepares
3895 the items and sorts them. Each item occupies a single line. The line
3896 starts with a @emph{prefix} that contains the @emph{category}
3897 (@pxref{Categories}) of the item and other important information. You can
3898 customize the prefix using the option @code{org-agenda-prefix-format}.
3899 The prefix is followed by a cleaned-up version of the outline headline
3900 associated with the item.
3903 * Categories:: Not all tasks are equal
3904 * Time-of-day specifications:: How the agenda knows the time
3905 * Sorting of agenda items:: The order of things
3908 @node Categories, Time-of-day specifications, Presentation and sorting, Presentation and sorting
3909 @subsection Categories
3912 The category is a broad label assigned to each agenda item. By default,
3913 the category is simply derived from the file name, but you can also
3914 specify it with a special line in the buffer, like this:
3920 If there are several such lines in a file, each specifies the category
3921 for the text below it (but the first category also applies to any text
3922 before the first CATEGORY line). The display in the agenda buffer looks
3923 best if the category is not longer than 10 characters.
3925 @node Time-of-day specifications, Sorting of agenda items, Categories, Presentation and sorting
3926 @subsection Time-of-Day Specifications
3927 @cindex time-of-day specification
3929 Org-mode checks each agenda item for a time-of-day specification. The
3930 time can be part of the time stamp that triggered inclusion into the
3931 agenda, for example as in @w{@samp{<2005-05-10 Tue 19:00>}}. Time
3932 ranges can be specified with two time stamps, like
3934 @w{@samp{<2005-05-10 Tue 20:30>--<2005-05-10 Tue 22:15>}}.
3936 In the headline of the entry itself, a time(range) may also appear as
3937 plain text (like @samp{12:45} or a @samp{8:30-1pm}. If the agenda
3938 integrates the Emacs diary (@pxref{Weekly/Daily agenda}), time
3939 specifications in diary entries are recognized as well.
3941 For agenda display, Org-mode extracts the time and displays it in a
3942 standard 24 hour format as part of the prefix. The example times in
3943 the previous paragraphs would end up in the agenda like this:
3946 8:30-13:00 Arthur Dent lies in front of the bulldozer
3947 12:45...... Ford Prefect arrives and takes Arthur to the pub
3948 19:00...... The Vogon reads his poem
3949 20:30-22:15 Marwin escorts the Hitchhikers to the bridge
3953 If the agenda is in single-day mode, or for the display of today, the
3954 timed entries are embedded in a time grid, like
3957 8:00...... ------------------
3958 8:30-13:00 Arthur Dent lies in front of the bulldozer
3959 10:00...... ------------------
3960 12:00...... ------------------
3961 12:45...... Ford Prefect arrives and takes Arthur to the pub
3962 14:00...... ------------------
3963 16:00...... ------------------
3964 18:00...... ------------------
3965 19:00...... The Vogon reads his poem
3966 20:00...... ------------------
3967 20:30-22:15 Marwin escorts the Hitchhikers to the bridge
3970 The time grid can be turned on and off with the variable
3971 @code{org-agenda-use-time-grid}, and can be configured with
3972 @code{org-agenda-time-grid}.
3974 @node Sorting of agenda items, , Time-of-day specifications, Presentation and sorting
3975 @subsection Sorting of agenda items
3976 @cindex sorting, of agenda items
3977 @cindex priorities, of agenda items
3978 Before being inserted into a view, the items are sorted. How this is
3979 done depends on the type of view.
3982 For the daily/weekly agenda, the items for each day are sorted. The
3983 default order is to first collect all items containing an explicit
3984 time-of-day specification. These entries will be shown at the beginning
3985 of the list, as a @emph{schedule} for the day. After that, items remain
3986 grouped in categories, in the sequence given by @code{org-agenda-files}.
3987 Within each category, items are sorted by priority (@pxref{Priorities}),
3988 which is composed of the base priority (2000 for priority @samp{A}, 1000
3989 for @samp{B}, and 0 for @samp{C}), plus additional increments for
3990 overdue scheduled or deadline items.
3992 For the TODO list, items remain in the order of categories, but within
3993 each category, sorting takes place according to priority
3994 (@pxref{Priorities}).
3996 For tags matches, items are not sorted at all, but just appear in the
3997 sequence in which they are found in the agenda files.
4000 Sorting can be customized using the variable
4001 @code{org-agenda-sorting-strategy}.
4004 @node Agenda commands, Custom agenda views, Presentation and sorting, Agenda views
4005 @section Commands in the agenda buffer
4006 @cindex commands, in agenda buffer
4008 Entries in the agenda buffer are linked back to the org file or diary
4009 file where they originate. You are not allowed to edit the agenda
4010 buffer itself, but commands are provided to show and jump to the
4011 original entry location, and to edit the org-files ``remotely'' from
4012 the agenda buffer. In this way, all information is stored only once,
4013 removing the risk that your agenda and note files may diverge.
4015 Some commands can be executed with mouse clicks on agenda lines. For
4016 the other commands, the cursor needs to be in the desired line.
4019 @tsubheading{Motion}
4020 @cindex motion commands in agenda
4023 Next line (same as @key{up}).
4026 Previous line (same as @key{down}).
4027 @tsubheading{View/GoTo org file}
4032 Display the original location of the item in another window.
4036 Display original location and recenter that window.
4044 Go to the original location of the item in another window. Under Emacs
4045 22, @kbd{mouse-1} will also works for this.
4049 Go to the original location of the item and delete other windows.
4053 Toggle Follow mode. In Follow mode, as you move the cursor through
4054 the agenda buffer, the other window always shows the corresponding
4055 location in the org file. The initial setting for this mode in new
4056 agenda buffers can be set with the variable
4057 @code{org-agenda-start-with-follow-mode}.
4061 Display the entire subtree of the current item in an indirect buffer.
4062 With numerical prefix ARG, go up to this level and then take that tree.
4063 If ARG is negative, go up that many levels. With @kbd{C-u} prefix, do
4064 not remove the previously used indirect buffer.
4068 Toggle Logbook mode. In Logbook mode, entries that where marked DONE while
4069 logging was on (variable @code{org-log-done}) are shown in the agenda,
4070 as are entries that have been clocked on that day.
4072 @tsubheading{Change display}
4073 @cindex display changing, in agenda
4076 Delete other windows.
4080 Switch to weekly view (7 days displayed together).
4084 Switch to daily view (just one day displayed).
4088 Toggle the inclusion of diary entries. See @ref{Weekly/Daily agenda}.
4092 Toggle the time grid on and off. See also the variables
4093 @code{org-agenda-use-time-grid} and @code{org-agenda-time-grid}.
4097 Recreate the agenda buffer, for example to reflect the changes
4098 after modification of the time stamps of items with S-@key{left} and
4099 S-@key{right}. When the buffer is the global todo list, a prefix
4100 argument is interpreted to create a selective list for a specific TODO
4105 Save all Org-mode buffers in the current Emacs session.
4109 Display the following @code{org-agenda-ndays} days. For example, if
4110 the display covers a week, switch to the following week. With prefix
4111 arg, go forward that many times @code{org-agenda-ndays} days.
4115 Display the previous dates.
4121 @tsubheading{Remote editing}
4122 @cindex remote editing, from agenda
4127 @cindex undoing remote-editing events
4128 @cindex remote editing, undo
4131 Undo a change due to a remote editing command. The change is undone
4132 both in the agenda buffer and in the remote buffer.
4136 Change the TODO state of the item, both in the agenda and in the
4141 Delete the current agenda item along with the entire subtree belonging
4142 to it in the original Org-mode file. If the text to be deleted remotely
4143 is longer than one line, the kill needs to be confirmed by the user. See
4144 variable @code{org-agenda-confirm-kill}.
4148 Archive the subtree corresponding to the current headline.
4152 Show all tags associated with the current item. Because of
4153 inheritance, this may be more than the tags listed in the line itself.
4157 Set tags for the current headline.
4161 Toggle the ARCHIVE tag for the current headline.
4165 Set the priority for the current item. Org-mode prompts for the
4166 priority character. If you reply with @key{SPC}, the priority cookie
4167 is removed from the entry.
4171 Display weighted priority of current item.
4177 Increase the priority of the current item. The priority is changed in
4178 the original buffer, but the agenda is not resorted. Use the @kbd{r}
4182 @kindex S-@key{down}
4185 Decrease the priority of the current item.
4193 Set a deadline for this item.
4195 @kindex S-@key{right}
4197 Change the time stamp associated with the current line by one day into
4198 the future. With prefix argument, change it by that many days. For
4199 example, @kbd{3 6 5 S-@key{right}} will change it by a year. The
4200 stamp is changed in the original org file, but the change is not
4201 directly reflected in the agenda buffer. Use the
4202 @kbd{r} key to update the buffer.
4204 @kindex S-@key{left}
4206 Change the time stamp associated with the current line by one day
4211 Change the time stamp associated with the current line to today.
4212 The key @kbd{>} has been chosen, because it is the same as @kbd{S-.}
4217 Start the clock on the current item. If a clock is running already, it
4221 Stop the previously started clock.
4224 Cancel the currently running clock.
4226 @tsubheading{Calendar commands}
4227 @cindex calendar commands, from agenda
4230 Open the Emacs calendar and move to the date at the agenda cursor.
4233 When in the calendar, compute and show the Org-mode agenda for the
4236 @cindex diary entries, creating from agenda
4239 Insert a new entry into the diary. Prompts for the type of entry
4240 (day, weekly, monthly, yearly, anniversary, cyclic) and creates a new
4241 entry in the diary, just as @kbd{i d} etc. would do in the calendar.
4242 The date is taken from the cursor position.
4246 Show the phases of the moon for the three months around current date.
4250 Show sunrise and sunset times. The geographical location must be set
4251 with calendar variables, see documentation of the Emacs calendar.
4255 Convert the date at cursor into many other cultural and historic
4260 Show holidays for three month around the cursor date.
4262 @c FIXME: This should be a different key.
4265 Export a single iCalendar file containing entries from all agenda files.
4267 @tsubheading{Quit and Exit}
4270 Quit agenda, remove the agenda buffer.
4273 @cindex agenda files, removing buffers
4275 Exit agenda, remove the agenda buffer and all buffers loaded by Emacs
4276 for the compilation of the agenda. Buffers created by the user to
4277 visit org files will not be removed.
4282 @node Custom agenda views, , Agenda commands, Agenda views
4283 @section Custom agenda views
4284 @cindex custom agenda views
4285 @cindex agenda views, custom
4287 Custom agenda commands serve two purposes: to store and quickly access
4288 frequently used TODO and tags searches, and to create special composite
4289 agenda buffers. Custom agenda commands will be accessible through the
4290 dispatcher (@pxref{Agenda dispatcher}), just like the default commands.
4293 * Storing searches:: Type once, use often
4294 * Block agenda:: All the stuff you need in a single buffer
4295 * Setting Options:: Changing the rules
4296 * Batch processing:: Agenda views from the command line
4299 @node Storing searches, Block agenda, Custom agenda views, Custom agenda views
4300 @subsection Storing searches
4302 The first application of custom searches is the definition of keyboard
4303 shortcuts for frequently used searches, either creating an agenda
4304 buffer, or a sparse tree (the latter covering of course only the current
4307 Custom commands are configured in the variable
4308 @code{org-agenda-custom-commands}. You can customize this variable, for
4309 example by pressing @kbd{C-c a C}. You can also directly set it with
4310 Emacs Lisp in @file{.emacs}. The following example contains all valid
4315 (setq org-agenda-custom-commands
4316 '(("w" todo "WAITING")
4317 ("W" todo-tree "WAITING")
4318 ("u" tags "+BOSS-URGENT")
4319 ("v" tags-todo "+BOSS-URGENT")
4320 ("U" tags-tree "+BOSS-URGENT")
4321 ("f" occur-tree "\\<FIXME\\>")))
4326 The initial single-character string in each entry defines the character
4327 you have to press after the dispatcher command @kbd{C-c a} in order to
4328 access the command. The second parameter is the search type, followed
4329 by the string or regular expression to be used for the matching. The
4330 example above will therefore define:
4334 as a global search for TODO entries with @samp{WAITING} as the TODO
4337 as the same search, but only in the current buffer and displaying the
4338 results as a sparse tree
4340 as a global tags search for headlines marked @samp{:BOSS:} but not
4343 as the same search as @kbd{C-c a u}, but limiting the search to
4344 headlines that are also TODO items
4346 as the same search as @kbd{C-c a u}, but only in the current buffer and
4347 displaying the result as a sparse tree
4349 to create a sparse tree (again: current buffer only) with all entries
4350 containing the word @samp{FIXME}.
4353 @node Block agenda, Setting Options, Storing searches, Custom agenda views
4354 @subsection Block agenda
4355 @cindex block agenda
4356 @cindex agenda, with block views
4358 Another possibility is the construction of agenda views that comprise
4359 the results of @emph{several} commands, each of which creates a block in
4360 the agenda buffer. The available commands include @code{agenda} for the
4361 daily or weekly agenda (as created with @kbd{C-c a a}), @code{alltodo}
4362 for the global todo list (as constructed with @kbd{C-c a t}), and the
4363 matching commands discussed above: @code{todo}, @code{tags}, and
4364 @code{tags-todo}. Here are two examples:
4368 (setq org-agenda-custom-commands
4369 '(("h" "Agenda and Home-related tasks"
4373 ("o" "Agenda and Office-related tasks"
4381 This will define @kbd{C-c a h} to create a multi-block view for stuff
4382 you need to attend to at home. The resulting agenda buffer will contain
4383 your agenda for the current week, all TODO items that carry the tag
4384 @samp{HOME}, and also all lines tagged with @samp{GARDEN}. Finally the
4385 command @kbd{C-c a o} provides a similar view for office tasks.
4388 @node Setting Options, Batch processing, Block agenda, Custom agenda views
4389 @subsection Setting Options for custom commands
4390 @cindex options, for custom agenda views
4392 Org-mode contains a number of variables regulating agenda construction
4393 and display. The global variables define the behavior for all agenda
4394 commands, including the custom commands. However, if you want to change
4395 some settings just for a single custom view, you can do so. Setting
4396 options requires inserting a list of variable names and values at the
4397 right spot in @code{org-agenda-custom-commands}. For example:
4401 (setq org-agenda-custom-commands
4402 '(("w" todo "WAITING"
4403 ((org-agenda-sorting-strategy '(priority-down))
4404 (org-agenda-prefix-format " Mixed: ")))
4405 ("U" tags-tree "+BOSS-URGENT"
4406 ((org-show-following-heading nil)
4407 (org-show-hierarchy-above nil)))))
4412 Now the @kbd{C-c a w} command will sort the collected entries only by
4413 priority, and the prefix format is modified to just say @samp{ Mixed:}
4414 instead of giving the category of the entry. The sparse tags tree of
4415 @kbd{C-c a U} will now turn out ultra-compact, because neither the
4416 headline hierarchy above the match, nor the headline following the match
4419 For command sets creating a block agenda,
4420 @code{org-agenda-custom-commands} has two separate spots for setting
4421 options. You can add options that should be valid for just a single
4422 command in the set, and options that should be valid for all commands in
4423 the set. The former are just added to the command entry, the latter
4424 must come after the list of command entries. Going back to the block
4425 agenda example (@pxref{Block agenda}), let's change the sorting strategy
4426 for the @kbd{C-c a h} commands to @code{priority-down}, but let's sort
4427 the results for GARDEN tags query in the opposite order,
4428 @code{priority-up}. This would look like this:
4432 (setq org-agenda-custom-commands
4433 '(("h" "Agenda and Home-related tasks"
4436 (tags "GARDEN" ((org-agenda-sorting-strategy '(priority-up)))))
4437 ((org-agenda-sorting-strategy '(priority-down))))
4438 ("o" "Agenda and Office-related tasks"
4445 As you see, the values and parenthesis setting is a little complex.
4446 When in doubt, use the customize interface to set this variable - it
4447 fully supports its structure. Just one caveat: When setting options in
4448 this interface, the @emph{values} are just lisp expressions. So if the
4449 value is a string, you need to add the double quotes around the value
4452 @node Batch processing, , Setting Options, Custom agenda views
4453 @subsection Creating agenda views in batch processing
4454 @cindex agenda, batch production
4456 If you want to print or otherwise reprocess agenda views, it can be
4457 useful to create an agenda from the command line. This is the purpose
4458 of the function @code{org-batch-agenda}. It takes as a parameter one of
4459 the strings that are the keys in @code{org-agenda-custom-commands}. For
4460 example, to directly print the current TODO list, you could use
4463 emacs -batch -l ~/.emacs -eval '(org-batch-agenda "t")' | lpr
4467 You may also modify parameters on the fly like this:
4470 emacs -batch -l ~/.emacs \
4471 -eval '(org-batch-agenda "a" \
4472 org-agenda-ndays 300 \
4473 org-agenda-include-diary nil \
4474 org-agenda-files (quote ("~/org/project.org")))' \
4479 which will produce a 300 day agenda, fully restricted to the Org file
4480 @file{~/org/projects.org}, not even including the diary.
4482 @node Embedded LaTeX, Exporting, Agenda views, Top
4483 @chapter Embedded LaTeX
4484 @cindex @TeX{} interpretation
4485 @cindex La@TeX{} interpretation
4487 Plain ASCII is normally sufficient for almost all note taking. One
4488 exception, however, are scientific notes which need to be able to
4489 contain mathematical symbols and the occasional formula.
4490 La@TeX{}@footnote{La@TeX{} is a macro system based on Donald E. Knuth's
4491 @TeX{} system. Many of the features described here as ``La@TeX{}'' are
4492 really from @TeX{}, but for simplicity I am blurring this distinction.}
4493 is widely used to typeset scientific documents. Org-mode supports
4494 embedding La@TeX{} code into its files, because many academics are used
4495 to read La@TeX{} source code, and because it can be readily processed
4496 into images for HTML production.
4498 It is not necessary to mark La@TeX{} macros and code in any special way.
4499 If you observe a few conventions, Org-mode knows how to find it and what
4503 * Math symbols:: TeX macros for symbols and Greek letters
4504 * Subscripts and Superscripts:: Simple syntax for raising/lowering text
4505 * LaTeX fragments:: Complex formulas made easy
4506 * Processing LaTeX fragments:: Previewing LaTeX processing
4507 * CDLaTeX mode:: Speed up entering of formulas
4510 @node Math symbols, Subscripts and Superscripts, Embedded LaTeX, Embedded LaTeX
4511 @section Math symbols
4512 @cindex math symbols
4515 You can use La@TeX{} macros to insert special symbols like @samp{\alpha}
4516 to indicate the Greek letter, or @samp{\to} to indicate an arrow.
4517 Completion for these macros is available, just type @samp{\} and maybe a
4518 few letters, and press @kbd{M-@key{TAB}} to see possible completions.
4519 Unlike La@TeX{} code, Org-mode allows these macros to be present
4520 without surrounding math delimiters, for example:
4523 Angles are written as Greek letters \alpha, \beta and \gamma.
4526 During HTML export (@pxref{HTML export}), these symbols are translated
4527 into the proper syntax for HTML, for the above examples this is
4528 @samp{α} and @samp{→}, respectively.
4530 @node Subscripts and Superscripts, LaTeX fragments, Math symbols, Embedded LaTeX
4531 @section Subscripts and Superscripts
4535 Just like in La@TeX{}, @samp{^} and @samp{_} are used to indicate super-
4536 and subscripts. Again, these can be used without embedding them in
4537 math-mode delimiters. To increase the readability of ASCII text, it is
4538 not necessary (but OK) to surround multi-character sub- and superscripts
4539 with curly braces. For example
4542 The mass if the sun is M_sun = 1.989 x 10^30 kg. The radius of
4543 the sun is R_@{sun@} = 6.96 x 10^8 m.
4546 To avoid interpretation as raised or lowered text, you can quote
4547 @samp{^} and @samp{_} with a backslash: @samp{\_} and @samp{\^}.
4549 During HTML export (@pxref{HTML export}), subscript and superscripts
4550 are surrounded with @code{<sub>} and @code{<sup>} tags, respectively.
4552 @node LaTeX fragments, Processing LaTeX fragments, Subscripts and Superscripts, Embedded LaTeX
4553 @section LaTeX fragments
4554 @cindex LaTeX fragments
4556 With symbols, sub- and superscripts, HTML is pretty much at its end when
4557 it comes to representing mathematical formulas@footnote{Yes, there is
4558 MathML, but that is not yet fully supported by many browsers, and there
4559 is no decent converter for turning LaTeX of ASCII representations of
4560 formulas into MathML. So for the time being, converting formulas into
4561 images seems the way to go.}. More complex
4562 expressions need a dedicated formula processor. To this end, Org-mode
4563 can contain arbitrary La@TeX{} fragments. It provides commands to
4564 preview the typeset result of these fragments, and upon export to HTML,
4565 all fragments will be converted to images and inlined into the HTML
4566 document. For this to work you need to be on a system with a working
4567 La@TeX{} installation. You also need the @file{dvipng} program,
4568 available at @url{http://sourceforge.net/projects/dvipng/}.
4570 La@TeX{} fragments don't need any special marking at all. The following
4571 snippets will be identified as LaTeX source code:
4574 Environments of any kind. The only requirement is that the
4575 @code{\begin} statement appears on a new line, preceded by only
4578 Text within the usual La@TeX{} math delimiters. To avoid conflicts with
4579 currency specifications, single @samp{$} characters are only recognized
4580 as math delimiters if the enclosed text contains at most two line breaks,
4581 is directly attached to the @samp{$} characters with no whitespace in
4582 between, and if the closing @samp{$} is followed by whitespace or
4583 punctuation. For the other delimiters, there is no such restriction, so
4584 when in doubt, use @samp{\(...\)} as inline math delimiters.
4587 @noindent For example:
4590 \begin@{equation@} % arbitrary environments,
4591 x=\sqrt@{b@} % even tables, figures
4592 \end@{equation@} % etc
4594 If $a^2=b$ and \( b=2 \), then the solution must be
4595 either $$ a=+\sqrt@{2@} $$ or \[ a=-\sqrt@{2@} \].
4599 If you need any of the delimiter ASCII sequences for other purposes, you
4600 can configure the option @code{org-format-latex-options} to deselect the
4601 ones you do not wish to have interpreted by the La@TeX{} converter.
4603 @node Processing LaTeX fragments, CDLaTeX mode, LaTeX fragments, Embedded LaTeX
4604 @section Processing LaTeX fragments
4605 @cindex LaTeX fragments, preview
4607 La@TeX{} fragments can be processed to produce a preview images of the
4608 typeset expressions:
4613 Produce a preview image of the La@TeX{} fragment at point and overlay it
4614 over the source code. If there is no fragment at point, process all
4615 fragments in the current entry (between two headlines). When called
4616 with a prefix argument, process the entire subtree. When called with
4617 two prefix arguments, or when the cursor is before the first headline,
4618 process the entire buffer.
4621 Remove the overlay preview images.
4624 During HTML export (@pxref{HTML export}), all La@TeX{} fragments are
4625 converted into images and inlined into the document if the following
4629 (setq org-export-with-LaTeX-fragments t)
4632 @node CDLaTeX mode, , Processing LaTeX fragments, Embedded LaTeX
4633 @section Using CDLaTeX to enter math
4636 CDLaTeX-mode is a minor mode that is normally used in combination with a
4637 major LaTeX mode like AUCTeX in order to speed-up insertion of
4638 environments and math templates. Inside Org-mode, you can make use of
4639 some of the features of cdlatex-mode. You need to install
4640 @file{cdlatex.el} and @file{texmathp.el} (the latter comes also with
4641 AUCTeX) from @url{http://www.astro.uva.nl/~dominik/Tools/cdlatex}.
4642 Don't turn cdlatex-mode itself under Org-mode, but use the light
4643 version @code{org-cdlatex-mode} that comes as part of Org-mode. Turn it
4644 on for the current buffer with @code{M-x org-cdlatex-mode}, or for all
4648 (add-hook 'org-mode-hook 'turn-on-org-cdlatex)
4651 When this mode is enabled, the following features are present (for more
4652 details see the documentation of cdlatex-mode):
4656 Environment templates can be inserted with @kbd{C-c @{}.
4659 The @key{TAB} key will do template expansion if the cursor is inside a
4660 LaTeX fragment@footnote{Org-mode has a method to test if the cursor is
4661 inside such a fragment, see the documentation of the function
4662 @code{org-inside-LaTeX-fragment-p}.}. For example, @key{TAB} will
4663 expand @code{fr} to @code{\frac@{@}@{@}} and position the cursor
4664 correctly inside the first brace. Another @key{TAB} will get you into
4665 the second brace. Even outside fragments, @key{TAB} will expand
4666 environment abbreviations at the beginning of a line. For example, if
4667 you write @samp{equ} at the beginning of a line and press @key{TAB},
4668 this abbreviation will be expanded to an @code{equation} environment.
4669 To get a list of all abbreviations, type @kbd{M-x cdlatex-command-help}.
4673 Pressing @kbd{_} and @kbd{^} inside a LaTeX fragment will insert these
4674 characters together with a pair of braces. If you use @key{TAB} to move
4675 out of the braces, and if the braces surround only a single character or
4676 macro, they are removed again (depending on the variable
4677 @code{cdlatex-simplify-sub-super-scripts}).
4680 Pressing the backquote @kbd{`} followed by a character inserts math
4681 macros, also outside LaTeX fragments. If you wait more than 1.5 seconds
4682 after the backquote, a help window will pop up.
4685 Pressing the normal quote @kbd{'} followed by another character modifies
4686 the symbol before point with an accent or a font. If you wait more than
4687 1.5 seconds after the backquote, a help window will pop up. Character
4688 modification will work only inside La@TeX{} fragments, outside the quote
4692 @node Exporting, Publishing, Embedded LaTeX, Top
4696 Org-mode documents can be exported into a variety of other formats. For
4697 printing and sharing of notes, ASCII export produces a readable and
4698 simple version of an Org-mode file. HTML export allows you to publish a
4699 notes file on the web, while the XOXO format provides a solid base for
4700 exchange with a broad range of other applications. To incorporate
4701 entries with associated times like deadlines or appointments into a
4702 desktop calendar program like iCal, Org-mode can also produce extracts
4703 in the iCalendar format. Currently Org-mode only supports export, not
4704 import of these different formats.
4706 When exporting, Org-mode uses special conventions to enrich the output
4707 produced. @xref{Text interpretation}, for more details.
4712 Dispatcher for export and publishing commands. Displays a help-window
4713 listing the additional key(s) needed to launch an export or publishing
4718 * ASCII export:: Exporting to plain ASCII
4719 * HTML export:: Exporting to HTML
4720 * XOXO export:: Exporting to XOXO
4721 * iCalendar export:: Exporting in iCalendar format
4722 * Text interpretation:: How the exporter looks at the file
4725 @node ASCII export, HTML export, Exporting, Exporting
4726 @section ASCII export
4727 @cindex ASCII export
4729 ASCII export produces a simple and very readable version of an Org-mode
4732 @cindex region, active
4733 @cindex active region
4734 @cindex transient-mark-mode
4738 Export as ASCII file. If there is an active region, only the region
4739 will be exported. For an org file @file{myfile.org}, the ASCII file
4740 will be @file{myfile.txt}. The file will be overwritten without
4744 Export only the visible part of the document.
4747 @cindex headline levels, for exporting
4748 In the exported version, the first 3 outline levels will become
4749 headlines, defining a general document structure. Additional levels
4750 will be exported as itemized lists. If you want that transition to occur
4751 at a different level, specify it with a prefix argument. For example,
4758 creates only top level headlines and does the rest as items. When
4759 headlines are converted to items, the indentation of the text following
4760 the headline is changed to fit nicely under the item. This is done with
4761 the assumption that the first bodyline indicates the base indentation of
4762 the body text. Any indentation larger than this is adjusted to preserve
4763 the layout relative to the first line. Should there be lines with less
4764 indentation than the first, these are left alone.
4766 @node HTML export, XOXO export, ASCII export, Exporting
4767 @section HTML export
4770 Org-mode contains an HTML (XHTML 1.0 strict) exporter with extensive
4771 HTML formatting, in ways similar to John Grubers @emph{markdown}
4772 language, but with additional support for tables.
4775 * Export commands:: How to invode HTML export
4776 * Quoting HTML tags:: Using direct HTML in Org-mode
4777 * Links:: How hyperlinks get transferred to HTML
4778 * Images:: To inline or not to inline?
4779 * CSS support:: Style specifications
4782 @node Export commands, Quoting HTML tags, HTML export, HTML export
4783 @subsection HTML export commands
4785 @cindex region, active
4786 @cindex active region
4787 @cindex transient-mark-mode
4791 Export as HTML file @file{myfile.html}.
4794 Export as HTML file and open it with a browser.
4799 Export only the visible part of the document.
4802 @cindex headline levels, for exporting
4803 In the exported version, the first 3 outline levels will become
4804 headlines, defining a general document structure. Additional levels
4805 will be exported as itemized lists. If you want that transition to occur
4806 at a different level, specify it with a prefix argument. For example,
4813 creates two levels of headings and does the rest as items.
4815 @node Quoting HTML tags, Links, Export commands, HTML export
4816 @subsection Quoting HTML tags
4818 Plain @samp{<} and @samp{>} are always transformed to @samp{<} and
4819 @samp{>} in HTML export. If you want to include simple HTML tags
4820 which should be interpreted as such, mark them with @samp{@@} as in
4821 @samp{@@<b>bold text@@</b>}. Note that this really works only for
4822 simple tags. For more extensive HTML that should be copied verbatim to
4823 the exported file use either
4826 #+HTML: Literal HTML code for export
4833 All lines between these markers are exported literally
4838 @node Links, Images, Quoting HTML tags, HTML export
4841 @cindex links, in HTML export
4842 @cindex internal links, in HTML export
4843 @cindex external links, in HTML export
4844 Internal links (@pxref{Internal links}) will continue to work in HTML
4845 files only if they match a dedicated @samp{<<target>>}. Automatic links
4846 created by radio targets (@pxref{Radio targets}) will also work in the
4847 HTML file. Links to external files will still work if the HTML file is
4848 in the same directory as the Org-mode file. Links to other @file{.org}
4849 files will be translated into HTML links under the assumption that an
4850 HTML version also exists of the linked file. For information related to
4851 linking files while publishing them to a publishing directory see
4852 @ref{Publishing links}.
4854 @node Images, CSS support, Links, HTML export
4857 @cindex images, inline in HTML
4858 @cindex inlining images in HTML
4859 HTML export can inline images given as links in the Org-mode file, and
4860 it can make an image the clickable part of a link. By
4861 default@footnote{but see the variable
4862 @code{org-export-html-inline-images}}, images are inlined if a link does
4863 not have a description. So @samp{[[file:myimg.jpg]]} will be inlined,
4864 while @samp{[[file:myimg.jpg][the image]]} will just produce a link
4865 @samp{the image} that points to the image. If the description part
4866 itself is a @code{file:} link or a @code{http:} URL pointing to an
4867 image, this image will be inlined and activated so that clicking on the
4868 image will activate the link. For example, to include a thumbnail that
4869 will link to a high resolution version of the image, you could use:
4872 [[file:highres.jpg][file:thumb.jpg]]
4876 and you could use @code{http} addresses just as well.
4878 @node CSS support, , Images, HTML export
4879 @subsection CSS support
4881 You can also give style information for the exported file. The HTML
4882 exporter assigns the following CSS classes to appropriate parts of the
4883 document - your style specifications may change these:
4885 .todo @r{TODO keywords}
4886 .done @r{the DONE keyword}
4887 .timestamp @r{time stamp}
4888 .timestamp-kwd @r{keyword associated with a time stamp, like SCHEDULED}
4889 .tag @r{tag in a headline}
4890 .target @r{target for links}
4893 The default style specification can be configured through the option
4894 @code{org-export-html-style}. If you want to use a file-local style,
4895 you may use file variables, best wrapped into a COMMENT section at the
4896 end of the outline tree. For example@footnote{Under Emacs 21, the
4897 continuation lines for a variable value should have no @samp{#} at the
4898 start of the line.}:
4901 * COMMENT html style specifications
4904 # org-export-html-style: " <style type=\"text/css\">
4905 # p @{font-weight: normal; color: gray; @}
4906 # h1 @{color: black; @}
4911 Remember to execute @kbd{M-x normal-mode} after changing this to make
4912 the new style visible to Emacs. This command restarts org-mode for the
4913 current buffer and forces Emacs to re-evaluate the local variables
4914 section in the buffer.
4916 @c FIXME: More about header and footer styles
4917 @c FIXME: Talk about links and targets.
4919 @node XOXO export, iCalendar export, HTML export, Exporting
4920 @section XOXO export
4923 Org-mode contains an exporter that produces XOXO-style output.
4924 Currently, this exporter only handles the general outline structure and
4925 does not interpret any additional Org-mode features.
4930 Export as XOXO file @file{myfile.html}.
4933 Export only the visible part of the document.
4936 @node iCalendar export, Text interpretation, XOXO export, Exporting
4937 @section iCalendar export
4938 @cindex iCalendar export
4940 Some people like to use Org-mode for keeping track of projects, but
4941 still prefer a standard calendar application for anniversaries and
4942 appointments. In this case it can be useful to have deadlines and
4943 other time-stamped items in Org-mode files show up in the calendar
4944 application. Org-mode can export calendar information in the standard
4945 iCalendar format. If you also want to have TODO entries included in the
4946 export, configure the variable @code{org-icalendar-include-todo}.
4951 Create iCalendar entries for the current file and store them in the same
4952 directory, using a file extension @file{.ics}.
4955 Like @kbd{C-c C-e i}, but do this for all files in
4956 @code{org-agenda-files}. For each of these files, a separate iCalendar
4957 file will be written.
4960 Create a single large iCalendar file from all files in
4961 @code{org-agenda-files} and write it to the file given by
4962 @code{org-combined-agenda-icalendar-file}.
4965 How this calendar is best read and updated, depends on the application
4966 you are using. The FAQ covers this issue.
4969 @node Text interpretation, , iCalendar export, Exporting
4970 @section Text interpretation by the exporter
4972 The exporter backends interpret additional structure in the Org-mode file
4973 in order to produce better output.
4976 * Comment lines:: Some lines will not be exported
4977 * Enhancing text:: Subscripts, symbols and more
4978 * Export options:: How to influence the export settings
4981 @node Comment lines, Enhancing text, Text interpretation, Text interpretation
4982 @subsection Comment lines
4983 @cindex comment lines
4984 @cindex exporting, not
4986 Lines starting with @samp{#} in column zero are treated as comments
4987 and will never be exported. Also entire subtrees starting with the
4988 word @samp{COMMENT} will never be exported. Finally, any text before
4989 the first headline will not be exported either.
4994 Toggle the COMMENT keyword at the beginning of an entry.
4997 @node Enhancing text, Export options, Comment lines, Text interpretation
4998 @subsection Enhancing text for export
4999 @cindex enhancing text
5002 Some of the export backends of Org-mode allow for sophisticated text
5003 formatting, this is true in particular for the HTML backend. Org-mode
5004 has a number of typing conventions that allow to produce a richly
5009 @cindex hand-formatted lists
5010 @cindex lists, hand-formatted
5012 Plain lists @samp{-}, @samp{*} or @samp{+} as bullet, or with @samp{1.}
5013 or @samp{2)} as enumerator will be recognized and transformed if the
5014 backend supports lists. See @xref{Plain lists}.
5016 @cindex underlined text
5020 You can make words @b{*bold*}, @i{/italic/}, _underlined_,
5021 @code{=code=}, and @samp{+strikethrough+}.
5023 @cindex horizontal rules, in exported files
5025 A line consisting of only dashes, and at least 5 of them, will be
5026 exported as a horizontal line (@samp{<hr/>} in HTML).
5028 @cindex LaTeX fragments, export
5029 @cindex TeX macros, export
5031 Many @TeX{} macros and entire La@TeX{} fragments are converted into HTML
5032 entities or images (@pxref{Embedded LaTeX}).
5034 @cindex tables, export
5036 Tables are transformed into native tables under the exporter, if the
5037 export backend supports this. Data fields before the first horizontal
5038 separator line will be formatted as table header fields.
5042 If a headline starts with the word @samp{QUOTE}, the text below the
5043 headline will be typeset as fixed-width, to allow quoting of computer
5044 codes etc. Lines starting with @samp{:} are also typeset in
5049 Toggle fixed-width for entry (QUOTE) or region, see below.
5052 @cindex linebreak, forced
5054 A double backslash @emph{at the end of a line} enforces a line break at
5058 If these conversions conflict with your habits of typing ASCII text,
5059 they can all be turned off with corresponding variables (see the
5060 customization group @code{org-export-general}, and the following section
5061 which explains how to set export options with special lines in a
5065 @node Export options, , Enhancing text, Text interpretation
5066 @subsection Export options
5067 @cindex options, for export
5069 @cindex completion, of option keywords
5070 The exporter recognizes special lines in the buffer which provide
5071 additional information. These lines may be put anywhere in the file.
5072 The whole set of lines can be inserted into the buffer with @kbd{C-c
5073 C-e t}. For individual lines, a good way to make sure the keyword is
5074 correct is to type @samp{#+} and then use @kbd{M-@key{TAB}} completion
5075 (@pxref{Completion}).
5080 Insert template with export options, see example below.
5084 #+TITLE: the title to be shown (default is the buffer name)
5085 #+AUTHOR: the author (default taken from @code{user-full-name})
5086 #+EMAIL: his/her email address (default from @code{user-mail-address})
5087 #+LANGUAGE: language for HTML, e.g. @samp{en} (@code{org-export-default-language})
5088 #+TEXT: Some descriptive text to be inserted at the beginning.
5089 #+TEXT: Several lines may be given.
5090 #+OPTIONS: H:2 num:t toc:t \n:nil @@:t ::t |:t ^:t *:nil TeX:t LaTeX:t
5094 The OPTIONS line is a compact form to specify export settings. Here
5096 @cindex headline levels
5097 @cindex section-numbers
5098 @cindex table of contents
5099 @cindex linebreak preservation
5100 @cindex quoted HTML tags
5101 @cindex fixed-width sections
5103 @cindex @TeX{}-like syntax for sub- and superscripts
5104 @cindex emphasized text
5105 @cindex @TeX{} macros
5106 @cindex La@TeX{} fragments
5108 H: @r{set the number of headline levels for export}
5109 num: @r{turn on/off section-numbers}
5110 toc: @r{turn on/off table of contents, or set level limit (integer)}
5111 \n: @r{turn on/off linebreak-preservation}
5112 @@: @r{turn on/off quoted HTML tags}
5113 :: @r{turn on/off fixed-width sections}
5114 |: @r{turn on/off tables}
5115 ^: @r{turn on/off @TeX{}-like syntax for sub- and superscripts.}
5116 *: @r{turn on/off emphasized text (bold, italic, underlined)}
5117 TeX: @r{turn on/off simple @TeX{} macros in plain text}
5118 LaTeX: @r{turn on/off La@TeX{} fragments}
5121 @node Publishing, Miscellaneous, Exporting, Top
5125 Org-mode includes@footnote{@file{org-publish.el} is not yet part of
5126 Emacs, so if you are using @file{org.el} as it comes with Emacs, you
5127 need to download this file separately. Also make sure org.el is at
5128 least version 4.27.} a publishing management system
5129 that allows you to configure automatic HTML conversion of
5130 @emph{projects} composed of interlinked org files. This system is
5131 called @emph{org-publish}. You can also configure org-publish to
5132 automatically upload your exported HTML pages and related attachments,
5133 such as images and source code files, to a web server. Org-publish turns
5134 org-mode into a web-site authoring tool.
5136 Org-publish has been contributed to Org-mode by David O'Toole.
5139 * Configuration:: Defining projects
5140 * Sample configuration:: Example projects
5141 * Triggering publication:: Publication commands
5144 @node Configuration, Sample configuration, Publishing, Publishing
5145 @section Configuration
5147 Publishing needs significant configuration to specify files, destination
5148 and many other properties of a project.
5151 * Project alist:: The central configuration variable
5152 * Sources and destinations:: From here to there
5153 * Selecting files:: What files are part of the project?
5154 * Publishing action:: Setting the function doing the publishing
5155 * Publishing options:: Tweaking HTML export
5156 * Publishing links:: Which links keep working after publishing?
5157 * Project page index:: Publishing a list of project files
5160 @node Project alist, Sources and destinations, Configuration, Configuration
5161 @subsection The variable @code{org-publish-project-alist}
5162 @cindex org-publish-project-alist
5163 @cindex projects, for publishing
5165 Org-publish is configured almost entirely through setting the value of
5166 one variable, called @code{org-publish-project-alist}.
5167 Each element of the list configures one project, and may be in one of
5168 the two following forms:
5171 ("project-name" :property value :property value ...)
5175 ("project-name" :components ("project-name" "project-name" ...))
5179 In both cases, projects are configured by specifying property values.
5180 A project defines the set of files that will be published, as well as
5181 the publishing configuration to use when publishing those files. When
5182 a project takes the second form listed above, the individual members
5183 of the ``components'' property are taken to be components of the
5184 project, which group together files requiring different publishing
5185 options. When you publish such a ``meta-project'' all the components
5188 @node Sources and destinations, Selecting files, Project alist, Configuration
5189 @subsection Sources and destinations for files
5190 @cindex directories, for publishing
5192 Most properties are optional, but some should always be set. In
5193 particular, org-publish needs to know where to look for source files,
5194 and where to put published files.
5196 @multitable @columnfractions 0.3 0.7
5197 @item @code{:base-directory}
5198 @tab Directory containing publishing source files
5199 @item @code{:publishing-directory}
5200 @tab Directory (possibly remote) where output files will be published.
5201 @item @code{:preparation-function}
5202 @tab Function called before starting publishing process, for example to
5203 run @code{make} for updating files to be published.
5207 @node Selecting files, Publishing action, Sources and destinations, Configuration
5208 @subsection Selecting files
5209 @cindex files, selecting for publishing
5211 By default, all files with extension @file{.org} in the base directory
5212 are considered part of the project. This can be modified by setting the
5214 @multitable @columnfractions 0.25 0.75
5215 @item @code{:base-extension}
5216 @tab Extension (without the dot!) of source files. This actually is a
5219 @item @code{:exclude}
5220 @tab Regular expression to match file names that should not be
5221 published, even though they have been selected on the basis of their
5224 @item @code{:include}
5225 @tab List of files to be included regardless of @code{:base-extension}
5226 and @code{:exclude}.
5229 @node Publishing action, Publishing options, Selecting files, Configuration
5230 @subsection Publishing Action
5231 @cindex action, for publishing
5233 Publishing means that a file is copied to the destination directory and
5234 possibly transformed in the process. The default transformation is to
5235 export Org-mode files as HTML files, and this is done by the function
5236 @code{org-publish-org-to-html} which calls the HTML exporter
5237 (@pxref{HTML export}). Other files like images only need to be copied
5238 to the publishing destination. For non-Org-mode files, you need to
5239 specify the publishing function.
5241 @multitable @columnfractions 0.3 0.7
5242 @item @code{:publishing-function}
5243 @tab Function executing the publication of a file. This may also be a
5244 list of functions, which will all be called in turn.
5247 The function must accept two arguments: a property list containing at
5248 least a @code{:publishing-directory} property, and the name of the file
5249 to be published. It should take the specified file, make the necessary
5250 transformation (if any) and place the result into the destination folder.
5251 You can write your own publishing function, but @code{org-publish}
5252 provides one for attachments (files that only need to be copied):
5253 @code{org-publish-attachment}.
5255 @node Publishing options, Publishing links, Publishing action, Configuration
5256 @subsection Options for the HTML exporter
5257 @cindex options, for publishing
5259 The property list can be used to set many export options for the HTML
5260 exporter. In most cases, these properties correspond to user variables
5261 in Org-mode. The table below lists these properties along with the
5262 variable they belong to. See the documentation string for the
5263 respective variable for details.
5265 @multitable @columnfractions 0.3 0.7
5266 @item @code{:language} @tab @code{org-export-default-language}
5267 @item @code{:headline-levels} @tab @code{org-export-headline-levels}
5268 @item @code{:section-numbers} @tab @code{org-export-with-section-numbers}
5269 @item @code{:table-of-contents} @tab @code{org-export-with-toc}
5270 @item @code{:archived-trees} @tab @code{org-export-with-archived-trees}
5271 @item @code{:emphasize} @tab @code{org-export-with-emphasize}
5272 @item @code{:sub-superscript} @tab @code{org-export-with-sub-superscripts}
5273 @item @code{:TeX-macros} @tab @code{org-export-with-TeX-macros}
5274 @item @code{:LaTeX-fragments} @tab @code{org-export-with-LaTeX-fragments}
5275 @item @code{:fixed-width} @tab @code{org-export-with-fixed-width}
5276 @item @code{:timestamps} .@tab @code{org-export-with-timestamps}
5277 @item @code{:tags} .@tab @code{org-export-with-tags}
5278 @item @code{:tables} @tab @code{org-export-with-tables}
5279 @item @code{:table-auto-headline} @tab @code{org-export-highlight-first-table-line}
5280 @item @code{:style} @tab @code{org-export-html-style}
5281 @item @code{:convert-org-links} @tab @code{org-export-html-link-org-files-as-html}
5282 @item @code{:inline-images} @tab @code{org-export-html-inline-images}
5283 @item @code{:expand-quoted-html} @tab @code{org-export-html-expand}
5284 @item @code{:timestamp} @tab @code{org-export-html-with-timestamp}
5285 @item @code{:publishing-directory} @tab @code{org-export-publishing-directory}
5286 @item @code{:preamble} @tab @code{org-export-html-preamble}
5287 @item @code{:postamble} @tab @code{org-export-html-postamble}
5288 @item @code{:auto-preamble} @tab @code{org-export-html-auto-preamble}
5289 @item @code{:auto-postamble} @tab @code{org-export-html-auto-postamble}
5290 @item @code{:author} @tab @code{user-full-name}
5291 @item @code{:email} @tab @code{user-mail-address}
5294 When a property is given a value in org-publish-project-alist, its
5295 setting overrides the value of the corresponding user variable (if any)
5296 during publishing. options set within a file (@pxref{Export
5297 options}), however, override everything.
5299 @node Publishing links, Project page index, Publishing options, Configuration
5300 @subsection Links between published files
5301 @cindex links, publishing
5303 To create a link from one Org-mode file to another, you would use
5304 something like @samp{[[file:foo.org][The foo]]} or simply
5305 @samp{file:foo.org.} (@pxref{Hyperlinks}). Upon publishing this link
5306 becomes a link to @file{foo.html}. In this way, you can interlink the
5307 pages of your "org web" project and the links will work as expected when
5308 you publish them to HTML.
5310 You may also link to related files, such as images. Provided you are
5311 careful with relative pathnames, and provided you have also configured
5312 org-publish to upload the related files, these links will work
5313 too. @ref{Complex example} for an example of this usage.
5315 Sometime an Org-mode file to be published may contain links that are
5316 only valid in your production environment, but not in the publishing
5317 location. In this case, use the property
5319 @multitable @columnfractions 0.4 0.6
5320 @item @code{:link-validation-function}
5321 @tab Function to validate links
5325 to define a function for checking link validity. This function must
5326 accept two arguments, the file name and a directory relative to which
5327 the file name is interpreted in the production environment. If this
5328 function returns @code{nil}, then the HTML generator will only insert a
5329 description into the HTML file, but no link. One option for this
5330 function is @code{org-publish-validate-link} which checks if the given
5331 file is part of any project in @code{org-publish-project-alist}.
5333 @node Project page index, , Publishing links, Configuration
5334 @subsection Project page index
5335 @cindex index, of published pages
5337 The following properties may be used to control publishing of an
5338 index of files or summary page for a given project.
5340 @multitable @columnfractions 0.25 0.75
5341 @item @code{:auto-index}
5342 @tab When non-nil, publish an index during org-publish-current-project or
5345 @item @code{:index-filename}
5346 @tab Filename for output of index. Defaults to @file{index.org} (which
5347 becomes @file{index.html}).
5349 @item @code{:index-title}
5350 @tab Title of index page. Defaults to name of file.
5352 @item @code{:index-function}
5353 @tab Plugin function to use for generation of index.
5354 Defaults to @code{org-publish-org-index}, which generates a plain list
5355 of links to all files in the project.
5358 @node Sample configuration, Triggering publication, Configuration, Publishing
5359 @section Sample configuration
5361 Below we provide two example configurations. The first one is a simple
5362 project publishing only a set of Org-mode files. The second example is
5363 more complex, with a multi-component project.
5366 * Simple example:: One-component publishing
5367 * Complex example:: A multi-component publishing example
5370 @node Simple example, Complex example, Sample configuration, Sample configuration
5371 @subsection Example: simple publishing configuration
5373 This example publishes a set of Org-mode files to the @file{public_html}
5374 directory on the local machine.
5377 (setq org-publish-project-alist
5379 :base-directory "~/org/"
5380 :publishing-directory "~/public_html"
5381 :section-numbers nil
5382 :table-of-contents nil
5383 :style "<link rel=stylesheet
5384 href=\"../other/mystyle.css\"
5385 type=\"text/css\">")))
5388 @node Complex example, , Simple example, Sample configuration
5389 @subsection Example: complex publishing configuration
5391 This more complicated example publishes an entire website, including
5392 org files converted to HTML, image files, emacs lisp source code, and
5393 stylesheets. The publishing-directory is remote and private files are
5396 To ensure that links are preserved, care should be taken to replicate
5397 your directory structure on the web server, and to use relative file
5398 paths. For example, if your org files are kept in @file{~/org} and your
5399 publishable images in @file{~/images}, you'd link to an image with
5402 file:../images/myimage.png
5405 On the web server, the relative path to the image should be the
5406 same. You can accomplish this by setting up an "images" folder in the
5407 right place on the webserver, and publishing images to it.
5410 (setq org-publish-project-alist
5412 :base-directory "~/org/"
5413 :base-extension "org"
5414 :publishing-directory "/ssh:user@@host:~/html/notebook/"
5415 :publishing-function org-publish-org-to-html
5416 :exclude "PrivatePage.org" ;; regexp
5418 :section-numbers nil
5419 :table-of-contents nil
5420 :style "<link rel=stylesheet
5421 href=\"../other/mystyle.css\" type=\"text/css\">"
5423 :auto-postamble nil)
5426 :base-directory "~/images/"
5427 :base-extension "jpg\\|gif\\|png"
5428 :publishing-directory "/ssh:user@@host:~/html/images/"
5429 :publishing-function org-publish-attachment)
5432 :base-directory "~/other/"
5433 :base-extension "css\\|el"
5434 :publishing-directory "/ssh:user@@host:~/html/other/"
5435 :publishing-function org-publish-attachment)
5436 ("website" :components ("orgfiles" "images" "other"))))
5439 @node Triggering publication, , Sample configuration, Publishing
5440 @section Triggering publication
5442 Once org-publish is properly configured, you can publish with the
5443 following functions:
5447 Prompt for a specific project and publish all files that belong to it.
5449 Publish the project containing the current file.
5451 Publish only the current file.
5453 Publish all projects.
5456 Org uses timestamps to track when a file has changed. The above
5457 functions normally only publish changed files. You can override this and
5458 force publishing of all files by giving a prefix argument.
5460 @node Miscellaneous, Extensions and Hacking, Publishing, Top
5461 @chapter Miscellaneous
5464 * Completion:: M-TAB knows what you need
5465 * Customization:: Adapting Org-mode to your taste
5466 * In-buffer settings:: Overview of the #+KEYWORDS
5467 * The very busy C-c C-c key:: When in doubt, press C-c C-c
5468 * Clean view:: Getting rid of leading stars in the outline
5469 * TTY keys:: Using Org-mode on a tty
5470 * Interaction:: Other Emacs packages
5471 * Bugs:: Things which do not work perfectly
5474 @node Completion, Customization, Miscellaneous, Miscellaneous
5476 @cindex completion, of @TeX{} symbols
5477 @cindex completion, of TODO keywords
5478 @cindex completion, of dictionary words
5479 @cindex completion, of option keywords
5480 @cindex completion, of tags
5481 @cindex completion, of link abbreviations
5482 @cindex @TeX{} symbol completion
5483 @cindex TODO keywords completion
5484 @cindex dictionary word completion
5485 @cindex option keyword completion
5486 @cindex tag completion
5487 @cindex link abbreviations, completion of
5489 Org-mode supports in-buffer completion. This type of completion does
5490 not make use of the minibuffer. You simply type a few letters into
5491 the buffer and use the key to complete text right there.
5496 Complete word at point
5499 At the beginning of a headline, complete TODO keywords.
5501 After @samp{\}, complete @TeX{} symbols supported by the exporter.
5503 After @samp{*}, complete headlines in the current buffer so that they
5504 can be used in search links like @samp{[[*find this headline]]}.
5506 After @samp{:}, complete tags. The list of tags is taken from the
5507 variable @code{org-tag-alist} (possibly set through the @samp{#+TAGS}
5508 in-buffer option, @pxref{Setting tags}), or it is created dynamically
5509 from all tags used in the current buffer.
5511 After @samp{[}, complete link abbreviations (@pxref{Link abbreviations}).
5513 After @samp{#+}, complete the special keywords like @samp{TYP_TODO} or
5514 @samp{OPTIONS} which set file-specific options for Org-mode. When the
5515 option keyword is already complete, pressing @kbd{M-@key{TAB}} again
5516 will insert example settings for this keyword.
5518 In the line after @samp{#+STARTUP: }, complete startup keywords,
5519 i.e. valid keys for this line.
5521 Elsewhere, complete dictionary words using ispell.
5525 @node Customization, In-buffer settings, Completion, Miscellaneous
5526 @section Customization
5527 @cindex customization
5528 @cindex options, for customization
5529 @cindex variables, for customization
5531 There are more than 180 variables that can be used to customize
5532 Org-mode. For the sake of compactness of the manual, I am not
5533 describing the variables here. A structured overview of customization
5534 variables is available with @kbd{M-x org-customize}. Or select
5535 @code{Browse Org Group} from the @code{Org->Customization} menu. Many
5536 settings can also be activated on a per-file basis, by putting special
5537 lines into the buffer (@pxref{In-buffer settings}).
5539 @node In-buffer settings, The very busy C-c C-c key, Customization, Miscellaneous
5540 @section Summary of in-buffer settings
5541 @cindex in-buffer settings
5542 @cindex special keywords
5544 Org-mode uses special lines in the buffer to define settings on a
5545 per-file basis. These lines start with a @samp{#+} followed by a
5546 keyword, a colon, and then individual words defining a setting. Several
5547 setting words can be in the same line, but you can also have multiple
5548 lines for the keyword. While these settings are described throughout
5549 the manual, here is a summary. After changing any of those lines in the
5550 buffer, press @kbd{C-c C-c} with the cursor still in the line to
5551 activate the changes immediately. Otherwise they become effective only
5552 when the file is visited again in a new Emacs session.
5556 This line sets options to be used at startup of org-mode, when an
5557 Org-mode file is being visited. The first set of options deals with the
5558 initial visibility of the outline tree. The corresponding variable for
5559 global default settings is @code{org-startup-folded}, with a default
5560 value @code{t}, which means @code{overview}.
5561 @cindex @code{overview}, STARTUP keyword
5562 @cindex @code{content}, STARTUP keyword
5563 @cindex @code{showall}, STARTUP keyword
5565 overview @r{top-level headlines only}
5566 content @r{all headlines}
5567 showall @r{no folding at all, show everything}
5569 Then there are options for aligning tables upon visiting a file. This
5570 is useful in files containing narrowed table columns. The corresponding
5571 variable is @code{org-startup-align-all-tables}, with a default value
5573 @cindex @code{align}, STARTUP keyword
5574 @cindex @code{noalign}, STARTUP keyword
5576 align @r{align all tables}
5577 noalign @r{don't align tables on startup}
5579 Logging TODO state changes and clock intervals (variable
5580 @code{org-log-done}) can be configured using these options.
5581 @cindex @code{logdone}, STARTUP keyword
5582 @cindex @code{nologging}, STARTUP keyword
5583 @cindex @code{lognotedone}, STARTUP keyword
5584 @cindex @code{lognoteclock-out}, STARTUP keyword
5585 @cindex @code{lognotestate}, STARTUP keyword
5587 logging @r{record a timestamp when an item is marked DONE}
5588 nologging @r{don't record when items are marked DONE}
5589 lognotedone @r{record timestamp and a note when DONE}
5590 lognotestate @r{record timestamp, note when TODO state changes}
5591 lognoteclock-out @r{record timestamp and a note when clocking out}
5593 Here are the options for hiding leading stars in outline headings. The
5594 corresponding variables are @code{org-hide-leading-stars} and
5595 @code{org-odd-levels-only}, both with a default setting @code{nil}
5596 (meaning @code{showstars} and @code{oddeven}).
5597 @cindex @code{hidestars}, STARTUP keyword
5598 @cindex @code{showstars}, STARTUP keyword
5599 @cindex @code{odd}, STARTUP keyword
5600 @cindex @code{even}, STARTUP keyword
5602 hidestars @r{make all but one of the stars starting a headline invisible.}
5603 showstars @r{show all stars starting a headline}
5604 odd @r{allow only odd outline levels (1,3,...)}
5605 oddeven @r{allow all outline levels}
5607 To turn on custom format overlays over time stamps (variables
5608 @code{org-put-time-stamp-overlays} and
5609 @code{org-time-stamp-overlay-formats}), use
5610 @cindex @code{customtime}, STARTUP keyword
5612 customtime @r{overlay custom time format}
5614 @item #+SEQ_TODO: #+TYP_TODO:
5615 These lines set the TODO keywords and their interpretation in the
5616 current file. The corresponding variables are @code{org-todo-keywords}
5617 and @code{org-todo-interpretation}.
5618 @item #+TAGS: TAG1(c1) TAG2(c2)
5619 These lines (several such lines are allowed) specify the legal tags in
5620 this file, and (potentially) the corresponding @emph{fast tag selection}
5621 keys. The corresponding variable is @code{org-tag-alist}.
5622 @item #+LINK: linkword replace
5623 These lines (several are allowed) specify link abbreviations.
5624 @xref{Link abbreviations}. The corresponding variable is
5625 @code{org-link-abbrev-alist}.
5627 This line sets the category for the agenda file. The category applies
5628 for all subsequent lines until the next @samp{#+CATEGORY} line, or the
5629 end of the file. The first such line also applies to any entries before it.
5630 @item #+ARCHIVE: %s_done::
5631 This line sets the archive location for the agenda file. It applies for
5632 all subsequent lines until the next @samp{#+CATEGORY} line, or the end
5633 of the file. The first such line also applies to any entries before it.
5634 The corresponding variable is @code{org-archive-location}.
5636 This line contains the formulas for the table directly above the line.
5637 @item #+TITLE:, #+AUTHOR:, #+EMAIL:, #+LANGUAGE:, #+TEXT:, #+OPTIONS:
5638 These lines provide settings for exporting files. For more details see
5639 @ref{Export options}.
5642 @node The very busy C-c C-c key, Clean view, In-buffer settings, Miscellaneous
5643 @section The very busy C-c C-c key
5645 @cindex C-c C-c, overview
5647 The key @kbd{C-c C-c} has many purposes in org-mode, which are all
5648 mentioned scattered throughout this manual. One specific function of
5649 this key is to add @emph{tags} to a headline (@pxref{Tags}). In many
5650 other circumstances it means something like @emph{Hey Org-mode, look
5651 here and update according to what you see here}. Here is a summary of
5652 what this means in different contexts.
5656 If there are highlights in the buffer from the creation of a sparse
5657 tree, or from clock display, remove these highlights.
5659 If the cursor is in one of the special @code{#+KEYWORD} lines, this
5660 triggers scanning the buffer for these lines and updating the
5663 If the cursor is inside a table, realign the table. This command
5664 works even if the automatic table editor has been turned off.
5666 If the cursor is on a @code{#+TBLFM} line, re-apply the formulas to
5669 If the cursor is inside a table created by the @file{table.el} package,
5670 activate that table.
5672 If the current buffer is a remember buffer, close the note and file it.
5673 With a prefix argument, file it, without further interaction, to the
5676 If the cursor is on a @code{<<<target>>>}, update radio targets and
5677 corresponding links in this buffer.
5679 If the cursor is in a plain list item with a checkbox, toggle the status
5682 If the cursor is on a numbered item in a plain list, renumber the
5686 @node Clean view, TTY keys, The very busy C-c C-c key, Miscellaneous
5687 @section A cleaner outline view
5688 @cindex hiding leading stars
5689 @cindex clean outline view
5691 Some people find it noisy and distracting that the Org-mode headlines
5692 are starting with a potentially large number of stars. For example
5693 the tree from @ref{Headlines}:
5696 * Top level headline
5702 * Another top level headline
5706 Unfortunately this is deeply ingrained into the code of Org-mode and
5707 cannot be easily changed. You can, however, modify the display in such
5708 a way that all leading stars become invisible and the outline more easy
5709 to read. To do this, customize the variable
5710 @code{org-hide-leading-stars} like this:
5713 (setq org-hide-leading-stars t)
5717 or change this on a per-file basis with one of the lines (anywhere in
5721 #+STARTUP: showstars
5722 #+STARTUP: hidestars
5726 Press @kbd{C-c C-c} with the cursor in a @samp{STARTUP} line to activate
5729 With stars hidden, the tree becomes:
5732 * Top level headline
5738 * Another top level headline
5742 Note that the leading stars are not truly replaced by whitespace, they
5743 are only fontified with the face @code{org-hide} that uses the
5744 background color as font color. If you are not using either white or
5745 black background, you may have to customize this face to get the wanted
5746 effect. Another possibility is to set this font such that the extra
5747 stars are @i{almost} invisible, for example using the color
5748 @code{grey90} on a white background.
5750 Things become cleaner still if you skip all the even levels and use only
5751 odd levels 1, 3, 5..., effectively adding two stars to go from one
5752 outline level to the next:
5755 * Top level headline
5761 * Another top level headline
5765 In order to make the structure editing and export commands handle this
5766 convention correctly, use
5769 (setq org-odd-levels-only t)
5773 or set this on a per-file basis with one of the following lines (don't
5774 forget to press @kbd{C-c C-c} with the cursor in the startup line to
5775 activate changes immediately).
5782 You can convert an Org-mode file from single-star-per-level to the
5783 double-star-per-level convention with @kbd{M-x org-convert-to-odd-levels
5784 RET} in that file. The reverse operation is @kbd{M-x
5785 org-convert-to-oddeven-levels}.
5787 @node TTY keys, Interaction, Clean view, Miscellaneous
5788 @section Using org-mode on a tty
5789 @cindex tty keybindings
5791 Org-mode uses a number of keys that are not accessible on a tty. This
5792 applies to most special keys like cursor keys, @key{TAB} and
5793 @key{RET}, when these are combined with modifier keys like @key{Meta}
5794 and/or @key{Shift}. Org-mode uses these bindings because it needs to
5795 provide keys for a large number of commands, and because these keys
5796 appeared particularly easy to remember. In order to still be able to
5797 access the core functionality of Org-mode on a tty, alternative
5798 bindings are provided. Here is a complete list of these bindings,
5799 which are obviously more cumbersome to use. Note that sometimes a
5800 work-around can be better. For example changing a time stamp is
5801 really only fun with @kbd{S-@key{cursor}} keys. On a tty you would
5802 rather use @kbd{C-c .} to re-insert the timestamp.
5804 @multitable @columnfractions 0.15 0.2 0.2
5805 @item @b{Default} @tab @b{Alternative 1} @tab @b{Alternative 2}
5806 @item @kbd{S-@key{TAB}} @tab @kbd{C-u @key{TAB}} @tab
5807 @item @kbd{M-@key{left}} @tab @kbd{C-c C-x l} @tab @kbd{@key{Esc} @key{left}}
5808 @item @kbd{M-S-@key{left}} @tab @kbd{C-c C-x L} @tab
5809 @item @kbd{M-@key{right}} @tab @kbd{C-c C-x r} @tab @kbd{@key{Esc} @key{right}}
5810 @item @kbd{M-S-@key{right}} @tab @kbd{C-c C-x R} @tab
5811 @item @kbd{M-@key{up}} @tab @kbd{C-c C-x u} @tab @kbd{@key{Esc} @key{up}}
5812 @item @kbd{M-S-@key{up}} @tab @kbd{C-c C-x U} @tab
5813 @item @kbd{M-@key{down}} @tab @kbd{C-c C-x d} @tab @kbd{@key{Esc} @key{down}}
5814 @item @kbd{M-S-@key{down}} @tab @kbd{C-c C-x D} @tab
5815 @item @kbd{S-@key{RET}} @tab @kbd{C-c C-x c} @tab
5816 @item @kbd{M-@key{RET}} @tab @kbd{C-c C-x m} @tab @kbd{@key{Esc} @key{RET}}
5817 @item @kbd{M-S-@key{RET}} @tab @kbd{C-c C-x M} @tab
5818 @item @kbd{S-@key{left}} @tab @kbd{C-c C-x @key{left}} @tab
5819 @item @kbd{S-@key{right}} @tab @kbd{C-c C-x @key{right}} @tab
5820 @item @kbd{S-@key{up}} @tab @kbd{C-c C-x @key{up}} @tab
5821 @item @kbd{S-@key{down}} @tab @kbd{C-c C-x @key{down}} @tab
5824 @node Interaction, Bugs, TTY keys, Miscellaneous
5825 @section Interaction with other packages
5826 @cindex packages, interaction with other
5827 Org-mode lives in the world of GNU Emacs and interacts in various ways
5828 with other code out there.
5831 * Cooperation:: Packages Org-mode cooperates with
5832 * Conflicts:: Packages that lead to conflicts
5835 @node Cooperation, Conflicts, Interaction, Interaction
5836 @subsection Packages that Org-mode cooperates with
5839 @cindex @file{calc.el}
5840 @item @file{calc.el} by Dave Gillespie
5841 Org-mode uses the calc package for implementing spreadsheet
5842 functionality in its tables (@pxref{The spreadsheet}). Org-mode
5843 checks for the availability of calc by looking for the function
5844 @code{calc-eval} which should be autoloaded in your setup if calc has
5845 been installed properly. As of Emacs 22, calc is part of the Emacs
5846 distribution. Another possibility for interaction between the two
5847 packages is using calc for embedded calculations. @xref{Embedded Mode,
5848 , Embedded Mode, calc, GNU Emacs Calc Manual}.
5849 @cindex @file{constants.el}
5850 @item @file{constants.el} by Carsten Dominik
5851 In a table formula (@pxref{The spreadsheet}), it is possible to use
5852 names for natural constants or units. Instead of defining your own
5853 constants in the variable @code{org-table-formula-constants}, install
5854 the @file{constants} package which defines a large number of constants
5855 and units, and lets you use unit prefixes like @samp{M} for
5856 @samp{Mega} etc. You will need version 2.0 of this package, available
5857 at @url{http://www.astro.uva.nl/~dominik/Tools}. Org-mode checks for
5858 the function @code{constants-get}, which has to be autoloaded in your
5859 setup. See the installation instructions in the file
5860 @file{constants.el}.
5861 @item @file{cdlatex.el} by Carsten Dominik
5862 @cindex @file{cdlatex.el}
5863 Org-mode can make use of the cdlatex package to efficiently enter
5864 La@TeX{} fragments into Org-mode files. See @ref{CDLaTeX mode}.
5865 @item @file{remember.el} by John Wiegley
5866 @cindex @file{remember.el}
5867 Org mode cooperates with remember, see @ref{Remember}.
5868 @file{Remember.el} is not part of Emacs, find it on the web.
5869 @cindex @file{table.el}
5870 @item @file{table.el} by Takaaki Ota
5872 @cindex table editor, @file{table.el}
5873 @cindex @file{table.el}
5875 Complex ASCII tables with automatic line wrapping, column- and
5876 row-spanning, and alignment can be created using the Emacs table
5877 package by Takaaki Ota (@uref{http://sourceforge.net/projects/table},
5878 and also part of Emacs 22).
5879 When @key{TAB} or @kbd{C-c C-c} is pressed in such a table, Org-mode
5880 will call @command{table-recognize-table} and move the cursor into the
5881 table. Inside a table, the keymap of Org-mode is inactive. In order
5882 to execute Org-mode-related commands, leave the table.
5887 Recognize @file{table.el} table. Works when the cursor is in a
5892 Insert a table.el table. If there is already a table at point, this
5893 command converts it between the table.el format and the Org-mode
5894 format. See the documentation string of the command
5895 @code{org-convert-table} for the restrictions under which this is
5898 @file{table.el} is part of Emacs 22.
5901 @node Conflicts, , Cooperation, Interaction
5902 @subsection Packages that lead to conflicts with Org-mode
5906 @cindex @file{allout.el}
5907 @item @file{allout.el} by Ken Manheimer
5908 Startup of Org-mode may fail with the error message
5909 @code{(wrong-type-argument keymapp nil)} when there is an outdated
5910 version @file{allout.el} on the load path, for example the version
5911 distributed with Emacs 21.x. Upgrade to Emacs 22 and this problem will
5912 disappear. If for some reason you cannot do this, make sure that org.el
5913 is loaded @emph{before} @file{allout.el}, for example by putting
5914 @code{(require 'org)} early enough into your @file{.emacs} file.
5916 @cindex @file{CUA.el}
5917 @item @file{CUA.el} by Kim. F. Storm
5918 Keybindings in Org-mode conflict with the @kbd{S-<cursor>} keys
5919 used by CUA-mode (as well as pc-select-mode and s-region-mode) to
5920 select and extend the region. If you want to use one of these
5921 packages along with Org-mode, configure the variable
5922 @code{org-CUA-compatible}. When set, Org-mode will move the following
5923 keybindings in org-mode files, and in the agenda buffer (but not
5924 during date selection).
5927 S-UP -> M-p S-DOWN -> M-n
5928 S-LEFT -> M-- S-RIGHT -> M-+
5932 Yes, these are unfortunately more difficult to remember. If you want
5933 to have other replacement keys, look at the variable
5934 @code{org-disputed-keys}.
5935 @item @file{windmove.el} by Hovav Shacham
5936 @cindex @file{windmove.el}
5937 Also this package uses the @kbd{S-<cursor>} keys, so everything written
5938 in the paragraph above about CUA mode also applies here.
5942 @node Bugs, , Interaction, Miscellaneous
5946 Here is a list of things that should work differently, but which I
5947 have found too hard to fix.
5951 If a table field starts with a link, and if the corresponding table
5952 column is narrowed (@pxref{Narrow columns}) to a width too small to
5953 display the link, the field would look entirely empty even though it is
5954 not. To prevent this, Org-mode throws an error. The work-around is to
5955 make the column wide enough to fit the link, or to add some text (at
5956 least 2 characters) before the link in the same field.
5958 Narrowing table columns does not work on XEmacs, because the
5959 @code{format} function does not transport text properties.
5961 Text in an entry protected with the @samp{QUOTE} keyword should not
5964 When the application called by @kbd{C-c C-o} to open a file link fails
5965 (for example because the application does not exist or refuses to open
5966 the file), it does so silently. No error message is displayed.
5968 Recalculating a table line applies the formulas from left to right.
5969 If a formula uses @emph{calculated} fields further down the row,
5970 multiple recalculation may be needed to get all fields consistent. You
5971 may use the command @code{org-table-iterate} (@kbd{C-u C-c *}) to
5972 recalculate until convergence.
5974 A single letter cannot be made bold, for example @samp{*a*}.
5976 The exporters work well, but could be made more efficient.
5980 @node Extensions and Hacking, History and Acknowledgments, Miscellaneous, Top
5981 @appendix Extensions, Hooks and Hacking
5983 This appendix lists extensions for Org-mode written by other authors.
5984 It also covers some aspects where users can extend the functionality of
5988 * Extensions:: Existing 3rd-part extensions
5989 * Tables in arbitrary syntax:: Orgtbl for LaTeX and other programs
5990 * Dynamic blocks:: Automatically filled blocks
5991 * Special agenda views:: Customized views
5994 @node Extensions, Tables in arbitrary syntax, Extensions and Hacking, Extensions and Hacking
5995 @section Third-party extensions for Org-mode
5996 @cindex extension, third-party
5998 The following extensions for Org-mode have been written by other people:
6001 @cindex @file{org-publish.el}
6002 @item @file{org-publish.el} by David O'Toole
6003 This package provides facilities for publishing related sets of Org-mode
6004 files together with linked files like images as webpages. It is
6005 highly configurable and can be used for other publishing purposes as
6006 well. As of Org-mode version 4.30, @file{org-publish.el} is part of the
6007 Org-mode distribution. It is not yet part of Emacs, however, a delay
6008 caused by the preparations for the 22.1 release. In the mean time,
6009 @file{org-publish.el} can be downloaded from David's site:
6010 @url{http://dto.freeshell.org/e/org-publish.el}.
6011 @cindex @file{org-mouse.el}
6012 @item @file{org-mouse.el} by Piotr Zielinski
6013 This package implements extended mouse functionality for Org-mode. It
6014 allows you to cycle visibility and to edit the document structure with
6015 the mouse. Best of all, it provides a context-sensitive menu on
6016 @key{mouse-3} that changes depending on the context of a mouse-click.
6017 As of Org-mode version 4.53, @file{org-mouse.el} is part of the
6018 Org-mode distribution. It is not yet part of Emacs, however, a delay
6019 caused by the preparations for the 22.1 release. In the mean time,
6020 @file{org-mouse.el} can be downloaded from Piotr's site:
6021 @url{http://www.cl.cam.ac.uk/~pz215/files/org-mouse.el}.
6022 @cindex @file{org-blog.el}
6023 @item @file{org-blog.el} by David O'Toole
6024 A blogging plug-in for @file{org-publish.el}.@*
6025 @url{http://dto.freeshell.org/notebook/OrgMode.html}.
6026 @cindex @file{blorg.el}
6027 @item @file{blorg.el} by Bastien Guerry
6028 Publish Org-mode files as
6029 blogs. @url{http://www.cognition.ens.fr/~guerry/blorg.html}.
6030 @cindex @file{org2rem.el}
6031 @item @file{org2rem.el} by Bastien Guerry
6032 Translates Org-mode files into something readable by
6033 Remind. @url{http://www.cognition.ens.fr/~guerry/u/org2rem.el}.
6038 @node Tables in arbitrary syntax, Dynamic blocks, Extensions, Extensions and Hacking
6039 @section Tables in arbitrary syntax
6040 @cindex tables, in other modes
6043 Since Orgtbl-mode can be used as a minor mode in arbitrary buffers, a
6044 frequent feature request has been to make it work with native tables in
6045 specific languages, for example LaTeX. However, this is extremely hard
6046 to do in a general way, would lead to a customization nightmare, and
6047 would take away much of the simplicity of the Orgtbl-mode table editor.
6049 This appendix describes a different approach. We keep the Orgtbl-mode
6050 table in its native format (the @i{source table}), and use a custom
6051 function to @i{translate} the table to the correct syntax, and to
6052 @i{install} it in the right location (the @i{target table}). This puts
6053 the burden of writing conversion functions on the user, but it allows
6054 for a very flexible system.
6057 * Radio tables:: Sending and receiving
6058 * A LaTeX example:: Step by step, almost a tutorial
6059 * Translator functions:: Copy and modify
6062 @node Radio tables, A LaTeX example, Tables in arbitrary syntax, Tables in arbitrary syntax
6063 @subsection Radio tables
6064 @cindex radio tables
6066 To define the location of the target table, you first need to create two
6067 lines that are comments in the current mode, but contain magic words for
6068 Orgtbl-mode to find. Orgtbl-mode will insert the translated table
6069 between these lines, replacing whatever was there before. For example:
6072 /* BEGIN RECEIVE ORGTBL table_name */
6073 /* END RECEIVE ORGTBL table_name */
6077 Just above the source table, we put a special line that tells
6078 Orgtbl-mode how to translate this table and where to install it. For
6081 #+ORGTBL: SEND table_name translation_function arguments....
6085 @code{table_name} is the reference name for the table that is also used
6086 in the receiver lines. @code{translation_function} is the Lisp function
6087 that does the translation. Furthermore, the line can contain a list of
6088 arguments (alternating key and value) at the end. The arguments will be
6089 passed as a property list to the translation function for
6090 interpretation. A few standard parameters are already recognized and
6091 acted upon before the translation function is called:
6095 Skip the first N lines of the table. Hlines do count!
6096 @item :skipcols (n1 n2 ...)
6097 List of columns that should be skipped. If the table has a column with
6098 calculation marks, that column is automatically discarded as well.
6099 Please note that the translator function sees the table @emph{after} the
6100 removal of these columns, the function never knows that there have been
6105 The one problem remaining is how to keep the source table in the buffer
6106 without disturbing the normal workings of the file, for example during
6107 compilation of a C file or processing of a LaTeX file. There are a
6108 number of different solutions:
6112 The table could be placed in a block comment if that is supported by the
6113 language. For example, in C-mode you could wrap the table between
6114 @samp{/*} and @samp{*/} lines.
6116 Sometimes it is possible to put the table after some kind of @i{END}
6117 statement, for example @samp{\bye} in TeX and @samp{\end@{document@}}
6120 You can just comment the table line by line whenever you want to process
6121 the file, and uncomment it whenever you need to edit the table. This
6122 only sounds tedious - the command @kbd{M-x orgtbl-toggle-comment} does
6123 make this comment-toggling very easy, in particular if you bind it to a
6127 @node A LaTeX example, Translator functions, Radio tables, Tables in arbitrary syntax
6128 @subsection A LaTeX example
6129 @cindex LaTeX, and orgtbl-mode
6131 The best way to wrap the source table in LaTeX is to use the
6132 @code{comment} environment provided by @file{comment.sty}. It has to be
6133 activated by placing @code{\usepackage@{comment@}} into the document
6134 header. Orgtbl-mode can insert a radio table skeleton@footnote{By
6135 default this works only for LaTeX, HTML, and TeXInfo. Configure the
6136 variable @code{orgtbl-radio-tables} to install templates for other
6137 modes.} with the command @kbd{M-x orgtbl-insert-radio-table}. You will
6138 be prompted for a table name, lets say we use @samp{salesfigures}. You
6139 will then get the following template:
6142 % BEGIN RECEIVE ORGTBL salesfigures
6143 % END RECEIVE ORGTBL salesfigures
6145 #+ORGTBL: SEND salesfigures orgtbl-to-latex
6151 The @code{#+ORGTBL: SEND} line tells orgtbl-mode to use the function
6152 @code{orgtbl-to-latex} to convert the table into LaTeX and to put it
6153 into the receiver location with name @code{salesfigures}. You may now
6154 fill in the table, feel free to use the spreadsheet features@footnote{If
6155 the @samp{#+TBLFM} line contains an odd number of dollar characters,
6156 this may cause problems with font-lock in latex-mode. As shown in the
6157 example you can fix this by adding an extra line inside the
6158 @code{comment} environment that is used to balance the dollar
6159 expressions. If you are using AUCTeX with the font-latex library, a
6160 much better solution is to add the @code{comment} environment to the
6161 variable @code{LaTeX-verbatim-environments}.}:
6164 % BEGIN RECEIVE ORGTBL salesfigures
6165 % END RECEIVE ORGTBL salesfigures
6167 #+ORGTBL: SEND salesfigures orgtbl-to-latex
6168 | Month | Days | Nr sold | per day |
6169 |-------+------+---------+---------|
6170 | Jan | 23 | 55 | 2.4 |
6171 | Feb | 21 | 16 | 0.8 |
6172 | March | 22 | 278 | 12.6 |
6173 #+TBLFM: $4=$3/$2;%.1f
6174 % $ (optional extra dollar to keep font-lock happy, see footnote)
6179 When you are done, press @kbd{C-c C-c} in the table to get the converted
6180 table inserted between the two marker lines.
6182 Now lets assume you want to make the table header by hand, because you
6183 want to control how columns are aligned etc. In this case we make sure
6184 that the table translator does skip the first 2 lines of the source
6185 table, and tell the command to work as a @i{splice}, i.e. to not produce
6186 header and footer commands of the target table:
6189 \begin@{tabular@}@{lrrr@}
6190 Month & \multicolumn@{1@}@{c@}@{Days@} & Nr.\ sold & per day\\
6191 % BEGIN RECEIVE ORGTBL salesfigures
6192 % END RECEIVE ORGTBL salesfigures
6196 #+ORGTBL: SEND salesfigures orgtbl-to-latex :splice t :skip 2
6197 | Month | Days | Nr sold | per day |
6198 |-------+------+---------+---------|
6199 | Jan | 23 | 55 | 2.4 |
6200 | Feb | 21 | 16 | 0.8 |
6201 | March | 22 | 278 | 12.6 |
6202 #+TBLFM: $4=$3/$2;%.1f
6206 The LaTeX translator function @code{orgtbl-to-latex} is already part of
6207 Orgtbl-mode. It uses a @code{tabular} environment to typeset the table
6208 and marks horizontal lines with @code{\hline}. Furthermore, it
6209 interprets the following parameters:
6213 When set to t, return only table body lines, don't wrap them into a
6214 tabular environment. Default is nil.
6217 A format to be used to wrap each field, should contain @code{%s} for the
6218 original field value. For example, to wrap each field value in dollars,
6219 you could use @code{:fmt "$%s$"}. This may also be a property list with
6220 column numbers and formats. for example @code{:fmt (2 "$%s$" 4 "%s\\%%")}.
6223 Use this format to print numbers with exponentials. The format should
6224 have @code{%s} twice for inserting mantissa and exponent, for example
6225 @code{"%s\\times10^@{%s@}"}. The default is @code{"%s\\,(%s)"}. This
6226 may also be a property list with column numbers and formats, for example
6227 @code{:efmt (2 "$%s\\times10^@{%s@}$" 4 "$%s\\cdot10^@{%s@}$")}. After
6228 @code{efmt} has been applied to a value, @code{fmt} will also be
6232 @node Translator functions, , A LaTeX example, Tables in arbitrary syntax
6233 @subsection Translator functions
6234 @cindex HTML, and orgtbl-mode
6235 @cindex translator function
6237 Orgtbl-mode has several translator functions built-in:
6238 @code{orgtbl-to-latex}, @code{orgtbl-to-html}, and
6239 @code{orgtbl-to-texinfo}. Except for @code{orgtbl-to-html}@footnote{The
6240 HTML translator uses the same code that produces tables during HTML
6241 export.}, these all use a generic translator, @code{orgtbl-to-generic}.
6242 For example, @code{orgtbl-to-latex} itself is a very short function that
6243 computes the column definitions for the @code{tabular} environment,
6244 defines a few field and line separators and then hands over to the
6245 generic translator. Here is the entire code:
6249 (defun orgtbl-to-latex (table params)
6250 "Convert the orgtbl-mode TABLE to LaTeX."
6251 (let* ((alignment (mapconcat (lambda (x) (if x "r" "l"))
6252 org-table-last-alignment ""))
6255 :tstart (concat "\\begin@{tabular@}@{" alignment "@}")
6256 :tend "\\end@{tabular@}"
6257 :lstart "" :lend " \\\\" :sep " & "
6258 :efmt "%s\\,(%s)" :hline "\\hline")))
6259 (orgtbl-to-generic table (org-combine-plists params2 params))))
6263 As you can see, the properties passed into the function (variable
6264 @var{PARAMS}) are combined with the ones newly defined in the function
6265 (variable @var{PARAMS2}). The ones passed into the function (i.e. the
6266 ones set by the @samp{ORGTBL SEND} line) take precedence. So if you
6267 would like to use the LaTeX translator, but wanted the line endings to
6268 be @samp{\\[2mm]} instead of the default @samp{\\}, you could just
6269 overrule the default with
6272 #+ORGTBL: SEND test orgtbl-to-latex :lend " \\\\[2mm]"
6275 For a new language, you can either write your own converter function in
6276 analogy with the LaTeX translator, or you can use the generic function
6277 directly. For example, if you have a language where a table is started
6278 with @samp{!BTBL!}, ended with @samp{!ETBL!}, and where table lines are
6279 started with @samp{!BL!}, ended with @samp{!EL!} and where the field
6280 separator is a TAB, you could call the generic translator like this (on
6284 #+ORGTBL: SEND test orgtbl-to-generic :tstart "!BTBL!" :tend "!ETBL!"
6285 :lstart "!BL! " :lend " !EL!" :sep "\t"
6289 Please check the documentation string of the function
6290 @code{orgtbl-to-generic} for a full list of parameters understood by
6291 that function and remember that you can pass each of them into
6292 @code{orgtbl-to-latex}, @code{orgtbl-to-texinfo}, and any other function
6293 using the generic function.
6295 Of course you can also write a completely new function doing complicated
6296 things the generic translator cannot do. A translator function takes
6297 two arguments. The first argument is the table, a list of lines, each
6298 line either the symbol @code{hline} or a list of fields. The second
6299 argument is the property list containing all parameters specified in the
6300 @samp{#+ORGTBL: SEND} line. The function must return a single string
6301 containing the formatted table. If you write a generally useful
6302 translator, please post it on @code{emacs-orgmode@@gnu.org} so that
6303 others can benefit from your work.
6305 @node Dynamic blocks, Special agenda views, Tables in arbitrary syntax, Extensions and Hacking
6306 @section Dynamic blocks
6307 @cindex dynamic blocks
6309 Org-mode documents can contain @emph{dynamic blocks}. These are
6310 specially marked regions that are updated by some user-written function.
6311 A good example for such a block is the clock table inserted by the
6312 command @kbd{C-c C-x C-r} (@pxref{Clocking work time}).
6314 Dynamic block are enclosed by a BEGIN-END structure that assigns a name
6315 to the block and can also specify parameters for the function producing
6316 the content of the block.
6319 #+BEGIN: myblock :parameter1 value1 :parameter2 value2 ...
6324 Dynamic blocks are updated with the following commands
6329 Update dynamic block at point.
6330 @kindex C-u C-c C-x C-u
6331 @item C-u C-c C-x C-u
6332 Update all dynamic blocks in the current file.
6335 Updating a dynamic block means to remove all the text between BEGIN and
6336 END, parse the BEGIN line for parameters and then call the specific
6337 writer function for this block to insert the new content. For a block
6338 with name @code{myblock}, the writer function is
6339 @code{org-dblock-write:myblock} with as only parameter a property list
6340 with the parameters given in the begin line. Here is a trivial example
6341 of a block that keeps track of when the block update function was last
6345 #+BEGIN: block-update-time :format "on %m/%d/%Y at %H:%M"
6351 The corresponding block writer function could look like this:
6354 (defun org-dblock-write:block-update-time (params)
6355 (let ((fmt (or (plist-get params :format) "%d. %m. %Y")))
6356 (insert "Last block update at: "
6357 (format-time-string fmt (current-time)))))
6360 If you want to make sure that all dynamic blocks are always up-to-date,
6361 you could add the function @code{org-update-all-dblocks} to a hook, for
6362 example @code{before-save-hook}. @code{org-update-all-dblocks} is
6363 written in a way that is does nothing in buffers that are not in Org-mode.
6365 @node Special agenda views, , Dynamic blocks, Extensions and Hacking
6366 @section Special Agenda Views
6367 @cindex agenda views, user-defined
6369 Org-mode provides a special hook that can be used to narrow down the
6370 selection made by any of the agenda views. You may specify a function
6371 that is used at each match to verify if the match should indeed be part
6372 of the agenda view, and if not, how much should be skipped.
6374 Let's say you want to produce a list of projects that contain a WAITING
6375 tag anywhere in the project tree. Let's further assume that you have
6376 marked all tree headings that define a project with the todo keyword
6377 PROJECT. In this case you would run a todo search for the keyword
6378 PROJECT, but skip the match unless there is a WAITING tag anywhere in
6379 the subtree belonging to the project line.
6381 To achieve this, you must write a function that searches the subtree for
6382 the tag. If the tag is found, the function must return @code{nil} to
6383 indicate that this match should not be skipped. If there is no such
6384 tag, return the location of the end of the subtree, to indicate that
6385 search should continue from there.
6388 (defun my-skip-unless-waiting ()
6389 "Skip trees that are not waiting"
6390 (let ((subtree-end (save-excursion (org-end-of-subtree t))))
6391 (if (re-search-forward ":WAITING:" subtree-end t)
6392 nil ; tag found, do not skip
6393 subtree-end))) ; tag not found, continue after end of subtree
6396 Furthermore you must write a command that uses @code{let} to temporarily
6397 put this function into the variable @code{org-agenda-skip-function},
6398 sets the header string for the agenda buffer, and calls the todo-list
6399 generator while asking for the specific TODO keyword PROJECT. The
6400 function must also accept one argument MATCH, but it can choose to
6401 ignore it@footnote{MATCH must be present in case you want to define a
6402 custom command for producing this special list. Custom commands always
6403 supply the MATCH argument, but it can be empty if you do not specify it
6404 while defining the command(@pxref{Custom agenda
6405 views}).} (as we do in the example below). Here is the example:
6408 (defun my-org-waiting-projects (&optional match)
6409 "Produce a list of projects that contain a WAITING tag.
6410 MATCH is being ignored."
6412 (let ((org-agenda-skip-function 'my-skip-unless-waiting)
6413 (org-agenda-overriding-header "Projects waiting for something: "))
6415 (org-todo-list "PROJECT")))
6419 @node History and Acknowledgments, Index, Extensions and Hacking, Top
6420 @appendix History and Acknowledgments
6421 @cindex acknowledgments
6425 Org-mode was borne in 2003, out of frustration over the user interface
6426 of the Emacs outline-mode. I was trying to organize my notes and
6427 projects, and using Emacs seemed to be the natural way to go. However,
6428 having to remember eleven different commands with two or three keys per
6429 command, only to hide and unhide parts of the outline tree, that seemed
6430 entirely unacceptable to me. Also, when using outlines to take notes, I
6431 constantly want to restructure the tree, organizing it parallel to my
6432 thoughts and plans. @emph{Visibility cycling} and @emph{structure
6433 editing} were originally implemented in the package
6434 @file{outline-magic.el}, but quickly moved to the more general
6435 @file{org.el}. As this environment became comfortable for project
6436 planning, the next step was adding @emph{TODO entries}, basic @emph{time
6437 stamps}, and @emph{table support}. These areas highlight the two main
6438 goals that Org-mode still has today: To create a new, outline-based,
6439 plain text mode with innovative and intuitive editing features, and to
6440 incorporate project planning functionality directly into a notes file.
6442 Since the first release, hundreds of emails to me or on
6443 @code{emacs-orgmode@@gnu.org} have provided a constant stream of bug
6444 reports, feedback, new ideas, and sometimes patches and add-on code.
6445 Many thanks to everyone who has helped to improve this package. I am
6446 trying to keep here a list of the people who had significant influence
6447 in shaping one or more aspects of Org-mode. The list may not be
6448 complete, if I have forgotten someone, please accept my apologies and
6454 @i{Thomas Baumann} contributed the code for links to the MH-E email
6457 @i{Alex Bochannek} provided a patch for rounding time stamps.
6459 @i{Charles Cave}'s suggestion sparked the implementation of templates
6462 @i{Pavel Chalmoviansky} influenced the agenda treatment of items with
6465 @i{Gregory Chernov} patched support for lisp forms into table
6466 calculations and improved XEmacs compatibility, in particular by porting
6467 @file{nouline.el} to XEmacs.
6469 @i{Sacha Chua} suggested to copy some linking code from Planner.
6471 @i{Eddward DeVilla} proposed and tested checkbox statistics.
6473 @i{Kees Dullemond} used to edit projects lists directly in HTML and so
6474 inspired some of the early development, including HTML export. He also
6475 asked for a way to narrow wide table columns.
6477 @i{Christian Egli} converted the documentation into TeXInfo format,
6478 patched CSS formatting into the HTML exporter, and inspired the agenda.
6480 @i{Nic Ferrier} contributed mailcap and XOXO support.
6482 @i{John Foerch} figured out how to make incremental search show context
6483 around a match in a hidden outline tree.
6485 @i{Niels Giessen} had the idea to automatically archive DONE trees.
6487 @i{Bastien Guerry} provided extensive feedback and some patches, and
6488 translated David O'Toole's tutorial into French.
6490 @i{Kai Grossjohann} pointed out key-binding conflicts with other packages.
6492 @i{Shidai Liu} (``Leo'') provided extensive feedback and some patches.
6494 @i{Leon Liu} asked for embedded LaTeX and tested it.
6496 @i{Stefan Monnier} provided a patch to keep the Emacs-Lisp compiler
6499 @i{Todd Neal} provided patches for links to Info files and elisp forms.
6501 @i{Tim O'Callaghan} suggested in-file links, search options for general
6502 file links, and TAGS.
6504 @i{Takeshi Okano} translated the manual and David O'Toole's tutorial
6507 @i{Oliver Oppitz} suggested multi-state TODO items.
6509 @i{Scott Otterson} sparked the introduction of descriptive text for
6510 links, among other things.
6512 @i{Pete Phillips} helped during the development of the TAGS feature, and
6513 provided frequent feedback.
6515 @i{T.V. Raman} reported bugs and suggested improvements.
6517 @i{Matthias Rempe} (Oelde) provided ideas, Windows support, and quality
6520 @i{Kevin Rogers} contributed code to access VM files on remote hosts.
6522 @i{Frank Ruell} solved the mystery of the @code{keymapp nil} bug, a
6523 conflict with @file{allout.el}.
6525 @i{Jason Riedy} sent a patch to fix a bug with export of TODO keywords.
6527 @i{Philip Rooke} created the Org-mode reference card and provided lots
6530 @i{Christian Schlauer} proposed angular brackets around links, among
6533 Linking to VM/BBDB/GNUS was inspired by @i{Tom Shannon}'s
6534 @file{organizer-mode.el}.
6536 @i{Daniel Sinder} came up with the idea of internal archiving by locking
6539 @i{Dale Smith} proposed link abbreviations.
6541 @i{David O'Toole} wrote @file{org-publish.el} and drafted the manual
6542 chapter about publishing.
6544 @i{J@"urgen Vollmer} contributed code generating the table of contents
6547 @i{Chris Wallace} provided a patch implementing the @samp{QUOTE}
6550 @i{David Wainberg} suggested archiving, and improvements to the linking
6553 @i{John Wiegley} wrote @file{emacs-wiki.el} and @file{planner.el}. The
6554 development of Org-mode was fully independent, and both systems are
6555 really different beasts in their basic ideas and implementation details.
6556 I later looked at John's code, however, and learned from his
6557 implementation of (i) links where the link itself is hidden and only a
6558 description is shown, and (ii) popping up a calendar to select a date.
6560 @i{Carsten Wimmer} suggested some changes and helped fix a bug in
6563 @i{Roland Winkler} requested additional keybindings to make Org-mode
6566 @i{Piotr Zielinski} wrote @file{org-mouse.el}, proposed agenda blocks
6567 and contributed various ideas and code snippets.
6571 @node Index, Key Index, History and Acknowledgments, Top
6576 @node Key Index, , Index, Top
6577 @unnumbered Key Index
6584 arch-tag: 7893d1fe-cc57-4d13-b5e5-f494a1bcc7ac