3 @setfilename ../../info/orgguide
4 @settitle The compact Org-mode Guide
6 @include org-version.inc
8 @c Use proper quote and backtick for code sections in PDF output
9 @c Cf. Texinfo manual 14.2
10 @set txicodequoteundirected
11 @set txicodequotebacktick
13 @c Version and Contact Info
14 @set MAINTAINERSITE @uref{http://orgmode.org,maintainers webpage}
15 @set AUTHOR Carsten Dominik
16 @set MAINTAINER Carsten Dominik
17 @set MAINTAINEREMAIL @email{carsten at orgmode dot org}
18 @set MAINTAINERCONTACT @uref{mailto:carsten at orgmode dot org,contact the maintainer}
24 @c @hyphenation{time-stamp time-stamps time-stamp-ing time-stamp-ed}
27 @c Subheadings inside a table.
28 @macro tsubheading{text}
38 @noindent @b{Further reading}@*@noindent \text\
42 Copyright @copyright{} 2010-2012 Free Software Foundation
45 Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document
46 under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.3 or
47 any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no
48 Invariant Sections, with the Front-Cover texts being ``A GNU Manual,''
49 and with the Back-Cover Texts as in (a) below. A copy of the license
50 is included in the section entitled ``GNU Free Documentation License.''
52 (a) The FSF's Back-Cover Text is: ``You have the freedom to copy and
53 modify this GNU manual. Buying copies from the FSF supports it in
54 developing GNU and promoting software freedom.''
56 This document is part of a collection distributed under the GNU Free
57 Documentation License. If you want to distribute this document
58 separately from the collection, you can do so by adding a copy of the
59 license to the document, as described in section 6 of the license.
65 * Org Mode Guide: (orgguide). Abbreviated Org-mode Manual
69 @title The compact Org-mode Guide
71 @subtitle Release @value{VERSION}
72 @author by Carsten Dominik
74 @c The following two commands start the copyright page.
76 @vskip 0pt plus 1filll
80 @c Output the table of contents at the beginning.
84 @node Top, Introduction, (dir), (dir)
91 * Introduction:: Getting started
92 * Document Structure:: A tree works like your brain
93 * Tables:: Pure magic for quick formatting
94 * Hyperlinks:: Notes in context
95 * TODO Items:: Every tree branch can be a TODO item
96 * Tags:: Tagging headlines and matching sets of tags
97 * Properties:: Properties
98 * Dates and Times:: Making items useful for planning
99 * Capture - Refile - Archive:: The ins and outs for projects
100 * Agenda Views:: Collecting information into views
101 * Markup:: Prepare text for rich export
102 * Exporting:: Sharing and publishing of notes
103 * Publishing:: Create a web site of linked Org files
104 * Working With Source Code:: Source code snippets embedded in Org
105 * Miscellaneous:: All the rest which did not fit elsewhere
108 --- The Detailed Node Listing ---
113 * Installation:: How to install a downloaded version of Org
114 * Activation:: How to activate Org for certain buffers
115 * Feedback:: Bug reports, ideas, patches etc.
119 * Outlines:: Org is based on Outline mode
120 * Headlines:: How to typeset Org tree headlines
121 * Visibility cycling:: Show and hide, much simplified
122 * Motion:: Jumping to other headlines
123 * Structure editing:: Changing sequence and level of headlines
124 * Sparse trees:: Matches embedded in context
125 * Plain lists:: Additional structure within an entry
126 * Footnotes:: How footnotes are defined in Org's syntax
130 * Link format:: How links in Org are formatted
131 * Internal links:: Links to other places in the current file
132 * External links:: URL-like links to the world
133 * Handling links:: Creating, inserting and following
134 * Targeted links:: Point at a location in a file
138 * Using TODO states:: Setting and switching states
139 * Multi-state workflows:: More than just on/off
140 * Progress logging:: Dates and notes for progress
141 * Priorities:: Some things are more important than others
142 * Breaking down tasks:: Splitting a task into manageable pieces
143 * Checkboxes:: Tick-off lists
147 * Closing items:: When was this entry marked DONE?
148 * Tracking TODO state changes:: When did the status change?
152 * Tag inheritance:: Tags use the tree structure of the outline
153 * Setting tags:: How to assign tags to a headline
154 * Tag searches:: Searching for combinations of tags
158 * Timestamps:: Assigning a time to a tree entry
159 * Creating timestamps:: Commands which insert timestamps
160 * Deadlines and scheduling:: Planning your work
161 * Clocking work time:: Tracking how long you spend on a task
163 Capture - Refile - Archive
166 * Refiling notes:: Moving a tree from one place to another
167 * Archiving:: What to do with finished projects
171 * Setting up a capture location:: Where notes will be stored
172 * Using capture:: Commands to invoke and terminate capture
173 * Capture templates:: Define the outline of different note types
177 * Agenda files:: Files being searched for agenda information
178 * Agenda dispatcher:: Keyboard access to agenda views
179 * Built-in agenda views:: What is available out of the box?
180 * Agenda commands:: Remote editing of Org trees
181 * Custom agenda views:: Defining special searches and views
183 The built-in agenda views
185 * Weekly/daily agenda:: The calendar page with current tasks
186 * Global TODO list:: All unfinished action items
187 * Matching tags and properties:: Structured information with fine-tuned search
188 * Timeline:: Time-sorted view for single file
189 * Search view:: Find entries by searching for text
191 Markup for rich export
193 * Structural markup elements:: The basic structure as seen by the exporter
194 * Images and tables:: Tables and Images will be included
195 * Literal examples:: Source code examples with special formatting
196 * Include files:: Include additional files into a document
197 * Embedded @LaTeX{}:: @LaTeX{} can be freely used inside Org documents
199 Structural markup elements
201 * Document title:: Where the title is taken from
202 * Headings and sections:: The document structure as seen by the exporter
203 * Table of contents:: The if and where of the table of contents
204 * Paragraphs:: Paragraphs
205 * Emphasis and monospace:: Bold, italic, etc.
206 * Comment lines:: What will *not* be exported
210 * Export options:: Per-file export settings
211 * The export dispatcher:: How to access exporter commands
212 * ASCII/Latin-1/UTF-8 export:: Exporting to flat files with encoding
213 * HTML export:: Exporting to HTML
214 * @LaTeX{} and PDF export:: Exporting to @LaTeX{}, and processing to PDF
215 * DocBook export:: Exporting to DocBook
220 * Completion:: M-TAB knows what you need
221 * Clean view:: Getting rid of leading stars in the outline
222 * MobileOrg:: Org-mode on the iPhone
227 @node Introduction, Document Structure, Top, Top
228 @chapter Introduction
232 * Installation:: How to install a downloaded version of Org
233 * Activation:: How to activate Org for certain buffers
234 * Feedback:: Bug reports, ideas, patches etc.
237 @node Preface, Installation, Introduction, Introduction
240 Org is a mode for keeping notes, maintaining TODO lists, and doing project
241 planning with a fast and effective plain-text system. It is also an
242 authoring and publishing system.
244 @i{This document is a much compressed derivative of the
245 @uref{http://orgmode.org/index.html#sec-4_1, comprehensive Org-mode manual}.
246 It contains all basic features and commands, along with important hints for
247 customization. It is intended for beginners who would shy back from a 200
248 page manual because of sheer size.}
250 @node Installation, Activation, Preface, Introduction
251 @section Installation
253 @b{Important:} @i{If you are using a version of Org that is part of the Emacs
254 distribution or an XEmacs package, please skip this section and go directly
255 to @ref{Activation}.}
257 If you have downloaded Org from the Web, either as a distribution @file{.zip}
258 or @file{.tar} file, or as a Git archive, it is best to run it directly from
259 the distribution directory. You need to add the @file{lisp} subdirectories
260 to the Emacs load path. To do this, add the following line to @file{.emacs}:
263 (setq load-path (cons "~/path/to/orgdir/lisp" load-path))
264 (setq load-path (cons "~/path/to/orgdir/contrib/lisp" load-path))
267 @noindent For speed you should byte-compile the Lisp files with the shell
274 Then add the following line to @file{.emacs}. It is needed so that
275 Emacs can autoload functions that are located in files not immediately loaded
276 when Org-mode starts.
278 (require 'org-install)
281 @node Activation, Feedback, Installation, Introduction
284 Add the following lines to your @file{.emacs} file. The last three lines
285 define @emph{global} keys for some commands --- please choose suitable keys
289 ;; The following lines are always needed. Choose your own keys.
290 (add-to-list 'auto-mode-alist '("\\.org\\'" . org-mode))
291 (add-hook 'org-mode-hook 'turn-on-font-lock) ; not needed when global-font-lock-mode is on
292 (global-set-key "\C-cl" 'org-store-link)
293 (global-set-key "\C-ca" 'org-agenda)
294 (global-set-key "\C-cb" 'org-iswitchb)
297 With this setup, all files with extension @samp{.org} will be put
300 @node Feedback, , Activation, Introduction
303 If you find problems with Org, or if you have questions, remarks, or ideas
304 about it, please mail to the Org mailing list @email{emacs-orgmode@@gnu.org}.
305 For information on how to submit bug reports, see the main manual.
307 @node Document Structure, Tables, Introduction, Top
308 @chapter Document Structure
310 Org is based on Outline mode and provides flexible commands to
311 edit the structure of the document.
314 * Outlines:: Org is based on Outline mode
315 * Headlines:: How to typeset Org tree headlines
316 * Visibility cycling:: Show and hide, much simplified
317 * Motion:: Jumping to other headlines
318 * Structure editing:: Changing sequence and level of headlines
319 * Sparse trees:: Matches embedded in context
320 * Plain lists:: Additional structure within an entry
321 * Footnotes:: How footnotes are defined in Org's syntax
324 @node Outlines, Headlines, Document Structure, Document Structure
327 Org is implemented on top of Outline mode. Outlines allow a
328 document to be organized in a hierarchical structure, which (at least
329 for me) is the best representation of notes and thoughts. An overview
330 of this structure is achieved by folding (hiding) large parts of the
331 document to show only the general document structure and the parts
332 currently being worked on. Org greatly simplifies the use of
333 outlines by compressing the entire show/hide functionality into a single
334 command, @command{org-cycle}, which is bound to the @key{TAB} key.
336 @node Headlines, Visibility cycling, Outlines, Document Structure
339 Headlines define the structure of an outline tree. The headlines in
340 Org start with one or more stars, on the left margin@footnote{See
341 the variable @code{org-special-ctrl-a/e} to configure special behavior
342 of @kbd{C-a} and @kbd{C-e} in headlines.}. For example:
352 * Another top level headline
355 @noindent Some people find the many stars too noisy and would prefer an
356 outline that has whitespace followed by a single star as headline
357 starters. @ref{Clean view}, describes a setup to realize this.
359 @node Visibility cycling, Motion, Headlines, Document Structure
360 @section Visibility cycling
362 Outlines make it possible to hide parts of the text in the buffer.
363 Org uses just two commands, bound to @key{TAB} and
364 @kbd{S-@key{TAB}} to change the visibility in the buffer.
368 @emph{Subtree cycling}: Rotate current subtree among the states
371 ,-> FOLDED -> CHILDREN -> SUBTREE --.
372 '-----------------------------------'
375 When called with a prefix argument (@kbd{C-u @key{TAB}}) or with the shift
376 key, global cycling is invoked.
378 @item S-@key{TAB} @r{and} C-u @key{TAB}
379 @emph{Global cycling}: Rotate the entire buffer among the states
382 ,-> OVERVIEW -> CONTENTS -> SHOW ALL --.
383 '--------------------------------------'
386 @item C-u C-u C-u @key{TAB}
387 Show all, including drawers.
390 When Emacs first visits an Org file, the global state is set to
391 OVERVIEW, i.e.@: only the top level headlines are visible. This can be
392 configured through the variable @code{org-startup-folded}, or on a
393 per-file basis by adding a startup keyword @code{overview}, @code{content},
394 @code{showall}, like this:
401 @node Motion, Structure editing, Visibility cycling, Document Structure
403 The following commands jump to other headlines in the buffer.
411 Next heading same level.
413 Previous heading same level.
415 Backward to higher level heading.
418 @node Structure editing, Sparse trees, Motion, Document Structure
419 @section Structure editing
423 Insert new heading with same level as current. If the cursor is in a plain
424 list item, a new item is created (@pxref{Plain lists}). When this command is
425 used in the middle of a line, the line is split and the rest of the line
426 becomes the new headline@footnote{If you do not want the line to be split,
427 customize the variable @code{org-M-RET-may-split-line}.}.
429 Insert new TODO entry with same level as current heading.
430 @item @key{TAB} @r{in new, empty entry}
431 In a new entry with no text yet, @key{TAB} will cycle through reasonable
433 @item M-@key{left}@r{/}@key{right}
434 Promote/demote current heading by one level.
435 @item M-S-@key{left}@r{/}@key{right}
436 Promote/demote the current subtree by one level.
437 @item M-S-@key{up}@r{/}@key{down}
438 Move subtree up/down (swap with previous/next subtree of same
441 Refile entry or region to a different location. @xref{Refiling notes}.
443 Narrow buffer to current subtree / widen it again
446 When there is an active region (Transient Mark mode), promotion and
447 demotion work on all headlines in the region.
449 @node Sparse trees, Plain lists, Structure editing, Document Structure
450 @section Sparse trees
452 An important feature of Org mode is the ability to construct @emph{sparse
453 trees} for selected information in an outline tree, so that the entire
454 document is folded as much as possible, but the selected information is made
455 visible along with the headline structure above it@footnote{See also the
456 variables @code{org-show-hierarchy-above}, @code{org-show-following-heading},
457 @code{org-show-siblings}, and @code{org-show-entry-below} for detailed
458 control on how much context is shown around each match.}. Just try it out
459 and you will see immediately how it works.
461 Org mode contains several commands creating such trees, all these
462 commands can be accessed through a dispatcher:
466 This prompts for an extra key to select a sparse-tree creating command.
468 Occur. Prompts for a regexp and shows a sparse tree with all matches. Each
469 match is also highlighted; the highlights disappear by pressing @kbd{C-c C-c}.
472 The other sparse tree commands select headings based on TODO keywords,
473 tags, or properties and will be discussed later in this manual.
475 @node Plain lists, Footnotes, Sparse trees, Document Structure
478 Within an entry of the outline tree, hand-formatted lists can provide
479 additional structure. They also provide a way to create lists of
480 checkboxes (@pxref{Checkboxes}). Org supports editing such lists,
481 and the HTML exporter (@pxref{Exporting}) parses and formats them.
483 Org knows ordered lists, unordered lists, and description lists.
486 @emph{Unordered} list items start with @samp{-}, @samp{+}, or
489 @emph{Ordered} list items start with @samp{1.} or @samp{1)}.
491 @emph{Description} list use @samp{ :: } to separate the @emph{term} from the
495 Items belonging to the same list must have the same indentation on the first
496 line. An item ends before the next line that is indented like its
497 bullet/number, or less. A list ends when all items are closed, or before two
498 blank lines. An example:
503 My favorite scenes are (in this order)
504 1. The attack of the Rohirrim
505 2. Eowyn's fight with the witch king
506 + this was already my favorite scene in the book
507 + I really like Miranda Otto.
508 Important actors in this film are:
509 - @b{Elijah Wood} :: He plays Frodo
510 - @b{Sean Austin} :: He plays Sam, Frodo's friend.
514 The following commands act on items when the cursor is in the first line of
515 an item (the line with the bullet or number).
519 Items can be folded just like headline levels.
521 Insert new item at current level. With a prefix argument, force a new
522 heading (@pxref{Structure editing}).
524 Insert a new item with a checkbox (@pxref{Checkboxes}).
525 @item M-S-@key{up}@r{/}@key{down}
526 Move the item including subitems up/down (swap with previous/next item
527 of same indentation). If the list is ordered, renumbering is
529 @item M-@key{left}@r{/}M-@key{right}
530 Decrease/increase the indentation of an item, leaving children alone.
531 @item M-S-@key{left}@r{/}@key{right}
532 Decrease/increase the indentation of the item, including subitems.
534 If there is a checkbox (@pxref{Checkboxes}) in the item line, toggle the
535 state of the checkbox. Also verify bullets and indentation consistency in
538 Cycle the entire list level through the different itemize/enumerate bullets
539 (@samp{-}, @samp{+}, @samp{*}, @samp{1.}, @samp{1)}).
542 @node Footnotes, , Plain lists, Document Structure
545 A footnote is defined in a paragraph that is started by a footnote marker in
546 square brackets in column 0, no indentation allowed. The footnote reference
547 is simply the marker in square brackets, inside text. For example:
550 The Org homepage[fn:1] now looks a lot better than it used to.
552 [fn:1] The link is: http://orgmode.org
555 @noindent The following commands handle footnotes:
559 The footnote action command. When the cursor is on a footnote reference,
560 jump to the definition. When it is at a definition, jump to the (first)
561 reference. Otherwise, create a new footnote. When this command is called
562 with a prefix argument, a menu of additional options including renumbering is
566 Jump between definition and reference.
570 @uref{http://orgmode.org/manual/Document-Structure.html#Document-Structure,
571 Chapter 2 of the manual}@*
572 @uref{http://sachachua.com/wp/2008/01/outlining-your-notes-with-org/,
573 Sacha Chua's tutorial}}
576 @node Tables, Hyperlinks, Document Structure, Top
579 Org comes with a fast and intuitive table editor. Spreadsheet-like
580 calculations are supported in connection with the Emacs @file{calc}
583 (@pxref{Top,Calc,,Calc,Gnu Emacs Calculator Manual}).
586 (see the Emacs Calculator manual for more information about the Emacs
590 Org makes it easy to format tables in plain ASCII. Any line with
591 @samp{|} as the first non-whitespace character is considered part of a
592 table. @samp{|} is also the column separator. A table might look like
596 | Name | Phone | Age |
597 |-------+-------+-----|
598 | Peter | 1234 | 17 |
602 A table is re-aligned automatically each time you press @key{TAB} or
603 @key{RET} or @kbd{C-c C-c} inside the table. @key{TAB} also moves to
604 the next field (@key{RET} to the next row) and creates new table rows
605 at the end of the table or before horizontal lines. The indentation
606 of the table is set by the first line. Any line starting with
607 @samp{|-} is considered as a horizontal separator line and will be
608 expanded on the next re-align to span the whole table width. So, to
609 create the above table, you would only type
616 @noindent and then press @key{TAB} to align the table and start filling in
617 fields. Even faster would be to type @code{|Name|Phone|Age} followed by
620 When typing text into a field, Org treats @key{DEL},
621 @key{Backspace}, and all character keys in a special way, so that
622 inserting and deleting avoids shifting other fields. Also, when
623 typing @emph{immediately after the cursor was moved into a new field
624 with @kbd{@key{TAB}}, @kbd{S-@key{TAB}} or @kbd{@key{RET}}}, the
625 field is automatically made blank.
628 @tsubheading{Creation and conversion}
630 Convert the active region to table. If every line contains at least one TAB
631 character, the function assumes that the material is tab separated. If every
632 line contains a comma, comma-separated values (CSV) are assumed. If not,
633 lines are split at whitespace into fields.
635 If there is no active region, this command creates an empty Org
636 table. But it's easier just to start typing, like
637 @kbd{|Name|Phone|Age C-c @key{RET}}.
639 @tsubheading{Re-aligning and field motion}
641 Re-align the table without moving the cursor.
644 Re-align the table, move to the next field. Creates a new row if
648 Re-align, move to previous field.
651 Re-align the table and move down to next row. Creates a new row if
654 @tsubheading{Column and row editing}
657 Move the current column left/right.
660 Kill the current column.
662 @item M-S-@key{right}
663 Insert a new column to the left of the cursor position.
667 Move the current row up/down.
670 Kill the current row or horizontal line.
673 Insert a new row above the current row. With a prefix argument, the line is
674 created below the current one.
677 Insert a horizontal line below current row. With a prefix argument, the line
678 is created above the current line.
681 Insert a horizontal line below current row, and move the cursor into the row
685 Sort the table lines in the region. The position of point indicates the
686 column to be used for sorting, and the range of lines is the range
687 between the nearest horizontal separator lines, or the entire table.
692 @uref{http://orgmode.org/manual/Tables.html#Tables, Chapter 3 of the
694 @uref{http://orgmode.org/worg/org-tutorials/tables.php, Bastien's
696 @uref{http://orgmode.org/worg/org-tutorials/org-spreadsheet-intro.php,
697 Bastien's spreadsheet tutorial}@*
698 @uref{http://orgmode.org/worg/org-tutorials/org-plot.php, Eric's plotting tutorial}}
700 @node Hyperlinks, TODO Items, Tables, Top
703 Like HTML, Org provides links inside a file, external links to
704 other files, Usenet articles, emails, and much more.
707 * Link format:: How links in Org are formatted
708 * Internal links:: Links to other places in the current file
709 * External links:: URL-like links to the world
710 * Handling links:: Creating, inserting and following
711 * Targeted links:: Point at a location in a file
714 @node Link format, Internal links, Hyperlinks, Hyperlinks
717 Org will recognize plain URL-like links and activate them as
718 clickable links. The general link format, however, looks like this:
721 [[link][description]] @r{or alternatively} [[link]]
725 Once a link in the buffer is complete (all brackets present), Org will change
726 the display so that @samp{description} is displayed instead of
727 @samp{[[link][description]]} and @samp{link} is displayed instead of
728 @samp{[[link]]}. To edit the invisible @samp{link} part, use @kbd{C-c
729 C-l} with the cursor on the link.
731 @node Internal links, External links, Link format, Hyperlinks
732 @section Internal links
734 If the link does not look like a URL, it is considered to be internal in the
735 current file. The most important case is a link like
736 @samp{[[#my-custom-id]]} which will link to the entry with the
737 @code{CUSTOM_ID} property @samp{my-custom-id}.
739 Links such as @samp{[[My Target]]} or @samp{[[My Target][Find my target]]}
740 lead to a text search in the current file for the corresponding target which
741 looks like @samp{<<My Target>>}.
743 @node External links, Handling links, Internal links, Hyperlinks
744 @section External links
746 Org supports links to files, websites, Usenet and email messages,
747 BBDB database entries and links to both IRC conversations and their
748 logs. External links are URL-like locators. They start with a short
749 identifying string followed by a colon. There can be no space after
750 the colon. Here are some examples:
753 http://www.astro.uva.nl/~dominik @r{on the web}
754 file:/home/dominik/images/jupiter.jpg @r{file, absolute path}
755 /home/dominik/images/jupiter.jpg @r{same as above}
756 file:papers/last.pdf @r{file, relative path}
757 file:projects.org @r{another Org file}
758 docview:papers/last.pdf::NNN @r{open file in doc-view mode at page NNN}
759 id:B7423F4D-2E8A-471B-8810-C40F074717E9 @r{Link to heading by ID}
760 news:comp.emacs @r{Usenet link}
761 mailto:adent@@galaxy.net @r{Mail link}
762 vm:folder @r{VM folder link}
763 vm:folder#id @r{VM message link}
764 wl:folder#id @r{WANDERLUST message link}
765 mhe:folder#id @r{MH-E message link}
766 rmail:folder#id @r{RMAIL message link}
767 gnus:group#id @r{Gnus article link}
768 bbdb:R.*Stallman @r{BBDB link (with regexp)}
769 irc:/irc.com/#emacs/bob @r{IRC link}
770 info:org:External%20links @r{Info node link (with encoded space)}
773 A link should be enclosed in double brackets and may contain a
774 descriptive text to be displayed instead of the URL (@pxref{Link
775 format}), for example:
778 [[http://www.gnu.org/software/emacs/][GNU Emacs]]
782 If the description is a file name or URL that points to an image, HTML export
783 (@pxref{HTML export}) will inline the image as a clickable button. If there
784 is no description at all and the link points to an image, that image will be
785 inlined into the exported HTML file.
787 @node Handling links, Targeted links, External links, Hyperlinks
788 @section Handling links
790 Org provides methods to create a link in the correct syntax, to
791 insert it into an Org file, and to follow the link.
795 Store a link to the current location. This is a @emph{global} command (you
796 must create the key binding yourself) which can be used in any buffer to
797 create a link. The link will be stored for later insertion into an Org
801 Insert a link. This prompts for a link to be inserted into the buffer. You
802 can just type a link, or use history keys @key{up} and @key{down} to access
803 stored links. You will be prompted for the description part of the link.
804 When called with a @kbd{C-u} prefix argument, file name completion is used to
807 @item C-c C-l @r{(with cursor on existing link)}
808 When the cursor is on an existing link, @kbd{C-c C-l} allows you to edit the
809 link and description parts of the link.
811 @item C-c C-o @r{or} mouse-1 @r{or} mouse-2
814 Jump back to a recorded position. A position is recorded by the
815 commands following internal links, and by @kbd{C-c %}. Using this
816 command several times in direct succession moves through a ring of
817 previously recorded positions.
821 @node Targeted links, , Handling links, Hyperlinks
822 @section Targeted links
824 File links can contain additional information to make Emacs jump to a
825 particular location in the file when following a link. This can be a
826 line number or a search option after a double colon.
828 Here is the syntax of the different ways to attach a search to a file
829 link, together with an explanation:
832 [[file:~/code/main.c::255]] @r{Find line 255}
833 [[file:~/xx.org::My Target]] @r{Find @samp{<<My Target>>}}
834 [[file:~/xx.org::#my-custom-id]] @r{Find entry with custom id}
838 @uref{http://orgmode.org/manual/Hyperlinks.html#Hyperlinks, Chapter 4 of the
841 @node TODO Items, Tags, Hyperlinks, Top
844 Org mode does not maintain TODO lists as separate documents@footnote{Of
845 course, you can make a document that contains only long lists of TODO items,
846 but this is not required.}. Instead, TODO items are an integral part of the
847 notes file, because TODO items usually come up while taking notes! With Org
848 mode, simply mark any entry in a tree as being a TODO item. In this way,
849 information is not duplicated, and the entire context from which the TODO
850 item emerged is always present.
852 Of course, this technique for managing TODO items scatters them
853 throughout your notes file. Org mode compensates for this by providing
854 methods to give you an overview of all the things that you have to do.
857 * Using TODO states:: Setting and switching states
858 * Multi-state workflows:: More than just on/off
859 * Progress logging:: Dates and notes for progress
860 * Priorities:: Some things are more important than others
861 * Breaking down tasks:: Splitting a task into manageable pieces
862 * Checkboxes:: Tick-off lists
865 @node Using TODO states, Multi-state workflows, TODO Items, TODO Items
866 @section Using TODO states
868 Any headline becomes a TODO item when it starts with the word
869 @samp{TODO}, for example:
872 *** TODO Write letter to Sam Fortune
876 The most important commands to work with TODO entries are:
880 Rotate the TODO state of the current item among
883 ,-> (unmarked) -> TODO -> DONE --.
884 '--------------------------------'
887 The same rotation can also be done ``remotely'' from the timeline and
888 agenda buffers with the @kbd{t} command key (@pxref{Agenda commands}).
890 @item S-@key{right}@r{/}@key{left}
891 Select the following/preceding TODO state, similar to cycling.
893 View TODO items in a @emph{sparse tree} (@pxref{Sparse trees}). Folds the
894 buffer, but shows all TODO items and the headings hierarchy above
897 Show the global TODO list. Collects the TODO items from all agenda files
898 (@pxref{Agenda Views}) into a single buffer. @xref{Global TODO list}, for
901 Insert a new TODO entry below the current one.
905 Changing a TODO state can also trigger tag changes. See the docstring of the
906 option @code{org-todo-state-tags-triggers} for details.
908 @node Multi-state workflows, Progress logging, Using TODO states, TODO Items
909 @section Multi-state workflows
911 You can use TODO keywords to indicate different @emph{sequential} states
912 in the process of working on an item, for example:
915 (setq org-todo-keywords
916 '((sequence "TODO" "FEEDBACK" "VERIFY" "|" "DONE" "DELEGATED")))
919 The vertical bar separates the TODO keywords (states that @emph{need
920 action}) from the DONE states (which need @emph{no further action}). If
921 you don't provide the separator bar, the last state is used as the DONE
923 With this setup, the command @kbd{C-c C-t} will cycle an entry from TODO
924 to FEEDBACK, then to VERIFY, and finally to DONE and DELEGATED.
926 Sometimes you may want to use different sets of TODO keywords in
927 parallel. For example, you may want to have the basic
928 @code{TODO}/@code{DONE}, but also a workflow for bug fixing, and a
929 separate state indicating that an item has been canceled (so it is not
930 DONE, but also does not require action). Your setup would then look
934 (setq org-todo-keywords
935 '((sequence "TODO(t)" "|" "DONE(d)")
936 (sequence "REPORT(r)" "BUG(b)" "KNOWNCAUSE(k)" "|" "FIXED(f)")
937 (sequence "|" "CANCELED(c)")))
940 The keywords should all be different, this helps Org mode to keep track of
941 which subsequence should be used for a given entry. The example also shows
942 how to define keys for fast access of a particular state, by adding a letter
943 in parenthesis after each keyword - you will be prompted for the key after
946 To define TODO keywords that are valid only in a single file, use the
947 following text anywhere in the file.
950 #+TODO: TODO(t) | DONE(d)
951 #+TODO: REPORT(r) BUG(b) KNOWNCAUSE(k) | FIXED(f)
952 #+TODO: | CANCELED(c)
955 After changing one of these lines, use @kbd{C-c C-c} with the cursor still in
956 the line to make the changes known to Org mode.
958 @node Progress logging, Priorities, Multi-state workflows, TODO Items
959 @section Progress logging
961 Org mode can automatically record a timestamp and possibly a note when
962 you mark a TODO item as DONE, or even each time you change the state of
963 a TODO item. This system is highly configurable, settings can be on a
964 per-keyword basis and can be localized to a file or even a subtree. For
965 information on how to clock working time for a task, see @ref{Clocking
969 * Closing items:: When was this entry marked DONE?
970 * Tracking TODO state changes:: When did the status change?
973 @node Closing items, Tracking TODO state changes, Progress logging, Progress logging
974 @unnumberedsubsec Closing items
976 The most basic logging is to keep track of @emph{when} a certain TODO
977 item was finished. This is achieved with@footnote{The corresponding
978 in-buffer setting is: @code{#+STARTUP: logdone}}.
981 (setq org-log-done 'time)
985 Then each time you turn an entry from a TODO (not-done) state into any of the
986 DONE states, a line @samp{CLOSED: [timestamp]} will be inserted just after
987 the headline. If you want to record a note along with the timestamp,
988 use@footnote{The corresponding in-buffer setting is: @code{#+STARTUP:
992 (setq org-log-done 'note)
996 You will then be prompted for a note, and that note will be stored below
997 the entry with a @samp{Closing Note} heading.
999 @node Tracking TODO state changes, , Closing items, Progress logging
1000 @unnumberedsubsec Tracking TODO state changes
1002 You might want to keep track of TODO state changes. You can either record
1003 just a timestamp, or a time-stamped note for a change. These records will be
1004 inserted after the headline as an itemized list. When taking a lot of notes,
1005 you might want to get the notes out of the way into a drawer. Customize the
1006 variable @code{org-log-into-drawer} to get this behavior.
1008 For state logging, Org mode expects configuration on a per-keyword basis.
1009 This is achieved by adding special markers @samp{!} (for a timestamp) and
1010 @samp{@@} (for a note) in parentheses after each keyword. For example:
1012 #+TODO: TODO(t) WAIT(w@@/!) | DONE(d!) CANCELED(c@@)
1015 will define TODO keywords and fast access keys, and also request that a time
1016 is recorded when the entry is set to DONE, and that a note is recorded when
1017 switching to WAIT or CANCELED. The same syntax works also when setting
1018 @code{org-todo-keywords}.
1020 @node Priorities, Breaking down tasks, Progress logging, TODO Items
1023 If you use Org mode extensively, you may end up with enough TODO items that
1024 it starts to make sense to prioritize them. Prioritizing can be done by
1025 placing a @emph{priority cookie} into the headline of a TODO item, like this
1028 *** TODO [#A] Write letter to Sam Fortune
1032 Org mode supports three priorities: @samp{A}, @samp{B}, and @samp{C}.
1033 @samp{A} is the highest, @samp{B} the default if none is given. Priorities
1034 make a difference only in the agenda.
1038 Set the priority of the current headline. Press @samp{A}, @samp{B} or
1039 @samp{C} to select a priority, or @key{SPC} to remove the cookie.
1043 Increase/decrease priority of current headline
1046 @node Breaking down tasks, Checkboxes, Priorities, TODO Items
1047 @section Breaking tasks down into subtasks
1049 It is often advisable to break down large tasks into smaller, manageable
1050 subtasks. You can do this by creating an outline tree below a TODO item,
1051 with detailed subtasks on the tree. To keep the overview over the fraction
1052 of subtasks that are already completed, insert either @samp{[/]} or
1053 @samp{[%]} anywhere in the headline. These cookies will be updated each time
1054 the TODO status of a child changes, or when pressing @kbd{C-c C-c} on the
1055 cookie. For example:
1058 * Organize Party [33%]
1059 ** TODO Call people [1/2]
1063 ** DONE Talk to neighbor
1066 @node Checkboxes, , Breaking down tasks, TODO Items
1069 Every item in a plain list (@pxref{Plain lists}) can be made into a checkbox
1070 by starting it with the string @samp{[ ]}. Checkboxes are not included into
1071 the global TODO list, so they are often great to split a task into a number
1073 Here is an example of a checkbox list.
1076 * TODO Organize party [1/3]
1077 - [-] call people [1/2]
1081 - [ ] think about what music to play
1084 Checkboxes work hierarchically, so if a checkbox item has children that
1085 are checkboxes, toggling one of the children checkboxes will make the
1086 parent checkbox reflect if none, some, or all of the children are
1089 @noindent The following commands work with checkboxes:
1093 Toggle checkbox status or (with prefix arg) checkbox presence at point.
1095 Insert a new item with a checkbox.
1096 This works only if the cursor is already in a plain list item
1097 (@pxref{Plain lists}).
1101 @uref{http://orgmode.org/manual/TODO-Items.html#TODO-Items, Chapter 5 of the manual}@*
1102 @uref{http://orgmode.org/worg/org-tutorials/orgtutorial_dto.php, David
1103 O'Toole's introductory tutorial}@*
1104 @uref{http://members.optusnet.com.au/~charles57/GTD/gtd_workflow.html,
1105 Charles Cave's GTD setup}}
1107 @node Tags, Properties, TODO Items, Top
1110 An excellent way to implement labels and contexts for cross-correlating
1111 information is to assign @i{tags} to headlines. Org mode has extensive
1114 Every headline can contain a list of tags; they occur at the end of the
1115 headline. Tags are normal words containing letters, numbers, @samp{_}, and
1116 @samp{@@}. Tags must be preceded and followed by a single colon, e.g.,
1117 @samp{:work:}. Several tags can be specified, as in @samp{:work:urgent:}.
1118 Tags will by default be in bold face with the same color as the headline.
1121 * Tag inheritance:: Tags use the tree structure of the outline
1122 * Setting tags:: How to assign tags to a headline
1123 * Tag searches:: Searching for combinations of tags
1126 @node Tag inheritance, Setting tags, Tags, Tags
1127 @section Tag inheritance
1129 @i{Tags} make use of the hierarchical structure of outline trees. If a
1130 heading has a certain tag, all subheadings will inherit the tag as
1131 well. For example, in the list
1134 * Meeting with the French group :work:
1135 ** Summary by Frank :boss:notes:
1136 *** TODO Prepare slides for him :action:
1140 the final heading will have the tags @samp{:work:}, @samp{:boss:},
1141 @samp{:notes:}, and @samp{:action:} even though the final heading is not
1142 explicitly marked with those tags. You can also set tags that all entries in
1143 a file should inherit just as if these tags were defined in a hypothetical
1144 level zero that surrounds the entire file. Use a line like this@footnote{As
1145 with all these in-buffer settings, pressing @kbd{C-c C-c} activates any
1146 changes in the line.}:
1149 #+FILETAGS: :Peter:Boss:Secret:
1152 @node Setting tags, Tag searches, Tag inheritance, Tags
1153 @section Setting tags
1155 Tags can simply be typed into the buffer at the end of a headline.
1156 After a colon, @kbd{M-@key{TAB}} offers completion on tags. There is
1157 also a special command for inserting tags:
1161 Enter new tags for the current headline. Org mode will either offer
1162 completion or a special single-key interface for setting tags, see
1163 below. After pressing @key{RET}, the tags will be inserted and aligned
1164 to @code{org-tags-column}. When called with a @kbd{C-u} prefix, all
1165 tags in the current buffer will be aligned to that column, just to make
1168 When the cursor is in a headline, this does the same as @kbd{C-c C-q}.
1171 Org will support tag insertion based on a @emph{list of tags}. By
1172 default this list is constructed dynamically, containing all tags
1173 currently used in the buffer. You may also globally specify a hard list
1174 of tags with the variable @code{org-tag-alist}. Finally you can set
1175 the default tags for a given file with lines like
1178 #+TAGS: @@work @@home @@tennisclub
1179 #+TAGS: laptop car pc sailboat
1182 By default Org mode uses the standard minibuffer completion facilities for
1183 entering tags. However, it also implements another, quicker, tag selection
1184 method called @emph{fast tag selection}. This allows you to select and
1185 deselect tags with just a single key press. For this to work well you should
1186 assign unique letters to most of your commonly used tags. You can do this
1187 globally by configuring the variable @code{org-tag-alist} in your
1188 @file{.emacs} file. For example, you may find the need to tag many items in
1189 different files with @samp{:@@home:}. In this case you can set something
1193 (setq org-tag-alist '(("@@work" . ?w) ("@@home" . ?h) ("laptop" . ?l)))
1196 @noindent If the tag is only relevant to the file you are working on, then you
1197 can instead set the TAGS option line as:
1200 #+TAGS: @@work(w) @@home(h) @@tennisclub(t) laptop(l) pc(p)
1203 @node Tag searches, , Setting tags, Tags
1204 @section Tag searches
1206 Once a system of tags has been set up, it can be used to collect related
1207 information into special lists.
1212 Create a sparse tree with all headlines matching a tags search. With a
1213 @kbd{C-u} prefix argument, ignore headlines that are not a TODO line.
1215 Create a global list of tag matches from all agenda files.
1216 @xref{Matching tags and properties}.
1218 Create a global list of tag matches from all agenda files, but check
1219 only TODO items and force checking subitems (see variable
1220 @code{org-tags-match-list-sublevels}).
1223 These commands all prompt for a match string which allows basic Boolean logic
1224 like @samp{+boss+urgent-project1}, to find entries with tags @samp{boss} and
1225 @samp{urgent}, but not @samp{project1}, or @samp{Kathy|Sally} to find entries
1226 which are tagged, like @samp{Kathy} or @samp{Sally}. The full syntax of the
1227 search string is rich and allows also matching against TODO keywords, entry
1228 levels and properties. For a complete description with many examples, see
1229 @ref{Matching tags and properties}.
1232 @uref{http://orgmode.org/manual/Tags.html#Tags, Chapter 6 of the manual}@*
1233 @uref{http://sachachua.com/wp/2008/01/tagging-in-org-plus-bonus-code-for-timeclocks-and-tags/,
1234 Sacha Chua's article about tagging in Org-mode}}
1236 @node Properties, Dates and Times, Tags, Top
1239 Properties are key-value pairs associates with and entry. They live in a
1240 special drawer with the name @code{PROPERTIES}. Each
1241 property is specified on a single line, with the key (surrounded by colons)
1242 first, and the value after it:
1247 *** Goldberg Variations
1249 :Title: Goldberg Variations
1250 :Composer: J.S. Bach
1251 :Publisher: Deutsche Grammophon
1256 You may define the allowed values for a particular property @samp{:Xyz:}
1257 by setting a property @samp{:Xyz_ALL:}. This special property is
1258 @emph{inherited}, so if you set it in a level 1 entry, it will apply to
1259 the entire tree. When allowed values are defined, setting the
1260 corresponding property becomes easier and is less prone to typing
1261 errors. For the example with the CD collection, we can predefine
1262 publishers and the number of disks in a box like this:
1267 :NDisks_ALL: 1 2 3 4
1268 :Publisher_ALL: "Deutsche Grammophon" Philips EMI
1271 or globally using @code{org-global-properties}, or file-wide like this:
1273 #+PROPERTY: NDisks_ALL 1 2 3 4
1278 Set a property. This prompts for a property name and a value.
1280 Remove a property from the current entry.
1283 To create sparse trees and special lists with selection based on properties,
1284 the same commands are used as for tag searches (@pxref{Tag searches}). The
1285 syntax for the search string is described in @ref{Matching tags and
1292 @uref{http://orgmode.org/manual/Properties-and-Columns.html#Properties-and-Columns,
1293 Chapter 7 of the manual}@*
1294 @uref{http://orgmode.org/worg/org-tutorials/org-column-view-tutorial.php,Bastien
1295 Guerry's column view tutorial}}
1297 @node Dates and Times, Capture - Refile - Archive, Properties, Top
1298 @chapter Dates and Times
1300 To assist project planning, TODO items can be labeled with a date and/or
1301 a time. The specially formatted string carrying the date and time
1302 information is called a @emph{timestamp} in Org mode.
1305 * Timestamps:: Assigning a time to a tree entry
1306 * Creating timestamps:: Commands which insert timestamps
1307 * Deadlines and scheduling:: Planning your work
1308 * Clocking work time:: Tracking how long you spend on a task
1312 @node Timestamps, Creating timestamps, Dates and Times, Dates and Times
1315 A timestamp is a specification of a date (possibly with a time or a range of
1316 times) in a special format, either @samp{<2003-09-16 Tue>} or
1317 @samp{<2003-09-16 Tue 09:39>} or @samp{<2003-09-16 Tue 12:00-12:30>}. A
1318 timestamp can appear anywhere in the headline or body of an Org tree entry.
1319 Its presence causes entries to be shown on specific dates in the agenda
1320 (@pxref{Weekly/daily agenda}). We distinguish:
1322 @noindent @b{Plain timestamp; Event; Appointment}@*
1323 A simple timestamp just assigns a date/time to an item. This is just
1324 like writing down an appointment or event in a paper agenda.
1327 * Meet Peter at the movies
1328 <2006-11-01 Wed 19:15>
1329 * Discussion on climate change
1330 <2006-11-02 Thu 20:00-22:00>
1333 @noindent @b{Timestamp with repeater interval}@*
1334 A timestamp may contain a @emph{repeater interval}, indicating that it
1335 applies not only on the given date, but again and again after a certain
1336 interval of N days (d), weeks (w), months (m), or years (y). The
1337 following will show up in the agenda every Wednesday:
1339 * Pick up Sam at school
1340 <2007-05-16 Wed 12:30 +1w>
1343 @noindent @b{Diary-style sexp entries}@*
1344 For more complex date specifications, Org mode supports using the
1345 special sexp diary entries implemented in the Emacs calendar/diary
1346 package. For example
1348 * The nerd meeting on every 2nd Thursday of the month
1349 <%%(diary-float t 4 2)>
1352 @noindent @b{Time/Date range}@*
1353 Two timestamps connected by @samp{--} denote a range.
1355 ** Meeting in Amsterdam
1356 <2004-08-23 Mon>--<2004-08-26 Thu>
1359 @noindent @b{Inactive timestamp}@*
1360 Just like a plain timestamp, but with square brackets instead of
1361 angular ones. These timestamps are inactive in the sense that they do
1362 @emph{not} trigger an entry to show up in the agenda.
1365 * Gillian comes late for the fifth time
1370 @node Creating timestamps, Deadlines and scheduling, Timestamps, Dates and Times
1371 @section Creating timestamps
1373 For Org mode to recognize timestamps, they need to be in the specific
1374 format. All commands listed below produce timestamps in the correct
1379 Prompt for a date and insert a corresponding timestamp. When the cursor is
1380 at an existing timestamp in the buffer, the command is used to modify this
1381 timestamp instead of inserting a new one. When this command is used twice in
1382 succession, a time range is inserted. With a prefix, also add the current
1386 Like @kbd{C-c .}, but insert an inactive timestamp that will not cause
1389 @item S-@key{left}@r{/}@key{right}
1390 Change date at cursor by one day.
1392 @item S-@key{up}@r{/}@key{down}
1393 Change the item under the cursor in a timestamp. The cursor can be on a
1394 year, month, day, hour or minute. When the timestamp contains a time range
1395 like @samp{15:30-16:30}, modifying the first time will also shift the second,
1396 shifting the time block with constant length. To change the length, modify
1400 When Org mode prompts for a date/time, it will accept any string containing
1401 some date and/or time information, and intelligently interpret the string,
1402 deriving defaults for unspecified information from the current date and time.
1403 You can also select a date in the pop-up calendar. See the manual for more
1404 information on how exactly the date/time prompt works.
1406 @node Deadlines and scheduling, Clocking work time, Creating timestamps, Dates and Times
1407 @section Deadlines and scheduling
1409 A timestamp may be preceded by special keywords to facilitate planning:
1411 @noindent @b{DEADLINE}@*
1412 Meaning: the task (most likely a TODO item, though not necessarily) is supposed
1413 to be finished on that date.
1416 Insert @samp{DEADLINE} keyword along with a stamp, in the line following the
1420 On the deadline date, the task will be listed in the agenda. In
1421 addition, the agenda for @emph{today} will carry a warning about the
1422 approaching or missed deadline, starting
1423 @code{org-deadline-warning-days} before the due date, and continuing
1424 until the entry is marked DONE. An example:
1427 *** TODO write article about the Earth for the Guide
1428 The editor in charge is [[bbdb:Ford Prefect]]
1429 DEADLINE: <2004-02-29 Sun>
1433 @noindent @b{SCHEDULED}@*
1434 Meaning: you are @i{planning to start working} on that task on the given
1435 date@footnote{This is quite different from what is normally understood by
1436 @i{scheduling a meeting}, which is done in Org-mode by just inserting a time
1437 stamp without keyword.}.
1441 Insert @samp{SCHEDULED} keyword along with a stamp, in the line following the
1445 The headline will be listed under the given date@footnote{It will still
1446 be listed on that date after it has been marked DONE. If you don't like
1447 this, set the variable @code{org-agenda-skip-scheduled-if-done}.}. In
1448 addition, a reminder that the scheduled date has passed will be present
1449 in the compilation for @emph{today}, until the entry is marked DONE.
1450 I.e.@: the task will automatically be forwarded until completed.
1453 *** TODO Call Trillian for a date on New Years Eve.
1454 SCHEDULED: <2004-12-25 Sat>
1457 Some tasks need to be repeated again and again. Org mode helps to
1458 organize such tasks using a so-called repeater in a DEADLINE, SCHEDULED,
1459 or plain timestamp. In the following example
1461 ** TODO Pay the rent
1462 DEADLINE: <2005-10-01 Sat +1m>
1465 the @code{+1m} is a repeater; the intended interpretation is that the task
1466 has a deadline on <2005-10-01> and repeats itself every (one) month starting
1469 @node Clocking work time, , Deadlines and scheduling, Dates and Times
1470 @section Clocking work time
1472 Org mode allows you to clock the time you spend on specific tasks in a
1477 Start the clock on the current item (clock-in). This inserts the CLOCK
1478 keyword together with a timestamp. When called with a @kbd{C-u} prefix
1479 argument, select the task from a list of recently clocked tasks.
1482 Stop the clock (clock-out). This inserts another timestamp at the same
1483 location where the clock was last started. It also directly computes
1484 the resulting time in inserts it after the time range as @samp{=>
1487 Update the effort estimate for the current clock task.
1489 Cancel the current clock. This is useful if a clock was started by
1490 mistake, or if you ended up working on something else.
1492 Jump to the entry that contains the currently running clock. With a
1493 @kbd{C-u} prefix arg, select the target task from a list of recently clocked
1496 Insert a dynamic block containing a clock
1497 report as an Org-mode table into the current file. When the cursor is
1498 at an existing clock table, just update it.
1500 #+BEGIN: clocktable :maxlevel 2 :emphasize nil :scope file
1504 For details about how to customize this view, see @uref{http://orgmode.org/manual/Clocking-work-time.html#Clocking-work-time,the manual}.
1506 Update dynamic block at point. The cursor needs to be in the
1507 @code{#+BEGIN} line of the dynamic block.
1510 The @kbd{l} key may be used in the timeline (@pxref{Timeline}) and in
1511 the agenda (@pxref{Weekly/daily agenda}) to show which tasks have been
1512 worked on or closed during a day.
1515 @uref{http://orgmode.org/manual/Dates-and-Times.html#Dates-and-Times,
1516 Chapter 8 of the manual}@*
1517 @uref{http://members.optusnet.com.au/~charles57/GTD/org_dates/, Charles
1518 Cave's Date and Time tutorial}@*
1519 @uref{http://doc.norang.ca/org-mode.html#Clocking, Bernt Hansen's clocking workflow}}
1521 @node Capture - Refile - Archive, Agenda Views, Dates and Times, Top
1522 @chapter Capture - Refile - Archive
1524 An important part of any organization system is the ability to quickly
1525 capture new ideas and tasks, and to associate reference material with them.
1526 Org defines a capture process to create tasks. It stores files related to a
1527 task (@i{attachments}) in a special directory. Once in the system, tasks and
1528 projects need to be moved around. Moving completed project trees to an
1529 archive file keeps the system compact and fast.
1533 * Refiling notes:: Moving a tree from one place to another
1534 * Archiving:: What to do with finished projects
1537 @node Capture, Refiling notes, Capture - Refile - Archive, Capture - Refile - Archive
1540 Org's method for capturing new items is heavily inspired by John Wiegley
1541 excellent remember package. It lets you store quick notes with little
1542 interruption of your work flow. Org lets you define templates for new
1543 entries and associate them with different targets for storing notes.
1546 * Setting up a capture location:: Where notes will be stored
1547 * Using capture:: Commands to invoke and terminate capture
1548 * Capture templates:: Define the outline of different note types
1551 @node Setting up a capture location, Using capture, Capture, Capture
1552 @unnumberedsubsec Setting up a capture location
1554 The following customization sets a default target@footnote{Using capture
1555 templates, you can define more fine-grained capture locations, see
1556 @ref{Capture templates}.} file for notes, and defines a global
1557 key@footnote{Please select your own key, @kbd{C-c c} is only a suggestion.}
1558 for capturing new stuff.
1561 (setq org-default-notes-file (concat org-directory "/notes.org"))
1562 (define-key global-map "\C-cc" 'org-capture)
1565 @node Using capture, Capture templates, Setting up a capture location, Capture
1566 @unnumberedsubsec Using capture
1570 Start a capture process. You will be placed into a narrowed indirect buffer
1573 Once you are done entering information into the capture buffer,
1574 @kbd{C-c C-c} will return you to the window configuration before the capture
1575 process, so that you can resume your work without further distraction.
1577 Finalize by moving the entry to a refile location (@pxref{Refiling notes}).
1579 Abort the capture process and return to the previous state.
1582 @node Capture templates, , Using capture, Capture
1583 @unnumberedsubsec Capture templates
1585 You can use templates to generate different types of capture notes, and to
1586 store them in different places. For example, if you would like
1587 to store new tasks under a heading @samp{Tasks} in file @file{TODO.org}, and
1588 journal entries in a date tree in @file{journal.org} you could
1592 (setq org-capture-templates
1593 '(("t" "Todo" entry (file+headline "~/org/gtd.org" "Tasks")
1594 "* TODO %?\n %i\n %a")
1595 ("j" "Journal" entry (file+datetree "~/org/journal.org")
1596 "* %?\nEntered on %U\n %i\n %a")))
1599 @noindent In these entries, the first string is the key to reach the
1600 template, the second is a short description. Then follows the type of the
1601 entry and a definition of the target location for storing the note. Finally,
1602 the template itself, a string with %-escapes to fill in information based on
1605 When you call @kbd{M-x org-capture}, Org will prompt for a key to select the
1606 template (if you have more than one template) and then prepare the buffer like
1609 [[file:@var{link to where you were when initiating capture}]]
1613 During expansion of the template, special @kbd{%}-escapes@footnote{If you
1614 need one of these sequences literally, escape the @kbd{%} with a backslash.}
1615 allow dynamic insertion of content. Here is a small selection of the
1616 possibilities, consult the manual for more.
1618 %a @r{annotation, normally the link created with @code{org-store-link}}
1619 %i @r{initial content, the region when remember is called with C-u.}
1620 %t @r{timestamp, date only}
1621 %T @r{timestamp with date and time}
1622 %u, %U @r{like the above, but inactive timestamps}
1625 @node Refiling notes, Archiving, Capture, Capture - Refile - Archive
1626 @section Refiling notes
1628 When reviewing the captured data, you may want to refile some of the entries
1629 into a different list, for example into a project. Cutting, finding the
1630 right location, and then pasting the note is cumbersome. To simplify this
1631 process, you can use the following special command:
1635 Refile the entry or region at point. This command offers possible locations
1636 for refiling the entry and lets you select one with completion. The item (or
1637 all items in the region) is filed below the target heading as a subitem.@*
1638 By default, all level 1 headlines in the current buffer are considered to be
1639 targets, but you can have more complex definitions across a number of files.
1640 See the variable @code{org-refile-targets} for details.
1642 Use the refile interface to jump to a heading.
1643 @item C-u C-u C-c C-w
1644 Jump to the location where @code{org-refile} last moved a tree to.
1647 @node Archiving, , Refiling notes, Capture - Refile - Archive
1650 When a project represented by a (sub)tree is finished, you may want
1651 to move the tree out of the way and to stop it from contributing to the
1652 agenda. Archiving is important to keep your working files compact and global
1653 searches like the construction of agenda views fast.
1654 The most common archiving action is to move a project tree to another file,
1659 Archive the current entry using the command specified in the variable
1660 @code{org-archive-default-command}.
1661 @item C-c C-x C-s@ @r{or short} @ C-c $
1662 Archive the subtree starting at the cursor position to the location
1663 given by @code{org-archive-location}.
1666 The default archive location is a file in the same directory as the
1667 current file, with the name derived by appending @file{_archive} to the
1668 current file name. For information and examples on how to change this,
1669 see the documentation string of the variable
1670 @code{org-archive-location}. There is also an in-buffer option for
1671 setting this variable, for example
1674 #+ARCHIVE: %s_done::
1678 @uref{http://orgmode.org/manual/Capture-_002d-Refile-_002d-Archive.html#Capture-_002d-Refile-_002d-Archive,
1679 Chapter 9 of the manual}@*
1680 @uref{http://members.optusnet.com.au/~charles57/GTD/remember.html, Charles
1681 Cave's remember tutorial}@*
1682 @uref{http://orgmode.org/worg/org-tutorials/org-protocol-custom-handler.php,
1683 Sebastian Rose's tutorial for capturing from a web browser}}@uref{}@*
1685 @node Agenda Views, Markup, Capture - Refile - Archive, Top
1686 @chapter Agenda Views
1688 Due to the way Org works, TODO items, time-stamped items, and tagged
1689 headlines can be scattered throughout a file or even a number of files. To
1690 get an overview of open action items, or of events that are important for a
1691 particular date, this information must be collected, sorted and displayed in
1692 an organized way. There are several different views, see below.
1694 The extracted information is displayed in a special @emph{agenda buffer}.
1695 This buffer is read-only, but provides commands to visit the corresponding
1696 locations in the original Org files, and even to edit these files remotely.
1697 Remote editing from the agenda buffer means, for example, that you can
1698 change the dates of deadlines and appointments from the agenda buffer.
1699 The commands available in the Agenda buffer are listed in @ref{Agenda
1703 * Agenda files:: Files being searched for agenda information
1704 * Agenda dispatcher:: Keyboard access to agenda views
1705 * Built-in agenda views:: What is available out of the box?
1706 * Agenda commands:: Remote editing of Org trees
1707 * Custom agenda views:: Defining special searches and views
1710 @node Agenda files, Agenda dispatcher, Agenda Views, Agenda Views
1711 @section Agenda files
1713 The information to be shown is normally collected from all @emph{agenda
1714 files}, the files listed in the variable
1715 @code{org-agenda-files}.
1719 Add current file to the list of agenda files. The file is added to
1720 the front of the list. If it was already in the list, it is moved to
1721 the front. With a prefix argument, file is added/moved to the end.
1723 Remove current file from the list of agenda files.
1725 Cycle through agenda file list, visiting one file after the other.
1728 @node Agenda dispatcher, Built-in agenda views, Agenda files, Agenda Views
1729 @section The agenda dispatcher
1730 The views are created through a dispatcher, which should be bound to a
1731 global key---for example @kbd{C-c a} (@pxref{Installation}). After
1732 pressing @kbd{C-c a}, an additional letter is required to execute a
1736 The calendar-like agenda (@pxref{Weekly/daily agenda}).
1738 A list of all TODO items (@pxref{Global TODO list}).
1740 A list of headlines matching a TAGS expression (@pxref{Matching
1741 tags and properties}).
1743 The timeline view for the current buffer (@pxref{Timeline}).
1745 A list of entries selected by a boolean expression of keywords
1746 and/or regular expressions that must or must not occur in the entry.
1749 @node Built-in agenda views, Agenda commands, Agenda dispatcher, Agenda Views
1750 @section The built-in agenda views
1753 * Weekly/daily agenda:: The calendar page with current tasks
1754 * Global TODO list:: All unfinished action items
1755 * Matching tags and properties:: Structured information with fine-tuned search
1756 * Timeline:: Time-sorted view for single file
1757 * Search view:: Find entries by searching for text
1760 @node Weekly/daily agenda, Global TODO list, Built-in agenda views, Built-in agenda views
1761 @subsection The weekly/daily agenda
1763 The purpose of the weekly/daily @emph{agenda} is to act like a page of a
1764 paper agenda, showing all the tasks for the current week or day.
1768 Compile an agenda for the current week from a list of Org files. The agenda
1769 shows the entries for each day.
1772 Emacs contains the calendar and diary by Edward M. Reingold. Org-mode
1773 understands the syntax of the diary and allows you to use diary sexp entries
1774 directly in Org files:
1777 * Birthdays and similar stuff
1779 %%(org-calendar-holiday) ; special function for holiday names
1781 %%(diary-anniversary 5 14 1956)@footnote{Note that the order of the arguments (month, day, year) depends on the setting of @code{calendar-date-style}.} Arthur Dent is %d years old
1782 %%(diary-anniversary 10 2 1869) Mahatma Gandhi would be %d years old
1785 Org can interact with Emacs appointments notification facility. To add all
1786 the appointments of your agenda files, use the command
1787 @code{org-agenda-to-appt}. See the docstring for details.
1789 @node Global TODO list, Matching tags and properties, Weekly/daily agenda, Built-in agenda views
1790 @subsection The global TODO list
1792 The global TODO list contains all unfinished TODO items formatted and
1793 collected into a single place. Remote editing of TODO items lets you
1794 can change the state of a TODO entry with a single key press. The commands
1795 available in the TODO list are described in @ref{Agenda commands}.
1799 Show the global TODO list. This collects the TODO items from all
1800 agenda files (@pxref{Agenda Views}) into a single buffer.
1802 Like the above, but allows selection of a specific TODO keyword.
1805 @node Matching tags and properties, Timeline, Global TODO list, Built-in agenda views
1806 @subsection Matching tags and properties
1808 If headlines in the agenda files are marked with @emph{tags} (@pxref{Tags}),
1809 or have properties (@pxref{Properties}), you can select headlines
1810 based on this metadata and collect them into an agenda buffer. The match
1811 syntax described here also applies when creating sparse trees with @kbd{C-c /
1812 m}. The commands available in the tags list are described in @ref{Agenda
1817 Produce a list of all headlines that match a given set of tags. The
1818 command prompts for a selection criterion, which is a boolean logic
1819 expression with tags, like @samp{+work+urgent-withboss} or
1820 @samp{work|home} (@pxref{Tags}). If you often need a specific search,
1821 define a custom command for it (@pxref{Agenda dispatcher}).
1823 Like @kbd{C-c a m}, but only select headlines that are also TODO items.
1826 @subsubheading Match syntax
1828 A search string can use Boolean operators @samp{&} for AND and @samp{|} for
1829 OR. @samp{&} binds more strongly than @samp{|}. Parentheses are currently
1830 not implemented. Each element in the search is either a tag, a regular
1831 expression matching tags, or an expression like @code{PROPERTY OPERATOR
1832 VALUE} with a comparison operator, accessing a property value. Each element
1833 may be preceded by @samp{-}, to select against it, and @samp{+} is syntactic
1834 sugar for positive selection. The AND operator @samp{&} is optional when
1835 @samp{+} or @samp{-} is present. Here are some examples, using only tags.
1839 Select headlines tagged @samp{:work:}, but discard those also tagged
1842 Selects lines tagged @samp{:work:} or @samp{:laptop:}.
1843 @item work|laptop+night
1844 Like before, but require the @samp{:laptop:} lines to be tagged also
1848 You may also test for properties at the same
1849 time as matching tags, see the manual for more information.
1851 @node Timeline, Search view, Matching tags and properties, Built-in agenda views
1852 @subsection Timeline for a single file
1854 The timeline summarizes all time-stamped items from a single Org mode
1855 file in a @emph{time-sorted view}. The main purpose of this command is
1856 to give an overview over events in a project.
1860 Show a time-sorted view of the Org file, with all time-stamped items.
1861 When called with a @kbd{C-u} prefix, all unfinished TODO entries
1862 (scheduled or not) are also listed under the current date.
1865 @node Search view, , Timeline, Built-in agenda views
1866 @subsection Search view
1868 This agenda view is a general text search facility for Org mode entries.
1869 It is particularly useful to find notes.
1873 This is a special search that lets you select entries by matching a substring
1874 or specific words using a boolean logic.
1876 For example, the search string @samp{computer equipment} will find entries
1877 that contain @samp{computer equipment} as a substring.
1878 Search view can also search for specific keywords in the entry, using Boolean
1879 logic. The search string @samp{+computer +wifi -ethernet -@{8\.11[bg]@}}
1880 will search for note entries that contain the keywords @code{computer}
1881 and @code{wifi}, but not the keyword @code{ethernet}, and which are also
1882 not matched by the regular expression @code{8\.11[bg]}, meaning to
1883 exclude both 8.11b and 8.11g.
1885 Note that in addition to the agenda files, this command will also search
1886 the files listed in @code{org-agenda-text-search-extra-files}.
1888 @node Agenda commands, Custom agenda views, Built-in agenda views, Agenda Views
1889 @section Commands in the agenda buffer
1891 Entries in the agenda buffer are linked back to the Org file or diary
1892 file where they originate. Commands are provided to show and jump to the
1893 original entry location, and to edit the Org files ``remotely'' from
1894 the agenda buffer. This is just a selection of the many commands, explore
1895 the @code{Agenda} menu and the manual for a complete list.
1898 @tsubheading{Motion}
1900 Next line (same as @key{up} and @kbd{C-p}).
1902 Previous line (same as @key{down} and @kbd{C-n}).
1903 @tsubheading{View/Go to Org file}
1906 Display the original location of the item in another window.
1907 With prefix arg, make sure that the entire entry is made visible in the
1908 outline, not only the heading.
1911 Go to the original location of the item in another window. Under Emacs
1912 22, @kbd{mouse-1} will also work for this.
1915 Go to the original location of the item and delete other windows.
1918 @tsubheading{Change display}
1920 Delete other windows.
1923 Switch to day/week view.
1926 Go forward/backward in time to display the following
1927 @code{org-agenda-current-span} days. For example, if the display covers a
1928 week, switch to the following/previous week.
1934 Prompt for a date and go there.
1936 @item v l @ @r{or short} @ l
1937 Toggle Logbook mode. In Logbook mode, entries that were marked DONE while
1938 logging was on (variable @code{org-log-done}) are shown in the agenda, as are
1939 entries that have been clocked on that day. When called with a @kbd{C-u}
1940 prefix, show all possible logbook entries, including state changes.
1943 Recreate the agenda buffer, to reflect the changes.
1945 Save all Org buffers in the current Emacs session, and also the locations of
1948 @tsubheading{Secondary filtering and query editing}
1951 Filter the current agenda view with respect to a tag. You are prompted for a
1952 letter to select a tag. Press @samp{-} first to select against the tag.
1955 Narrow the current agenda filter by an additional condition.
1957 @tsubheading{Remote editing (see the manual for many more commands)}
1963 Change the TODO state of the item, in the agenda and in the
1967 Delete the current agenda item along with the entire subtree belonging
1968 to it in the original Org file.
1971 Refile the entry at point.
1973 @item C-c C-x C-a @ @r{or short} @ a
1974 Archive the subtree corresponding to the entry at point using the default
1975 archiving command set in @code{org-archive-default-command}.
1977 @item C-c C-x C-s @ @r{or short} @ $
1978 Archive the subtree corresponding to the current headline.
1981 Schedule this item, with prefix arg remove the scheduling timestamp
1984 Set a deadline for this item, with prefix arg remove the deadline.
1986 @item S-@key{right} @r{and} S-@key{left}
1987 Change the timestamp associated with the current line by one day.
1990 Start the clock on the current item.
1993 Stop/cancel the previously started clock.
1996 Jump to the running clock in another window.
1999 @node Custom agenda views, , Agenda commands, Agenda Views
2000 @section Custom agenda views
2002 The main application of custom searches is the definition of keyboard
2003 shortcuts for frequently used searches, either creating an agenda
2004 buffer, or a sparse tree (the latter covering of course only the current
2006 Custom commands are configured in the variable
2007 @code{org-agenda-custom-commands}. You can customize this variable, for
2008 example by pressing @kbd{C-c a C}. You can also directly set it with
2009 Emacs Lisp in @file{.emacs}. The following example contains all valid
2014 (setq org-agenda-custom-commands
2015 '(("w" todo "WAITING")
2016 ("u" tags "+boss-urgent")
2017 ("v" tags-todo "+boss-urgent")))
2022 The initial string in each entry defines the keys you have to press after the
2023 dispatcher command @kbd{C-c a} in order to access the command. Usually this
2024 will be just a single character. The second parameter is the search type,
2025 followed by the string or regular expression to be used for the matching.
2026 The example above will therefore define:
2030 as a global search for TODO entries with @samp{WAITING} as the TODO
2033 as a global tags search for headlines marked @samp{:boss:} but not
2036 as the same search as @kbd{C-c a u}, but limiting the search to
2037 headlines that are also TODO items
2041 @uref{http://orgmode.org/manual/Agenda-Views.html#Agenda-Views, Chapter 10 of
2043 @uref{http://orgmode.org/worg/org-tutorials/org-custom-agenda-commands.php,
2044 Mat Lundin's tutorial about custom agenda commands}@*
2045 @uref{http://www.newartisans.com/2007/08/using-org-mode-as-a-day-planner.html,
2046 John Wiegley's setup}}
2048 @node Markup, Exporting, Agenda Views, Top
2049 @chapter Markup for rich export
2051 When exporting Org-mode documents, the exporter tries to reflect the
2052 structure of the document as accurately as possible in the backend. Since
2053 export targets like HTML, @LaTeX{}, or DocBook allow much richer formatting,
2054 Org mode has rules on how to prepare text for rich export. This section
2055 summarizes the markup rules used in an Org-mode buffer.
2058 * Structural markup elements:: The basic structure as seen by the exporter
2059 * Images and tables:: Tables and Images will be included
2060 * Literal examples:: Source code examples with special formatting
2061 * Include files:: Include additional files into a document
2062 * Embedded @LaTeX{}:: @LaTeX{} can be freely used inside Org documents
2065 @node Structural markup elements, Images and tables, Markup, Markup
2066 @section Structural markup elements
2069 * Document title:: Where the title is taken from
2070 * Headings and sections:: The document structure as seen by the exporter
2071 * Table of contents:: The if and where of the table of contents
2072 * Paragraphs:: Paragraphs
2073 * Emphasis and monospace:: Bold, italic, etc.
2074 * Comment lines:: What will *not* be exported
2077 @node Document title, Headings and sections, Structural markup elements, Structural markup elements
2078 @subheading Document title
2081 The title of the exported document is taken from the special line
2084 #+TITLE: This is the title of the document
2087 @node Headings and sections, Table of contents, Document title, Structural markup elements
2088 @subheading Headings and sections
2090 The outline structure of the document as described in @ref{Document
2091 Structure}, forms the basis for defining sections of the exported document.
2092 However, since the outline structure is also used for (for example) lists of
2093 tasks, only the first three outline levels will be used as headings. Deeper
2094 levels will become itemized lists. You can change the location of this
2095 switch globally by setting the variable @code{org-export-headline-levels}, or on a
2096 per-file basis with a line
2102 @node Table of contents, Paragraphs, Headings and sections, Structural markup elements
2103 @subheading Table of contents
2105 The table of contents is normally inserted directly before the first headline
2109 #+OPTIONS: toc:2 (only to two levels in TOC)
2110 #+OPTIONS: toc:nil (no TOC at all)
2113 @node Paragraphs, Emphasis and monospace, Table of contents, Structural markup elements
2114 @subheading Paragraphs, line breaks, and quoting
2116 Paragraphs are separated by at least one empty line. If you need to enforce
2117 a line break within a paragraph, use @samp{\\} at the end of a line.
2119 To keep the line breaks in a region, but otherwise use normal formatting, you
2120 can use this construct, which can also be used to format poetry.
2124 Great clouds overhead
2125 Tiny black birds rise and fall
2132 When quoting a passage from another document, it is customary to format this
2133 as a paragraph that is indented on both the left and the right margin. You
2134 can include quotations in Org-mode documents like this:
2138 Everything should be made as simple as possible,
2139 but not any simpler -- Albert Einstein
2143 If you would like to center some text, do it like this:
2146 Everything should be made as simple as possible, \\
2151 @node Emphasis and monospace, Comment lines, Paragraphs, Structural markup elements
2152 @subheading Emphasis and monospace
2154 You can make words @b{*bold*}, @i{/italic/}, _underlined_, @code{=code=}
2155 and @code{~verbatim~}, and, if you must, @samp{+strike-through+}. Text
2156 in the code and verbatim string is not processed for Org-mode specific
2157 syntax, it is exported verbatim. To insert a horizontal rules, use a line
2158 consisting of only dashes, and at least 5 of them.
2160 @node Comment lines, , Emphasis and monospace, Structural markup elements
2161 @subheading Comment lines
2163 Lines starting with zero or more whitespace characters followed by @samp{#}
2164 are treated as comments and will never be exported. Also entire subtrees
2165 starting with the word @samp{COMMENT} will never be exported. Finally,
2166 regions surrounded by @samp{#+BEGIN_COMMENT} ... @samp{#+END_COMMENT} will
2171 Toggle the COMMENT keyword at the beginning of an entry.
2174 @node Images and tables, Literal examples, Structural markup elements, Markup
2175 @section Images and Tables
2177 For Org mode tables, the lines before the first horizontal separator line
2178 will become table header lines. You can use the following lines somewhere
2179 before the table to assign a caption and a label for cross references, and in
2180 the text you can refer to the object with @code{\ref@{tab:basic-data@}}:
2183 #+CAPTION: This is the caption for the next table (or link)
2184 #+LABEL: tbl:basic-data
2189 Some backends (HTML, @LaTeX{}, and DocBook) allow you to directly include
2190 images into the exported document. Org does this, if a link to an image
2191 files does not have a description part, for example @code{[[./img/a.jpg]]}.
2192 If you wish to define a caption for the image and maybe a label for internal
2193 cross references, you sure that the link is on a line by itself precede it
2197 #+CAPTION: This is the caption for the next figure link (or table)
2198 #+LABEL: fig:SED-HR4049
2202 You may also define additional attributes for the figure. As this is
2203 backend-specific, see the sections about the individual backends for more
2207 @node Literal examples, Include files, Images and tables, Markup
2208 @section Literal examples
2210 You can include literal examples that should not be subjected to
2211 markup. Such examples will be typeset in monospace, so this is well suited
2212 for source code and similar examples.
2216 Some example from a text file.
2220 For simplicity when using small examples, you can also start the example
2221 lines with a colon followed by a space. There may also be additional
2222 whitespace before the colon:
2226 : Some example from a text file.
2229 For source code from a programming language, or any other text
2230 that can be marked up by font-lock in Emacs, you can ask for it to
2231 look like the fontified Emacs buffer
2234 #+BEGIN_SRC emacs-lisp
2235 (defun org-xor (a b)
2241 To edit the example in a special buffer supporting this language, use
2242 @kbd{C-c '} to both enter and leave the editing buffer.
2244 @node Include files, Embedded @LaTeX{}, Literal examples, Markup
2245 @section Include files
2247 During export, you can include the content of another file. For example, to
2248 include your @file{.emacs} file, you could use:
2251 #+INCLUDE: "~/.emacs" src emacs-lisp
2254 The optional second and third parameter are the markup (e.g.@: @samp{quote},
2255 @samp{example}, or @samp{src}), and, if the markup is @samp{src}, the
2256 language for formatting the contents. The markup is optional, if it is not
2257 given, the text will be assumed to be in Org mode format and will be
2258 processed normally. @kbd{C-c '} will visit the included file.
2260 @node Embedded @LaTeX{}, , Include files, Markup
2261 @section Embedded @LaTeX{}
2263 For scientific notes which need to be able to contain mathematical symbols
2264 and the occasional formula, Org-mode supports embedding @LaTeX{} code into
2265 its files. You can directly use TeX-like macros for special symbols, enter
2266 formulas and entire @LaTeX{} environments.
2269 Angles are written as Greek letters \alpha, \beta and \gamma. The mass if
2270 the sun is M_sun = 1.989 x 10^30 kg. The radius of the sun is R_@{sun@} =
2271 6.96 x 10^8 m. If $a^2=b$ and $b=2$, then the solution must be either
2272 $a=+\sqrt@{2@}$ or $a=-\sqrt@{2@}$.
2279 @uref{http://orgmode.org/manual/LaTeX-fragments.html#LaTeX-fragments,special
2280 setup}, @LaTeX{} snippets will be included as images when exporting to HTML.
2283 @uref{http://orgmode.org/manual/Markup.html#Markup, Chapter 11 of the manual}}
2285 @node Exporting, Publishing, Markup, Top
2288 Org-mode documents can be exported into a variety of other formats: ASCII
2289 export for inclusion into emails, HTML to publish on the web, @LaTeX{}/PDF
2290 for beautiful printed documents and DocBook to enter the world of many other
2291 formats using DocBook tools. There is also export to iCalendar format so
2292 that planning information can be incorporated into desktop calendars.
2295 * Export options:: Per-file export settings
2296 * The export dispatcher:: How to access exporter commands
2297 * ASCII/Latin-1/UTF-8 export:: Exporting to flat files with encoding
2298 * HTML export:: Exporting to HTML
2299 * @LaTeX{} and PDF export:: Exporting to @LaTeX{}, and processing to PDF
2300 * DocBook export:: Exporting to DocBook
2301 * iCalendar export::
2304 @node Export options, The export dispatcher, Exporting, Exporting
2305 @section Export options
2307 The exporter recognizes special lines in the buffer which provide
2308 additional information. These lines may be put anywhere in the file.
2309 The whole set of lines can be inserted into the buffer with @kbd{C-c
2314 Insert template with export options, see example below.
2318 #+TITLE: the title to be shown (default is the buffer name)
2319 #+AUTHOR: the author (default taken from @code{user-full-name})
2320 #+DATE: a date, fixed, of a format string for @code{format-time-string}
2321 #+EMAIL: his/her email address (default from @code{user-mail-address})
2322 #+DESCRIPTION: the page description, e.g.@: for the XHTML meta tag
2323 #+KEYWORDS: the page keywords, e.g.@: for the XHTML meta tag
2324 #+LANGUAGE: language for HTML, e.g.@: @samp{en} (@code{org-export-default-language})
2325 #+TEXT: Some descriptive text to be inserted at the beginning.
2326 #+TEXT: Several lines may be given.
2327 #+OPTIONS: H:2 num:t toc:t \n:nil @@:t ::t |:t ^:t f:t TeX:t ...
2328 #+LINK_UP: the ``up'' link of an exported page
2329 #+LINK_HOME: the ``home'' link of an exported page
2330 #+LATEX_HEADER: extra line(s) for the @LaTeX{} header, like \usepackage@{xyz@}
2333 @node The export dispatcher, ASCII/Latin-1/UTF-8 export, Export options, Exporting
2334 @section The export dispatcher
2336 All export commands can be reached using the export dispatcher, which is a
2337 prefix key that prompts for an additional key specifying the command.
2338 Normally the entire file is exported, but if there is an active region that
2339 contains one outline tree, the first heading is used as document title and
2340 the subtrees are exported.
2344 Dispatcher for export and publishing commands.
2347 @node ASCII/Latin-1/UTF-8 export, HTML export, The export dispatcher, Exporting
2348 @section ASCII/Latin-1/UTF-8 export
2350 ASCII export produces a simple and very readable version of an Org-mode
2351 file, containing only plain ASCII. Latin-1 and UTF-8 export augment the file
2352 with special characters and symbols available in these encodings.
2356 Export as ASCII file.
2357 @item C-c C-e n @ @ @r{and} @ @ C-c C-e N
2358 Like the above commands, but use Latin-1 encoding.
2359 @item C-c C-e u @ @ @r{and} @ @ C-c C-e U
2360 Like the above commands, but use UTF-8 encoding.
2363 @node HTML export, @LaTeX{} and PDF export, ASCII/Latin-1/UTF-8 export, Exporting
2364 @section HTML export
2368 Export as HTML file @file{myfile.html}.
2370 Export as HTML file and immediately open it with a browser.
2373 To insert HTML that should be copied verbatim to
2374 the exported file use either
2377 #+HTML: Literal HTML code for export
2382 All lines between these markers are exported literally
2386 @node @LaTeX{} and PDF export, DocBook export, HTML export, Exporting
2387 @section @LaTeX{} and PDF export
2391 Export as @LaTeX{} file @file{myfile.tex}.
2393 Export as @LaTeX{} and then process to PDF.
2395 Export as @LaTeX{} and then process to PDF, then open the resulting PDF file.
2398 By default, the @LaTeX{} output uses the class @code{article}. You can
2399 change this by adding an option like @code{#+LaTeX_CLASS: myclass} in your
2400 file. The class must be listed in @code{org-export-latex-classes}.
2402 Embedded @LaTeX{} as described in @ref{Embedded @LaTeX{}}, will be correctly
2403 inserted into the @LaTeX{} file. Similarly to the HTML exporter, you can use
2404 @code{#+LaTeX:} and @code{#+BEGIN_LaTeX ... #+END_LaTeX} construct to add
2405 verbatim @LaTeX{} code.
2407 @node DocBook export, iCalendar export, @LaTeX{} and PDF export, Exporting
2408 @section DocBook export
2412 Export as DocBook file.
2415 Similarly to the HTML exporter, you can use @code{#+DOCBOOK:} and
2416 @code{#+BEGIN_DOCBOOK ... #+END_DOCBOOK} construct to add verbatim @LaTeX{}
2419 @node iCalendar export, , DocBook export, Exporting
2420 @section iCalendar export
2424 Create iCalendar entries for the current file in a @file{.ics} file.
2426 Create a single large iCalendar file from all files in
2427 @code{org-agenda-files} and write it to the file given by
2428 @code{org-combined-agenda-icalendar-file}.
2432 @uref{http://orgmode.org/manual/Exporting.html#Exporting, Chapter 12 of the manual}@*
2433 @uref{http://orgmode.org/worg/org-tutorials/images-and-xhtml-export.php,
2434 Sebastian Rose's image handling tutorial}@*
2435 @uref{http://orgmode.org/worg/org-tutorials/org-latex-export.php, Thomas
2436 Dye's LaTeX export tutorial}
2437 @uref{http://orgmode.org/worg/org-tutorials/org-beamer/tutorial.php, Eric
2438 Fraga's BEAMER presentation tutorial}}
2440 @node Publishing, Working With Source Code, Exporting, Top
2443 Org includes a publishing management system that allows you to configure
2444 automatic HTML conversion of @emph{projects} composed of interlinked org
2445 files. You can also configure Org to automatically upload your exported HTML
2446 pages and related attachments, such as images and source code files, to a web
2447 server. For detailed instructions about setup, see the manual.
2452 (setq org-publish-project-alist
2454 :base-directory "~/org/"
2455 :publishing-directory "~/public_html"
2456 :section-numbers nil
2457 :table-of-contents nil
2458 :style "<link rel=\"stylesheet\"
2459 href=\"../other/mystyle.css\"
2460 type=\"text/css\"/>")))
2465 Prompt for a specific project and publish all files that belong to it.
2467 Publish the project containing the current file.
2469 Publish only the current file.
2471 Publish every project.
2474 Org uses timestamps to track when a file has changed. The above functions
2475 normally only publish changed files. You can override this and force
2476 publishing of all files by giving a prefix argument to any of the commands
2480 @uref{http://orgmode.org/manual/Publishing.html#Publishing, Chapter 13 of the
2482 @uref{http://orgmode.org/worg/org-tutorials/org-publish-html-tutorial.php,
2483 Sebastian Rose's publishing tutorial}@*
2484 @uref{http://orgmode.org/worg/org-tutorials/org-jekyll.php, Ian Barton's
2485 Jekyll/blogging setup}}
2487 @node Working With Source Code, Miscellaneous, Publishing, Top
2488 @chapter Working with source code
2489 Org-mode provides a number of features for working with source code,
2490 including editing of code blocks in their native major-mode, evaluation of
2491 code blocks, tangling of code blocks, and exporting code blocks and their
2492 results in several formats.
2494 @subheading Structure of Code Blocks
2495 The structure of code blocks is as follows:
2499 #+BEGIN_SRC <language> <switches> <header arguments>
2504 Where @code{<name>} is a string used to name the code block,
2505 @code{<language>} specifies the language of the code block
2506 (e.g.@: @code{emacs-lisp}, @code{shell}, @code{R}, @code{python}, etc...),
2507 @code{<switches>} can be used to control export of the code block,
2508 @code{<header arguments>} can be used to control many aspects of code block
2509 behavior as demonstrated below, and @code{<body>} contains the actual source
2512 @subheading Editing source code
2513 Use @kbd{C-c '} to edit the current code block. This brings up a language
2514 major-mode edit buffer containing the body of the code block. Saving this
2515 buffer will write the new contents back to the Org buffer. Use @kbd{C-c '}
2516 again to exit the edit buffer.
2518 @subheading Evaluating code blocks
2519 Use @kbd{C-c C-c} to evaluate the current code block and insert its results
2520 in the Org-mode buffer. By default, evaluation is only turned on for
2521 @code{emacs-lisp} code blocks, however support exists for evaluating blocks
2522 in many languages. For a complete list of supported languages see the
2523 manual. The following shows a code block and its results.
2526 #+BEGIN_SRC emacs-lisp
2534 @subheading Extracting source code
2535 Use @kbd{C-c C-v t} to create pure source code files by extracting code from
2536 source blocks in the current buffer. This is referred to as ``tangling''---a
2537 term adopted from the literate programming community. During ``tangling'' of
2538 code blocks their bodies are expanded using @code{org-babel-expand-src-block}
2539 which can expand both variable and ``noweb'' style references. In order to
2540 tangle a code block it must have a @code{:tangle} header argument, see the
2543 @subheading Library of Babel
2544 Use @kbd{C-c C-v l} to load the code blocks from an Org-mode files into the
2545 ``Library of Babel'', these blocks can then be evaluated from any Org-mode
2546 buffer. A collection of generally useful code blocks is distributed with
2547 Org-mode in @code{contrib/library-of-babel.org}.
2549 @subheading Header Arguments
2550 Many aspects of the evaluation and export of code blocks are controlled
2551 through header arguments. These can be specified globally, at the file
2552 level, at the outline subtree level, and at the individual code block level.
2553 The following describes some of the header arguments.
2556 The @code{:var} header argument is used to pass arguments to code blocks.
2557 The values passed to arguments can be literal values, values from org-mode
2558 tables and literal example blocks, or the results of other named code blocks.
2560 The @code{:results} header argument controls the @emph{collection},
2561 @emph{type}, and @emph{handling} of code block results. Values of
2562 @code{output} or @code{value} (the default) specify how results are collected
2563 from a code block's evaluation. Values of @code{vector}, @code{scalar}
2564 @code{file} @code{raw} @code{html} @code{latex} and @code{code} specify the
2565 type of the results of the code block which dictates how they will be
2566 incorporated into the Org-mode buffer. Values of @code{silent},
2567 @code{replace}, @code{prepend}, and @code{append} specify handling of code
2568 block results, specifically if and how the results should be inserted into
2569 the Org-mode buffer.
2571 A header argument of @code{:session} will cause the code block to be
2572 evaluated in a persistent interactive inferior process in Emacs. This allows
2573 for persisting state between code block evaluations, and for manual
2574 inspection of the results of evaluation.
2576 Any combination of the @emph{code} or the @emph{results} of a block can be
2577 retained on export, this is specified by setting the @code{:results} header
2578 argument to @code{code} @code{results} @code{none} or @code{both}.
2580 A header argument of @code{:tangle yes} will cause a code block's contents to
2581 be tangled to a file named after the filename of the Org-mode buffer. An
2582 alternate file name can be specified with @code{:tangle filename}.
2584 A header argument of @code{:cache yes} will cause associate a hash of the
2585 expanded code block with the results, ensuring that code blocks are only
2586 re-run when their inputs have changed.
2588 A header argument of @code{:noweb yes} will expand ``noweb'' style references
2589 on evaluation and tangling.
2591 Code blocks which output results to files (e.g.@: graphs, diagrams and figures)
2592 can accept a @code{:file filename} header argument in which case the results
2593 are saved to the named file, and a link to the file is inserted into the
2598 @uref{http://orgmode.org/manual/Literal-examples.html#Literal-examples,
2599 Chapter 11.3 of the manual}@*
2600 @uref{http://orgmode.org/worg/org-contrib/babel/index.php,
2601 The Babel site on Worg}}
2603 @node Miscellaneous, , Working With Source Code, Top
2604 @chapter Miscellaneous
2607 * Completion:: M-TAB knows what you need
2608 * Clean view:: Getting rid of leading stars in the outline
2609 * MobileOrg:: Org-mode on the iPhone
2612 @node Completion, Clean view, Miscellaneous, Miscellaneous
2615 Org supports in-buffer completion with @kbd{M-@key{TAB}}. This type of
2616 completion does not make use of the minibuffer. You simply type a few
2617 letters into the buffer and use the key to complete text right there. For
2618 example, this command will complete @TeX{} symbols after @samp{\}, TODO
2619 keywords at the beginning of a headline, and tags after @samp{:} in a
2622 @node Clean view, MobileOrg, Completion, Miscellaneous
2623 @section A cleaner outline view
2625 Some people find it noisy and distracting that the Org headlines start with a
2626 potentially large number of stars, and that text below the headlines is not
2627 indented. While this is no problem when writing a @emph{book-like} document
2628 where the outline headings are really section headings, in a more
2629 @emph{list-oriented} outline, indented structure is a lot cleaner:
2633 * Top level headline | * Top level headline
2634 ** Second level | * Second level
2635 *** 3rd level | * 3rd level
2636 some text | some text
2637 *** 3rd level | * 3rd level
2638 more text | more text
2639 * Another top level headline | * Another top level headline
2644 If you are using at least Emacs 23.1.50.3 and version 6.29 of Org, this kind
2645 of view can be achieved dynamically at display time using
2646 @code{org-indent-mode}, which will prepend intangible space to each line.
2647 You can turn on @code{org-indent-mode} for all files by customizing the
2648 variable @code{org-startup-indented}, or you can turn it on for individual
2655 If you want a similar effect in earlier version of Emacs and/or Org, or if
2656 you want the indentation to be hard space characters so that the plain text
2657 file looks as similar as possible to the Emacs display, Org supports you by
2658 helping to indent (with @key{TAB}) text below each headline, by hiding
2659 leading stars, and by only using levels 1, 3, etc to get two characters
2660 indentation for each level. To get this support in a file, use
2663 #+STARTUP: hidestars odd
2666 @node MobileOrg, , Clean view, Miscellaneous
2669 @i{MobileOrg} is the name of the mobile companion app for Org mode, currently
2670 available for iOS and for Android. @i{MobileOrg} offers offline viewing and
2671 capture support for an Org mode system rooted on a ``real'' computer. It
2672 does also allow you to record changes to existing entries.
2674 The @uref{http://mobileorg.ncogni.to/, iOS implementation} for the
2675 @i{iPhone/iPod Touch/iPad} series of devices, was developed by Richard
2676 Moreland. Android users should check out
2677 @uref{http://wiki.github.com/matburt/mobileorg-android/, MobileOrg Android}
2678 by Matt Jones. The two implementations are not identical but offer similar
2682 @uref{http://orgmode.org/manual/Miscellaneous.html#Miscellaneous, Chapter 15
2684 @uref{http://orgmode.org/manual/MobileOrg.html#MobileOrg, Appendix B of the
2686 @uref{http://orgmode.org/orgcard.pdf,Key reference card}}
2695 @c LocalWords: webdavhost pre