3 @setfilename ../../info/org
4 @settitle The Org Manual
9 @c Version and Contact Info
10 @set MAINTAINERSITE @uref{http://orgmode.org,maintainers webpage}
11 @set AUTHOR Carsten Dominik
12 @set MAINTAINER Carsten Dominik
13 @set MAINTAINEREMAIL @email{carsten at orgmode dot org}
14 @set MAINTAINERCONTACT @uref{mailto:carsten at orgmode dot org,contact the maintainer}
20 @c Subheadings inside a table.
21 @macro tsubheading{text}
31 This manual is for Org version @value{VERSION}.
33 Copyright @copyright{} 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009 Free Software Foundation
36 Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document
37 under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.3 or
38 any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no
39 Invariant Sections, with the Front-Cover texts being ``A GNU Manual,''
40 and with the Back-Cover Texts as in (a) below. A copy of the license
41 is included in the section entitled ``GNU Free Documentation License.''
43 (a) The FSF's Back-Cover Text is: ``You have the freedom to copy and
44 modify this GNU manual. Buying copies from the FSF supports it in
45 developing GNU and promoting software freedom.''
47 This document is part of a collection distributed under the GNU Free
48 Documentation License. If you want to distribute this document
49 separately from the collection, you can do so by adding a copy of the
50 license to the document, as described in section 6 of the license.
56 * Org Mode: (org). Outline-based notes management and organizer
62 @subtitle Release @value{VERSION}
63 @author by Carsten Dominik
65 @c The following two commands start the copyright page.
67 @vskip 0pt plus 1filll
71 @c Output the table of contents at the beginning.
75 @node Top, Introduction, (dir), (dir)
82 * Introduction:: Getting started
83 * Document Structure:: A tree works like your brain
84 * Tables:: Pure magic for quick formatting
85 * Hyperlinks:: Notes in context
86 * TODO Items:: Every tree branch can be a TODO item
87 * Tags:: Tagging headlines and matching sets of tags
88 * Properties and Columns:: Storing information about an entry
89 * Dates and Times:: Making items useful for planning
90 * Capture:: Creating tasks and attaching files
91 * Agenda Views:: Collecting information into views
92 * Embedded LaTeX:: LaTeX fragments and formulas
93 * Exporting:: Sharing and publishing of notes
94 * Publishing:: Create a web site of linked Org files
95 * Miscellaneous:: All the rest which did not fit elsewhere
96 * Hacking:: How to hack your way around
97 * History and Acknowledgments:: How Org came into being
98 * Main Index:: An index of Org's concepts and features
99 * Key Index:: Key bindings and where they are described
100 * Variable Index:: Variables mentiond in the manual
103 --- The Detailed Node Listing ---
107 * Summary:: Brief summary of what Org does
108 * Installation:: How to install a downloaded version of Org
109 * Activation:: How to activate Org for certain buffers
110 * Feedback:: Bug reports, ideas, patches etc.
111 * Conventions:: Type-setting conventions in the manual
115 * Outlines:: Org is based on Outline mode
116 * Headlines:: How to typeset Org tree headlines
117 * Visibility cycling:: Show and hide, much simplified
118 * Motion:: Jumping to other headlines
119 * Structure editing:: Changing sequence and level of headlines
120 * Archiving:: Move done task trees to a different place
121 * Sparse trees:: Matches embedded in context
122 * Plain lists:: Additional structure within an entry
123 * Drawers:: Tucking stuff away
124 * Blocks:: Folding blocks
125 * Footnotes:: How footnotes are defined in Org's syntax
126 * Orgstruct mode:: Structure editing outside Org
130 * ARCHIVE tag:: Marking a tree as inactive
131 * Moving subtrees:: Moving a tree to an archive file
135 * Built-in table editor:: Simple tables
136 * Narrow columns:: Stop wasting space in tables
137 * Column groups:: Grouping to trigger vertical lines
138 * Orgtbl mode:: The table editor as minor mode
139 * The spreadsheet:: The table editor has spreadsheet capabilities
140 * Org Plot:: Plotting from org tables
144 * References:: How to refer to another field or range
145 * Formula syntax for Calc:: Using Calc to compute stuff
146 * Formula syntax for Lisp:: Writing formulas in Emacs Lisp
147 * Field formulas:: Formulas valid for a single field
148 * Column formulas:: Formulas valid for an entire column
149 * Editing and debugging formulas:: Fixing formulas
150 * Updating the table:: Recomputing all dependent fields
151 * Advanced features:: Field names, parameters and automatic recalc
155 * Link format:: How links in Org are formatted
156 * Internal links:: Links to other places in the current file
157 * External links:: URL-like links to the world
158 * Handling links:: Creating, inserting and following
159 * Using links outside Org:: Linking from my C source code?
160 * Link abbreviations:: Shortcuts for writing complex links
161 * Search options:: Linking to a specific location
162 * Custom searches:: When the default search is not enough
166 * Radio targets:: Make targets trigger links in plain text
170 * TODO basics:: Marking and displaying TODO entries
171 * TODO extensions:: Workflow and assignments
172 * Progress logging:: Dates and notes for progress
173 * Priorities:: Some things are more important than others
174 * Breaking down tasks:: Splitting a task into manageable pieces
175 * Checkboxes:: Tick-off lists
177 Extended use of TODO keywords
179 * Workflow states:: From TODO to DONE in steps
180 * TODO types:: I do this, Fred does the rest
181 * Multiple sets in one file:: Mixing it all, and still finding your way
182 * Fast access to TODO states:: Single letter selection of a state
183 * Per-file keywords:: Different files, different requirements
184 * Faces for TODO keywords:: Highlighting states
185 * TODO dependencies:: When one task needs to wait for others
189 * Closing items:: When was this entry marked DONE?
190 * Tracking TODO state changes:: When did the status change?
194 * Tag inheritance:: Tags use the tree structure of the outline
195 * Setting tags:: How to assign tags to a headline
196 * Tag searches:: Searching for combinations of tags
198 Properties and Columns
200 * Property syntax:: How properties are spelled out
201 * Special properties:: Access to other Org mode features
202 * Property searches:: Matching property values
203 * Property inheritance:: Passing values down the tree
204 * Column view:: Tabular viewing and editing
205 * Property API:: Properties for Lisp programmers
209 * Defining columns:: The COLUMNS format property
210 * Using column view:: How to create and use column view
211 * Capturing column view:: A dynamic block for column view
215 * Scope of column definitions:: Where defined, where valid?
216 * Column attributes:: Appearance and content of a column
220 * Timestamps:: Assigning a time to a tree entry
221 * Creating timestamps:: Commands which insert timestamps
222 * Deadlines and scheduling:: Planning your work
223 * Clocking work time:: Tracking how long you spend on a task
224 * Effort estimates:: Planning work effort in advance
225 * Relative timer:: Notes with a running timer
229 * The date/time prompt:: How Org mode helps you entering date and time
230 * Custom time format:: Making dates look different
232 Deadlines and scheduling
234 * Inserting deadline/schedule:: Planning items
235 * Repeated tasks:: Items that show up again and again
239 * Remember:: Capture new tasks/ideas with little interruption
240 * Attachments:: Add files to tasks.
241 * RSS Feeds:: Getting input from RSS feeds
242 * Protocols:: External (e.g. Browser) access to Emacs and Org
246 * Setting up Remember:: Some code for .emacs to get things going
247 * Remember templates:: Define the outline of different note types
248 * Storing notes:: Directly get the note to where it belongs
249 * Refiling notes:: Moving a note or task to a project
253 * Agenda files:: Files being searched for agenda information
254 * Agenda dispatcher:: Keyboard access to agenda views
255 * Built-in agenda views:: What is available out of the box?
256 * Presentation and sorting:: How agenda items are prepared for display
257 * Agenda commands:: Remote editing of Org trees
258 * Custom agenda views:: Defining special searches and views
259 * Exporting Agenda Views::
260 * Agenda column view:: Using column view for collected entries
262 The built-in agenda views
264 * Weekly/daily agenda:: The calendar page with current tasks
265 * Global TODO list:: All unfinished action items
266 * Matching tags and properties:: Structured information with fine-tuned search
267 * Timeline:: Time-sorted view for single file
268 * Keyword search:: Finding entries by keyword
269 * Stuck projects:: Find projects you need to review
271 Presentation and sorting
273 * Categories:: Not all tasks are equal
274 * Time-of-day specifications:: How the agenda knows the time
275 * Sorting of agenda items:: The order of things
279 * Storing searches:: Type once, use often
280 * Block agenda:: All the stuff you need in a single buffer
281 * Setting Options:: Changing the rules
285 * Math symbols:: TeX macros for symbols and Greek letters
286 * Subscripts and superscripts:: Simple syntax for raising/lowering text
287 * LaTeX fragments:: Complex formulas made easy
288 * Processing LaTeX fragments:: Previewing LaTeX processing
289 * CDLaTeX mode:: Speed up entering of formulas
293 * Markup rules:: Which structures are recognized?
294 * Selective export:: Using tags to select and exclude trees
295 * Export options:: Per-file export settings
296 * The export dispatcher:: How to access exporter commands
297 * ASCII export:: Exporting to plain ASCII
298 * HTML export:: Exporting to HTML
299 * LaTeX and PDF export:: Exporting to LaTeX, and processing to PDF
300 * DocBook export:: Exporting to DocBook
301 * XOXO export:: Exporting to XOXO
302 * iCalendar export:: Exporting in iCalendar format
306 * Document title:: How the document title is determined
307 * Headings and sections:: The main structure of the exported document
308 * Table of contents:: If, where, how to create a table of contents
309 * Initial text:: Text before the first headline
310 * Lists:: Plain lists are exported
311 * Paragraphs:: What determines beginning and ending
312 * Literal examples:: Source code and other examples
313 * Include files:: Include the contents of a file during export
314 * Tables exported:: Tables are exported richly
315 * Inlined images:: How to inline images during export
316 * Footnote markup:: ASCII representation of footnotes
317 * Emphasis and monospace:: To bold or not to bold
318 * TeX macros and LaTeX fragments:: Create special, rich export.
319 * Horizontal rules:: A line across the page
320 * Comment lines:: Some lines will not be exported
321 * Macro replacement:: Global replacement of place holdes
325 * HTML Export commands:: How to invoke HTML export
326 * Quoting HTML tags:: Using direct HTML in Org mode
327 * Links:: Transformation of links for HTML
328 * Tables in HTML export:: How to modify the formatting of tables
329 * Images in HTML export:: How to insert figures into HTML output
330 * Text areas in HTML export:: An alternative way to show an example
331 * CSS support:: Changing the appearance of the output
332 * Javascript support:: Info and Folding in a web browser
336 * LaTeX/PDF export commands:: Which key invokes which commands
337 * Quoting LaTeX code:: Incorporating literal LaTeX code
338 * Sectioning structure:: Changing sectioning in LaTeX output
339 * Tables in LaTeX export:: Options for exporting tables to LaTeX
340 * Images in LaTeX export:: How to insert figures into LaTeX output
344 * DocBook export commands:: How to invoke DocBook export
345 * Quoting DocBook code:: Incorporating DocBook code in Org files
346 * Recursive sections:: Recursive sections in DocBook
347 * Tables in DocBook export:: Tables are exported as HTML tables
348 * Images in DocBook export:: How to insert figures into DocBook output
349 * Special characters:: How to handle special characters
353 * Configuration:: Defining projects
354 * Uploading files:: How to get files up on the server
355 * Sample configuration:: Example projects
356 * Triggering publication:: Publication commands
360 * Project alist:: The central configuration variable
361 * Sources and destinations:: From here to there
362 * Selecting files:: What files are part of the project?
363 * Publishing action:: Setting the function doing the publishing
364 * Publishing options:: Tweaking HTML export
365 * Publishing links:: Which links keep working after publishing?
366 * Project page index:: Publishing a list of project files
370 * Simple example:: One-component publishing
371 * Complex example:: A multi-component publishing example
375 * Completion:: M-TAB knows what you need
376 * Customization:: Adapting Org to your taste
377 * In-buffer settings:: Overview of the #+KEYWORDS
378 * The very busy C-c C-c key:: When in doubt, press C-c C-c
379 * Clean view:: Getting rid of leading stars in the outline
380 * TTY keys:: Using Org on a tty
381 * Interaction:: Other Emacs packages
383 Interaction with other packages
385 * Cooperation:: Packages Org cooperates with
386 * Conflicts:: Packages that lead to conflicts
390 * Hooks:: Who to reach into Org's internals
391 * Add-on packages:: Available extensions
392 * Adding hyperlink types:: New custom link types
393 * Context-sensitive commands:: How to add functioality to such commands
394 * Tables in arbitrary syntax:: Orgtbl for LaTeX and other programs
395 * Dynamic blocks:: Automatically filled blocks
396 * Special agenda views:: Customized views
397 * Extracting agenda information:: Postprocessing of agenda information
398 * Using the property API:: Writing programs that use entry properties
399 * Using the mapping API:: Mapping over all or selected entries
401 Tables and lists in arbitrary syntax
403 * Radio tables:: Sending and receiving
404 * A LaTeX example:: Step by step, almost a tutorial
405 * Translator functions:: Copy and modify
406 * Radio lists:: Doing the same for lists
411 @node Introduction, Document Structure, Top, Top
412 @chapter Introduction
416 * Summary:: Brief summary of what Org does
417 * Installation:: How to install a downloaded version of Org
418 * Activation:: How to activate Org for certain buffers
419 * Feedback:: Bug reports, ideas, patches etc.
420 * Conventions:: Type-setting conventions in the manual
423 @node Summary, Installation, Introduction, Introduction
427 Org is a mode for keeping notes, maintaining TODO lists, and doing
428 project planning with a fast and effective plain-text system.
430 Org develops organizational tasks around NOTES files that contain
431 lists or information about projects as plain text. Org is
432 implemented on top of Outline mode, which makes it possible to keep the
433 content of large files well structured. Visibility cycling and
434 structure editing help to work with the tree. Tables are easily created
435 with a built-in table editor. Org supports TODO items, deadlines,
436 time stamps, and scheduling. It dynamically compiles entries into an
437 agenda that utilizes and smoothly integrates much of the Emacs calendar
438 and diary. Plain text URL-like links connect to websites, emails,
439 Usenet messages, BBDB entries, and any files related to the projects.
440 For printing and sharing of notes, an Org file can be exported as a
441 structured ASCII file, as HTML, or (TODO and agenda items only) as an
442 iCalendar file. It can also serve as a publishing tool for a set of
445 An important design aspect that distinguishes Org from for example
446 Planner/Muse is that it encourages to store every piece of information
447 only once. In Planner, you have project pages, day pages and possibly
448 other files, duplicating some information such as tasks. In Org,
449 you only have notes files. In your notes you mark entries as tasks,
450 label them with tags and timestamps. All necessary lists like a
451 schedule for the day, the agenda for a meeting, tasks lists selected by
452 tags etc are created dynamically when you need them.
454 Org keeps simple things simple. When first fired up, it should
455 feel like a straightforward, easy to use outliner. Complexity is not
456 imposed, but a large amount of functionality is available when you need
457 it. Org is a toolbox and can be used in different ways, for
461 @r{@bullet{} outline extension with visibility cycling and structure editing}
462 @r{@bullet{} ASCII system and table editor for taking structured notes}
463 @r{@bullet{} ASCII table editor with spreadsheet-like capabilities}
464 @r{@bullet{} TODO list editor}
465 @r{@bullet{} full agenda and planner with deadlines and work scheduling}
466 @r{@bullet{} environment to implement David Allen's GTD system}
467 @r{@bullet{} a basic database application}
468 @r{@bullet{} simple hypertext system, with HTML and LaTeX export}
469 @r{@bullet{} publishing tool to create a set of interlinked webpages}
472 Org's automatic, context sensitive table editor with spreadsheet
473 capabilities can be integrated into any major mode by activating the
474 minor Orgtbl mode. Using a translation step, it can be used to maintain
475 tables in arbitrary file types, for example in La@TeX{}. The structure
476 editing and list creation capabilities can be used outside Org with
477 the minor Orgstruct mode.
480 There is a website for Org which provides links to the newest
481 version of Org, as well as additional information, frequently asked
482 questions (FAQ), links to tutorials etc. This page is located at
483 @uref{http://orgmode.org}.
488 @node Installation, Activation, Summary, Introduction
489 @section Installation
493 @b{Important:} @i{If Org is part of the Emacs distribution or an
494 XEmacs package, please skip this section and go directly to
497 If you have downloaded Org from the Web, either as a distribution @file{.zip}
498 or @file{.tar} file, or as a GIT archive, you must take the following steps
499 to install it: Go into the unpacked Org distribution directory and edit the
500 top section of the file @file{Makefile}. You must set the name of the Emacs
501 binary (likely either @file{emacs} or @file{xemacs}), and the paths to the
502 directories where local Lisp and Info files are kept. If you don't have
503 access to the system-wide directories, you can simply run Org directly from
504 the distribution directory by adding the @file{lisp} subdirectory to the
505 Emacs load path. To do this, add the following line to @file{.emacs}:
508 (setq load-path (cons "~/path/to/orgdir/lisp" load-path))
512 If you plan to use code from the @file{contrib} subdirectory, do a similar
513 step for this directory:
516 (setq load-path (cons "~/path/to/orgdir/contrib/lisp" load-path))
519 @b{XEmacs users now need to install the file @file{noutline.el} from
520 the @file{xemacs} sub-directory of the Org distribution. Use the
524 @b{make install-noutline}
527 @noindent Now byte-compile the Lisp files with the shell command:
533 @noindent If you are running Org from the distribution directory, this is
534 all. If you want to install into the system directories, use (as
540 Installing Info files is system dependent, because of differences in the
541 @file{install-info} program. In Debian it does copy the info files into the
542 correct directory and modifies the info directory file. In many other
543 systems, the files need to be copied to the correct directory separately, and
544 @file{install-info} then only modifies the directory file. Check your system
545 documentation to find out which of the following commands you need:
549 make install-info-debian
552 @noindent Then add to @file{.emacs}:
555 ;; This line only if Org is not part of the X/Emacs distribution.
556 (require 'org-install)
559 Do not forget to activate Org as described in the following section.
561 @node Activation, Feedback, Installation, Introduction
565 @cindex global key bindings
566 @cindex key bindings, global
569 @b{Important:} @i{If you use copy-and-paste to copy lisp code from the
570 PDF documentation as viewed by some PDF viewers to your .emacs file, the
571 single quote character comes out incorrectly and the code will not work.
572 You need to fix the single quotes by hand, or copy from Info
576 Add the following lines to your @file{.emacs} file. The last three lines
577 define @emph{global} keys for the commands @command{org-store-link},
578 @command{org-agenda}, and @command{org-iswitchb} - please choose suitable
582 ;; The following lines are always needed. Choose your own keys.
583 (add-to-list 'auto-mode-alist '("\\.org\\'" . org-mode))
584 (global-set-key "\C-cl" 'org-store-link)
585 (global-set-key "\C-ca" 'org-agenda)
586 (global-set-key "\C-cb" 'org-iswitchb)
589 Furthermore, you must activate @code{font-lock-mode} in Org
590 buffers, because significant functionality depends on font-locking being
591 active. You can do this with either one of the following two lines
592 (XEmacs user must use the second option):
594 (global-font-lock-mode 1) ; for all buffers
595 (add-hook 'org-mode-hook 'turn-on-font-lock) ; Org buffers only
598 @cindex Org mode, turning on
599 With this setup, all files with extension @samp{.org} will be put
600 into Org mode. As an alternative, make the first line of a file look
604 MY PROJECTS -*- mode: org; -*-
607 @vindex org-insert-mode-line-in-empty-file
608 @noindent which will select Org mode for this buffer no matter what
609 the file's name is. See also the variable
610 @code{org-insert-mode-line-in-empty-file}.
612 Many commands in Org work on the region if the region is @i{active}. To make
613 use of this, you need to have @code{transient-mark-mode}
614 (@code{zmacs-regions} in XEmacs) turned on. In Emacs 23 this is the default,
615 in Emacs 22 you need to do this yourself with
617 (transient-mark-mode 1)
619 @noindent If you do not like @code{transient-make-mode}, you can create an
620 active region by using the mouse to select a region, or pressing
621 @kbd{C-@key{SPC}} twice before moving the cursor.
623 @node Feedback, Conventions, Activation, Introduction
630 If you find problems with Org, or if you have questions, remarks, or ideas
631 about it, please mail to the Org mailing list @code{emacs-orgmode@@gnu.org}.
632 If you are not a member of the mailing list, your mail will be reviewed by a
633 moderator and then passed through to the list.
635 For bug reports, please provide as much information as possible,
636 including the version information of Emacs (@kbd{C-h v emacs-version
637 @key{RET}}) and Org (@kbd{C-h v org-version @key{RET}}), as well as
638 the Org related setup in @file{.emacs}. If an error occurs, a
639 backtrace can be very useful (see below on how to create one). Often a
640 small example file helps, along with clear information about:
643 @item What exactly did you do?
644 @item What did you expect to happen?
645 @item What happened instead?
647 @noindent Thank you for helping to improve this mode.
649 @subsubheading How to create a useful backtrace
651 @cindex backtrace of an error
652 If working with Org produces an error with a message you don't
653 understand, you may have hit a bug. The best way to report this is by
654 providing, in addition to what was mentioned above, a @emph{Backtrace}.
655 This is information from the built-in debugger about where and how the
656 error occurred. Here is how to produce a useful backtrace:
660 Reload uncompiled versions of all Org-mode lisp files. The backtrace
661 contains much more information if it is produced with uncompiled code.
664 C-u M-x org-reload RET
666 or select @code{Org -> Refresh/Reload -> Reload Org uncompiled} from the
669 Go to the @code{Options} menu and select @code{Enter Debugger on Error}
670 (XEmacs has this option in the @code{Troubleshooting} sub-menu).
672 Do whatever you have to do to hit the error. Don't forget to
673 document the steps you take.
675 When you hit the error, a @file{*Backtrace*} buffer will appear on the
676 screen. Save this buffer to a file (for example using @kbd{C-x C-w}) and
677 attach it to your bug report.
680 @node Conventions, , Feedback, Introduction
681 @section Typesetting conventions used in this manual
683 Org uses three types of keywords: TODO keywords, tags, and property
684 names. In this manual we use the following conventions:
689 TODO keywords are written with all capitals, even if they are
693 User-defined tags are written in lowercase; built-in tags with special
694 meaning are written with all capitals.
697 User-defined properties are capitalized; built-in properties with
698 special meaning are written with all capitals.
701 @node Document Structure, Tables, Introduction, Top
702 @chapter Document Structure
703 @cindex document structure
704 @cindex structure of document
706 Org is based on outline mode and provides flexible commands to
707 edit the structure of the document.
710 * Outlines:: Org is based on Outline mode
711 * Headlines:: How to typeset Org tree headlines
712 * Visibility cycling:: Show and hide, much simplified
713 * Motion:: Jumping to other headlines
714 * Structure editing:: Changing sequence and level of headlines
715 * Archiving:: Move done task trees to a different place
716 * Sparse trees:: Matches embedded in context
717 * Plain lists:: Additional structure within an entry
718 * Drawers:: Tucking stuff away
719 * Blocks:: Folding blocks
720 * Footnotes:: How footnotes are defined in Org's syntax
721 * Orgstruct mode:: Structure editing outside Org
724 @node Outlines, Headlines, Document Structure, Document Structure
729 Org is implemented on top of Outline mode. Outlines allow a
730 document to be organized in a hierarchical structure, which (at least
731 for me) is the best representation of notes and thoughts. An overview
732 of this structure is achieved by folding (hiding) large parts of the
733 document to show only the general document structure and the parts
734 currently being worked on. Org greatly simplifies the use of
735 outlines by compressing the entire show/hide functionality into a single
736 command @command{org-cycle}, which is bound to the @key{TAB} key.
738 @node Headlines, Visibility cycling, Outlines, Document Structure
742 @vindex org-special-ctrl-a/e
744 Headlines define the structure of an outline tree. The headlines in
745 Org start with one or more stars, on the left margin@footnote{See
746 the variable @code{org-special-ctrl-a/e} to configure special behavior
747 of @kbd{C-a} and @kbd{C-e} in headlines.}. For example:
757 * Another top level headline
760 @noindent Some people find the many stars too noisy and would prefer an
761 outline that has whitespace followed by a single star as headline
762 starters. @ref{Clean view} describes a setup to realize this.
764 @vindex org-cycle-separator-lines
765 An empty line after the end of a subtree is considered part of it and
766 will be hidden when the subtree is folded. However, if you leave at
767 least two empty lines, one empty line will remain visible after folding
768 the subtree, in order to structure the collapsed view. See the
769 variable @code{org-cycle-separator-lines} to modify this behavior.
771 @node Visibility cycling, Motion, Headlines, Document Structure
772 @section Visibility cycling
773 @cindex cycling, visibility
774 @cindex visibility cycling
775 @cindex trees, visibility
776 @cindex show hidden text
779 Outlines make it possible to hide parts of the text in the buffer.
780 Org uses just two commands, bound to @key{TAB} and
781 @kbd{S-@key{TAB}} to change the visibility in the buffer.
783 @cindex subtree visibility states
784 @cindex subtree cycling
785 @cindex folded, subtree visibility state
786 @cindex children, subtree visibility state
787 @cindex subtree, subtree visibility state
791 @emph{Subtree cycling}: Rotate current subtree among the states
794 ,-> FOLDED -> CHILDREN -> SUBTREE --.
795 '-----------------------------------'
798 @vindex org-cycle-emulate-tab
799 @vindex org-cycle-global-at-bob
800 The cursor must be on a headline for this to work@footnote{see, however,
801 the option @code{org-cycle-emulate-tab}.}. When the cursor is at the
802 beginning of the buffer and the first line is not a headline, then
803 @key{TAB} actually runs global cycling (see below)@footnote{see the
804 option @code{org-cycle-global-at-bob}.}. Also when called with a prefix
805 argument (@kbd{C-u @key{TAB}}), global cycling is invoked.
807 @cindex global visibility states
808 @cindex global cycling
809 @cindex overview, global visibility state
810 @cindex contents, global visibility state
811 @cindex show all, global visibility state
815 @emph{Global cycling}: Rotate the entire buffer among the states
818 ,-> OVERVIEW -> CONTENTS -> SHOW ALL --.
819 '--------------------------------------'
822 When @kbd{S-@key{TAB}} is called with a numeric prefix argument N, the
823 CONTENTS view up to headlines of level N will be shown. Note that inside
824 tables, @kbd{S-@key{TAB}} jumps to the previous field.
826 @cindex show all, command
827 @kindex C-u C-u C-u @key{TAB}
828 @item C-u C-u C-u @key{TAB}
829 Show all, including drawers.
832 Reveal context around point, showing the current entry, the following heading
833 and the hierarchy above. Useful for working near a location that has been
834 exposed by a sparse tree command (@pxref{Sparse trees}) or an agenda command
835 (@pxref{Agenda commands}). With a prefix argument show, on each
836 level, all sibling headings.
839 Show the current subtree in an indirect buffer@footnote{The indirect
842 (@pxref{Indirect Buffers,,,emacs,GNU Emacs Manual})
845 (see the Emacs manual for more information about indirect buffers)
847 will contain the entire buffer, but will be narrowed to the current
848 tree. Editing the indirect buffer will also change the original buffer,
849 but without affecting visibility in that buffer.}. With a numeric
850 prefix argument N, go up to level N and then take that tree. If N is
851 negative then go up that many levels. With a @kbd{C-u} prefix, do not remove
852 the previously used indirect buffer.
855 @vindex org-startup-folded
856 When Emacs first visits an Org file, the global state is set to
857 OVERVIEW, i.e. only the top level headlines are visible. This can be
858 configured through the variable @code{org-startup-folded}, or on a
859 per-file basis by adding one of the following lines anywhere in the
868 @cindex property: VISIBILITY
870 Furthermore, any entries with a @samp{VISIBILITY} property (@pxref{Properties
871 and Columns}) will get their visibility adapted accordingly. Allowed values
872 for this property are @code{folded}, @code{children}, @code{content}, and
875 @kindex C-u C-u @key{TAB}
876 @item C-u C-u @key{TAB}
877 Switch back to the startup visibility of the buffer, i.e. whatever is
878 requested by startup options and @samp{VISIBILITY} properties in individual
882 @node Motion, Structure editing, Visibility cycling, Document Structure
884 @cindex motion, between headlines
885 @cindex jumping, to headlines
886 @cindex headline navigation
887 The following commands jump to other headlines in the buffer.
898 Next heading same level.
901 Previous heading same level.
904 Backward to higher level heading.
907 Jump to a different place without changing the current outline
908 visibility. Shows the document structure in a temporary buffer, where
909 you can use the following keys to find your destination:
910 @vindex org-goto-auto-isearch
912 @key{TAB} @r{Cycle visibility.}
913 @key{down} / @key{up} @r{Next/previous visible headline.}
914 @key{RET} @r{Select this location.}
915 @kbd{/} @r{Do a Sparse-tree search}
916 @r{The following keys work if you turn off @code{org-goto-auto-isearch}}
917 n / p @r{Next/previous visible headline.}
918 f / b @r{Next/previous headline same level.}
920 0-9 @r{Digit argument.}
923 @vindex org-goto-interface
924 See also the variable @code{org-goto-interface}.
927 @node Structure editing, Archiving, Motion, Document Structure
928 @section Structure editing
929 @cindex structure editing
930 @cindex headline, promotion and demotion
931 @cindex promotion, of subtrees
932 @cindex demotion, of subtrees
933 @cindex subtree, cut and paste
934 @cindex pasting, of subtrees
935 @cindex cutting, of subtrees
936 @cindex copying, of subtrees
937 @cindex subtrees, cut and paste
942 @vindex org-M-RET-may-split-line
943 Insert new heading with same level as current. If the cursor is in a
944 plain list item, a new item is created (@pxref{Plain lists}). To force
945 creation of a new headline, use a prefix argument, or first press @key{RET}
946 to get to the beginning of the next line. When this command is used in
947 the middle of a line, the line is split and the rest of the line becomes
948 the new headline@footnote{If you do not want the line to be split,
949 customize the variable @code{org-M-RET-may-split-line}.}. If the
950 command is used at the beginning of a headline, the new headline is
951 created before the current line. If at the beginning of any other line,
952 the content of that line is made the new heading. If the command is
953 used at the end of a folded subtree (i.e. behind the ellipses at the end
954 of a headline), then a headline like the current one will be inserted
955 after the end of the subtree.
958 Just like @kbd{M-@key{RET}}, except when adding a new heading below the
959 current heading, the new heading is placed after the body instead of before
960 it. This command works from anywhere in the entry.
961 @kindex M-S-@key{RET}
963 @vindex org-treat-insert-todo-heading-as-state-change
964 Insert new TODO entry with same level as current heading. See also the
965 variable @code{org-treat-insert-todo-heading-as-state-change}.
966 @kindex C-S-@key{RET}
968 Insert new TODO entry with same level as current heading. Like
969 @kbd{C-@key{RET}}, the new headline will be inserted after the current
973 Promote current heading by one level.
974 @kindex M-@key{right}
976 Demote current heading by one level.
977 @kindex M-S-@key{left}
979 Promote the current subtree by one level.
980 @kindex M-S-@key{right}
981 @item M-S-@key{right}
982 Demote the current subtree by one level.
985 Move subtree up (swap with previous subtree of same
987 @kindex M-S-@key{down}
989 Move subtree down (swap with next subtree of same level).
992 Kill subtree, i.e. remove it from buffer but save in kill ring.
993 With a numeric prefix argument N, kill N sequential subtrees.
996 Copy subtree to kill ring. With a numeric prefix argument N, copy the N
1000 Yank subtree from kill ring. This does modify the level of the subtree to
1001 make sure the tree fits in nicely at the yank position. The yank level can
1002 also be specified with a numeric prefix argument, or by yanking after a
1003 headline marker like @samp{****}.
1006 @vindex org-yank-adjusted-subtrees
1007 @vindex org-yank-folded-subtrees
1008 Depending on the variables @code{org-yank-adjusted-subtrees} and
1009 @code{org-yank-folded-subtrees}, Org's internal @code{yank} command will
1010 paste subtrees folded and in a clever way, using the same command as @kbd{C-c
1011 C-x C-y}. With the default settings, no level adjustment will take place,
1012 but the yanked tree will be folded unless doing so would swallow text
1013 previously visible. Any prefix argument to this command will force a normal
1014 @code{yank} to be executed, with the prefix passed along. A good way to
1015 force a normal yank is @kbd{C-u C-y}. If you use @code{yank-pop} after a
1016 yank, it will yank previous kill items plainly, without adjustment and
1020 Clone a subtree by making a number of sibling copies of it. You will be
1021 prompted for the number of copies to make, and you can also specify if any
1022 time stamps in the entry should be shifted. This can be useful, for example,
1023 to create a number of tasks related to a series of lectures to prepare. For
1024 more details, see the docstring of the command
1025 @code{org-clone-subtree-with-time-shift}.
1028 Refile entry or region to a different location. @xref{Refiling notes}.
1031 Sort same-level entries. When there is an active region, all entries in the
1032 region will be sorted. Otherwise the children of the current headline are
1033 sorted. The command prompts for the sorting method, which can be
1034 alphabetically, numerically, by time (first time stamp with active preferred,
1035 creation time, scheduled time, deadline time), by priority, by TODO keyword
1036 (in the sequence the keywords have been defined in the setup) or by the value
1037 of a property. Reverse sorting is possible as well. You can also supply
1038 your own function to extract the sorting key. With a @kbd{C-u} prefix,
1039 sorting will be case-sensitive. With two @kbd{C-u C-u} prefixes, duplicate
1040 entries will also be removed.
1043 Narrow buffer to current subtree.
1046 Widen buffer to remove a narrowing.
1049 Turn a normal line or plain list item into a headline (so that it becomes a
1050 subheading at its location). Also turn a headline into a normal line by
1051 removing the stars. If there is an active region, turn all lines in the
1052 region into headlines. If the first line in the region was an item, turn
1053 only the item lines into headlines. Finally, if the first line is a
1054 headline, remove the stars from all headlines in the region.
1057 @cindex region, active
1058 @cindex active region
1059 @cindex Transient mark mode
1060 When there is an active region (Transient mark mode), promotion and
1061 demotion work on all headlines in the region. To select a region of
1062 headlines, it is best to place both point and mark at the beginning of a
1063 line, mark at the beginning of the first headline, and point at the line
1064 just after the last headline to change. Note that when the cursor is
1065 inside a table (@pxref{Tables}), the Meta-Cursor keys have different
1068 @node Archiving, Sparse trees, Structure editing, Document Structure
1072 When a project represented by a (sub)tree is finished, you may want
1073 to move the tree out of the way and to stop it from contributing to the
1074 agenda. Org mode knows two ways of archiving. You can mark a tree with
1075 the ARCHIVE tag, or you can move an entire (sub)tree to a different
1079 * ARCHIVE tag:: Marking a tree as inactive
1080 * Moving subtrees:: Moving a tree to an archive file
1083 @node ARCHIVE tag, Moving subtrees, Archiving, Archiving
1084 @subsection The ARCHIVE tag
1085 @cindex internal archiving
1087 A headline that is marked with the ARCHIVE tag (@pxref{Tags}) stays at
1088 its location in the outline tree, but behaves in the following way:
1091 @vindex org-cycle-open-archived-trees
1092 It does not open when you attempt to do so with a visibility cycling
1093 command (@pxref{Visibility cycling}). You can force cycling archived
1094 subtrees with @kbd{C-@key{TAB}}, or by setting the option
1095 @code{org-cycle-open-archived-trees}. Also normal outline commands like
1096 @code{show-all} will open archived subtrees.
1098 @vindex org-sparse-tree-open-archived-trees
1099 During sparse tree construction (@pxref{Sparse trees}), matches in
1100 archived subtrees are not exposed, unless you configure the option
1101 @code{org-sparse-tree-open-archived-trees}.
1103 @vindex org-agenda-skip-archived-trees
1104 During agenda view construction (@pxref{Agenda Views}), the content of
1105 archived trees is ignored unless you configure the option
1106 @code{org-agenda-skip-archived-trees}, in which case these trees will always
1107 be included. In the agenda you can press the @kbd{v} key to get archives
1108 temporarily included.
1110 @vindex org-export-with-archived-trees
1111 Archived trees are not exported (@pxref{Exporting}), only the headline
1112 is. Configure the details using the variable
1113 @code{org-export-with-archived-trees}.
1115 @vindex org-columns-skip-arrchived-trees
1116 Archived trees are excluded from column view unless the variable
1117 @code{org-columns-skip-arrchived-trees} is configured to @code{nil}.
1120 The following commands help managing the ARCHIVE tag:
1125 Toggle the ARCHIVE tag for the current headline. When the tag is set,
1126 the headline changes to a shadowed face, and the subtree below it is
1128 @kindex C-u C-c C-x a
1130 Check if any direct children of the current headline should be archived.
1131 To do this, each subtree is checked for open TODO entries. If none are
1132 found, the command offers to set the ARCHIVE tag for the child. If the
1133 cursor is @emph{not} on a headline when this command is invoked, the
1134 level 1 trees will be checked.
1137 Cycle a tree even if it is tagged with ARCHIVE.
1140 @node Moving subtrees, , ARCHIVE tag, Archiving
1141 @subsection Moving subtrees
1142 @cindex external archiving
1144 Once an entire project is finished, you may want to move it to a different
1145 location. Org can move it to an @emph{Archive Sibling} in the same tree, to a
1146 different tree in the current file, or to a different file, the archive file.
1151 Move the current entry to the @emph{Archive Sibling}. This is a sibling of
1152 the entry with the heading @samp{Archive} and the tag @samp{ARCHIVE}
1153 (@pxref{ARCHIVE tag}). The entry becomes a child of that sibling and in this
1154 way retains a lot of its original context, including inherited tags and
1155 approximate position in the outline.
1160 @vindex org-archive-location
1161 Archive the subtree starting at the cursor position to the location
1162 given by @code{org-archive-location}. Context information that could be
1163 lost like the file name, the category, inherited tags, and the TODO
1164 state will be store as properties in the entry.
1165 @kindex C-u C-c C-x C-s
1166 @item C-u C-c C-x C-s
1167 Check if any direct children of the current headline could be moved to
1168 the archive. To do this, each subtree is checked for open TODO entries.
1169 If none are found, the command offers to move it to the archive
1170 location. If the cursor is @emph{not} on a headline when this command
1171 is invoked, the level 1 trees will be checked.
1174 @cindex archive locations
1175 The default archive location is a file in the same directory as the
1176 current file, with the name derived by appending @file{_archive} to the
1177 current file name. For information and examples on how to change this,
1178 see the documentation string of the variable
1179 @code{org-archive-location}. There is also an in-buffer option for
1180 setting this variable, for example@footnote{For backward compatibility,
1181 the following also works: If there are several such lines in a file,
1182 each specifies the archive location for the text below it. The first
1183 such line also applies to any text before its definition. However,
1184 using this method is @emph{strongly} deprecated as it is incompatible
1185 with the outline structure of the document. The correct method for
1186 setting multiple archive locations in a buffer is using properties.}:
1189 #+ARCHIVE: %s_done::
1192 @cindex property: ARCHIVE
1194 If you would like to have a special ARCHIVE location for a single entry
1195 or a (sub)tree, give the entry an @code{:ARCHIVE:} property with the
1196 location as the value (@pxref{Properties and Columns}).
1198 @vindex org-archive-save-context-info
1199 When a subtree is moved, it receives a number of special properties that
1200 record context information like the file from where the entry came, it's
1201 outline path the archiving time etc. Configure the variable
1202 @code{org-archive-save-context-info} to adjust the amount of information
1205 @node Sparse trees, Plain lists, Archiving, Document Structure
1206 @section Sparse trees
1207 @cindex sparse trees
1208 @cindex trees, sparse
1209 @cindex folding, sparse trees
1210 @cindex occur, command
1212 @vindex org-show-hierarchy-above
1213 @vindex org-show-following-heading
1214 @vindex org-show-siblings
1215 @vindex org-show-entry-below
1216 An important feature of Org mode is the ability to construct @emph{sparse
1217 trees} for selected information in an outline tree, so that the entire
1218 document is folded as much as possible, but the selected information is made
1219 visible along with the headline structure above it@footnote{See also the
1220 variables @code{org-show-hierarchy-above}, @code{org-show-following-heading},
1221 @code{org-show-siblings}, and @code{org-show-entry-below} for detailed
1222 control on how much context is shown around each match.}. Just try it out
1223 and you will see immediately how it works.
1225 Org mode contains several commands creating such trees, all these
1226 commands can be accessed through a dispatcher:
1231 This prompts for an extra key to select a sparse-tree creating command.
1234 @vindex org-remove-highlights-with-change
1235 Occur. Prompts for a regexp and shows a sparse tree with all matches. If
1236 the match is in a headline, the headline is made visible. If the match is in
1237 the body of an entry, headline and body are made visible. In order to
1238 provide minimal context, also the full hierarchy of headlines above the match
1239 is shown, as well as the headline following the match. Each match is also
1240 highlighted; the highlights disappear when the buffer is changed by an
1241 editing command@footnote{depending on the option
1242 @code{org-remove-highlights-with-change}}, or by pressing @kbd{C-c C-c}.
1243 When called with a @kbd{C-u} prefix argument, previous highlights are kept,
1244 so several calls to this command can be stacked.
1248 @vindex org-agenda-custom-commands
1249 For frequently used sparse trees of specific search strings, you can
1250 use the variable @code{org-agenda-custom-commands} to define fast
1251 keyboard access to specific sparse trees. These commands will then be
1252 accessible through the agenda dispatcher (@pxref{Agenda dispatcher}).
1256 (setq org-agenda-custom-commands
1257 '(("f" occur-tree "FIXME")))
1260 @noindent will define the key @kbd{C-c a f} as a shortcut for creating
1261 a sparse tree matching the string @samp{FIXME}.
1263 The other sparse tree commands select headings based on TODO keywords,
1264 tags, or properties and will be discussed later in this manual.
1267 @cindex printing sparse trees
1268 @cindex visible text, printing
1269 To print a sparse tree, you can use the Emacs command
1270 @code{ps-print-buffer-with-faces} which does not print invisible parts
1271 of the document @footnote{This does not work under XEmacs, because
1272 XEmacs uses selective display for outlining, not text properties.}.
1273 Or you can use the command @kbd{C-c C-e v} to export only the visible
1274 part of the document and print the resulting file.
1276 @node Plain lists, Drawers, Sparse trees, Document Structure
1277 @section Plain lists
1279 @cindex lists, plain
1280 @cindex lists, ordered
1281 @cindex ordered lists
1283 Within an entry of the outline tree, hand-formatted lists can provide
1284 additional structure. They also provide a way to create lists of
1285 checkboxes (@pxref{Checkboxes}). Org supports editing such lists,
1286 and the HTML exporter (@pxref{Exporting}) parses and formats them.
1288 Org knows ordered lists, unordered lists, and description lists.
1291 @emph{Unordered} list items start with @samp{-}, @samp{+}, or
1292 @samp{*}@footnote{When using @samp{*} as a bullet, lines must be indented or
1293 they will be seen as top-level headlines. Also, when you are hiding leading
1294 stars to get a clean outline view, plain list items starting with a star are
1295 visually indistinguishable from true headlines. In short: even though
1296 @samp{*} is supported, it may be better to not use it for plain list items.}
1299 @emph{Ordered} list items start with a numeral followed by either a period or
1300 a right parenthesis, such as @samp{1.} or @samp{1)}.
1302 @emph{Description} list items are like unordered list items, but contain the
1303 separator @samp{ :: } to separate the description @emph{term} from the
1307 @vindex org-empty-line-terminates-plain-lists
1308 Items belonging to the same list must have the same indentation on the first
1309 line. In particular, if an ordered list reaches number @samp{10.}, then the
1310 2--digit numbers must be written left-aligned with the other numbers in the
1311 list. Indentation also determines the end of a list item. It ends before
1312 the next line that is indented like the bullet/number, or less. Empty lines
1313 are part of the previous item, so you can have several paragraphs in one
1314 item. If you would like an empty line to terminate all currently open plain
1315 lists, configure the variable @code{org-empty-line-terminates-plain-lists}.
1320 ** Lord of the Rings
1321 My favorite scenes are (in this order)
1322 1. The attack of the Rohirrim
1323 2. Eowyn's fight with the witch king
1324 + this was already my favorite scene in the book
1325 + I really like Miranda Otto.
1326 3. Peter Jackson being shot by Legolas
1328 He makes a really funny face when it happens.
1329 But in the end, no individual scenes matter but the film as a whole.
1330 Important actors in this film are:
1331 - @b{Elijah Wood} :: He plays Frodo
1332 - @b{Sean Austin} :: He plays Sam, Frodo's friend. I still remember
1333 him very well from his role as Mikey Walsh in the Goonies.
1337 Org supports these lists by tuning filling and wrapping commands to deal with
1338 them correctly@footnote{Org only changes the filling settings for Emacs. For
1339 XEmacs, you should use Kyle E. Jones' @file{filladapt.el}. To turn this on,
1340 put into @file{.emacs}: @code{(require 'filladapt)}}, and by exporting them
1341 properly (@pxref{Exporting}). Since indentation is what governs the
1342 structure of these lists, many structural constructs like @code{#+BEGIN_...}
1343 blocks can be indented to signal that they should be part of a list item.
1345 The following commands act on items when the cursor is in the first line
1346 of an item (the line with the bullet or number).
1351 @vindex org-cycle-include-plain-lists
1352 Items can be folded just like headline levels if you set the variable
1353 @code{org-cycle-include-plain-lists}. The level of an item is then
1354 given by the indentation of the bullet/number. Items are always
1355 subordinate to real headlines, however; the hierarchies remain
1356 completely separated.
1358 If @code{org-cycle-include-plain-lists} has not been set, @key{TAB}
1359 fixes the indentation of the current line in a heuristic way.
1362 @vindex org-M-RET-may-split-line
1363 Insert new item at current level. With a prefix argument, force a new
1364 heading (@pxref{Structure editing}). If this command is used in the middle
1365 of a line, the line is @emph{split} and the rest of the line becomes the new
1366 item@footnote{If you do not want the line to be split, customize the variable
1367 @code{org-M-RET-may-split-line}.}. If this command is executed in the
1368 @emph{whitespace before a bullet or number}, the new item is created
1369 @emph{before} the current item. If the command is executed in the white
1370 space before the text that is part of an item but does not contain the
1371 bullet, a bullet is added to the current line.
1372 @kindex M-S-@key{RET}
1374 Insert a new item with a checkbox (@pxref{Checkboxes}).
1376 @kindex S-@key{down}
1379 @cindex shift-selection-mode
1380 @vindex org-support-shift-select
1381 Jump to the previous/next item in the current list, but only if
1382 @code{org-support-shift-select} is off. If not, you can still use paragraph
1383 jumping commands like @kbd{C-@key{up}} and @kbd{C-@key{down}} to quite
1385 @kindex M-S-@key{up}
1386 @kindex M-S-@key{down}
1388 @itemx M-S-@key{down}
1389 Move the item including subitems up/down (swap with previous/next item
1390 of same indentation). If the list is ordered, renumbering is
1392 @kindex M-S-@key{left}
1393 @kindex M-S-@key{right}
1394 @item M-S-@key{left}
1395 @itemx M-S-@key{right}
1396 Decrease/increase the indentation of the item, including subitems.
1397 Initially, the item tree is selected based on current indentation.
1398 When these commands are executed several times in direct succession,
1399 the initially selected region is used, even if the new indentation
1400 would imply a different hierarchy. To use the new hierarchy, break
1401 the command chain with a cursor motion or so.
1404 If there is a checkbox (@pxref{Checkboxes}) in the item line, toggle the
1405 state of the checkbox. If not, this command makes sure that all the
1406 items on this list level use the same bullet. Furthermore, if this is
1407 an ordered list, make sure the numbering is OK.
1410 Cycle the entire list level through the different itemize/enumerate bullets
1411 (@samp{-}, @samp{+}, @samp{*}, @samp{1.}, @samp{1)}). With a numeric prefix
1412 argument N, select the Nth bullet from this list. If there is an active
1413 region when calling this, all lines will be converted to list items. If the
1414 first line already was a list item, any item markers will be removed from the
1415 list. Finally, even without an active region, a normal line will be
1416 converted into a list item.
1417 @kindex S-@key{left}
1418 @kindex S-@key{right}
1419 @item S-@key{left}/@key{right}
1420 @vindex org-support-shift-select
1421 This command also cycles bullet styles when the cursor in on the bullet or
1422 anywhere in an item line, details depending on
1423 @code{org-support-shift-select}.
1426 Sort the plain list. You will be prompted for the sorting method:
1427 numerically, alphabetically, by time, or by custom function.
1430 @node Drawers, Blocks, Plain lists, Document Structure
1433 @cindex visibility cycling, drawers
1436 Sometimes you want to keep information associated with an entry, but you
1437 normally don't want to see it. For this, Org mode has @emph{drawers}.
1438 Drawers need to be configured with the variable
1439 @code{org-drawers}@footnote{You can define drawers on a per-file basis
1440 with a line like @code{#+DRAWERS: HIDDEN PROPERTIES STATE}}. Drawers
1444 ** This is a headline
1445 Still outside the drawer
1447 This is inside the drawer.
1452 Visibility cycling (@pxref{Visibility cycling}) on the headline will hide and
1453 show the entry, but keep the drawer collapsed to a single line. In order to
1454 look inside the drawer, you need to move the cursor to the drawer line and
1455 press @key{TAB} there. Org mode uses the @code{PROPERTIES} drawer for
1456 storing properties (@pxref{Properties and Columns}), and you can also arrange
1457 for state change notes @pxref{Tracking TODO state changes} and clock times
1458 (@pxref{Clocking work time}) to be stored in a drawer @code{LOGBOOK}.
1460 @node Blocks, Footnotes, Drawers, Document Structure
1463 @vindex org-hide-block-startup
1464 @cindex blocks, folding
1465 Org-mode uses begin...end blocks for various purposes from including source
1466 code examples (@pxref{Literal examples}) to capturing time logging
1467 information (@pxref{Clocking work time}). These blocks can be folded and
1468 unfolded by pressing TAB in the begin line. You can also get all blocks
1469 folded at startup by configuring the variable @code{org-hide-block-startup}
1470 or on a per-file basis by using
1472 @cindex @code{hideblocks}, STARTUP keyword
1473 @cindex @code{nohideblocks}, STARTUP keyword
1475 #+STARTUP: hideblocks
1476 #+STARTUP: nohideblocks
1479 @node Footnotes, Orgstruct mode, Blocks, Document Structure
1483 Org-mode supports the creation of footnotes. In contrast to the
1484 @file{footnote.el} package, Org-mode's footnotes are designed for work on a
1485 larger document, not only for one-off documents like emails. The basic
1486 syntax is similar to the one used by @file{footnote.el}, i.e. a footnote is
1487 defined in a paragraph that is started by a footnote marker in square
1488 brackets in column 0, no indentation allowed. If you need a paragraph break
1489 inside a footnote, use the LaTeX idiom @samp{\par}. The footnote reference
1490 is simply the marker in square brackets, inside text. For example:
1493 The Org homepage[fn:1] now looks a lot better than it used to.
1495 [fn:1] The link is: http://orgmode.org
1498 Org-mode extends the number-based syntax to @emph{named} footnotes and
1499 optional inline definition. Using plain numbers as markers (as
1500 @file{footnote.el} does) is supported for backward compatibility, but not
1501 encouraged because of possible conflicts with LaTeX snippets @pxref{Embedded
1502 LaTeX}. Here are the valid references:
1506 A plain numeric footnote marker.
1508 A named footnote reference, where @code{name} is a unique label word, or, for
1509 simplicity of automatic creation, a number.
1510 @item [fn:: This is the inline definition of this footnote]
1511 A LaTeX-like anonymous footnote where the definition is given directly at the
1513 @item [fn:name: a definition]
1514 An inline definition of a footnote, which also specifies a name for the note.
1515 Since Org allows multiple references to the same note, you can then use
1516 @code{[fn:name]} to create additional references.
1519 @vindex org-footnote-auto-label
1520 Footnote labels can be created automatically, or you create names yourself.
1521 This is handled by the variable @code{org-footnote-auto-label} and its
1522 corresponding @code{#+STARTUP} keywords, see the docstring of that variable
1525 @noindent The following command handles footnotes:
1530 The footnote action command.
1532 When the cursor is on a footnote reference, jump to the definition. When it
1533 is at a definition, jump to the (first) reference.
1535 @vindex org-footnote-define-inline
1536 @vindex org-footnote-section
1537 Otherwise, create a new footnote. Depending on the variable
1538 @code{org-footnote-define-inline}@footnote{The corresponding in-buffer
1539 setting is: @code{#+STARTUP: fninline} or @code{#+STARTUP: nofninline}}, the
1540 definition will be placed right into the text as part of the reference, or
1541 separately into the location determined by the variable
1542 @code{org-footnote-section}.
1544 When this command is called with a prefix argument, a menu of additional
1547 s @r{Sort the footnote definitions by reference sequence. During editing,}
1548 @r{Org makes no effort to sort footnote definitions into a particular}
1549 @r{sequence. If you want them sorted, use this command, which will}
1550 @r{also move entries according to @code{org-footnote-section}.}
1551 n @r{Normalize the footnotes by collecting all definitions (including}
1552 @r{inline definitions) into a special section, and then numbering them}
1553 @r{in sequence. The references will then also be numbers. This is}
1554 @r{meant to be the final step before finishing a document (e.g. sending}
1555 @r{off an email). The exporters do this automatically, and so could}
1556 @r{something like @code{message-send-hook}.}
1557 d @r{Delete the footnote at point, and all definitions of and references}
1562 If the cursor is on a footnote reference, jump to the definition. If it is a
1563 the definition, jump back to the reference. When called at a footnote
1564 location with a prefix argument, offer the same menu as @kbd{C-c C-x f}.
1568 @item C-c C-c @r{or} mouse-1/2
1569 Footnote labels are also links to the corresponding definition/reference, and
1570 you can use the usual commands to follow these links.
1573 @node Orgstruct mode, , Footnotes, Document Structure
1574 @section The Orgstruct minor mode
1575 @cindex Orgstruct mode
1576 @cindex minor mode for structure editing
1578 If you like the intuitive way the Org mode structure editing and list
1579 formatting works, you might want to use these commands in other modes like
1580 Text mode or Mail mode as well. The minor mode @code{orgstruct-mode} makes
1581 this possible. Toggle the mode with @kbd{M-x orgstruct-mode}, or
1582 turn it on by default, for example in Mail mode, with one of:
1585 (add-hook 'mail-mode-hook 'turn-on-orgstruct)
1586 (add-hook 'mail-mode-hook 'turn-on-orgstruct++)
1589 When this mode is active and the cursor is on a line that looks to Org like a
1590 headline or the first line of a list item, most structure editing commands
1591 will work, even if the same keys normally have different functionality in the
1592 major mode you are using. If the cursor is not in one of those special
1593 lines, Orgstruct mode lurks silently in the shadow. When you use
1594 @code{orgstruct++-mode}, Org will also export indentation and autofill
1595 settings into that mode, and detect item context after the first line of an
1598 @node Tables, Hyperlinks, Document Structure, Top
1601 @cindex editing tables
1603 Org comes with a fast and intuitive table editor. Spreadsheet-like
1604 calculations are supported in connection with the Emacs @file{calc}
1607 (@pxref{Top,Calc,,Calc,Gnu Emacs Calculator Manual}).
1610 (see the Emacs Calculator manual for more information about the Emacs
1615 * Built-in table editor:: Simple tables
1616 * Narrow columns:: Stop wasting space in tables
1617 * Column groups:: Grouping to trigger vertical lines
1618 * Orgtbl mode:: The table editor as minor mode
1619 * The spreadsheet:: The table editor has spreadsheet capabilities
1620 * Org Plot:: Plotting from org tables
1623 @node Built-in table editor, Narrow columns, Tables, Tables
1624 @section The built-in table editor
1625 @cindex table editor, built-in
1627 Org makes it easy to format tables in plain ASCII. Any line with
1628 @samp{|} as the first non-whitespace character is considered part of a
1629 table. @samp{|} is also the column separator. A table might look like
1633 | Name | Phone | Age |
1634 |-------+-------+-----|
1635 | Peter | 1234 | 17 |
1636 | Anna | 4321 | 25 |
1639 A table is re-aligned automatically each time you press @key{TAB} or
1640 @key{RET} or @kbd{C-c C-c} inside the table. @key{TAB} also moves to
1641 the next field (@key{RET} to the next row) and creates new table rows
1642 at the end of the table or before horizontal lines. The indentation
1643 of the table is set by the first line. Any line starting with
1644 @samp{|-} is considered as a horizontal separator line and will be
1645 expanded on the next re-align to span the whole table width. So, to
1646 create the above table, you would only type
1653 @noindent and then press @key{TAB} to align the table and start filling in
1654 fields. Even faster would be to type @code{|Name|Phone|Age} followed by
1655 @kbd{C-c @key{RET}}.
1657 @vindex org-enable-table-editor
1658 @vindex org-table-auto-blank-field
1659 When typing text into a field, Org treats @key{DEL},
1660 @key{Backspace}, and all character keys in a special way, so that
1661 inserting and deleting avoids shifting other fields. Also, when
1662 typing @emph{immediately after the cursor was moved into a new field
1663 with @kbd{@key{TAB}}, @kbd{S-@key{TAB}} or @kbd{@key{RET}}}, the
1664 field is automatically made blank. If this behavior is too
1665 unpredictable for you, configure the variables
1666 @code{org-enable-table-editor} and @code{org-table-auto-blank-field}.
1669 @tsubheading{Creation and conversion}
1672 Convert the active region to table. If every line contains at least one
1673 TAB character, the function assumes that the material is tab separated.
1674 If every line contains a comma, comma-separated values (CSV) are assumed.
1675 If not, lines are split at whitespace into fields. You can use a prefix
1676 argument to force a specific separator: @kbd{C-u} forces CSV, @kbd{C-u
1677 C-u} forces TAB, and a numeric argument N indicates that at least N
1678 consecutive spaces, or alternatively a TAB will be the separator.
1680 If there is no active region, this command creates an empty Org
1681 table. But it's easier just to start typing, like
1682 @kbd{|Name|Phone|Age @key{RET} |- @key{TAB}}.
1684 @tsubheading{Re-aligning and field motion}
1687 Re-align the table without moving the cursor.
1691 Re-align the table, move to the next field. Creates a new row if
1696 Re-align, move to previous field.
1700 Re-align the table and move down to next row. Creates a new row if
1701 necessary. At the beginning or end of a line, @key{RET} still does
1702 NEWLINE, so it can be used to split a table.
1706 Move to beginning of the current table field, or on to the previous field.
1709 Move to end of the current table field, or on to the next field.
1711 @tsubheading{Column and row editing}
1712 @kindex M-@key{left}
1713 @kindex M-@key{right}
1715 @itemx M-@key{right}
1716 Move the current column left/right.
1718 @kindex M-S-@key{left}
1719 @item M-S-@key{left}
1720 Kill the current column.
1722 @kindex M-S-@key{right}
1723 @item M-S-@key{right}
1724 Insert a new column to the left of the cursor position.
1727 @kindex M-@key{down}
1730 Move the current row up/down.
1732 @kindex M-S-@key{up}
1734 Kill the current row or horizontal line.
1736 @kindex M-S-@key{down}
1737 @item M-S-@key{down}
1738 Insert a new row above the current row. With a prefix argument, the line is
1739 created below the current one.
1743 Insert a horizontal line below current row. With a prefix argument, the line
1744 is created above the current line.
1746 @kindex C-c @key{RET}
1748 Insert a horizontal line below current row, and move the cursor into the row
1753 Sort the table lines in the region. The position of point indicates the
1754 column to be used for sorting, and the range of lines is the range
1755 between the nearest horizontal separator lines, or the entire table. If
1756 point is before the first column, you will be prompted for the sorting
1757 column. If there is an active region, the mark specifies the first line
1758 and the sorting column, while point should be in the last line to be
1759 included into the sorting. The command prompts for the sorting type
1760 (alphabetically, numerically, or by time). When called with a prefix
1761 argument, alphabetic sorting will be case-sensitive.
1763 @tsubheading{Regions}
1766 Copy a rectangular region from a table to a special clipboard. Point
1767 and mark determine edge fields of the rectangle. The process ignores
1768 horizontal separator lines.
1772 Copy a rectangular region from a table to a special clipboard, and
1773 blank all fields in the rectangle. So this is the ``cut'' operation.
1777 Paste a rectangular region into a table.
1778 The upper left corner ends up in the current field. All involved fields
1779 will be overwritten. If the rectangle does not fit into the present table,
1780 the table is enlarged as needed. The process ignores horizontal separator
1785 Wrap several fields in a column like a paragraph. If there is an active
1786 region, and both point and mark are in the same column, the text in the
1787 column is wrapped to minimum width for the given number of lines. A numeric
1788 prefix argument may be used to change the number of desired lines. If there
1789 is no region, the current field is split at the cursor position and the text
1790 fragment to the right of the cursor is prepended to the field one line
1791 down. If there is no region, but you specify a prefix argument, the current
1792 field is made blank, and the content is appended to the field above.
1794 @tsubheading{Calculations}
1795 @cindex formula, in tables
1796 @cindex calculations, in tables
1797 @cindex region, active
1798 @cindex active region
1799 @cindex Transient mark mode
1802 Sum the numbers in the current column, or in the rectangle defined by
1803 the active region. The result is shown in the echo area and can
1804 be inserted with @kbd{C-y}.
1808 @vindex org-table-copy-increment
1809 When current field is empty, copy from first non-empty field above. When not
1810 empty, copy current field down to next row and move cursor along with it.
1811 Depending on the variable @code{org-table-copy-increment}, integer field
1812 values will be incremented during copy. Integers that are too large will not
1813 be incremented. Also, a @code{0} prefix argument temporarily disables the
1814 increment. This key is also used by shift-selection and related modes
1815 (@pxref{Conflicts}).
1817 @tsubheading{Miscellaneous}
1820 Edit the current field in a separate window. This is useful for fields
1821 that are not fully visible (@pxref{Narrow columns}). When called with a
1822 @kbd{C-u} prefix, just make the full field visible, so that it can be
1825 @item M-x org-table-import
1826 Import a file as a table. The table should be TAB- or whitespace
1827 separated. Useful, for example, to import a spreadsheet table or data
1828 from a database, because these programs generally can write
1829 TAB-separated text files. This command works by inserting the file into
1830 the buffer and then converting the region to a table. Any prefix
1831 argument is passed on to the converter, which uses it to determine the
1834 Tables can also be imported by pasting tabular text into the Org
1835 buffer, selecting the pasted text with @kbd{C-x C-x} and then using the
1836 @kbd{C-c |} command (see above under @i{Creation and conversion}).
1838 @item M-x org-table-export
1839 @vindex org-table-export-default-format
1840 Export the table, by default as a TAB-separated file. Useful for data
1841 exchange with, for example, spreadsheet or database programs. The format
1842 used to export the file can be configured in the variable
1843 @code{org-table-export-default-format}. You may also use properties
1844 @code{TABLE_EXPORT_FILE} and @code{TABLE_EXPORT_FORMAT} to specify the file
1845 name and the format for table export in a subtree. Org supports quite
1846 general formats for exported tables. The exporter format is the same as the
1847 format used by Orgtbl radio tables, see @ref{Translator functions} for a
1848 detailed description.
1851 If you don't like the automatic table editor because it gets in your
1852 way on lines which you would like to start with @samp{|}, you can turn
1856 (setq org-enable-table-editor nil)
1859 @noindent Then the only table command that still works is
1860 @kbd{C-c C-c} to do a manual re-align.
1862 @node Narrow columns, Column groups, Built-in table editor, Tables
1863 @section Narrow columns
1864 @cindex narrow columns in tables
1866 The width of columns is automatically determined by the table editor.
1867 Sometimes a single field or a few fields need to carry more text,
1868 leading to inconveniently wide columns. To limit@footnote{This feature
1869 does not work on XEmacs.} the width of a column, one field anywhere in
1870 the column may contain just the string @samp{<N>} where @samp{N} is an
1871 integer specifying the width of the column in characters. The next
1872 re-align will then set the width of this column to no more than this
1877 |---+------------------------------| |---+--------|
1879 | 1 | one | | 1 | one |
1880 | 2 | two | ----\ | 2 | two |
1881 | 3 | This is a long chunk of text | ----/ | 3 | This=> |
1882 | 4 | four | | 4 | four |
1883 |---+------------------------------| |---+--------|
1888 Fields that are wider become clipped and end in the string @samp{=>}.
1889 Note that the full text is still in the buffer, it is only invisible.
1890 To see the full text, hold the mouse over the field - a tool-tip window
1891 will show the full content. To edit such a field, use the command
1892 @kbd{C-c `} (that is @kbd{C-c} followed by the backquote). This will
1893 open a new window with the full field. Edit it and finish with @kbd{C-c
1896 @vindex org-startup-align-all-tables
1897 When visiting a file containing a table with narrowed columns, the
1898 necessary character hiding has not yet happened, and the table needs to
1899 be aligned before it looks nice. Setting the option
1900 @code{org-startup-align-all-tables} will realign all tables in a file
1901 upon visiting, but also slow down startup. You can also set this option
1902 on a per-file basis with:
1909 @node Column groups, Orgtbl mode, Narrow columns, Tables
1910 @section Column groups
1911 @cindex grouping columns in tables
1913 When Org exports tables, it does so by default without vertical
1914 lines because that is visually more satisfying in general. Occasionally
1915 however, vertical lines can be useful to structure a table into groups
1916 of columns, much like horizontal lines can do for groups of rows. In
1917 order to specify column groups, you can use a special row where the
1918 first field contains only @samp{/}. The further fields can either
1919 contain @samp{<} to indicate that this column should start a group,
1920 @samp{>} to indicate the end of a column, or @samp{<>} to make a column
1921 a group of its own. Boundaries between column groups will upon export be
1922 marked with vertical lines. Here is an example:
1925 | | N | N^2 | N^3 | N^4 | sqrt(n) | sqrt[4](N) |
1926 |---+----+-----+-----+-----+---------+------------|
1927 | / | <> | < | | > | < | > |
1928 | # | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
1929 | # | 2 | 4 | 8 | 16 | 1.4142 | 1.1892 |
1930 | # | 3 | 9 | 27 | 81 | 1.7321 | 1.3161 |
1931 |---+----+-----+-----+-----+---------+------------|
1932 #+TBLFM: $3=$2^2::$4=$2^3::$5=$2^4::$6=sqrt($2)::$7=sqrt(sqrt(($2)))
1935 It is also sufficient to just insert the column group starters after
1936 every vertical line you'd like to have:
1939 | N | N^2 | N^3 | N^4 | sqrt(n) | sqrt[4](N) |
1940 |----+-----+-----+-----+---------+------------|
1944 @node Orgtbl mode, The spreadsheet, Column groups, Tables
1945 @section The Orgtbl minor mode
1947 @cindex minor mode for tables
1949 If you like the intuitive way the Org table editor works, you
1950 might also want to use it in other modes like Text mode or Mail mode.
1951 The minor mode Orgtbl mode makes this possible. You can always toggle
1952 the mode with @kbd{M-x orgtbl-mode}. To turn it on by default, for
1953 example in mail mode, use
1956 (add-hook 'mail-mode-hook 'turn-on-orgtbl)
1959 Furthermore, with some special setup, it is possible to maintain tables
1960 in arbitrary syntax with Orgtbl mode. For example, it is possible to
1961 construct La@TeX{} tables with the underlying ease and power of
1962 Orgtbl mode, including spreadsheet capabilities. For details, see
1963 @ref{Tables in arbitrary syntax}.
1965 @node The spreadsheet, Org Plot, Orgtbl mode, Tables
1966 @section The spreadsheet
1967 @cindex calculations, in tables
1968 @cindex spreadsheet capabilities
1969 @cindex @file{calc} package
1971 The table editor makes use of the Emacs @file{calc} package to implement
1972 spreadsheet-like capabilities. It can also evaluate Emacs Lisp forms to
1973 derive fields from other fields. While fully featured, Org's
1974 implementation is not identical to other spreadsheets. For example,
1975 Org knows the concept of a @emph{column formula} that will be
1976 applied to all non-header fields in a column without having to copy the
1977 formula to each relevant field.
1980 * References:: How to refer to another field or range
1981 * Formula syntax for Calc:: Using Calc to compute stuff
1982 * Formula syntax for Lisp:: Writing formulas in Emacs Lisp
1983 * Field formulas:: Formulas valid for a single field
1984 * Column formulas:: Formulas valid for an entire column
1985 * Editing and debugging formulas:: Fixing formulas
1986 * Updating the table:: Recomputing all dependent fields
1987 * Advanced features:: Field names, parameters and automatic recalc
1990 @node References, Formula syntax for Calc, The spreadsheet, The spreadsheet
1991 @subsection References
1994 To compute fields in the table from other fields, formulas must
1995 reference other fields or ranges. In Org, fields can be referenced
1996 by name, by absolute coordinates, and by relative coordinates. To find
1997 out what the coordinates of a field are, press @kbd{C-c ?} in that
1998 field, or press @kbd{C-c @}} to toggle the display of a grid.
2000 @subsubheading Field references
2001 @cindex field references
2002 @cindex references, to fields
2004 Formulas can reference the value of another field in two ways. Like in
2005 any other spreadsheet, you may reference fields with a letter/number
2006 combination like @code{B3}, meaning the 2nd field in the 3rd row.
2007 @c Such references are always fixed to that field, they don't change
2008 @c when you copy and paste a formula to a different field. So
2009 @c Org's @code{B3} behaves like @code{$B$3} in other spreadsheets.
2012 Org also uses another, more general operator that looks like this:
2018 Column references can be absolute like @samp{1}, @samp{2},...@samp{N},
2019 or relative to the current column like @samp{+1} or @samp{-2}.
2021 The row specification only counts data lines and ignores horizontal
2022 separator lines (hlines). You can use absolute row numbers
2023 @samp{1}...@samp{N}, and row numbers relative to the current row like
2024 @samp{+3} or @samp{-1}. Or specify the row relative to one of the
2025 hlines: @samp{I} refers to the first hline@footnote{Note that only
2026 hlines are counted that @emph{separate} table lines. If the table
2027 starts with a hline above the header, it does not count.}, @samp{II} to
2028 the second etc. @samp{-I} refers to the first such line above the
2029 current line, @samp{+I} to the first such line below the current line.
2030 You can also write @samp{III+2} which is the second data line after the
2031 third hline in the table. Relative row numbers like @samp{-3} will not
2032 cross hlines if the current line is too close to the hline. Instead,
2033 the value directly at the hline is used.
2035 @samp{0} refers to the current row and column. Also, if you omit
2036 either the column or the row part of the reference, the current
2037 row/column is implied.
2039 Org's references with @emph{unsigned} numbers are fixed references
2040 in the sense that if you use the same reference in the formula for two
2041 different fields, the same field will be referenced each time.
2042 Org's references with @emph{signed} numbers are floating
2043 references because the same reference operator can reference different
2044 fields depending on the field being calculated by the formula.
2046 As a special case references like @samp{$LR5} and @samp{$LR12} can be used to
2047 refer in a stable way to the 5th and 12th field in the last row of the
2050 Here are a few examples:
2053 @@2$3 @r{2nd row, 3rd column}
2054 C2 @r{same as previous}
2055 $5 @r{column 5 in the current row}
2056 E& @r{same as previous}
2057 @@2 @r{current column, row 2}
2058 @@-1$-3 @r{the field one row up, three columns to the left}
2059 @@-I$2 @r{field just under hline above current row, column 2}
2062 @subsubheading Range references
2063 @cindex range references
2064 @cindex references, to ranges
2066 You may reference a rectangular range of fields by specifying two field
2067 references connected by two dots @samp{..}. If both fields are in the
2068 current row, you may simply use @samp{$2..$7}, but if at least one field
2069 is in a different row, you need to use the general @code{@@row$column}
2070 format at least for the first field (i.e the reference must start with
2071 @samp{@@} in order to be interpreted correctly). Examples:
2074 $1..$3 @r{First three fields in the current row.}
2075 $P..$Q @r{Range, using column names (see under Advanced)}
2076 @@2$1..@@4$3 @r{6 fields between these two fields.}
2077 A2..C4 @r{Same as above.}
2078 @@-1$-2..@@-1 @r{3 numbers from the column to the left, 2 up to current row}
2081 @noindent Range references return a vector of values that can be fed
2082 into Calc vector functions. Empty fields in ranges are normally
2083 suppressed, so that the vector contains only the non-empty fields (but
2084 see the @samp{E} mode switch below). If there are no non-empty fields,
2085 @samp{[0]} is returned to avoid syntax errors in formulas.
2087 @subsubheading Named references
2088 @cindex named references
2089 @cindex references, named
2090 @cindex name, of column or field
2091 @cindex constants, in calculations
2093 @vindex org-table-formula-constants
2094 @samp{$name} is interpreted as the name of a column, parameter or
2095 constant. Constants are defined globally through the variable
2096 @code{org-table-formula-constants}, and locally (for the file) through a
2100 #+CONSTANTS: c=299792458. pi=3.14 eps=2.4e-6
2104 @vindex constants-unit-system
2105 Also properties (@pxref{Properties and Columns}) can be used as
2106 constants in table formulas: For a property @samp{:Xyz:} use the name
2107 @samp{$PROP_Xyz}, and the property will be searched in the current
2108 outline entry and in the hierarchy above it. If you have the
2109 @file{constants.el} package, it will also be used to resolve constants,
2110 including natural constants like @samp{$h} for Planck's constant, and
2111 units like @samp{$km} for kilometers@footnote{@file{Constant.el} can
2112 supply the values of constants in two different unit systems, @code{SI}
2113 and @code{cgs}. Which one is used depends on the value of the variable
2114 @code{constants-unit-system}. You can use the @code{#+STARTUP} options
2115 @code{constSI} and @code{constcgs} to set this value for the current
2116 buffer.}. Column names and parameters can be specified in special table
2117 lines. These are described below, see @ref{Advanced features}. All
2118 names must start with a letter, and further consist of letters and
2121 @subsubheading Remote references
2122 @cindex remote references
2123 @cindex references, remote
2124 @cindex references, to a different table
2125 @cindex name, of column or field
2126 @cindex constants, in calculations
2128 You may also reference constants, fields and ranges from a different table,
2129 either in the current file or even in a different file. The syntax is
2132 remote(NAME-OR-ID,REF)
2136 where NAME can be the name of a table in the current file as set by a
2137 @code{#+TBLNAME: NAME} line before the table. It can also be the ID of an
2138 entry, even in a different file, and the reference then refers to the first
2139 table in that entry. REF is an absolute field or range reference as
2140 described above, valid in the referenced table.
2142 @node Formula syntax for Calc, Formula syntax for Lisp, References, The spreadsheet
2143 @subsection Formula syntax for Calc
2144 @cindex formula syntax, Calc
2145 @cindex syntax, of formulas
2147 A formula can be any algebraic expression understood by the Emacs
2148 @file{Calc} package. @b{Note that @file{calc} has the
2149 non-standard convention that @samp{/} has lower precedence than
2150 @samp{*}, so that @samp{a/b*c} is interpreted as @samp{a/(b*c)}.} Before
2151 evaluation by @code{calc-eval} (@pxref{Calling Calc from
2152 Your Programs,calc-eval,Calling Calc from Your Lisp Programs,Calc,GNU
2153 Emacs Calc Manual}),
2154 @c FIXME: The link to the Calc manual in HTML does not work.
2155 variable substitution takes place according to the rules described above.
2156 @cindex vectors, in table calculations
2157 The range vectors can be directly fed into the Calc vector functions
2158 like @samp{vmean} and @samp{vsum}.
2160 @cindex format specifier
2161 @cindex mode, for @file{calc}
2162 @vindex org-calc-default-modes
2163 A formula can contain an optional mode string after a semicolon. This
2164 string consists of flags to influence Calc and other modes during
2165 execution. By default, Org uses the standard Calc modes (precision
2166 12, angular units degrees, fraction and symbolic modes off). The display
2167 format, however, has been changed to @code{(float 8)} to keep tables
2168 compact. The default settings can be configured using the variable
2169 @code{org-calc-default-modes}.
2172 p20 @r{switch the internal precision to 20 digits}
2173 n3 s3 e2 f4 @r{normal, scientific, engineering, or fixed display format}
2174 D R @r{angle modes: degrees, radians}
2175 F S @r{fraction and symbolic modes}
2176 N @r{interpret all fields as numbers, use 0 for non-numbers}
2177 T @r{force text interpretation}
2178 E @r{keep empty fields in ranges}
2182 In addition, you may provide a @code{printf} format specifier to
2183 reformat the final result. A few examples:
2186 $1+$2 @r{Sum of first and second field}
2187 $1+$2;%.2f @r{Same, format result to two decimals}
2188 exp($2)+exp($1) @r{Math functions can be used}
2189 $0;%.1f @r{Reformat current cell to 1 decimal}
2190 ($3-32)*5/9 @r{Degrees F -> C conversion}
2191 $c/$1/$cm @r{Hz -> cm conversion, using @file{constants.el}}
2192 tan($1);Dp3s1 @r{Compute in degrees, precision 3, display SCI 1}
2193 sin($1);Dp3%.1e @r{Same, but use printf specifier for display}
2194 vmean($2..$7) @r{Compute column range mean, using vector function}
2195 vmean($2..$7);EN @r{Same, but treat empty fields as 0}
2196 taylor($3,x=7,2) @r{taylor series of $3, at x=7, second degree}
2199 Calc also contains a complete set of logical operations. For example
2202 if($1<20,teen,string("")) @r{``teen'' if age $1 less than 20, else empty}
2205 @node Formula syntax for Lisp, Field formulas, Formula syntax for Calc, The spreadsheet
2206 @subsection Emacs Lisp forms as formulas
2207 @cindex Lisp forms, as table formulas
2209 It is also possible to write a formula in Emacs Lisp; this can be useful
2210 for string manipulation and control structures, if Calc's
2211 functionality is not enough. If a formula starts with a single quote
2212 followed by an opening parenthesis, then it is evaluated as a lisp form.
2213 The evaluation should return either a string or a number. Just as with
2214 @file{calc} formulas, you can specify modes and a printf format after a
2215 semicolon. With Emacs Lisp forms, you need to be conscious about the way
2216 field references are interpolated into the form. By default, a
2217 reference will be interpolated as a Lisp string (in double quotes)
2218 containing the field. If you provide the @samp{N} mode switch, all
2219 referenced elements will be numbers (non-number fields will be zero) and
2220 interpolated as Lisp numbers, without quotes. If you provide the
2221 @samp{L} flag, all fields will be interpolated literally, without quotes.
2222 I.e., if you want a reference to be interpreted as a string by the Lisp
2223 form, enclose the reference operator itself in double quotes, like
2224 @code{"$3"}. Ranges are inserted as space-separated fields, so you can
2225 embed them in list or vector syntax. A few examples, note how the
2226 @samp{N} mode is used when we do computations in lisp.
2229 @r{Swap the first two characters of the content of column 1}
2230 '(concat (substring $1 1 2) (substring $1 0 1) (substring $1 2))
2231 @r{Add columns 1 and 2, equivalent to Calc's @code{$1+$2}}
2233 @r{Compute the sum of columns 1-4, like Calc's @code{vsum($1..$4)}}
2234 '(apply '+ '($1..$4));N
2237 @node Field formulas, Column formulas, Formula syntax for Lisp, The spreadsheet
2238 @subsection Field formulas
2239 @cindex field formula
2240 @cindex formula, for individual table field
2242 To assign a formula to a particular field, type it directly into the
2243 field, preceded by @samp{:=}, for example @samp{:=$1+$2}. When you
2244 press @key{TAB} or @key{RET} or @kbd{C-c C-c} with the cursor still in
2245 the field, the formula will be stored as the formula for this field,
2246 evaluated, and the current field replaced with the result.
2248 Formulas are stored in a special line starting with @samp{#+TBLFM:}
2249 directly below the table. If you typed the equation in the 4th field of
2250 the 3rd data line in the table, the formula will look like
2251 @samp{@@3$4=$1+$2}. When inserting/deleting/swapping column and rows
2252 with the appropriate commands, @i{absolute references} (but not relative
2253 ones) in stored formulas are modified in order to still reference the
2254 same field. Of cause this is not true if you edit the table structure
2255 with normal editing commands - then you must fix the equations yourself.
2256 The left hand side of a formula may also be a named field (@pxref{Advanced
2257 features}), or a last-row reference like @samp{$LR3}.
2259 Instead of typing an equation into the field, you may also use the
2265 Install a new formula for the current field. The command prompts for a
2266 formula, with default taken from the @samp{#+TBLFM:} line, applies
2267 it to the current field and stores it.
2270 @node Column formulas, Editing and debugging formulas, Field formulas, The spreadsheet
2271 @subsection Column formulas
2272 @cindex column formula
2273 @cindex formula, for table column
2275 Often in a table, the same formula should be used for all fields in a
2276 particular column. Instead of having to copy the formula to all fields
2277 in that column, Org allows to assign a single formula to an entire
2278 column. If the table contains horizontal separator hlines, everything
2279 before the first such line is considered part of the table @emph{header}
2280 and will not be modified by column formulas.
2282 To assign a formula to a column, type it directly into any field in the
2283 column, preceded by an equal sign, like @samp{=$1+$2}. When you press
2284 @key{TAB} or @key{RET} or @kbd{C-c C-c} with the cursor still in the field,
2285 the formula will be stored as the formula for the current column, evaluated
2286 and the current field replaced with the result. If the field contains only
2287 @samp{=}, the previously stored formula for this column is used. For each
2288 column, Org will only remember the most recently used formula. In the
2289 @samp{TBLFM:} line, column formulas will look like @samp{$4=$1+$2}. The left
2290 hand side of a column formula can currently not be the name of column, it
2291 must be the numeric column reference.
2293 Instead of typing an equation into the field, you may also use the
2299 Install a new formula for the current column and replace current field with
2300 the result of the formula. The command prompts for a formula, with default
2301 taken from the @samp{#+TBLFM} line, applies it to the current field and
2302 stores it. With a numeric prefix argument(e.g. @kbd{C-5 C-c =}) the command
2303 will apply it to that many consecutive fields in the current column.
2306 @node Editing and debugging formulas, Updating the table, Column formulas, The spreadsheet
2307 @subsection Editing and debugging formulas
2308 @cindex formula editing
2309 @cindex editing, of table formulas
2311 @vindex org-table-use-standard-references
2312 You can edit individual formulas in the minibuffer or directly in the
2313 field. Org can also prepare a special buffer with all active
2314 formulas of a table. When offering a formula for editing, Org
2315 converts references to the standard format (like @code{B3} or @code{D&})
2316 if possible. If you prefer to only work with the internal format (like
2317 @code{@@3$2} or @code{$4}), configure the variable
2318 @code{org-table-use-standard-references}.
2325 Edit the formula associated with the current column/field in the
2326 minibuffer. See @ref{Column formulas} and @ref{Field formulas}.
2327 @kindex C-u C-u C-c =
2329 Re-insert the active formula (either a
2330 field formula, or a column formula) into the current field, so that you
2331 can edit it directly in the field. The advantage over editing in the
2332 minibuffer is that you can use the command @kbd{C-c ?}.
2335 While editing a formula in a table field, highlight the field(s)
2336 referenced by the reference at the cursor position in the formula.
2339 Toggle the display of row and column numbers for a table, using
2340 overlays. These are updated each time the table is aligned, you can
2341 force it with @kbd{C-c C-c}.
2344 Toggle the formula debugger on and off. See below.
2347 Edit all formulas for the current table in a special buffer, where the
2348 formulas will be displayed one per line. If the current field has an
2349 active formula, the cursor in the formula editor will mark it.
2350 While inside the special buffer, Org will automatically highlight
2351 any field or range reference at the cursor position. You may edit,
2352 remove and add formulas, and use the following commands:
2358 Exit the formula editor and store the modified formulas. With @kbd{C-u}
2359 prefix, also apply the new formulas to the entire table.
2362 Exit the formula editor without installing changes.
2365 Toggle all references in the formula editor between standard (like
2366 @code{B3}) and internal (like @code{@@3$2}).
2369 Pretty-print or indent lisp formula at point. When in a line containing
2370 a lisp formula, format the formula according to Emacs Lisp rules.
2371 Another @key{TAB} collapses the formula back again. In the open
2372 formula, @key{TAB} re-indents just like in Emacs lisp mode.
2375 Complete Lisp symbols, just like in Emacs lisp mode.
2377 @kindex S-@key{down}
2378 @kindex S-@key{left}
2379 @kindex S-@key{right}
2380 @item S-@key{up}/@key{down}/@key{left}/@key{right}
2381 Shift the reference at point. For example, if the reference is
2382 @code{B3} and you press @kbd{S-@key{right}}, it will become @code{C3}.
2383 This also works for relative references, and for hline references.
2384 @kindex M-S-@key{up}
2385 @kindex M-S-@key{down}
2386 @item M-S-@key{up}/@key{down}
2387 Move the test line for column formulas in the Org buffer up and
2390 @kindex M-@key{down}
2391 @item M-@key{up}/@key{down}
2392 Scroll the window displaying the table.
2395 Turn the coordinate grid in the table on and off.
2399 Making a table field blank does not remove the formula associated with
2400 the field, because that is stored in a different line (the @samp{TBLFM}
2401 line) - during the next recalculation the field will be filled again.
2402 To remove a formula from a field, you have to give an empty reply when
2403 prompted for the formula, or to edit the @samp{#+TBLFM} line.
2406 You may edit the @samp{#+TBLFM} directly and re-apply the changed
2407 equations with @kbd{C-c C-c} in that line, or with the normal
2408 recalculation commands in the table.
2410 @subsubheading Debugging formulas
2411 @cindex formula debugging
2412 @cindex debugging, of table formulas
2413 When the evaluation of a formula leads to an error, the field content
2414 becomes the string @samp{#ERROR}. If you would like see what is going
2415 on during variable substitution and calculation in order to find a bug,
2416 turn on formula debugging in the @code{Tbl} menu and repeat the
2417 calculation, for example by pressing @kbd{C-u C-u C-c = @key{RET}} in a
2418 field. Detailed information will be displayed.
2420 @node Updating the table, Advanced features, Editing and debugging formulas, The spreadsheet
2421 @subsection Updating the table
2422 @cindex recomputing table fields
2423 @cindex updating, table
2425 Recalculation of a table is normally not automatic, but needs to be
2426 triggered by a command. See @ref{Advanced features} for a way to make
2427 recalculation at least semi-automatically.
2429 In order to recalculate a line of a table or the entire table, use the
2435 Recalculate the current row by first applying the stored column formulas
2436 from left to right, and all field formulas in the current row.
2442 Recompute the entire table, line by line. Any lines before the first
2443 hline are left alone, assuming that these are part of the table header.
2445 @kindex C-u C-u C-c *
2446 @kindex C-u C-u C-c C-c
2448 @itemx C-u C-u C-c C-c
2449 Iterate the table by recomputing it until no further changes occur.
2450 This may be necessary if some computed fields use the value of other
2451 fields that are computed @i{later} in the calculation sequence.
2454 @node Advanced features, , Updating the table, The spreadsheet
2455 @subsection Advanced features
2457 If you want the recalculation of fields to happen automatically, or if
2458 you want to be able to assign @i{names} to fields and columns, you need
2459 to reserve the first column of the table for special marking characters.
2463 Rotate the calculation mark in first column through the states @samp{},
2464 @samp{#}, @samp{*}, @samp{!}, @samp{$}. When there is an active region,
2465 change all marks in the region.
2468 Here is an example of a table that collects exam results of students and
2469 makes use of these features:
2473 |---+---------+--------+--------+--------+-------+------|
2474 | | Student | Prob 1 | Prob 2 | Prob 3 | Total | Note |
2475 |---+---------+--------+--------+--------+-------+------|
2476 | ! | | P1 | P2 | P3 | Tot | |
2477 | # | Maximum | 10 | 15 | 25 | 50 | 10.0 |
2478 | ^ | | m1 | m2 | m3 | mt | |
2479 |---+---------+--------+--------+--------+-------+------|
2480 | # | Peter | 10 | 8 | 23 | 41 | 8.2 |
2481 | # | Sam | 2 | 4 | 3 | 9 | 1.8 |
2482 |---+---------+--------+--------+--------+-------+------|
2483 | | Average | | | | 29.7 | |
2484 | ^ | | | | | at | |
2485 | $ | max=50 | | | | | |
2486 |---+---------+--------+--------+--------+-------+------|
2487 #+TBLFM: $6=vsum($P1..$P3)::$7=10*$Tot/$max;%.1f::$at=vmean(@@-II..@@-I);%.1f
2491 @noindent @b{Important}: Please note that for these special tables,
2492 recalculating the table with @kbd{C-u C-c *} will only affect rows that
2493 are marked @samp{#} or @samp{*}, and fields that have a formula assigned
2494 to the field itself. The column formulas are not applied in rows with
2497 @cindex marking characters, tables
2498 The marking characters have the following meaning:
2501 The fields in this line define names for the columns, so that you may
2502 refer to a column as @samp{$Tot} instead of @samp{$6}.
2504 This row defines names for the fields @emph{above} the row. With such
2505 a definition, any formula in the table may use @samp{$m1} to refer to
2506 the value @samp{10}. Also, if you assign a formula to a names field, it
2507 will be stored as @samp{$name=...}.
2509 Similar to @samp{^}, but defines names for the fields in the row
2512 Fields in this row can define @emph{parameters} for formulas. For
2513 example, if a field in a @samp{$} row contains @samp{max=50}, then
2514 formulas in this table can refer to the value 50 using @samp{$max}.
2515 Parameters work exactly like constants, only that they can be defined on
2518 Fields in this row are automatically recalculated when pressing
2519 @key{TAB} or @key{RET} or @kbd{S-@key{TAB}} in this row. Also, this row
2520 is selected for a global recalculation with @kbd{C-u C-c *}. Unmarked
2521 lines will be left alone by this command.
2523 Selects this line for global recalculation with @kbd{C-u C-c *}, but
2524 not for automatic recalculation. Use this when automatic
2525 recalculation slows down editing too much.
2527 Unmarked lines are exempt from recalculation with @kbd{C-u C-c *}.
2528 All lines that should be recalculated should be marked with @samp{#}
2531 Do not export this line. Useful for lines that contain the narrowing
2535 Finally, just to whet your appetite on what can be done with the
2536 fantastic @file{calc} package, here is a table that computes the Taylor
2537 series of degree @code{n} at location @code{x} for a couple of
2542 |---+-------------+---+-----+--------------------------------------|
2543 | | Func | n | x | Result |
2544 |---+-------------+---+-----+--------------------------------------|
2545 | # | exp(x) | 1 | x | 1 + x |
2546 | # | exp(x) | 2 | x | 1 + x + x^2 / 2 |
2547 | # | exp(x) | 3 | x | 1 + x + x^2 / 2 + x^3 / 6 |
2548 | # | x^2+sqrt(x) | 2 | x=0 | x*(0.5 / 0) + x^2 (2 - 0.25 / 0) / 2 |
2549 | # | x^2+sqrt(x) | 2 | x=1 | 2 + 2.5 x - 2.5 + 0.875 (x - 1)^2 |
2550 | * | tan(x) | 3 | x | 0.0175 x + 1.77e-6 x^3 |
2551 |---+-------------+---+-----+--------------------------------------|
2552 #+TBLFM: $5=taylor($2,$4,$3);n3
2556 @node Org Plot, , The spreadsheet, Tables
2558 @cindex graph, in tables
2559 @cindex plot tables using gnuplot
2561 Org Plot can produce 2D and 3D graphs of information stored in org tables
2562 using @file{Gnuplot} @uref{http://www.gnuplot.info/} and @file{gnuplot-mode}
2563 @uref{http://cars9.uchicago.edu/~ravel/software/gnuplot-mode.html}. To see
2564 this in action ensure that you have both Gnuplot and Gnuplot-mode installed
2565 on your system, then call @code{org-plot/gnuplot} on the following table.
2569 #+PLOT: title:"Citas" ind:1 deps:(3) type:2d with:histograms set:"yrange [0:]"
2570 | Sede | Max cites | H-index |
2571 |-----------+-----------+---------|
2572 | Chile | 257.72 | 21.39 |
2573 | Leeds | 165.77 | 19.68 |
2574 | Sao Paolo | 71.00 | 11.50 |
2575 | Stockholm | 134.19 | 14.33 |
2576 | Morelia | 257.56 | 17.67 |
2580 Notice that Org Plot is smart enough to apply the tables headers as labels.
2581 Further control over the labels, type, content, and appearance of plots can
2582 be exercised through the @code{#+Plot:} lines preceding a table. See below
2583 for a complete list of Org plot options. For more information and examples
2584 see the org-plot tutorial at
2585 @uref{http://orgmode.org/worg/org-tutorials/org-plot.php}.
2587 @subsubheading Plot Options
2591 Specify any @file{gnuplot} option to be set when graphing.
2594 Specify the title of the plot.
2597 Specify which column of the table to use as the @code{x} axis.
2600 Specify the columns to graph as a lisp style list, surrounded by parenthesis
2601 and separated by spaces for example @code{dep:(3 4)} to graph the third and
2602 fourth columns (defaults to graphing all other columns aside from the ind
2606 Specify whether the plot will be @code{2d}, @code{3d}, or @code{grid}.
2609 Specify a @code{with} option to be inserted for every col being plotted
2610 (e.g. @code{lines}, @code{points}, @code{boxes}, @code{impulses}, etc...).
2611 Defaults to 'lines'.
2614 If you want to plot to a file specify the @code{"path/to/desired/output-file"}.
2617 List of labels to be used for the deps (defaults to column headers if they
2621 Specify an entire line to be inserted in the gnuplot script.
2624 When plotting @code{3d} or @code{grid} types, set this to @code{t} to graph a
2625 flat mapping rather than a @code{3d} slope.
2628 Specify format of org-mode timestamps as they will be parsed by gnuplot.
2629 Defaults to '%Y-%m-%d-%H:%M:%S'.
2632 If you want total control you can specify a script file (place the file name
2633 between double quotes) which will be used to plot. Before plotting, every
2634 instance of @code{$datafile} in the specified script will be replaced with
2635 the path to the generated data file. Note even if you set this option you
2636 may still want to specify the plot type, as that can impact the content of
2640 @node Hyperlinks, TODO Items, Tables, Top
2644 Like HTML, Org provides links inside a file, external links to
2645 other files, Usenet articles, emails, and much more.
2648 * Link format:: How links in Org are formatted
2649 * Internal links:: Links to other places in the current file
2650 * External links:: URL-like links to the world
2651 * Handling links:: Creating, inserting and following
2652 * Using links outside Org:: Linking from my C source code?
2653 * Link abbreviations:: Shortcuts for writing complex links
2654 * Search options:: Linking to a specific location
2655 * Custom searches:: When the default search is not enough
2658 @node Link format, Internal links, Hyperlinks, Hyperlinks
2659 @section Link format
2661 @cindex format, of links
2663 Org will recognize plain URL-like links and activate them as
2664 clickable links. The general link format, however, looks like this:
2667 [[link][description]] @r{or alternatively} [[link]]
2670 Once a link in the buffer is complete (all brackets present), Org
2671 will change the display so that @samp{description} is displayed instead
2672 of @samp{[[link][description]]} and @samp{link} is displayed instead of
2673 @samp{[[link]]}. Links will be highlighted in the face @code{org-link},
2674 which by default is an underlined face. You can directly edit the
2675 visible part of a link. Note that this can be either the @samp{link}
2676 part (if there is no description) or the @samp{description} part. To
2677 edit also the invisible @samp{link} part, use @kbd{C-c C-l} with the
2680 If you place the cursor at the beginning or just behind the end of the
2681 displayed text and press @key{BACKSPACE}, you will remove the
2682 (invisible) bracket at that location. This makes the link incomplete
2683 and the internals are again displayed as plain text. Inserting the
2684 missing bracket hides the link internals again. To show the
2685 internal structure of all links, use the menu entry
2686 @code{Org->Hyperlinks->Literal links}.
2688 @node Internal links, External links, Link format, Hyperlinks
2689 @section Internal links
2690 @cindex internal links
2691 @cindex links, internal
2692 @cindex targets, for links
2694 @cindex property: CUSTOM_ID
2695 If the link does not look like a URL, it is considered to be internal in the
2696 current file. The most important case is a link like
2697 @samp{[[#my-custom-id]]} which will link to the entry with the
2698 @code{CUSTOM_ID} property @samp{my-custom-id}. Such custom IDs are very good
2699 for HTML export (@pxref{HTML export}) where they produce pretty section
2700 links. You are responsible yourself to make sure these custom IDs are unique
2703 Links such as @samp{[[My Target]]} or @samp{[[My Target][Find my target]]}
2704 lead to a text search in the current file.
2706 The link can be followed with @kbd{C-c C-o} when the cursor is on the link,
2707 or with a mouse click (@pxref{Handling links}). Links to custom IDs will
2708 point to the corresponding headline. The preferred match for a text link is
2709 a @i{dedicated target}: the same string in double angular brackets. Targets
2710 may be located anywhere; sometimes it is convenient to put them into a
2711 comment line. For example
2717 @noindent In HTML export (@pxref{HTML export}), such targets will become
2718 named anchors for direct access through @samp{http} links@footnote{Note that
2719 text before the first headline is usually not exported, so the first such
2720 target should be after the first headline, or in the line directly before the
2723 If no dedicated target exists, Org will search for the words in the link. In
2724 the above example the search would be for @samp{my target}. Links starting
2725 with a star like @samp{*My Target} restrict the search to
2726 headlines@footnote{To insert a link targeting a headline, in-buffer
2727 completion can be used. Just type a star followed by a few optional letters
2728 into the buffer and press @kbd{M-@key{TAB}}. All headlines in the current
2729 buffer will be offered as completions. @xref{Handling links}, for more
2730 commands creating links.}. When searching, Org mode will first try an
2731 exact match, but then move on to more and more lenient searches. For
2732 example, the link @samp{[[*My Targets]]} will find any of the following:
2736 ** TODO my targets are bright
2737 ** my 20 targets are
2741 Following a link pushes a mark onto Org's own mark ring. You can
2742 return to the previous position with @kbd{C-c &}. Using this command
2743 several times in direct succession goes back to positions recorded
2747 * Radio targets:: Make targets trigger links in plain text
2750 @node Radio targets, , Internal links, Internal links
2751 @subsection Radio targets
2752 @cindex radio targets
2753 @cindex targets, radio
2754 @cindex links, radio targets
2756 Org can automatically turn any occurrences of certain target names
2757 in normal text into a link. So without explicitly creating a link, the
2758 text connects to the target radioing its position. Radio targets are
2759 enclosed by triple angular brackets. For example, a target @samp{<<<My
2760 Target>>>} causes each occurrence of @samp{my target} in normal text to
2761 become activated as a link. The Org file is scanned automatically
2762 for radio targets only when the file is first loaded into Emacs. To
2763 update the target list during editing, press @kbd{C-c C-c} with the
2764 cursor on or at a target.
2766 @node External links, Handling links, Internal links, Hyperlinks
2767 @section External links
2768 @cindex links, external
2769 @cindex external links
2770 @cindex links, external
2778 @cindex WANDERLUST links
2780 @cindex USENET links
2785 Org supports links to files, websites, Usenet and email messages,
2786 BBDB database entries and links to both IRC conversations and their
2787 logs. External links are URL-like locators. They start with a short
2788 identifying string followed by a colon. There can be no space after
2789 the colon. The following list shows examples for each link type.
2792 http://www.astro.uva.nl/~dominik @r{on the web}
2793 file:/home/dominik/images/jupiter.jpg @r{file, absolute path}
2794 /home/dominik/images/jupiter.jpg @r{same as above}
2795 file:papers/last.pdf @r{file, relative path}
2796 ./papers/last.pdf @r{same as above}
2797 file:projects.org @r{another org file}
2798 file:projects.org::some words @r{text search in org file}
2799 file:projects.org::*task title @r{heading search in org file}
2800 id:B7423F4D-2E8A-471B-8810-C40F074717E9 @r{Link to heading by ID}
2801 news:comp.emacs @r{Usenet link}
2802 mailto:adent@@galaxy.net @r{Mail link}
2803 vm:folder @r{VM folder link}
2804 vm:folder#id @r{VM message link}
2805 vm://myself@@some.where.org/folder#id @r{VM on remote machine}
2806 wl:folder @r{WANDERLUST folder link}
2807 wl:folder#id @r{WANDERLUST message link}
2808 mhe:folder @r{MH-E folder link}
2809 mhe:folder#id @r{MH-E message link}
2810 rmail:folder @r{RMAIL folder link}
2811 rmail:folder#id @r{RMAIL message link}
2812 gnus:group @r{Gnus group link}
2813 gnus:group#id @r{Gnus article link}
2814 bbdb:R.*Stallman @r{BBDB link (with regexp)}
2815 irc:/irc.com/#emacs/bob @r{IRC link}
2816 shell:ls *.org @r{A shell command}
2817 elisp:org-agenda @r{Interactive elisp command}
2818 elisp:(find-file-other-frame "Elisp.org") @r{Elisp form to evaluate}
2821 A link should be enclosed in double brackets and may contain a
2822 descriptive text to be displayed instead of the URL (@pxref{Link
2823 format}), for example:
2826 [[http://www.gnu.org/software/emacs/][GNU Emacs]]
2830 If the description is a file name or URL that points to an image, HTML
2831 export (@pxref{HTML export}) will inline the image as a clickable
2832 button. If there is no description at all and the link points to an
2834 that image will be inlined into the exported HTML file.
2836 @cindex angular brackets, around links
2837 @cindex plain text external links
2838 Org also finds external links in the normal text and activates them
2839 as links. If spaces must be part of the link (for example in
2840 @samp{bbdb:Richard Stallman}), or if you need to remove ambiguities
2841 about the end of the link, enclose them in angular brackets.
2843 @node Handling links, Using links outside Org, External links, Hyperlinks
2844 @section Handling links
2845 @cindex links, handling
2847 Org provides methods to create a link in the correct syntax, to
2848 insert it into an Org file, and to follow the link.
2852 @cindex storing links
2854 Store a link to the current location. This is a @emph{global} command (you
2855 must create the key binding yourself) which can be used in any buffer to
2856 create a link. The link will be stored for later insertion into an Org
2857 buffer (see below). What kind of link will be created depends on the current
2860 @b{Org-mode buffers}@*
2861 For Org files, if there is a @samp{<<target>>} at the cursor, the link points
2862 to the target. Otherwise it points to the current headline, which will also
2865 @vindex org-link-to-org-use-id
2866 @cindex property: CUSTOM_ID
2867 @cindex property: ID
2868 If the headline has a @code{CUSTOM_ID} property, a link to this custom ID
2869 will be stored. In addition or alternatively (depending on the value of
2870 @code{org-link-to-org-use-id}), a globally unique @code{ID} property will be
2871 created and/or used to construct a link. So using this command in Org
2872 buffers will potentially create two links: A human-readable from the custom
2873 ID, and one that is globally unique and works even if the entry is moved from
2874 file to file. Later, when inserting the link, you need to decide which one
2877 @b{Email/News clients: VM, Rmail, Wanderlust, MH-E, Gnus}@*
2878 Pretty much all Emacs mail clients are supported. The link will point to the
2879 current article, or, in some GNUS buffers, to the group. The description is
2880 constructed from the author and the subject.
2882 @b{Web browsers: W3 and W3M}@*
2883 Here the link will be the current URL, with the page title as description.
2885 @b{Contacts: BBDB}@*
2886 Links created in a BBDB buffer will point to the current entry.
2889 @vindex org-irc-link-to-logs
2890 For IRC links, if you set the variable @code{org-irc-link-to-logs} to
2891 @code{t}, a @samp{file:/} style link to the relevant point in the logs for
2892 the current conversation is created. Otherwise an @samp{irc:/} style link to
2893 the user/channel/server under the point will be stored.
2896 For any other files, the link will point to the file, with a search string
2897 (@pxref{Search options}) pointing to the contents of the current line. If
2898 there is an active region, the selected words will form the basis of the
2899 search string. If the automatically created link is not working correctly or
2900 accurately enough, you can write custom functions to select the search string
2901 and to do the search for particular file types - see @ref{Custom searches}.
2902 The key binding @kbd{C-c l} is only a suggestion - see @ref{Installation}.
2905 @cindex link completion
2906 @cindex completion, of links
2907 @cindex inserting links
2909 @vindex org-keep-stored-link-after-insertion
2910 Insert a link@footnote{ Note that you don't have to use this command to
2911 insert a link. Links in Org are plain text, and you can type or paste them
2912 straight into the buffer. By using this command, the links are automatically
2913 enclosed in double brackets, and you will be asked for the optional
2914 descriptive text.}. This prompts for a link to be inserted into the buffer.
2915 You can just type a link, using text for an internal link, or one of the link
2916 type prefixes mentioned in the examples above. The link will be inserted
2917 into the buffer@footnote{After insertion of a stored link, the link will be
2918 removed from the list of stored links. To keep it in the list later use, use
2919 a triple @kbd{C-u} prefix argument to @kbd{C-c C-l}, or configure the option
2920 @code{org-keep-stored-link-after-insertion}.}, along with a descriptive text.
2921 If some text was selected when this command is called, the selected text
2922 becomes the default description.
2924 @b{Inserting stored links}@*
2925 All links stored during the
2926 current session are part of the history for this prompt, so you can access
2927 them with @key{up} and @key{down} (or @kbd{M-p/n}).
2929 @b{Completion support}@* Completion with @key{TAB} will help you to insert
2930 valid link prefixes like @samp{http:} or @samp{ftp:}, including the prefixes
2931 defined through link abbreviations (@pxref{Link abbreviations}). If you
2932 press @key{RET} after inserting only the @var{prefix}, Org will offer
2933 specific completion support for some link types@footnote{This works by
2934 calling a special function @code{org-PREFIX-complete-link}.} For
2935 example, if you type @kbd{file @key{RET}}, file name completion (alternative
2936 access: @kbd{C-u C-c C-l}, see below) will be offered, and after @kbd{bbdb
2937 @key{RET}} you can complete contact names.
2939 @cindex file name completion
2940 @cindex completion, of file names
2942 When @kbd{C-c C-l} is called with a @kbd{C-u} prefix argument, a link to
2943 a file will be inserted and you may use file name completion to select
2944 the name of the file. The path to the file is inserted relative to the
2945 directory of the current org file, if the linked file is in the current
2946 directory or in a sub-directory of it, or if the path is written relative
2947 to the current directory using @samp{../}. Otherwise an absolute path
2948 is used, if possible with @samp{~/} for your home directory. You can
2949 force an absolute path with two @kbd{C-u} prefixes.
2951 @item C-c C-l @r{(with cursor on existing link)}
2952 When the cursor is on an existing link, @kbd{C-c C-l} allows you to edit the
2953 link and description parts of the link.
2955 @cindex following links
2958 @item C-c C-o @r{or} @key{RET}
2959 @vindex org-file-apps
2960 Open link at point. This will launch a web browser for URLs (using
2961 @command{browse-url-at-point}), run VM/MH-E/Wanderlust/Rmail/Gnus/BBDB for
2962 the corresponding links, and execute the command in a shell link. When the
2963 cursor is on an internal link, this commands runs the corresponding search.
2964 When the cursor is on a TAG list in a headline, it creates the corresponding
2965 TAGS view. If the cursor is on a time stamp, it compiles the agenda for that
2966 date. Furthermore, it will visit text and remote files in @samp{file:} links
2967 with Emacs and select a suitable application for local non-text files.
2968 Classification of files is based on file extension only. See option
2969 @code{org-file-apps}. If you want to override the default application and
2970 visit the file with Emacs, use a @kbd{C-u} prefix. If you want to avoid
2971 opening in Emacs, use a @kbd{C-u C-u} prefix.
2977 On links, @kbd{mouse-2} will open the link just as @kbd{C-c C-o}
2978 would. Under Emacs 22, also @kbd{mouse-1} will follow a link.
2982 @vindex org-display-internal-link-with-indirect-buffer
2983 Like @kbd{mouse-2}, but force file links to be opened with Emacs, and
2984 internal links to be displayed in another window@footnote{See the
2985 variable @code{org-display-internal-link-with-indirect-buffer}}.
2990 Push the current position onto the mark ring, to be able to return
2991 easily. Commands following an internal link do this automatically.
2993 @cindex links, returning to
2996 Jump back to a recorded position. A position is recorded by the
2997 commands following internal links, and by @kbd{C-c %}. Using this
2998 command several times in direct succession moves through a ring of
2999 previously recorded positions.
3003 @cindex links, finding next/previous
3006 Move forward/backward to the next link in the buffer. At the limit of
3007 the buffer, the search fails once, and then wraps around. The key
3008 bindings for this are really too long, you might want to bind this also
3009 to @kbd{C-n} and @kbd{C-p}
3011 (add-hook 'org-load-hook
3013 (define-key 'org-mode-map "\C-n" 'org-next-link)
3014 (define-key 'org-mode-map "\C-p" 'org-previous-link)))
3018 @node Using links outside Org, Link abbreviations, Handling links, Hyperlinks
3019 @section Using links outside Org
3021 You can insert and follow links that have Org syntax not only in
3022 Org, but in any Emacs buffer. For this, you should create two
3023 global commands, like this (please select suitable global keys
3027 (global-set-key "\C-c L" 'org-insert-link-global)
3028 (global-set-key "\C-c o" 'org-open-at-point-global)
3031 @node Link abbreviations, Search options, Using links outside Org, Hyperlinks
3032 @section Link abbreviations
3033 @cindex link abbreviations
3034 @cindex abbreviation, links
3036 Long URLs can be cumbersome to type, and often many similar links are
3037 needed in a document. For this you can use link abbreviations. An
3038 abbreviated link looks like this
3041 [[linkword:tag][description]]
3045 @vindex org-link-abbrev-alist
3046 where the tag is optional. The @i{linkword} must be a word; letter, numbers,
3047 @samp{-}, and @samp{_} are allowed here. Abbreviations are resolved
3048 according to the information in the variable @code{org-link-abbrev-alist}
3049 that relates the linkwords to replacement text. Here is an example:
3053 (setq org-link-abbrev-alist
3054 '(("bugzilla" . "http://10.1.2.9/bugzilla/show_bug.cgi?id=")
3055 ("google" . "http://www.google.com/search?q=")
3056 ("ads" . "http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/
3057 nph-abs_connect?author=%s&db_key=AST")))
3061 If the replacement text contains the string @samp{%s}, it will be
3062 replaced with the tag. Otherwise the tag will be appended to the string
3063 in order to create the link. You may also specify a function that will
3064 be called with the tag as the only argument to create the link.
3066 With the above setting, you could link to a specific bug with
3067 @code{[[bugzilla:129]]}, search the web for @samp{OrgMode} with
3068 @code{[[google:OrgMode]]} and find out what the Org author is
3069 doing besides Emacs hacking with @code{[[ads:Dominik,C]]}.
3071 If you need special abbreviations just for a single Org buffer, you
3072 can define them in the file with
3075 #+LINK: bugzilla http://10.1.2.9/bugzilla/show_bug.cgi?id=
3076 #+LINK: google http://www.google.com/search?q=%s
3080 In-buffer completion @pxref{Completion} can be used after @samp{[} to
3081 complete link abbreviations. You may also define a function
3082 @code{org-PREFIX-complete-link} that implements special (e.g. completion)
3083 support for inserting such a link with @kbd{C-c C-l}. Such a function should
3084 not accept any arguments, and return the full link with prefix.
3086 @node Search options, Custom searches, Link abbreviations, Hyperlinks
3087 @section Search options in file links
3088 @cindex search option in file links
3089 @cindex file links, searching
3091 File links can contain additional information to make Emacs jump to a
3092 particular location in the file when following a link. This can be a
3093 line number or a search option after a double@footnote{For backward
3094 compatibility, line numbers can also follow a single colon.} colon. For
3095 example, when the command @kbd{C-c l} creates a link (@pxref{Handling
3096 links}) to a file, it encodes the words in the current line as a search
3097 string that can be used to find this line back later when following the
3098 link with @kbd{C-c C-o}.
3100 Here is the syntax of the different ways to attach a search to a file
3101 link, together with an explanation:
3104 [[file:~/code/main.c::255]]
3105 [[file:~/xx.org::My Target]]
3106 [[file:~/xx.org::*My Target]]
3107 [[file:~/xx.org::/regexp/]]
3114 Search for a link target @samp{<<My Target>>}, or do a text search for
3115 @samp{my target}, similar to the search in internal links, see
3116 @ref{Internal links}. In HTML export (@pxref{HTML export}), such a file
3117 link will become an HTML reference to the corresponding named anchor in
3120 In an Org file, restrict search to headlines.
3122 Do a regular expression search for @code{regexp}. This uses the Emacs
3123 command @code{occur} to list all matches in a separate window. If the
3124 target file is in Org mode, @code{org-occur} is used to create a
3125 sparse tree with the matches.
3126 @c If the target file is a directory,
3127 @c @code{grep} will be used to search all files in the directory.
3130 As a degenerate case, a file link with an empty file name can be used
3131 to search the current file. For example, @code{[[file:::find me]]} does
3132 a search for @samp{find me} in the current file, just as
3133 @samp{[[find me]]} would.
3135 @node Custom searches, , Search options, Hyperlinks
3136 @section Custom Searches
3137 @cindex custom search strings
3138 @cindex search strings, custom
3140 The default mechanism for creating search strings and for doing the
3141 actual search related to a file link may not work correctly in all
3142 cases. For example, BibTeX database files have many entries like
3143 @samp{year="1993"} which would not result in good search strings,
3144 because the only unique identification for a BibTeX entry is the
3147 @vindex org-create-file-search-functions
3148 @vindex org-execute-file-search-functions
3149 If you come across such a problem, you can write custom functions to set
3150 the right search string for a particular file type, and to do the search
3151 for the string in the file. Using @code{add-hook}, these functions need
3152 to be added to the hook variables
3153 @code{org-create-file-search-functions} and
3154 @code{org-execute-file-search-functions}. See the docstring for these
3155 variables for more information. Org actually uses this mechanism
3156 for Bib@TeX{} database files, and you can use the corresponding code as
3157 an implementation example. See the file @file{org-bibtex.el}.
3159 @node TODO Items, Tags, Hyperlinks, Top
3163 Org mode does not maintain TODO lists as separate documents@footnote{Of
3164 course, you can make a document that contains only long lists of TODO items,
3165 but this is not required.}. Instead, TODO items are an integral part of the
3166 notes file, because TODO items usually come up while taking notes! With Org
3167 mode, simply mark any entry in a tree as being a TODO item. In this way,
3168 information is not duplicated, and the entire context from which the TODO
3169 item emerged is always present.
3171 Of course, this technique for managing TODO items scatters them
3172 throughout your notes file. Org mode compensates for this by providing
3173 methods to give you an overview of all the things that you have to do.
3176 * TODO basics:: Marking and displaying TODO entries
3177 * TODO extensions:: Workflow and assignments
3178 * Progress logging:: Dates and notes for progress
3179 * Priorities:: Some things are more important than others
3180 * Breaking down tasks:: Splitting a task into manageable pieces
3181 * Checkboxes:: Tick-off lists
3184 @node TODO basics, TODO extensions, TODO Items, TODO Items
3185 @section Basic TODO functionality
3187 Any headline becomes a TODO item when it starts with the word
3188 @samp{TODO}, for example:
3191 *** TODO Write letter to Sam Fortune
3195 The most important commands to work with TODO entries are:
3199 @cindex cycling, of TODO states
3201 Rotate the TODO state of the current item among
3204 ,-> (unmarked) -> TODO -> DONE --.
3205 '--------------------------------'
3208 The same rotation can also be done ``remotely'' from the timeline and
3209 agenda buffers with the @kbd{t} command key (@pxref{Agenda commands}).
3213 Select a specific keyword using completion or (if it has been set up)
3214 the fast selection interface. For the latter, you need to assign keys
3215 to TODO states, see @ref{Per-file keywords} and @ref{Setting tags} for
3218 @kindex S-@key{right}
3219 @kindex S-@key{left}
3220 @vindex org-treat-S-cursor-todo-selection-as-state-change
3223 Select the following/preceding TODO state, similar to cycling. Useful
3224 mostly if more than two TODO states are possible (@pxref{TODO
3225 extensions}). See also @ref{Conflicts} for a discussion of the interaction
3226 with @code{shift-selection-mode}. See also the variable
3227 @code{org-treat-S-cursor-todo-selection-as-state-change}.
3230 @cindex sparse tree, for TODO
3233 @vindex org-todo-keywords
3234 View TODO items in a @emph{sparse tree} (@pxref{Sparse trees}). Folds the
3235 entire buffer, but shows all TODO items and the headings hierarchy above
3236 them. With a prefix argument, search for a specific TODO. You will be
3237 prompted for the keyword, and you can also give a list of keywords like
3238 @code{KWD1|KWD2|...} to list entries that match any one of these keywords.
3239 With numeric prefix argument N, show the tree for the Nth keyword in the
3240 variable @code{org-todo-keywords}. With two prefix arguments, find all TODO
3244 Show the global TODO list. Collects the TODO items from all agenda
3245 files (@pxref{Agenda Views}) into a single buffer. The new buffer will
3246 be in @code{agenda-mode}, which provides commands to examine and
3247 manipulate the TODO entries from the new buffer (@pxref{Agenda
3248 commands}). @xref{Global TODO list}, for more information.
3249 @kindex S-M-@key{RET}
3251 Insert a new TODO entry below the current one.
3255 @vindex org-todo-state-tags-triggers
3256 Changing a TODO state can also trigger tag changes. See the docstring of the
3257 option @code{org-todo-state-tags-triggers} for details.
3259 @node TODO extensions, Progress logging, TODO basics, TODO Items
3260 @section Extended use of TODO keywords
3261 @cindex extended TODO keywords
3263 @vindex org-todo-keywords
3264 By default, marked TODO entries have one of only two states: TODO and
3265 DONE. Org mode allows you to classify TODO items in more complex ways
3266 with @emph{TODO keywords} (stored in @code{org-todo-keywords}). With
3267 special setup, the TODO keyword system can work differently in different
3270 Note that @i{tags} are another way to classify headlines in general and
3271 TODO items in particular (@pxref{Tags}).
3274 * Workflow states:: From TODO to DONE in steps
3275 * TODO types:: I do this, Fred does the rest
3276 * Multiple sets in one file:: Mixing it all, and still finding your way
3277 * Fast access to TODO states:: Single letter selection of a state
3278 * Per-file keywords:: Different files, different requirements
3279 * Faces for TODO keywords:: Highlighting states
3280 * TODO dependencies:: When one task needs to wait for others
3283 @node Workflow states, TODO types, TODO extensions, TODO extensions
3284 @subsection TODO keywords as workflow states
3285 @cindex TODO workflow
3286 @cindex workflow states as TODO keywords
3288 You can use TODO keywords to indicate different @emph{sequential} states
3289 in the process of working on an item, for example@footnote{Changing
3290 this variable only becomes effective after restarting Org mode in a
3294 (setq org-todo-keywords
3295 '((sequence "TODO" "FEEDBACK" "VERIFY" "|" "DONE" "DELEGATED")))
3298 The vertical bar separates the TODO keywords (states that @emph{need
3299 action}) from the DONE states (which need @emph{no further action}). If
3300 you don't provide the separator bar, the last state is used as the DONE
3302 @cindex completion, of TODO keywords
3303 With this setup, the command @kbd{C-c C-t} will cycle an entry from TODO
3304 to FEEDBACK, then to VERIFY, and finally to DONE and DELEGATED. You may
3305 also use a numeric prefix argument to quickly select a specific state. For
3306 example @kbd{C-3 C-c C-t} will change the state immediately to VERIFY.
3307 Or you can use @kbd{S-left} to go backward through the sequence. If you
3308 define many keywords, you can use in-buffer completion
3309 (@pxref{Completion}) or even a special one-key selection scheme
3310 (@pxref{Fast access to TODO states}) to insert these words into the
3311 buffer. Changing a TODO state can be logged with a timestamp, see
3312 @ref{Tracking TODO state changes} for more information.
3314 @node TODO types, Multiple sets in one file, Workflow states, TODO extensions
3315 @subsection TODO keywords as types
3317 @cindex names as TODO keywords
3318 @cindex types as TODO keywords
3320 The second possibility is to use TODO keywords to indicate different
3321 @emph{types} of action items. For example, you might want to indicate
3322 that items are for ``work'' or ``home''. Or, when you work with several
3323 people on a single project, you might want to assign action items
3324 directly to persons, by using their names as TODO keywords. This would
3325 be set up like this:
3328 (setq org-todo-keywords '((type "Fred" "Sara" "Lucy" "|" "DONE")))
3331 In this case, different keywords do not indicate a sequence, but rather
3332 different types. So the normal work flow would be to assign a task to a
3333 person, and later to mark it DONE. Org mode supports this style by adapting
3334 the workings of the command @kbd{C-c C-t}@footnote{This is also true for the
3335 @kbd{t} command in the timeline and agenda buffers.}. When used several
3336 times in succession, it will still cycle through all names, in order to first
3337 select the right type for a task. But when you return to the item after some
3338 time and execute @kbd{C-c C-t} again, it will switch from any name directly
3339 to DONE. Use prefix arguments or completion to quickly select a specific
3340 name. You can also review the items of a specific TODO type in a sparse tree
3341 by using a numeric prefix to @kbd{C-c C-v}. For example, to see all things
3342 Lucy has to do, you would use @kbd{C-3 C-c C-v}. To collect Lucy's items
3343 from all agenda files into a single buffer, you would use the numeric prefix
3344 argument as well when creating the global TODO list: @kbd{C-3 C-c t}.
3346 @node Multiple sets in one file, Fast access to TODO states, TODO types, TODO extensions
3347 @subsection Multiple keyword sets in one file
3348 @cindex TODO keyword sets
3350 Sometimes you may want to use different sets of TODO keywords in
3351 parallel. For example, you may want to have the basic
3352 @code{TODO}/@code{DONE}, but also a workflow for bug fixing, and a
3353 separate state indicating that an item has been canceled (so it is not
3354 DONE, but also does not require action). Your setup would then look
3358 (setq org-todo-keywords
3359 '((sequence "TODO" "|" "DONE")
3360 (sequence "REPORT" "BUG" "KNOWNCAUSE" "|" "FIXED")
3361 (sequence "|" "CANCELED")))
3364 The keywords should all be different, this helps Org mode to keep track
3365 of which subsequence should be used for a given entry. In this setup,
3366 @kbd{C-c C-t} only operates within a subsequence, so it switches from
3367 @code{DONE} to (nothing) to @code{TODO}, and from @code{FIXED} to
3368 (nothing) to @code{REPORT}. Therefore you need a mechanism to initially
3369 select the correct sequence. Besides the obvious ways like typing a
3370 keyword or using completion, you may also apply the following commands:
3373 @kindex C-S-@key{right}
3374 @kindex C-S-@key{left}
3375 @kindex C-u C-u C-c C-t
3376 @item C-u C-u C-c C-t
3377 @itemx C-S-@key{right}
3378 @itemx C-S-@key{left}
3379 These keys jump from one TODO subset to the next. In the above example,
3380 @kbd{C-u C-u C-c C-t} or @kbd{C-S-@key{right}} would jump from @code{TODO} or
3381 @code{DONE} to @code{REPORT}, and any of the words in the second row to
3382 @code{CANCELED}. Note that the @kbd{C-S-} key binding conflict with
3383 @code{shift-selection-mode} (@pxref{Conflicts}).
3384 @kindex S-@key{right}
3385 @kindex S-@key{left}
3388 @kbd{S-@key{<left>}} and @kbd{S-@key{<right>}} and walk through @emph{all}
3389 keywords from all sets, so for example @kbd{S-@key{<right>}} would switch
3390 from @code{DONE} to @code{REPORT} in the example above. See also
3391 @ref{Conflicts} for a discussion of the interaction with
3392 @code{shift-selection-mode}.
3395 @node Fast access to TODO states, Per-file keywords, Multiple sets in one file, TODO extensions
3396 @subsection Fast access to TODO states
3398 If you would like to quickly change an entry to an arbitrary TODO state
3399 instead of cycling through the states, you can set up keys for
3400 single-letter access to the states. This is done by adding the section
3401 key after each keyword, in parenthesis. For example:
3404 (setq org-todo-keywords
3405 '((sequence "TODO(t)" "|" "DONE(d)")
3406 (sequence "REPORT(r)" "BUG(b)" "KNOWNCAUSE(k)" "|" "FIXED(f)")
3407 (sequence "|" "CANCELED(c)")))
3410 @vindex org-fast-tag-selection-include-todo
3411 If you then press @code{C-c C-t} followed by the selection key, the entry
3412 will be switched to this state. @key{SPC} can be used to remove any TODO
3413 keyword from an entry.@footnote{Check also the variable
3414 @code{org-fast-tag-selection-include-todo}, it allows to change the TODO
3415 state through the tags interface (@pxref{Setting tags}), in case you like to
3416 mingle the two concepts. Note that this means you need to come up with
3417 unique keys across both sets of keywords.}
3419 @node Per-file keywords, Faces for TODO keywords, Fast access to TODO states, TODO extensions
3420 @subsection Setting up keywords for individual files
3421 @cindex keyword options
3422 @cindex per-file keywords
3424 It can be very useful to use different aspects of the TODO mechanism in
3425 different files. For file-local settings, you need to add special lines
3426 to the file which set the keywords and interpretation for that file
3427 only. For example, to set one of the two examples discussed above, you
3428 need one of the following lines, starting in column zero anywhere in the
3432 #+TODO: TODO FEEDBACK VERIFY | DONE CANCELED
3434 @noindent (you may also write @code{#+SEQ_TODO} to be explicit about the
3435 interpretation, but it means the same as @code{#+TODO}), or
3437 #+TYP_TODO: Fred Sara Lucy Mike | DONE
3440 A setup for using several sets in parallel would be:
3444 #+TODO: REPORT BUG KNOWNCAUSE | FIXED
3448 @cindex completion, of option keywords
3450 @noindent To make sure you are using the correct keyword, type
3451 @samp{#+} into the buffer and then use @kbd{M-@key{TAB}} completion.
3453 @cindex DONE, final TODO keyword
3454 Remember that the keywords after the vertical bar (or the last keyword
3455 if no bar is there) must always mean that the item is DONE (although you
3456 may use a different word). After changing one of these lines, use
3457 @kbd{C-c C-c} with the cursor still in the line to make the changes
3458 known to Org mode@footnote{Org mode parses these lines only when
3459 Org mode is activated after visiting a file. @kbd{C-c C-c} with the
3460 cursor in a line starting with @samp{#+} is simply restarting Org mode
3461 for the current buffer.}.
3463 @node Faces for TODO keywords, TODO dependencies, Per-file keywords, TODO extensions
3464 @subsection Faces for TODO keywords
3465 @cindex faces, for TODO keywords
3467 @vindex org-todo @r{(face)}
3468 @vindex org-done @r{(face)}
3469 @vindex org-todo-keyword-faces
3470 Org mode highlights TODO keywords with special faces: @code{org-todo}
3471 for keywords indicating that an item still has to be acted upon, and
3472 @code{org-done} for keywords indicating that an item is finished. If
3473 you are using more than 2 different states, you might want to use
3474 special faces for some of them. This can be done using the variable
3475 @code{org-todo-keyword-faces}. For example:
3479 (setq org-todo-keyword-faces
3480 '(("TODO" . org-warning)
3481 ("DEFERRED" . shadow)
3482 ("CANCELED" . (:foreground "blue" :weight bold))))
3486 While using a list with face properties as shown for CANCELED
3487 @emph{should} work, this does not aways seem to be the case. If
3488 necessary, define a special face and use that.
3490 @node TODO dependencies, , Faces for TODO keywords, TODO extensions
3491 @subsection TODO dependencies
3492 @cindex TODO dependencies
3493 @cindex dependencies, of TODO states
3495 @vindex org-enforce-todo-dependencies
3496 @cindex property: ORDERED
3497 The structure of Org files (hierarchy and lists) makes it easy to define TODO
3498 dependencies. Usually, a parent TODO task should not be marked DONE until
3499 all subtasks (defined as children tasks) are marked as DONE. And sometimes
3500 there is a logical sequence to a number of (sub)tasks, so that one task
3501 cannot be acted upon before all siblings above it are done. If you customize
3502 the variable @code{org-enforce-todo-dependencies}, Org will block entries
3503 from changing state to DONE while they have children that are not DONE.
3504 Furthermore, if an entry has a property @code{ORDERED}, each of its children
3505 will be blocked until all earlier siblings are marked DONE. Here is an
3509 * TODO Blocked until (two) is done
3518 ** TODO b, needs to wait for (a)
3519 ** TODO c, needs to wait for (a) and (b)
3525 @vindex org-track-ordered-property-with-tag
3526 @cindex property: ORDERED
3527 Toggle the @code{ORDERED} property of the current entry. A property is used
3528 for this behavior because this should be local to the current entry, not
3529 inherited like a tag. However, if you would like to @i{track} the value of
3530 this property with a tag for better visibility, customize the variable
3531 @code{org-track-ordered-property-with-tag}.
3532 @kindex C-u C-u C-u C-c C-t
3533 @item C-u C-u C-u C-c C-t
3534 Change TODO state, circumventin any state blocking.
3537 @vindex org-agenda-dim-blocked-tasks
3538 If you set the variable @code{org-agenda-dim-blocked-tasks}, TODO entries
3539 that cannot be closed because of such dependencies will be shown in a dimmed
3540 font or even made invisible in agenda views (@pxref{Agenda Views}).
3542 @cindex checkboxes and TODO dependencies
3543 @vindex org-enforce-todo-dependencies
3544 You can also block changes of TODO states by looking at checkboxes
3545 (@pxref{Checkboxes}). If you set the variable
3546 @code{org-enforce-todo-checkbox-dependencies}, an entry that has unchecked
3547 checkboxes will be blocked from switching to DONE.
3549 If you need more complex dependency structures, for example dependencies
3550 between entries in different trees or files, check out the contributed
3551 module @file{org-depend.el}.
3554 @node Progress logging, Priorities, TODO extensions, TODO Items
3555 @section Progress logging
3556 @cindex progress logging
3557 @cindex logging, of progress
3559 Org mode can automatically record a time stamp and possibly a note when
3560 you mark a TODO item as DONE, or even each time you change the state of
3561 a TODO item. This system is highly configurable, settings can be on a
3562 per-keyword basis and can be localized to a file or even a subtree. For
3563 information on how to clock working time for a task, see @ref{Clocking
3567 * Closing items:: When was this entry marked DONE?
3568 * Tracking TODO state changes:: When did the status change?
3571 @node Closing items, Tracking TODO state changes, Progress logging, Progress logging
3572 @subsection Closing items
3574 The most basic logging is to keep track of @emph{when} a certain TODO
3575 item was finished. This is achieved with@footnote{The corresponding
3576 in-buffer setting is: @code{#+STARTUP: logdone}}.
3579 (setq org-log-done 'time)
3583 Then each time you turn an entry from a TODO (not-done) state into any
3584 of the DONE states, a line @samp{CLOSED: [timestamp]} will be inserted
3585 just after the headline. If you turn the entry back into a TODO item
3586 through further state cycling, that line will be removed again. If you
3587 want to record a note along with the timestamp, use@footnote{The
3588 corresponding in-buffer setting is: @code{#+STARTUP: lognotedone}}
3591 (setq org-log-done 'note)
3595 You will then be prompted for a note, and that note will be stored below
3596 the entry with a @samp{Closing Note} heading.
3598 In the timeline (@pxref{Timeline}) and in the agenda
3599 (@pxref{Weekly/daily agenda}), you can then use the @kbd{l} key to
3600 display the TODO items with a @samp{CLOSED} timestamp on each day,
3601 giving you an overview of what has been done.
3603 @node Tracking TODO state changes, , Closing items, Progress logging
3604 @subsection Tracking TODO state changes
3605 @cindex drawer, for state change recording
3607 @vindex org-log-states-order-reversed
3608 @vindex org-log-into-drawer
3609 @cindex property: LOG_INTO_DRAWER
3610 When TODO keywords are used as workflow states (@pxref{Workflow states}), you
3611 might want to keep track of when a state change occurred and maybe take a
3612 note about this change. You can either record just a timestamp, or a
3613 timestamped note for a change. These records will be inserted after the
3614 headline as an itemized list, newest first@footnote{See the variable
3615 @code{org-log-states-order-reversed}}. When taking a lot of notes, you might
3616 want to get the notes out of a way into a drawer (@pxref{Drawers}).
3617 Customize the variable @code{org-log-into-drawer} to get this
3618 behavior - the recommended drawer for this is called @code{LOGBOOK}. You can
3619 also overrule the setting of this variable for a subtree by setting a
3620 @code{LOG_INTO_DRAWER} property.
3622 Since it is normally too much to record a note for every state, Org mode
3623 expects configuration on a per-keyword basis for this. This is achieved by
3624 adding special markers @samp{!} (for a time stamp) and @samp{@@} (for a note)
3625 in parenthesis after each keyword. For example, with the setting
3628 (setq org-todo-keywords
3629 '((sequence "TODO(t)" "WAIT(w@@/!)" "|" "DONE(d!)" "CANCELED(c@@)")))
3633 @vindex org-log-done
3634 you not only define global TODO keywords and fast access keys, but also
3635 request that a time is recorded when the entry is turned into
3636 DONE@footnote{It is possible that Org mode will record two time stamps
3637 when you are using both @code{org-log-done} and state change logging.
3638 However, it will never prompt for two notes - if you have configured
3639 both, the state change recording note will take precedence and cancel
3640 the @samp{Closing Note}.}, and that a note is recorded when switching to
3641 WAIT or CANCELED. The setting for WAIT is even more special: The
3642 @samp{!} after the slash means that in addition to the note taken when
3643 entering the state, a time stamp should be recorded when @i{leaving} the
3644 WAIT state, if and only if the @i{target} state does not configure
3645 logging for entering it. So it has no effect when switching from WAIT
3646 to DONE, because DONE is configured to record a timestamp only. But
3647 when switching from WAIT back to TODO, the @samp{/!} in the WAIT
3648 setting now triggers a timestamp even though TODO has no logging
3651 You can use the exact same syntax for setting logging preferences local
3654 #+TODO: TODO(t) WAIT(w@@/!) | DONE(d!) CANCELED(c@@)
3657 @cindex property: LOGGING
3658 In order to define logging settings that are local to a subtree or a
3659 single item, define a LOGGING property in this entry. Any non-empty
3660 LOGGING property resets all logging settings to nil. You may then turn
3661 on logging for this specific tree using STARTUP keywords like
3662 @code{lognotedone} or @code{logrepeat}, as well as adding state specific
3663 settings like @code{TODO(!)}. For example
3666 * TODO Log each state with only a time
3668 :LOGGING: TODO(!) WAIT(!) DONE(!) CANCELED(!)
3670 * TODO Only log when switching to WAIT, and when repeating
3672 :LOGGING: WAIT(@@) logrepeat
3674 * TODO No logging at all
3680 @node Priorities, Breaking down tasks, Progress logging, TODO Items
3684 If you use Org mode extensively, you may end up enough TODO items that
3685 it starts to make sense to prioritize them. Prioritizing can be done by
3686 placing a @emph{priority cookie} into the headline of a TODO item, like
3690 *** TODO [#A] Write letter to Sam Fortune
3694 By default, Org mode supports three priorities: @samp{A}, @samp{B}, and
3695 @samp{C}. @samp{A} is the highest priority. An entry without a cookie
3696 is treated as priority @samp{B}. Priorities make a difference only in
3697 the agenda (@pxref{Weekly/daily agenda}); outside the agenda, they have
3698 no inherent meaning to Org mode.
3700 Priorities can be attached to any outline tree entries; they do not need
3706 Set the priority of the current headline. The command prompts for a
3707 priority character @samp{A}, @samp{B} or @samp{C}. When you press
3708 @key{SPC} instead, the priority cookie is removed from the headline.
3709 The priorities can also be changed ``remotely'' from the timeline and
3710 agenda buffer with the @kbd{,} command (@pxref{Agenda commands}).
3713 @kindex S-@key{down}
3716 @vindex org-priority-start-cycle-with-default
3717 Increase/decrease priority of current headline@footnote{See also the option
3718 @code{org-priority-start-cycle-with-default}.}. Note that these keys are
3719 also used to modify time stamps (@pxref{Creating timestamps}). See also
3720 @ref{Conflicts} for a discussion of the interaction with
3721 @code{shift-selection-mode}.
3724 @vindex org-highest-priority
3725 @vindex org-lowest-priority
3726 @vindex org-default-priority
3727 You can change the range of allowed priorities by setting the variables
3728 @code{org-highest-priority}, @code{org-lowest-priority}, and
3729 @code{org-default-priority}. For an individual buffer, you may set
3730 these values (highest, lowest, default) like this (please make sure that
3731 the highest priority is earlier in the alphabet than the lowest
3738 @node Breaking down tasks, Checkboxes, Priorities, TODO Items
3739 @section Breaking tasks down into subtasks
3740 @cindex tasks, breaking down
3742 @vindex org-agenda-todo-list-sublevels
3743 It is often advisable to break down large tasks into smaller, manageable
3744 subtasks. You can do this by creating an outline tree below a TODO item,
3745 with detailed subtasks on the tree@footnote{To keep subtasks out of the
3746 global TODO list, see the @code{org-agenda-todo-list-sublevels}.}. To keep
3747 the overview over the fraction of subtasks that are already completed, insert
3748 either @samp{[/]} or @samp{[%]} anywhere in the headline. These cookies will
3749 be updates each time the todo status of a child changes. For example:
3752 * Organize Party [33%]
3753 ** TODO Call people [1/2]
3757 ** DONE Talk to neighbor
3760 @cindex property: COOKIE_DATA
3761 If a heading has both checkboxes and TODO children below it, the meaning of
3762 the statistics cookie become ambiguous. Set the property
3763 @code{COOKIE_DATA} to either @samp{checkbox} or @samp{todo} to resolve
3766 If you would like a TODO entry to automatically change to DONE
3767 when all children are done, you can use the following setup:
3770 (defun org-summary-todo (n-done n-not-done)
3771 "Switch entry to DONE when all subentries are done, to TODO otherwise."
3772 (let (org-log-done org-log-states) ; turn off logging
3773 (org-todo (if (= n-not-done 0) "DONE" "TODO"))))
3775 (add-hook 'org-after-todo-statistics-hook 'org-summary-todo)
3779 Another possibility is the use of checkboxes to identify (a hierarchy of) a
3780 large number of subtasks (@pxref{Checkboxes}).
3783 @node Checkboxes, , Breaking down tasks, TODO Items
3787 Every item in a plain list (@pxref{Plain lists}) can be made into a
3788 checkbox by starting it with the string @samp{[ ]}. This feature is
3789 similar to TODO items (@pxref{TODO Items}), but is more lightweight.
3790 Checkboxes are not included into the global TODO list, so they are often
3791 great to split a task into a number of simple steps. Or you can use
3792 them in a shopping list. To toggle a checkbox, use @kbd{C-c C-c}, or
3793 use the mouse (thanks to Piotr Zielinski's @file{org-mouse.el}).
3795 Here is an example of a checkbox list.
3798 * TODO Organize party [2/4]
3799 - [-] call people [1/3]
3804 - [ ] think about what music to play
3805 - [X] talk to the neighbors
3808 Checkboxes work hierarchically, so if a checkbox item has children that
3809 are checkboxes, toggling one of the children checkboxes will make the
3810 parent checkbox reflect if none, some, or all of the children are
3813 @cindex statistics, for checkboxes
3814 @cindex checkbox statistics
3815 @cindex property: COOKIE_DATA
3816 The @samp{[2/4]} and @samp{[1/3]} in the first and second line are cookies
3817 indicating how many checkboxes present in this entry have been checked off,
3818 and the total number of checkboxes are present. This can give you an idea on
3819 how many checkboxes remain, even without opening a folded entry. The cookies
3820 can be placed into a headline or into (the first line of) a plain list item.
3821 Each cookie covers checkboxes of direct children structurally below the
3822 headline/item on which the cookie appear@footnote{Set the variable
3823 @code{org-recursive-checkbox-statistics} if you want such cookes to represent
3824 the all checkboxes below the cookie, not just the direct children.}. You
3825 have to insert the cookie yourself by typing either @samp{[/]} or @samp{[%]}.
3826 With @samp{[/]} you get an @samp{n out of m} result, as in the examples
3827 above. With @samp{[%]} you get information about the percentage of
3828 checkboxes checked (in the above example, this would be @samp{[50%]} and
3829 @samp{[33%]}, respectively). In a headline, a cookie can both count
3830 checkboxes below the heading, or TODO states of children, and it will display
3831 whatever was changed last. Set the property @code{COOKIE_DATA} to either
3832 @samp{checkbox} or @samp{todo} to resolve this issue.
3834 @cindex blocking, of checkboxes
3835 @cindex checkbox blocking
3836 @cindex property: ORDERED
3837 If the current outline node has an @code{ORDERED} property, checkboxes must
3838 be checked off in sequence, and an error will be thrown if you try to check
3839 off a box while there are unchecked boxes bove it.
3841 @noindent The following commands work with checkboxes:
3846 Toggle checkbox status or (with prefix arg) checkbox presence at point. With
3847 double prefix argument, set it to @samp{[-]}, which is considered to be an
3851 Toggle checkbox status or (with prefix arg) checkbox presence at point. With
3852 double prefix argument, set it to @samp{[-]}, which is considered to be an
3856 If there is an active region, toggle the first checkbox in the region
3857 and set all remaining boxes to the same status as the first. With a prefix
3858 arg, add or remove the checkbox for all items in the region.
3860 If the cursor is in a headline, toggle checkboxes in the region between
3861 this headline and the next (so @emph{not} the entire subtree).
3863 If there is no active region, just toggle the checkbox at point.
3865 @kindex M-S-@key{RET}
3867 Insert a new item with a checkbox.
3868 This works only if the cursor is already in a plain list item
3869 (@pxref{Plain lists}).
3872 @vindex org-track-ordered-property-with-tag
3873 @cindex property: ORDERED
3874 Toggle the @code{ORDERED} property of the entry, to toggle if checkboxes must
3875 be checked off in sequence. A property is used for this behavior because
3876 this should be local to the current entry, not inherited like a tag.
3877 However, if you would like to @i{track} the value of this property with a tag
3878 for better visibility, customize the variable
3879 @code{org-track-ordered-property-with-tag}.
3882 Update the checkbox statistics in the current outline entry. When
3883 called with a @kbd{C-u} prefix, update the entire file. Checkbox
3884 statistic cookies are updated automatically if you toggle checkboxes
3885 with @kbd{C-c C-c} and make new ones with @kbd{M-S-@key{RET}}. If you
3886 delete boxes or add/change them by hand, use this command to get things
3887 back into sync. Or simply toggle any checkbox twice with @kbd{C-c C-c}.
3890 @node Tags, Properties and Columns, TODO Items, Top
3893 @cindex headline tagging
3894 @cindex matching, tags
3895 @cindex sparse tree, tag based
3897 An excellent way to implement labels and contexts for cross-correlating
3898 information is to assign @i{tags} to headlines. Org mode has extensive
3901 @vindex org-tag-faces
3902 Every headline can contain a list of tags; they occur at the end of the
3903 headline. Tags are normal words containing letters, numbers, @samp{_}, and
3904 @samp{@@}. Tags must be preceded and followed by a single colon, e.g.,
3905 @samp{:work:}. Several tags can be specified, as in @samp{:work:urgent:}.
3906 Tags will by default get a bold face with the same color as the headline.
3907 You may specify special faces for specific tags using the variable
3908 @code{org-tag-faces}, much in the same way as you can do for TODO keywords
3909 (@pxref{Faces for TODO keywords}).
3912 * Tag inheritance:: Tags use the tree structure of the outline
3913 * Setting tags:: How to assign tags to a headline
3914 * Tag searches:: Searching for combinations of tags
3917 @node Tag inheritance, Setting tags, Tags, Tags
3918 @section Tag inheritance
3919 @cindex tag inheritance
3920 @cindex inheritance, of tags
3921 @cindex sublevels, inclusion into tags match
3923 @i{Tags} make use of the hierarchical structure of outline trees. If a
3924 heading has a certain tag, all subheadings will inherit the tag as
3925 well. For example, in the list
3928 * Meeting with the French group :work:
3929 ** Summary by Frank :boss:notes:
3930 *** TODO Prepare slides for him :action:
3934 the final heading will have the tags @samp{:work:}, @samp{:boss:},
3935 @samp{:notes:}, and @samp{:action:} even though the final heading is not
3936 explicitly marked with those tags. You can also set tags that all entries in
3937 a file should inherit as if these tags would be defined in a hypothetical
3938 level zero that surrounds the entire file.
3941 #+FILETAGS: :Peter:Boss:Secret:
3945 @vindex org-use-tag-inheritance
3946 @vindex org-tags-exclude-from-inheritance
3947 To limit tag inheritance to specific tags, or to turn it off entirely, use
3948 the variables @code{org-use-tag-inheritance} and
3949 @code{org-tags-exclude-from-inheritance}.
3951 @vindex org-tags-match-list-sublevels
3952 When a headline matches during a tags search while tag inheritance is turned
3953 on, all the sublevels in the same tree will (for a simple match form) match
3954 as well@footnote{This is only true if the search does not involve more
3955 complex tests including properties (@pxref{Property searches}).}. The list
3956 of matches may then become very long. If you only want to see the first tags
3957 match in a subtree, configure the variable
3958 @code{org-tags-match-list-sublevels} (not recommended).
3960 @node Setting tags, Tag searches, Tag inheritance, Tags
3961 @section Setting tags
3962 @cindex setting tags
3963 @cindex tags, setting
3966 Tags can simply be typed into the buffer at the end of a headline.
3967 After a colon, @kbd{M-@key{TAB}} offers completion on tags. There is
3968 also a special command for inserting tags:
3973 @cindex completion, of tags
3974 @vindex org-tags-column
3975 Enter new tags for the current headline. Org mode will either offer
3976 completion or a special single-key interface for setting tags, see
3977 below. After pressing @key{RET}, the tags will be inserted and aligned
3978 to @code{org-tags-column}. When called with a @kbd{C-u} prefix, all
3979 tags in the current buffer will be aligned to that column, just to make
3980 things look nice. TAGS are automatically realigned after promotion,
3981 demotion, and TODO state changes (@pxref{TODO basics}).
3984 When the cursor is in a headline, this does the same as @kbd{C-c C-q}.
3987 @vindex org-tag-alist
3988 Org will support tag insertion based on a @emph{list of tags}. By
3989 default this list is constructed dynamically, containing all tags
3990 currently used in the buffer. You may also globally specify a hard list
3991 of tags with the variable @code{org-tag-alist}. Finally you can set
3992 the default tags for a given file with lines like
3995 #+TAGS: @@work @@home @@tennisclub
3996 #+TAGS: laptop car pc sailboat
3999 If you have globally defined your preferred set of tags using the
4000 variable @code{org-tag-alist}, but would like to use a dynamic tag list
4001 in a specific file, add an empty TAGS option line to that file:
4007 @vindex org-tag-persistent-alist
4008 If you have a preferred set of tags that you would like to use in every file,
4009 in addition to those defined on a per file basis by TAGS option lines, then
4010 you may specify a list of tags with the variable
4011 @code{org-tag-persistent-alist}. You may turn this off on a per file basis
4012 by adding a STARTUP option line to that file:
4018 By default Org mode uses the standard minibuffer completion facilities for
4019 entering tags. However, it also implements another, quicker, tag selection
4020 method called @emph{fast tag selection}. This allows you to select and
4021 deselect tags with just a single key press. For this to work well you should
4022 assign unique letters to most of your commonly used tags. You can do this
4023 globally by configuring the variable @code{org-tag-alist} in your
4024 @file{.emacs} file. For example, you may find the need to tag many items in
4025 different files with @samp{:@@home:}. In this case you can set something
4029 (setq org-tag-alist '(("@@work" . ?w) ("@@home" . ?h) ("laptop" . ?l)))
4032 @noindent If the tag is only relevant to the file you are working on then you
4033 can, instead, set the TAGS option line as:
4036 #+TAGS: @@work(w) @@home(h) @@tennisclub(t) laptop(l) pc(p)
4039 @noindent The tags interface will show the available tags in a splash
4040 window. If you would to start a new line after a specific tag, insert
4041 @samp{\n} into the tag list
4044 #+TAGS: @@work(w) @@home(h) @@tennisclub(t) \n laptop(l) pc(p)
4047 @noindent or write them in two lines:
4050 #+TAGS: @@work(w) @@home(h) @@tennisclub(t)
4051 #+TAGS: laptop(l) pc(p)
4055 You can also group together tags that are mutually exclusive. By using
4059 #+TAGS: @{ @@work(w) @@home(h) @@tennisclub(t) @} laptop(l) pc(p)
4062 @noindent you indicate that at most one of @samp{@@work}, @samp{@@home},
4063 and @samp{@@tennisclub} should be selected. Multiple such groups are allowed.
4065 @noindent Don't forget to press @kbd{C-c C-c} with the cursor in one of
4066 these lines to activate any changes.
4069 To set these mutually exclusive groups in the variable @code{org-tags-alist}
4070 you must use the dummy tags @code{:startgroup} and @code{:endgroup} instead
4071 of the braces. Similarly, you can use @code{:newline} to indicate a line
4072 break. The previous example would be set globally by the following
4076 (setq org-tag-alist '((:startgroup . nil)
4077 ("@@work" . ?w) ("@@home" . ?h)
4078 ("@@tennisclub" . ?t)
4080 ("laptop" . ?l) ("pc" . ?p)))
4083 If at least one tag has a selection key then pressing @kbd{C-c C-c} will
4084 automatically present you with a special interface, listing inherited tags,
4085 the tags of the current headline, and a list of all valid tags with
4086 corresponding keys@footnote{Keys will automatically be assigned to tags which
4087 have no configured keys.}. In this interface, you can use the following
4092 Pressing keys assigned to tags will add or remove them from the list of
4093 tags in the current line. Selecting a tag in a group of mutually
4094 exclusive tags will turn off any other tags from that group.
4097 Enter a tag in the minibuffer, even if the tag is not in the predefined
4098 list. You will be able to complete on all tags present in the buffer.
4101 Clear all tags for this line.
4104 Accept the modified set.
4106 Abort without installing changes.
4108 If @kbd{q} is not assigned to a tag, it aborts like @kbd{C-g}.
4110 Turn off groups of mutually exclusive tags. Use this to (as an
4111 exception) assign several tags from such a group.
4113 Toggle auto-exit after the next change (see below).
4114 If you are using expert mode, the first @kbd{C-c} will display the
4119 This method lets you assign tags to a headline with very few keys. With
4120 the above setup, you could clear the current tags and set @samp{@@home},
4121 @samp{laptop} and @samp{pc} tags with just the following keys: @kbd{C-c
4122 C-c @key{SPC} h l p @key{RET}}. Switching from @samp{@@home} to
4123 @samp{@@work} would be done with @kbd{C-c C-c w @key{RET}} or
4124 alternatively with @kbd{C-c C-c C-c w}. Adding the non-predefined tag
4125 @samp{Sarah} could be done with @kbd{C-c C-c @key{TAB} S a r a h
4126 @key{RET} @key{RET}}.
4128 @vindex org-fast-tag-selection-single-key
4129 If you find that most of the time, you need only a single key press to
4130 modify your list of tags, set the variable
4131 @code{org-fast-tag-selection-single-key}. Then you no longer have to
4132 press @key{RET} to exit fast tag selection - it will immediately exit
4133 after the first change. If you then occasionally need more keys, press
4134 @kbd{C-c} to turn off auto-exit for the current tag selection process
4135 (in effect: start selection with @kbd{C-c C-c C-c} instead of @kbd{C-c
4136 C-c}). If you set the variable to the value @code{expert}, the special
4137 window is not even shown for single-key tag selection, it comes up only
4138 when you press an extra @kbd{C-c}.
4140 @node Tag searches, , Setting tags, Tags
4141 @section Tag searches
4142 @cindex tag searches
4143 @cindex searching for tags
4145 Once a system of tags has been set up, it can be used to collect related
4146 information into special lists.
4153 Create a sparse tree with all headlines matching a tags search. With a
4154 @kbd{C-u} prefix argument, ignore headlines that are not a TODO line.
4157 Create a global list of tag matches from all agenda files.
4158 @xref{Matching tags and properties}.
4161 @vindex org-tags-match-list-sublevels
4162 Create a global list of tag matches from all agenda files, but check
4163 only TODO items and force checking subitems (see variable
4164 @code{org-tags-match-list-sublevels}).
4167 These commands all prompt for a match string which allows basic Boolean logic
4168 like @samp{+boss+urgent-project1}, to find entries with tags @samp{boss} and
4169 @samp{urgent}, but not @samp{project1}, or @samp{Kathy|Sally} to find entries
4170 which are tagged @samp{Kathy} or @samp{Sally}. The full syntax of the search
4171 string is rich and allows also matching against TODO keywords, entry levels
4172 and properties. For a complete description with many examples, see
4173 @ref{Matching tags and properties}.
4176 @node Properties and Columns, Dates and Times, Tags, Top
4177 @chapter Properties and Columns
4180 Properties are a set of key-value pairs associated with an entry. There
4181 are two main applications for properties in Org mode. First, properties
4182 are like tags, but with a value. Second, you can use properties to
4183 implement (very basic) database capabilities in an Org buffer. For
4184 an example of the first application, imagine maintaining a file where
4185 you document bugs and plan releases of a piece of software. Instead of
4186 using tags like @code{:release_1:}, @code{:release_2:}, one can use a
4187 property, say @code{:Release:}, that in different subtrees has different
4188 values, such as @code{1.0} or @code{2.0}. For an example of the second
4189 application of properties, imagine keeping track of your music CDs,
4190 where properties could be things such as the album artist, date of
4191 release, number of tracks, and so on.
4193 Properties can be conveniently edited and viewed in column view
4194 (@pxref{Column view}).
4197 * Property syntax:: How properties are spelled out
4198 * Special properties:: Access to other Org mode features
4199 * Property searches:: Matching property values
4200 * Property inheritance:: Passing values down the tree
4201 * Column view:: Tabular viewing and editing
4202 * Property API:: Properties for Lisp programmers
4205 @node Property syntax, Special properties, Properties and Columns, Properties and Columns
4206 @section Property syntax
4207 @cindex property syntax
4208 @cindex drawer, for properties
4210 Properties are key-value pairs. They need to be inserted into a special
4211 drawer (@pxref{Drawers}) with the name @code{PROPERTIES}. Each property
4212 is specified on a single line, with the key (surrounded by colons)
4213 first, and the value after it. Here is an example:
4218 *** Goldberg Variations
4220 :Title: Goldberg Variations
4221 :Composer: J.S. Bach
4223 :Publisher: Deutsche Grammophon
4228 You may define the allowed values for a particular property @samp{:Xyz:}
4229 by setting a property @samp{:Xyz_ALL:}. This special property is
4230 @emph{inherited}, so if you set it in a level 1 entry, it will apply to
4231 the entire tree. When allowed values are defined, setting the
4232 corresponding property becomes easier and is less prone to typing
4233 errors. For the example with the CD collection, we can predefine
4234 publishers and the number of disks in a box like this:
4239 :NDisks_ALL: 1 2 3 4
4240 :Publisher_ALL: "Deutsche Grammophon" Philips EMI
4244 If you want to set properties that can be inherited by any entry in a
4245 file, use a line like
4246 @cindex property: _ALL
4248 #+PROPERTY: NDisks_ALL 1 2 3 4
4251 @vindex org-global-properties
4252 Property values set with the global variable
4253 @code{org-global-properties} can be inherited by all entries in all
4257 The following commands help to work with properties:
4262 After an initial colon in a line, complete property keys. All keys used
4263 in the current file will be offered as possible completions.
4266 Set a property. This prompts for a property name and a value. If
4267 necessary, the property drawer is created as well.
4268 @item M-x org-insert-property-drawer
4269 Insert a property drawer into the current entry. The drawer will be
4270 inserted early in the entry, but after the lines with planning
4271 information like deadlines.
4274 With the cursor in a property drawer, this executes property commands.
4276 Set a property in the current entry. Both the property and the value
4277 can be inserted using completion.
4278 @kindex S-@key{right}
4279 @kindex S-@key{left}
4280 @item S-@key{left}/@key{right}
4281 Switch property at point to the next/previous allowed value.
4283 Remove a property from the current entry.
4285 Globally remove a property, from all entries in the current file.
4287 Compute the property at point, using the operator and scope from the
4288 nearest column format definition.
4291 @node Special properties, Property searches, Property syntax, Properties and Columns
4292 @section Special properties
4293 @cindex properties, special
4295 Special properties provide alternative access method to Org mode
4296 features discussed in the previous chapters, like the TODO state or the
4297 priority of an entry. This interface exists so that you can include
4298 these states into columns view (@pxref{Column view}), or to use them in
4299 queries. The following property names are special and should not be
4300 used as keys in the properties drawer:
4302 @cindex property (special): TODO
4303 @cindex property (special): TAGS
4304 @cindex property (special): ALLTAGS
4305 @cindex property (special): CATEGORY
4306 @cindex property (special): PRIORITY
4307 @cindex property (special): DEADLINE
4308 @cindex property (special): SCHEDULED
4309 @cindex property (special): CLOSED
4310 @cindex property (special): TIMESTAMP
4311 @cindex property (special): TIMESTAMP_IA
4312 @cindex property (special): CLOCKSUM
4314 TODO @r{The TODO keyword of the entry.}
4315 TAGS @r{The tags defined directly in the headline.}
4316 ALLTAGS @r{All tags, including inherited ones.}
4317 CATEGORY @r{The category of an entry.}
4318 PRIORITY @r{The priority of the entry, a string with a single letter.}
4319 DEADLINE @r{The deadline time string, without the angular brackets.}
4320 SCHEDULED @r{The scheduling time stamp, without the angular brackets.}
4321 CLOSED @r{When was this entry closed?}
4322 TIMESTAMP @r{The first keyword-less time stamp in the entry.}
4323 TIMESTAMP_IA @r{The first inactive time stamp in the entry.}
4324 CLOCKSUM @r{The sum of CLOCK intervals in the subtree. @code{org-clock-sum}}
4325 @r{must be run first to compute the values.}
4328 @node Property searches, Property inheritance, Special properties, Properties and Columns
4329 @section Property searches
4330 @cindex properties, searching
4331 @cindex searching, of properties
4333 To create sparse trees and special lists with selection based on properties,
4334 the same commands are used as for tag searches (@pxref{Tag searches}).
4340 Create a sparse tree with all matching entries. With a
4341 @kbd{C-u} prefix argument, ignore headlines that are not a TODO line.
4344 Create a global list of tag/property matches from all agenda files.
4345 @xref{Matching tags and properties}.
4348 @vindex org-tags-match-list-sublevels
4349 Create a global list of tag matches from all agenda files, but check
4350 only TODO items and force checking subitems (see variable
4351 @code{org-tags-match-list-sublevels}).
4354 The syntax for the search string is described in @ref{Matching tags and
4357 There is also a special command for creating sparse trees based on a
4363 Create a sparse tree based on the value of a property. This first
4364 prompts for the name of a property, and then for a value. A sparse tree
4365 is created with all entries that define this property with the given
4366 value. If you enclose the value into curly braces, it is interpreted as
4367 a regular expression and matched against the property values.
4370 @node Property inheritance, Column view, Property searches, Properties and Columns
4371 @section Property Inheritance
4372 @cindex properties, inheritance
4373 @cindex inheritance, of properties
4375 @vindex org-use-property-inheritance
4376 The outline structure of Org mode documents lends itself for an
4377 inheritance model of properties: If the parent in a tree has a certain
4378 property, the children can inherit this property. Org mode does not
4379 turn this on by default, because it can slow down property searches
4380 significantly and is often not needed. However, if you find inheritance
4381 useful, you can turn it on by setting the variable
4382 @code{org-use-property-inheritance}. It may be set to @code{t}, to make
4383 all properties inherited from the parent, to a list of properties
4384 that should be inherited, or to a regular expression that matches
4385 inherited properties.
4387 Org mode has a few properties for which inheritance is hard-coded, at
4388 least for the special applications for which they are used:
4390 @cindex property: COLUMNS
4393 The @code{:COLUMNS:} property defines the format of column view
4394 (@pxref{Column view}). It is inherited in the sense that the level
4395 where a @code{:COLUMNS:} property is defined is used as the starting
4396 point for a column view table, independently of the location in the
4397 subtree from where columns view is turned on.
4399 @cindex property: CATEGORY
4400 For agenda view, a category set through a @code{:CATEGORY:} property
4401 applies to the entire subtree.
4403 @cindex property: ARCHIVE
4404 For archiving, the @code{:ARCHIVE:} property may define the archive
4405 location for the entire subtree (@pxref{Moving subtrees}).
4407 @cindex property: LOGGING
4408 The LOGGING property may define logging settings for an entry or a
4409 subtree (@pxref{Tracking TODO state changes}).
4412 @node Column view, Property API, Property inheritance, Properties and Columns
4413 @section Column view
4415 A great way to view and edit properties in an outline tree is
4416 @emph{column view}. In column view, each outline item is turned into a
4417 table row. Columns in this table provide access to properties of the
4418 entries. Org mode implements columns by overlaying a tabular structure
4419 over the headline of each item. While the headlines have been turned
4420 into a table row, you can still change the visibility of the outline
4421 tree. For example, you get a compact table by switching to CONTENTS
4422 view (@kbd{S-@key{TAB} S-@key{TAB}}, or simply @kbd{c} while column view
4423 is active), but you can still open, read, and edit the entry below each
4424 headline. Or, you can switch to column view after executing a sparse
4425 tree command and in this way get a table only for the selected items.
4426 Column view also works in agenda buffers (@pxref{Agenda Views}) where
4427 queries have collected selected items, possibly from a number of files.
4430 * Defining columns:: The COLUMNS format property
4431 * Using column view:: How to create and use column view
4432 * Capturing column view:: A dynamic block for column view
4435 @node Defining columns, Using column view, Column view, Column view
4436 @subsection Defining columns
4437 @cindex column view, for properties
4438 @cindex properties, column view
4440 Setting up a column view first requires defining the columns. This is
4441 done by defining a column format line.
4444 * Scope of column definitions:: Where defined, where valid?
4445 * Column attributes:: Appearance and content of a column
4448 @node Scope of column definitions, Column attributes, Defining columns, Defining columns
4449 @subsubsection Scope of column definitions
4451 To define a column format for an entire file, use a line like
4454 #+COLUMNS: %25ITEM %TAGS %PRIORITY %TODO
4457 To specify a format that only applies to a specific tree, add a
4458 @code{:COLUMNS:} property to the top node of that tree, for example:
4461 ** Top node for columns view
4463 :COLUMNS: %25ITEM %TAGS %PRIORITY %TODO
4467 If a @code{:COLUMNS:} property is present in an entry, it defines columns
4468 for the entry itself, and for the entire subtree below it. Since the
4469 column definition is part of the hierarchical structure of the document,
4470 you can define columns on level 1 that are general enough for all
4471 sublevels, and more specific columns further down, when you edit a
4472 deeper part of the tree.
4474 @node Column attributes, , Scope of column definitions, Defining columns
4475 @subsubsection Column attributes
4476 A column definition sets the attributes of a column. The general
4477 definition looks like this:
4480 %[width]property[(title)][@{summary-type@}]
4484 Except for the percent sign and the property name, all items are
4485 optional. The individual parts have the following meaning:
4488 width @r{An integer specifying the width of the column in characters.}
4489 @r{If omitted, the width will be determined automatically.}
4490 property @r{The property that should be edited in this column.}
4491 (title) @r{The header text for the column. If omitted, the}
4492 @r{property name is used.}
4493 @{summary-type@} @r{The summary type. If specified, the column values for}
4494 @r{parent nodes are computed from the children.}
4495 @r{Supported summary types are:}
4496 @{+@} @r{Sum numbers in this column.}
4497 @{+;%.1f@} @r{Like @samp{+}, but format result with @samp{%.1f}.}
4498 @{$@} @r{Currency, short for @samp{+;%.2f}.}
4499 @{:@} @r{Sum times, HH:MM:SS, plain numbers are hours.}
4500 @{X@} @r{Checkbox status, [X] if all children are [X].}
4501 @{X/@} @r{Checkbox status, [n/m].}
4502 @{X%@} @r{Checkbox status, [n%].}
4503 @{min@} @r{Smallest number in column.}
4504 @{max@} @r{Largest number.}
4505 @{mean@} @r{Arithmetic mean of numbers.}
4506 @{:min@} @r{Smallest time value in column.}
4507 @{:max@} @r{Largest time value.}
4508 @{:mean@} @r{Arithmetic mean of time values.}
4512 Here is an example for a complete columns definition, along with allowed
4516 :COLUMNS: %20ITEM %9Approved(Approved?)@{X@} %Owner %11Status \@footnote{Please note that the COLUMNS definition must be on a single line - it is wrapped here only because of formatting constraints.}
4517 %10Time_Estimate@{:@} %CLOCKSUM
4518 :Owner_ALL: Tammy Mark Karl Lisa Don
4519 :Status_ALL: "In progress" "Not started yet" "Finished" ""
4520 :Approved_ALL: "[ ]" "[X]"
4523 The first column, @samp{%25ITEM}, means the first 25 characters of the
4524 item itself, i.e. of the headline. You probably always should start the
4525 column definition with the @samp{ITEM} specifier. The other specifiers
4526 create columns @samp{Owner} with a list of names as allowed values, for
4527 @samp{Status} with four different possible values, and for a checkbox
4528 field @samp{Approved}. When no width is given after the @samp{%}
4529 character, the column will be exactly as wide as it needs to be in order
4530 to fully display all values. The @samp{Approved} column does have a
4531 modified title (@samp{Approved?}, with a question mark). Summaries will
4532 be created for the @samp{Time_Estimate} column by adding time duration
4533 expressions like HH:MM, and for the @samp{Approved} column, by providing
4534 an @samp{[X]} status if all children have been checked. The
4535 @samp{CLOCKSUM} column is special, it lists the sum of CLOCK intervals
4538 @node Using column view, Capturing column view, Defining columns, Column view
4539 @subsection Using column view
4542 @tsubheading{Turning column view on and off}
4545 @vindex org-columns-default-format
4546 Create the column view for the local environment. This command searches
4547 the hierarchy, up from point, for a @code{:COLUMNS:} property that defines
4548 a format. When one is found, the column view table is established for
4549 the entire tree, starting from the entry that contains the @code{:COLUMNS:}
4550 property. If none is found, the format is taken from the @code{#+COLUMNS}
4551 line or from the variable @code{org-columns-default-format}, and column
4552 view is established for the current entry and its subtree.
4555 Recreate the column view, to include recent changes made in the buffer.
4562 @tsubheading{Editing values}
4563 @item @key{left} @key{right} @key{up} @key{down}
4564 Move through the column view from field to field.
4565 @kindex S-@key{left}
4566 @kindex S-@key{right}
4567 @item S-@key{left}/@key{right}
4568 Switch to the next/previous allowed value of the field. For this, you
4569 have to have specified allowed values for a property.
4571 Directly select the nth allowed value, @kbd{0} selects the 10th value.
4575 Same as @kbd{S-@key{left}/@key{right}}
4578 Edit the property at point. For the special properties, this will
4579 invoke the same interface that you normally use to change that
4580 property. For example, when editing a TAGS property, the tag completion
4581 or fast selection interface will pop up.
4584 When there is a checkbox at point, toggle it.
4587 View the full value of this property. This is useful if the width of
4588 the column is smaller than that of the value.
4591 Edit the list of allowed values for this property. If the list is found
4592 in the hierarchy, the modified values is stored there. If no list is
4593 found, the new value is stored in the first entry that is part of the
4594 current column view.
4595 @tsubheading{Modifying the table structure}
4599 Make the column narrower/wider by one character.
4600 @kindex S-M-@key{right}
4601 @item S-M-@key{right}
4602 Insert a new column, to the left of the current column.
4603 @kindex S-M-@key{left}
4604 @item S-M-@key{left}
4605 Delete the current column.
4608 @node Capturing column view, , Using column view, Column view
4609 @subsection Capturing column view
4611 Since column view is just an overlay over a buffer, it cannot be
4612 exported or printed directly. If you want to capture a column view, use
4613 this @code{columnview} dynamic block (@pxref{Dynamic blocks}). The frame
4614 of this block looks like this:
4616 @cindex #+BEGIN: columnview
4619 #+BEGIN: columnview :hlines 1 :id "label"
4624 @noindent This dynamic block has the following parameters:
4628 This is most important parameter. Column view is a feature that is
4629 often localized to a certain (sub)tree, and the capture block might be
4630 in a different location in the file. To identify the tree whose view to
4631 capture, you can use 3 values:
4632 @cindex property: ID
4634 local @r{use the tree in which the capture block is located}
4635 global @r{make a global view, including all headings in the file}
4637 @r{run column view at the top of this file}
4638 "ID" @r{call column view in the tree that has an @code{:ID:}}
4639 @r{property with the value @i{label}. You can use}
4640 @r{@kbd{M-x org-id-copy} to create a globally unique ID for}
4641 @r{the current entry and copy it to the kill-ring.}
4644 When @code{t}, insert a hline after every line. When a number N, insert
4645 a hline before each headline with level @code{<= N}.
4647 When set to @code{t}, enforce column groups to get vertical lines.
4649 When set to a number, don't capture entries below this level.
4650 @item :skip-empty-rows
4651 When set to @code{t}, skip row where the only non-empty specifier of the
4652 column view is @code{ITEM}.
4657 The following commands insert or update the dynamic block:
4662 Insert a dynamic block capturing a column view. You will be prompted
4663 for the scope or id of the view.
4668 Update dynamical block at point. The cursor needs to be in the
4669 @code{#+BEGIN} line of the dynamic block.
4670 @kindex C-u C-c C-x C-u
4671 @item C-u C-c C-x C-u
4672 Update all dynamic blocks (@pxref{Dynamic blocks}). This is useful if
4673 you have several clock table blocks in a buffer.
4676 You can add formulas to the column view table and you may add plotting
4677 instructions in front of the table - these will survive an update of the
4678 block. If there is a @code{#+TBLFM:} after the table, the table will
4679 actually be recalculated automatically after an update.
4681 An alternative way to capture and process property values into a table is
4682 provided by Eric Schulte's @file{org-collector.el} which is a contributed
4683 package@footnote{Contributed packages are not part of Emacs, but are
4684 distributed with the main distribution of Org (see
4685 @uref{http://orgmode.org}).}. It provides a general API to collect
4686 properties from entries in a certain scope, and arbitrary Lisp expressions to
4687 process these values before inserting them into a table or a dynamic block.
4689 @node Property API, , Column view, Properties and Columns
4690 @section The Property API
4691 @cindex properties, API
4692 @cindex API, for properties
4694 There is a full API for accessing and changing properties. This API can
4695 be used by Emacs Lisp programs to work with properties and to implement
4696 features based on them. For more information see @ref{Using the
4699 @node Dates and Times, Capture, Properties and Columns, Top
4700 @chapter Dates and Times
4706 To assist project planning, TODO items can be labeled with a date and/or
4707 a time. The specially formatted string carrying the date and time
4708 information is called a @emph{timestamp} in Org mode. This may be a
4709 little confusing because timestamp is often used as indicating when
4710 something was created or last changed. However, in Org mode this term
4711 is used in a much wider sense.
4714 * Timestamps:: Assigning a time to a tree entry
4715 * Creating timestamps:: Commands which insert timestamps
4716 * Deadlines and scheduling:: Planning your work
4717 * Clocking work time:: Tracking how long you spend on a task
4718 * Effort estimates:: Planning work effort in advance
4719 * Relative timer:: Notes with a running timer
4723 @node Timestamps, Creating timestamps, Dates and Times, Dates and Times
4724 @section Timestamps, deadlines and scheduling
4726 @cindex ranges, time
4731 A time stamp is a specification of a date (possibly with time or a range
4732 of times) in a special format, either @samp{<2003-09-16 Tue>} or
4733 @samp{<2003-09-16 Tue 09:39>} or @samp{<2003-09-16 Tue
4734 12:00-12:30>}@footnote{This is the standard ISO date/time format. To
4735 use an alternative format, see @ref{Custom time format}.}. A time stamp
4736 can appear anywhere in the headline or body of an Org tree entry. Its
4737 presence causes entries to be shown on specific dates in the agenda
4738 (@pxref{Weekly/daily agenda}). We distinguish:
4741 @item Plain time stamp; Event; Appointment
4743 A simple time stamp just assigns a date/time to an item. This is just
4744 like writing down an appointment or event in a paper agenda. In the
4745 timeline and agenda displays, the headline of an entry associated with a
4746 plain time stamp will be shown exactly on that date.
4749 * Meet Peter at the movies <2006-11-01 Wed 19:15>
4750 * Discussion on climate change <2006-11-02 Thu 20:00-22:00>
4753 @item Time stamp with repeater interval
4754 @cindex timestamp, with repeater interval
4755 A time stamp may contain a @emph{repeater interval}, indicating that it
4756 applies not only on the given date, but again and again after a certain
4757 interval of N days (d), weeks (w), months(m), or years(y). The
4758 following will show up in the agenda every Wednesday:
4761 * Pick up Sam at school <2007-05-16 Wed 12:30 +1w>
4764 @item Diary-style sexp entries
4765 For more complex date specifications, Org mode supports using the
4766 special sexp diary entries implemented in the Emacs calendar/diary
4767 package. For example
4770 * The nerd meeting on every 2nd Thursday of the month
4771 <%%(diary-float t 4 2)>
4774 @item Time/Date range
4777 Two time stamps connected by @samp{--} denote a range. The headline
4778 will be shown on the first and last day of the range, and on any dates
4779 that are displayed and fall in the range. Here is an example:
4782 ** Meeting in Amsterdam
4783 <2004-08-23 Mon>--<2004-08-26 Thu>
4786 @item Inactive time stamp
4787 @cindex timestamp, inactive
4788 @cindex inactive timestamp
4789 Just like a plain time stamp, but with square brackets instead of
4790 angular ones. These time stamps are inactive in the sense that they do
4791 @emph{not} trigger an entry to show up in the agenda.
4794 * Gillian comes late for the fifth time [2006-11-01 Wed]
4799 @node Creating timestamps, Deadlines and scheduling, Timestamps, Dates and Times
4800 @section Creating timestamps
4801 @cindex creating timestamps
4802 @cindex timestamps, creating
4804 For Org mode to recognize time stamps, they need to be in the specific
4805 format. All commands listed below produce time stamps in the correct
4811 Prompt for a date and insert a corresponding time stamp. When the cursor is
4812 at an existing time stamp in the buffer, the command is used to modify this
4813 timestamp instead of inserting a new one. When this command is used twice in
4814 succession, a time range is inserted.
4818 Like @kbd{C-c .}, but insert an inactive time stamp that will not cause
4825 @vindex org-time-stamp-rounding-minutes
4826 Like @kbd{C-c .} and @kbd{C-c !}, but use the alternative format which
4827 contains date and time. The default time can be rounded to multiples of 5
4828 minutes, see the option @code{org-time-stamp-rounding-minutes}.
4832 Insert a time stamp corresponding to the cursor date in the Calendar.
4836 Access the Emacs calendar for the current date. If there is a
4837 timestamp in the current line, go to the corresponding date
4842 Access the agenda for the date given by the time stamp or -range at
4843 point (@pxref{Weekly/daily agenda}).
4845 @kindex S-@key{left}
4846 @kindex S-@key{right}
4848 @itemx S-@key{right}
4849 Change date at cursor by one day. These key bindings conflict with
4850 shift-selection and related modes (@pxref{Conflicts}).
4853 @kindex S-@key{down}
4856 Change the item under the cursor in a timestamp. The cursor can be on a
4857 year, month, day, hour or minute. When the time stamp contains a time range
4858 like @samp{15:30-16:30}, modifying the first time will also shift the second,
4859 shifting the time block with constant length. To change the length, modify
4860 the second time. Note that if the cursor is in a headline and not at a time
4861 stamp, these same keys modify the priority of an item.
4862 (@pxref{Priorities}). The key bindings also conflict with shift-selection and
4863 related modes (@pxref{Conflicts}).
4866 @cindex evaluate time range
4868 Evaluate a time range by computing the difference between start and end.
4869 With a prefix argument, insert result after the time range (in a table: into
4870 the following column).
4875 * The date/time prompt:: How Org mode helps you entering date and time
4876 * Custom time format:: Making dates look different
4879 @node The date/time prompt, Custom time format, Creating timestamps, Creating timestamps
4880 @subsection The date/time prompt
4881 @cindex date, reading in minibuffer
4882 @cindex time, reading in minibuffer
4884 @vindex org-read-date-prefer-future
4885 When Org mode prompts for a date/time, the default is shown as an ISO
4886 date, and the prompt therefore seems to ask for an ISO date. But it
4887 will in fact accept any string containing some date and/or time
4888 information, and it is really smart about interpreting your input. You
4889 can, for example, use @kbd{C-y} to paste a (possibly multi-line) string
4890 copied from an email message. Org mode will find whatever information
4891 is in there and derive anything you have not specified from the
4892 @emph{default date and time}. The default is usually the current date
4893 and time, but when modifying an existing time stamp, or when entering
4894 the second stamp of a range, it is taken from the stamp in the buffer.
4895 When filling in information, Org mode assumes that most of the time you
4896 will want to enter a date in the future: If you omit the month/year and
4897 the given day/month is @i{before} today, it will assume that you mean a
4898 future date@footnote{See the variable
4899 @code{org-read-date-prefer-future}.}.
4901 For example, let's assume that today is @b{June 13, 2006}. Here is how
4902 various inputs will be interpreted, the items filled in by Org mode are
4906 3-2-5 --> 2003-02-05
4907 14 --> @b{2006}-@b{06}-14
4908 12 --> @b{2006}-@b{07}-12
4909 Fri --> nearest Friday (defaultdate or later)
4910 sep 15 --> @b{2006}-09-15
4911 feb 15 --> @b{2007}-02-15
4912 sep 12 9 --> 2009-09-12
4913 12:45 --> @b{2006}-@b{06}-@b{13} 12:45
4914 22 sept 0:34 --> @b{2006}-09-22 0:34
4915 w4 --> ISO week for of the current year @b{2006}
4916 2012 w4 fri --> Friday of ISO week 4 in 2012
4917 2012-w04-5 --> Same as above
4920 Furthermore you can specify a relative date by giving, as the
4921 @emph{first} thing in the input: a plus/minus sign, a number and a
4922 letter [dwmy] to indicate change in days weeks, months, years. With a
4923 single plus or minus, the date is always relative to today. With a
4924 double plus or minus, it is relative to the default date. If instead of
4925 a single letter, you use the abbreviation of day name, the date will be
4926 the nth such day. E.g.
4931 +4d --> four days from today
4932 +4 --> same as above
4933 +2w --> two weeks from today
4934 ++5 --> five days from default date
4935 +2tue --> second tuesday from now.
4938 @vindex parse-time-months
4939 @vindex parse-time-weekdays
4940 The function understands English month and weekday abbreviations. If
4941 you want to use unabbreviated names and/or other languages, configure
4942 the variables @code{parse-time-months} and @code{parse-time-weekdays}.
4944 @cindex calendar, for selecting date
4945 @vindex org-popup-calendar-for-date-prompt
4946 Parallel to the minibuffer prompt, a calendar is popped up@footnote{If
4947 you don't need/want the calendar, configure the variable
4948 @code{org-popup-calendar-for-date-prompt}.}. When you exit the date
4949 prompt, either by clicking on a date in the calendar, or by pressing
4950 @key{RET}, the date selected in the calendar will be combined with the
4951 information entered at the prompt. You can control the calendar fully
4952 from the minibuffer:
4957 @kindex S-@key{right}
4958 @kindex S-@key{left}
4959 @kindex S-@key{down}
4961 @kindex M-S-@key{right}
4962 @kindex M-S-@key{left}
4965 > / < @r{Scroll calendar forward/backward by one month.}
4966 mouse-1 @r{Select date by clicking on it.}
4967 S-@key{right}/@key{left} @r{One day forward/backward.}
4968 S-@key{down}/@key{up} @r{One week forward/backward.}
4969 M-S-@key{right}/@key{left} @r{One month forward/backward.}
4970 @key{RET} @r{Choose date in calendar.}
4973 @vindex org-read-date-display-live
4974 The actions of the date/time prompt may seem complex, but I assure you they
4975 will grow on you, and you will start getting annoyed by pretty much any other
4976 way of entering a date/time out there. To help you understand what is going
4977 on, the current interpretation of your input will be displayed live in the
4978 minibuffer@footnote{If you find this distracting, turn the display of with
4979 @code{org-read-date-display-live}.}.
4981 @node Custom time format, , The date/time prompt, Creating timestamps
4982 @subsection Custom time format
4983 @cindex custom date/time format
4984 @cindex time format, custom
4985 @cindex date format, custom
4987 @vindex org-display-custom-times
4988 @vindex org-time-stamp-custom-formats
4989 Org mode uses the standard ISO notation for dates and times as it is
4990 defined in ISO 8601. If you cannot get used to this and require another
4991 representation of date and time to keep you happy, you can get it by
4992 customizing the variables @code{org-display-custom-times} and
4993 @code{org-time-stamp-custom-formats}.
4998 Toggle the display of custom formats for dates and times.
5002 Org mode needs the default format for scanning, so the custom date/time
5003 format does not @emph{replace} the default format - instead it is put
5004 @emph{over} the default format using text properties. This has the
5005 following consequences:
5008 You cannot place the cursor onto a time stamp anymore, only before or
5011 The @kbd{S-@key{up}/@key{down}} keys can no longer be used to adjust
5012 each component of a time stamp. If the cursor is at the beginning of
5013 the stamp, @kbd{S-@key{up}/@key{down}} will change the stamp by one day,
5014 just like @kbd{S-@key{left}/@key{right}}. At the end of the stamp, the
5015 time will be changed by one minute.
5017 If the time stamp contains a range of clock times or a repeater, these
5018 will not be overlayed, but remain in the buffer as they were.
5020 When you delete a time stamp character-by-character, it will only
5021 disappear from the buffer after @emph{all} (invisible) characters
5022 belonging to the ISO timestamp have been removed.
5024 If the custom time stamp format is longer than the default and you are
5025 using dates in tables, table alignment will be messed up. If the custom
5026 format is shorter, things do work as expected.
5030 @node Deadlines and scheduling, Clocking work time, Creating timestamps, Dates and Times
5031 @section Deadlines and scheduling
5033 A time stamp may be preceded by special keywords to facilitate planning:
5037 @cindex DEADLINE keyword
5039 Meaning: the task (most likely a TODO item, though not necessarily) is supposed
5040 to be finished on that date.
5042 @vindex org-deadline-warning-days
5043 On the deadline date, the task will be listed in the agenda. In
5044 addition, the agenda for @emph{today} will carry a warning about the
5045 approaching or missed deadline, starting
5046 @code{org-deadline-warning-days} before the due date, and continuing
5047 until the entry is marked DONE. An example:
5050 *** TODO write article about the Earth for the Guide
5051 The editor in charge is [[bbdb:Ford Prefect]]
5052 DEADLINE: <2004-02-29 Sun>
5055 You can specify a different lead time for warnings for a specific
5056 deadlines using the following syntax. Here is an example with a warning
5057 period of 5 days @code{DEADLINE: <2004-02-29 Sun -5d>}.
5060 @cindex SCHEDULED keyword
5062 Meaning: you are planning to start working on that task on the given
5065 @vindex org-agenda-skip-scheduled-if-done
5066 The headline will be listed under the given date@footnote{It will still
5067 be listed on that date after it has been marked DONE. If you don't like
5068 this, set the variable @code{org-agenda-skip-scheduled-if-done}.}. In
5069 addition, a reminder that the scheduled date has passed will be present
5070 in the compilation for @emph{today}, until the entry is marked DONE.
5071 I.e., the task will automatically be forwarded until completed.
5074 *** TODO Call Trillian for a date on New Years Eve.
5075 SCHEDULED: <2004-12-25 Sat>
5079 @b{Important:} Scheduling an item in Org mode should @i{not} be
5080 understood in the same way that we understand @i{scheduling a meeting}.
5081 Setting a date for a meeting is just a simple appointment, you should
5082 mark this entry with a simple plain time stamp, to get this item shown
5083 on the date where it applies. This is a frequent mis-understanding from
5084 Org-users. In Org mode, @i{scheduling} means setting a date when you
5085 want to start working on an action item.
5088 You may use time stamps with repeaters in scheduling and deadline
5089 entries. Org mode will issue early and late warnings based on the
5090 assumption that the time stamp represents the @i{nearest instance} of
5091 the repeater. However, the use of diary sexp entries like
5093 @code{<%%(diary-float t 42)>}
5095 in scheduling and deadline timestamps is limited. Org mode does not
5096 know enough about the internals of each sexp function to issue early and
5097 late warnings. However, it will show the item on each day where the
5101 * Inserting deadline/schedule:: Planning items
5102 * Repeated tasks:: Items that show up again and again
5105 @node Inserting deadline/schedule, Repeated tasks, Deadlines and scheduling, Deadlines and scheduling
5106 @subsection Inserting deadlines or schedules
5108 The following commands allow to quickly insert a deadline or to schedule
5115 Insert @samp{DEADLINE} keyword along with a stamp. The insertion will
5116 happen in the line directly following the headline. When called with a
5117 prefix arg, an existing deadline will be removed from the entry.
5118 @c FIXME Any CLOSED timestamp will be removed.????????
5122 Insert @samp{SCHEDULED} keyword along with a stamp. The insertion will
5123 happen in the line directly following the headline. Any CLOSED
5124 timestamp will be removed. When called with a prefix argument, remove
5125 the scheduling date from the entry.
5131 Mark the current entry for agenda action. After you have marked the entry
5132 like this, you can open the agenda or the calendar to find an appropriate
5133 date. With the cursor on the selected date, press @kbd{k s} or @kbd{k d} to
5134 schedule the marked item.
5137 @cindex sparse tree, for deadlines
5139 @vindex org-deadline-warning-days
5140 Create a sparse tree with all deadlines that are either past-due, or
5141 which will become due within @code{org-deadline-warning-days}.
5142 With @kbd{C-u} prefix, show all deadlines in the file. With a numeric
5143 prefix, check that many days. For example, @kbd{C-1 C-c / d} shows
5144 all deadlines due tomorrow.
5148 Sparse tree for deadlines and scheduled items before a given date.
5152 Sparse tree for deadlines and scheduled items after a given date.
5155 @node Repeated tasks, , Inserting deadline/schedule, Deadlines and scheduling
5156 @subsection Repeated tasks
5157 @cindex tasks, repeated
5158 @cindex repeated tasks
5160 Some tasks need to be repeated again and again. Org mode helps to
5161 organize such tasks using a so-called repeater in a DEADLINE, SCHEDULED,
5162 or plain time stamp. In the following example
5164 ** TODO Pay the rent
5165 DEADLINE: <2005-10-01 Sat +1m>
5167 the @code{+1m} is a repeater; the intended interpretation is that the task
5168 has a deadline on <2005-10-01> and repeats itself every (one) month starting
5169 from that time. If you need both a repeater and a special warning period in
5170 a deadline entry, the repeater should come first and the warning period last:
5171 @code{DEADLINE: <2005-10-01 Sat +1m -3d>}.
5173 Deadlines and scheduled items produce entries in the agenda when they
5174 are over-due, so it is important to be able to mark such an entry as
5175 completed once you have done so. When you mark a DEADLINE or a SCHEDULE
5176 with the TODO keyword DONE, it will no longer produce entries in the
5177 agenda. The problem with this is, however, that then also the
5178 @emph{next} instance of the repeated entry will not be active. Org mode
5179 deals with this in the following way: When you try to mark such an entry
5180 DONE (using @kbd{C-c C-t}), it will shift the base date of the repeating
5181 time stamp by the repeater interval, and immediately set the entry state
5182 back to TODO. In the example above, setting the state to DONE would
5183 actually switch the date like this:
5186 ** TODO Pay the rent
5187 DEADLINE: <2005-11-01 Tue +1m>
5190 @vindex org-log-repeat
5191 A timestamp@footnote{You can change this using the option
5192 @code{org-log-repeat}, or the @code{#+STARTUP} options @code{logrepeat},
5193 @code{lognoterepeat}, and @code{nologrepeat}. With @code{lognoterepeat}, you
5194 will also be prompted for a note.} will be added under the deadline, to keep
5195 a record that you actually acted on the previous instance of this deadline.
5197 As a consequence of shifting the base date, this entry will no longer be
5198 visible in the agenda when checking past dates, but all future instances
5201 With the @samp{+1m} cookie, the date shift will always be exactly one
5202 month. So if you have not payed the rent for three months, marking this
5203 entry DONE will still keep it as an overdue deadline. Depending on the
5204 task, this may not be the best way to handle it. For example, if you
5205 forgot to call you father for 3 weeks, it does not make sense to call
5206 him 3 times in a single day to make up for it. Finally, there are tasks
5207 like changing batteries which should always repeat a certain time
5208 @i{after} the last time you did it. For these tasks, Org mode has
5209 special repeaters markers with @samp{++} and @samp{.+}. For example:
5213 DEADLINE: <2008-02-10 Sun ++1w>
5214 Marking this DONE will shift the date by at least one week,
5215 but also by as many weeks as it takes to get this date into
5216 the future. However, it stays on a Sunday, even if you called
5217 and marked it done on Saturday.
5218 ** TODO Check the batteries in the smoke detectors
5219 DEADLINE: <2005-11-01 Tue .+1m>
5220 Marking this DONE will shift the date to one month after
5224 You may have both scheduling and deadline information for a specific
5225 task - just make sure that the repeater intervals on both are the same.
5227 An alternative to using a repeater is to create a number of copies of a task
5228 subtree, with dates shifted in each copy. The command @kbd{C-c C-x c} was
5229 created for this purpose, it is described in @ref{Structure editing}.
5232 @node Clocking work time, Effort estimates, Deadlines and scheduling, Dates and Times
5233 @section Clocking work time
5235 Org mode allows you to clock the time you spent on specific tasks in a
5236 project. When you start working on an item, you can start the clock.
5237 When you stop working on that task, or when you mark the task done, the
5238 clock is stopped and the corresponding time interval is recorded. It
5239 also computes the total time spent on each subtree of a project.
5241 Normally, the clock does not survive xiting and re-entereing Emacs, but you
5242 can arrange for the clock information to persisst accress Emacs sessions with
5245 (setq org-clock-persist t)
5246 (org-clock-persistence-insinuate)
5252 @vindex org-clock-into-drawer
5253 Start the clock on the current item (clock-in). This inserts the CLOCK
5254 keyword together with a timestamp. If this is not the first clocking of
5255 this item, the multiple CLOCK lines will be wrapped into a
5256 @code{:LOGBOOK:} drawer (see also the variable
5257 @code{org-clock-into-drawer}). When called with a @kbd{C-u} prefix argument,
5258 select the task from a list of recently clocked tasks. With two @kbd{C-u
5259 C-u} prefixes, clock into the task at point and mark it as the default task.
5260 The default task will always be available when selecting a clocking task,
5261 with letter @kbd{d}.@*
5262 @cindex property: CLOCK_MODELINE_TOTAL
5263 @cindex property: LAST_REPEAT
5264 @vindex org-clock-modeline-total
5265 While the clock is running, the current clocking time is shown in the mode
5266 line, along with the title of the task. The clock time shown will be all
5267 time ever clocked for this task and its children. If the task is a repeating
5268 one (@pxref{Repeated tasks}), only the time since the last reset of the task
5269 @footnote{as recorded by the @code{LAST_REPEAT} property} will be shown.
5270 More control over what time is shown can be exercised with the
5271 @code{CLOCK_MODELINE_TOTAL} property. It may have the values @code{current}
5272 to show only the current clocking instance, @code{today} to show all time
5273 clocked on this tasks today (see also the variable
5274 @code{org-extend-today-until}), @code{all} to include all time, or
5275 @code{auto} which is the default@footnote{See also the variable
5276 @code{org-clock-modeline-total}.}.
5279 @vindex org-log-note-clock-out
5280 Stop the clock (clock-out). This inserts another timestamp at the same
5281 location where the clock was last started. It also directly computes
5282 the resulting time in inserts it after the time range as @samp{=>
5283 HH:MM}. See the variable @code{org-log-note-clock-out} for the
5284 possibility to record an additional note together with the clock-out
5285 time stamp@footnote{The corresponding in-buffer setting is:
5286 @code{#+STARTUP: lognoteclock-out}}.
5289 Recompute the time interval after changing one of the time stamps. This
5290 is only necessary if you edit the time stamps directly. If you change
5291 them with @kbd{S-@key{cursor}} keys, the update is automatic.
5294 Changing the TODO state of an item to DONE automatically stops the clock
5295 if it is running in this same item.
5298 Cancel the current clock. This is useful if a clock was started by
5299 mistake, or if you ended up working on something else.
5302 Jump to the entry that contains the currently running clock. With a
5303 @kbd{C-u} prefix arg, select the target task from a list of recently clocked
5307 @vindex org-remove-highlights-with-change
5308 Display time summaries for each subtree in the current buffer. This
5309 puts overlays at the end of each headline, showing the total time
5310 recorded under that heading, including the time of any subheadings. You
5311 can use visibility cycling to study the tree, but the overlays disappear
5312 when you change the buffer (see variable
5313 @code{org-remove-highlights-with-change}) or press @kbd{C-c C-c}.
5316 Insert a dynamic block (@pxref{Dynamic blocks}) containing a clock
5317 report as an Org mode table into the current file. When the cursor is
5318 at an existing clock table, just update it. When called with a prefix
5319 argument, jump to the first clock report in the current document and
5321 @cindex #+BEGIN: clocktable
5323 #+BEGIN: clocktable :maxlevel 2 :emphasize nil :scope file
5327 If such a block already exists at point, its content is replaced by the
5328 new table. The @samp{BEGIN} line can specify options:
5330 :maxlevel @r{Maximum level depth to which times are listed in the table.}
5331 :emphasize @r{When @code{t}, emphasize level one and level two items}
5332 :scope @r{The scope to consider. This can be any of the following:}
5333 nil @r{the current buffer or narrowed region}
5334 file @r{the full current buffer}
5335 subtree @r{the subtree where the clocktable is located}
5336 treeN @r{the surrounding level N tree, for example @code{tree3}}
5337 tree @r{the surrounding level 1 tree}
5338 agenda @r{all agenda files}
5339 ("file"..) @r{scan these files}
5340 file-with-archives @r{current file and its archives}
5341 agenda-with-archives @r{all agenda files, including archives}
5342 :block @r{The time block to consider. This block is specified either}
5343 @r{absolute, or relative to the current time and may be any of}
5345 2007-12-31 @r{New year eve 2007}
5346 2007-12 @r{December 2007}
5347 2007-W50 @r{ISO-week 50 in 2007}
5348 2007 @r{the year 2007}
5349 today, yesterday, today-N @r{a relative day}
5350 thisweek, lastweek, thisweek-N @r{a relative week}
5351 thismonth, lastmonth, thismonth-N @r{a relative month}
5352 thisyear, lastyear, thisyear-N @r{a relative year}
5353 @r{Use @kbd{S-@key{left}/@key{right}} keys to shift the time interval.}
5354 :tstart @r{A time string specifying when to start considering times}
5355 :tend @r{A time string specifying when to stop considering times}
5356 :step @r{@code{week} or @code{day}, to split the table into chunks.}
5357 @r{To use this, @code{:block} or @code{:tstart}, @code{:tend} are needed.}
5358 :link @r{Link the item headlines in the table to their origins}
5359 :formula @r{Content of a @code{#+TBLFM} line to be added and evaluated.}
5360 @r{As a special case, @samp{:formula %} adds column with % time.}
5361 @r{If you do not specify a formula here, any existing formula}
5362 @r{below the clock table will survive updates and be evaluated.}
5364 So to get a clock summary of the current level 1 tree, for the current
5365 day, you could write
5367 #+BEGIN: clocktable :maxlevel 2 :block today :scope tree1 :link t
5370 and to use a specific time range you could write@footnote{Note that all
5371 parameters must be specified in a single line - the line is broken here
5372 only to fit it onto the manual.}
5374 #+BEGIN: clocktable :tstart "<2006-08-10 Thu 10:00>"
5375 :tend "<2006-08-10 Thu 12:00>"
5378 A summary of the current subtree with % times would be
5380 #+BEGIN: clocktable :scope subtree :link t :formula %
5387 Update dynamical block at point. The cursor needs to be in the
5388 @code{#+BEGIN} line of the dynamic block.
5389 @kindex C-u C-c C-x C-u
5390 @item C-u C-c C-x C-u
5391 Update all dynamic blocks (@pxref{Dynamic blocks}). This is useful if
5392 you have several clock table blocks in a buffer.
5393 @kindex S-@key{left}
5394 @kindex S-@key{right}
5396 @itemx S-@key{right}
5397 Shift the current @code{:block} interval and update the table. The cursor
5398 needs to be in the @code{#+BEGIN: clocktable} line for this command. If
5399 @code{:block} is @code{today}, it will be shifted to @code{today-1} etc.
5402 The @kbd{l} key may be used in the timeline (@pxref{Timeline}) and in
5403 the agenda (@pxref{Weekly/daily agenda}) to show which tasks have been
5404 worked on or closed during a day.
5406 @node Effort estimates, Relative timer, Clocking work time, Dates and Times
5407 @section Effort estimates
5408 @cindex effort estimates
5410 @cindex property: Effort
5411 @vindex org-effort-property
5412 If you want to plan your work in a very detailed way, or if you need to
5413 produce offers with quotations of the estimated work effort, you may want to
5414 assign effort estimates to entries. If you are also clocking your work, you
5415 may later want to compare the planned effort with the actual working time, a
5416 great way to improve planning estimates. Effort estimates are stored in a
5417 special property @samp{Effort}@footnote{You may change the property being
5418 used with the variable @code{org-effort-property}.}. Clearly the best way to
5419 work with effort estimates is through column view (@pxref{Column view}). You
5420 should start by setting up discrete values for effort estimates, and a
5421 @code{COLUMNS} format that displays these values together with clock sums (if
5422 you want to clock your time). For a specific buffer you can use
5425 #+PROPERTY: Effort_ALL 0 0:10 0:30 1:00 2:00 3:00 4:00 5:00 6:00 7:00 8:00
5426 #+COLUMNS: %40ITEM(Task) %17Effort(Estimated Effort)@{:@} %CLOCKSUM
5430 @vindex org-global-properties
5431 @vindex org-columns-default-format
5432 or, even better, you can set up these values globally by customizing the
5433 variables @code{org-global-properties} and @code{org-columns-default-format}.
5434 In particular if you want to use this setup also in the agenda, a global
5435 setup may be advised.
5437 The way to assign estimates to individual items is then to switch to column
5438 mode, and to use @kbd{S-@key{right}} and @kbd{S-@key{left}} to change the
5439 value. The values you enter will immediately be summed up in the hierarchy.
5440 In the column next to it, any clocked time will be displayed.
5442 @vindex org-agenda-columns-add-appointments-to-effort-sum
5443 If you switch to column view in the daily/weekly agenda, the effort column
5444 will summarize the estimated work effort for each day@footnote{Please note
5445 the pitfalls of summing hierarchical data in a flat list (@pxref{Agenda
5446 column view}).}, and you can use this to find space in your schedule. To get
5447 an overview of the entire part of the day that is committed, you can set the
5448 option @code{org-agenda-columns-add-appointments-to-effort-sum}. The
5449 appointments on a day that take place over a specified time interval will
5450 then also be added to the load estimate of the day.
5452 Effort estimates can be used in secondary agenda filtering that is triggered
5453 with the @kbd{/} key in the agenda (@pxref{Agenda commands}). If you have
5454 these estimates defined consistently, two or three key presses will narrow
5455 down the list to stuff that fits into an available time slot.
5457 @node Relative timer, , Effort estimates, Dates and Times
5458 @section Taking notes with a relative timer
5459 @cindex relative timer
5461 When taking notes during, for example, a meeting or a video viewing, it can
5462 be useful to have access to times relative to a starting time. Org provides
5463 such a relative timer and make it easy to create timed notes.
5468 Insert a relative time into the buffer. The first time you use this, the
5469 timer will be started. When called with a prefix argument, the timer is
5473 Insert a description list item with the current relative time. With a prefix
5474 argument, first reset the timer to 0.
5477 Once the timer list is started, you can also use @kbd{M-@key{RET}} to insert
5481 Pause the timer, or continue it if it is already paused. With prefix
5482 argument, stop it entirely.
5483 @kindex C-u C-c C-x ,
5485 Stop the timer. After this, you can only start a new timer, not continue the
5486 old one. This command also removes the timer from the mode line.
5489 Reset the timer without inserting anything into the buffer. By default, the
5490 timer is reset to 0. When called with a @kbd{C-u} prefix, reset the timer to
5491 specific starting offset. The user is prompted for the offset, with a
5492 default taken from a timer string at point, if any, So this can be used to
5493 restart taking notes after a break in the process. When called with a double
5494 prefix argument @kbd{C-c C-u}, change all timer strings in the active region
5495 by a certain amount. This can be used to fix timer strings if the timer was
5496 not started at exactly the right moment.
5499 @node Capture, Agenda Views, Dates and Times, Top
5503 An important part of any organization system is the ability to quickly
5504 capture new ideas and tasks, and to associate reference material with them.
5505 Org uses the @file{remember} package to create tasks, and stores files
5506 related to a task (@i{attachments}) in a special directory.
5509 * Remember:: Capture new tasks/ideas with little interruption
5510 * Attachments:: Add files to tasks.
5511 * RSS Feeds:: Getting input from RSS feeds
5512 * Protocols:: External (e.g. Browser) access to Emacs and Org
5515 @node Remember, Attachments, Capture, Capture
5517 @cindex @file{remember.el}
5519 The @i{Remember} package by John Wiegley lets you store quick notes with
5520 little interruption of your work flow. See
5521 @uref{http://www.emacswiki.org/cgi-bin/wiki/RememberMode} for more
5522 information. It is an excellent way to add new notes and tasks to
5523 Org files. Org significantly expands the possibilities of
5524 @i{remember}: You may define templates for different note types, and
5525 associate target files and headlines with specific templates. It also
5526 allows you to select the location where a note should be stored
5527 interactively, on the fly.
5530 * Setting up Remember:: Some code for .emacs to get things going
5531 * Remember templates:: Define the outline of different note types
5532 * Storing notes:: Directly get the note to where it belongs
5533 * Refiling notes:: Moving a note or task to a project
5536 @node Setting up Remember, Remember templates, Remember, Remember
5537 @subsection Setting up Remember
5539 The following customization will tell @i{remember} to use org files as
5540 target, and to create annotations compatible with Org links.
5543 (org-remember-insinuate)
5544 (setq org-directory "~/path/to/my/orgfiles/")
5545 (setq org-default-notes-file (concat org-directory "/notes.org"))
5546 (define-key global-map "\C-cr" 'org-remember)
5549 The last line binds the command @code{org-remember} to a global
5550 key@footnote{Please select your own key, @kbd{C-c r} is only a
5551 suggestion.}. @code{org-remember} basically just calls @code{remember},
5552 but it makes a few things easier: If there is an active region, it will
5553 automatically copy the region into the remember buffer. It also allows
5554 to jump to the buffer and location where remember notes are being
5555 stored: Just call @code{org-remember} with a prefix argument. If you
5556 use two prefix arguments, Org jumps to the location where the last
5557 remember note was stored.
5559 The remember buffer will actually use @code{org-mode} as its major mode, so
5560 that all editing features of Org-mode are available. In addition to this, a
5561 minor mode @code{org-remember-mode} is turned on, for the single purpose that
5562 you can use its keymap @code{org-remember-mode-map} to overwrite some of
5563 Org-mode's key bindings.
5565 You can also call @code{org-remember} in a special way from the agenda,
5566 using the @kbd{k r} key combination. With this access, any time stamps
5567 inserted by the selected remember template (see below) will default to
5568 the cursor date in the agenda, rather than to the current date.
5570 @node Remember templates, Storing notes, Setting up Remember, Remember
5571 @subsection Remember templates
5572 @cindex templates, for remember
5574 In combination with Org, you can use templates to generate
5575 different types of @i{remember} notes. For example, if you would like
5576 to use one template to create general TODO entries, another one for
5577 journal entries, and a third one for collecting random ideas, you could
5581 (setq org-remember-templates
5582 '(("Todo" ?t "* TODO %?\n %i\n %a" "~/org/TODO.org" "Tasks")
5583 ("Journal" ?j "* %U %?\n\n %i\n %a" "~/org/JOURNAL.org")
5584 ("Idea" ?i "* %^@{Title@}\n %i\n %a" "~/org/JOURNAL.org" "New Ideas")))
5587 @vindex org-remember-default-headline
5588 @vindex org-directory
5589 @noindent In these entries, the first string is just a name, and the
5590 character specifies how to select the template. It is useful if the
5591 character is also the first letter of the name. The next string specifies
5592 the template. Two more (optional) strings give the file in which, and the
5593 headline under which the new note should be stored. The file (if not present
5594 or @code{nil}) defaults to @code{org-default-notes-file}, the heading to
5595 @code{org-remember-default-headline}. If the file name is not an absolute
5596 path, it will be interpreted relative to @code{org-directory}. The heading
5597 can also be the symbols @code{top} or @code{bottom} to send note as level 1
5598 entries to the beginning or end of the file, respectively.
5600 An optional sixth element specifies the contexts in which the user can select
5601 the template. This element can be a list of major modes or a function.
5602 @code{org-remember} will first check whether the function returns @code{t} or
5603 if we are in any of the listed major mode, and exclude templates for which
5604 this condition is not fulfilled. Templates that do not specify this element
5605 at all, or that use @code{nil} or @code{t} as a value will always be
5611 (setq org-remember-templates
5612 '(("Bug" ?b "* BUG %?\n %i\n %a" "~/org/BUGS.org" "Bugs" (emacs-lisp-mode))
5613 ("Journal" ?j "* %U %?\n\n %i\n %a" "~/org/JOURNAL.org" "X" my-check)
5614 ("Idea" ?i "* %^@{Title@}\n %i\n %a" "~/org/JOURNAL.org" "New Ideas")))
5617 The first template will only be available when invoking @code{org-remember}
5618 from an buffer in @code{emacs-lisp-mode}. The second template will only be
5619 available when the function @code{my-check} returns @code{t}. The third
5620 template will be proposed in any context.
5622 When you call @kbd{M-x org-remember} (or @kbd{M-x remember}) to remember
5623 something, Org will prompt for a key to select the template (if you have
5624 more than one template) and then prepare the buffer like
5627 [[file:link to where you called remember]]
5631 During expansion of the template, special @kbd{%}-escapes allow dynamic
5632 insertion of content:
5634 %^@{prompt@} @r{prompt the user for a string and replace this sequence with it.}
5635 @r{You may specify a default value and a completion table with}
5636 @r{%^@{prompt|default|completion2|completion3...@}}
5637 @r{The arrow keys access a prompt-specific history.}
5638 %a @r{annotation, normally the link created with @code{org-store-link}}
5639 %A @r{like @code{%a}, but prompt for the description part}
5640 %i @r{initial content, the region when remember is called with C-u.}
5641 @r{The entire text will be indented like @code{%i} itself.}
5642 %t @r{time stamp, date only}
5643 %T @r{time stamp with date and time}
5644 %u, %U @r{like the above, but inactive time stamps}
5645 %^t @r{like @code{%t}, but prompt for date. Similarly @code{%^T}, @code{%^u}, @code{%^U}}
5646 @r{You may define a prompt like @code{%^@{Birthday@}t}}
5647 %n @r{user name (taken from @code{user-full-name})}
5648 %c @r{Current kill ring head.}
5649 %x @r{Content of the X clipboard.}
5650 %^C @r{Interactive selection of which kill or clip to use.}
5651 %^L @r{Like @code{%^C}, but insert as link.}
5652 %^g @r{prompt for tags, with completion on tags in target file.}
5653 %k @r{title of currently clocked task}
5654 %K @r{link to currently clocked task}
5655 %^G @r{prompt for tags, with completion all tags in all agenda files.}
5656 %^@{prop@}p @r{Prompt the user for a value for property @code{prop}}
5657 %:keyword @r{specific information for certain link types, see below}
5658 %[pathname] @r{insert the contents of the file given by @code{pathname}}
5659 %(sexp) @r{evaluate elisp @code{(sexp)} and replace with the result}
5660 %! @r{immediately store note after completing the template}
5661 @r{(skipping the @kbd{C-c C-c} that normally triggers storing)}
5662 %& @r{jump to target location immediately after storing note}
5666 For specific link types, the following keywords will be
5667 defined@footnote{If you define your own link types (@pxref{Adding
5668 hyperlink types}), any property you store with
5669 @code{org-store-link-props} can be accessed in remember templates in a
5672 @vindex org-from-is-user-regexp
5674 Link type | Available keywords
5675 -------------------+----------------------------------------------
5676 bbdb | %:name %:company
5677 bbdb | %::server %:port %:nick
5678 vm, wl, mh, rmail | %:type %:subject %:message-id
5679 | %:from %:fromname %:fromaddress
5680 | %:to %:toname %:toaddress
5681 | %:fromto @r{(either "to NAME" or "from NAME")@footnote{This will always be the other, not the user. See the variable @code{org-from-is-user-regexp}.}}
5682 gnus | %:group, @r{for messages also all email fields}
5684 info | %:file %:node
5689 To place the cursor after template expansion use:
5692 %? @r{After completing the template, position cursor here.}
5696 If you change your mind about which template to use, call
5697 @code{org-remember} in the remember buffer. You may then select a new
5698 template that will be filled with the previous context information.
5700 @node Storing notes, Refiling notes, Remember templates, Remember
5701 @subsection Storing notes
5703 @vindex org-remember-clock-out-on-exit
5704 When you are finished preparing a note with @i{remember}, you have to press
5705 @kbd{C-c C-c} to file the note away. If you have started the clock in the
5706 remember buffer, you will first be asked if you want to clock out
5707 now@footnote{To avoid this query, configure the variable
5708 @code{org-remember-clock-out-on-exit}.}. If you answer @kbd{n}, the clock
5709 will continue to run after the note was filed away.
5711 The handler will then store the note in the file and under the headline
5712 specified in the template, or it will use the default file and headlines.
5713 The window configuration will be restored, sending you back to the working
5714 context before the call to @code{remember}. To re-use the location found
5715 during the last call to @code{remember}, exit the remember buffer with
5716 @kbd{C-0 C-c C-c}, i.e. specify a zero prefix argument to @kbd{C-c C-c}.
5717 Another special case is @kbd{C-2 C-c C-c} which files the note as a child of
5718 the currently clocked item.
5720 @vindex org-remember-store-without-prompt
5721 If you want to store the note directly to a different place, use
5722 @kbd{C-1 C-c C-c} instead to exit remember@footnote{Configure the
5723 variable @code{org-remember-store-without-prompt} to make this behavior
5724 the default.}. The handler will then first prompt for a target file -
5725 if you press @key{RET}, the value specified for the template is used.
5726 Then the command offers the headings tree of the selected file, with the
5727 cursor position at the default headline (if you had specified one in the
5728 template). You can either immediately press @key{RET} to get the note
5729 placed there. Or you can use the following keys to find a different
5732 @key{TAB} @r{Cycle visibility.}
5733 @key{down} / @key{up} @r{Next/previous visible headline.}
5734 n / p @r{Next/previous visible headline.}
5735 f / b @r{Next/previous headline same level.}
5737 @c 0-9 @r{Digit argument.}
5740 Pressing @key{RET} or @key{left} or @key{right}
5741 then leads to the following result.
5743 @vindex org-reverse-note-order
5744 @multitable @columnfractions 0.2 0.15 0.65
5745 @item @b{Cursor position} @tab @b{Key} @tab @b{Note gets inserted}
5746 @item on headline @tab @key{RET} @tab as sublevel of the heading at cursor, first or last
5747 @item @tab @tab depending on @code{org-reverse-note-order}.
5748 @item @tab @key{left}/@key{right} @tab as same level, before/after current heading
5749 @item buffer-start @tab @key{RET} @tab as level 2 heading at end of file or level 1 at beginning
5750 @item @tab @tab depending on @code{org-reverse-note-order}.
5751 @item not on headline @tab @key{RET}
5752 @tab at cursor position, level taken from context.
5755 Before inserting the text into a tree, the function ensures that the text has
5756 a headline, i.e. a first line that starts with a @samp{*}. If not, a
5757 headline is constructed from the current date. If you have indented the text
5758 of the note below the headline, the indentation will be adapted if inserting
5759 the note into the tree requires demotion from level 1.
5761 @node Refiling notes, , Storing notes, Remember
5762 @subsection Refiling notes
5763 @cindex refiling notes
5765 Remember is usually used to quickly capture notes and tasks into one or
5766 a few capture lists. When reviewing the captured data, you may want to
5767 refile some of the entries into a different list, for example into a
5768 project. Cutting, finding the right location and then pasting the note
5769 is cumbersome. To simplify this process, you can use the following
5775 @vindex org-reverse-note-order
5776 @vindex org-refile-targets
5777 @vindex org-refile-use-outline-path
5778 @vindex org-outline-path-complete-in-steps
5779 @vindex org-refile-allow-creating-parent-nodes
5780 Refile the entry or region at point. This command offers possible locations
5781 for refiling the entry and lets you select one with completion. The item (or
5782 all items in the region) is filed below the target heading as a subitem.
5783 Depending on @code{org-reverse-note-order}, it will be either the first or
5785 By default, all level 1 headlines in the current buffer are considered to be
5786 targets, but you can have more complex definitions across a number of files.
5787 See the variable @code{org-refile-targets} for details. If you would like to
5788 select a location via a file-path-like completion along the outline path, see
5789 the variables @code{org-refile-use-outline-path} and
5790 @code{org-outline-path-complete-in-steps}. If you would like to be able to
5791 create new nodes as new parents for for refiling on the fly, check the
5792 variable @code{org-refile-allow-creating-parent-nodes}.
5795 Use the refile interface to jump to a heading.
5796 @kindex C-u C-u C-c C-w
5797 @item C-u C-u C-c C-w
5798 Jump to the location where @code{org-refile} last moved a tree to.
5802 @node Attachments, RSS Feeds, Remember, Capture
5803 @section Attachments
5806 @vindex org-attach-directory
5807 It is often useful to associate reference material with an outline node/task.
5808 Small chunks of plain text can simply be stored in the subtree of a project.
5809 Hyperlinks (@pxref{Hyperlinks}) can be used to establish associations with
5810 files that live elsewhere on your computer or in the cloud, like emails or
5811 source code files belonging to a project. Another method is @i{attachments},
5812 which are files located in a directory belonging to an outline node. Org
5813 uses directories named by the unique ID of each entry. These directories are
5814 located in the @file{data} directory which lives in the same directory where
5815 your org-file lives@footnote{If you move entries or Org-files from one
5816 directory to the next, you may want to configure @code{org-attach-directory}
5817 to contain an absolute path.}. If you initialize this directory with
5818 @code{git init}, Org will automatically commit changes when it sees them.
5819 The attachment system has been contributed to Org by John Wiegley.
5821 In cases where this seems better, you can also attach a directory of your
5822 choice to an entry. You can also make children inherit the attachment
5823 directory from a parent, so that an entire subtree uses the same attached
5826 @noindent The following commands deal with attachments.
5832 The dispatcher for commands related to the attachment system. After these
5833 keys, a list of commands is displayed and you need to press an additional key
5834 to select a command:
5839 @vindex org-attach-method
5840 Select a file and move it into the task's attachment directory. The file
5841 will be copied, moved, or linked, depending on @code{org-attach-method}.
5842 Note that hard links are not supported on all systems.
5848 Attach a file using the copy/move/link method.
5849 Note that hard links are not supported on all systems.
5853 Create a new attachment as an Emacs buffer.
5857 Synchronize the current task with its attachment directory, in case you added
5858 attachments yourself.
5862 @vindex org-file-apps
5863 Open current task's attachment. If there are more than one, prompt for a
5864 file name first. Opening will follow the rules set by @code{org-file-apps}.
5865 For more details, see the information on following hyperlinks
5866 (@pxref{Handling links}).
5870 Also open the attachment, but force opening the file in Emacs.
5874 Open the current task's attachment directory.
5878 Also open the directory, but force using @code{dired} in Emacs.
5882 Select and delete a single attachment.
5886 Delete all of a task's attachments. A safer way is to open the directory in
5887 dired and delete from there.
5891 @cindex property: ATTACH_DIR
5892 Set a specific directory as the entry's attachment directory. This works by
5893 putting the directory path into the @code{ATTACH_DIR} property.
5897 @vindex property: ATTACH_DIR_INHERIT
5898 Set the @code{ATTACH_DIR_INHERIT} property, so that children will use the
5899 same directory for attachments as the parent.
5903 @node RSS Feeds, Protocols, Attachments, Capture
5907 Org has the capablity to add and change entries based on information found in
5908 RSS feeds. You could use this to make a task out of each new podcast in a
5909 podcast feed. Or you could use a phone-based note-creating service on the
5910 web to import tasks into Org. To access feeds, you need to configure the
5911 variable @code{org-feed-alist}. The docstring of this variable has detailed
5912 information. Here is just an example:
5915 (setq org-feed-alist
5916 '(("ReQall" "http://www.reqall.com/user/feeds/rss/a1b2c3....."
5917 "~/org/feeds.org" "ReQall Entries")
5920 will configure that new items from the feed provided by @file{reqall.com}
5921 will result in new entries in the file @file{~/org/feeds.org} under the
5922 heading @samp{ReQall Entries}, whenever the following command is used:
5927 Collect items from the feeds configured in @code{org-feed-alist} and act upon
5931 Prompt for a feed name and go to the inbox configured for this feed.
5934 Under the same headline, Org will create a drawer @samp{FEEDSTATUS} in which
5935 it will store information about the status of items in the feed, to avoid
5936 adding the same item several times. You should add @samp{FEEDSTATUS} to the
5937 list of drawers in that file:
5940 #+DRAWERS: LOGBOOK PROPERTIES FEEDSTATUS
5943 For more information, see @file{org-feed.el} and the docstring of
5944 @code{org-feed-alist}.
5946 @node Protocols, , RSS Feeds, Capture
5947 @section Protocols for external access
5948 @cindex protocols, for external access
5951 You can set up Org for handling protocol calls from outside applications that
5952 are passed to Emacs through the @file{emacsserver}. For example, you can
5953 configure bookmarks in your webbrowser to send a link to the current page to
5954 Org and create a note from it using remember (@pxref{Remember}). Or you
5955 could create a bookmark that will tell Emacs to open the local source file of
5956 a remote website you are looking at with the browser. See
5957 @uref{http://orgmode.org/worg/org-contrib/org-protocol.php} for detailed
5958 documentation and setup instructions.
5961 @node Agenda Views, Embedded LaTeX, Capture, Top
5962 @chapter Agenda Views
5963 @cindex agenda views
5965 Due to the way Org works, TODO items, time-stamped items, and
5966 tagged headlines can be scattered throughout a file or even a number of
5967 files. To get an overview of open action items, or of events that are
5968 important for a particular date, this information must be collected,
5969 sorted and displayed in an organized way.
5971 Org can select items based on various criteria, and display them
5972 in a separate buffer. Seven different view types are provided:
5976 an @emph{agenda} that is like a calendar and shows information
5979 a @emph{TODO list} that covers all unfinished
5982 a @emph{match view}, showings headlines based on the tags, properties and
5983 TODO state associated with them,
5985 a @emph{timeline view} that shows all events in a single Org file,
5986 in time-sorted view,
5988 a @emph{keyword search view} that shows all entries from multiple files
5989 that contain specified keywords.
5991 a @emph{stuck projects view} showing projects that currently don't move
5994 @emph{custom views} that are special tag/keyword searches and
5995 combinations of different views.
5999 The extracted information is displayed in a special @emph{agenda
6000 buffer}. This buffer is read-only, but provides commands to visit the
6001 corresponding locations in the original Org files, and even to
6002 edit these files remotely.
6004 @vindex org-agenda-window-setup
6005 @vindex org-agenda-restore-windows-after-quit
6006 Two variables control how the agenda buffer is displayed and whether the
6007 window configuration is restored when the agenda exits:
6008 @code{org-agenda-window-setup} and
6009 @code{org-agenda-restore-windows-after-quit}.
6012 * Agenda files:: Files being searched for agenda information
6013 * Agenda dispatcher:: Keyboard access to agenda views
6014 * Built-in agenda views:: What is available out of the box?
6015 * Presentation and sorting:: How agenda items are prepared for display
6016 * Agenda commands:: Remote editing of Org trees
6017 * Custom agenda views:: Defining special searches and views
6018 * Exporting Agenda Views::
6019 * Agenda column view:: Using column view for collected entries
6022 @node Agenda files, Agenda dispatcher, Agenda Views, Agenda Views
6023 @section Agenda files
6024 @cindex agenda files
6025 @cindex files for agenda
6027 @vindex org-agenda-files
6028 The information to be shown is normally collected from all @emph{agenda
6029 files}, the files listed in the variable
6030 @code{org-agenda-files}@footnote{If the value of that variable is not a
6031 list, but a single file name, then the list of agenda files will be
6032 maintained in that external file.}. If a directory is part of this list,
6033 all files with the extension @file{.org} in this directory will be part
6036 Thus even if you only work with a single Org file, this file should
6037 be put into that list@footnote{When using the dispatcher, pressing
6038 @kbd{<} before selecting a command will actually limit the command to
6039 the current file, and ignore @code{org-agenda-files} until the next
6040 dispatcher command.}. You can customize @code{org-agenda-files}, but
6041 the easiest way to maintain it is through the following commands
6043 @cindex files, adding to agenda list
6047 Add current file to the list of agenda files. The file is added to
6048 the front of the list. If it was already in the list, it is moved to
6049 the front. With a prefix argument, file is added/moved to the end.
6052 Remove current file from the list of agenda files.
6057 Cycle through agenda file list, visiting one file after the other.
6058 @kindex M-x org-iswitchb
6059 @item M-x org-iswitchb
6060 Command to use an @code{iswitchb}-like interface to switch to and between Org
6065 The Org menu contains the current list of files and can be used
6066 to visit any of them.
6068 If you would like to focus the agenda temporarily onto a file not in
6069 this list, or onto just one file in the list or even only a subtree in a
6070 file, this can be done in different ways. For a single agenda command,
6071 you may press @kbd{<} once or several times in the dispatcher
6072 (@pxref{Agenda dispatcher}). To restrict the agenda scope for an
6073 extended period, use the following commands:
6078 Permanently restrict the agenda to the current subtree. When with a
6079 prefix argument, or with the cursor before the first headline in a file,
6080 the agenda scope is set to the entire file. This restriction remains in
6081 effect until removed with @kbd{C-c C-x >}, or by typing either @kbd{<}
6082 or @kbd{>} in the agenda dispatcher. If there is a window displaying an
6083 agenda view, the new restriction takes effect immediately.
6086 Remove the permanent restriction created by @kbd{C-c C-x <}.
6090 When working with @file{Speedbar}, you can use the following commands in
6094 @item < @r{in the speedbar frame}
6095 Permanently restrict the agenda to the item at the cursor in the
6096 Speedbar frame, either an Org file or a subtree in such a file.
6097 If there is a window displaying an agenda view, the new restriction takes
6100 @item > @r{in the speedbar frame}
6101 Lift the restriction again.
6104 @node Agenda dispatcher, Built-in agenda views, Agenda files, Agenda Views
6105 @section The agenda dispatcher
6106 @cindex agenda dispatcher
6107 @cindex dispatching agenda commands
6108 The views are created through a dispatcher that should be bound to a
6109 global key, for example @kbd{C-c a} (@pxref{Installation}). In the
6110 following we will assume that @kbd{C-c a} is indeed how the dispatcher
6111 is accessed and list keyboard access to commands accordingly. After
6112 pressing @kbd{C-c a}, an additional letter is required to execute a
6113 command. The dispatcher offers the following default commands:
6116 Create the calendar-like agenda (@pxref{Weekly/daily agenda}).
6118 Create a list of all TODO items (@pxref{Global TODO list}).
6120 Create a list of headlines matching a TAGS expression (@pxref{Matching
6121 tags and properties}).
6123 Create the timeline view for the current buffer (@pxref{Timeline}).
6125 Create a list of entries selected by a boolean expression of keywords
6126 and/or regular expressions that must or must not occur in the entry.
6128 @vindex org-agenda-text-search-extra-files
6129 Search for a regular expression in all agenda files and additionally in
6130 the files listed in @code{org-agenda-text-search-extra-files}. This
6131 uses the Emacs command @code{multi-occur}. A prefix argument can be
6132 used to specify the number of context lines for each match, default is
6135 Create a list of stuck projects (@pxref{Stuck projects}).
6137 Restrict an agenda command to the current buffer@footnote{For backward
6138 compatibility, you can also press @kbd{1} to restrict to the current
6139 buffer.}. After pressing @kbd{<}, you still need to press the character
6140 selecting the command.
6142 If there is an active region, restrict the following agenda command to
6143 the region. Otherwise, restrict it to the current subtree@footnote{For
6144 backward compatibility, you can also press @kbd{0} to restrict to the
6145 current buffer.}. After pressing @kbd{< <}, you still need to press the
6146 character selecting the command.
6149 You can also define custom commands that will be accessible through the
6150 dispatcher, just like the default commands. This includes the
6151 possibility to create extended agenda buffers that contain several
6152 blocks together, for example the weekly agenda, the global TODO list and
6153 a number of special tags matches. @xref{Custom agenda views}.
6155 @node Built-in agenda views, Presentation and sorting, Agenda dispatcher, Agenda Views
6156 @section The built-in agenda views
6158 In this section we describe the built-in views.
6161 * Weekly/daily agenda:: The calendar page with current tasks
6162 * Global TODO list:: All unfinished action items
6163 * Matching tags and properties:: Structured information with fine-tuned search
6164 * Timeline:: Time-sorted view for single file
6165 * Keyword search:: Finding entries by keyword
6166 * Stuck projects:: Find projects you need to review
6169 @node Weekly/daily agenda, Global TODO list, Built-in agenda views, Built-in agenda views
6170 @subsection The weekly/daily agenda
6172 @cindex weekly agenda
6173 @cindex daily agenda
6175 The purpose of the weekly/daily @emph{agenda} is to act like a page of a
6176 paper agenda, showing all the tasks for the current week or day.
6179 @cindex org-agenda, command
6182 @vindex org-agenda-ndays
6183 Compile an agenda for the current week from a list of org files. The agenda
6184 shows the entries for each day. With a numeric prefix@footnote{For backward
6185 compatibility, the universal prefix @kbd{C-u} causes all TODO entries to be
6186 listed before the agenda. This feature is deprecated, use the dedicated TODO
6187 list, or a block agenda instead (@pxref{Block agenda}).} (like @kbd{C-u 2 1
6188 C-c a a}) you may set the number of days to be displayed (see also the
6189 variable @code{org-agenda-ndays})
6192 Remote editing from the agenda buffer means, for example, that you can
6193 change the dates of deadlines and appointments from the agenda buffer.
6194 The commands available in the Agenda buffer are listed in @ref{Agenda
6197 @subsubheading Calendar/Diary integration
6198 @cindex calendar integration
6199 @cindex diary integration
6201 Emacs contains the calendar and diary by Edward M. Reingold. The
6202 calendar displays a three-month calendar with holidays from different
6203 countries and cultures. The diary allows you to keep track of
6204 anniversaries, lunar phases, sunrise/set, recurrent appointments
6205 (weekly, monthly) and more. In this way, it is quite complementary to
6206 Org. It can be very useful to combine output from Org with
6209 In order to include entries from the Emacs diary into Org mode's
6210 agenda, you only need to customize the variable
6213 (setq org-agenda-include-diary t)
6216 @noindent After that, everything will happen automatically. All diary
6217 entries including holidays, anniversaries etc will be included in the
6218 agenda buffer created by Org mode. @key{SPC}, @key{TAB}, and
6219 @key{RET} can be used from the agenda buffer to jump to the diary
6220 file in order to edit existing diary entries. The @kbd{i} command to
6221 insert new entries for the current date works in the agenda buffer, as
6222 well as the commands @kbd{S}, @kbd{M}, and @kbd{C} to display
6223 Sunrise/Sunset times, show lunar phases and to convert to other
6224 calendars, respectively. @kbd{c} can be used to switch back and forth
6225 between calendar and agenda.
6227 If you are using the diary only for sexp entries and holidays, it is
6228 faster to not use the above setting, but instead to copy or even move
6229 the entries into an Org file. Org mode evaluates diary-style sexp
6230 entries, and does it faster because there is no overhead for first
6231 creating the diary display. Note that the sexp entries must start at
6232 the left margin, no white space is allowed before them. For example,
6233 the following segment of an Org file will be processed and entries
6234 will be made in the agenda:
6237 * Birthdays and similar stuff
6239 %%(org-calendar-holiday) ; special function for holiday names
6241 %%(diary-anniversary 14 5 1956) Arthur Dent is %d years old
6242 %%(diary-anniversary 2 10 1869) Mahatma Gandhi would be %d years old
6245 @subsubheading Anniversaries from BBDB
6246 @cindex BBDB, anniversaries
6247 @cindex anniversaries, from BBDB
6249 If you are using the Big Brothers Database to store your contacts, you will
6250 very likely prefer to store anniversaries in BBDB rather than in a
6251 separate Org or diary file. Org supports this and will show BBDB
6252 anniversaries as part of the agenda. All you need to do is to add the
6253 following to one your your agenda files:
6260 %%(org-bbdb-anniversaries)
6263 You can then go ahead and define anniversaries for a BBDB record. Basically,
6264 you need to press @kbd{C-o anniversary @key{RET}} with the cursor in a BBDB
6265 record and then add the date in the format @code{YYYY-MM-DD}, followed by a
6266 space and the class of the anniversary (@samp{birthday} or @samp{wedding}, or
6267 a format string). If you omit the class, it will default to @samp{birthday}.
6268 Here are a few examples, the header for the file @file{org-bbdb.el} contains
6269 more detailed information.
6274 2008-04-14 %s released version 6.01 of Org-mode, %d years ago
6277 After a change to BBDB, or for the first agenda display during an Emacs
6278 session, the agenda display will suffer a short delay as Org updates it's
6279 hash with anniversaries. However, from then on things will be very fast -
6280 much faster in fact than a long list of @samp{%%(diary-anniversary)} entries
6281 in an Org or Diary file.
6283 @subsubheading Appointment reminders
6284 @cindex @file{appt.el}
6285 @cindex appointment reminders
6287 Org can interact with Emacs appointments notification facility. To add all
6288 the appointments of your agenda files, use the command
6289 @code{org-agenda-to-appt}. This commands also lets you filter through the
6290 list of your appointments and add only those belonging to a specific category
6291 or matching a regular expression. See the docstring for details.
6293 @node Global TODO list, Matching tags and properties, Weekly/daily agenda, Built-in agenda views
6294 @subsection The global TODO list
6295 @cindex global TODO list
6296 @cindex TODO list, global
6298 The global TODO list contains all unfinished TODO items, formatted and
6299 collected into a single place.
6304 Show the global TODO list. This collects the TODO items from all
6305 agenda files (@pxref{Agenda Views}) into a single buffer. The buffer is in
6306 @code{agenda-mode}, so there are commands to examine and manipulate
6307 the TODO entries directly from that buffer (@pxref{Agenda commands}).
6310 @cindex TODO keyword matching
6311 @vindex org-todo-keywords
6312 Like the above, but allows selection of a specific TODO keyword. You
6313 can also do this by specifying a prefix argument to @kbd{C-c a t}. With
6314 a @kbd{C-u} prefix you are prompted for a keyword, and you may also
6315 specify several keywords by separating them with @samp{|} as boolean OR
6316 operator. With a numeric prefix, the Nth keyword in
6317 @code{org-todo-keywords} is selected.
6319 The @kbd{r} key in the agenda buffer regenerates it, and you can give
6320 a prefix argument to this command to change the selected TODO keyword,
6321 for example @kbd{3 r}. If you often need a search for a specific
6322 keyword, define a custom command for it (@pxref{Agenda dispatcher}).@*
6323 Matching specific TODO keywords can also be done as part of a tags
6324 search (@pxref{Tag searches}).
6327 Remote editing of TODO items means that you can change the state of a
6328 TODO entry with a single key press. The commands available in the
6329 TODO list are described in @ref{Agenda commands}.
6331 @cindex sublevels, inclusion into TODO list
6332 Normally the global TODO list simply shows all headlines with TODO
6333 keywords. This list can become very long. There are two ways to keep
6337 @vindex org-agenda-todo-ignore-scheduled
6338 @vindex org-agenda-todo-ignore-deadlines
6339 @vindex org-agenda-todo-ignore-with-date
6340 Some people view a TODO item that has been @emph{scheduled} for execution or
6341 have a @emph{deadline} (@pxref{Timestamps}) as no longer @emph{open}
6342 Configure the variables @code{org-agenda-todo-ignore-scheduled},
6343 @code{org-agenda-todo-ignore-deadlines}, and/or
6344 @code{org-agenda-todo-ignore-with-date} to exclude such items from the
6347 @vindex org-agenda-todo-list-sublevels
6348 TODO items may have sublevels to break up the task into subtasks. In
6349 such cases it may be enough to list only the highest level TODO headline
6350 and omit the sublevels from the global list. Configure the variable
6351 @code{org-agenda-todo-list-sublevels} to get this behavior.
6354 @node Matching tags and properties, Timeline, Global TODO list, Built-in agenda views
6355 @subsection Matching tags and properties
6356 @cindex matching, of tags
6357 @cindex matching, of properties
6361 If headlines in the agenda files are marked with @emph{tags} (@pxref{Tags}),
6362 or have properties @pxref{Properties and Columns}, you can select headlines
6363 based on this meta data and collect them into an agenda buffer. The match
6364 syntax described here also applies when creating sparse trees with @kbd{C-c /
6370 Produce a list of all headlines that match a given set of tags. The
6371 command prompts for a selection criterion, which is a boolean logic
6372 expression with tags, like @samp{+work+urgent-withboss} or
6373 @samp{work|home} (@pxref{Tags}). If you often need a specific search,
6374 define a custom command for it (@pxref{Agenda dispatcher}).
6377 @vindex org-tags-match-list-sublevels
6378 @vindex org-agenda-tags-todo-honor-ignore-options
6379 Like @kbd{C-c a m}, but only select headlines that are also TODO items and
6380 force checking subitems (see variable @code{org-tags-match-list-sublevels}).
6381 To exclude scheduled/deadline items, see the variable
6382 @code{org-agenda-tags-todo-honor-ignore-options}. Matching specific TODO
6383 keywords together with a tags match is also possible, see @ref{Tag searches}.
6386 The commands available in the tags list are described in @ref{Agenda
6389 @subsubheading Match syntax
6391 @cindex Boolean logic, for tag/property searches
6392 A search string can use Boolean operators @samp{&} for AND and @samp{|} for
6393 OR. @samp{&} binds more strongly than @samp{|}. Parenthesis are currently
6394 not implemented. Each element in the search is either a tag, a regular
6395 expression matching tags, or an expression like @code{PROPERTY OPERATOR
6396 VALUE} with a comparison operator, accessing a property value. Each element
6397 may be preceded by @samp{-}, to select against it, and @samp{+} is syntactic
6398 sugar for positive selection. The AND operator @samp{&} is optional when
6399 @samp{+} or @samp{-} is present. Here are some examples, using only tags.
6403 Select headlines tagged @samp{:work:}, but discard those also tagged
6406 Selects lines tagged @samp{:work:} or @samp{:laptop:}.
6407 @item work|laptop+night
6408 Like before, but require the @samp{:laptop:} lines to be tagged also
6412 @cindex regular expressions, with tags search
6413 Instead of a tag, you may also specify a regular expression enclosed in curly
6414 braces. For example,
6415 @samp{work+@{^boss.*@}} matches headlines that contain the tag
6416 @samp{:work:} and any tag @i{starting} with @samp{boss}.
6418 @cindex TODO keyword matching, with tags search
6419 @cindex level, require for tags/property match
6420 @cindex category, require for tags/property match
6421 @vindex org-odd-levels-only
6422 You may also test for properties (@pxref{Properties and Columns}) at the same
6423 time as matching tags. The properties may be real properties, or special
6424 properties that represent other meta data (@pxref{Special properties}). For
6425 example, the ``property'' @code{TODO} represents the TODO keyword of the
6426 entry. Or, the ``property'' @code{LEVEL} represents the level of an entry.
6427 So a search @samp{+LEVEL=3+boss-TODO="DONE"} lists all level three headlines
6428 that have the tag @samp{boss} and are @emph{not} marked with the TODO keyword
6429 DONE. In buffers with @code{org-odd-levels-only} set, @samp{LEVEL} does not
6430 count the number of stars, but @samp{LEVEL=2} will correspond to 3 stars etc.
6432 Here are more examples:
6434 @item work+TODO="WAITING"
6435 Select @samp{:work:}-tagged TODO lines with the specific TODO
6436 keyword @samp{WAITING}.
6437 @item work+TODO="WAITING"|home+TODO="WAITING"
6438 Waiting tasks both at work and at home.
6441 When matching properties, a number of different operators can be used to test
6442 the value of a property. Here is a complex example:
6445 +work-boss+PRIORITY="A"+Coffee="unlimited"+Effort<2 \
6446 +With=@{Sarah\|Denny@}+SCHEDULED>="<2008-10-11>"
6450 The type of comparison will depend on how the comparison value is written:
6453 If the comparison value is a plain number, a numerical comparison is done,
6454 and the allowed operators are @samp{<}, @samp{=}, @samp{>}, @samp{<=},
6455 @samp{>=}, and @samp{<>}.
6457 If the comparison value is enclosed in double
6458 quotes, a string comparison is done, and the same operators are allowed.
6460 If the comparison value is enclosed in double quotes @emph{and} angular
6461 brackets (like @samp{DEADLINE<="<2008-12-24 18:30>"}), both values are
6462 assumed to be date/time specifications in the standard Org way, and the
6463 comparison will be done accordingly. Special values that will be recognized
6464 are @code{"<now>"} for now (including time), and @code{"<today>"}, and
6465 @code{"<tomorrow>"} for these days at 0:00 hours, i.e. without a time
6466 specification. Also strings like @code{"<+5d>"} or @code{"<-2m>"} with units
6467 @code{d}, @code{w}, @code{m}, and @code{y} for day, week, month, and year,
6468 respectively, can be used.
6470 If the comparison value is enclosed
6471 in curly braces, a regexp match is performed, with @samp{=} meaning that the
6472 regexp matches the property value, and @samp{<>} meaning that it does not
6476 So the search string in the example finds entries tagged @samp{:work:} but
6477 not @samp{:boss:}, which also have a priority value @samp{A}, a
6478 @samp{:Coffee:} property with the value @samp{unlimited}, an @samp{Effort}
6479 property that is numerically smaller than 2, a @samp{:With:} property that is
6480 matched by the regular expression @samp{Sarah\|Denny}, and that are scheduled
6481 on or after October 11, 2008.
6483 Accessing TODO, LEVEL, and CATEGORY during a search is fast. Accessing any
6484 other properties will slow down the search. However, once you have payed the
6485 price by accessing one property, testing additional properties is cheap
6488 You can configure Org mode to use property inheritance during a search, but
6489 beware that this can slow down searches considerably. See @ref{Property
6490 inheritance} for details.
6492 For backward compatibility, and also for typing speed, there is also a
6493 different way to test TODO states in a search. For this, terminalte the
6494 tags/property part of the search string (which may include several terms
6495 connected with @samp{|}) with a @samp{/} and then specify a Boolean
6496 expression just for TODO keywords. The syntax is then similar to that for
6497 tags, but should be applied with consideration: For example, a positive
6498 selection on several TODO keywords can not meaningfully be combined with
6499 boolean AND. However, @emph{negative selection} combined with AND can be
6500 meaningful. To make sure that only lines are checked that actually have any
6501 TODO keyword (resulting in a speed-up), use @kbd{C-c a M}, or equivalently
6502 start the TODO part after the slash with @samp{!}. Examples:
6506 Same as @samp{work+TODO="WAITING"}
6507 @item work/!-WAITING-NEXT
6508 Select @samp{:work:}-tagged TODO lines that are neither @samp{WAITING}
6510 @item work/!+WAITING|+NEXT
6511 Select @samp{:work:}-tagged TODO lines that are either @samp{WAITING} or
6515 @node Timeline, Keyword search, Matching tags and properties, Built-in agenda views
6516 @subsection Timeline for a single file
6517 @cindex timeline, single file
6518 @cindex time-sorted view
6520 The timeline summarizes all time-stamped items from a single Org mode
6521 file in a @emph{time-sorted view}. The main purpose of this command is
6522 to give an overview over events in a project.
6527 Show a time-sorted view of the org file, with all time-stamped items.
6528 When called with a @kbd{C-u} prefix, all unfinished TODO entries
6529 (scheduled or not) are also listed under the current date.
6533 The commands available in the timeline buffer are listed in
6534 @ref{Agenda commands}.
6536 @node Keyword search, Stuck projects, Timeline, Built-in agenda views
6537 @subsection Keyword search
6538 @cindex keyword search
6539 @cindex searching, for keywords
6541 This agenda view is a general text search facility for Org mode entries.
6542 It is particularly useful to find notes.
6547 This is a special search that lets you select entries by keywords or
6548 regular expression, using a boolean logic. For example, the search
6552 +computer +wifi -ethernet -@{8\.11[bg]@}
6556 will search for note entries that contain the keywords @code{computer}
6557 and @code{wifi}, but not the keyword @code{ethernet}, and which are also
6558 not matched by the regular expression @code{8\.11[bg]}, meaning to
6559 exclude both 8.11b and 8.11g.
6561 @vindex org-agenda-text-search-extra-files
6562 Note that in addition to the agenda files, this command will also search
6563 the files listed in @code{org-agenda-text-search-extra-files}.
6566 @node Stuck projects, , Keyword search, Built-in agenda views
6567 @subsection Stuck projects
6569 If you are following a system like David Allen's GTD to organize your
6570 work, one of the ``duties'' you have is a regular review to make sure
6571 that all projects move along. A @emph{stuck} project is a project that
6572 has no defined next actions, so it will never show up in the TODO lists
6573 Org mode produces. During the review, you need to identify such
6574 projects and define next actions for them.
6579 List projects that are stuck.
6582 @vindex org-stuck-projects
6583 Customize the variable @code{org-stuck-projects} to define what a stuck
6584 project is and how to find it.
6587 You almost certainly will have to configure this view before it will
6588 work for you. The built-in default assumes that all your projects are
6589 level-2 headlines, and that a project is not stuck if it has at least
6590 one entry marked with a TODO keyword TODO or NEXT or NEXTACTION.
6592 Let's assume that you, in your own way of using Org mode, identify
6593 projects with a tag PROJECT, and that you use a TODO keyword MAYBE to
6594 indicate a project that should not be considered yet. Let's further
6595 assume that the TODO keyword DONE marks finished projects, and that NEXT
6596 and TODO indicate next actions. The tag @@SHOP indicates shopping and
6597 is a next action even without the NEXT tag. Finally, if the project
6598 contains the special word IGNORE anywhere, it should not be listed
6599 either. In this case you would start by identifying eligible projects
6600 with a tags/todo match@footnote{@ref{Tag searches}}
6601 @samp{+PROJECT/-MAYBE-DONE}, and then check for TODO, NEXT, @@SHOP, and
6602 IGNORE in the subtree to identify projects that are not stuck. The
6603 correct customization for this is
6606 (setq org-stuck-projects
6607 '("+PROJECT/-MAYBE-DONE" ("NEXT" "TODO") ("@@SHOP")
6611 Note that if a project is identified as non-stuck, the subtree of this entry
6612 will still be searched for stuck projets.
6614 @node Presentation and sorting, Agenda commands, Built-in agenda views, Agenda Views
6615 @section Presentation and sorting
6616 @cindex presentation, of agenda items
6618 @vindex org-agenda-prefix-format
6619 Before displaying items in an agenda view, Org mode visually prepares
6620 the items and sorts them. Each item occupies a single line. The line
6621 starts with a @emph{prefix} that contains the @emph{category}
6622 (@pxref{Categories}) of the item and other important information. You can
6623 customize the prefix using the option @code{org-agenda-prefix-format}.
6624 The prefix is followed by a cleaned-up version of the outline headline
6625 associated with the item.
6628 * Categories:: Not all tasks are equal
6629 * Time-of-day specifications:: How the agenda knows the time
6630 * Sorting of agenda items:: The order of things
6633 @node Categories, Time-of-day specifications, Presentation and sorting, Presentation and sorting
6634 @subsection Categories
6637 The category is a broad label assigned to each agenda item. By default,
6638 the category is simply derived from the file name, but you can also
6639 specify it with a special line in the buffer, like this@footnote{For
6640 backward compatibility, the following also works: If there are several
6641 such lines in a file, each specifies the category for the text below it.
6642 The first category also applies to any text before the first CATEGORY
6643 line. However, using this method is @emph{strongly} deprecated as it is
6644 incompatible with the outline structure of the document. The correct
6645 method for setting multiple categories in a buffer is using a
6653 @cindex property: CATEGORY
6654 If you would like to have a special CATEGORY for a single entry or a
6655 (sub)tree, give the entry a @code{:CATEGORY:} property with the
6656 special category you want to apply as the value.
6659 The display in the agenda buffer looks best if the category is not
6660 longer than 10 characters.
6662 @node Time-of-day specifications, Sorting of agenda items, Categories, Presentation and sorting
6663 @subsection Time-of-day specifications
6664 @cindex time-of-day specification
6666 Org mode checks each agenda item for a time-of-day specification. The
6667 time can be part of the time stamp that triggered inclusion into the
6668 agenda, for example as in @w{@samp{<2005-05-10 Tue 19:00>}}. Time
6669 ranges can be specified with two time stamps, like
6671 @w{@samp{<2005-05-10 Tue 20:30>--<2005-05-10 Tue 22:15>}}.
6673 In the headline of the entry itself, a time(range) may also appear as
6674 plain text (like @samp{12:45} or a @samp{8:30-1pm}). If the agenda
6675 integrates the Emacs diary (@pxref{Weekly/daily agenda}), time
6676 specifications in diary entries are recognized as well.
6678 For agenda display, Org mode extracts the time and displays it in a
6679 standard 24 hour format as part of the prefix. The example times in
6680 the previous paragraphs would end up in the agenda like this:
6683 8:30-13:00 Arthur Dent lies in front of the bulldozer
6684 12:45...... Ford Prefect arrives and takes Arthur to the pub
6685 19:00...... The Vogon reads his poem
6686 20:30-22:15 Marvin escorts the Hitchhikers to the bridge
6690 If the agenda is in single-day mode, or for the display of today, the
6691 timed entries are embedded in a time grid, like
6694 8:00...... ------------------
6695 8:30-13:00 Arthur Dent lies in front of the bulldozer
6696 10:00...... ------------------
6697 12:00...... ------------------
6698 12:45...... Ford Prefect arrives and takes Arthur to the pub
6699 14:00...... ------------------
6700 16:00...... ------------------
6701 18:00...... ------------------
6702 19:00...... The Vogon reads his poem
6703 20:00...... ------------------
6704 20:30-22:15 Marvin escorts the Hitchhikers to the bridge
6707 @vindex org-agenda-use-time-grid
6708 @vindex org-agenda-time-grid
6709 The time grid can be turned on and off with the variable
6710 @code{org-agenda-use-time-grid}, and can be configured with
6711 @code{org-agenda-time-grid}.
6713 @node Sorting of agenda items, , Time-of-day specifications, Presentation and sorting
6714 @subsection Sorting of agenda items
6715 @cindex sorting, of agenda items
6716 @cindex priorities, of agenda items
6717 Before being inserted into a view, the items are sorted. How this is
6718 done depends on the type of view.
6721 @vindex org-agenda-files
6722 For the daily/weekly agenda, the items for each day are sorted. The
6723 default order is to first collect all items containing an explicit
6724 time-of-day specification. These entries will be shown at the beginning
6725 of the list, as a @emph{schedule} for the day. After that, items remain
6726 grouped in categories, in the sequence given by @code{org-agenda-files}.
6727 Within each category, items are sorted by priority (@pxref{Priorities}),
6728 which is composed of the base priority (2000 for priority @samp{A}, 1000
6729 for @samp{B}, and 0 for @samp{C}), plus additional increments for
6730 overdue scheduled or deadline items.
6732 For the TODO list, items remain in the order of categories, but within
6733 each category, sorting takes place according to priority
6734 (@pxref{Priorities}). The priority used for sorting derives from the
6735 priority cookie, with additions depending on how close an item is to its due
6738 For tags matches, items are not sorted at all, but just appear in the
6739 sequence in which they are found in the agenda files.
6742 @vindex org-agenda-sorting-strategy
6743 Sorting can be customized using the variable
6744 @code{org-agenda-sorting-strategy}, and may also include criteria based on
6745 the estimated effort of an entry (@pxref{Effort estimates}).
6747 @node Agenda commands, Custom agenda views, Presentation and sorting, Agenda Views
6748 @section Commands in the agenda buffer
6749 @cindex commands, in agenda buffer
6751 Entries in the agenda buffer are linked back to the org file or diary
6752 file where they originate. You are not allowed to edit the agenda
6753 buffer itself, but commands are provided to show and jump to the
6754 original entry location, and to edit the org-files ``remotely'' from
6755 the agenda buffer. In this way, all information is stored only once,
6756 removing the risk that your agenda and note files may diverge.
6758 Some commands can be executed with mouse clicks on agenda lines. For
6759 the other commands, the cursor needs to be in the desired line.
6762 @tsubheading{Motion}
6763 @cindex motion commands in agenda
6766 Next line (same as @key{up} and @kbd{C-p}).
6769 Previous line (same as @key{down} and @kbd{C-n}).
6770 @tsubheading{View/Go to org file}
6775 Display the original location of the item in another window.
6776 With prefix arg, make sure that the entire entry is made visible in the
6777 outline, not only the heading.
6781 Display original location and recenter that window.
6789 Go to the original location of the item in another window. Under Emacs
6790 22, @kbd{mouse-1} will also works for this.
6794 Go to the original location of the item and delete other windows.
6798 @vindex org-agenda-start-with-follow-mode
6799 Toggle Follow mode. In Follow mode, as you move the cursor through
6800 the agenda buffer, the other window always shows the corresponding
6801 location in the org file. The initial setting for this mode in new
6802 agenda buffers can be set with the variable
6803 @code{org-agenda-start-with-follow-mode}.
6807 Display the entire subtree of the current item in an indirect buffer. With a
6808 numeric prefix argument N, go up to level N and then take that tree. If N is
6809 negative, go up that many levels. With a @kbd{C-u} prefix, do not remove the
6810 previously used indirect buffer.
6814 @vindex org-log-done
6815 @vindex org-agenda-log-mode-items
6816 Toggle Logbook mode. In Logbook mode, entries that were marked DONE while
6817 logging was on (variable @code{org-log-done}) are shown in the agenda, as are
6818 entries that have been clocked on that day. You can configure the entry
6819 types that should be included in log mode using the variable
6820 @code{org-agenda-log-mode-items}. When called with a @kbd{C-u} prefix, show
6821 all possible logbook entries, including state changes. When called with two
6822 prefix args @kbd{C-u C-u}, show only logging information, nothing else.
6826 Toggle Archives mode. In archives mode, trees that are marked
6827 @code{ARCHIVED} are also scanned when producing the agenda. When you call
6828 this command with a @kbd{C-u} prefix argument, even all archive files are
6829 included. To exit archives mode, press @kbd{v} again.
6833 @vindex org-agenda-start-with-clockreport-mode
6834 Toggle Clockreport mode. In clockreport mode, the daily/weekly agenda will
6835 always show a table with the clocked times for the timespan and file scope
6836 covered by the current agenda view. The initial setting for this mode in new
6837 agenda buffers can be set with the variable
6838 @code{org-agenda-start-with-clockreport-mode}.
6840 @tsubheading{Change display}
6841 @cindex display changing, in agenda
6844 Delete other windows.
6851 Switch to day/week/month/year view. When switching to day or week view,
6852 this setting becomes the default for subsequent agenda commands. Since
6853 month and year views are slow to create, they do not become the default.
6854 A numeric prefix argument may be used to jump directly to a specific day
6855 of the year, ISO week, month, or year, respectively. For example,
6856 @kbd{32 d} jumps to February 1st, @kbd{9 w} to ISO week number 9. When
6857 setting day, week, or month view, a year may be encoded in the prefix
6858 argument as well. For example, @kbd{200712 w} will jump to week 12 in
6859 2007. If such a year specification has only one or two digits, it will
6860 be mapped to the interval 1938-2037.
6864 Toggle the inclusion of diary entries. See @ref{Weekly/daily agenda}.
6868 @vindex org-agenda-use-time-grid
6869 @vindex org-agenda-time-grid
6870 Toggle the time grid on and off. See also the variables
6871 @code{org-agenda-use-time-grid} and @code{org-agenda-time-grid}.
6875 Recreate the agenda buffer, for example to reflect the changes
6876 after modification of the time stamps of items with S-@key{left} and
6877 S-@key{right}. When the buffer is the global TODO list, a prefix
6878 argument is interpreted to create a selective list for a specific TODO
6888 Save all Org buffers in the current Emacs session, and also the locations of
6893 @vindex org-agenda-ndays
6894 Display the following @code{org-agenda-ndays} days. For example, if
6895 the display covers a week, switch to the following week. With prefix
6896 arg, go forward that many times @code{org-agenda-ndays} days.
6900 Display the previous dates.
6908 Prompt for a date and go there.
6912 @vindex org-columns-default-format
6913 Invoke column view (@pxref{Column view}) in the agenda buffer. The column
6914 view format is taken from the entry at point, or (if there is no entry at
6915 point), from the first entry in the agenda view. So whatever the format for
6916 that entry would be in the original buffer (taken from a property, from a
6917 @code{#+COLUMNS} line, or from the default variable
6918 @code{org-columns-default-format}), will be used in the agenda.
6922 Remove the restriction lock on the agenda, if it is currently restricted to a
6923 file or subtree (@pxref{Agenda files}).
6925 @tsubheading{Secondary filtering and query editing}
6926 @cindex filtering, by tag and effort, in agenda
6927 @cindex tag filtering, in agenda
6928 @cindex effort filtering, in agenda
6929 @cindex query editing, in agenda
6933 @vindex org-agenda-filter-preset
6934 Filter the current agenda view with respect to a tag and/or effort estimates.
6935 The difference between this and a custom agenda command is that filtering is
6936 very fast, so that you can switch quickly between different filters without
6937 having to recreate the agenda@footnote{Custom commands can preset a filter by
6938 binding the variable @code{org-agenda-filter-preset} as an option. This
6939 filter will then be applied to the view and presist as a basic filter through
6940 refreshes and more secondary filtering.}
6942 You will be prompted for a tag selection letter. Pressing @key{TAB} at that
6943 prompt will offer use completion to select a tag (including any tags that do
6944 not have a selection character). The command then hides all entries that do
6945 not contain or inherit this tag. When called with prefix arg, remove the
6946 entries that @emph{do} have the tag. A second @kbd{/} at the prompt will
6947 turn off the filter and unhide any hidden entries. If the first key you
6948 press is either @kbd{+} or @kbd{-}, the previous filter will be narrowed by
6949 requiring or forbidding the selected additional tag. Instead of pressing
6950 @kbd{+} or @kbd{-} after @kbd{/}, you can also immediately use the @kbd{\}
6953 @vindex org-sort-agenda-noeffort-is-high
6954 In order to filter for effort estimates, you should set-up allowed
6955 efforts globally, for example
6957 (setq org-global-properties
6958 '(("Effort_ALL". "0 0:10 0:30 1:00 2:00 3:00 4:00")))
6960 You can then filter for an effort by first typing an operator, one of
6961 @kbd{<}, @kbd{>}, and @kbd{=}, and then the one-digit index of an effort
6962 estimate in your array of allowed values, where @kbd{0} means the 10th value.
6963 The filter will then restrict to entries with effort smaller-or-equal, equal,
6964 or larger-or-equal than the selected value. If the digits 0-9 are not used
6965 as fast access keys to tags, you can also simply press the index digit
6966 directly without an operator. In this case, @kbd{<} will be assumed. For
6967 application of the operator, entries without a defined effort will be treated
6968 according to the value of @code{org-sort-agenda-noeffort-is-high}. To filter
6969 for tasks without effort definition, press @kbd{?} as the operator.
6973 Narrow the current agenda filter by an additional condition. When called with
6974 prefix arg, remove the entries that @emph{do} have the tag, or that do match
6975 the effort criterion. You can achieve the same effect by pressing @kbd{+} or
6976 @kbd{-} as the first key after the @kbd{/} command.
6983 In the @i{search view} (@pxref{Keyword search}), these keys add new search
6984 words (@kbd{[} and @kbd{]}) or new regular expressions (@kbd{@{} and
6985 @kbd{@}}) to the query string. The opening bracket/brace will add a positive
6986 search term prefixed by @samp{+}, indicating that this search term @i{must}
6987 occur/match in the entry. The closing bracket/brace will add a negative
6988 search term which @i{must not} occur/match in the entry for it to be
6992 @tsubheading{Remote editing}
6993 @cindex remote editing, from agenda
6998 @cindex undoing remote-editing events
6999 @cindex remote editing, undo
7002 Undo a change due to a remote editing command. The change is undone
7003 both in the agenda buffer and in the remote buffer.
7007 Change the TODO state of the item, both in the agenda and in the
7012 @vindex org-agenda-confirm-kill
7013 Delete the current agenda item along with the entire subtree belonging
7014 to it in the original Org file. If the text to be deleted remotely
7015 is longer than one line, the kill needs to be confirmed by the user. See
7016 variable @code{org-agenda-confirm-kill}.
7020 Toggle the ARCHIVE tag for the current headline.
7024 Move the subtree corresponding to the current entry to its @emph{Archive
7029 Archive the subtree corresponding to the current headline. This means the
7030 entry will be moved to the configured archive location, most likely a
7035 @vindex org-agenda-show-inherited-tags
7036 Show all tags associated with the current item. This is useful if you have
7037 turned off @code{org-agenda-show-inherited-tags}, but still want to see all
7038 tags of a headline occasionally.
7042 Set tags for the current headline. If there is an active region in the
7043 agenda, change a tag for all headings in the region.
7047 Set the priority for the current item. Org mode prompts for the
7048 priority character. If you reply with @key{SPC}, the priority cookie
7049 is removed from the entry.
7053 Display weighted priority of current item.
7059 Increase the priority of the current item. The priority is changed in
7060 the original buffer, but the agenda is not resorted. Use the @kbd{r}
7064 @kindex S-@key{down}
7067 Decrease the priority of the current item.
7071 @vindex org-log-into-drawer
7072 Add a note to the entry. This note will be recorded, and then files to the
7073 same location where state change notes a put. Depending on
7074 @code{org-log-into-drawer}, this maybe inside a drawer.
7078 Dispatcher for all command related to attachments.
7086 Set a deadline for this item.
7090 Agenda actions, to set dates for selected items to the cursor date.
7091 This command also works in the calendar! The command prompts for an
7094 m @r{Mark the entry at point for action. You can also make entries}
7095 @r{in Org files with @kbd{C-c C-x C-k}.}
7096 d @r{Set the deadline of the marked entry to the date at point.}
7097 s @r{Schedule the marked entry at the date at point.}
7098 r @r{Call @code{org-remember} with the cursor date as default date.}
7100 Press @kbd{r} afterward to refresh the agenda and see the effect of the
7103 @kindex S-@key{right}
7105 Change the time stamp associated with the current line by one day into the
7106 future. With a numeric prefix argument, change it by that many days. For
7107 example, @kbd{3 6 5 S-@key{right}} will change it by a year. With a
7108 @kbd{C-u} prefix, change the time by one hour. If you immediately repeat the
7109 command, it will continue to change hours even without the prefix arg. With
7110 a double @kbd{C-u C-u} prefix, do the same for changing minutes. The stamp
7111 is changed in the original org file, but the change is not directly reflected
7112 in the agenda buffer. Use @kbd{r} or @kbd{g} to update the buffer.
7114 @kindex S-@key{left}
7116 Change the time stamp associated with the current line by one day
7121 Change the time stamp associated with the current line to today.
7122 The key @kbd{>} has been chosen, because it is the same as @kbd{S-.}
7127 Start the clock on the current item. If a clock is running already, it
7132 Stop the previously started clock.
7136 Cancel the currently running clock.
7140 Jump to the running clock in another window.
7142 @tsubheading{Calendar commands}
7143 @cindex calendar commands, from agenda
7146 Open the Emacs calendar and move to the date at the agenda cursor.
7149 When in the calendar, compute and show the Org mode agenda for the
7152 @cindex diary entries, creating from agenda
7155 Insert a new entry into the diary. Prompts for the type of entry
7156 (day, weekly, monthly, yearly, anniversary, cyclic) and creates a new
7157 entry in the diary, just as @kbd{i d} etc. would do in the calendar.
7158 The date is taken from the cursor position.
7162 Show the phases of the moon for the three months around current date.
7166 Show sunrise and sunset times. The geographical location must be set
7167 with calendar variables, see documentation of the Emacs calendar.
7171 Convert the date at cursor into many other cultural and historic
7176 Show holidays for three month around the cursor date.
7178 @item M-x org-export-icalendar-combine-agenda-files
7179 Export a single iCalendar file containing entries from all agenda files.
7180 This is a globally available command, and also available in the agenda menu.
7182 @tsubheading{Exporting to a file}
7185 @cindex exporting agenda views
7186 @cindex agenda views, exporting
7187 @vindex org-agenda-exporter-settings
7188 Write the agenda view to a file. Depending on the extension of the selected
7189 file name, the view will be exported as HTML (extension @file{.html} or
7190 @file{.htm}), Postscript (extension @file{.ps}), PDF (extension @file{.pdf}),
7191 or plain text (any other extension). When called with a @kbd{C-u} prefix
7192 argument, immediately open the newly created file. Use the variable
7193 @code{org-agenda-exporter-settings} to set options for @file{ps-print} and
7194 for @file{htmlize} to be used during export.
7196 @tsubheading{Quit and Exit}
7199 Quit agenda, remove the agenda buffer.
7202 @cindex agenda files, removing buffers
7204 Exit agenda, remove the agenda buffer and all buffers loaded by Emacs
7205 for the compilation of the agenda. Buffers created by the user to
7206 visit org files will not be removed.
7210 @node Custom agenda views, Exporting Agenda Views, Agenda commands, Agenda Views
7211 @section Custom agenda views
7212 @cindex custom agenda views
7213 @cindex agenda views, custom
7215 Custom agenda commands serve two purposes: to store and quickly access
7216 frequently used TODO and tags searches, and to create special composite
7217 agenda buffers. Custom agenda commands will be accessible through the
7218 dispatcher (@pxref{Agenda dispatcher}), just like the default commands.
7221 * Storing searches:: Type once, use often
7222 * Block agenda:: All the stuff you need in a single buffer
7223 * Setting Options:: Changing the rules
7226 @node Storing searches, Block agenda, Custom agenda views, Custom agenda views
7227 @subsection Storing searches
7229 The first application of custom searches is the definition of keyboard
7230 shortcuts for frequently used searches, either creating an agenda
7231 buffer, or a sparse tree (the latter covering of course only the current
7234 @vindex org-agenda-custom-commands
7235 Custom commands are configured in the variable
7236 @code{org-agenda-custom-commands}. You can customize this variable, for
7237 example by pressing @kbd{C-c a C}. You can also directly set it with
7238 Emacs Lisp in @file{.emacs}. The following example contains all valid
7243 (setq org-agenda-custom-commands
7244 '(("w" todo "WAITING")
7245 ("W" todo-tree "WAITING")
7246 ("u" tags "+boss-urgent")
7247 ("v" tags-todo "+boss-urgent")
7248 ("U" tags-tree "+boss-urgent")
7249 ("f" occur-tree "\\<FIXME\\>")
7250 ("h" . "HOME+Name tags searches") ; description for "h" prefix
7251 ("hl" tags "+home+Lisa")
7252 ("hp" tags "+home+Peter")
7253 ("hk" tags "+home+Kim")))
7258 The initial string in each entry defines the keys you have to press
7259 after the dispatcher command @kbd{C-c a} in order to access the command.
7260 Usually this will be just a single character, but if you have many
7261 similar commands, you can also define two-letter combinations where the
7262 first character is the same in several combinations and serves as a
7263 prefix key@footnote{You can provide a description for a prefix key by
7264 inserting a cons cell with the prefix and the description.}. The second
7265 parameter is the search type, followed by the string or regular
7266 expression to be used for the matching. The example above will
7271 as a global search for TODO entries with @samp{WAITING} as the TODO
7274 as the same search, but only in the current buffer and displaying the
7275 results as a sparse tree
7277 as a global tags search for headlines marked @samp{:boss:} but not
7280 as the same search as @kbd{C-c a u}, but limiting the search to
7281 headlines that are also TODO items
7283 as the same search as @kbd{C-c a u}, but only in the current buffer and
7284 displaying the result as a sparse tree
7286 to create a sparse tree (again: current buffer only) with all entries
7287 containing the word @samp{FIXME}
7289 as a prefix command for a HOME tags search where you have to press an
7290 additional key (@kbd{l}, @kbd{p} or @kbd{k}) to select a name (Lisa,
7291 Peter, or Kim) as additional tag to match.
7294 @node Block agenda, Setting Options, Storing searches, Custom agenda views
7295 @subsection Block agenda
7296 @cindex block agenda
7297 @cindex agenda, with block views
7299 Another possibility is the construction of agenda views that comprise
7300 the results of @emph{several} commands, each of which creates a block in
7301 the agenda buffer. The available commands include @code{agenda} for the
7302 daily or weekly agenda (as created with @kbd{C-c a a}), @code{alltodo}
7303 for the global TODO list (as constructed with @kbd{C-c a t}), and the
7304 matching commands discussed above: @code{todo}, @code{tags}, and
7305 @code{tags-todo}. Here are two examples:
7309 (setq org-agenda-custom-commands
7310 '(("h" "Agenda and Home-related tasks"
7314 ("o" "Agenda and Office-related tasks"
7322 This will define @kbd{C-c a h} to create a multi-block view for stuff
7323 you need to attend to at home. The resulting agenda buffer will contain
7324 your agenda for the current week, all TODO items that carry the tag
7325 @samp{home}, and also all lines tagged with @samp{garden}. Finally the
7326 command @kbd{C-c a o} provides a similar view for office tasks.
7328 @node Setting Options, , Block agenda, Custom agenda views
7329 @subsection Setting options for custom commands
7330 @cindex options, for custom agenda views
7332 @vindex org-agenda-custom-commands
7333 Org mode contains a number of variables regulating agenda construction
7334 and display. The global variables define the behavior for all agenda
7335 commands, including the custom commands. However, if you want to change
7336 some settings just for a single custom view, you can do so. Setting
7337 options requires inserting a list of variable names and values at the
7338 right spot in @code{org-agenda-custom-commands}. For example:
7342 (setq org-agenda-custom-commands
7343 '(("w" todo "WAITING"
7344 ((org-agenda-sorting-strategy '(priority-down))
7345 (org-agenda-prefix-format " Mixed: ")))
7346 ("U" tags-tree "+boss-urgent"
7347 ((org-show-following-heading nil)
7348 (org-show-hierarchy-above nil)))
7350 ((org-agenda-files '("~org/notes.org"))
7351 (org-agenda-text-search-extra-files nil)))))
7356 Now the @kbd{C-c a w} command will sort the collected entries only by
7357 priority, and the prefix format is modified to just say @samp{ Mixed: }
7358 instead of giving the category of the entry. The sparse tags tree of
7359 @kbd{C-c a U} will now turn out ultra-compact, because neither the
7360 headline hierarchy above the match, nor the headline following the match
7361 will be shown. The command @kbd{C-c a N} will do a text search limited
7362 to only a single file.
7364 @vindex org-agenda-custom-commands
7365 For command sets creating a block agenda,
7366 @code{org-agenda-custom-commands} has two separate spots for setting
7367 options. You can add options that should be valid for just a single
7368 command in the set, and options that should be valid for all commands in
7369 the set. The former are just added to the command entry, the latter
7370 must come after the list of command entries. Going back to the block
7371 agenda example (@pxref{Block agenda}), let's change the sorting strategy
7372 for the @kbd{C-c a h} commands to @code{priority-down}, but let's sort
7373 the results for GARDEN tags query in the opposite order,
7374 @code{priority-up}. This would look like this:
7378 (setq org-agenda-custom-commands
7379 '(("h" "Agenda and Home-related tasks"
7383 ((org-agenda-sorting-strategy '(priority-up)))))
7384 ((org-agenda-sorting-strategy '(priority-down))))
7385 ("o" "Agenda and Office-related tasks"
7392 As you see, the values and parenthesis setting is a little complex.
7393 When in doubt, use the customize interface to set this variable - it
7394 fully supports its structure. Just one caveat: When setting options in
7395 this interface, the @emph{values} are just lisp expressions. So if the
7396 value is a string, you need to add the double quotes around the value
7400 @node Exporting Agenda Views, Agenda column view, Custom agenda views, Agenda Views
7401 @section Exporting Agenda Views
7402 @cindex agenda views, exporting
7404 If you are away from your computer, it can be very useful to have a printed
7405 version of some agenda views to carry around. Org mode can export custom
7406 agenda views as plain text, HTML@footnote{You need to install Hrvoje Niksic's
7407 @file{htmlize.el}.}, Postscript, PDF@footnote{To create PDF output, the
7408 ghostscript @file{ps2pdf} utility must be installed on the system. Selecting
7409 a pdf file with also create the postscript file.}, and iCalendar files. If
7410 you want to do this only occasionally, use the command
7415 @cindex exporting agenda views
7416 @cindex agenda views, exporting
7417 @vindex org-agenda-exporter-settings
7418 Write the agenda view to a file. Depending on the extension of the
7419 selected file name, the view will be exported as HTML (extension
7420 @file{.html} or @file{.htm}), Postscript (extension @file{.ps}),
7421 iCalendar (extension @file{.ics}), or plain text (any other extension).
7422 Use the variable @code{org-agenda-exporter-settings} to
7423 set options for @file{ps-print} and for @file{htmlize} to be used during
7426 @vindex org-agenda-add-entry-text-maxlines
7427 @vindex htmlize-output-type
7428 @vindex ps-number-of-columns
7429 @vindex ps-landscape-mode
7431 (setq org-agenda-exporter-settings
7432 '((ps-number-of-columns 2)
7433 (ps-landscape-mode t)
7434 (org-agenda-add-entry-text-maxlines 5)
7435 (htmlize-output-type 'css)))
7439 If you need to export certain agenda views frequently, you can associate
7440 any custom agenda command with a list of output file names
7441 @footnote{If you want to store standard views like the weekly agenda
7442 or the global TODO list as well, you need to define custom commands for
7443 them in order to be able to specify file names.}. Here is an example
7444 that first does define custom commands for the agenda and the global
7445 todo list, together with a number of files to which to export them.
7446 Then we define two block agenda commands and specify file names for them
7447 as well. File names can be relative to the current working directory,
7452 (setq org-agenda-custom-commands
7453 '(("X" agenda "" nil ("agenda.html" "agenda.ps"))
7454 ("Y" alltodo "" nil ("todo.html" "todo.txt" "todo.ps"))
7455 ("h" "Agenda and Home-related tasks"
7460 ("~/views/home.html"))
7461 ("o" "Agenda and Office-related tasks"
7466 ("~/views/office.ps" "~/calendars/office.ics"))))
7470 The extension of the file name determines the type of export. If it is
7471 @file{.html}, Org mode will use the @file{htmlize.el} package to convert
7472 the buffer to HTML and save it to this file name. If the extension is
7473 @file{.ps}, @code{ps-print-buffer-with-faces} is used to produce
7474 postscript output. If the extension is @file{.ics}, iCalendar export is
7475 run export over all files that were used to construct the agenda, and
7476 limit the export to entries listed in the agenda now. Any other
7477 extension produces a plain ASCII file.
7479 The export files are @emph{not} created when you use one of those
7480 commands interactively because this might use too much overhead.
7481 Instead, there is a special command to produce @emph{all} specified
7487 Export all agenda views that have export file names associated with
7491 You can use the options section of the custom agenda commands to also
7492 set options for the export commands. For example:
7495 (setq org-agenda-custom-commands
7497 ((ps-number-of-columns 2)
7498 (ps-landscape-mode t)
7499 (org-agenda-prefix-format " [ ] ")
7500 (org-agenda-with-colors nil)
7501 (org-agenda-remove-tags t))
7506 This command sets two options for the postscript exporter, to make it
7507 print in two columns in landscape format - the resulting page can be cut
7508 in two and then used in a paper agenda. The remaining settings modify
7509 the agenda prefix to omit category and scheduling information, and
7510 instead include a checkbox to check off items. We also remove the tags
7511 to make the lines compact, and we don't want to use colors for the
7512 black-and-white printer. Settings specified in
7513 @code{org-agenda-exporter-settings} will also apply, but the settings
7514 in @code{org-agenda-custom-commands} take precedence.
7517 From the command line you may also use
7519 emacs -f org-batch-store-agenda-views -kill
7522 or, if you need to modify some parameters@footnote{Quoting may depend on the
7523 system you use, please check th FAQ for examples.}
7525 emacs -eval '(org-batch-store-agenda-views \
7526 org-agenda-ndays 30 \
7527 org-agenda-start-day "2007-11-01" \
7528 org-agenda-include-diary nil \
7529 org-agenda-files (quote ("~/org/project.org")))' \
7533 which will create the agenda views restricted to the file
7534 @file{~/org/project.org}, without diary entries and with 30 days
7537 You can also extract agenda information in a way that allows further
7538 processing by other programs. See @ref{Extracting agenda information} for
7542 @node Agenda column view, , Exporting Agenda Views, Agenda Views
7543 @section Using column view in the agenda
7544 @cindex column view, in agenda
7545 @cindex agenda, column view
7547 Column view (@pxref{Column view}) is normally used to view and edit
7548 properties embedded in the hierarchical structure of an Org file. It can be
7549 quite useful to use column view also from the agenda, where entries are
7550 collected by certain criteria.
7555 Turn on column view in the agenda.
7558 To understand how to use this properly, it is important to realize that the
7559 entries in the agenda are no longer in their proper outline environment.
7560 This causes the following issues:
7564 @vindex org-columns-default-format
7565 @vindex org-overriding-columns-format
7566 Org needs to make a decision which @code{COLUMNS} format to use. Since the
7567 entries in the agenda are collected from different files, and different files
7568 may have different @code{COLUMNS} formats, this is a non-trivial problem.
7569 Org first checks if the variable @code{org-overriding-columns-format} is
7570 currently set, and if yes takes the format from there. Otherwise it takes
7571 the format associated with the first item in the agenda, or, if that item
7572 does not have a specific format (defined in a property, or in it's file), it
7573 uses @code{org-columns-default-format}.
7575 @cindex property (special): CLOCKSUM
7576 If any of the columns has a summary type defined (@pxref{Column attributes}),
7577 turning on column view in the agenda will visit all relevant agenda files and
7578 make sure that the computations of this property are up to date. This is
7579 also true for the special @code{CLOCKSUM} property. Org will then sum the
7580 values displayed in the agenda. In the daily/weekly agenda, the sums will
7581 cover a single day, in all other views they cover the entire block. It is
7582 vital to realize that the agenda may show the same entry @emph{twice} (for
7583 example as scheduled and as a deadline), and it may show two entries from the
7584 same hierarchy (for example a @emph{parent} and it's @emph{child}). In these
7585 cases, the summation in the agenda will lead to incorrect results because
7586 some values will count double.
7588 When the column view in the agenda shows the @code{CLOCKSUM}, that is always
7589 the entire clocked time for this item. So even in the daily/weekly agenda,
7590 the clocksum listed in column view may originate from times outside the
7591 current view. This has the advantage that you can compare these values with
7592 a column listing the planned total effort for a task - one of the major
7593 applications for column view in the agenda. If you want information about
7594 clocked time in the displayed period use clock table mode (press @kbd{R} in
7599 @node Embedded LaTeX, Exporting, Agenda Views, Top
7600 @chapter Embedded LaTeX
7601 @cindex @TeX{} interpretation
7602 @cindex La@TeX{} interpretation
7604 Plain ASCII is normally sufficient for almost all note taking. One
7605 exception, however, are scientific notes which need to be able to contain
7606 mathematical symbols and the occasional formula. La@TeX{}@footnote{La@TeX{}
7607 is a macro system based on Donald E. Knuth's @TeX{} system. Many of the
7608 features described here as ``La@TeX{}'' are really from @TeX{}, but for
7609 simplicity I am blurring this distinction.} is widely used to typeset
7610 scientific documents. Org mode supports embedding La@TeX{} code into its
7611 files, because many academics are used to reading La@TeX{} source code, and
7612 because it can be readily processed into images for HTML production.
7614 It is not necessary to mark La@TeX{} macros and code in any special way.
7615 If you observe a few conventions, Org mode knows how to find it and what
7619 * Math symbols:: TeX macros for symbols and Greek letters
7620 * Subscripts and superscripts:: Simple syntax for raising/lowering text
7621 * LaTeX fragments:: Complex formulas made easy
7622 * Processing LaTeX fragments:: Previewing LaTeX processing
7623 * CDLaTeX mode:: Speed up entering of formulas
7626 @node Math symbols, Subscripts and superscripts, Embedded LaTeX, Embedded LaTeX
7627 @section Math symbols
7628 @cindex math symbols
7631 You can use La@TeX{} macros to insert special symbols like @samp{\alpha} to
7632 indicate the Greek letter, or @samp{\to} to indicate an arrow. Completion
7633 for these macros is available, just type @samp{\} and maybe a few letters,
7634 and press @kbd{M-@key{TAB}} to see possible completions. Unlike La@TeX{}
7635 code, Org mode allows these macros to be present without surrounding math
7636 delimiters, for example:
7639 Angles are written as Greek letters \alpha, \beta and \gamma.
7642 During HTML export (@pxref{HTML export}), these symbols are translated
7643 into the proper syntax for HTML, for the above examples this is
7644 @samp{α} and @samp{→}, respectively. If you need such a symbol
7645 inside a word, terminate it like this: @samp{\Aacute@{@}stor}.
7647 @node Subscripts and superscripts, LaTeX fragments, Math symbols, Embedded LaTeX
7648 @section Subscripts and superscripts
7652 Just like in La@TeX{}, @samp{^} and @samp{_} are used to indicate super-
7653 and subscripts. Again, these can be used without embedding them in
7654 math-mode delimiters. To increase the readability of ASCII text, it is
7655 not necessary (but OK) to surround multi-character sub- and superscripts
7656 with curly braces. For example
7659 The mass if the sun is M_sun = 1.989 x 10^30 kg. The radius of
7660 the sun is R_@{sun@} = 6.96 x 10^8 m.
7663 To avoid interpretation as raised or lowered text, you can quote
7664 @samp{^} and @samp{_} with a backslash: @samp{\_} and @samp{\^}.
7666 During HTML export (@pxref{HTML export}), subscript and superscripts
7667 are surrounded with @code{<sub>} and @code{<sup>} tags, respectively.
7669 @node LaTeX fragments, Processing LaTeX fragments, Subscripts and superscripts, Embedded LaTeX
7670 @section LaTeX fragments
7671 @cindex LaTeX fragments
7673 @vindex org-format-latex-header
7674 With symbols, sub- and superscripts, HTML is pretty much at its end when
7675 it comes to representing mathematical formulas@footnote{Yes, there is
7676 MathML, but that is not yet fully supported by many browsers, and there
7677 is no decent converter for turning La@TeX{} or ASCII representations of
7678 formulas into MathML. So for the time being, converting formulas into
7679 images seems the way to go.}. More complex expressions need a dedicated
7680 formula processor. To this end, Org mode can contain arbitrary La@TeX{}
7681 fragments. It provides commands to preview the typeset result of these
7682 fragments, and upon export to HTML, all fragments will be converted to
7683 images and inlined into the HTML document@footnote{The La@TeX{} export
7684 will not use images for displaying La@TeX{} fragments but include these
7685 fragments directly into the La@TeX{} code.}. For this to work you
7686 need to be on a system with a working La@TeX{} installation. You also
7687 need the @file{dvipng} program, available at
7688 @url{http://sourceforge.net/projects/dvipng/}. The La@TeX{} header that
7689 will be used when processing a fragment can be configured with the
7690 variable @code{org-format-latex-header}.
7692 La@TeX{} fragments don't need any special marking at all. The following
7693 snippets will be identified as La@TeX{} source code:
7696 Environments of any kind. The only requirement is that the
7697 @code{\begin} statement appears on a new line, preceded by only
7700 Text within the usual La@TeX{} math delimiters. To avoid conflicts with
7701 currency specifications, single @samp{$} characters are only recognized as
7702 math delimiters if the enclosed text contains at most two line breaks, is
7703 directly attached to the @samp{$} characters with no whitespace in between,
7704 and if the closing @samp{$} is followed by whitespace, punctuation or a dash.
7705 For the other delimiters, there is no such restriction, so when in doubt, use
7706 @samp{\(...\)} as inline math delimiters.
7709 @noindent For example:
7712 \begin@{equation@} % arbitrary environments,
7713 x=\sqrt@{b@} % even tables, figures
7714 \end@{equation@} % etc
7716 If $a^2=b$ and \( b=2 \), then the solution must be
7717 either $$ a=+\sqrt@{2@} $$ or \[ a=-\sqrt@{2@} \].
7721 @vindex org-format-latex-options
7722 If you need any of the delimiter ASCII sequences for other purposes, you
7723 can configure the option @code{org-format-latex-options} to deselect the
7724 ones you do not wish to have interpreted by the La@TeX{} converter.
7726 @node Processing LaTeX fragments, CDLaTeX mode, LaTeX fragments, Embedded LaTeX
7727 @section Processing LaTeX fragments
7728 @cindex LaTeX fragments, preview
7730 La@TeX{} fragments can be processed to produce a preview images of the
7731 typeset expressions:
7736 Produce a preview image of the La@TeX{} fragment at point and overlay it
7737 over the source code. If there is no fragment at point, process all
7738 fragments in the current entry (between two headlines). When called
7739 with a prefix argument, process the entire subtree. When called with
7740 two prefix arguments, or when the cursor is before the first headline,
7741 process the entire buffer.
7744 Remove the overlay preview images.
7747 During HTML export (@pxref{HTML export}), all La@TeX{} fragments are
7748 converted into images and inlined into the document if the following
7752 (setq org-export-with-LaTeX-fragments t)
7755 @node CDLaTeX mode, , Processing LaTeX fragments, Embedded LaTeX
7756 @section Using CDLaTeX to enter math
7759 CDLaTeX mode is a minor mode that is normally used in combination with a
7760 major La@TeX{} mode like AUCTeX in order to speed-up insertion of
7761 environments and math templates. Inside Org mode, you can make use of
7762 some of the features of CDLaTeX mode. You need to install
7763 @file{cdlatex.el} and @file{texmathp.el} (the latter comes also with
7764 AUCTeX) from @url{http://www.astro.uva.nl/~dominik/Tools/cdlatex}.
7765 Don't use CDLaTeX mode itself under Org mode, but use the light
7766 version @code{org-cdlatex-mode} that comes as part of Org mode. Turn it
7767 on for the current buffer with @code{M-x org-cdlatex-mode}, or for all
7771 (add-hook 'org-mode-hook 'turn-on-org-cdlatex)
7774 When this mode is enabled, the following features are present (for more
7775 details see the documentation of CDLaTeX mode):
7779 Environment templates can be inserted with @kbd{C-c @{}.
7782 The @key{TAB} key will do template expansion if the cursor is inside a
7783 La@TeX{} fragment@footnote{Org mode has a method to test if the cursor is
7784 inside such a fragment, see the documentation of the function
7785 @code{org-inside-LaTeX-fragment-p}.}. For example, @key{TAB} will
7786 expand @code{fr} to @code{\frac@{@}@{@}} and position the cursor
7787 correctly inside the first brace. Another @key{TAB} will get you into
7788 the second brace. Even outside fragments, @key{TAB} will expand
7789 environment abbreviations at the beginning of a line. For example, if
7790 you write @samp{equ} at the beginning of a line and press @key{TAB},
7791 this abbreviation will be expanded to an @code{equation} environment.
7792 To get a list of all abbreviations, type @kbd{M-x cdlatex-command-help}.
7796 @vindex cdlatex-simplify-sub-super-scripts
7797 Pressing @kbd{_} and @kbd{^} inside a La@TeX{} fragment will insert these
7798 characters together with a pair of braces. If you use @key{TAB} to move
7799 out of the braces, and if the braces surround only a single character or
7800 macro, they are removed again (depending on the variable
7801 @code{cdlatex-simplify-sub-super-scripts}).
7804 Pressing the backquote @kbd{`} followed by a character inserts math
7805 macros, also outside La@TeX{} fragments. If you wait more than 1.5 seconds
7806 after the backquote, a help window will pop up.
7809 Pressing the normal quote @kbd{'} followed by another character modifies
7810 the symbol before point with an accent or a font. If you wait more than
7811 1.5 seconds after the backquote, a help window will pop up. Character
7812 modification will work only inside La@TeX{} fragments, outside the quote
7816 @node Exporting, Publishing, Embedded LaTeX, Top
7820 Org mode documents can be exported into a variety of other formats. For
7821 printing and sharing of notes, ASCII export produces a readable and simple
7822 version of an Org file. HTML export allows you to publish a notes file on
7823 the web, while the XOXO format provides a solid base for exchange with a
7824 broad range of other applications. La@TeX{} export lets you use Org mode and
7825 its structured editing functions to easily create La@TeX{} files. DocBook
7826 export makes it possible to convert Org files to many other formats using
7827 DocBook tools. To incorporate entries with associated times like deadlines
7828 or appointments into a desktop calendar program like iCal, Org mode can also
7829 produce extracts in the iCalendar format. Currently Org mode only supports
7830 export, not import of these different formats.
7832 Org supports export of selected regions when @code{transient-mark-mode} is
7833 enabled (default in Emacs 23).
7836 * Markup rules:: Which structures are recognized?
7837 * Selective export:: Using tags to select and exclude trees
7838 * Export options:: Per-file export settings
7839 * The export dispatcher:: How to access exporter commands
7840 * ASCII export:: Exporting to plain ASCII
7841 * HTML export:: Exporting to HTML
7842 * LaTeX and PDF export:: Exporting to LaTeX, and processing to PDF
7843 * DocBook export:: Exporting to DocBook
7844 * XOXO export:: Exporting to XOXO
7845 * iCalendar export:: Exporting in iCalendar format
7848 @node Markup rules, Selective export, Exporting, Exporting
7849 @section Markup rules
7851 When exporting Org mode documents, the exporter tries to reflect the
7852 structure of the document as accurately as possible in the back-end. Since
7853 export targets like HTML, La@TeX{}, or DocBook allow much richer formatting,
7854 Org mode has rules how to prepare text for rich export. This section
7855 summarizes the markup rule used in an Org mode buffer.
7858 * Document title:: How the document title is determined
7859 * Headings and sections:: The main structure of the exported document
7860 * Table of contents:: If, where, how to create a table of contents
7861 * Initial text:: Text before the first headline
7862 * Lists:: Plain lists are exported
7863 * Paragraphs:: What determines beginning and ending
7864 * Literal examples:: Source code and other examples
7865 * Include files:: Include the contents of a file during export
7866 * Tables exported:: Tables are exported richly
7867 * Inlined images:: How to inline images during export
7868 * Footnote markup:: ASCII representation of footnotes
7869 * Emphasis and monospace:: To bold or not to bold
7870 * TeX macros and LaTeX fragments:: Create special, rich export.
7871 * Horizontal rules:: A line across the page
7872 * Comment lines:: Some lines will not be exported
7873 * Macro replacement:: Global replacement of place holdes
7876 @node Document title, Headings and sections, Markup rules, Markup rules
7877 @subheading Document title
7878 @cindex document title, markup rules
7881 The title of the exported document is taken from the special line
7884 #+TITLE: This is the title of the document
7888 If this line does not exist, the title is derived from the first non-empty,
7889 non-comment line in the buffer. If no such line exists, or if you have
7890 turned off exporting of the text before the first headline (see below), the
7891 title will be the file name without extension.
7893 @cindex property: EXPORT_TITLE
7894 If you are exporting only a subtree by marking is as the region, the heading
7895 of the subtree will become the title of the document. If the subtree has a
7896 property @code{EXPORT_TITLE}, that will take precedence.
7898 @node Headings and sections, Table of contents, Document title, Markup rules
7899 @subheading Headings and sections
7900 @cindex headings and sections, markup rules
7902 @vindex org-headline-levels
7903 The outline structure of the document as described in @ref{Document
7904 Structure} forms the basis for defining sections of the exported document.
7905 However, since the outline structure is also used for (for example) lists of
7906 tasks, only the first three outline levels will be used as headings. Deeper
7907 levels will become itemized lists. You can change the location of this
7908 switch, globally by setting the variable @code{org-headline-levels}, or on a
7909 per file basis with a line
7915 @node Table of contents, Initial text, Headings and sections, Markup rules
7916 @subheading Table of contents
7917 @cindex table of contents, markup rules
7919 @vindex org-export-with-toc
7920 The table of contents is normally inserted directly before the first headline
7921 of the file. If you would like to get it to a different location, insert the
7922 string @code{[TABLE-OF-CONTENTS]} on a line by itself at the desired
7923 location. The depth of the table of contents is by default the same as the
7924 number of headline levels, but you can choose a smaller number or turn off
7925 the table of contents entirely by configuring the variable
7926 @code{org-export-with-toc}, or on a per-file basis with a line like
7929 #+OPTIONS: toc:2 (only to two levels in TOC)
7930 #+OPTIONS: toc:nil (no TOC at all)
7933 @node Initial text, Lists, Table of contents, Markup rules
7934 @subheading Text before the first headline
7935 @cindex text before first headline, markup rules
7938 Org mode normally exports the text before the first headline, and even uses
7939 the first line as the document title. The text will be fully marked up. If
7940 you need to include literal HTML, La@TeX{}, or DocBook code, use the special
7941 constructs described below in the sections for the individual exporters.
7943 @vindex org-export-skip-text-before-1st-heading
7944 Some people like to use the space before the first headline for setup and
7945 internal links and therefore would like to control the exported text before
7946 the first headline in a different way. You can do so by setting the variable
7947 @code{org-export-skip-text-before-1st-heading} to @code{t}. On a per-file
7948 basis, you can get the same effect with @samp{#+OPTIONS: skip:t}.
7951 If you still want to have some text before the first headline, use the
7952 @code{#+TEXT} construct:
7956 #+TEXT: This text will go before the *first* headline.
7957 #+TEXT: [TABLE-OF-CONTENTS]
7958 #+TEXT: This goes between the table of contents and the first headline
7961 @node Lists, Paragraphs, Initial text, Markup rules
7963 @cindex lists, markup rules
7965 Plain lists as described in @ref{Plain lists} are translated to the back-ends
7966 syntax for such lists. Most back-ends support unordered, ordered, and
7969 @node Paragraphs, Literal examples, Lists, Markup rules
7970 @subheading Paragraphs, line breaks, and quoting
7971 @cindex paragraphs, markup rules
7973 Paragraphs are separated by at least one empty line. If you need to enforce
7974 a line break within a paragraph, use @samp{\\} at the end of a line.
7976 To keep the line breaks in a region, but otherwise use normal formatting, you
7977 can use this construct, which can also be used to format poetry.
7981 Great clouds overhead
7982 Tiny black birds rise and fall
7989 When quoting a passage from another document, it is customary to format this
7990 as a paragraph that is indented on both the left and the right margin. You
7991 can include quotations in Org mode documents like this:
7995 Everything should be made as simple as possible,
7996 but not any simpler -- Albert Einstein
8000 If you would like to center some text, do it like this:
8003 Everything should be made as simple as possible, \\
8008 @node Literal examples, Include files, Paragraphs, Markup rules
8009 @subheading Literal examples
8010 @cindex literal examples, markup rules
8011 @cindex code line refenences, markup rules
8013 You can include literal examples that should not be subjected to
8014 markup. Such examples will be typeset in monospace, so this is well suited
8015 for source code and similar examples.
8016 @cindex #+BEGIN_EXAMPLE
8020 Some example from a text file.
8024 Note that such blocks may be @i{indented} in order to align nicely with
8025 indented text and in particular with plain list structure (@pxref{Plain
8026 lists}). For simplicity when using small examples, you can also start the
8027 example lines with a colon followed by a space. There may also be additional
8028 whitespace before the colon:
8032 : Some example from a text file.
8035 @cindex formatting source code, markup rules
8036 If the example is source code from a programming language, or any other text
8037 that can be marked up by font-lock in Emacs, you can ask for the example to
8038 look like the fontified Emacs buffer@footnote{Currently this works only for
8039 the HTML back-end, and requires the @file{htmlize.el} package version 1.34 or
8040 later.}. This is done with the @samp{src} block, where you also need to
8041 specify the name of the major mode that should be used to fontify the
8046 #+BEGIN_SRC emacs-lisp
8047 (defun org-xor (a b)
8053 Both in @code{example} and in @code{src} snippets, you can add a @code{-n}
8054 switch to the end of the @code{BEGIN} line, to get the lines of the example
8055 numbered. If you use a @code{+n} switch, the numbering from the previous
8056 numbered snippet will be continued in the current one. In literal examples,
8057 Org will interpret strings like @samp{(ref:name)} as labels, and use them as
8058 targets for special hyperlinks like @code{[[(name)]]} (i.e. the reference
8059 name enclosed in single parenthesis). In HTML, hovering the mouse over such
8060 a link will remote-highlight the corresponding code line, which is kind of
8061 cool. If the example/src snippet is numbered, you can also add a @code{-r}
8062 switch. Then labels will be @i{removed} from the source code and the links
8063 will be @i{replaced}@footnote{If you want to explain the use of such labels
8064 themelves in org-mode example code, you can use the @code{-k} switch to make
8065 sure they are not touched.} with line numbers from the code listing. Here is
8069 #+BEGIN_SRC emacs-lisp -n -r
8070 (save-excursion (ref:sc)
8071 (goto-char (point-min)) (ref:jump)
8073 In line [[(sc)]] we remember the current positon. [[(jump)][Line (jump)]]
8077 @vindex org-coderef-label-format
8078 If the syntax for the label format conflicts with the language syntax, use a
8079 @code{-l} switch to change the format, for example @samp{#+BEGIN_SRC pascal
8080 -n -r -l "((%s))"}. See also the variable @code{org-coderef-label-format}.
8082 HTML export also allows examples to be published as text areas, @pxref{Text
8083 areas in HTML export}.
8088 Edit the source code example at point in its native mode. This works by
8089 switching to a temporary buffer with the source code. You need to exit by
8090 pressing @kbd{C-c '} again@footnote{Upon exit, lines starting with @samp{*}
8091 or @samp{#} will get a comma prepended, to keep them from being interpreted
8092 by Org as outline nodes or special comments. These commas will be striped
8093 for editing with @kbd{C-c '}, and also for export.}, the edited version will
8094 then replace the old version in the Org buffer. Fixed-width regions
8095 (where each line starts with a colon followed by a space) will be edited
8096 using @code{artist-mode}@footnote{You may select a different-mode with the
8097 variable @code{org-edit-fixed-width-region-mode}.} to allow creating ASCII
8098 drawings easily. Using this command in an empty line will create a new
8102 Calling @code{org-store-link} while editing a source code example in a
8103 temporary buffer created with @kbd{C-c '} will prompt for a label, make sure
8104 that it is unique in the current buffer, and insert it with the proper
8105 formatting like @samp{(ref:label)} at the end of the current line. Then the
8106 label is stored as a link @samp{(label)}, for retrieval with @kbd{C-c C-l}.
8110 @node Include files, Tables exported, Literal examples, Markup rules
8111 @subheading Include files
8112 @cindex include files, markup rules
8114 During export, you can include the content of another file. For example, to
8115 include your .emacs file, you could use:
8119 #+INCLUDE: "~/.emacs" src emacs-lisp
8122 The optional second and third parameter are the markup (@samp{quote},
8123 @samp{example}, or @samp{src}), and, if the markup is @samp{src}, the
8124 language for formatting the contents. The markup is optional, if it is not
8125 given, the text will be assumed to be in Org mode format and will be
8126 processed normally. The include line will also allow additional keyword
8127 parameters @code{:prefix1} and @code{:prefix} to specify prefixes for the
8128 first line and for each following line, as well as any options accepted by
8129 the selected markup. For example, to include a file as an item, use
8132 #+INCLUDE: "~/snippets/xx" :prefix1 " + " :prefix " "
8138 Visit the include file at point.
8141 @node Tables exported, Inlined images, Include files, Markup rules
8143 @cindex tables, markup rules
8145 Both the native Org mode tables (@pxref{Tables}) and tables formatted with
8146 the @file{table.el} package will be exported properly. For Org mode tables,
8147 the lines before the first horizontal separator line will become table header
8148 lines. You can use the following lines somewhere before the table to assign
8149 a caption and a label for cross references:
8152 #+CAPTION: This is the caption for the next table (or link)
8153 #+LABEL: tbl:basic-data
8156 @node Inlined images, Footnote markup, Tables exported, Markup rules
8157 @subheading Inlined Images
8158 @cindex inlined images, markup rules
8160 Some backends (HTML, LaTeX, and DocBook) allow to directly include images
8161 into the exported document. Org does this, if a link to an image files does
8162 not have a description part, for example @code{[[./img/a.jpg]]}. If you wish
8163 to define a caption for the image and maybe a label for internal cross
8164 references, you can use (before, but close to the link)
8167 #+CAPTION: This is the caption for the next figure link (or table)
8168 #+LABEL: fig:SED-HR4049
8171 You may also define additional attributes for the figure. As this is
8172 backend-specific, see the sections about the individual backends for more
8175 @node Footnote markup, Emphasis and monospace, Inlined images, Markup rules
8176 @subheading Footnote markup
8177 @cindex footnotes, markup rules
8178 @cindex @file{footnote.el}
8180 Footnotes defined in the way descriped in @ref{Footnotes} will be exported by
8181 all backends. Org does allow multiple references to the same note, and
8182 different backends support this to varying degree.
8184 @node Emphasis and monospace, TeX macros and LaTeX fragments, Footnote markup, Markup rules
8185 @subheading Emphasis and monospace
8187 @cindex underlined text, markup rules
8188 @cindex bold text, markup rules
8189 @cindex italic text, markup rules
8190 @cindex verbatim text, markup rules
8191 @cindex code text, markup rules
8192 @cindex strike-through text, markup rules
8193 You can make words @b{*bold*}, @i{/italic/}, _underlined_, @code{=code=}
8194 and @code{~verbatim~}, and, if you must, @samp{+strike-through+}. Text
8195 in the code and verbatim string is not processed for Org mode specific
8196 syntax, it is exported verbatim.
8198 @node TeX macros and LaTeX fragments, Horizontal rules, Emphasis and monospace, Markup rules
8199 @subheading @TeX{} macros and La@TeX{} fragments
8200 @cindex LaTeX fragments, markup rules
8201 @cindex TeX macros, markup rules
8202 @cindex HTML entities
8203 @cindex LaTeX entities
8205 @vindex org-html-entities
8206 A @TeX{}-like syntax is used to specify special characters. Where possible,
8207 these will be transformed into the native format of the exporter back-end.
8208 Strings like @code{\alpha} will be exported as @code{α} in the HTML
8209 output, and as @code{$\alpha$} in the La@TeX{} output. Similarly,
8210 @code{\nbsp} will become @code{ } in HTML and @code{~} in La@TeX{}.
8211 This applies for a large number of entities, with names taken from both HTML
8212 and La@TeX{}, see the variable @code{org-html-entities} for the complete
8213 list. If you are unsure about a name, use @kbd{M-@key{TAB}} for completion
8214 after having typed the backslash and maybe a few characters
8215 (@pxref{Completion}).
8217 La@TeX{} fragments are converted into images for HTML export, and they are
8218 written literally into the La@TeX{} export. See also @ref{Embedded LaTeX}.
8220 Finally, @samp{\-} is treated as a shy hyphen, and @samp{--}, @samp{---}, and
8221 @samp{...} are all converted into special commands creating hyphens of
8222 different lengths or a compact set of dots.
8224 @node Horizontal rules, Comment lines, TeX macros and LaTeX fragments, Markup rules
8225 @subheading Horizontal rules
8226 @cindex horizontal rules, markup rules
8227 A line consisting of only dashes, and at least 5 of them, will be
8228 exported as a horizontal line (@samp{<hr/>} in HTML).
8230 @node Comment lines, Macro replacement, Horizontal rules, Markup rules
8231 @subheading Comment lines
8232 @cindex comment lines
8233 @cindex exporting, not
8235 Lines starting with @samp{#} in column zero are treated as comments and will
8236 never be exported. Also entire subtrees starting with the word
8237 @samp{COMMENT} will never be exported. Finally, regions surrounded by
8238 @samp{#+BEGIN_COMMENT} ... @samp{#+END_COMMENT} will not be exported.
8243 Toggle the COMMENT keyword at the beginning of an entry.
8246 @node Macro replacement, , Comment lines, Markup rules
8247 @subheading Macro replacement
8249 You can define text snippets with
8252 #+MACRO: name replacement text
8255 @noindent which can be referenced anywhere in the document (even in
8256 code examples) with @code{@{@{@{name@}@}@}}. In addition to defined macros,
8257 @code{@{@{@{title@}@}@}}, @code{@{@{@{author@}@}@}}, etc will reference
8258 information set by the @code{#+TITLE:}, @code{#+AUTHOR:}, and similar lines.
8259 Also, @code{@{@{@{date(FORMAT@}@}@}} and
8260 @code{@{@{@{modification-time(FORMAT)@}@}@}} refer to current date time and
8261 to the modification time of the file being exported, respectively. FORMAT
8262 should be a format string understood by @code{format-time-string}.
8264 @node Selective export, Export options, Markup rules, Exporting
8265 @section Selective export
8266 @cindex export, selective by tags
8268 @vindex org-export-select-tags
8269 @vindex org-export-exclude-tags
8270 You may use tags to select the parts of a document that should be exported,
8271 or to exclude parts from export. This behavior is governed by two variables:
8272 @code{org-export-select-tags} and @code{org-export-exclude-tags}.
8274 Org first checks if any of the @emph{select} tags is present in the buffer.
8275 If yes, all trees that do not carry one of these tags will be excluded. If a
8276 selected tree is a subtree, the heading hierarchy above it will also be
8277 selected for export, but not the text below those headings.
8280 If none of the select tags is found, the whole buffer will be selected for
8284 Finally, all subtrees that are marked by any of the @emph{exclude} tags will
8285 be removed from the export buffer.
8287 @node Export options, The export dispatcher, Selective export, Exporting
8288 @section Export options
8289 @cindex options, for export
8291 @cindex completion, of option keywords
8292 The exporter recognizes special lines in the buffer which provide
8293 additional information. These lines may be put anywhere in the file.
8294 The whole set of lines can be inserted into the buffer with @kbd{C-c
8295 C-e t}. For individual lines, a good way to make sure the keyword is
8296 correct is to type @samp{#+} and then use @kbd{M-@key{TAB}} completion
8297 (@pxref{Completion}). For a summary of other in-buffer settings not
8298 specifically related to export, see @ref{In-buffer settings}.
8299 In particular, note that you can place commonly-used (export) options in
8300 a separate file which can be included using @code{#+SETUPFILE}.
8305 Insert template with export options, see example below.
8312 @cindex #+DESCRIPTION:
8318 @cindex #+LINK_HOME:
8319 @cindex #+EXPORT_SELECT_TAGS:
8320 @cindex #+EXPORT_EXCLUDE_TAGS:
8321 @cindex #+LATEX_HEADER:
8322 @vindex user-full-name
8323 @vindex user-mail-address
8324 @vindex org-export-default-language
8326 #+TITLE: the title to be shown (default is the buffer name)
8327 #+AUTHOR: the author (default taken from @code{user-full-name})
8328 #+DATE: a date, fixed, of a format string for @code{format-time-string}
8329 #+EMAIL: his/her email address (default from @code{user-mail-address})
8330 #+DESCRIPTION: the page description, e.g. for the XHTML meta tag
8331 #+KEYWORDS: the page keywords, e.g. for the XHTML meta tag
8332 #+LANGUAGE: language for HTML, e.g. @samp{en} (@code{org-export-default-language})
8333 #+TEXT: Some descriptive text to be inserted at the beginning.
8334 #+TEXT: Several lines may be given.
8335 #+OPTIONS: H:2 num:t toc:t \n:nil @@:t ::t |:t ^:t f:t TeX:t ...
8336 #+LINK_UP: the ``up'' link of an exported page
8337 #+LINK_HOME: the ``home'' link of an exported page
8338 #+LATEX_HEADER: extra line(s) for the LaTeX header, like \usepackage@{xyz@}
8339 #+EXPORT_SELECT_TAGS: Tags that select a tree for export
8340 #+EXPORT_EXCLUDE_TAGS: Tags that exclude a tree from export
8344 The OPTIONS line is a compact@footnote{If you want to configure many options
8345 this way, you can use several OPTIONS lines.} form to specify export settings. Here
8347 @cindex headline levels
8348 @cindex section-numbers
8349 @cindex table of contents
8350 @cindex line-break preservation
8351 @cindex quoted HTML tags
8352 @cindex fixed-width sections
8354 @cindex @TeX{}-like syntax for sub- and superscripts
8356 @cindex special strings
8357 @cindex emphasized text
8358 @cindex @TeX{} macros
8359 @cindex La@TeX{} fragments
8360 @cindex author info, in export
8361 @cindex time info, in export
8363 H: @r{set the number of headline levels for export}
8364 num: @r{turn on/off section-numbers}
8365 toc: @r{turn on/off table of contents, or set level limit (integer)}
8366 \n: @r{turn on/off line-break-preservation}
8367 @@: @r{turn on/off quoted HTML tags}
8368 :: @r{turn on/off fixed-width sections}
8369 |: @r{turn on/off tables}
8370 ^: @r{turn on/off @TeX{}-like syntax for sub- and superscripts. If}
8371 @r{you write "^:@{@}", @code{a_@{b@}} will be interpreted, but}
8372 @r{the simple @code{a_b} will be left as it is.}
8373 -: @r{turn on/off conversion of special strings.}
8374 f: @r{turn on/off footnotes like this[1].}
8375 todo: @r{turn on/off inclusion of TODO keywords into exported text}
8376 pri: @r{turn on/off priority cookies}
8377 tags: @r{turn on/off inclusion of tags, may also be @code{not-in-toc}}
8378 <: @r{turn on/off inclusion of any time/date stamps like DEADLINES}
8379 *: @r{turn on/off emphasized text (bold, italic, underlined)}
8380 TeX: @r{turn on/off simple @TeX{} macros in plain text}
8381 LaTeX: @r{turn on/off La@TeX{} fragments}
8382 skip: @r{turn on/off skipping the text before the first heading}
8383 author: @r{turn on/off inclusion of author name/email into exported file}
8384 creator: @r{turn on/off inclusion of creator info into exported file}
8385 timestamp: @r{turn on/off inclusion creation time into exported file}
8386 d: @r{turn on/off inclusion of drawers}
8389 These options take effect in both the HTML and La@TeX{} export, except
8390 for @code{TeX} and @code{LaTeX}, which are respectively @code{t} and
8391 @code{nil} for the La@TeX{} export.
8393 When exporting only a single subtree by selecting it with @kbd{C-c @@} before
8394 calling an export command, the subtree can overrule some of the file's export
8395 settings with properties @code{EXPORT_FILE_NAME}, @code{EXPORT_TITLE},
8396 @code{EXPORT_TEXT}, @code{EXPORT_AUTHOR}, @code{EXPORT_DATE}, and
8397 @code{EXPORT_OPTIONS}.
8399 @node The export dispatcher, ASCII export, Export options, Exporting
8400 @section The export dispatcher
8401 @cindex dispatcher, for export commands
8403 All export commands can be reached using the export dispatcher, which is a
8404 prefix key that prompts for an additional key specifying the command.
8405 Normally the entire file is exported, but if there is an active region that
8406 contains one outline tree, the first heading is used as document title and
8407 the subtrees are exported.
8412 @vindex org-export-run-in-background
8413 Dispatcher for export and publishing commands. Displays a help-window
8414 listing the additional key(s) needed to launch an export or publishing
8415 command. The prefix arg is passed through to the exporter. A double prefix
8416 @kbd{C-u C-u} causes most commands to be executed in the background, in a
8417 separate emacs process@footnote{To make this behavior the default, customize
8418 the variable @code{org-export-run-in-background}.}.
8421 Like @kbd{C-c C-e}, but only export the text that is currently visible
8422 (i.e. not hidden by outline visibility).
8423 @kindex C-u C-u C-c C-e
8424 @item C-u C-u C-c C-e
8425 @vindex org-export-run-in-background
8426 Call an the exporter, but reverse the setting of
8427 @code{org-export-run-in-background}, i.e. request background processing if
8428 not set, or force processing in the current Emacs process if st.
8431 @node ASCII export, HTML export, The export dispatcher, Exporting
8432 @section ASCII export
8433 @cindex ASCII export
8435 ASCII export produces a simple and very readable version of an Org mode
8438 @cindex region, active
8439 @cindex active region
8440 @cindex transient-mark-mode
8444 @cindex property: EXPORT_FILE_NAME
8445 Export as ASCII file. For an org file @file{myfile.org}, the ASCII file
8446 will be @file{myfile.txt}. The file will be overwritten without
8447 warning. If there is an active region@footnote{this requires
8448 @code{transient-mark-mode} to be turned on}, only the region will be
8449 exported. If the selected region is a single tree@footnote{To select the
8450 current subtree, use @kbd{C-c @@}.}, the tree head will
8451 become the document title. If the tree head entry has or inherits an
8452 @code{EXPORT_FILE_NAME} property, that name will be used for the
8456 Export to a temporary buffer, do not create a file.
8459 Export only the visible part of the document.
8462 @cindex headline levels, for exporting
8463 In the exported version, the first 3 outline levels will become
8464 headlines, defining a general document structure. Additional levels
8465 will be exported as itemized lists. If you want that transition to occur
8466 at a different level, specify it with a prefix argument. For example,
8473 creates only top level headlines and does the rest as items. When
8474 headlines are converted to items, the indentation of the text following
8475 the headline is changed to fit nicely under the item. This is done with
8476 the assumption that the first body line indicates the base indentation of
8477 the body text. Any indentation larger than this is adjusted to preserve
8478 the layout relative to the first line. Should there be lines with less
8479 indentation than the first, these are left alone.
8481 @vindex org-export-ascii-links-to-notes
8482 Links will be exported in a footnote-like style, with the descriptive part in
8483 the text and the link in a note before the next heading. See the variable
8484 @code{org-export-ascii-links-to-notes} for details and other options.
8486 @node HTML export, LaTeX and PDF export, ASCII export, Exporting
8487 @section HTML export
8490 Org mode contains an HTML (XHTML 1.0 strict) exporter with extensive
8491 HTML formatting, in ways similar to John Gruber's @emph{markdown}
8492 language, but with additional support for tables.
8495 * HTML Export commands:: How to invoke HTML export
8496 * Quoting HTML tags:: Using direct HTML in Org mode
8497 * Links:: Transformation of links for HTML
8498 * Tables in HTML export:: How to modify the formatting of tables
8499 * Images in HTML export:: How to insert figures into HTML output
8500 * Text areas in HTML export:: An alternative way to show an example
8501 * CSS support:: Changing the appearance of the output
8502 * Javascript support:: Info and Folding in a web browser
8505 @node HTML Export commands, Quoting HTML tags, HTML export, HTML export
8506 @subsection HTML export commands
8508 @cindex region, active
8509 @cindex active region
8510 @cindex transient-mark-mode
8514 @cindex property: EXPORT_FILE_NAME
8515 Export as HTML file @file{myfile.html}. For an org file @file{myfile.org},
8516 the ASCII file will be @file{myfile.html}. The file will be overwritten
8517 without warning. If there is an active region@footnote{this requires
8518 @code{transient-mark-mode} to be turned on}, only the region will be
8519 exported. If the selected region is a single tree@footnote{To select the
8520 current subtree, use @kbd{C-c @@}.}, the tree head will become the document
8521 title. If the tree head entry has, or inherits, an @code{EXPORT_FILE_NAME}
8522 property, that name will be used for the export.
8525 Export as HTML file and immediately open it with a browser.
8528 Export to a temporary buffer, do not create a file.
8531 Export the active region to a temporary buffer. With a prefix argument, do
8532 not produce the file header and footer, but just the plain HTML section for
8533 the region. This is good for cut-and-paste operations.
8542 Export only the visible part of the document.
8543 @item M-x org-export-region-as-html
8544 Convert the region to HTML under the assumption that it was Org mode
8545 syntax before. This is a global command that can be invoked in any
8547 @item M-x org-replace-region-by-HTML
8548 Replace the active region (assumed to be in Org mode syntax) by HTML
8552 @cindex headline levels, for exporting
8553 In the exported version, the first 3 outline levels will become headlines,
8554 defining a general document structure. Additional levels will be exported as
8555 itemized lists. If you want that transition to occur at a different level,
8556 specify it with a numeric prefix argument. For example,
8563 creates two levels of headings and does the rest as items.
8565 @node Quoting HTML tags, Links, HTML Export commands, HTML export
8566 @subsection Quoting HTML tags
8568 Plain @samp{<} and @samp{>} are always transformed to @samp{<} and
8569 @samp{>} in HTML export. If you want to include simple HTML tags
8570 which should be interpreted as such, mark them with @samp{@@} as in
8571 @samp{@@<b>bold text@@</b>}. Note that this really works only for
8572 simple tags. For more extensive HTML that should be copied verbatim to
8573 the exported file use either
8576 #+HTML: Literal HTML code for export
8580 @cindex #+BEGIN_HTML
8584 All lines between these markers are exported literally
8589 @node Links, Tables in HTML export, Quoting HTML tags, HTML export
8592 @cindex links, in HTML export
8593 @cindex internal links, in HTML export
8594 @cindex external links, in HTML export
8595 Internal links (@pxref{Internal links}) will continue to work in HTML. This
8596 does include automatic links created by radio targets (@pxref{Radio
8597 targets}). Links to external files will still work if the target file is on
8598 the same @i{relative} path as the published Org file. Links to other
8599 @file{.org} files will be translated into HTML links under the assumption
8600 that an HTML version also exists of the linked file, at the same relative
8601 path. @samp{id:} links can then be used to jump to specific entries across
8602 files. For information related to linking files while publishing them to a
8603 publishing directory see @ref{Publishing links}.
8605 If you want to specify attributes for links, you can do so using a special
8606 @code{#+ATTR_HTML} line to define attributes that will be added to the
8607 @code{<a>} or @code{<img>} tags. Here is an example that sets @code{title}
8608 and @code{style} attributes for a link:
8611 #+ATTR_HTML: title="The Org-mode homepage" style="color:red;"
8612 [[http://orgmode.org]]
8615 @node Tables in HTML export, Images in HTML export, Links, HTML export
8617 @cindex tables, in HTML
8618 @vindex org-export-html-table-tag
8620 Org-mode tables are exported to HTML using the table tag defined in
8621 @code{org-export-html-table-tag}. The default setting makes tables without
8622 cell borders and frame. If you would like to change this for individual
8623 tables, place somthing like the following before the table:
8626 #+CAPTION: This is a table with lines around and between cells
8627 #+ATTR_HTML: border="2" rules="all" frame="all"
8630 @node Images in HTML export, Text areas in HTML export, Tables in HTML export, HTML export
8633 @cindex images, inline in HTML
8634 @cindex inlining images in HTML
8635 @vindex org-export-html-inline-images
8636 HTML export can inline images given as links in the Org file, and
8637 it can make an image the clickable part of a link. By
8638 default@footnote{but see the variable
8639 @code{org-export-html-inline-images}}, images are inlined if a link does
8640 not have a description. So @samp{[[file:myimg.jpg]]} will be inlined,
8641 while @samp{[[file:myimg.jpg][the image]]} will just produce a link
8642 @samp{the image} that points to the image. If the description part
8643 itself is a @code{file:} link or a @code{http:} URL pointing to an
8644 image, this image will be inlined and activated so that clicking on the
8645 image will activate the link. For example, to include a thumbnail that
8646 will link to a high resolution version of the image, you could use:
8649 [[file:highres.jpg][file:thumb.jpg]]
8652 If you need to add attributes to an inlines image, use a @code{#+ATTR_HTML},
8656 #+CAPTION: A black cat stalking a spider
8657 #+ATTR_HTML: alt="cat/spider image" title="one second before action"
8662 and you could use @code{http} addresses just as well.
8664 @node Text areas in HTML export, CSS support, Images in HTML export, HTML export
8665 @subsection Text areas
8667 @cindex text areas, in HTML
8668 An alternative way to publish literal code examples in HTML is to use text
8669 areas, where the example can even be edited before pasting it into an
8670 application. It is triggered by a @code{-t} switch at an @code{example} or
8671 @code{src} block. Using this switch disables any options for syntax and
8672 label highlighting, and line numbering, which may be present. You may also
8673 use @code{-h} and @code{-w} switches to specify the height and width of the
8674 text area, which default to the number of lines in the example, and 80,
8675 respectively. For example
8678 #+BEGIN_EXAMPLE -t -w 40
8679 (defun org-xor (a b)
8686 @node CSS support, Javascript support, Text areas in HTML export, HTML export
8687 @subsection CSS support
8688 @cindex CSS, for HTML export
8689 @cindex HTML export, CSS
8691 @vindex org-export-html-todo-kwd-class-prefix
8692 @vindex org-export-html-tag-class-prefix
8693 You can also give style information for the exported file. The HTML exporter
8694 assigns the following special CSS classes@footnote{If the classes on TODO
8695 keywords and tags lead to conflicts, use the variables
8696 @code{org-export-html-todo-kwd-class-prefix} and
8697 @code{org-export-html-tag-class-prefix} to make them unique.} to appropriate
8698 parts of the document - your style specifications may change these, in
8699 addition to any of the standard classes like for headlines, tables etc.
8701 p.author @r{author information, including email}
8702 p.date @r{publishing date}
8703 p.creator @r{creator info, about Org-mode version}
8704 .title @r{document title}
8705 .todo @r{TODO keywords, all not-done states}
8706 .done @r{the DONE keywords, all stated the count as done}
8707 .WAITING @r{each TODO keyword also uses a class named after itself}
8708 .timestamp @r{time stamp}
8709 .timestamp-kwd @r{keyword associated with a time stamp, like SCHEDULED}
8710 .timestamp-wrapper @r{span around keyword plus time stamp}
8711 .tag @r{tag in a headline}
8712 ._HOME @r{each tag uses itself as a class, "@@" replaced by "_"}
8713 .target @r{target for links}
8714 .linenr @r{the line number in a code example}
8715 .code-highlighted @r{for highlighting referenced code lines}
8716 div.outline-N @r{div for outline level N (headline plus text))}
8717 div.outline-text-N @r{extra div for text at outline level N}
8718 .section-number-N @r{section number in headlines, different for each level}
8719 div.figure @r{how to format an inlined image}
8720 pre.src @r{formatted source code}
8721 pre.example @r{normal example}
8722 p.verse @r{verse paragraph}
8723 div.footnotes @r{footnote section headline}
8724 p.footnote @r{footnote definition paragraph, containing a footnote}
8725 .footref @r{a footnote reference number (always a <sup>)}
8726 .footnum @r{footnote number in footnote definition (always <sup>)}
8729 @vindex org-export-html-style-default
8730 @vindex org-export-html-style-include-default
8731 @vindex org-export-html-style
8732 @vindex org-export-html-extra
8733 @vindex org-export-html-style-default
8734 Each exported files contains a compact default style that defines these
8735 classes in a basic way@footnote{This style is defined in the constant
8736 @code{org-export-html-style-default}, which you should not modify. To turn
8737 inclusion of these defaults off, customize
8738 @code{org-export-html-style-include-default}}. You may overwrite these
8739 settings, or add to them by using the variables @code{org-export-html-style}
8740 (for Org-wide settings) and @code{org-export-html-style-extra} (for more
8741 granular settings, like file-local settings). To set the latter variable
8742 individually for each file, you can use
8745 #+STYLE: <link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="stylesheet.css" />
8749 For longer style definitions, you can use several such lines. You could also
8750 directly write a @code{<style>} @code{</style>} section in this way, without
8751 referring to an external file.
8753 @c FIXME: More about header and footer styles
8754 @c FIXME: Talk about links and targets.
8756 @node Javascript support, , CSS support, HTML export
8757 @subsection Javascript supported display of web pages
8759 @emph{Sebastian Rose} has written a JavaScript program especially designed to
8760 enhance the web viewing experience of HTML files created with Org. This
8761 program allows you to view large files in two different ways. The first one
8762 is an @emph{Info}-like mode where each section is displayed separately and
8763 navigation can be done with the @kbd{n} and @kbd{p} keys (and some other keys
8764 as well, press @kbd{?} for an overview of the available keys). The second
8765 view type is a @emph{folding} view much like Org provides inside Emacs. The
8766 script is available at @url{http://orgmode.org/org-info.js} and you can find
8767 the documentation for it at @url{http://orgmode.org/worg/code/org-info-js/}.
8768 We are serving the script from our site, but if you use it a lot, you might
8769 not want to be dependent on @url{orgmode.org} and prefer to install a local
8770 copy on your own web server.
8772 To use the script, you need to make sure that the @file{org-jsinfo.el} module
8773 gets loaded. It should be loaded by default, but you can try @kbd{M-x
8774 customize-variable @key{RET} org-modules @key{RET}} to convince yourself that
8775 this is indeed the case. All it then takes to make use of the program is
8776 adding a single line to the Org file:
8779 #+INFOJS_OPT: view:info toc:nil
8783 If this line is found, the HTML header will automatically contain the code
8784 needed to invoke the script. Using the line above, you can set the following
8788 path: @r{The path to the script. The default is to grab the script from}
8789 @r{@url{http://orgmode.org/org-info.js}, but you might want to have}
8790 @r{a local copy and use a path like @samp{../scripts/org-info.js}.}
8791 view: @r{Initial view when website is first shown. Possible values are:}
8792 info @r{Info-like interface with one section per page.}
8793 overview @r{Folding interface, initially showing only top-level.}
8794 content @r{Folding interface, starting with all headlines visible.}
8795 showall @r{Folding interface, all headlines and text visible.}
8796 sdepth: @r{Maximum headline level that will still become an independent}
8797 @r{section for info and folding modes. The default is taken from}
8798 @r{@code{org-headline-levels} (= the @code{H} switch in @code{#+OPTIONS}).}
8799 @r{If this is smaller than in @code{org-headline-levels}, each}
8800 @r{info/folding section can still contain children headlines.}
8801 toc: @r{Should the table of content @emph{initially} be visible?}
8802 @r{Even when @code{nil}, you can always get to the toc with @kbd{i}.}
8803 tdepth: @r{The depth of the table of contents. The defaults are taken from}
8804 @r{the variables @code{org-headline-levels} and @code{org-export-with-toc}.}
8805 ftoc: @r{Does the css of the page specify a fixed position for the toc?}
8806 @r{If yes, the toc will never be displayed as a section.}
8807 ltoc: @r{Should there be short contents (children) in each section?}
8808 @r{Make this @code{above} it the section should be above initial text.}
8809 mouse: @r{Headings are highlighted when the mouse is over them. Should be}
8810 @r{@samp{underline} (default) or a background color like @samp{#cccccc}.}
8811 buttons: @r{Should view-toggle buttons be everywhere? When @code{nil} (the}
8812 @r{default), only one such button will be present.}
8815 @vindex org-infojs-options
8816 @vindex org-export-html-use-infojs
8817 You can choose default values for these options by customizing the variable
8818 @code{org-infojs-options}. If you always want to apply the script to your
8819 pages, configure the variable @code{org-export-html-use-infojs}.
8821 @node LaTeX and PDF export, DocBook export, HTML export, Exporting
8822 @section LaTeX and PDF export
8823 @cindex LaTeX export
8826 Org mode contains a La@TeX{} exporter written by Bastien Guerry. With
8827 further processing, this backend is also used to produce PDF output. Since
8828 the LaTeX output uses @file{hyperref} to implement links and cross
8829 references, the PDF output file will be fully linked.
8832 * LaTeX/PDF export commands:: Which key invokes which commands
8833 * Quoting LaTeX code:: Incorporating literal LaTeX code
8834 * Sectioning structure:: Changing sectioning in LaTeX output
8835 * Tables in LaTeX export:: Options for exporting tables to LaTeX
8836 * Images in LaTeX export:: How to insert figures into LaTeX output
8839 @node LaTeX/PDF export commands, Quoting LaTeX code, LaTeX and PDF export, LaTeX and PDF export
8840 @subsection LaTeX export commands
8842 @cindex region, active
8843 @cindex active region
8844 @cindex transient-mark-mode
8848 @cindex property EXPORT_FILE_NAME
8849 Export as La@TeX{} file @file{myfile.tex}. For an org file
8850 @file{myfile.org}, the ASCII file will be @file{myfile.tex}. The file will
8851 be overwritten without warning. If there is an active region@footnote{this
8852 requires @code{transient-mark-mode} to be turned on}, only the region will be
8853 exported. If the selected region is a single tree@footnote{To select the
8854 current subtree, use @kbd{C-c @@}.}, the tree head will become the document
8855 title. If the tree head entry has or inherits an @code{EXPORT_FILE_NAME}
8856 property, that name will be used for the export.
8859 Export to a temporary buffer, do not create a file.
8864 Export only the visible part of the document.
8865 @item M-x org-export-region-as-latex
8866 Convert the region to La@TeX{} under the assumption that it was Org mode
8867 syntax before. This is a global command that can be invoked in any
8869 @item M-x org-replace-region-by-latex
8870 Replace the active region (assumed to be in Org mode syntax) by La@TeX{}
8874 Export as LaTeX and then process to PDF.
8877 Export as LaTeX and then process to PDF, then open the resulting PDF file.
8880 @cindex headline levels, for exporting
8881 @vindex org-latex-low-levels
8882 In the exported version, the first 3 outline levels will become
8883 headlines, defining a general document structure. Additional levels
8884 will be exported as description lists. The exporter can ignore them or
8885 convert them to a custom string depending on
8886 @code{org-latex-low-levels}.
8888 If you want that transition to occur at a different level, specify it
8889 with a numeric prefix argument. For example,
8896 creates two levels of headings and does the rest as items.
8898 @node Quoting LaTeX code, Sectioning structure, LaTeX/PDF export commands, LaTeX and PDF export
8899 @subsection Quoting LaTeX code
8901 Embedded La@TeX{} as described in @ref{Embedded LaTeX} will be correctly
8902 inserted into the La@TeX{} file. This includes simple macros like
8903 @samp{\ref@{LABEL@}} to create a cross reference to a figure. Furthermore,
8904 you can add special code that should only be present in La@TeX{} export with
8905 the following constructs:
8908 #+LaTeX: Literal LaTeX code for export
8912 @cindex #+BEGIN_LaTeX
8916 All lines between these markers are exported literally
8920 @node Sectioning structure, Tables in LaTeX export, Quoting LaTeX code, LaTeX and PDF export
8921 @subsection Sectioning structure
8923 @cindex LaTeX sectioning structure
8925 By default, the La@TeX{} output uses the class @code{article}.
8927 @vindex org-export-latex-default-class
8928 @vindex org-export-latex-classes
8929 @cindex #+LATEX_HEADER:
8930 @cindex property: LATEX_CLASS
8931 You can change this globally by setting a different value for
8932 @code{org-export-latex-default-class} or locally by adding an option like
8933 @code{#+LaTeX_CLASS: myclass} in your file, or with a @code{:LaTeX_CLASS:}
8934 property that applies when exporting a region containing only this (sub)tree.
8935 The class should be listed in @code{org-export-latex-classes}, where you can
8936 also define the sectioning structure for each class, as well as defining
8937 additional classes. You can also use @code{#+LATEX_HEADER:
8938 \usepackage@{xyz@}} to add lines to the header.
8940 @node Tables in LaTeX export, Images in LaTeX export, Sectioning structure, LaTeX and PDF export
8941 @subsection Tables in LaTeX export
8942 @cindex tables, in LaTeX export
8944 For LaTeX export of a table, you can specify a label and a caption
8945 (@pxref{Markup rules}). You can also use the @code{ATTR_LaTeX} line to
8946 request a longtable environment for the table, so that it may span several
8947 pages. Finally, you can set the alignment string:
8950 #+CAPTION: A long table
8952 #+ATTR_LaTeX: longtable align=l|lp@{3cm@}r|l
8958 @node Images in LaTeX export, , Tables in LaTeX export, LaTeX and PDF export
8959 @subsection Images in LaTeX export
8960 @cindex images, inline in LaTeX
8961 @cindex inlining images in LaTeX
8963 Images that are linked to without a description part in the link, like
8964 @samp{[[file:img.jpg]]} or @samp{[[./img.jpg]]} will be inserted into the PDF
8965 output files resulting from LaTeX output. Org will use an
8966 @code{\includegraphics} macro to insert the image. If you have specified a
8967 caption and/or a label as described in @ref{Markup rules}, the figure will
8968 be wrapped into a @code{figure} environment and thus become a floating
8969 element. Finally, you can use an @code{#+ATTR_LaTeX:} line to specify the
8970 options that can be used in the optional argument of the
8971 @code{\includegraphics} macro.
8974 #+CAPTION: The black-body emission of the disk around HR 4049
8975 #+LABEL: fig:SED-HR4049
8976 #+ATTR_LaTeX: width=5cm,angle=90
8977 [[./img/sed-hr4049.pdf]]
8980 @vindex org-export-latex-inline-image-extensions
8981 If you need references to a label created in this way, write
8982 @samp{\ref@{fig:SED-HR4049@}} just like in LaTeX. The default settings will
8983 recognize files types that can be included as images during processing by
8984 pdflatex (@file{png}, @file{jpg}, and @file{pdf} files). If you process your
8985 files in a different way, you may need to customize the variable
8986 @code{org-export-latex-inline-image-extensions}.
8988 @node DocBook export, XOXO export, LaTeX and PDF export, Exporting
8989 @section DocBook export
8990 @cindex DocBook export
8993 Org contains a DocBook exporter written by Baoqiu Cui. Once an Org file is
8994 exported to DocBook format, it can be further processed to produce other
8995 formats, including PDF, HTML, man pages, etc, using many available DocBook
8996 tools and stylesheets.
8998 Currently DocBook exporter only supports DocBook V5.0.
9001 * DocBook export commands:: How to invoke DocBook export
9002 * Quoting DocBook code:: Incorporating DocBook code in Org files
9003 * Recursive sections:: Recursive sections in DocBook
9004 * Tables in DocBook export:: Tables are exported as HTML tables
9005 * Images in DocBook export:: How to insert figures into DocBook output
9006 * Special characters:: How to handle special characters
9009 @node DocBook export commands, Quoting DocBook code, DocBook export, DocBook export
9010 @subsection DocBook export commands
9012 @cindex region, active
9013 @cindex active region
9014 @cindex transient-mark-mode
9018 @cindex property EXPORT_FILE_NAME
9019 Export as DocBook file. For an Org file @file{myfile.org}, the DocBook XML
9020 file will be @file{myfile.xml}. The file will be overwritten without
9021 warning. If there is an active region@footnote{This requires
9022 @code{transient-mark-mode} to be turned on}, only the region will be
9023 exported. If the selected region is a single tree@footnote{To select the
9024 current subtree, use @kbd{C-c @@}.}, the tree head will become the document
9025 title. If the tree head entry as, or inherits, an @code{EXPORT_FILE_NAME}
9026 property, that name will be used for the export.
9029 Export as DocBook file, process to PDF, then open the resulting PDF file.
9031 @vindex org-export-docbook-xslt-proc-command
9032 @vindex org-export-docbook-xsl-fo-proc-command
9033 Note that, in order to produce PDF output based on exported DocBook file, you
9034 need to have XSLT processor and XSL-FO processor software installed on your
9035 system. Check variables @code{org-export-docbook-xslt-proc-command} and
9036 @code{org-export-docbook-xsl-fo-proc-command}.
9040 Export only the visible part of the document.
9043 @node Quoting DocBook code, Recursive sections, DocBook export commands, DocBook export
9044 @subsection Quoting DocBook code
9046 You can quote DocBook code in Org files and copy it verbatim into exported
9047 DocBook file with the following constructs:
9050 #+DOCBOOK: Literal DocBook code for export
9054 @cindex #+BEGIN_DOCBOOK
9058 All lines between these markers are exported by DocBook exporter
9063 For example, you can use the following lines to include a DocBook warning
9064 admonition. As what this warning says, you should pay attention to the
9065 document context when quoting DocBook code in Org files. You may make
9066 exported DocBook XML file invalid if not quoting DocBook code correctly.
9071 <para>You should know what you are doing when quoting DocBook XML code
9072 in your Org file. Invalid DocBook XML file may be generated by
9073 DocBook exporter if you are not careful!</para>
9078 @node Recursive sections, Tables in DocBook export, Quoting DocBook code, DocBook export
9079 @subsection Recursive sections
9080 @cindex DocBook recursive sections
9082 DocBook exporter exports Org files as articles using the @code{article}
9083 element in DocBook. Recursive sections, i.e. @code{section} elements, are
9084 used in exported articles. Top level headlines in Org files are exported as
9085 top level sections, and lower level headlines are exported as nested
9086 sections. The entire structure of Org files will be exported completely, no
9087 matter how many nested levels of headlines there are.
9089 Using recursive sections makes it easy to port and reuse exported DocBook
9090 code in other DocBook document types like @code{book} or @code{set}.
9092 @node Tables in DocBook export, Images in DocBook export, Recursive sections, DocBook export
9093 @subsection Tables in DocBook export
9094 @cindex tables, in DocBook export
9096 Tables in Org files are exported as HTML tables, which are supported since
9099 If a table does not have a caption, an informal table is generated using the
9100 @code{informaltable} element; otherwise, a formal table will be generated
9101 using the @code{table} element.
9103 @node Images in DocBook export, Special characters, Tables in DocBook export, DocBook export
9104 @subsection Images in DocBook export
9105 @cindex images, inline in DocBook
9106 @cindex inlining images in DocBook
9108 Images that are linked to without a description part in the link, like
9109 @samp{[[file:img.jpg]]} or @samp{[[./img.jpg]]}, will be exported to DocBook
9110 using @code{mediaobject} elements. Each @code{mediaobject} element contains
9111 an @code{imageobject} that wraps an @code{imagedata} element. If you have
9112 specified a caption for an image as described in @ref{Markup rules}, a
9113 @code{caption} element will be added in @code{mediaobject}. If a label is
9114 also specified, it will be exported as an @code{xml:id} attribute of the
9115 @code{mediaobject} element.
9117 @vindex org-export-docbook-default-image-attributes
9118 Image attributes supported by the @code{imagedata} element, like @code{align}
9119 or @code{width}, can be specified in two ways: you can either customize
9120 variable @code{org-export-docbook-default-image-attributes} or use the
9121 @code{#+ATTR_DOCBOOK:} line. Attributes sepcified in variable
9122 @code{org-export-docbook-default-image-attributes} are applied to all inline
9123 images in the Org file to be exported (unless they are overwritten by image
9124 attributes specified in @code{#+ATTR_DOCBOOK:} lines).
9126 The @code{#+ATTR_DOCBOOK:} line can be used to specify additional image
9127 attributes or overwrite default image attributes for individual images. If
9128 the same attribute appears in both the @code{#+ATTR_DOCBOOK:} line and
9129 variable @code{org-export-docbook-default-image-attributes}, the former
9130 overwrites the latter. Here is an example about how image attributes can be
9134 #+CAPTION: The logo of Org-mode
9135 #+LABEL: unicorn-svg
9136 #+ATTR_DOCBOOK: scalefit="1" width="100%" depth="100%"
9137 [[./img/org-mode-unicorn.svg]]
9140 @vindex org-export-docbook-inline-image-extensions
9141 By default, DocBook exporter recognizes the following image file types:
9142 @file{jpeg}, @file{jpg}, @file{png}, @file{gif}, and @file{svg}. You can
9143 customize variable @code{org-export-docbook-inline-image-extensions} to add
9144 more types to this list as long as DocBook supports them.
9146 @node Special characters, , Images in DocBook export, DocBook export
9147 @subsection Special characters in DocBook export
9148 @cindex Special characters in DocBook export
9150 @vindex org-export-docbook-doctype
9151 @vindex org-html-entities
9152 Special characters that are written in TeX-like syntax, such as @code{\alpha}
9153 @code{\Gamma}, and @code{\Zeta}, are supported by DocBook exporter. These
9154 characters are rewritten to XML entities, like @code{α},
9155 @code{Γ}, and @code{Ζ}, based on the list saved in variable
9156 @code{org-html-entities}. As long as the generated DocBook file includes the
9157 corresponding entities, these special characters are recognized.
9159 You can customize variable @code{org-export-docbook-doctype} to include the
9160 entities you need. For example, you can set variable
9161 @code{org-export-docbook-doctype} to the following value to recognize all
9162 special characters included in XHTML entities:
9165 "<!DOCTYPE article [
9166 <!ENTITY % xhtml1-symbol PUBLIC
9167 \"-//W3C//ENTITIES Symbol for HTML//EN//XML\"
9168 \"http://www.w3.org/2003/entities/2007/xhtml1-symbol.ent\"
9175 @node XOXO export, iCalendar export, DocBook export, Exporting
9176 @section XOXO export
9179 Org mode contains an exporter that produces XOXO-style output.
9180 Currently, this exporter only handles the general outline structure and
9181 does not interpret any additional Org mode features.
9186 Export as XOXO file @file{myfile.html}.
9189 Export only the visible part of the document.
9192 @node iCalendar export, , XOXO export, Exporting
9193 @section iCalendar export
9194 @cindex iCalendar export
9196 @vindex org-icalendar-include-todo
9197 @vindex org-icalendar-use-deadline
9198 @vindex org-icalendar-use-scheduled
9199 @vindex org-icalendar-categories
9200 Some people use Org mode for keeping track of projects, but still prefer a
9201 standard calendar application for anniversaries and appointments. In this
9202 case it can be useful to show deadlines and other time-stamped items in Org
9203 files in the calendar application. Org mode can export calendar information
9204 in the standard iCalendar format. If you also want to have TODO entries
9205 included in the export, configure the variable
9206 @code{org-icalendar-include-todo}. Plain time stamps are exported as VEVENT,
9207 and TODO items as VTODO. It will also create events from deadlines that are
9208 in non-TODO items. Deadlines and scheduling dates in TODO items will be used
9209 to set the start and due dates for the todo entry@footnote{See the variables
9210 @code{org-icalendar-use-deadline} and @code{org-icalendar-use-scheduled}.}.
9211 As categories, it will use the tags locally defined in the heading, and the
9212 file/tree category@footnote{To add inherited tags or the TODO state,
9213 configure the variable @code{org-icalendar-categories}.}.
9215 @vindex org-icalendar-store-UID
9216 @cindex property: ID
9217 The iCalendar standard requires each entry to have a globally unique
9218 identifier (UID). Org creates these identifiers during export. If you set
9219 the variable @code{org-icalendar-store-UID}, the UID will be stored in the
9220 @code{:ID:} property of the entry and re-used next time you report this
9221 entry. Since a single entry can give rise to multiple iCalendar entries (as
9222 a timestamp, a deadline, a scheduled item, and as a TODO item), Org adds
9223 prefixes to the UID, depending on what triggered the inclusion of the entry.
9224 In this way the UID remains unique, but a synchronization program can still
9225 figure out from which entry all the different instances originate.
9230 Create iCalendar entries for the current file and store them in the same
9231 directory, using a file extension @file{.ics}.
9234 @vindex org-agenda-files
9235 Like @kbd{C-c C-e i}, but do this for all files in
9236 @code{org-agenda-files}. For each of these files, a separate iCalendar
9237 file will be written.
9240 @vindex org-combined-agenda-icalendar-file
9241 Create a single large iCalendar file from all files in
9242 @code{org-agenda-files} and write it to the file given by
9243 @code{org-combined-agenda-icalendar-file}.
9246 @vindex org-use-property-inheritance
9247 @vindex org-icalendar-include-body
9248 @cindex property: SUMMARY
9249 @cindex property: DESCRIPTION
9250 @cindex property: LOCATION
9251 The export will honor SUMMARY, DESCRIPTION and LOCATION@footnote{The LOCATION
9252 property can be inherited from higher in the hierarchy if you configure
9253 @code{org-use-property-inheritance} accordingly.} properties if the selected
9254 entries have them. If not, the summary will be derived from the headline,
9255 and the description from the body (limited to
9256 @code{org-icalendar-include-body} characters).
9258 How this calendar is best read and updated, that depends on the application
9259 you are using. The FAQ covers this issue.
9261 @node Publishing, Miscellaneous, Exporting, Top
9265 Org includes a publishing management system that allows you to configure
9266 automatic HTML conversion of @emph{projects} composed of interlinked org
9267 files. You can also configure Org to automatically upload your exported HTML
9268 pages and related attachments, such as images and source code files, to a web
9271 You can also use Org to convert files into PDF, or even combine HTML and PDF
9272 conversion so that files are available in both formats on the server.
9274 Publishing has been contributed to Org by David O'Toole.
9277 * Configuration:: Defining projects
9278 * Uploading files:: How to get files up on the server
9279 * Sample configuration:: Example projects
9280 * Triggering publication:: Publication commands
9283 @node Configuration, Uploading files, Publishing, Publishing
9284 @section Configuration
9286 Publishing needs significant configuration to specify files, destination
9287 and many other properties of a project.
9290 * Project alist:: The central configuration variable
9291 * Sources and destinations:: From here to there
9292 * Selecting files:: What files are part of the project?
9293 * Publishing action:: Setting the function doing the publishing
9294 * Publishing options:: Tweaking HTML export
9295 * Publishing links:: Which links keep working after publishing?
9296 * Project page index:: Publishing a list of project files
9299 @node Project alist, Sources and destinations, Configuration, Configuration
9300 @subsection The variable @code{org-publish-project-alist}
9301 @cindex org-publish-project-alist
9302 @cindex projects, for publishing
9304 @vindex org-publish-project-alist
9305 Publishing is configured almost entirely through setting the value of one
9306 variable, called @code{org-publish-project-alist}. Each element of the list
9307 configures one project, and may be in one of the two following forms:
9310 ("project-name" :property value :property value ...)
9312 ("project-name" :components ("project-name" "project-name" ...))
9316 In both cases, projects are configured by specifying property values. A
9317 project defines the set of files that will be published, as well as the
9318 publishing configuration to use when publishing those files. When a project
9319 takes the second form listed above, the individual members of the
9320 @code{:components} property are taken to be sub-projects, which group
9321 together files requiring different publishing options. When you publish such
9322 a ``meta-project'', all the components will also be published, in the
9325 @node Sources and destinations, Selecting files, Project alist, Configuration
9326 @subsection Sources and destinations for files
9327 @cindex directories, for publishing
9329 Most properties are optional, but some should always be set. In
9330 particular, Org needs to know where to look for source files,
9331 and where to put published files.
9333 @multitable @columnfractions 0.3 0.7
9334 @item @code{:base-directory}
9335 @tab Directory containing publishing source files
9336 @item @code{:publishing-directory}
9337 @tab Directory where output files will be published. You can directly
9338 publish to a webserver using a file name syntax appropriate for
9339 the Emacs @file{tramp} package. Or you can publish to a local directory and
9340 use external tools to upload your website (@pxref{Uploading files}).
9341 @item @code{:preparation-function}
9342 @tab Function called before starting the publishing process, for example to
9343 run @code{make} for updating files to be published.
9344 @item @code{:completion-function}
9345 @tab Function called after finishing the publishing process, for example to
9346 change permissions of the resulting files.
9350 @node Selecting files, Publishing action, Sources and destinations, Configuration
9351 @subsection Selecting files
9352 @cindex files, selecting for publishing
9354 By default, all files with extension @file{.org} in the base directory
9355 are considered part of the project. This can be modified by setting the
9357 @multitable @columnfractions 0.25 0.75
9358 @item @code{:base-extension}
9359 @tab Extension (without the dot!) of source files. This actually is a
9360 regular expression. Set this to the symbol @code{any} if you want to get all
9361 files in @code{:base-directory}, even without extension.
9363 @item @code{:exclude}
9364 @tab Regular expression to match file names that should not be
9365 published, even though they have been selected on the basis of their
9368 @item @code{:include}
9369 @tab List of files to be included regardless of @code{:base-extension}
9370 and @code{:exclude}.
9373 @node Publishing action, Publishing options, Selecting files, Configuration
9374 @subsection Publishing action
9375 @cindex action, for publishing
9377 Publishing means that a file is copied to the destination directory and
9378 possibly transformed in the process. The default transformation is to export
9379 Org files as HTML files, and this is done by the function
9380 @code{org-publish-org-to-html} which calls the HTML exporter (@pxref{HTML
9381 export}). But you also can publish your as PDF files using
9382 @code{org-publish-org-to-pdf}. If you want to publish the Org file itself,
9383 but with @i{archived}, @i{commented}, and @i{tag-excluded} trees removed, use
9384 @code{org-publish-org-to-org} and set the parameters @code{:plain-source}
9385 and/or @code{:htmlized-source}. This will produce @file{file.org} and
9386 @file{file.org.html} in the publishing
9387 directory@footnote{@file{file-source.org} and @file{file-source.org.html} if
9388 source and publishing directories are equal.}. Other files like images only
9389 need to be copied to the publishing destination, for this you may use
9390 @code{org-publish-attachment}. For non-Org files, you always need to provide
9391 specify the publishing function:
9393 @multitable @columnfractions 0.3 0.7
9394 @item @code{:publishing-function}
9395 @tab Function executing the publication of a file. This may also be a
9396 list of functions, which will all be called in turn.
9397 @item @code{:plain-source}
9398 @tab Non-nil means, publish plain source.
9399 @item @code{:htmlized-source}
9400 @tab Non-nil means, publish htmlized source.
9403 The function must accept two arguments: a property list containing at least a
9404 @code{:publishing-directory} property, and the name of the file to be
9405 published. It should take the specified file, make the necessary
9406 transformation (if any) and place the result into the destination folder.
9408 @node Publishing options, Publishing links, Publishing action, Configuration
9409 @subsection Options for the HTML/LaTeX exporters
9410 @cindex options, for publishing
9412 The property list can be used to set many export options for the HTML
9413 and La@TeX{} exporters. In most cases, these properties correspond to user
9414 variables in Org. The table below lists these properties along
9415 with the variable they belong to. See the documentation string for the
9416 respective variable for details.
9418 @vindex org-export-html-link-up
9419 @vindex org-export-html-link-home
9420 @vindex org-export-default-language
9421 @vindex org-display-custom-times
9422 @vindex org-export-headline-levels
9423 @vindex org-export-with-section-numbers
9424 @vindex org-export-section-number-format
9425 @vindex org-export-with-toc
9426 @vindex org-export-preserve-breaks
9427 @vindex org-export-with-archived-trees
9428 @vindex org-export-with-emphasize
9429 @vindex org-export-with-sub-superscripts
9430 @vindex org-export-with-special-strings
9431 @vindex org-export-with-footnotes
9432 @vindex org-export-with-drawers
9433 @vindex org-export-with-tags
9434 @vindex org-export-with-todo-keywords
9435 @vindex org-export-with-priority
9436 @vindex org-export-with-TeX-macros
9437 @vindex org-export-with-LaTeX-fragments
9438 @vindex org-export-skip-text-before-1st-heading
9439 @vindex org-export-with-fixed-width
9440 @vindex org-export-with-timestamps
9441 @vindex org-export-author-info
9442 @vindex org-export-creator-info
9443 @vindex org-export-with-tables
9444 @vindex org-export-highlight-first-table-line
9445 @vindex org-export-html-style-include-default
9446 @vindex org-export-html-style
9447 @vindex org-export-html-style-extra
9448 @vindex org-export-html-link-org-files-as-html
9449 @vindex org-export-html-inline-images
9450 @vindex org-export-html-extension
9451 @vindex org-export-html-table-tag
9452 @vindex org-export-html-expand
9453 @vindex org-export-html-with-timestamp
9454 @vindex org-export-publishing-directory
9455 @vindex org-export-html-preamble
9456 @vindex org-export-html-postamble
9457 @vindex org-export-html-auto-preamble
9458 @vindex org-export-html-auto-postamble
9459 @vindex user-full-name
9460 @vindex user-mail-address
9461 @vindex org-export-select-tags
9462 @vindex org-export-exclude-tags
9464 @multitable @columnfractions 0.32 0.68
9465 @item @code{:link-up} @tab @code{org-export-html-link-up}
9466 @item @code{:link-home} @tab @code{org-export-html-link-home}
9467 @item @code{:language} @tab @code{org-export-default-language}
9468 @item @code{:customtime} @tab @code{org-display-custom-times}
9469 @item @code{:headline-levels} @tab @code{org-export-headline-levels}
9470 @item @code{:section-numbers} @tab @code{org-export-with-section-numbers}
9471 @item @code{:section-number-format} @tab @code{org-export-section-number-format}
9472 @item @code{:table-of-contents} @tab @code{org-export-with-toc}
9473 @item @code{:preserve-breaks} @tab @code{org-export-preserve-breaks}
9474 @item @code{:archived-trees} @tab @code{org-export-with-archived-trees}
9475 @item @code{:emphasize} @tab @code{org-export-with-emphasize}
9476 @item @code{:sub-superscript} @tab @code{org-export-with-sub-superscripts}
9477 @item @code{:special-strings} @tab @code{org-export-with-special-strings}
9478 @item @code{:footnotes} @tab @code{org-export-with-footnotes}
9479 @item @code{:drawers} @tab @code{org-export-with-drawers}
9480 @item @code{:tags} @tab @code{org-export-with-tags}
9481 @item @code{:todo-keywords} @tab @code{org-export-with-todo-keywords}
9482 @item @code{:priority} @tab @code{org-export-with-priority}
9483 @item @code{:TeX-macros} @tab @code{org-export-with-TeX-macros}
9484 @item @code{:LaTeX-fragments} @tab @code{org-export-with-LaTeX-fragments}
9485 @item @code{:skip-before-1st-heading} @tab @code{org-export-skip-text-before-1st-heading}
9486 @item @code{:fixed-width} @tab @code{org-export-with-fixed-width}
9487 @item @code{:timestamps} @tab @code{org-export-with-timestamps}
9488 @item @code{:author-info} @tab @code{org-export-author-info}
9489 @item @code{:creator-info} @tab @code{org-export-creator-info}
9490 @item @code{:tables} @tab @code{org-export-with-tables}
9491 @item @code{:table-auto-headline} @tab @code{org-export-highlight-first-table-line}
9492 @item @code{:style-include-default} @tab @code{org-export-html-style-include-default}
9493 @item @code{:style} @tab @code{org-export-html-style}
9494 @item @code{:style-extra} @tab @code{org-export-html-style-extra}
9495 @item @code{:convert-org-links} @tab @code{org-export-html-link-org-files-as-html}
9496 @item @code{:inline-images} @tab @code{org-export-html-inline-images}
9497 @item @code{:html-extension} @tab @code{org-export-html-extension}
9498 @item @code{:xml-declaration} @tab @code{org-export-html-xml-declaration}
9499 @item @code{:html-table-tag} @tab @code{org-export-html-table-tag}
9500 @item @code{:expand-quoted-html} @tab @code{org-export-html-expand}
9501 @item @code{:timestamp} @tab @code{org-export-html-with-timestamp}
9502 @item @code{:publishing-directory} @tab @code{org-export-publishing-directory}
9503 @item @code{:preamble} @tab @code{org-export-html-preamble}
9504 @item @code{:postamble} @tab @code{org-export-html-postamble}
9505 @item @code{:auto-preamble} @tab @code{org-export-html-auto-preamble}
9506 @item @code{:auto-postamble} @tab @code{org-export-html-auto-postamble}
9507 @item @code{:author} @tab @code{user-full-name}
9508 @item @code{:email} @tab @code{user-mail-address} : @code{addr;addr;..}
9509 @item @code{:select-tags} @tab @code{org-export-select-tags}
9510 @item @code{:exclude-tags} @tab @code{org-export-exclude-tags}
9511 @item @code{:latex-image-options} @tab @code{org-export-latex-image-default-option}
9514 Most of the @code{org-export-with-*} variables have the same effect in
9515 both HTML and La@TeX{} exporters, except for @code{:TeX-macros} and
9516 @code{:LaTeX-fragments}, respectively @code{nil} and @code{t} in the
9519 @vindex org-publish-project-alist
9520 When a property is given a value in @code{org-publish-project-alist},
9521 its setting overrides the value of the corresponding user variable (if
9522 any) during publishing. Options set within a file (@pxref{Export
9523 options}), however, override everything.
9525 @node Publishing links, Project page index, Publishing options, Configuration
9526 @subsection Links between published files
9527 @cindex links, publishing
9529 To create a link from one Org file to another, you would use
9530 something like @samp{[[file:foo.org][The foo]]} or simply
9531 @samp{file:foo.org.} (@pxref{Hyperlinks}). Upon publishing this link
9532 becomes a link to @file{foo.html}. In this way, you can interlink the
9533 pages of your "org web" project and the links will work as expected when
9534 you publish them to HTML. If you also publish the Org source file and want
9535 to link to that, use an @code{http:} link instead of an @code{file:} link,
9536 because @code{file:} links are converted to link to the corresponding
9539 You may also link to related files, such as images. Provided you are careful
9540 with relative pathnames, and provided you have also configured Org to upload
9541 the related files, these links will work too. See @ref{Complex example} for
9542 an example of this usage.
9544 Sometimes an Org file to be published may contain links that are
9545 only valid in your production environment, but not in the publishing
9546 location. In this case, use the property
9548 @multitable @columnfractions 0.4 0.6
9549 @item @code{:link-validation-function}
9550 @tab Function to validate links
9554 to define a function for checking link validity. This function must
9555 accept two arguments, the file name and a directory relative to which
9556 the file name is interpreted in the production environment. If this
9557 function returns @code{nil}, then the HTML generator will only insert a
9558 description into the HTML file, but no link. One option for this
9559 function is @code{org-publish-validate-link} which checks if the given
9560 file is part of any project in @code{org-publish-project-alist}.
9562 @node Project page index, , Publishing links, Configuration
9563 @subsection Project page index
9564 @cindex index, of published pages
9566 The following properties may be used to control publishing of an
9567 index of files or a summary page for a given project.
9569 @multitable @columnfractions 0.25 0.75
9570 @item @code{:auto-index}
9571 @tab When non-nil, publish an index during @code{org-publish-current-project}
9572 or @code{org-publish-all}.
9574 @item @code{:index-filename}
9575 @tab Filename for output of index. Defaults to @file{sitemap.org} (which
9576 becomes @file{sitemap.html}).
9578 @item @code{:index-title}
9579 @tab Title of index page. Defaults to name of file.
9581 @item @code{:index-function}
9582 @tab Plug-in function to use for generation of index.
9583 Defaults to @code{org-publish-org-index}, which generates a plain list
9584 of links to all files in the project.
9587 @node Uploading files, Sample configuration, Configuration, Publishing
9588 @section Uploading files
9592 For those people already utilising third party sync tools such as
9593 @file{rsync} or @file{unison}, it might be preferable not to use the built in
9594 @i{remote} publishing facilities of Org-mode which rely heavily on
9595 @file{Tramp}. @file{Tramp}, while very useful and powerful, tends not to be
9596 so efficient for multiple file transfer and has been known to cause problems
9599 Specialised synchronization utilities offer several advantages. In addition
9600 to timestamp comparison, they also do content and permissions/attribute
9601 checks. For this reason you might prefer to publish your web to a local
9602 directory (possibly even @i{in place} with your Org files) and then use
9603 @file{unison} or @file{rsync} to do the synchronisation with the remote host.
9605 Since Unison (for example) can be configured as to which files to transfer to
9606 a certain remote destination, it can greatly simplify the project publishing
9607 definition. Simply keep all files in the correct location, process your Org
9608 files with @code{org-publish} and let the synchronization tool do the rest.
9609 You do not need, in this scenario, to include attachments such as @file{jpg},
9610 @file{css} or @file{gif} files in the project definition since the 3rd party
9613 Publishing to a local directory is also much faster than to a remote one, so
9614 that you can afford more easily to republish entire projects. If you set
9615 @code{org-publish-use-timestamps-flag} to @code{nil}, you gain the main
9616 benefit of re-including any changed external files such as source example
9617 files you might include with @code{#+INCLUDE}. The timestamp mechanism in
9618 Org is not smart enough to detect if included files have been modified.
9620 @node Sample configuration, Triggering publication, Uploading files, Publishing
9621 @section Sample configuration
9623 Below we provide two example configurations. The first one is a simple
9624 project publishing only a set of Org files. The second example is
9625 more complex, with a multi-component project.
9628 * Simple example:: One-component publishing
9629 * Complex example:: A multi-component publishing example
9632 @node Simple example, Complex example, Sample configuration, Sample configuration
9633 @subsection Example: simple publishing configuration
9635 This example publishes a set of Org files to the @file{public_html}
9636 directory on the local machine.
9639 (setq org-publish-project-alist
9641 :base-directory "~/org/"
9642 :publishing-directory "~/public_html"
9643 :section-numbers nil
9644 :table-of-contents nil
9645 :style "<link rel=\"stylesheet\"
9646 href=\"../other/mystyle.css\"
9647 type=\"text/css\">")))
9650 @node Complex example, , Simple example, Sample configuration
9651 @subsection Example: complex publishing configuration
9653 This more complicated example publishes an entire website, including
9654 org files converted to HTML, image files, emacs lisp source code, and
9655 style sheets. The publishing-directory is remote and private files are
9658 To ensure that links are preserved, care should be taken to replicate
9659 your directory structure on the web server, and to use relative file
9660 paths. For example, if your org files are kept in @file{~/org} and your
9661 publishable images in @file{~/images}, you'd link to an image with
9664 file:../images/myimage.png
9667 On the web server, the relative path to the image should be the
9668 same. You can accomplish this by setting up an "images" folder in the
9669 right place on the web server, and publishing images to it.
9672 (setq org-publish-project-alist
9674 :base-directory "~/org/"
9675 :base-extension "org"
9676 :publishing-directory "/ssh:user@@host:~/html/notebook/"
9677 :publishing-function org-publish-org-to-html
9678 :exclude "PrivatePage.org" ;; regexp
9680 :section-numbers nil
9681 :table-of-contents nil
9682 :style "<link rel=\"stylesheet\"
9683 href=\"../other/mystyle.css\" type=\"text/css\">"
9685 :auto-postamble nil)
9688 :base-directory "~/images/"
9689 :base-extension "jpg\\|gif\\|png"
9690 :publishing-directory "/ssh:user@@host:~/html/images/"
9691 :publishing-function org-publish-attachment)
9694 :base-directory "~/other/"
9695 :base-extension "css\\|el"
9696 :publishing-directory "/ssh:user@@host:~/html/other/"
9697 :publishing-function org-publish-attachment)
9698 ("website" :components ("orgfiles" "images" "other"))))
9701 @node Triggering publication, , Sample configuration, Publishing
9702 @section Triggering publication
9704 Once properly configured, Org can publish with the following commands:
9709 Prompt for a specific project and publish all files that belong to it.
9712 Publish the project containing the current file.
9715 Publish only the current file.
9718 Publish every project.
9721 @vindex org-publish-use-timestamps-flag
9722 Org uses timestamps to track when a file has changed. The above functions
9723 normally only publish changed files. You can override this and force
9724 publishing of all files by giving a prefix argument, or by customizing the
9725 variable @code{org-publish-use-timestamps-flag}. This may be necessary in
9726 particular if files include other files via @code{#+SETUPFILE:} or
9729 @node Miscellaneous, Hacking, Publishing, Top
9730 @chapter Miscellaneous
9733 * Completion:: M-TAB knows what you need
9734 * Customization:: Adapting Org to your taste
9735 * In-buffer settings:: Overview of the #+KEYWORDS
9736 * The very busy C-c C-c key:: When in doubt, press C-c C-c
9737 * Clean view:: Getting rid of leading stars in the outline
9738 * TTY keys:: Using Org on a tty
9739 * Interaction:: Other Emacs packages
9743 @node Completion, Customization, Miscellaneous, Miscellaneous
9745 @cindex completion, of @TeX{} symbols
9746 @cindex completion, of TODO keywords
9747 @cindex completion, of dictionary words
9748 @cindex completion, of option keywords
9749 @cindex completion, of tags
9750 @cindex completion, of property keys
9751 @cindex completion, of link abbreviations
9752 @cindex @TeX{} symbol completion
9753 @cindex TODO keywords completion
9754 @cindex dictionary word completion
9755 @cindex option keyword completion
9756 @cindex tag completion
9757 @cindex link abbreviations, completion of
9759 Org supports in-buffer completion. This type of completion does
9760 not make use of the minibuffer. You simply type a few letters into
9761 the buffer and use the key to complete text right there.
9766 Complete word at point
9769 At the beginning of a headline, complete TODO keywords.
9771 After @samp{\}, complete @TeX{} symbols supported by the exporter.
9773 After @samp{*}, complete headlines in the current buffer so that they
9774 can be used in search links like @samp{[[*find this headline]]}.
9776 After @samp{:} in a headline, complete tags. The list of tags is taken
9777 from the variable @code{org-tag-alist} (possibly set through the
9778 @samp{#+TAGS} in-buffer option, @pxref{Setting tags}), or it is created
9779 dynamically from all tags used in the current buffer.
9781 After @samp{:} and not in a headline, complete property keys. The list
9782 of keys is constructed dynamically from all keys used in the current
9785 After @samp{[}, complete link abbreviations (@pxref{Link abbreviations}).
9787 After @samp{#+}, complete the special keywords like @samp{TYP_TODO} or
9788 @samp{OPTIONS} which set file-specific options for Org mode. When the
9789 option keyword is already complete, pressing @kbd{M-@key{TAB}} again
9790 will insert example settings for this keyword.
9792 In the line after @samp{#+STARTUP: }, complete startup keywords,
9793 i.e. valid keys for this line.
9795 Elsewhere, complete dictionary words using Ispell.
9799 @node Customization, In-buffer settings, Completion, Miscellaneous
9800 @section Customization
9801 @cindex customization
9802 @cindex options, for customization
9803 @cindex variables, for customization
9805 There are more than 180 variables that can be used to customize
9806 Org. For the sake of compactness of the manual, I am not
9807 describing the variables here. A structured overview of customization
9808 variables is available with @kbd{M-x org-customize}. Or select
9809 @code{Browse Org Group} from the @code{Org->Customization} menu. Many
9810 settings can also be activated on a per-file basis, by putting special
9811 lines into the buffer (@pxref{In-buffer settings}).
9813 @node In-buffer settings, The very busy C-c C-c key, Customization, Miscellaneous
9814 @section Summary of in-buffer settings
9815 @cindex in-buffer settings
9816 @cindex special keywords
9818 Org mode uses special lines in the buffer to define settings on a
9819 per-file basis. These lines start with a @samp{#+} followed by a
9820 keyword, a colon, and then individual words defining a setting. Several
9821 setting words can be in the same line, but you can also have multiple
9822 lines for the keyword. While these settings are described throughout
9823 the manual, here is a summary. After changing any of those lines in the
9824 buffer, press @kbd{C-c C-c} with the cursor still in the line to
9825 activate the changes immediately. Otherwise they become effective only
9826 when the file is visited again in a new Emacs session.
9828 @vindex org-archive-location
9830 @item #+ARCHIVE: %s_done::
9831 This line sets the archive location for the agenda file. It applies for
9832 all subsequent lines until the next @samp{#+ARCHIVE} line, or the end
9833 of the file. The first such line also applies to any entries before it.
9834 The corresponding variable is @code{org-archive-location}.
9836 This line sets the category for the agenda file. The category applies
9837 for all subsequent lines until the next @samp{#+CATEGORY} line, or the
9838 end of the file. The first such line also applies to any entries before it.
9839 @item #+COLUMNS: %25ITEM .....
9840 @cindex property: COLUMNS
9841 Set the default format for columns view. This format applies when
9842 columns view is invoked in location where no @code{COLUMNS} property
9844 @item #+CONSTANTS: name1=value1 ...
9845 @vindex org-table-formula-constants
9846 @vindex org-table-formula
9847 Set file-local values for constants to be used in table formulas. This
9848 line set the local variable @code{org-table-formula-constants-local}.
9849 The global version of this variable is
9850 @code{org-table-formula-constants}.
9851 @item #+FILETAGS: :tag1:tag2:tag3:
9852 Set tags that can be inherited by any entry in the file, including the
9854 @item #+DRAWERS: NAME1 .....
9856 Set the file-local set of drawers. The corresponding global variable is
9858 @item #+LINK: linkword replace
9859 @vindex org-link-abbrev-alist
9860 These lines (several are allowed) specify link abbreviations.
9861 @xref{Link abbreviations}. The corresponding variable is
9862 @code{org-link-abbrev-alist}.
9863 @item #+PRIORITIES: highest lowest default
9864 @vindex org-highest-priority
9865 @vindex org-lowest-priority
9866 @vindex org-default-priority
9867 This line sets the limits and the default for the priorities. All three
9868 must be either letters A-Z or numbers 0-9. The highest priority must
9869 have a lower ASCII number that the lowest priority.
9870 @item #+PROPERTY: Property_Name Value
9871 This line sets a default inheritance value for entries in the current
9872 buffer, most useful for specifying the allowed values of a property.
9874 @item #+SETUPFILE: file
9875 This line defines a file that holds more in-buffer setup. Normally this is
9876 entirely ignored. Only when the buffer is parsed for option-setting lines
9877 (i.e. when starting Org mode for a file, when pressing @kbd{C-c C-c} in a
9878 settings line, or when exporting), then the contents of this file are parsed
9879 as if they had been included in the buffer. In particular, the file can be
9880 any other Org mode file with internal setup. You can visit the file the
9881 cursor is in the line with @kbd{C-c '}.
9883 @vindex org-startup-folded
9884 This line sets options to be used at startup of Org mode, when an
9885 Org file is being visited. The first set of options deals with the
9886 initial visibility of the outline tree. The corresponding variable for
9887 global default settings is @code{org-startup-folded}, with a default
9888 value @code{t}, which means @code{overview}.
9889 @cindex @code{overview}, STARTUP keyword
9890 @cindex @code{content}, STARTUP keyword
9891 @cindex @code{showall}, STARTUP keyword
9893 overview @r{top-level headlines only}
9894 content @r{all headlines}
9895 showall @r{no folding at all, show everything}
9897 @vindex org-startup-align-all-tables
9898 Then there are options for aligning tables upon visiting a file. This
9899 is useful in files containing narrowed table columns. The corresponding
9900 variable is @code{org-startup-align-all-tables}, with a default value
9902 @cindex @code{align}, STARTUP keyword
9903 @cindex @code{noalign}, STARTUP keyword
9905 align @r{align all tables}
9906 noalign @r{don't align tables on startup}
9908 @vindex org-log-done
9909 @vindex org-log-note-clock-out
9910 @vindex org-log-repeat
9911 Logging closing and reinstating TODO items, and clock intervals
9912 (variables @code{org-log-done}, @code{org-log-note-clock-out}, and
9913 @code{org-log-repeat}) can be configured using these options.
9914 @cindex @code{logdone}, STARTUP keyword
9915 @cindex @code{lognotedone}, STARTUP keyword
9916 @cindex @code{nologdone}, STARTUP keyword
9917 @cindex @code{lognoteclock-out}, STARTUP keyword
9918 @cindex @code{nolognoteclock-out}, STARTUP keyword
9919 @cindex @code{logrepeat}, STARTUP keyword
9920 @cindex @code{lognoterepeat}, STARTUP keyword
9921 @cindex @code{nologrepeat}, STARTUP keyword
9923 logdone @r{record a timestamp when an item is marked DONE}
9924 lognotedone @r{record timestamp and a note when DONE}
9925 nologdone @r{don't record when items are marked DONE}
9926 logrepeat @r{record a time when reinstating a repeating item}
9927 lognoterepeat @r{record a note when reinstating a repeating item}
9928 nologrepeat @r{do not record when reinstating repeating item}
9929 lognoteclock-out @r{record a note when clocking out}
9930 nolognoteclock-out @r{don't record a note when clocking out}
9932 @vindex org-hide-leading-stars
9933 @vindex org-odd-levels-only
9934 Here are the options for hiding leading stars in outline headings, and for
9935 indenting outlines. The corresponding variables are
9936 @code{org-hide-leading-stars} and @code{org-odd-levels-only}, both with a
9937 default setting @code{nil} (meaning @code{showstars} and @code{oddeven}).
9938 @cindex @code{hidestars}, STARTUP keyword
9939 @cindex @code{showstars}, STARTUP keyword
9940 @cindex @code{odd}, STARTUP keyword
9941 @cindex @code{even}, STARTUP keyword
9943 hidestars @r{make all but one of the stars starting a headline invisible.}
9944 showstars @r{show all stars starting a headline}
9945 indent @r{virtual indentation according to outline level}
9946 noindent @r{no virtual indentation according to outline level}
9947 odd @r{allow only odd outline levels (1,3,...)}
9948 oddeven @r{allow all outline levels}
9950 @vindex org-put-time-stamp-overlays
9951 @vindex org-time-stamp-overlay-formats
9952 To turn on custom format overlays over time stamps (variables
9953 @code{org-put-time-stamp-overlays} and
9954 @code{org-time-stamp-overlay-formats}), use
9955 @cindex @code{customtime}, STARTUP keyword
9957 customtime @r{overlay custom time format}
9959 @vindex constants-unit-system
9960 The following options influence the table spreadsheet (variable
9961 @code{constants-unit-system}).
9962 @cindex @code{constcgs}, STARTUP keyword
9963 @cindex @code{constSI}, STARTUP keyword
9965 constcgs @r{@file{constants.el} should use the c-g-s unit system}
9966 constSI @r{@file{constants.el} should use the SI unit system}
9968 @vindex org-footnote-define-inline
9969 @vindex org-footnote-auto-label
9970 To influence footnote settings, use the following keywords. The
9971 corresponding variables are @code{org-footnote-define-inline} and
9972 @code{org-footnote-auto-label}.
9973 @cindex @code{fninline}, STARTUP keyword
9974 @cindex @code{fnnoinline}, STARTUP keyword
9975 @cindex @code{fnlocal}, STARTUP keyword
9976 @cindex @code{fnprompt}, STARTUP keyword
9977 @cindex @code{fnauto}, STARTUP keyword
9978 @cindex @code{fnconfirm}, STARTUP keyword
9979 @cindex @code{fnplain}, STARTUP keyword
9981 fninline @r{define footnotes inline}
9982 fnnoinline @r{define footnotes in separate section}
9983 fnlocal @r{define footnotes near first reference, but not inline}
9984 fnprompt @r{prompt for footnote labels}
9985 fnauto @r{create [fn:1]-like labels automatically (default)}
9986 fnconfirm @r{offer automatic label for editing or confirmation}
9987 fnplain @r{create [1]-like labels automatically}
9989 @cindex org-hide-block-startup
9990 To hide blocks on startup, use these keywords. The corresponding variable is
9991 @code{org-hide-block-startup}.
9992 @cindex @code{hideblocks}, STARTUP keyword
9993 @cindex @code{nohideblocks}, STARTUP keyword
9995 hideblocks @r{Hide all begin/end blocks on startup}
9996 nohideblocks @r{Do not hide blocks on startup}
9998 @item #+TAGS: TAG1(c1) TAG2(c2)
9999 @vindex org-tag-alist
10000 These lines (several such lines are allowed) specify the valid tags in
10001 this file, and (potentially) the corresponding @emph{fast tag selection}
10002 keys. The corresponding variable is @code{org-tag-alist}.
10004 This line contains the formulas for the table directly above the line.
10005 @item #+TITLE:, #+AUTHOR:, #+EMAIL:, #+LANGUAGE:, #+TEXT:, #+OPTIONS, #+DATE:,
10006 @itemx #+DESCRIPTION:, #+KEYWORDS:
10007 @itemx #+LATEX_HEADER:, #+STYLE:, #+LINK_UP:, #+LINK_HOME:,
10008 @itemx #+EXPORT_SELECT_TAGS:, #+EXPORT_EXCLUDE_TAGS:
10009 These lines provide settings for exporting files. For more details see
10010 @ref{Export options}.
10011 @item #+TODO: #+SEQ_TODO: #+TYP_TODO:
10012 @vindex org-todo-keywords
10013 These lines set the TODO keywords and their interpretation in the
10014 current file. The corresponding variable is @code{org-todo-keywords}.
10017 @node The very busy C-c C-c key, Clean view, In-buffer settings, Miscellaneous
10018 @section The very busy C-c C-c key
10020 @cindex C-c C-c, overview
10022 The key @kbd{C-c C-c} has many purposes in Org, which are all
10023 mentioned scattered throughout this manual. One specific function of
10024 this key is to add @emph{tags} to a headline (@pxref{Tags}). In many
10025 other circumstances it means something like @emph{Hey Org, look
10026 here and update according to what you see here}. Here is a summary of
10027 what this means in different contexts.
10031 If there are highlights in the buffer from the creation of a sparse
10032 tree, or from clock display, remove these highlights.
10034 If the cursor is in one of the special @code{#+KEYWORD} lines, this
10035 triggers scanning the buffer for these lines and updating the
10038 If the cursor is inside a table, realign the table. This command
10039 works even if the automatic table editor has been turned off.
10041 If the cursor is on a @code{#+TBLFM} line, re-apply the formulas to
10044 If the cursor is inside a table created by the @file{table.el} package,
10045 activate that table.
10047 If the current buffer is a remember buffer, close the note and file it.
10048 With a prefix argument, file it, without further interaction, to the
10051 If the cursor is on a @code{<<<target>>>}, update radio targets and
10052 corresponding links in this buffer.
10054 If the cursor is in a property line or at the start or end of a property
10055 drawer, offer property commands.
10057 If the cursor is at a footnote reference, go to the corresponding
10058 definition, and vice versa.
10060 If the cursor is in a plain list item with a checkbox, toggle the status
10063 If the cursor is on a numbered item in a plain list, renumber the
10066 If the cursor is on the @code{#+BEGIN} line of a dynamical block, the
10070 @node Clean view, TTY keys, The very busy C-c C-c key, Miscellaneous
10071 @section A cleaner outline view
10072 @cindex hiding leading stars
10073 @cindex dynamic indentation
10074 @cindex odd-levels-only outlines
10075 @cindex clean outline view
10077 Some people find it noisy and distracting that the Org headlines are starting
10078 with a potentially large number of stars, and that text below the headlines
10079 is not indented. This is not really a problem when you are writing a book
10080 where the outline headings are really section headlines. However, in a more
10081 list-oriented outline, it is clear that an indented structure is a lot
10082 cleaner, as can be seen by comparing the two columns in the following
10087 * Top level headline | * Top level headline
10088 ** Second level | * Second level
10089 *** 3rd level | * 3rd level
10090 some text | some text
10091 *** 3rd level | * 3rd level
10092 more text | more text
10093 * Another top level headline | * Another top level headline
10098 It is non-trivial to make such a look work in Emacs, but Org contains three
10099 separate features that, combined, achieve just that.
10103 @emph{Indentation of text below headlines}@*
10104 You may indent text below each headline to make the left boundary line up
10105 with the headline, like
10109 more text, now indented
10112 @vindex org-adapt-indentation
10113 A good way to get this indentation is by hand, and Org supports this with
10114 paragraph filling, line wrapping, and structure editing@footnote{See also the
10115 variable @code{org-adapt-indentation}.} preserving or adapting the
10116 indentation appropriate. A different approach would be to have a way to
10117 automatically indent lines according to outline structure by adding overlays
10118 or text properties. But I have not yet found a robust and efficient way to
10119 do this in large files.
10122 @vindex org-hide-leading-stars
10123 @emph{Hiding leading stars}@* You can modify the display in such a way that
10124 all leading stars become invisible. To do this in a global way, configure
10125 the variable @code{org-hide-leading-stars} or change this on a per-file basis
10129 #+STARTUP: hidestars
10133 Note that the opposite behavior is selected with @code{showstars}.
10135 With hidden stars, the tree becomes:
10139 * Top level headline
10147 @vindex org-hide @r{(face)}
10148 Note that the leading stars are not truly replaced by whitespace, they
10149 are only fontified with the face @code{org-hide} that uses the
10150 background color as font color. If you are not using either white or
10151 black background, you may have to customize this face to get the wanted
10152 effect. Another possibility is to set this font such that the extra
10153 stars are @i{almost} invisible, for example using the color
10154 @code{grey90} on a white background.
10157 @cindex org-odd-levels-only
10158 Things become cleaner still if you skip all the even levels and use only odd
10159 levels 1, 3, 5..., effectively adding two stars to go from one outline level
10160 to the next@footnote{When you need to specify a level for a property search
10161 or refile targets, @samp{LEVEL=2} will correspond to 3 stars etc.}. In this
10162 way we get the outline view shown at the beginning of this section. In order
10163 to make the structure editing and export commands handle this convention
10164 correctly, configure the variable @code{org-odd-levels-only}, or set this on
10165 a per-file basis with one of the following lines:
10172 You can convert an Org file from single-star-per-level to the
10173 double-star-per-level convention with @kbd{M-x org-convert-to-odd-levels
10174 RET} in that file. The reverse operation is @kbd{M-x
10175 org-convert-to-oddeven-levels}.
10178 @node TTY keys, Interaction, Clean view, Miscellaneous
10179 @section Using Org on a tty
10180 @cindex tty key bindings
10182 Because Org contains a large number of commands, by default much of
10183 Org's core commands are bound to keys that are generally not
10184 accessible on a tty, such as the cursor keys (@key{left}, @key{right},
10185 @key{up}, @key{down}), @key{TAB} and @key{RET}, in particular when used
10186 together with modifiers like @key{Meta} and/or @key{Shift}. To access
10187 these commands on a tty when special keys are unavailable, the following
10188 alternative bindings can be used. The tty bindings below will likely be
10189 more cumbersome; you may find for some of the bindings below that a
10190 customized work-around suits you better. For example, changing a time
10191 stamp is really only fun with @kbd{S-@key{cursor}} keys, whereas on a
10192 tty you would rather use @kbd{C-c .} to re-insert the timestamp.
10194 @multitable @columnfractions 0.15 0.2 0.2
10195 @item @b{Default} @tab @b{Alternative 1} @tab @b{Alternative 2}
10196 @item @kbd{S-@key{TAB}} @tab @kbd{C-u @key{TAB}} @tab
10197 @item @kbd{M-@key{left}} @tab @kbd{C-c C-x l} @tab @kbd{@key{Esc} @key{left}}
10198 @item @kbd{M-S-@key{left}} @tab @kbd{C-c C-x L} @tab
10199 @item @kbd{M-@key{right}} @tab @kbd{C-c C-x r} @tab @kbd{@key{Esc} @key{right}}
10200 @item @kbd{M-S-@key{right}} @tab @kbd{C-c C-x R} @tab
10201 @item @kbd{M-@key{up}} @tab @kbd{C-c C-x u} @tab @kbd{@key{Esc} @key{up}}
10202 @item @kbd{M-S-@key{up}} @tab @kbd{C-c C-x U} @tab
10203 @item @kbd{M-@key{down}} @tab @kbd{C-c C-x d} @tab @kbd{@key{Esc} @key{down}}
10204 @item @kbd{M-S-@key{down}} @tab @kbd{C-c C-x D} @tab
10205 @item @kbd{S-@key{RET}} @tab @kbd{C-c C-x c} @tab
10206 @item @kbd{M-@key{RET}} @tab @kbd{C-c C-x m} @tab @kbd{@key{Esc} @key{RET}}
10207 @item @kbd{M-S-@key{RET}} @tab @kbd{C-c C-x M} @tab
10208 @item @kbd{S-@key{left}} @tab @kbd{C-c @key{left}} @tab
10209 @item @kbd{S-@key{right}} @tab @kbd{C-c @key{right}} @tab
10210 @item @kbd{S-@key{up}} @tab @kbd{C-c @key{up}} @tab
10211 @item @kbd{S-@key{down}} @tab @kbd{C-c @key{down}} @tab
10212 @item @kbd{C-S-@key{left}} @tab @kbd{C-c C-x @key{left}} @tab
10213 @item @kbd{C-S-@key{right}} @tab @kbd{C-c C-x @key{right}} @tab
10217 @node Interaction, , TTY keys, Miscellaneous
10218 @section Interaction with other packages
10219 @cindex packages, interaction with other
10220 Org lives in the world of GNU Emacs and interacts in various ways
10221 with other code out there.
10224 * Cooperation:: Packages Org cooperates with
10225 * Conflicts:: Packages that lead to conflicts
10228 @node Cooperation, Conflicts, Interaction, Interaction
10229 @subsection Packages that Org cooperates with
10232 @cindex @file{calc.el}
10233 @item @file{calc.el} by Dave Gillespie
10234 Org uses the Calc package for implementing spreadsheet
10235 functionality in its tables (@pxref{The spreadsheet}). Org
10236 checks for the availability of Calc by looking for the function
10237 @code{calc-eval} which should be autoloaded in your setup if Calc has
10238 been installed properly. As of Emacs 22, Calc is part of the Emacs
10239 distribution. Another possibility for interaction between the two
10240 packages is using Calc for embedded calculations. @xref{Embedded Mode,
10241 , Embedded Mode, Calc, GNU Emacs Calc Manual}.
10242 @cindex @file{constants.el}
10243 @item @file{constants.el} by Carsten Dominik
10244 @vindex org-table-formula-constants
10245 In a table formula (@pxref{The spreadsheet}), it is possible to use
10246 names for natural constants or units. Instead of defining your own
10247 constants in the variable @code{org-table-formula-constants}, install
10248 the @file{constants} package which defines a large number of constants
10249 and units, and lets you use unit prefixes like @samp{M} for
10250 @samp{Mega} etc. You will need version 2.0 of this package, available
10251 at @url{http://www.astro.uva.nl/~dominik/Tools}. Org checks for
10252 the function @code{constants-get}, which has to be autoloaded in your
10253 setup. See the installation instructions in the file
10254 @file{constants.el}.
10255 @item @file{cdlatex.el} by Carsten Dominik
10256 @cindex @file{cdlatex.el}
10257 Org mode can make use of the CDLaTeX package to efficiently enter
10258 La@TeX{} fragments into Org files. See @ref{CDLaTeX mode}.
10259 @item @file{imenu.el} by Ake Stenhoff and Lars Lindberg
10260 @cindex @file{imenu.el}
10261 Imenu allows menu access to an index of items in a file. Org mode
10262 supports Imenu - all you need to do to get the index is the following:
10264 (add-hook 'org-mode-hook
10265 (lambda () (imenu-add-to-menubar "Imenu")))
10267 @vindex org-imenu-depth
10268 By default the index is two levels deep - you can modify the depth using
10269 the option @code{org-imenu-depth}.
10270 @item @file{remember.el} by John Wiegley
10271 @cindex @file{remember.el}
10272 Org cooperates with remember, see @ref{Remember}.
10273 @file{Remember.el} is not part of Emacs, find it on the web.
10274 @item @file{speedbar.el} by Eric M. Ludlam
10275 @cindex @file{speedbar.el}
10276 Speedbar is a package that creates a special frame displaying files and
10277 index items in files. Org mode supports Speedbar and allows you to
10278 drill into Org files directly from the Speedbar. It also allows to
10279 restrict the scope of agenda commands to a file or a subtree by using
10280 the command @kbd{<} in the Speedbar frame.
10281 @cindex @file{table.el}
10282 @item @file{table.el} by Takaaki Ota
10284 @cindex table editor, @file{table.el}
10285 @cindex @file{table.el}
10287 Complex ASCII tables with automatic line wrapping, column- and
10288 row-spanning, and alignment can be created using the Emacs table
10289 package by Takaaki Ota (@uref{http://sourceforge.net/projects/table},
10290 and also part of Emacs 22).
10291 When @key{TAB} or @kbd{C-c C-c} is pressed in such a table, Org mode
10292 will call @command{table-recognize-table} and move the cursor into the
10293 table. Inside a table, the keymap of Org mode is inactive. In order
10294 to execute Org mode-related commands, leave the table.
10299 Recognize @file{table.el} table. Works when the cursor is in a
10304 Insert a table.el table. If there is already a table at point, this
10305 command converts it between the table.el format and the Org mode
10306 format. See the documentation string of the command
10307 @code{org-convert-table} for the restrictions under which this is
10310 @file{table.el} is part of Emacs 22.
10311 @cindex @file{footnote.el}
10312 @item @file{footnote.el} by Steven L. Baur
10313 Org mode recognizes numerical footnotes as provided by this package.
10314 However, Org-mode also has its own footnote support (@pxref{Footnotes}),
10315 which makes using @file{footnote.el} unnecessary.
10318 @node Conflicts, , Cooperation, Interaction
10319 @subsection Packages that lead to conflicts with Org mode
10323 @cindex @code{shift-selection-mode}
10324 @vindex org-support-shift-select
10325 In Emacs 23, @code{shift-selection-mode} is on by default, meaning that
10326 cursor motions combined with the shift key should start or enlarge regions.
10327 This conflicts with the use of @kbd{S-@key{cursor}} commands in Org to change
10328 timestamps, TODO keywords, priorities, and item bullet types if the cursor is
10329 at such a location. By default, @kbd{S-@key{cursor}} commands outside
10330 special contexts don't do anything, but you can customize the variable
10331 @code{org-support-shift-select}. Org-mode then tries to accommodate shift
10332 selection by (i) using it outside of the special contexts where special
10333 commands apply, and by (ii) extending an existing active region even if the
10334 cursor moves across a special context.
10336 @cindex @file{CUA.el}
10337 @item @file{CUA.el} by Kim. F. Storm
10338 @vindex org-replace-disputed-keys
10339 Key bindings in Org conflict with the @kbd{S-<cursor>} keys used by CUA mode
10340 (as well as pc-select-mode and s-region-mode) to select and extend the
10341 region. In fact, Emacs 23 has this built-in in the form of
10342 @code{shift-selection-mode}, see previous paragraph. If you are using Emacs
10343 23, you probably don't want to use another package for this purpose. However,
10344 if you prefer to leave these keys to a different package while working in
10345 Org-mode, configure the variable @code{org-replace-disputed-keys}. When set,
10346 Org will move the following key bindings in Org files, and in the agenda
10347 buffer (but not during date selection).
10350 S-UP -> M-p S-DOWN -> M-n
10351 S-LEFT -> M-- S-RIGHT -> M-+
10352 C-S-LEFT -> M-S-- C-S-RIGHT -> M-S-+
10355 @vindex org-disputed-keys
10356 Yes, these are unfortunately more difficult to remember. If you want
10357 to have other replacement keys, look at the variable
10358 @code{org-disputed-keys}.
10360 @item @file{yasnippet.el}
10361 @cindex @file{yasnippet.el}
10362 The way Org-mode binds the TAB key (binding to @code{[tab]} instead of
10363 @code{"\t"}) overrules yasnippets' access to this key. The following code
10364 fixed this problem:
10367 (add-hook 'org-mode-hook
10369 (org-set-local 'yas/trigger-key [tab])
10370 (define-key yas/keymap [tab] 'yas/next-field-group)))
10373 @item @file{windmove.el} by Hovav Shacham
10374 @cindex @file{windmove.el}
10375 Also this package uses the @kbd{S-<cursor>} keys, so everything written
10376 in the paragraph above about CUA mode also applies here.
10380 @node Hacking, History and Acknowledgments, Miscellaneous, Top
10384 This appendix covers some aspects where users can extend the functionality of
10388 * Hooks:: Who to reach into Org's internals
10389 * Add-on packages:: Available extensions
10390 * Adding hyperlink types:: New custom link types
10391 * Context-sensitive commands:: How to add functioality to such commands
10392 * Tables in arbitrary syntax:: Orgtbl for LaTeX and other programs
10393 * Dynamic blocks:: Automatically filled blocks
10394 * Special agenda views:: Customized views
10395 * Extracting agenda information:: Postprocessing of agenda information
10396 * Using the property API:: Writing programs that use entry properties
10397 * Using the mapping API:: Mapping over all or selected entries
10400 @node Hooks, Add-on packages, Hacking, Hacking
10404 Org has a large number of hook variables that can be used to add
10405 functionality to it. This appendix about hacking is going to illustrate the
10406 use of some of them. A complete list of all hooks with documentation is
10407 maintained by the worg project and can be found at
10408 @uref{http://orgmode.org/worg/org-configs/org-hooks.php}.
10410 @node Add-on packages, Adding hyperlink types, Hooks, Hacking
10411 @section Add-on packages
10412 @cindex add-on packages
10414 A large number of add-on packages have been written by various authors.
10415 These packages are not part of Emacs, but they are distributed as contributed
10416 packages with the separate release available at the Org-mode home page at
10417 @uref{http://orgmode.org}. The list of contributed packages, along with
10418 documentation about each package, is maintained by the Worg project at
10419 @uref{http://orgmode.org/worg/org-contrib/}.
10423 @node Adding hyperlink types, Context-sensitive commands, Add-on packages, Hacking
10424 @section Adding hyperlink types
10425 @cindex hyperlinks, adding new types
10427 Org has a large number of hyperlink types built-in
10428 (@pxref{Hyperlinks}). If you would like to add new link types, it
10429 provides an interface for doing so. Let's look at an example file
10430 @file{org-man.el} that will add support for creating links like
10431 @samp{[[man:printf][The printf manpage]]} to show Unix manual pages inside
10435 ;;; org-man.el - Support for links to manpages in Org
10439 (org-add-link-type "man" 'org-man-open)
10440 (add-hook 'org-store-link-functions 'org-man-store-link)
10442 (defcustom org-man-command 'man
10443 "The Emacs command to be used to display a man page."
10445 :type '(choice (const man) (const woman)))
10447 (defun org-man-open (path)
10448 "Visit the manpage on PATH.
10449 PATH should be a topic that can be thrown at the man command."
10450 (funcall org-man-command path))
10452 (defun org-man-store-link ()
10453 "Store a link to a manpage."
10454 (when (memq major-mode '(Man-mode woman-mode))
10455 ;; This is a man page, we do make this link
10456 (let* ((page (org-man-get-page-name))
10457 (link (concat "man:" page))
10458 (description (format "Manpage for %s" page)))
10459 (org-store-link-props
10462 :description description))))
10464 (defun org-man-get-page-name ()
10465 "Extract the page name from the buffer name."
10466 ;; This works for both `Man-mode' and `woman-mode'.
10467 (if (string-match " \\(\\S-+\\)\\*" (buffer-name))
10468 (match-string 1 (buffer-name))
10469 (error "Cannot create link to this man page")))
10473 ;;; org-man.el ends here
10477 You would activate this new link type in @file{.emacs} with
10484 Let's go through the file and see what it does.
10487 It does @code{(require 'org)} to make sure that @file{org.el} has been
10490 The next line calls @code{org-add-link-type} to define a new link type
10491 with prefix @samp{man}. The call also contains the name of a function
10492 that will be called to follow such a link.
10494 @vindex org-store-link-functions
10495 The next line adds a function to @code{org-store-link-functions}, in
10496 order to allow the command @kbd{C-c l} to record a useful link in a
10497 buffer displaying a man page.
10500 The rest of the file defines the necessary variables and functions.
10501 First there is a customization variable that determines which emacs
10502 command should be used to display man pages. There are two options,
10503 @code{man} and @code{woman}. Then the function to follow a link is
10504 defined. It gets the link path as an argument - in this case the link
10505 path is just a topic for the manual command. The function calls the
10506 value of @code{org-man-command} to display the man page.
10508 Finally the function @code{org-man-store-link} is defined. When you try
10509 to store a link with @kbd{C-c l}, also this function will be called to
10510 try to make a link. The function must first decide if it is supposed to
10511 create the link for this buffer type, we do this by checking the value
10512 of the variable @code{major-mode}. If not, the function must exit and
10513 return the value @code{nil}. If yes, the link is created by getting the
10514 manual topic from the buffer name and prefixing it with the string
10515 @samp{man:}. Then it must call the command @code{org-store-link-props}
10516 and set the @code{:type} and @code{:link} properties. Optionally you
10517 can also set the @code{:description} property to provide a default for
10518 the link description when the link is later inserted into an Org
10519 buffer with @kbd{C-c C-l}.
10521 When is makes sense for your new link type, You may also define a function
10522 @code{org-PREFIX-complete-link} that implements special (e.g. completion)
10523 support for inserting such a link with @kbd{C-c C-l}. Such a function should
10524 not accept any arguments, and return the full link with prefix.
10526 @node Context-sensitive commands, Tables in arbitrary syntax, Adding hyperlink types, Hacking
10527 @section Context-sensitive commands
10528 @cindex context-sensitive commands, hooks
10529 @cindex add-ons, context-sensitive commands
10530 @vindex org-ctrl-c-ctrl-c-hook
10532 Org has several commands that act differently depending on context. The most
10533 important example it the @kbd{C-c C-c} (@pxref{The very busy C-c C-c key}).
10534 Also the @kbd{M-cursor} and @kbd{M-S-cursor} keys do have this property.
10536 Add-ons can tap into this functionality by providing a function that detects
10537 special context for that add-on and executes functionality appropriate for
10538 the context. Here is an example from Dan Davison's @file{org-R.el} which
10539 allows to evaluate commands based on the @file{R} programming language. For
10540 this package, special contexts are lines that start with @code{#+R:} or
10544 (defun org-R-apply-maybe ()
10545 "Detect if this is context for org-R and execute R commands."
10546 (if (save-excursion
10547 (beginning-of-line 1)
10548 (looking-at "#\\+RR?:"))
10549 (progn (call-interactively 'org-R-apply)
10550 t) ;; to signal that we took action
10551 nil)) ;; to signal that we did not
10553 (add-hook 'org-ctrl-c-ctrl-c-hook 'org-R-apply-maybe)
10556 The function first checks if the cursor is in such a line. If that is the
10557 case, @code{org-R-apply} is called and the function returns @code{t} to
10558 signal that action was taken, and @kbd{C-c C-c} will stop looking for other
10559 contexts. If the function finds it should do nothing locally, it returns @code{nil} so that other, similar functions can have a try.
10562 @node Tables in arbitrary syntax, Dynamic blocks, Context-sensitive commands, Hacking
10563 @section Tables and lists in arbitrary syntax
10564 @cindex tables, in other modes
10565 @cindex lists, in other modes
10566 @cindex Orgtbl mode
10568 Since Orgtbl mode can be used as a minor mode in arbitrary buffers, a
10569 frequent feature request has been to make it work with native tables in
10570 specific languages, for example La@TeX{}. However, this is extremely
10571 hard to do in a general way, would lead to a customization nightmare,
10572 and would take away much of the simplicity of the Orgtbl mode table
10576 This appendix describes a different approach. We keep the Orgtbl mode
10577 table in its native format (the @i{source table}), and use a custom
10578 function to @i{translate} the table to the correct syntax, and to
10579 @i{install} it in the right location (the @i{target table}). This puts
10580 the burden of writing conversion functions on the user, but it allows
10581 for a very flexible system.
10583 Bastien added the ability to do the same with lists. You can use Org's
10584 facilities to edit and structure lists by turning @code{orgstruct-mode}
10585 on, then locally exporting such lists in another format (HTML, La@TeX{}
10590 * Radio tables:: Sending and receiving
10591 * A LaTeX example:: Step by step, almost a tutorial
10592 * Translator functions:: Copy and modify
10593 * Radio lists:: Doing the same for lists
10596 @node Radio tables, A LaTeX example, Tables in arbitrary syntax, Tables in arbitrary syntax
10597 @subsection Radio tables
10598 @cindex radio tables
10600 To define the location of the target table, you first need to create two
10601 lines that are comments in the current mode, but contain magic words for
10602 Orgtbl mode to find. Orgtbl mode will insert the translated table
10603 between these lines, replacing whatever was there before. For example:
10606 /* BEGIN RECEIVE ORGTBL table_name */
10607 /* END RECEIVE ORGTBL table_name */
10611 Just above the source table, we put a special line that tells
10612 Orgtbl mode how to translate this table and where to install it. For
10615 #+ORGTBL: SEND table_name translation_function arguments....
10619 @code{table_name} is the reference name for the table that is also used
10620 in the receiver lines. @code{translation_function} is the Lisp function
10621 that does the translation. Furthermore, the line can contain a list of
10622 arguments (alternating key and value) at the end. The arguments will be
10623 passed as a property list to the translation function for
10624 interpretation. A few standard parameters are already recognized and
10625 acted upon before the translation function is called:
10629 Skip the first N lines of the table. Hlines do count as separate lines for
10632 @item :skipcols (n1 n2 ...)
10633 List of columns that should be skipped. If the table has a column with
10634 calculation marks, that column is automatically discarded as well.
10635 Please note that the translator function sees the table @emph{after} the
10636 removal of these columns, the function never knows that there have been
10637 additional columns.
10641 The one problem remaining is how to keep the source table in the buffer
10642 without disturbing the normal workings of the file, for example during
10643 compilation of a C file or processing of a La@TeX{} file. There are a
10644 number of different solutions:
10648 The table could be placed in a block comment if that is supported by the
10649 language. For example, in C mode you could wrap the table between
10650 @samp{/*} and @samp{*/} lines.
10652 Sometimes it is possible to put the table after some kind of @i{END}
10653 statement, for example @samp{\bye} in TeX and @samp{\end@{document@}}
10656 You can just comment the table line by line whenever you want to process
10657 the file, and uncomment it whenever you need to edit the table. This
10658 only sounds tedious - the command @kbd{M-x orgtbl-toggle-comment} does
10659 make this comment-toggling very easy, in particular if you bind it to a
10663 @node A LaTeX example, Translator functions, Radio tables, Tables in arbitrary syntax
10664 @subsection A LaTeX example of radio tables
10665 @cindex LaTeX, and Orgtbl mode
10667 The best way to wrap the source table in La@TeX{} is to use the
10668 @code{comment} environment provided by @file{comment.sty}. It has to be
10669 activated by placing @code{\usepackage@{comment@}} into the document
10670 header. Orgtbl mode can insert a radio table skeleton@footnote{By
10671 default this works only for La@TeX{}, HTML, and Texinfo. Configure the
10672 variable @code{orgtbl-radio-tables} to install templates for other
10673 modes.} with the command @kbd{M-x orgtbl-insert-radio-table}. You will
10674 be prompted for a table name, let's say we use @samp{salesfigures}. You
10675 will then get the following template:
10677 @cindex #+ORGTBL: SEND
10679 % BEGIN RECEIVE ORGTBL salesfigures
10680 % END RECEIVE ORGTBL salesfigures
10682 #+ORGTBL: SEND salesfigures orgtbl-to-latex
10688 @vindex LaTeX-verbatim-environments
10689 The @code{#+ORGTBL: SEND} line tells Orgtbl mode to use the function
10690 @code{orgtbl-to-latex} to convert the table into La@TeX{} and to put it
10691 into the receiver location with name @code{salesfigures}. You may now
10692 fill in the table, feel free to use the spreadsheet features@footnote{If
10693 the @samp{#+TBLFM} line contains an odd number of dollar characters,
10694 this may cause problems with font-lock in LaTeX mode. As shown in the
10695 example you can fix this by adding an extra line inside the
10696 @code{comment} environment that is used to balance the dollar
10697 expressions. If you are using AUCTeX with the font-latex library, a
10698 much better solution is to add the @code{comment} environment to the
10699 variable @code{LaTeX-verbatim-environments}.}:
10702 % BEGIN RECEIVE ORGTBL salesfigures
10703 % END RECEIVE ORGTBL salesfigures
10705 #+ORGTBL: SEND salesfigures orgtbl-to-latex
10706 | Month | Days | Nr sold | per day |
10707 |-------+------+---------+---------|
10708 | Jan | 23 | 55 | 2.4 |
10709 | Feb | 21 | 16 | 0.8 |
10710 | March | 22 | 278 | 12.6 |
10711 #+TBLFM: $4=$3/$2;%.1f
10712 % $ (optional extra dollar to keep font-lock happy, see footnote)
10717 When you are done, press @kbd{C-c C-c} in the table to get the converted
10718 table inserted between the two marker lines.
10720 Now let's assume you want to make the table header by hand, because you
10721 want to control how columns are aligned etc. In this case we make sure
10722 that the table translator does skip the first 2 lines of the source
10723 table, and tell the command to work as a @i{splice}, i.e. to not produce
10724 header and footer commands of the target table:
10727 \begin@{tabular@}@{lrrr@}
10728 Month & \multicolumn@{1@}@{c@}@{Days@} & Nr.\ sold & per day\\
10729 % BEGIN RECEIVE ORGTBL salesfigures
10730 % END RECEIVE ORGTBL salesfigures
10734 #+ORGTBL: SEND salesfigures orgtbl-to-latex :splice t :skip 2
10735 | Month | Days | Nr sold | per day |
10736 |-------+------+---------+---------|
10737 | Jan | 23 | 55 | 2.4 |
10738 | Feb | 21 | 16 | 0.8 |
10739 | March | 22 | 278 | 12.6 |
10740 #+TBLFM: $4=$3/$2;%.1f
10744 The La@TeX{} translator function @code{orgtbl-to-latex} is already part of
10745 Orgtbl mode. It uses a @code{tabular} environment to typeset the table
10746 and marks horizontal lines with @code{\hline}. Furthermore, it
10747 interprets the following parameters (see also @ref{Translator functions}):
10750 @item :splice nil/t
10751 When set to t, return only table body lines, don't wrap them into a
10752 tabular environment. Default is nil.
10755 A format to be used to wrap each field, should contain @code{%s} for the
10756 original field value. For example, to wrap each field value in dollars,
10757 you could use @code{:fmt "$%s$"}. This may also be a property list with
10758 column numbers and formats. for example @code{:fmt (2 "$%s$" 4 "%s\\%%")}.
10759 A function of one argument can be used in place of the strings; the
10760 function must return a formatted string.
10763 Use this format to print numbers with exponentials. The format should
10764 have @code{%s} twice for inserting mantissa and exponent, for example
10765 @code{"%s\\times10^@{%s@}"}. The default is @code{"%s\\,(%s)"}. This
10766 may also be a property list with column numbers and formats, for example
10767 @code{:efmt (2 "$%s\\times10^@{%s@}$" 4 "$%s\\cdot10^@{%s@}$")}. After
10768 @code{efmt} has been applied to a value, @code{fmt} will also be
10769 applied. Similar to @code{fmt}, functions of two arguments can be
10770 supplied instead of strings.
10773 @node Translator functions, Radio lists, A LaTeX example, Tables in arbitrary syntax
10774 @subsection Translator functions
10775 @cindex HTML, and Orgtbl mode
10776 @cindex translator function
10778 Orgtbl mode has several translator functions built-in: @code{orgtbl-to-csv}
10779 (comma-separated values), @code{orgtbl-to-tsv} (TAB-separated values)
10780 @code{orgtbl-to-latex}, @code{orgtbl-to-html}, and @code{orgtbl-to-texinfo}.
10781 Except for @code{orgtbl-to-html}@footnote{The HTML translator uses the same
10782 code that produces tables during HTML export.}, these all use a generic
10783 translator, @code{orgtbl-to-generic}. For example, @code{orgtbl-to-latex}
10784 itself is a very short function that computes the column definitions for the
10785 @code{tabular} environment, defines a few field and line separators and then
10786 hands over to the generic translator. Here is the entire code:
10790 (defun orgtbl-to-latex (table params)
10791 "Convert the Orgtbl mode TABLE to LaTeX."
10792 (let* ((alignment (mapconcat (lambda (x) (if x "r" "l"))
10793 org-table-last-alignment ""))
10796 :tstart (concat "\\begin@{tabular@}@{" alignment "@}")
10797 :tend "\\end@{tabular@}"
10798 :lstart "" :lend " \\\\" :sep " & "
10799 :efmt "%s\\,(%s)" :hline "\\hline")))
10800 (orgtbl-to-generic table (org-combine-plists params2 params))))
10804 As you can see, the properties passed into the function (variable
10805 @var{PARAMS}) are combined with the ones newly defined in the function
10806 (variable @var{PARAMS2}). The ones passed into the function (i.e. the
10807 ones set by the @samp{ORGTBL SEND} line) take precedence. So if you
10808 would like to use the La@TeX{} translator, but wanted the line endings to
10809 be @samp{\\[2mm]} instead of the default @samp{\\}, you could just
10810 overrule the default with
10813 #+ORGTBL: SEND test orgtbl-to-latex :lend " \\\\[2mm]"
10816 For a new language, you can either write your own converter function in
10817 analogy with the La@TeX{} translator, or you can use the generic function
10818 directly. For example, if you have a language where a table is started
10819 with @samp{!BTBL!}, ended with @samp{!ETBL!}, and where table lines are
10820 started with @samp{!BL!}, ended with @samp{!EL!} and where the field
10821 separator is a TAB, you could call the generic translator like this (on
10825 #+ORGTBL: SEND test orgtbl-to-generic :tstart "!BTBL!" :tend "!ETBL!"
10826 :lstart "!BL! " :lend " !EL!" :sep "\t"
10830 Please check the documentation string of the function
10831 @code{orgtbl-to-generic} for a full list of parameters understood by
10832 that function and remember that you can pass each of them into
10833 @code{orgtbl-to-latex}, @code{orgtbl-to-texinfo}, and any other function
10834 using the generic function.
10836 Of course you can also write a completely new function doing complicated
10837 things the generic translator cannot do. A translator function takes
10838 two arguments. The first argument is the table, a list of lines, each
10839 line either the symbol @code{hline} or a list of fields. The second
10840 argument is the property list containing all parameters specified in the
10841 @samp{#+ORGTBL: SEND} line. The function must return a single string
10842 containing the formatted table. If you write a generally useful
10843 translator, please post it on @code{emacs-orgmode@@gnu.org} so that
10844 others can benefit from your work.
10846 @node Radio lists, , Translator functions, Tables in arbitrary syntax
10847 @subsection Radio lists
10848 @cindex radio lists
10849 @cindex org-list-insert-radio-list
10851 Sending and receiving radio lists works exactly the same way than
10852 sending and receiving radio tables (@pxref{Radio tables}) @footnote{You
10853 need to load the @code{org-export-latex.el} package to use radio lists
10854 since the relevant code is there for now.}. As for radio tables, you
10855 can insert radio lists templates in HTML, La@TeX{} and Texinfo modes by
10856 calling @code{org-list-insert-radio-list}.
10858 Here are the differences with radio tables:
10862 Use @code{ORGLST} instead of @code{ORGTBL}.
10864 The available translation functions for radio lists don't take
10867 `C-c C-c' will work when pressed on the first item of the list.
10870 Here is a La@TeX{} example. Let's say that you have this in your
10874 % BEGIN RECEIVE ORGLST to-buy
10875 % END RECEIVE ORGLST to-buy
10877 #+ORGLIST: SEND to-buy orgtbl-to-latex
10886 Pressing `C-c C-c' on @code{a new house} and will insert the converted
10887 La@TeX{} list between the two marker lines.
10889 @node Dynamic blocks, Special agenda views, Tables in arbitrary syntax, Hacking
10890 @section Dynamic blocks
10891 @cindex dynamic blocks
10893 Org documents can contain @emph{dynamic blocks}. These are
10894 specially marked regions that are updated by some user-written function.
10895 A good example for such a block is the clock table inserted by the
10896 command @kbd{C-c C-x C-r} (@pxref{Clocking work time}).
10898 Dynamic block are enclosed by a BEGIN-END structure that assigns a name
10899 to the block and can also specify parameters for the function producing
10900 the content of the block.
10902 #+BEGIN:dynamic block
10904 #+BEGIN: myblock :parameter1 value1 :parameter2 value2 ...
10909 Dynamic blocks are updated with the following commands
10912 @kindex C-c C-x C-u
10914 Update dynamic block at point.
10915 @kindex C-u C-c C-x C-u
10916 @item C-u C-c C-x C-u
10917 Update all dynamic blocks in the current file.
10920 Updating a dynamic block means to remove all the text between BEGIN and
10921 END, parse the BEGIN line for parameters and then call the specific
10922 writer function for this block to insert the new content. If you want
10923 to use the original content in the writer function, you can use the
10924 extra parameter @code{:content}.
10926 For a block with name @code{myblock}, the writer function is
10927 @code{org-dblock-write:myblock} with as only parameter a property list
10928 with the parameters given in the begin line. Here is a trivial example
10929 of a block that keeps track of when the block update function was last
10933 #+BEGIN: block-update-time :format "on %m/%d/%Y at %H:%M"
10939 The corresponding block writer function could look like this:
10942 (defun org-dblock-write:block-update-time (params)
10943 (let ((fmt (or (plist-get params :format) "%d. %m. %Y")))
10944 (insert "Last block update at: "
10945 (format-time-string fmt (current-time)))))
10948 If you want to make sure that all dynamic blocks are always up-to-date,
10949 you could add the function @code{org-update-all-dblocks} to a hook, for
10950 example @code{before-save-hook}. @code{org-update-all-dblocks} is
10951 written in a way that is does nothing in buffers that are not in
10954 @node Special agenda views, Extracting agenda information, Dynamic blocks, Hacking
10955 @section Special agenda views
10956 @cindex agenda views, user-defined
10958 Org provides a special hook that can be used to narrow down the
10959 selection made by any of the agenda views. You may specify a function
10960 that is used at each match to verify if the match should indeed be part
10961 of the agenda view, and if not, how much should be skipped.
10963 Let's say you want to produce a list of projects that contain a WAITING
10964 tag anywhere in the project tree. Let's further assume that you have
10965 marked all tree headings that define a project with the TODO keyword
10966 PROJECT. In this case you would run a TODO search for the keyword
10967 PROJECT, but skip the match unless there is a WAITING tag anywhere in
10968 the subtree belonging to the project line.
10970 To achieve this, you must write a function that searches the subtree for
10971 the tag. If the tag is found, the function must return @code{nil} to
10972 indicate that this match should not be skipped. If there is no such
10973 tag, return the location of the end of the subtree, to indicate that
10974 search should continue from there.
10977 (defun my-skip-unless-waiting ()
10978 "Skip trees that are not waiting"
10979 (let ((subtree-end (save-excursion (org-end-of-subtree t))))
10980 (if (re-search-forward ":waiting:" subtree-end t)
10981 nil ; tag found, do not skip
10982 subtree-end))) ; tag not found, continue after end of subtree
10985 Now you may use this function in an agenda custom command, for example
10989 (org-add-agenda-custom-command
10990 '("b" todo "PROJECT"
10991 ((org-agenda-skip-function 'my-skip-unless-waiting)
10992 (org-agenda-overriding-header "Projects waiting for something: "))))
10995 @vindex org-agenda-overriding-header
10996 Note that this also binds @code{org-agenda-overriding-header} to get a
10997 meaningful header in the agenda view.
10999 @vindex org-odd-levels-only
11000 @vindex org-agenda-skip-function
11001 A general way to create custom searches is to base them on a search for
11002 entries with a certain level limit. If you want to study all entries with
11003 your custom search function, simply do a search for
11004 @samp{LEVEL>0}@footnote{Note that, when using @code{org-odd-levels-only}, a
11005 level number corresponds to order in the hierarchy, not to the number of
11006 stars.}, and then use @code{org-agenda-skip-function} to select the entries
11007 you really want to have.
11009 You may also put a Lisp form into @code{org-agenda-skip-function}. In
11010 particular, you may use the functions @code{org-agenda-skip-entry-if}
11011 and @code{org-agenda-skip-subtree-if} in this form, for example:
11014 @item '(org-agenda-skip-entry-if 'scheduled)
11015 Skip current entry if it has been scheduled.
11016 @item '(org-agenda-skip-entry-if 'notscheduled)
11017 Skip current entry if it has not been scheduled.
11018 @item '(org-agenda-skip-entry-if 'deadline)
11019 Skip current entry if it has a deadline.
11020 @item '(org-agenda-skip-entry-if 'scheduled 'deadline)
11021 Skip current entry if it has a deadline, or if it is scheduled.
11022 @item '(org-agenda-skip-entry-if 'timestamp)
11023 Skip current entry if it has any timestamp, may also be deadline or scheduled.
11024 @item '(org-agenda-skip-entry 'regexp "regular expression")
11025 Skip current entry if the regular expression matches in the entry.
11026 @item '(org-agenda-skip-entry 'notregexp "regular expression")
11027 Skip current entry unless the regular expression matches.
11028 @item '(org-agenda-skip-subtree-if 'regexp "regular expression")
11029 Same as above, but check and skip the entire subtree.
11032 Therefore we could also have written the search for WAITING projects
11033 like this, even without defining a special function:
11036 (org-add-agenda-custom-command
11037 '("b" todo "PROJECT"
11038 ((org-agenda-skip-function '(org-agenda-skip-subtree-if
11039 'regexp ":waiting:"))
11040 (org-agenda-overriding-header "Projects waiting for something: "))))
11043 @node Extracting agenda information, Using the property API, Special agenda views, Hacking
11044 @section Extracting agenda information
11045 @cindex agenda, pipe
11046 @cindex Scripts, for agenda processing
11048 @vindex org-agenda-custom-commands
11049 Org provides commands to access agenda information for the command
11050 line in emacs batch mode. This extracted information can be sent
11051 directly to a printer, or it can be read by a program that does further
11052 processing of the data. The first of these commands is the function
11053 @code{org-batch-agenda}, that produces an agenda view and sends it as
11054 ASCII text to STDOUT. The command takes a single string as parameter.
11055 If the string has length 1, it is used as a key to one of the commands
11056 you have configured in @code{org-agenda-custom-commands}, basically any
11057 key you can use after @kbd{C-c a}. For example, to directly print the
11058 current TODO list, you could use
11061 emacs -batch -l ~/.emacs -eval '(org-batch-agenda "t")' | lpr
11064 If the parameter is a string with 2 or more characters, it is used as a
11065 tags/todo match string. For example, to print your local shopping list
11066 (all items with the tag @samp{shop}, but excluding the tag
11067 @samp{NewYork}), you could use
11070 emacs -batch -l ~/.emacs \
11071 -eval '(org-batch-agenda "+shop-NewYork")' | lpr
11075 You may also modify parameters on the fly like this:
11078 emacs -batch -l ~/.emacs \
11079 -eval '(org-batch-agenda "a" \
11080 org-agenda-ndays 30 \
11081 org-agenda-include-diary nil \
11082 org-agenda-files (quote ("~/org/project.org")))' \
11087 which will produce a 30 day agenda, fully restricted to the Org file
11088 @file{~/org/projects.org}, not even including the diary.
11090 If you want to process the agenda data in more sophisticated ways, you
11091 can use the command @code{org-batch-agenda-csv} to get a comma-separated
11092 list of values for each agenda item. Each line in the output will
11093 contain a number of fields separated by commas. The fields in a line
11097 category @r{The category of the item}
11098 head @r{The headline, without TODO kwd, TAGS and PRIORITY}
11099 type @r{The type of the agenda entry, can be}
11100 todo @r{selected in TODO match}
11101 tagsmatch @r{selected in tags match}
11102 diary @r{imported from diary}
11103 deadline @r{a deadline}
11104 scheduled @r{scheduled}
11105 timestamp @r{appointment, selected by timestamp}
11106 closed @r{entry was closed on date}
11107 upcoming-deadline @r{warning about nearing deadline}
11108 past-scheduled @r{forwarded scheduled item}
11109 block @r{entry has date block including date}
11110 todo @r{The TODO keyword, if any}
11111 tags @r{All tags including inherited ones, separated by colons}
11112 date @r{The relevant date, like 2007-2-14}
11113 time @r{The time, like 15:00-16:50}
11114 extra @r{String with extra planning info}
11115 priority-l @r{The priority letter if any was given}
11116 priority-n @r{The computed numerical priority}
11120 Time and date will only be given if a timestamp (or deadline/scheduled)
11121 lead to the selection of the item.
11123 A CSV list like this is very easy to use in a post processing script.
11124 For example, here is a Perl program that gets the TODO list from
11125 Emacs/Org and prints all the items, preceded by a checkbox:
11130 # define the Emacs command to run
11131 $cmd = "emacs -batch -l ~/.emacs -eval '(org-batch-agenda-csv \"t\")'";
11133 # run it and capture the output
11134 $agenda = qx@{$cmd 2>/dev/null@};
11136 # loop over all lines
11137 foreach $line (split(/\n/,$agenda)) @{
11138 # get the individual values
11139 ($category,$head,$type,$todo,$tags,$date,$time,$extra,
11140 $priority_l,$priority_n) = split(/,/,$line);
11141 # process and print
11142 print "[ ] $head\n";
11159 @node Using the property API, Using the mapping API, Extracting agenda information, Hacking
11160 @section Using the property API
11161 @cindex API, for properties
11162 @cindex properties, API
11164 Here is a description of the functions that can be used to work with
11167 @defun org-entry-properties &optional pom which
11168 Get all properties of the entry at point-or-marker POM.
11169 This includes the TODO keyword, the tags, time strings for deadline,
11170 scheduled, and clocking, and any additional properties defined in the
11171 entry. The return value is an alist, keys may occur multiple times
11172 if the property key was used several times.
11173 POM may also be nil, in which case the current entry is used.
11174 If WHICH is nil or `all', get all properties. If WHICH is
11175 `special' or `standard', only get that subclass.
11177 @vindex org-use-property-inheritance
11178 @defun org-entry-get pom property &optional inherit
11179 Get value of PROPERTY for entry at point-or-marker POM. By default,
11180 this only looks at properties defined locally in the entry. If INHERIT
11181 is non-nil and the entry does not have the property, then also check
11182 higher levels of the hierarchy. If INHERIT is the symbol
11183 @code{selective}, use inheritance if and only if the setting of
11184 @code{org-use-property-inheritance} selects PROPERTY for inheritance.
11187 @defun org-entry-delete pom property
11188 Delete the property PROPERTY from entry at point-or-marker POM.
11191 @defun org-entry-put pom property value
11192 Set PROPERTY to VALUE for entry at point-or-marker POM.
11195 @defun org-buffer-property-keys &optional include-specials
11196 Get all property keys in the current buffer.
11199 @defun org-insert-property-drawer
11200 Insert a property drawer at point.
11203 @defun org-entry-put-multivalued-property pom property &rest values
11204 Set PROPERTY at point-or-marker POM to VALUES. VALUES should be a list of
11205 strings. They will be concatenated, with spaces as separators.
11208 @defun org-entry-get-multivalued-property pom property
11209 Treat the value of the property PROPERTY as a whitespace-separated list of
11210 values and return the values as a list of strings.
11213 @defun org-entry-add-to-multivalued-property pom property value
11214 Treat the value of the property PROPERTY as a whitespace-separated list of
11215 values and make sure that VALUE is in this list.
11218 @defun org-entry-remove-from-multivalued-property pom property value
11219 Treat the value of the property PROPERTY as a whitespace-separated list of
11220 values and make sure that VALUE is @emph{not} in this list.
11223 @defun org-entry-member-in-multivalued-property pom property value
11224 Treat the value of the property PROPERTY as a whitespace-separated list of
11225 values and check if VALUE is in this list.
11228 @node Using the mapping API, , Using the property API, Hacking
11229 @section Using the mapping API
11230 @cindex API, for mapping
11231 @cindex mapping entries, API
11233 Org has sophisticated mapping capabilities to find all entries satisfying
11234 certain criteria. Internally, this functionality is used to produce agenda
11235 views, but there is also an API that can be used to execute arbitrary
11236 functions for each or selected entries. The main entry point for this API
11239 @defun org-map-entries func &optional match scope &rest skip
11240 Call FUNC at each headline selected by MATCH in SCOPE.
11242 FUNC is a function or a lisp form. The function will be called without
11243 arguments, with the cursor positioned at the beginning of the headline.
11244 The return values of all calls to the function will be collected and
11245 returned as a list.
11247 The call to FUNC will be wrapped into a save-excursion form, so FUNC
11248 does not need to preserve point. After evaluaton, the cursor will be
11249 moved to the end of the line (presumably of the headline of the
11250 processed entry) and search continues from there. Under some
11251 circumstances, this may not produce the wanted results. For example,
11252 if you have removed (e.g. archived) the current (sub)tree it could
11253 mean that the next entry will be skipped entirely. In such cases, you
11254 can specify the position from where search should continue by making
11255 FUNC set the variable `org-map-continue-from' to the desired buffer
11258 MATCH is a tags/property/todo match as it is used in the agenda match view.
11259 Only headlines that are matched by this query will be considered during
11260 the iteration. When MATCH is nil or t, all headlines will be
11261 visited by the iteration.
11263 SCOPE determines the scope of this command. It can be any of:
11266 nil @r{the current buffer, respecting the restriction if any}
11267 tree @r{the subtree started with the entry at point}
11268 file @r{the current buffer, without restriction}
11270 @r{the current buffer, and any archives associated with it}
11271 agenda @r{all agenda files}
11272 agenda-with-archives
11273 @r{all agenda files with any archive files associated with them}
11275 @r{if this is a list, all files in the list will be scanned}
11278 The remaining args are treated as settings for the skipping facilities of
11279 the scanner. The following items can be given here:
11281 @vindex org-agenda-skip-function
11283 archive @r{skip trees with the archive tag}
11284 comment @r{skip trees with the COMMENT keyword}
11285 function or Lisp form
11286 @r{will be used as value for @code{org-agenda-skip-function},}
11287 @r{so whenever the function returns t, FUNC}
11288 @r{will not be called for that entry and search will}
11289 @r{continue from the point where the function leaves it}
11293 The function given to that mapping routine can really do anything you like.
11294 It can use the property API (@pxref{Using the property API}) to gather more
11295 information about the entry, or in order to change metadata in the entry.
11296 Here are a couple of functions that might be handy:
11298 @defun org-todo &optional arg
11299 Change the TODO state of the entry, see the docstring of the functions for
11300 the many possible values for the argument ARG.
11303 @defun org-priority &optional action
11304 Change the priority of the entry, see the docstring of this function for the
11305 possible values for ACTION.
11308 @defun org-toggle-tag tag &optional onoff
11309 Toggle the tag TAG in the current entry. Setting ONOFF to either @code{on}
11310 or @code{off} will not toggle tag, but ensure that it is either on or off.
11314 Promote the current entry.
11318 Demote the current entry.
11321 Here is a simple example that will turn all entries in the current file with
11322 a tag @code{TOMORROW} into TODO entries with the keyword @code{UPCOMING}.
11323 Entries in comment trees and in archive trees will be ignored.
11327 '(org-todo "UPCOMING")
11328 "+TOMORROW" 'file 'archive 'comment)
11331 The following example counts the number of entries with TODO keyword
11332 @code{WAITING}, in all agenda files.
11335 (length (org-map-entries t "/+WAITING" 'agenda))
11338 @node History and Acknowledgments, Main Index, Hacking, Top
11339 @appendix History and Acknowledgments
11340 @cindex acknowledgments
11344 Org was borne in 2003, out of frustration over the user interface
11345 of the Emacs Outline mode. I was trying to organize my notes and
11346 projects, and using Emacs seemed to be the natural way to go. However,
11347 having to remember eleven different commands with two or three keys per
11348 command, only to hide and show parts of the outline tree, that seemed
11349 entirely unacceptable to me. Also, when using outlines to take notes, I
11350 constantly want to restructure the tree, organizing it parallel to my
11351 thoughts and plans. @emph{Visibility cycling} and @emph{structure
11352 editing} were originally implemented in the package
11353 @file{outline-magic.el}, but quickly moved to the more general
11354 @file{org.el}. As this environment became comfortable for project
11355 planning, the next step was adding @emph{TODO entries}, basic @emph{time
11356 stamps}, and @emph{table support}. These areas highlight the two main
11357 goals that Org still has today: To create a new, outline-based,
11358 plain text mode with innovative and intuitive editing features, and to
11359 incorporate project planning functionality directly into a notes file.
11361 A special thanks goes to @i{Bastien Guerry} who has not only written a large
11362 number of extensions to Org (most of them integrated into the core by now),
11363 but has also helped the development and maintenance of Org so much that he
11364 should be considered the main co-contributor to this package.
11366 Since the first release, literally thousands of emails to me or on
11367 @code{emacs-orgmode@@gnu.org} have provided a constant stream of bug
11368 reports, feedback, new ideas, and sometimes patches and add-on code.
11369 Many thanks to everyone who has helped to improve this package. I am
11370 trying to keep here a list of the people who had significant influence
11371 in shaping one or more aspects of Org. The list may not be
11372 complete, if I have forgotten someone, please accept my apologies and
11378 @i{Russel Adams} came up with the idea for drawers.
11380 @i{Thomas Baumann} wrote @file{org-bbdb.el} and @file{org-mhe.el}.
11382 @i{Christophe Bataillon} created the great unicorn logo that we use on the
11385 @i{Alex Bochannek} provided a patch for rounding time stamps.
11387 @i{Brad Bozarth} showed how to pull RSS feed data into Org-mode files.
11389 @i{Tom Breton} wrote @file{org-choose.el}.
11391 @i{Charles Cave}'s suggestion sparked the implementation of templates
11394 @i{Pavel Chalmoviansky} influenced the agenda treatment of items with
11397 @i{Gregory Chernov} patched support for lisp forms into table
11398 calculations and improved XEmacs compatibility, in particular by porting
11399 @file{nouline.el} to XEmacs.
11401 @i{Sacha Chua} suggested to copy some linking code from Planner.
11403 @i{Baoqiu Cui} contributed the DocBook exporter.
11405 @i{Eddward DeVilla} proposed and tested checkbox statistics. He also
11406 came up with the idea of properties, and that there should be an API for
11409 @i{Nick Dokos} tracked down several nasty bugs.
11411 @i{Kees Dullemond} used to edit projects lists directly in HTML and so
11412 inspired some of the early development, including HTML export. He also
11413 asked for a way to narrow wide table columns.
11415 @i{Christian Egli} converted the documentation into Texinfo format,
11416 patched CSS formatting into the HTML exporter, and inspired the agenda.
11418 @i{David Emery} provided a patch for custom CSS support in exported
11421 @i{Nic Ferrier} contributed mailcap and XOXO support.
11423 @i{Miguel A. Figueroa-Villanueva} implemented hierarchical checkboxes.
11425 @i{John Foerch} figured out how to make incremental search show context
11426 around a match in a hidden outline tree.
11428 @i{Niels Giesen} had the idea to automatically archive DONE trees.
11430 @i{Bastien Guerry} wrote the La@TeX{} exporter and @file{org-bibtex.el}, and
11431 has been prolific with patches, ideas, and bug reports.
11433 @i{Kai Grossjohann} pointed out key-binding conflicts with other packages.
11435 @i{Bernt Hansen} has driven much of the support for auto-repeating tasks,
11436 task state change logging, and the clocktable. His clear explanations have
11437 been critical when we started to adopt the GIT version control system.
11439 @i{Manuel Hermenegildo} has contributed various ideas, small fixed and
11442 @i{Phil Jackson} wrote @file{org-irc.el}.
11444 @i{Scott Jaderholm} proposed footnotes, control over whitespace between
11445 folded entries, and column view for properties.
11447 @i{Tokuya Kameshima} wrote @file{org-wl.el} and @file{org-mew.el}.
11449 @i{Shidai Liu} ("Leo") asked for embedded La@TeX{} and tested it. He also
11450 provided frequent feedback and some patches.
11452 @i{Matt Lundin} has proposed last-row references for table formulas and named
11453 invisible anchors. He has also worked a lot on the FAQ.
11455 @i{Jason F. McBrayer} suggested agenda export to CSV format.
11457 @i{Max Mikhanosha} came up with the idea of refiling.
11459 @i{Dmitri Minaev} sent a patch to set priority limits on a per-file
11462 @i{Stefan Monnier} provided a patch to keep the Emacs-Lisp compiler
11465 @i{Rick Moynihan} proposed to allow multiple TODO sequences in a file
11466 and to be able to quickly restrict the agenda to a subtree.
11468 @i{Todd Neal} provided patches for links to Info files and elisp forms.
11470 @i{Tim O'Callaghan} suggested in-file links, search options for general
11471 file links, and TAGS.
11473 @i{Takeshi Okano} translated the manual and David O'Toole's tutorial
11476 @i{Oliver Oppitz} suggested multi-state TODO items.
11478 @i{Scott Otterson} sparked the introduction of descriptive text for
11479 links, among other things.
11481 @i{Pete Phillips} helped during the development of the TAGS feature, and
11482 provided frequent feedback.
11484 @i{Martin Pohlack} provided the code snippet to bundle character insertion
11485 into bundles of 20 for undo.
11487 @i{T.V. Raman} reported bugs and suggested improvements.
11489 @i{Matthias Rempe} (Oelde) provided ideas, Windows support, and quality
11492 @i{Paul Rivier} provided the basic implementation of named footnotes.
11494 @i{Kevin Rogers} contributed code to access VM files on remote hosts.
11496 @i{Sebastian Rose} wrote @file{org-info.js}, a Java script for displaying
11497 webpages derived from Org using an Info-like, or a folding interface with
11498 single key navigation.
11500 @i{Frank Ruell} solved the mystery of the @code{keymapp nil} bug, a
11501 conflict with @file{allout.el}.
11503 @i{Jason Riedy} generalized the send-receive mechanism for orgtbl tables with
11506 @i{Philip Rooke} created the Org reference card, provided lots
11507 of feedback, developed and applied standards to the Org documentation.
11509 @i{Christian Schlauer} proposed angular brackets around links, among
11512 @i{Eric Schulte} wrote @file{org-plot.el} and contributed various patches,
11513 small features and modules.
11515 Linking to VM/BBDB/Gnus was first inspired by @i{Tom Shannon}'s
11516 @file{organizer-mode.el}.
11518 @i{Ilya Shlyakhter} proposed the Archive Sibling, line numbering in literal
11519 examples, and remote highlighting for referenced code lines.
11521 @i{Stathis Sideris} wrote the @file{ditaa.jar} ASCII to PNG converter that is
11522 now packaged into Org's @file{contrib} directory.
11524 @i{Daniel Sinder} came up with the idea of internal archiving by locking
11527 @i{Dale Smith} proposed link abbreviations.
11529 @i{James TD Smith} has contributed a large number of patches for useful
11530 tweaks and features.
11532 @i{Adam Spiers} asked for global linking commands, inspired the link
11533 extension system, added support for mairix, and proposed the mapping API.
11535 @i{Andy Stewart} contributed code to @file{org-w3m.el}, to copy HTML content
11536 with links transformation to Org syntax.
11538 @i{David O'Toole} wrote @file{org-publish.el} and drafted the manual
11539 chapter about publishing.
11541 @i{J@"urgen Vollmer} contributed code generating the table of contents
11544 @i{Chris Wallace} provided a patch implementing the @samp{QUOTE}
11547 @i{David Wainberg} suggested archiving, and improvements to the linking
11550 @i{John Wiegley} wrote @file{emacs-wiki.el}, @file{planner.el}, and
11551 @file{muse.el}, which have some overlap with Org. Initially the development
11552 of Org was fully independent because I was not aware of the existence of
11553 these packages. But with time I have occasionally looked at John's code and
11554 learned a lot from it. John has also contributed a number of great ideas and
11555 patches directly to Org, including the attachment system
11556 (@file{org-attach.el}), integration with Apple Mail
11557 (@file{org-mac-message.el}), and hierarchical dependencies of TODO items.
11559 @i{Carsten Wimmer} suggested some changes and helped fix a bug in
11562 @i{Roland Winkler} requested additional key bindings to make Org
11565 @i{Piotr Zielinski} wrote @file{org-mouse.el}, proposed agenda blocks
11566 and contributed various ideas and code snippets.
11570 @node Main Index, Key Index, History and Acknowledgments, Top
11571 @unnumbered Concept Index
11575 @node Key Index, Variable Index, Main Index, Top
11576 @unnumbered Key Index
11580 @node Variable Index, , Key Index, Top
11581 @unnumbered Variable Index
11583 This is not a complete index of variables and faces, only the ones that are
11584 mentioned in the manual. For a more complete list, use @kbd{M-x
11585 org-customize @key{RET}} and then klick yourself through the tree.
11592 arch-tag: 7893d1Fe-cc57-4d13-b5e5-f494a1CBC7ac
11595 @c Local variables:
11596 @c ispell-local-dictionary: "en_US-w_accents"
11597 @c ispell-local-pdict: "./.aspell.org.pws"