3 @setfilename ../../info/org
4 @settitle The Org Manual
7 @set DATE November 2008
11 * Org Mode: (org). Outline-based notes management and organizer
14 @c Version and Contact Info
15 @set MAINTAINERSITE @uref{http://orgmode.org,maintainers webpage}
16 @set AUTHOR Carsten Dominik
17 @set MAINTAINER Carsten Dominik
18 @set MAINTAINEREMAIL @email{carsten at orgmode dot org}
19 @set MAINTAINERCONTACT @uref{mailto:carsten at orgmode dot org,contact the maintainer}
25 @c Subheadings inside a table.
26 @macro tsubheading{text}
36 This manual is for Org (version @value{VERSION}).
38 Copyright @copyright{} 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 Free Software Foundation
41 Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document
42 under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.3 or
43 any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no
44 Invariant Sections, with the Front-Cover texts being ``A GNU Manual,''
45 and with the Back-Cover Texts as in (a) below. A copy of the license
46 is included in the section entitled ``GNU Free Documentation License.''
48 (a) The FSF's Back-Cover Text is: ``You have the freedom to copy and
49 modify this GNU manual. Buying copies from the FSF supports it in
50 developing GNU and promoting software freedom.''
52 This document is part of a collection distributed under the GNU Free
53 Documentation License. If you want to distribute this document
54 separately from the collection, you can do so by adding a copy of the
55 license to the document, as described in section 6 of the license.
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 * Extensions:: Add-ons for Org mode
97 * Hacking:: How hack your way around
98 * History and Acknowledgments:: How Org came into being
99 * Main Index:: An index of Org's concepts and features
100 * Key Index:: Key bindings and where they are described
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 * Orgstruct mode:: Structure editing outside Org
128 * ARCHIVE tag:: Marking a tree as inactive
129 * Moving subtrees:: Moving a tree to an archive file
133 * Built-in table editor:: Simple tables
134 * Narrow columns:: Stop wasting space in tables
135 * Column groups:: Grouping to trigger vertical lines
136 * Orgtbl mode:: The table editor as minor mode
137 * The spreadsheet:: The table editor has spreadsheet capabilities
138 * Org Plot:: Plotting from org tables
142 * References:: How to refer to another field or range
143 * Formula syntax for Calc:: Using Calc to compute stuff
144 * Formula syntax for Lisp:: Writing formulas in Emacs Lisp
145 * Field formulas:: Formulas valid for a single field
146 * Column formulas:: Formulas valid for an entire column
147 * Editing and debugging formulas:: Fixing formulas
148 * Updating the table:: Recomputing all dependent fields
149 * Advanced features:: Field names, parameters and automatic recalc
153 * Link format:: How links in Org are formatted
154 * Internal links:: Links to other places in the current file
155 * External links:: URL-like links to the world
156 * Handling links:: Creating, inserting and following
157 * Using links outside Org:: Linking from my C source code?
158 * Link abbreviations:: Shortcuts for writing complex links
159 * Search options:: Linking to a specific location
160 * Custom searches:: When the default search is not enough
164 * Radio targets:: Make targets trigger links in plain text
168 * TODO basics:: Marking and displaying TODO entries
169 * TODO extensions:: Workflow and assignments
170 * Progress logging:: Dates and notes for progress
171 * Priorities:: Some things are more important than others
172 * Breaking down tasks:: Splitting a task into manageable pieces
173 * Checkboxes:: Tick-off lists
175 Extended use of TODO keywords
177 * Workflow states:: From TODO to DONE in steps
178 * TODO types:: I do this, Fred does the rest
179 * Multiple sets in one file:: Mixing it all, and still finding your way
180 * Fast access to TODO states:: Single letter selection of a state
181 * Per-file keywords:: Different files, different requirements
182 * Faces for TODO keywords:: Highlighting states
186 * Closing items:: When was this entry marked DONE?
187 * Tracking TODO state changes:: When did the status change?
191 * Tag inheritance:: Tags use the tree structure of the outline
192 * Setting tags:: How to assign tags to a headline
193 * Tag searches:: Searching for combinations of tags
195 Properties and Columns
197 * Property syntax:: How properties are spelled out
198 * Special properties:: Access to other Org mode features
199 * Property searches:: Matching property values
200 * Property inheritance:: Passing values down the tree
201 * Column view:: Tabular viewing and editing
202 * Property API:: Properties for Lisp programmers
206 * Defining columns:: The COLUMNS format property
207 * Using column view:: How to create and use column view
208 * Capturing column view:: A dynamic block for column view
212 * Scope of column definitions:: Where defined, where valid?
213 * Column attributes:: Appearance and content of a column
217 * Timestamps:: Assigning a time to a tree entry
218 * Creating timestamps:: Commands which insert timestamps
219 * Deadlines and scheduling:: Planning your work
220 * Clocking work time:: Tracking how long you spend on a task
221 * Effort estimates:: Planning work effort in advance
222 * Relative timer:: Notes with a running timer
226 * The date/time prompt:: How Org mode helps you entering date and time
227 * Custom time format:: Making dates look different
229 Deadlines and scheduling
231 * Inserting deadline/schedule:: Planning items
232 * Repeated tasks:: Items that show up again and again
236 * Remember:: Capture new tasks/ideas with little interruption
237 * Attachments:: Add files to tasks.
241 * Setting up Remember:: Some code for .emacs to get things going
242 * Remember templates:: Define the outline of different note types
243 * Storing notes:: Directly get the note to where it belongs
244 * Refiling notes:: Moving a note or task to a project
248 * Agenda files:: Files being searched for agenda information
249 * Agenda dispatcher:: Keyboard access to agenda views
250 * Built-in agenda views:: What is available out of the box?
251 * Presentation and sorting:: How agenda items are prepared for display
252 * Agenda commands:: Remote editing of Org trees
253 * Custom agenda views:: Defining special searches and views
254 * Agenda column view:: Using column view for collected entries
256 The built-in agenda views
258 * Weekly/daily agenda:: The calendar page with current tasks
259 * Global TODO list:: All unfinished action items
260 * Matching tags and properties:: Structured information with fine-tuned search
261 * Timeline:: Time-sorted view for single file
262 * Keyword search:: Finding entries by keyword
263 * Stuck projects:: Find projects you need to review
265 Presentation and sorting
267 * Categories:: Not all tasks are equal
268 * Time-of-day specifications:: How the agenda knows the time
269 * Sorting of agenda items:: The order of things
273 * Storing searches:: Type once, use often
274 * Block agenda:: All the stuff you need in a single buffer
275 * Setting Options:: Changing the rules
276 * Exporting Agenda Views:: Writing agendas to files
277 * Using the agenda elsewhere:: Using agenda information in other programs
281 * Math symbols:: TeX macros for symbols and Greek letters
282 * Subscripts and superscripts:: Simple syntax for raising/lowering text
283 * LaTeX fragments:: Complex formulas made easy
284 * Processing LaTeX fragments:: Previewing LaTeX processing
285 * CDLaTeX mode:: Speed up entering of formulas
289 * Markup rules:: Which structures are recognized?
290 * Selective export:: Using tags to select and exclude trees
291 * Export options:: Per-file export settings
292 * The export dispatcher:: How to access exporter commands
293 * ASCII export:: Exporting to plain ASCII
294 * HTML export:: Exporting to HTML
295 * LaTeX and PDF export:: Exporting to LaTeX, and processing to PDF
296 * XOXO export:: Exporting to XOXO
297 * iCalendar export:: Exporting in iCalendar format
301 * Document title:: How the document title is determined
302 * Headings and sections:: The main structure of the exported document
303 * Table of contents:: If, where, how to create a table of contents
304 * Initial text:: Text before the first headline
305 * Lists:: Plain lists are exported
306 * Paragraphs:: What determines beginning and ending
307 * Literal examples:: Source code and other examples
308 * Include files:: Include the contents of a file during export
309 * Tables exported:: Tables are exported richly
310 * Footnotes:: Numbers like [1]
311 * Emphasis and monospace:: To bold or not to bold
312 * TeX macros and LaTeX fragments:: Create special, rich export.
313 * Horizontal rules:: A line across the page
314 * Comment lines:: Some lines will not be exported
318 * HTML Export commands:: How to invoke HTML export
319 * Quoting HTML tags:: Using direct HTML in Org mode
320 * Links:: Transformation of links for HTML
321 * Images:: How to include images
322 * CSS support:: Changing the appearance of the output
323 * Javascript support:: Info and Folding in a web browser
327 * LaTeX/PDF export commands::
328 * Quoting LaTeX code:: Incorporating literal LaTeX code
329 * Sectioning structure:: Changing sectioning in LaTeX output
333 * Configuration:: Defining projects
334 * Sample configuration:: Example projects
335 * Triggering publication:: Publication commands
339 * Project alist:: The central configuration variable
340 * Sources and destinations:: From here to there
341 * Selecting files:: What files are part of the project?
342 * Publishing action:: Setting the function doing the publishing
343 * Publishing options:: Tweaking HTML export
344 * Publishing links:: Which links keep working after publishing?
345 * Project page index:: Publishing a list of project files
349 * Simple example:: One-component publishing
350 * Complex example:: A multi-component publishing example
354 * Completion:: M-TAB knows what you need
355 * Customization:: Adapting Org to your taste
356 * In-buffer settings:: Overview of the #+KEYWORDS
357 * The very busy C-c C-c key:: When in doubt, press C-c C-c
358 * Clean view:: Getting rid of leading stars in the outline
359 * TTY keys:: Using Org on a tty
360 * Interaction:: Other Emacs packages
361 * Bugs:: Things which do not work perfectly
363 Interaction with other packages
365 * Cooperation:: Packages Org cooperates with
366 * Conflicts:: Packages that lead to conflicts
370 * Extensions in the contrib directory:: These come with the Org distro
371 * Other extensions:: These you have to find on the web.
375 * Adding hyperlink types:: New custom link types
376 * Tables in arbitrary syntax:: Orgtbl for LaTeX and other programs
377 * Dynamic blocks:: Automatically filled blocks
378 * Special agenda views:: Customized views
379 * Using the property API:: Writing programs that use entry properties
380 * Using the mapping API:: Mapping over all or selected entries
382 Tables and lists in arbitrary syntax
384 * Radio tables:: Sending and receiving
385 * A LaTeX example:: Step by step, almost a tutorial
386 * Translator functions:: Copy and modify
387 * Radio lists:: Doing the same for lists
392 @node Introduction, Document Structure, Top, Top
393 @chapter Introduction
397 * Summary:: Brief summary of what Org does
398 * Installation:: How to install a downloaded version of Org
399 * Activation:: How to activate Org for certain buffers
400 * Feedback:: Bug reports, ideas, patches etc.
401 * Conventions:: Type-setting conventions in the manual
404 @node Summary, Installation, Introduction, Introduction
408 Org is a mode for keeping notes, maintaining TODO lists, and doing
409 project planning with a fast and effective plain-text system.
411 Org develops organizational tasks around NOTES files that contain
412 lists or information about projects as plain text. Org is
413 implemented on top of Outline mode, which makes it possible to keep the
414 content of large files well structured. Visibility cycling and
415 structure editing help to work with the tree. Tables are easily created
416 with a built-in table editor. Org supports TODO items, deadlines,
417 time stamps, and scheduling. It dynamically compiles entries into an
418 agenda that utilizes and smoothly integrates much of the Emacs calendar
419 and diary. Plain text URL-like links connect to websites, emails,
420 Usenet messages, BBDB entries, and any files related to the projects.
421 For printing and sharing of notes, an Org file can be exported as a
422 structured ASCII file, as HTML, or (TODO and agenda items only) as an
423 iCalendar file. It can also serve as a publishing tool for a set of
426 An important design aspect that distinguishes Org from for example
427 Planner/Muse is that it encourages to store every piece of information
428 only once. In Planner, you have project pages, day pages and possibly
429 other files, duplicating some information such as tasks. In Org,
430 you only have notes files. In your notes you mark entries as tasks,
431 label them with tags and timestamps. All necessary lists like a
432 schedule for the day, the agenda for a meeting, tasks lists selected by
433 tags etc are created dynamically when you need them.
435 Org keeps simple things simple. When first fired up, it should
436 feel like a straightforward, easy to use outliner. Complexity is not
437 imposed, but a large amount of functionality is available when you need
438 it. Org is a toolbox and can be used in different ways, for
442 @r{@bullet{} outline extension with visibility cycling and structure editing}
443 @r{@bullet{} ASCII system and table editor for taking structured notes}
444 @r{@bullet{} ASCII table editor with spreadsheet-like capabilities}
445 @r{@bullet{} TODO list editor}
446 @r{@bullet{} full agenda and planner with deadlines and work scheduling}
447 @r{@bullet{} environment to implement David Allen's GTD system}
448 @r{@bullet{} a basic database application}
449 @r{@bullet{} simple hypertext system, with HTML and LaTeX export}
450 @r{@bullet{} publishing tool to create a set of interlinked webpages}
453 Org's automatic, context sensitive table editor with spreadsheet
454 capabilities can be integrated into any major mode by activating the
455 minor Orgtbl mode. Using a translation step, it can be used to maintain
456 tables in arbitrary file types, for example in La@TeX{}. The structure
457 editing and list creation capabilities can be used outside Org with
458 the minor Orgstruct mode.
461 There is a website for Org which provides links to the newest
462 version of Org, as well as additional information, frequently asked
463 questions (FAQ), links to tutorials etc. This page is located at
464 @uref{http://orgmode.org}.
469 @node Installation, Activation, Summary, Introduction
470 @section Installation
474 @b{Important:} @i{If Org is part of the Emacs distribution or an
475 XEmacs package, please skip this section and go directly to
478 If you have downloaded Org from the Web, either as a distribution @file{.zip}
479 or @file{.tar} file, or as a GIT archive, you must take the following steps
480 to install it: Go into the unpacked Org distribution directory and edit the
481 top section of the file @file{Makefile}. You must set the name of the Emacs
482 binary (likely either @file{emacs} or @file{xemacs}), and the paths to the
483 directories where local Lisp and Info files are kept. If you don't have
484 access to the system-wide directories, you can simply run Org directly from
485 the distribution directory by adding the @file{lisp} subdirectory to the
486 Emacs load path. To do this, add the following line to @file{.emacs}:
489 (setq load-path (cons "~/path/to/orgdir/lisp" load-path))
493 If you plan to use code from the @file{contrib} subdirectory, do a similar
494 step for this directory:
497 (setq load-path (cons "~/path/to/orgdir/contrib/lisp" load-path))
500 @b{XEmacs users now need to install the file @file{noutline.el} from
501 the @file{xemacs} sub-directory of the Org distribution. Use the
505 @b{make install-noutline}
508 @noindent Now byte-compile the Lisp files with the shell command:
514 @noindent If you are running Org from the distribution directory, this is
515 all. If you want to install into the system directories, use
522 @noindent Then add to @file{.emacs}:
525 ;; This line only if Org is not part of the X/Emacs distribution.
526 (require 'org-install)
530 @node Activation, Feedback, Installation, Introduction
534 @cindex global key bindings
535 @cindex key bindings, global
538 @b{Important:} @i{If you use copy-and-paste to copy lisp code from the
539 PDF documentation as viewed by some PDF viewers to your .emacs file, the
540 single quote character comes out incorrectly and the code will not work.
541 You need to fix the single quotes by hand, or copy from Info
545 Add the following lines to your @file{.emacs} file. The last three lines
546 define @emph{global} keys for the commands @command{org-store-link},
547 @command{org-agenda}, and @command{org-iswitchb} - please choose suitable
551 ;; The following lines are always needed. Choose your own keys.
552 (add-to-list 'auto-mode-alist '("\\.org\\'" . org-mode))
553 (global-set-key "\C-cl" 'org-store-link)
554 (global-set-key "\C-ca" 'org-agenda)
555 (global-set-key "\C-cb" 'org-iswitchb)
558 Furthermore, you must activate @code{font-lock-mode} in Org
559 buffers, because significant functionality depends on font-locking being
560 active. You can do this with either one of the following two lines
561 (XEmacs user must use the second option):
563 (global-font-lock-mode 1) ; for all buffers
564 (add-hook 'org-mode-hook 'turn-on-font-lock) ; Org buffers only
567 @cindex Org mode, turning on
568 With this setup, all files with extension @samp{.org} will be put
569 into Org mode. As an alternative, make the first line of a file look
573 MY PROJECTS -*- mode: org; -*-
576 @noindent which will select Org mode for this buffer no matter what
577 the file's name is. See also the variable
578 @code{org-insert-mode-line-in-empty-file}.
580 @node Feedback, Conventions, Activation, Introduction
587 If you find problems with Org, or if you have questions, remarks, or ideas
588 about it, please mail to the Org mailing list @code{emacs-orgmode@@gnu.org}.
589 If you are not a member of the mailing list, your mail will be reviewed by a
590 moderator and then passed through to the list.
592 For bug reports, please provide as much information as possible,
593 including the version information of Emacs (@kbd{C-h v emacs-version
594 @key{RET}}) and Org (@kbd{C-h v org-version @key{RET}}), as well as
595 the Org related setup in @file{.emacs}. If an error occurs, a
596 backtrace can be very useful (see below on how to create one). Often a
597 small example file helps, along with clear information about:
600 @item What exactly did you do?
601 @item What did you expect to happen?
602 @item What happened instead?
604 @noindent Thank you for helping to improve this mode.
606 @subsubheading How to create a useful backtrace
608 @cindex backtrace of an error
609 If working with Org produces an error with a message you don't
610 understand, you may have hit a bug. The best way to report this is by
611 providing, in addition to what was mentioned above, a @emph{Backtrace}.
612 This is information from the built-in debugger about where and how the
613 error occurred. Here is how to produce a useful backtrace:
617 Start a fresh Emacs or XEmacs, and make sure that it will load the
618 original Lisp code in @file{org.el} instead of the compiled version in
619 @file{org.elc}. The backtrace contains much more information if it is
620 produced with uncompiled code. To do this, either rename @file{org.elc}
621 to something else before starting Emacs, or ask Emacs explicitly to load
622 @file{org.el} by using the command line
624 emacs -l /path/to/org.el
627 Go to the @code{Options} menu and select @code{Enter Debugger on Error}
628 (XEmacs has this option in the @code{Troubleshooting} sub-menu).
630 Do whatever you have to do to hit the error. Don't forget to
631 document the steps you take.
633 When you hit the error, a @file{*Backtrace*} buffer will appear on the
634 screen. Save this buffer to a file (for example using @kbd{C-x C-w}) and
635 attach it to your bug report.
638 @node Conventions, , Feedback, Introduction
639 @section Typesetting conventions used in this manual
641 Org uses three types of keywords: TODO keywords, tags, and property
642 names. In this manual we use the following conventions:
647 TODO keywords are written with all capitals, even if they are
651 User-defined tags are written in lowercase; built-in tags with special
652 meaning are written with all capitals.
655 User-defined properties are capitalized; built-in properties with
656 special meaning are written with all capitals.
659 @node Document Structure, Tables, Introduction, Top
660 @chapter Document Structure
661 @cindex document structure
662 @cindex structure of document
664 Org is based on outline mode and provides flexible commands to
665 edit the structure of the document.
668 * Outlines:: Org is based on Outline mode
669 * Headlines:: How to typeset Org tree headlines
670 * Visibility cycling:: Show and hide, much simplified
671 * Motion:: Jumping to other headlines
672 * Structure editing:: Changing sequence and level of headlines
673 * Archiving:: Move done task trees to a different place
674 * Sparse trees:: Matches embedded in context
675 * Plain lists:: Additional structure within an entry
676 * Drawers:: Tucking stuff away
677 * Orgstruct mode:: Structure editing outside Org
680 @node Outlines, Headlines, Document Structure, Document Structure
685 Org is implemented on top of Outline mode. Outlines allow a
686 document to be organized in a hierarchical structure, which (at least
687 for me) is the best representation of notes and thoughts. An overview
688 of this structure is achieved by folding (hiding) large parts of the
689 document to show only the general document structure and the parts
690 currently being worked on. Org greatly simplifies the use of
691 outlines by compressing the entire show/hide functionality into a single
692 command @command{org-cycle}, which is bound to the @key{TAB} key.
694 @node Headlines, Visibility cycling, Outlines, Document Structure
699 Headlines define the structure of an outline tree. The headlines in
700 Org start with one or more stars, on the left margin@footnote{See
701 the variable @code{org-special-ctrl-a/e} to configure special behavior
702 of @kbd{C-a} and @kbd{C-e} in headlines.}. For example:
712 * Another top level headline
715 @noindent Some people find the many stars too noisy and would prefer an
716 outline that has whitespace followed by a single star as headline
717 starters. @ref{Clean view} describes a setup to realize this.
719 An empty line after the end of a subtree is considered part of it and
720 will be hidden when the subtree is folded. However, if you leave at
721 least two empty lines, one empty line will remain visible after folding
722 the subtree, in order to structure the collapsed view. See the
723 variable @code{org-cycle-separator-lines} to modify this behavior.
725 @node Visibility cycling, Motion, Headlines, Document Structure
726 @section Visibility cycling
727 @cindex cycling, visibility
728 @cindex visibility cycling
729 @cindex trees, visibility
730 @cindex show hidden text
733 Outlines make it possible to hide parts of the text in the buffer.
734 Org uses just two commands, bound to @key{TAB} and
735 @kbd{S-@key{TAB}} to change the visibility in the buffer.
737 @cindex subtree visibility states
738 @cindex subtree cycling
739 @cindex folded, subtree visibility state
740 @cindex children, subtree visibility state
741 @cindex subtree, subtree visibility state
745 @emph{Subtree cycling}: Rotate current subtree among the states
748 ,-> FOLDED -> CHILDREN -> SUBTREE --.
749 '-----------------------------------'
752 The cursor must be on a headline for this to work@footnote{see, however,
753 the option @code{org-cycle-emulate-tab}.}. When the cursor is at the
754 beginning of the buffer and the first line is not a headline, then
755 @key{TAB} actually runs global cycling (see below)@footnote{see the
756 option @code{org-cycle-global-at-bob}.}. Also when called with a prefix
757 argument (@kbd{C-u @key{TAB}}), global cycling is invoked.
759 @cindex global visibility states
760 @cindex global cycling
761 @cindex overview, global visibility state
762 @cindex contents, global visibility state
763 @cindex show all, global visibility state
767 @emph{Global cycling}: Rotate the entire buffer among the states
770 ,-> OVERVIEW -> CONTENTS -> SHOW ALL --.
771 '--------------------------------------'
774 When @kbd{S-@key{TAB}} is called with a numeric prefix argument N, the
775 CONTENTS view up to headlines of level N will be shown. Note that inside
776 tables, @kbd{S-@key{TAB}} jumps to the previous field.
778 @cindex show all, command
779 @kindex C-u C-u C-u @key{TAB}
780 @item C-u C-u C-u @key{TAB}
781 Show all, including drawers.
784 Reveal context around point, showing the current entry, the following heading
785 and the hierarchy above. Useful for working near a location that has been
786 exposed by a sparse tree command (@pxref{Sparse trees}) or an agenda command
787 (@pxref{Agenda commands}). With a prefix argument show, on each
788 level, all sibling headings.
791 Show the current subtree in an indirect buffer@footnote{The indirect
794 (@pxref{Indirect Buffers,,,emacs,GNU Emacs Manual})
797 (see the Emacs manual for more information about indirect buffers)
799 will contain the entire buffer, but will be narrowed to the current
800 tree. Editing the indirect buffer will also change the original buffer,
801 but without affecting visibility in that buffer.}. With a numeric
802 prefix argument N, go up to level N and then take that tree. If N is
803 negative then go up that many levels. With a @kbd{C-u} prefix, do not remove
804 the previously used indirect buffer.
807 When Emacs first visits an Org file, the global state is set to
808 OVERVIEW, i.e. only the top level headlines are visible. This can be
809 configured through the variable @code{org-startup-folded}, or on a
810 per-file basis by adding one of the following lines anywhere in the
820 Forthermore, any entries with a @samp{VISIBILITY} property (@pxref{Properties
821 and Columns}) will get their visibility adapted accordingly. Allowed values
822 for this property are @code{folded}, @code{children}, @code{content}, and
825 @kindex C-u C-u @key{TAB}
826 @item C-u C-u @key{TAB}
827 Switch back to the startup visibility of the buffer, i.e. whatever is
828 requested by startup options and @samp{VISIBILITY} properties in individual
832 @node Motion, Structure editing, Visibility cycling, Document Structure
834 @cindex motion, between headlines
835 @cindex jumping, to headlines
836 @cindex headline navigation
837 The following commands jump to other headlines in the buffer.
848 Next heading same level.
851 Previous heading same level.
854 Backward to higher level heading.
857 Jump to a different place without changing the current outline
858 visibility. Shows the document structure in a temporary buffer, where
859 you can use the following keys to find your destination:
861 @key{TAB} @r{Cycle visibility.}
862 @key{down} / @key{up} @r{Next/previous visible headline.}
863 @key{RET} @r{Select this location.}
864 @kbd{/} @r{Do a Sparse-tree search}
865 @r{The following keys work if you turn off @code{org-goto-auto-isearch}}
866 n / p @r{Next/previous visible headline.}
867 f / b @r{Next/previous headline same level.}
869 0-9 @r{Digit argument.}
872 See also the variable@code{org-goto-interface}.
875 @node Structure editing, Archiving, Motion, Document Structure
876 @section Structure editing
877 @cindex structure editing
878 @cindex headline, promotion and demotion
879 @cindex promotion, of subtrees
880 @cindex demotion, of subtrees
881 @cindex subtree, cut and paste
882 @cindex pasting, of subtrees
883 @cindex cutting, of subtrees
884 @cindex copying, of subtrees
885 @cindex subtrees, cut and paste
890 Insert new heading with same level as current. If the cursor is in a
891 plain list item, a new item is created (@pxref{Plain lists}). To force
892 creation of a new headline, use a prefix argument, or first press @key{RET}
893 to get to the beginning of the next line. When this command is used in
894 the middle of a line, the line is split and the rest of the line becomes
895 the new headline@footnote{If you do not want the line to be split,
896 customize the variable @code{org-M-RET-may-split-line}.}. If the
897 command is used at the beginning of a headline, the new headline is
898 created before the current line. If at the beginning of any other line,
899 the content of that line is made the new heading. If the command is
900 used at the end of a folded subtree (i.e. behind the ellipses at the end
901 of a headline), then a headline like the current one will be inserted
902 after the end of the subtree.
905 Just like @kbd{M-@key{RET}}, except when adding a new heading below the
906 current heading, the new heading is placed after the body instead of before
907 it. This command works from anywhere in the entry.
908 @kindex M-S-@key{RET}
910 Insert new TODO entry with same level as current heading.
911 @kindex C-S-@key{RET}
913 Insert new TODO entry with same level as current heading. Like
914 @kbd{C-@key{RET}}, the new headline will be inserted after the current
918 Promote current heading by one level.
919 @kindex M-@key{right}
921 Demote current heading by one level.
922 @kindex M-S-@key{left}
924 Promote the current subtree by one level.
925 @kindex M-S-@key{right}
926 @item M-S-@key{right}
927 Demote the current subtree by one level.
930 Move subtree up (swap with previous subtree of same
932 @kindex M-S-@key{down}
934 Move subtree down (swap with next subtree of same level).
937 Kill subtree, i.e. remove it from buffer but save in kill ring.
938 With a numeric prefix argument N, kill N sequential subtrees.
941 Copy subtree to kill ring. With a numeric prefix argument N, copy the N
945 Yank subtree from kill ring. This does modify the level of the subtree to
946 make sure the tree fits in nicely at the yank position. The yank level can
947 also be specified with a numeric prefix argument, or by yanking after a
948 headline marker like @samp{****}.
951 Depending on the variables @code{org-yank-adjusted-subtrees} and
952 @code{org-yank-folded-subtrees}, Org's internal @code{yank} command will
953 paste subtrees folded and in a clever way, using the same command as @kbd{C-c
954 C-x C-y}. With the default settings, level adjustment will take place and
955 yanked trees will be folded unless doing so would swallow text previously
956 visible. Any prefix argument to this command will force a normal @code{yank}
957 to be executed, with the prefix passed along. A good way to force a normal
958 yank is @kbd{C-u C-y}. If you use @code{yank-pop} after a yank, it will yank
959 previous kill items plainly, without adjustment and folding.
962 Refile entry or region to a different location. @xref{Refiling notes}.
965 Sort same-level entries. When there is an active region, all entries in the
966 region will be sorted. Otherwise the children of the current headline are
967 sorted. The command prompts for the sorting method, which can be
968 alphabetically, numerically, by time (using the first time stamp in each
969 entry), by priority, or by TODO keyword (in the sequence the keywords have
970 been defined in the setup). Reverse sorting is possible as well. You can
971 also supply your own function to extract the sorting key. With a @kbd{C-u}
972 prefix, sorting will be case-sensitive. With two @kbd{C-u C-u} prefixes,
973 duplicate entries will also be removed.
976 Narrow buffer to current subtree.
979 Widen buffer to remove a narrowing.
982 Turn a normal line or plain list item into a headline (so that it
983 becomes a subheading at its location). Also turn a headline into a
984 normal line by removing the stars. If there is an active region, turn
985 all lines in the region into headlines. Or, if the first line is a
986 headline, remove the stars from all headlines in the region.
989 @cindex region, active
990 @cindex active region
991 @cindex Transient mark mode
992 When there is an active region (Transient mark mode), promotion and
993 demotion work on all headlines in the region. To select a region of
994 headlines, it is best to place both point and mark at the beginning of a
995 line, mark at the beginning of the first headline, and point at the line
996 just after the last headline to change. Note that when the cursor is
997 inside a table (@pxref{Tables}), the Meta-Cursor keys have different
1000 @node Archiving, Sparse trees, Structure editing, Document Structure
1004 When a project represented by a (sub)tree is finished, you may want
1005 to move the tree out of the way and to stop it from contributing to the
1006 agenda. Org mode knows two ways of archiving. You can mark a tree with
1007 the ARCHIVE tag, or you can move an entire (sub)tree to a different
1011 * ARCHIVE tag:: Marking a tree as inactive
1012 * Moving subtrees:: Moving a tree to an archive file
1015 @node ARCHIVE tag, Moving subtrees, Archiving, Archiving
1016 @subsection The ARCHIVE tag
1017 @cindex internal archiving
1019 A headline that is marked with the ARCHIVE tag (@pxref{Tags}) stays at
1020 its location in the outline tree, but behaves in the following way:
1023 It does not open when you attempt to do so with a visibility cycling
1024 command (@pxref{Visibility cycling}). You can force cycling archived
1025 subtrees with @kbd{C-@key{TAB}}, or by setting the option
1026 @code{org-cycle-open-archived-trees}. Also normal outline commands like
1027 @code{show-all} will open archived subtrees.
1029 During sparse tree construction (@pxref{Sparse trees}), matches in
1030 archived subtrees are not exposed, unless you configure the option
1031 @code{org-sparse-tree-open-archived-trees}.
1033 During agenda view construction (@pxref{Agenda Views}), the content of
1034 archived trees is ignored unless you configure the option
1035 @code{org-agenda-skip-archived-trees}, in which case these trees will always
1036 be included. In the agenda you can press the @kbd{v} key to get archives
1037 temporarily included.
1039 Archived trees are not exported (@pxref{Exporting}), only the headline
1040 is. Configure the details using the variable
1041 @code{org-export-with-archived-trees}.
1044 The following commands help managing the ARCHIVE tag:
1049 Toggle the ARCHIVE tag for the current headline. When the tag is set,
1050 the headline changes to a shadowed face, and the subtree below it is
1052 @kindex C-u C-c C-x a
1054 Check if any direct children of the current headline should be archived.
1055 To do this, each subtree is checked for open TODO entries. If none are
1056 found, the command offers to set the ARCHIVE tag for the child. If the
1057 cursor is @emph{not} on a headline when this command is invoked, the
1058 level 1 trees will be checked.
1061 Cycle a tree even if it is tagged with ARCHIVE.
1064 @node Moving subtrees, , ARCHIVE tag, Archiving
1065 @subsection Moving subtrees
1066 @cindex external archiving
1068 Once an entire project is finished, you may want to move it to a different
1069 location. Org can move it to an @emph{Archive Sibling} in the same tree, to a
1070 different tree in the current file, or to a different file, the archive file.
1075 Move the current entry to the @emph{Archive Sibling}. This is a sibling of
1076 the entry with the heading @samp{Archive} and the tag @samp{ARCHIVE}
1077 (@pxref{ARCHIVE tag}). The entry becomes a child of that sibling and in this
1078 way retains a lot of its original context, including inherited tags and
1079 approximate position in the outline.
1082 Archive the subtree starting at the cursor position to the location
1083 given by @code{org-archive-location}. Context information that could be
1084 lost like the file name, the category, inherited tags, and the TODO
1085 state will be store as properties in the entry.
1086 @kindex C-u C-c C-x C-s
1087 @item C-u C-c C-x C-s
1088 Check if any direct children of the current headline could be moved to
1089 the archive. To do this, each subtree is checked for open TODO entries.
1090 If none are found, the command offers to move it to the archive
1091 location. If the cursor is @emph{not} on a headline when this command
1092 is invoked, the level 1 trees will be checked.
1095 @cindex archive locations
1096 The default archive location is a file in the same directory as the
1097 current file, with the name derived by appending @file{_archive} to the
1098 current file name. For information and examples on how to change this,
1099 see the documentation string of the variable
1100 @code{org-archive-location}. There is also an in-buffer option for
1101 setting this variable, for example@footnote{For backward compatibility,
1102 the following also works: If there are several such lines in a file,
1103 each specifies the archive location for the text below it. The first
1104 such line also applies to any text before its definition. However,
1105 using this method is @emph{strongly} deprecated as it is incompatible
1106 with the outline structure of the document. The correct method for
1107 setting multiple archive locations in a buffer is using a property.}:
1110 #+ARCHIVE: %s_done::
1114 If you would like to have a special ARCHIVE location for a single entry
1115 or a (sub)tree, give the entry an @code{:ARCHIVE:} property with the
1116 location as the value (@pxref{Properties and Columns}).
1118 When a subtree is moved, it receives a number of special properties that
1119 record context information like the file from where the entry came, it's
1120 outline path the archiving time etc. Configure the variable
1121 @code{org-archive-save-context-info} to adjust the amount of information
1124 @node Sparse trees, Plain lists, Archiving, Document Structure
1125 @section Sparse trees
1126 @cindex sparse trees
1127 @cindex trees, sparse
1128 @cindex folding, sparse trees
1129 @cindex occur, command
1131 An important feature of Org mode is the ability to construct @emph{sparse
1132 trees} for selected information in an outline tree, so that the entire
1133 document is folded as much as possible, but the selected information is made
1134 visible along with the headline structure above it@footnote{See also the
1135 variables @code{org-show-hierarchy-above}, @code{org-show-following-heading},
1136 @code{org-show-siblings}, and @code{org-show-entry-below} for detailed
1137 control on how much context is shown around each match.}. Just try it out
1138 and you will see immediately how it works.
1140 Org mode contains several commands creating such trees, all these
1141 commands can be accessed through a dispatcher:
1146 This prompts for an extra key to select a sparse-tree creating command.
1149 Occur. Prompts for a regexp and shows a sparse tree with all matches. If
1150 the match is in a headline, the headline is made visible. If the match is in
1151 the body of an entry, headline and body are made visible. In order to
1152 provide minimal context, also the full hierarchy of headlines above the match
1153 is shown, as well as the headline following the match. Each match is also
1154 highlighted; the highlights disappear when the buffer is changed by an
1155 editing command@footnote{depending on the option
1156 @code{org-remove-highlights-with-change}}, or by pressing @kbd{C-c C-c}.
1157 When called with a @kbd{C-u} prefix argument, previous highlights are kept,
1158 so several calls to this command can be stacked.
1162 For frequently used sparse trees of specific search strings, you can
1163 use the variable @code{org-agenda-custom-commands} to define fast
1164 keyboard access to specific sparse trees. These commands will then be
1165 accessible through the agenda dispatcher (@pxref{Agenda dispatcher}).
1169 (setq org-agenda-custom-commands
1170 '(("f" occur-tree "FIXME")))
1173 @noindent will define the key @kbd{C-c a f} as a shortcut for creating
1174 a sparse tree matching the string @samp{FIXME}.
1176 The other sparse tree commands select headings based on TODO keywords,
1177 tags, or properties and will be discussed later in this manual.
1180 @cindex printing sparse trees
1181 @cindex visible text, printing
1182 To print a sparse tree, you can use the Emacs command
1183 @code{ps-print-buffer-with-faces} which does not print invisible parts
1184 of the document @footnote{This does not work under XEmacs, because
1185 XEmacs uses selective display for outlining, not text properties.}.
1186 Or you can use the command @kbd{C-c C-e v} to export only the visible
1187 part of the document and print the resulting file.
1189 @node Plain lists, Drawers, Sparse trees, Document Structure
1190 @section Plain lists
1192 @cindex lists, plain
1193 @cindex lists, ordered
1194 @cindex ordered lists
1196 Within an entry of the outline tree, hand-formatted lists can provide
1197 additional structure. They also provide a way to create lists of
1198 checkboxes (@pxref{Checkboxes}). Org supports editing such lists,
1199 and the HTML exporter (@pxref{Exporting}) parses and formats them.
1201 Org knows ordered lists, unordered lists, and description lists.
1204 @emph{Unordered} list items start with @samp{-}, @samp{+}, or
1205 @samp{*}@footnote{When using @samp{*} as a bullet, lines must be indented or
1206 they will be seen as top-level headlines. Also, when you are hiding leading
1207 stars to get a clean outline view, plain list items starting with a star are
1208 visually indistinguishable from true headlines. In short: even though
1209 @samp{*} is supported, it may be better to not use it for plain list items.}
1212 @emph{Ordered} list items start with a numeral followed by either a period or
1213 a right parenthesis, such as @samp{1.} or @samp{1)}.
1215 @emph{Description} list items are like unordered list items, but contain the
1216 separator @samp{ :: } to separate the description @emph{term} from the
1220 Items belonging to the same list must have the same indentation on the first
1221 line. In particular, if an ordered list reaches number @samp{10.}, then the
1222 2--digit numbers must be written left-aligned with the other numbers in the
1223 list. Indentation also determines the end of a list item. It ends before
1224 the next line that is indented like the bullet/number, or less. Empty lines
1225 are part of the previous item, so you can have several paragraphs in one
1226 item. If you would like an empty line to terminate all currently open plain
1227 lists, configure the variable @code{org-empty-line-terminates-plain-lists}.
1232 ** Lord of the Rings
1233 My favorite scenes are (in this order)
1234 1. The attack of the Rohirrim
1235 2. Eowyns fight with the witch king
1236 + this was already my favorite scene in the book
1237 + I really like Miranda Otto.
1238 3. Peter Jackson being shot by Legolas
1240 He makes a really funny face when it happens.
1241 But in the end, not individual scenes matter but the film as a whole.
1242 Important actors in this film are:
1243 - @b{Elijah Wood} :: He plays the Frodo
1244 - @b{Sean Austin} :: He plays the Sam, Frodos friend. I still remember
1245 him very well from his role as Mikey Walsh a in the Goonies.
1249 Org supports these lists by tuning filling and wrapping commands to
1250 deal with them correctly@footnote{Org only changes the filling
1251 settings for Emacs. For XEmacs, you should use Kyle E. Jones'
1252 @file{filladapt.el}. To turn this on, put into @file{.emacs}:
1253 @code{(require 'filladapt)}}, and by exporting them properly
1254 (@pxref{Exporting}).
1256 The following commands act on items when the cursor is in the first line
1257 of an item (the line with the bullet or number).
1262 Items can be folded just like headline levels if you set the variable
1263 @code{org-cycle-include-plain-lists}. The level of an item is then
1264 given by the indentation of the bullet/number. Items are always
1265 subordinate to real headlines, however; the hierarchies remain
1266 completely separated.
1268 If @code{org-cycle-include-plain-lists} has not been set, @key{TAB}
1269 fixes the indentation of the current line in a heuristic way.
1272 Insert new item at current level. With a prefix argument, force a new
1273 heading (@pxref{Structure editing}). If this command is used in the middle
1274 of a line, the line is @emph{split} and the rest of the line becomes the new
1275 item@footnote{If you do not want the line to be split, customize the variable
1276 @code{org-M-RET-may-split-line}.}. If this command is executed in the
1277 @emph{whitespace before a bullet or number}, the new item is created
1278 @emph{before} the current item. If the command is executed in the white
1279 space before the text that is part of an item but does not contain the
1280 bullet, a bullet is added to the current line.
1281 @kindex M-S-@key{RET}
1283 Insert a new item with a checkbox (@pxref{Checkboxes}).
1285 @kindex S-@key{down}
1288 Jump to the previous/next item in the current list.
1289 @kindex M-S-@key{up}
1290 @kindex M-S-@key{down}
1292 @itemx M-S-@key{down}
1293 Move the item including subitems up/down (swap with previous/next item
1294 of same indentation). If the list is ordered, renumbering is
1296 @kindex M-S-@key{left}
1297 @kindex M-S-@key{right}
1298 @item M-S-@key{left}
1299 @itemx M-S-@key{right}
1300 Decrease/increase the indentation of the item, including subitems.
1301 Initially, the item tree is selected based on current indentation.
1302 When these commands are executed several times in direct succession,
1303 the initially selected region is used, even if the new indentation
1304 would imply a different hierarchy. To use the new hierarchy, break
1305 the command chain with a cursor motion or so.
1308 If there is a checkbox (@pxref{Checkboxes}) in the item line, toggle the
1309 state of the checkbox. If not, this command makes sure that all the
1310 items on this list level use the same bullet. Furthermore, if this is
1311 an ordered list, make sure the numbering is OK.
1314 Cycle the entire list level through the different itemize/enumerate bullets
1315 (@samp{-}, @samp{+}, @samp{*}, @samp{1.}, @samp{1)}). With a numeric prefix
1316 argument N, select the Nth bullet from this list. If there is an active
1317 region when calling this, all lines will be converted to list items. If the
1318 first line already was a list item, any item markers will be removed from the
1319 list. Finally, even without an active region, a normal line will be
1320 converted into a list item.
1321 @kindex S-@key{left}
1322 @kindex S-@key{right}
1323 @item S-@key{left}/@key{right}
1324 Also cycle bullet styles when in the first line of an item.
1327 @node Drawers, Orgstruct mode, Plain lists, Document Structure
1330 @cindex visibility cycling, drawers
1332 Sometimes you want to keep information associated with an entry, but you
1333 normally don't want to see it. For this, Org mode has @emph{drawers}.
1334 Drawers need to be configured with the variable
1335 @code{org-drawers}@footnote{You can define drawers on a per-file basis
1336 with a line like @code{#+DRAWERS: HIDDEN PROPERTIES STATE}}. Drawers
1340 ** This is a headline
1341 Still outside the drawer
1343 This is inside the drawer.
1348 Visibility cycling (@pxref{Visibility cycling}) on the headline will
1349 hide and show the entry, but keep the drawer collapsed to a single line.
1350 In order to look inside the drawer, you need to move the cursor to the
1351 drawer line and press @key{TAB} there. Org mode uses a drawer for
1352 storing properties (@pxref{Properties and Columns}), and another one for
1353 storing clock times (@pxref{Clocking work time}).
1355 @node Orgstruct mode, , Drawers, Document Structure
1356 @section The Orgstruct minor mode
1357 @cindex Orgstruct mode
1358 @cindex minor mode for structure editing
1360 If you like the intuitive way the Org mode structure editing and list
1361 formatting works, you might want to use these commands in other modes
1362 like Text mode or Mail mode as well. The minor mode Orgstruct mode
1363 makes this possible. You can always toggle the mode with @kbd{M-x
1364 orgstruct-mode}. To turn it on by default, for example in Mail mode,
1368 (add-hook 'mail-mode-hook 'turn-on-orgstruct)
1371 When this mode is active and the cursor is on a line that looks to
1372 Org like a headline of the first line of a list item, most
1373 structure editing commands will work, even if the same keys normally
1374 have different functionality in the major mode you are using. If the
1375 cursor is not in one of those special lines, Orgstruct mode lurks
1376 silently in the shadow.
1378 @node Tables, Hyperlinks, Document Structure, Top
1381 @cindex editing tables
1383 Org comes with a fast and intuitive table editor. Spreadsheet-like
1384 calculations are supported in connection with the Emacs @file{calc}
1387 (@pxref{Top,Calc,,Calc,Gnu Emacs Calculator Manual}).
1390 (see the Emacs Calculator manual for more information about the Emacs
1395 * Built-in table editor:: Simple tables
1396 * Narrow columns:: Stop wasting space in tables
1397 * Column groups:: Grouping to trigger vertical lines
1398 * Orgtbl mode:: The table editor as minor mode
1399 * The spreadsheet:: The table editor has spreadsheet capabilities
1400 * Org Plot:: Plotting from org tables
1403 @node Built-in table editor, Narrow columns, Tables, Tables
1404 @section The built-in table editor
1405 @cindex table editor, built-in
1407 Org makes it easy to format tables in plain ASCII. Any line with
1408 @samp{|} as the first non-whitespace character is considered part of a
1409 table. @samp{|} is also the column separator. A table might look like
1413 | Name | Phone | Age |
1414 |-------+-------+-----|
1415 | Peter | 1234 | 17 |
1416 | Anna | 4321 | 25 |
1419 A table is re-aligned automatically each time you press @key{TAB} or
1420 @key{RET} or @kbd{C-c C-c} inside the table. @key{TAB} also moves to
1421 the next field (@key{RET} to the next row) and creates new table rows
1422 at the end of the table or before horizontal lines. The indentation
1423 of the table is set by the first line. Any line starting with
1424 @samp{|-} is considered as a horizontal separator line and will be
1425 expanded on the next re-align to span the whole table width. So, to
1426 create the above table, you would only type
1433 @noindent and then press @key{TAB} to align the table and start filling in
1436 When typing text into a field, Org treats @key{DEL},
1437 @key{Backspace}, and all character keys in a special way, so that
1438 inserting and deleting avoids shifting other fields. Also, when
1439 typing @emph{immediately after the cursor was moved into a new field
1440 with @kbd{@key{TAB}}, @kbd{S-@key{TAB}} or @kbd{@key{RET}}}, the
1441 field is automatically made blank. If this behavior is too
1442 unpredictable for you, configure the variables
1443 @code{org-enable-table-editor} and @code{org-table-auto-blank-field}.
1446 @tsubheading{Creation and conversion}
1449 Convert the active region to table. If every line contains at least one
1450 TAB character, the function assumes that the material is tab separated.
1451 If every line contains a comma, comma-separated values (CSV) are assumed.
1452 If not, lines are split at whitespace into fields. You can use a prefix
1453 argument to force a specific separator: @kbd{C-u} forces CSV, @kbd{C-u
1454 C-u} forces TAB, and a numeric argument N indicates that at least N
1455 consecutive spaces, or alternatively a TAB will be the separator.
1457 If there is no active region, this command creates an empty Org
1458 table. But it's easier just to start typing, like
1459 @kbd{|Name|Phone|Age @key{RET} |- @key{TAB}}.
1461 @tsubheading{Re-aligning and field motion}
1464 Re-align the table without moving the cursor.
1468 Re-align the table, move to the next field. Creates a new row if
1473 Re-align, move to previous field.
1477 Re-align the table and move down to next row. Creates a new row if
1478 necessary. At the beginning or end of a line, @key{RET} still does
1479 NEWLINE, so it can be used to split a table.
1481 @tsubheading{Column and row editing}
1482 @kindex M-@key{left}
1483 @kindex M-@key{right}
1485 @itemx M-@key{right}
1486 Move the current column left/right.
1488 @kindex M-S-@key{left}
1489 @item M-S-@key{left}
1490 Kill the current column.
1492 @kindex M-S-@key{right}
1493 @item M-S-@key{right}
1494 Insert a new column to the left of the cursor position.
1497 @kindex M-@key{down}
1500 Move the current row up/down.
1502 @kindex M-S-@key{up}
1504 Kill the current row or horizontal line.
1506 @kindex M-S-@key{down}
1507 @item M-S-@key{down}
1508 Insert a new row above the current row. With a prefix argument, the line is
1509 created below the current one.
1513 Insert a horizontal line below current row. With a prefix argument, the line
1514 is created above the current line.
1518 Sort the table lines in the region. The position of point indicates the
1519 column to be used for sorting, and the range of lines is the range
1520 between the nearest horizontal separator lines, or the entire table. If
1521 point is before the first column, you will be prompted for the sorting
1522 column. If there is an active region, the mark specifies the first line
1523 and the sorting column, while point should be in the last line to be
1524 included into the sorting. The command prompts for the sorting type
1525 (alphabetically, numerically, or by time). When called with a prefix
1526 argument, alphabetic sorting will be case-sensitive.
1528 @tsubheading{Regions}
1531 Copy a rectangular region from a table to a special clipboard. Point
1532 and mark determine edge fields of the rectangle. The process ignores
1533 horizontal separator lines.
1537 Copy a rectangular region from a table to a special clipboard, and
1538 blank all fields in the rectangle. So this is the ``cut'' operation.
1542 Paste a rectangular region into a table.
1543 The upper left corner ends up in the current field. All involved fields
1544 will be overwritten. If the rectangle does not fit into the present table,
1545 the table is enlarged as needed. The process ignores horizontal separator
1552 Wrap several fields in a column like a paragraph. If there is an active
1553 region, and both point and mark are in the same column, the text in the
1554 column is wrapped to minimum width for the given number of lines. A numeric
1555 prefix argument may be used to change the number of desired lines. If there
1556 is no region, the current field is split at the cursor position and the text
1557 fragment to the right of the cursor is prepended to the field one line
1558 down. If there is no region, but you specify a prefix argument, the current
1559 field is made blank, and the content is appended to the field above.
1561 @tsubheading{Calculations}
1562 @cindex formula, in tables
1563 @cindex calculations, in tables
1564 @cindex region, active
1565 @cindex active region
1566 @cindex Transient mark mode
1569 Sum the numbers in the current column, or in the rectangle defined by
1570 the active region. The result is shown in the echo area and can
1571 be inserted with @kbd{C-y}.
1575 When current field is empty, copy from first non-empty field above. When not
1576 empty, copy current field down to next row and move cursor along with it.
1577 Depending on the variable @code{org-table-copy-increment}, integer field
1578 values will be incremented during copy. Integers that are too large will not
1579 be incremented. Also, a @code{0} prefix argument temporarily dispables the
1580 increment. This key is also used by CUA mode (@pxref{Cooperation}).
1582 @tsubheading{Miscellaneous}
1585 Edit the current field in a separate window. This is useful for fields
1586 that are not fully visible (@pxref{Narrow columns}). When called with a
1587 @kbd{C-u} prefix, just make the full field visible, so that it can be
1590 @item M-x org-table-import
1591 Import a file as a table. The table should be TAB- or whitespace
1592 separated. Useful, for example, to import a spreadsheet table or data
1593 from a database, because these programs generally can write
1594 TAB-separated text files. This command works by inserting the file into
1595 the buffer and then converting the region to a table. Any prefix
1596 argument is passed on to the converter, which uses it to determine the
1599 Tables can also be imported by pasting tabular text into the Org
1600 buffer, selecting the pasted text with @kbd{C-x C-x} and then using the
1601 @kbd{C-c |} command (see above under @i{Creation and conversion}).
1603 @item M-x org-table-export
1604 Export the table, by default as a TAB-separated file. Useful for data
1605 exchange with, for example, spreadsheet or database programs. The format
1606 used to export the file can be configured in the variable
1607 @code{org-table-export-default-format}. You may also use properties
1608 @code{TABLE_EXPORT_FILE} and @code{TABLE_EXPORT_FORMAT} to specify the file
1609 name and the format for table export in a subtree. Org supports quite
1610 general formats for exported tables. The exporter format is the same as the
1611 format used by Orgtbl radio tables, see @ref{Translator functions} for a
1612 detailed description.
1615 If you don't like the automatic table editor because it gets in your
1616 way on lines which you would like to start with @samp{|}, you can turn
1620 (setq org-enable-table-editor nil)
1623 @noindent Then the only table command that still works is
1624 @kbd{C-c C-c} to do a manual re-align.
1626 @node Narrow columns, Column groups, Built-in table editor, Tables
1627 @section Narrow columns
1628 @cindex narrow columns in tables
1630 The width of columns is automatically determined by the table editor.
1631 Sometimes a single field or a few fields need to carry more text,
1632 leading to inconveniently wide columns. To limit@footnote{This feature
1633 does not work on XEmacs.} the width of a column, one field anywhere in
1634 the column may contain just the string @samp{<N>} where @samp{N} is an
1635 integer specifying the width of the column in characters. The next
1636 re-align will then set the width of this column to no more than this
1641 |---+------------------------------| |---+--------|
1643 | 1 | one | | 1 | one |
1644 | 2 | two | ----\ | 2 | two |
1645 | 3 | This is a long chunk of text | ----/ | 3 | This=> |
1646 | 4 | four | | 4 | four |
1647 |---+------------------------------| |---+--------|
1652 Fields that are wider become clipped and end in the string @samp{=>}.
1653 Note that the full text is still in the buffer, it is only invisible.
1654 To see the full text, hold the mouse over the field - a tool-tip window
1655 will show the full content. To edit such a field, use the command
1656 @kbd{C-c `} (that is @kbd{C-c} followed by the backquote). This will
1657 open a new window with the full field. Edit it and finish with @kbd{C-c
1660 When visiting a file containing a table with narrowed columns, the
1661 necessary character hiding has not yet happened, and the table needs to
1662 be aligned before it looks nice. Setting the option
1663 @code{org-startup-align-all-tables} will realign all tables in a file
1664 upon visiting, but also slow down startup. You can also set this option
1665 on a per-file basis with:
1672 @node Column groups, Orgtbl mode, Narrow columns, Tables
1673 @section Column groups
1674 @cindex grouping columns in tables
1676 When Org exports tables, it does so by default without vertical
1677 lines because that is visually more satisfying in general. Occasionally
1678 however, vertical lines can be useful to structure a table into groups
1679 of columns, much like horizontal lines can do for groups of rows. In
1680 order to specify column groups, you can use a special row where the
1681 first field contains only @samp{/}. The further fields can either
1682 contain @samp{<} to indicate that this column should start a group,
1683 @samp{>} to indicate the end of a column, or @samp{<>} to make a column
1684 a group of its own. Boundaries between column groups will upon export be
1685 marked with vertical lines. Here is an example:
1688 | | N | N^2 | N^3 | N^4 | sqrt(n) | sqrt[4](N) |
1689 |---+----+-----+-----+-----+---------+------------|
1690 | / | <> | < | | > | < | > |
1691 | # | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
1692 | # | 2 | 4 | 8 | 16 | 1.4142 | 1.1892 |
1693 | # | 3 | 9 | 27 | 81 | 1.7321 | 1.3161 |
1694 |---+----+-----+-----+-----+---------+------------|
1695 #+TBLFM: $3=$2^2::$4=$2^3::$5=$2^4::$6=sqrt($2)::$7=sqrt(sqrt(($2)))
1698 It is also sufficient to just insert the column group starters after
1699 every vertical line you'd like to have:
1702 | N | N^2 | N^3 | N^4 | sqrt(n) | sqrt[4](N) |
1703 |----+-----+-----+-----+---------+------------|
1707 @node Orgtbl mode, The spreadsheet, Column groups, Tables
1708 @section The Orgtbl minor mode
1710 @cindex minor mode for tables
1712 If you like the intuitive way the Org table editor works, you
1713 might also want to use it in other modes like Text mode or Mail mode.
1714 The minor mode Orgtbl mode makes this possible. You can always toggle
1715 the mode with @kbd{M-x orgtbl-mode}. To turn it on by default, for
1716 example in mail mode, use
1719 (add-hook 'mail-mode-hook 'turn-on-orgtbl)
1722 Furthermore, with some special setup, it is possible to maintain tables
1723 in arbitrary syntax with Orgtbl mode. For example, it is possible to
1724 construct La@TeX{} tables with the underlying ease and power of
1725 Orgtbl mode, including spreadsheet capabilities. For details, see
1726 @ref{Tables in arbitrary syntax}.
1728 @node The spreadsheet, Org Plot, Orgtbl mode, Tables
1729 @section The spreadsheet
1730 @cindex calculations, in tables
1731 @cindex spreadsheet capabilities
1732 @cindex @file{calc} package
1734 The table editor makes use of the Emacs @file{calc} package to implement
1735 spreadsheet-like capabilities. It can also evaluate Emacs Lisp forms to
1736 derive fields from other fields. While fully featured, Org's
1737 implementation is not identical to other spreadsheets. For example,
1738 Org knows the concept of a @emph{column formula} that will be
1739 applied to all non-header fields in a column without having to copy the
1740 formula to each relevant field.
1743 * References:: How to refer to another field or range
1744 * Formula syntax for Calc:: Using Calc to compute stuff
1745 * Formula syntax for Lisp:: Writing formulas in Emacs Lisp
1746 * Field formulas:: Formulas valid for a single field
1747 * Column formulas:: Formulas valid for an entire column
1748 * Editing and debugging formulas:: Fixing formulas
1749 * Updating the table:: Recomputing all dependent fields
1750 * Advanced features:: Field names, parameters and automatic recalc
1753 @node References, Formula syntax for Calc, The spreadsheet, The spreadsheet
1754 @subsection References
1757 To compute fields in the table from other fields, formulas must
1758 reference other fields or ranges. In Org, fields can be referenced
1759 by name, by absolute coordinates, and by relative coordinates. To find
1760 out what the coordinates of a field are, press @kbd{C-c ?} in that
1761 field, or press @kbd{C-c @}} to toggle the display of a grid.
1763 @subsubheading Field references
1764 @cindex field references
1765 @cindex references, to fields
1767 Formulas can reference the value of another field in two ways. Like in
1768 any other spreadsheet, you may reference fields with a letter/number
1769 combination like @code{B3}, meaning the 2nd field in the 3rd row.
1770 @c Such references are always fixed to that field, they don't change
1771 @c when you copy and paste a formula to a different field. So
1772 @c Org's @code{B3} behaves like @code{$B$3} in other spreadsheets.
1775 Org also uses another, more general operator that looks like this:
1781 Column references can be absolute like @samp{1}, @samp{2},...@samp{N},
1782 or relative to the current column like @samp{+1} or @samp{-2}.
1784 The row specification only counts data lines and ignores horizontal
1785 separator lines (hlines). You can use absolute row numbers
1786 @samp{1}...@samp{N}, and row numbers relative to the current row like
1787 @samp{+3} or @samp{-1}. Or specify the row relative to one of the
1788 hlines: @samp{I} refers to the first hline@footnote{Note that only
1789 hlines are counted that @emph{separate} table lines. If the table
1790 starts with a hline above the header, it does not count.}, @samp{II} to
1791 the second etc. @samp{-I} refers to the first such line above the
1792 current line, @samp{+I} to the first such line below the current line.
1793 You can also write @samp{III+2} which is the second data line after the
1794 third hline in the table. Relative row numbers like @samp{-3} will not
1795 cross hlines if the current line is too close to the hline. Instead,
1796 the value directly at the hline is used.
1798 @samp{0} refers to the current row and column. Also, if you omit
1799 either the column or the row part of the reference, the current
1800 row/column is implied.
1802 Org's references with @emph{unsigned} numbers are fixed references
1803 in the sense that if you use the same reference in the formula for two
1804 different fields, the same field will be referenced each time.
1805 Org's references with @emph{signed} numbers are floating
1806 references because the same reference operator can reference different
1807 fields depending on the field being calculated by the formula.
1809 Here are a few examples:
1812 @@2$3 @r{2nd row, 3rd column}
1813 C2 @r{same as previous}
1814 $5 @r{column 5 in the current row}
1815 E& @r{same as previous}
1816 @@2 @r{current column, row 2}
1817 @@-1$-3 @r{the field one row up, three columns to the left}
1818 @@-I$2 @r{field just under hline above current row, column 2}
1821 @subsubheading Range references
1822 @cindex range references
1823 @cindex references, to ranges
1825 You may reference a rectangular range of fields by specifying two field
1826 references connected by two dots @samp{..}. If both fields are in the
1827 current row, you may simply use @samp{$2..$7}, but if at least one field
1828 is in a different row, you need to use the general @code{@@row$column}
1829 format at least for the first field (i.e the reference must start with
1830 @samp{@@} in order to be interpreted correctly). Examples:
1833 $1..$3 @r{First three fields in the current row.}
1834 $P..$Q @r{Range, using column names (see under Advanced)}
1835 @@2$1..@@4$3 @r{6 fields between these two fields.}
1836 A2..C4 @r{Same as above.}
1837 @@-1$-2..@@-1 @r{3 numbers from the column to the left, 2 up to current row}
1840 @noindent Range references return a vector of values that can be fed
1841 into Calc vector functions. Empty fields in ranges are normally
1842 suppressed, so that the vector contains only the non-empty fields (but
1843 see the @samp{E} mode switch below). If there are no non-empty fields,
1844 @samp{[0]} is returned to avoid syntax errors in formulas.
1846 @subsubheading Named references
1847 @cindex named references
1848 @cindex references, named
1849 @cindex name, of column or field
1850 @cindex constants, in calculations
1852 @samp{$name} is interpreted as the name of a column, parameter or
1853 constant. Constants are defined globally through the variable
1854 @code{org-table-formula-constants}, and locally (for the file) through a
1858 #+CONSTANTS: c=299792458. pi=3.14 eps=2.4e-6
1862 Also properties (@pxref{Properties and Columns}) can be used as
1863 constants in table formulas: For a property @samp{:Xyz:} use the name
1864 @samp{$PROP_Xyz}, and the property will be searched in the current
1865 outline entry and in the hierarchy above it. If you have the
1866 @file{constants.el} package, it will also be used to resolve constants,
1867 including natural constants like @samp{$h} for Planck's constant, and
1868 units like @samp{$km} for kilometers@footnote{@file{Constant.el} can
1869 supply the values of constants in two different unit systems, @code{SI}
1870 and @code{cgs}. Which one is used depends on the value of the variable
1871 @code{constants-unit-system}. You can use the @code{#+STARTUP} options
1872 @code{constSI} and @code{constcgs} to set this value for the current
1873 buffer.}. Column names and parameters can be specified in special table
1874 lines. These are described below, see @ref{Advanced features}. All
1875 names must start with a letter, and further consist of letters and
1878 @node Formula syntax for Calc, Formula syntax for Lisp, References, The spreadsheet
1879 @subsection Formula syntax for Calc
1880 @cindex formula syntax, Calc
1881 @cindex syntax, of formulas
1883 A formula can be any algebraic expression understood by the Emacs
1884 @file{Calc} package. @b{Note that @file{calc} has the
1885 non-standard convention that @samp{/} has lower precedence than
1886 @samp{*}, so that @samp{a/b*c} is interpreted as @samp{a/(b*c)}.} Before
1887 evaluation by @code{calc-eval} (@pxref{Calling Calc from
1888 Your Programs,calc-eval,Calling Calc from Your Lisp Programs,Calc,GNU
1889 Emacs Calc Manual}),
1890 @c FIXME: The link to the Calc manual in HTML does not work.
1891 variable substitution takes place according to the rules described above.
1892 @cindex vectors, in table calculations
1893 The range vectors can be directly fed into the Calc vector functions
1894 like @samp{vmean} and @samp{vsum}.
1896 @cindex format specifier
1897 @cindex mode, for @file{calc}
1898 A formula can contain an optional mode string after a semicolon. This
1899 string consists of flags to influence Calc and other modes during
1900 execution. By default, Org uses the standard Calc modes (precision
1901 12, angular units degrees, fraction and symbolic modes off). The display
1902 format, however, has been changed to @code{(float 5)} to keep tables
1903 compact. The default settings can be configured using the variable
1904 @code{org-calc-default-modes}.
1907 p20 @r{switch the internal precision to 20 digits}
1908 n3 s3 e2 f4 @r{normal, scientific, engineering, or fixed display format}
1909 D R @r{angle modes: degrees, radians}
1910 F S @r{fraction and symbolic modes}
1911 N @r{interpret all fields as numbers, use 0 for non-numbers}
1912 T @r{force text interpretation}
1913 E @r{keep empty fields in ranges}
1917 In addition, you may provide a @code{printf} format specifier to
1918 reformat the final result. A few examples:
1921 $1+$2 @r{Sum of first and second field}
1922 $1+$2;%.2f @r{Same, format result to two decimals}
1923 exp($2)+exp($1) @r{Math functions can be used}
1924 $0;%.1f @r{Reformat current cell to 1 decimal}
1925 ($3-32)*5/9 @r{Degrees F -> C conversion}
1926 $c/$1/$cm @r{Hz -> cm conversion, using @file{constants.el}}
1927 tan($1);Dp3s1 @r{Compute in degrees, precision 3, display SCI 1}
1928 sin($1);Dp3%.1e @r{Same, but use printf specifier for display}
1929 vmean($2..$7) @r{Compute column range mean, using vector function}
1930 vmean($2..$7);EN @r{Same, but treat empty fields as 0}
1931 taylor($3,x=7,2) @r{taylor series of $3, at x=7, second degree}
1934 Calc also contains a complete set of logical operations. For example
1937 if($1<20,teen,string("")) @r{``teen'' if age $1 less than 20, else empty}
1940 @node Formula syntax for Lisp, Field formulas, Formula syntax for Calc, The spreadsheet
1941 @subsection Emacs Lisp forms as formulas
1942 @cindex Lisp forms, as table formulas
1944 It is also possible to write a formula in Emacs Lisp; this can be useful
1945 for string manipulation and control structures, if the Calc's
1946 functionality is not enough. If a formula starts with a single quote
1947 followed by an opening parenthesis, then it is evaluated as a lisp form.
1948 The evaluation should return either a string or a number. Just as with
1949 @file{calc} formulas, you can specify modes and a printf format after a
1950 semicolon. With Emacs Lisp forms, you need to be conscious about the way
1951 field references are interpolated into the form. By default, a
1952 reference will be interpolated as a Lisp string (in double quotes)
1953 containing the field. If you provide the @samp{N} mode switch, all
1954 referenced elements will be numbers (non-number fields will be zero) and
1955 interpolated as Lisp numbers, without quotes. If you provide the
1956 @samp{L} flag, all fields will be interpolated literally, without quotes.
1957 I.e., if you want a reference to be interpreted as a string by the Lisp
1958 form, enclose the reference operator itself in double quotes, like
1959 @code{"$3"}. Ranges are inserted as space-separated fields, so you can
1960 embed them in list or vector syntax. A few examples, note how the
1961 @samp{N} mode is used when we do computations in lisp.
1964 @r{Swap the first two characters of the content of column 1}
1965 '(concat (substring $1 1 2) (substring $1 0 1) (substring $1 2))
1966 @r{Add columns 1 and 2, equivalent to the Calc's @code{$1+$2}}
1968 @r{Compute the sum of columns 1-4, like Calc's @code{vsum($1..$4)}}
1969 '(apply '+ '($1..$4));N
1972 @node Field formulas, Column formulas, Formula syntax for Lisp, The spreadsheet
1973 @subsection Field formulas
1974 @cindex field formula
1975 @cindex formula, for individual table field
1977 To assign a formula to a particular field, type it directly into the
1978 field, preceded by @samp{:=}, for example @samp{:=$1+$2}. When you
1979 press @key{TAB} or @key{RET} or @kbd{C-c C-c} with the cursor still in
1980 the field, the formula will be stored as the formula for this field,
1981 evaluated, and the current field replaced with the result.
1983 Formulas are stored in a special line starting with @samp{#+TBLFM:}
1984 directly below the table. If you typed the equation in the 4th field of
1985 the 3rd data line in the table, the formula will look like
1986 @samp{@@3$4=$1+$2}. When inserting/deleting/swapping column and rows
1987 with the appropriate commands, @i{absolute references} (but not relative
1988 ones) in stored formulas are modified in order to still reference the
1989 same field. Of cause this is not true if you edit the table structure
1990 with normal editing commands - then you must fix the equations yourself.
1992 Instead of typing an equation into the field, you may also use the
1998 Install a new formula for the current field. The command prompts for a
1999 formula, with default taken from the @samp{#+TBLFM:} line, applies
2000 it to the current field and stores it.
2003 @node Column formulas, Editing and debugging formulas, Field formulas, The spreadsheet
2004 @subsection Column formulas
2005 @cindex column formula
2006 @cindex formula, for table column
2008 Often in a table, the same formula should be used for all fields in a
2009 particular column. Instead of having to copy the formula to all fields
2010 in that column, Org allows to assign a single formula to an entire
2011 column. If the table contains horizontal separator hlines, everything
2012 before the first such line is considered part of the table @emph{header}
2013 and will not be modified by column formulas.
2015 To assign a formula to a column, type it directly into any field in the
2016 column, preceded by an equal sign, like @samp{=$1+$2}. When you press
2017 @key{TAB} or @key{RET} or @kbd{C-c C-c} with the cursor still in the
2018 field, the formula will be stored as the formula for the current column,
2019 evaluated and the current field replaced with the result. If the field
2020 contains only @samp{=}, the previously stored formula for this column is
2021 used. For each column, Org will only remember the most recently
2022 used formula. In the @samp{TBLFM:} line, column formulas will look like
2025 Instead of typing an equation into the field, you may also use the
2031 Install a new formula for the current column and replace current field with
2032 the result of the formula. The command prompts for a formula, with default
2033 taken from the @samp{#+TBLFM} line, applies it to the current field and
2034 stores it. With a numeric prefix argument(e.g. @kbd{C-5 C-c =}) the command
2035 will apply it to that many consecutive fields in the current column.
2038 @node Editing and debugging formulas, Updating the table, Column formulas, The spreadsheet
2039 @subsection Editing and debugging formulas
2040 @cindex formula editing
2041 @cindex editing, of table formulas
2043 You can edit individual formulas in the minibuffer or directly in the
2044 field. Org can also prepare a special buffer with all active
2045 formulas of a table. When offering a formula for editing, Org
2046 converts references to the standard format (like @code{B3} or @code{D&})
2047 if possible. If you prefer to only work with the internal format (like
2048 @code{@@3$2} or @code{$4}), configure the variable
2049 @code{org-table-use-standard-references}.
2056 Edit the formula associated with the current column/field in the
2057 minibuffer. See @ref{Column formulas} and @ref{Field formulas}.
2058 @kindex C-u C-u C-c =
2060 Re-insert the active formula (either a
2061 field formula, or a column formula) into the current field, so that you
2062 can edit it directly in the field. The advantage over editing in the
2063 minibuffer is that you can use the command @kbd{C-c ?}.
2066 While editing a formula in a table field, highlight the field(s)
2067 referenced by the reference at the cursor position in the formula.
2070 Toggle the display of row and column numbers for a table, using
2071 overlays. These are updated each time the table is aligned, you can
2072 force it with @kbd{C-c C-c}.
2075 Toggle the formula debugger on and off. See below.
2078 Edit all formulas for the current table in a special buffer, where the
2079 formulas will be displayed one per line. If the current field has an
2080 active formula, the cursor in the formula editor will mark it.
2081 While inside the special buffer, Org will automatically highlight
2082 any field or range reference at the cursor position. You may edit,
2083 remove and add formulas, and use the following commands:
2089 Exit the formula editor and store the modified formulas. With @kbd{C-u}
2090 prefix, also apply the new formulas to the entire table.
2093 Exit the formula editor without installing changes.
2096 Toggle all references in the formula editor between standard (like
2097 @code{B3}) and internal (like @code{@@3$2}).
2100 Pretty-print or indent lisp formula at point. When in a line containing
2101 a lisp formula, format the formula according to Emacs Lisp rules.
2102 Another @key{TAB} collapses the formula back again. In the open
2103 formula, @key{TAB} re-indents just like in Emacs lisp mode.
2106 Complete Lisp symbols, just like in Emacs lisp mode.
2108 @kindex S-@key{down}
2109 @kindex S-@key{left}
2110 @kindex S-@key{right}
2111 @item S-@key{up}/@key{down}/@key{left}/@key{right}
2112 Shift the reference at point. For example, if the reference is
2113 @code{B3} and you press @kbd{S-@key{right}}, it will become @code{C3}.
2114 This also works for relative references, and for hline references.
2115 @kindex M-S-@key{up}
2116 @kindex M-S-@key{down}
2117 @item M-S-@key{up}/@key{down}
2118 Move the test line for column formulas in the Org buffer up and
2121 @kindex M-@key{down}
2122 @item M-@key{up}/@key{down}
2123 Scroll the window displaying the table.
2126 Turn the coordinate grid in the table on and off.
2130 Making a table field blank does not remove the formula associated with
2131 the field, because that is stored in a different line (the @samp{TBLFM}
2132 line) - during the next recalculation the field will be filled again.
2133 To remove a formula from a field, you have to give an empty reply when
2134 prompted for the formula, or to edit the @samp{#+TBLFM} line.
2137 You may edit the @samp{#+TBLFM} directly and re-apply the changed
2138 equations with @kbd{C-c C-c} in that line, or with the normal
2139 recalculation commands in the table.
2141 @subsubheading Debugging formulas
2142 @cindex formula debugging
2143 @cindex debugging, of table formulas
2144 When the evaluation of a formula leads to an error, the field content
2145 becomes the string @samp{#ERROR}. If you would like see what is going
2146 on during variable substitution and calculation in order to find a bug,
2147 turn on formula debugging in the @code{Tbl} menu and repeat the
2148 calculation, for example by pressing @kbd{C-u C-u C-c = @key{RET}} in a
2149 field. Detailed information will be displayed.
2151 @node Updating the table, Advanced features, Editing and debugging formulas, The spreadsheet
2152 @subsection Updating the table
2153 @cindex recomputing table fields
2154 @cindex updating, table
2156 Recalculation of a table is normally not automatic, but needs to be
2157 triggered by a command. See @ref{Advanced features} for a way to make
2158 recalculation at least semi-automatically.
2160 In order to recalculate a line of a table or the entire table, use the
2166 Recalculate the current row by first applying the stored column formulas
2167 from left to right, and all field formulas in the current row.
2173 Recompute the entire table, line by line. Any lines before the first
2174 hline are left alone, assuming that these are part of the table header.
2176 @kindex C-u C-u C-c *
2177 @kindex C-u C-u C-c C-c
2179 @itemx C-u C-u C-c C-c
2180 Iterate the table by recomputing it until no further changes occur.
2181 This may be necessary if some computed fields use the value of other
2182 fields that are computed @i{later} in the calculation sequence.
2185 @node Advanced features, , Updating the table, The spreadsheet
2186 @subsection Advanced features
2188 If you want the recalculation of fields to happen automatically, or if
2189 you want to be able to assign @i{names} to fields and columns, you need
2190 to reserve the first column of the table for special marking characters.
2194 Rotate the calculation mark in first column through the states @samp{},
2195 @samp{#}, @samp{*}, @samp{!}, @samp{$}. When there is an active region,
2196 change all marks in the region.
2199 Here is an example of a table that collects exam results of students and
2200 makes use of these features:
2204 |---+---------+--------+--------+--------+-------+------|
2205 | | Student | Prob 1 | Prob 2 | Prob 3 | Total | Note |
2206 |---+---------+--------+--------+--------+-------+------|
2207 | ! | | P1 | P2 | P3 | Tot | |
2208 | # | Maximum | 10 | 15 | 25 | 50 | 10.0 |
2209 | ^ | | m1 | m2 | m3 | mt | |
2210 |---+---------+--------+--------+--------+-------+------|
2211 | # | Peter | 10 | 8 | 23 | 41 | 8.2 |
2212 | # | Sam | 2 | 4 | 3 | 9 | 1.8 |
2213 |---+---------+--------+--------+--------+-------+------|
2214 | | Average | | | | 29.7 | |
2215 | ^ | | | | | at | |
2216 | $ | max=50 | | | | | |
2217 |---+---------+--------+--------+--------+-------+------|
2218 #+TBLFM: $6=vsum($P1..$P3)::$7=10*$Tot/$max;%.1f::$at=vmean(@@-II..@@-I);%.1f
2222 @noindent @b{Important}: Please note that for these special tables,
2223 recalculating the table with @kbd{C-u C-c *} will only affect rows that
2224 are marked @samp{#} or @samp{*}, and fields that have a formula assigned
2225 to the field itself. The column formulas are not applied in rows with
2228 @cindex marking characters, tables
2229 The marking characters have the following meaning:
2232 The fields in this line define names for the columns, so that you may
2233 refer to a column as @samp{$Tot} instead of @samp{$6}.
2235 This row defines names for the fields @emph{above} the row. With such
2236 a definition, any formula in the table may use @samp{$m1} to refer to
2237 the value @samp{10}. Also, if you assign a formula to a names field, it
2238 will be stored as @samp{$name=...}.
2240 Similar to @samp{^}, but defines names for the fields in the row
2243 Fields in this row can define @emph{parameters} for formulas. For
2244 example, if a field in a @samp{$} row contains @samp{max=50}, then
2245 formulas in this table can refer to the value 50 using @samp{$max}.
2246 Parameters work exactly like constants, only that they can be defined on
2249 Fields in this row are automatically recalculated when pressing
2250 @key{TAB} or @key{RET} or @kbd{S-@key{TAB}} in this row. Also, this row
2251 is selected for a global recalculation with @kbd{C-u C-c *}. Unmarked
2252 lines will be left alone by this command.
2254 Selects this line for global recalculation with @kbd{C-u C-c *}, but
2255 not for automatic recalculation. Use this when automatic
2256 recalculation slows down editing too much.
2258 Unmarked lines are exempt from recalculation with @kbd{C-u C-c *}.
2259 All lines that should be recalculated should be marked with @samp{#}
2262 Do not export this line. Useful for lines that contain the narrowing
2266 Finally, just to whet your appetite on what can be done with the
2267 fantastic @file{calc} package, here is a table that computes the Taylor
2268 series of degree @code{n} at location @code{x} for a couple of
2273 |---+-------------+---+-----+--------------------------------------|
2274 | | Func | n | x | Result |
2275 |---+-------------+---+-----+--------------------------------------|
2276 | # | exp(x) | 1 | x | 1 + x |
2277 | # | exp(x) | 2 | x | 1 + x + x^2 / 2 |
2278 | # | exp(x) | 3 | x | 1 + x + x^2 / 2 + x^3 / 6 |
2279 | # | x^2+sqrt(x) | 2 | x=0 | x*(0.5 / 0) + x^2 (2 - 0.25 / 0) / 2 |
2280 | # | x^2+sqrt(x) | 2 | x=1 | 2 + 2.5 x - 2.5 + 0.875 (x - 1)^2 |
2281 | * | tan(x) | 3 | x | 0.0175 x + 1.77e-6 x^3 |
2282 |---+-------------+---+-----+--------------------------------------|
2283 #+TBLFM: $5=taylor($2,$4,$3);n3
2288 @node Org Plot, , The spreadsheet, Tables
2290 @cindex graph, in tables
2291 @cindex plot tables using gnuplot
2293 Org Plot can produce 2D and 3D graphs of information stored in org tables
2294 using @file{Gnuplot} @uref{http://www.gnuplot.info/} and @file{gnuplot-mode}
2295 @uref{http://cars9.uchicago.edu/~ravel/software/gnuplot-mode.html}. To see
2296 this in action ensure that you have both Gnuplot and Gnuplot-mode installed
2297 on your system, then call @code{org-plot/gnuplot} on the following table.
2301 #+PLOT: title:"Citas" ind:1 deps:(3) type:2d with:histograms set:"yrange [0:]"
2302 | Sede | Max cites | H-index |
2303 |-----------+-----------+---------|
2304 | Chile | 257.72 | 21.39 |
2305 | Leeds | 165.77 | 19.68 |
2306 | Sao Paolo | 71.00 | 11.50 |
2307 | Stockholm | 134.19 | 14.33 |
2308 | Morelia | 257.56 | 17.67 |
2312 Notice that Org Plot is smart enough to apply the tables headers as labels.
2313 Further control over the labels, type, content, and appearance of plots can
2314 be exercised through the @code{#+Plot:} lines preceding a table. See below
2315 for a complete list of Org plot options. For more information and examples
2316 see the org-plot tutorial at
2317 @uref{http://legito.org/worg/org-tutorials/org-plot.php}.
2319 @subsubheading Plot Options
2323 Specify any @file{gnuplot} option to be set when graphing.
2326 Specify the title of the plot.
2329 Specify which column of the table to use as the @code{x} axis.
2332 Specify the columns to graph as a lisp style list, surrounded by parenthesis
2333 and separated by spaces for example @code{dep:(3 4)} to graph the third and
2334 fourth columns (defaults to graphing all other columns aside from the ind
2338 Specify whether the plot will be @code{2d}, @code{3d}, or @code{grid}.
2341 Specify a @code{with} option to be inserted for every col being plotted
2342 (e.g. @code{lines}, @code{points}, @code{boxes}, @code{impulses}, etc...).
2343 Defaults to 'lines'.
2346 If you want to plot to a file specify the @code{"path/to/desired/output-file"}.
2349 List of labels to be used for the deps (defaults to column headers if they
2353 Specify an entire line to be inserted in the gnuplot script.
2356 When plotting @code{3d} or @code{grid} types, set this to @code{t} to graph a
2357 flat mapping rather than a @code{3d} slope.
2360 Specify format of org-mode timestamps as they will be parsed by gnuplot.
2361 Defaults to '%Y-%m-%d-%H:%M:%S'.
2364 If you want total control you can specify a script file (place the file name
2365 between double quotes) which will be used to plot. Before plotting, every
2366 instance of @code{$datafile} in the specified script will be replaced with
2367 the path to the generated data file. Note even if you set this option you
2368 may still want to specify the plot type, as that can impact the content of
2372 @node Hyperlinks, TODO Items, Tables, Top
2376 Like HTML, Org provides links inside a file, external links to
2377 other files, Usenet articles, emails, and much more.
2380 * Link format:: How links in Org are formatted
2381 * Internal links:: Links to other places in the current file
2382 * External links:: URL-like links to the world
2383 * Handling links:: Creating, inserting and following
2384 * Using links outside Org:: Linking from my C source code?
2385 * Link abbreviations:: Shortcuts for writing complex links
2386 * Search options:: Linking to a specific location
2387 * Custom searches:: When the default search is not enough
2390 @node Link format, Internal links, Hyperlinks, Hyperlinks
2391 @section Link format
2393 @cindex format, of links
2395 Org will recognize plain URL-like links and activate them as
2396 clickable links. The general link format, however, looks like this:
2399 [[link][description]] @r{or alternatively} [[link]]
2402 Once a link in the buffer is complete (all brackets present), Org
2403 will change the display so that @samp{description} is displayed instead
2404 of @samp{[[link][description]]} and @samp{link} is displayed instead of
2405 @samp{[[link]]}. Links will be highlighted in the face @code{org-link},
2406 which by default is an underlined face. You can directly edit the
2407 visible part of a link. Note that this can be either the @samp{link}
2408 part (if there is no description) or the @samp{description} part. To
2409 edit also the invisible @samp{link} part, use @kbd{C-c C-l} with the
2412 If you place the cursor at the beginning or just behind the end of the
2413 displayed text and press @key{BACKSPACE}, you will remove the
2414 (invisible) bracket at that location. This makes the link incomplete
2415 and the internals are again displayed as plain text. Inserting the
2416 missing bracket hides the link internals again. To show the
2417 internal structure of all links, use the menu entry
2418 @code{Org->Hyperlinks->Literal links}.
2420 @node Internal links, External links, Link format, Hyperlinks
2421 @section Internal links
2422 @cindex internal links
2423 @cindex links, internal
2424 @cindex targets, for links
2426 If the link does not look like a URL, it is considered to be internal in
2427 the current file. Links such as @samp{[[My Target]]} or @samp{[[My
2428 Target][Find my target]]} lead to a text search in the current file.
2429 The link can be followed with @kbd{C-c C-o} when the cursor is on the
2430 link, or with a mouse click (@pxref{Handling links}). The preferred
2431 match for such a link is a dedicated target: the same string in double
2432 angular brackets. Targets may be located anywhere; sometimes it is
2433 convenient to put them into a comment line. For example
2439 @noindent In HTML export (@pxref{HTML export}), such targets will become
2440 named anchors for direct access through @samp{http} links@footnote{Note that
2441 text before the first headline is usually not exported, so the first such
2442 target should be after the first headline, or in the line directly before the
2445 If no dedicated target exists, Org will search for the words in the
2446 link. In the above example the search would be for @samp{my target}.
2447 Links starting with a star like @samp{*My Target} restrict the search to
2448 headlines. When searching, Org mode will first try an exact match, but
2449 then move on to more and more lenient searches. For example, the link
2450 @samp{[[*My Targets]]} will find any of the following:
2454 ** TODO my targets are bright
2455 ** my 20 targets are
2458 To insert a link targeting a headline, in-buffer completion can be used.
2459 Just type a star followed by a few optional letters into the buffer and
2460 press @kbd{M-@key{TAB}}. All headlines in the current buffer will be
2461 offered as completions. @xref{Handling links}, for more commands
2464 Following a link pushes a mark onto Org's own mark ring. You can
2465 return to the previous position with @kbd{C-c &}. Using this command
2466 several times in direct succession goes back to positions recorded
2470 * Radio targets:: Make targets trigger links in plain text
2473 @node Radio targets, , Internal links, Internal links
2474 @subsection Radio targets
2475 @cindex radio targets
2476 @cindex targets, radio
2477 @cindex links, radio targets
2479 Org can automatically turn any occurrences of certain target names
2480 in normal text into a link. So without explicitly creating a link, the
2481 text connects to the target radioing its position. Radio targets are
2482 enclosed by triple angular brackets. For example, a target @samp{<<<My
2483 Target>>>} causes each occurrence of @samp{my target} in normal text to
2484 become activated as a link. The Org file is scanned automatically
2485 for radio targets only when the file is first loaded into Emacs. To
2486 update the target list during editing, press @kbd{C-c C-c} with the
2487 cursor on or at a target.
2489 @node External links, Handling links, Internal links, Hyperlinks
2490 @section External links
2491 @cindex links, external
2492 @cindex external links
2493 @cindex links, external
2501 @cindex WANDERLUST links
2503 @cindex USENET links
2508 Org supports links to files, websites, Usenet and email messages,
2509 BBDB database entries and links to both IRC conversations and their
2510 logs. External links are URL-like locators. They start with a short
2511 identifying string followed by a colon. There can be no space after
2512 the colon. The following list shows examples for each link type.
2515 http://www.astro.uva.nl/~dominik @r{on the web}
2516 file:/home/dominik/images/jupiter.jpg @r{file, absolute path}
2517 /home/dominik/images/jupiter.jpg @r{same as above}
2518 file:papers/last.pdf @r{file, relative path}
2519 ./papers/last.pdf @r{same as above}
2520 news:comp.emacs @r{Usenet link}
2521 mailto:adent@@galaxy.net @r{Mail link}
2522 vm:folder @r{VM folder link}
2523 vm:folder#id @r{VM message link}
2524 vm://myself@@some.where.org/folder#id @r{VM on remote machine}
2525 wl:folder @r{WANDERLUST folder link}
2526 wl:folder#id @r{WANDERLUST message link}
2527 mhe:folder @r{MH-E folder link}
2528 mhe:folder#id @r{MH-E message link}
2529 rmail:folder @r{RMAIL folder link}
2530 rmail:folder#id @r{RMAIL message link}
2531 gnus:group @r{Gnus group link}
2532 gnus:group#id @r{Gnus article link}
2533 bbdb:R.*Stallman @r{BBDB link (with regexp)}
2534 irc:/irc.com/#emacs/bob @r{IRC link}
2535 shell:ls *.org @r{A shell command}
2536 elisp:org-agenda @r{Interactive elisp command}
2537 elisp:(find-file-other-frame "Elisp.org") @r{Elisp form to evaluate}
2540 A link should be enclosed in double brackets and may contain a
2541 descriptive text to be displayed instead of the URL (@pxref{Link
2542 format}), for example:
2545 [[http://www.gnu.org/software/emacs/][GNU Emacs]]
2549 If the description is a file name or URL that points to an image, HTML
2550 export (@pxref{HTML export}) will inline the image as a clickable
2551 button. If there is no description at all and the link points to an
2553 that image will be inlined into the exported HTML file.
2555 @cindex angular brackets, around links
2556 @cindex plain text external links
2557 Org also finds external links in the normal text and activates them
2558 as links. If spaces must be part of the link (for example in
2559 @samp{bbdb:Richard Stallman}), or if you need to remove ambiguities
2560 about the end of the link, enclose them in angular brackets.
2562 @node Handling links, Using links outside Org, External links, Hyperlinks
2563 @section Handling links
2564 @cindex links, handling
2566 Org provides methods to create a link in the correct syntax, to
2567 insert it into an Org file, and to follow the link.
2571 @cindex storing links
2573 Store a link to the current location. This is a @emph{global} command
2574 which can be used in any buffer to create a link. The link will be
2575 stored for later insertion into an Org buffer (see below). For
2576 Org files, if there is a @samp{<<target>>} at the cursor, the
2577 link points to the target. Otherwise it points to the current
2578 headline. For VM, Rmail, Wanderlust, MH-E, Gnus and BBDB buffers, the
2579 link will indicate the current article/entry. For W3 and W3M buffers,
2580 the link goes to the current URL. For IRC links, if you set the
2581 variable @code{org-irc-link-to-logs} to non-nil then @kbd{C-c l} will
2582 store a @samp{file:/} style link to the relevant point in the logs for
2583 the current conversation. Otherwise an @samp{irc:/} style link to the
2584 user/channel/server under the point will be stored. For any other
2585 files, the link will point to the file, with a search string
2586 (@pxref{Search options}) pointing to the contents of the current line.
2587 If there is an active region, the selected words will form the basis
2588 of the search string. If the automatically created link is not
2589 working correctly or accurately enough, you can write custom functions
2590 to select the search string and to do the search for particular file
2591 types - see @ref{Custom searches}. The key binding @kbd{C-c l} is
2592 only a suggestion - see @ref{Installation}.
2595 @cindex link completion
2596 @cindex completion, of links
2597 @cindex inserting links
2599 Insert a link. This prompts for a link to be inserted into the buffer. You
2600 can just type a link, using text for an internal link, or one of the link
2601 type prefixes mentioned in the examples above. All links stored during the
2602 current session are part of the history for this prompt, so you can access
2603 them with @key{up} and @key{down} (or @kbd{M-p/n}). Completion, on the other
2604 hand, will help you to insert valid link prefixes like @samp{http:} or
2605 @samp{ftp:}, including the prefixes defined through link abbreviations
2606 (@pxref{Link abbreviations}). The link will be inserted into the
2607 buffer@footnote{After insertion of a stored link, the link will be removed
2608 from the list of stored links. To keep it in the list later use, use a
2609 triple @kbd{C-u} prefix argument to @kbd{C-c C-l}, or configure the option
2610 @code{org-keep-stored-link-after-insertion}.}, along with a descriptive text.
2611 If some text was selected when this command is called, the selected text
2612 becomes the default description.@* Note that you don't have to use this
2613 command to insert a link. Links in Org are plain text, and you can type
2614 or paste them straight into the buffer. By using this command, the links are
2615 automatically enclosed in double brackets, and you will be asked for the
2616 optional descriptive text.
2618 @c If the link is a @samp{file:} link and
2619 @c the linked file is located in the same directory as the current file or
2620 @c a subdirectory of it, the path of the file will be inserted relative to
2621 @c the current directory.
2624 @cindex file name completion
2625 @cindex completion, of file names
2627 When @kbd{C-c C-l} is called with a @kbd{C-u} prefix argument, a link to
2628 a file will be inserted and you may use file name completion to select
2629 the name of the file. The path to the file is inserted relative to the
2630 directory of the current org file, if the linked file is in the current
2631 directory or in a sub-directory of it, or if the path is written relative
2632 to the current directory using @samp{../}. Otherwise an absolute path
2633 is used, if possible with @samp{~/} for your home directory. You can
2634 force an absolute path with two @kbd{C-u} prefixes.
2636 @item C-c C-l @r{(with cursor on existing link)}
2637 When the cursor is on an existing link, @kbd{C-c C-l} allows you to edit the
2638 link and description parts of the link.
2640 @cindex following links
2643 Open link at point. This will launch a web browser for URLs (using
2644 @command{browse-url-at-point}), run VM/MH-E/Wanderlust/Rmail/Gnus/BBDB for
2645 the corresponding links, and execute the command in a shell link. When the
2646 cursor is on an internal link, this commands runs the corresponding search.
2647 When the cursor is on a TAG list in a headline, it creates the corresponding
2648 TAGS view. If the cursor is on a time stamp, it compiles the agenda for that
2649 date. Furthermore, it will visit text and remote files in @samp{file:} links
2650 with Emacs and select a suitable application for local non-text files.
2651 Classification of files is based on file extension only. See option
2652 @code{org-file-apps}. If you want to override the default application and
2653 visit the file with Emacs, use a @kbd{C-u} prefix. If you want to avoid
2654 opening in Emacs, use a @kbd{C-u C-u} prefix.
2660 On links, @kbd{mouse-2} will open the link just as @kbd{C-c C-o}
2661 would. Under Emacs 22, also @kbd{mouse-1} will follow a link.
2665 Like @kbd{mouse-2}, but force file links to be opened with Emacs, and
2666 internal links to be displayed in another window@footnote{See the
2667 variable @code{org-display-internal-link-with-indirect-buffer}}.
2672 Push the current position onto the mark ring, to be able to return
2673 easily. Commands following an internal link do this automatically.
2675 @cindex links, returning to
2678 Jump back to a recorded position. A position is recorded by the
2679 commands following internal links, and by @kbd{C-c %}. Using this
2680 command several times in direct succession moves through a ring of
2681 previously recorded positions.
2685 @cindex links, finding next/previous
2688 Move forward/backward to the next link in the buffer. At the limit of
2689 the buffer, the search fails once, and then wraps around. The key
2690 bindings for this are really too long, you might want to bind this also
2691 to @kbd{C-n} and @kbd{C-p}
2693 (add-hook 'org-load-hook
2695 (define-key 'org-mode-map "\C-n" 'org-next-link)
2696 (define-key 'org-mode-map "\C-p" 'org-previous-link)))
2700 @node Using links outside Org, Link abbreviations, Handling links, Hyperlinks
2701 @section Using links outside Org
2703 You can insert and follow links that have Org syntax not only in
2704 Org, but in any Emacs buffer. For this, you should create two
2705 global commands, like this (please select suitable global keys
2709 (global-set-key "\C-c L" 'org-insert-link-global)
2710 (global-set-key "\C-c o" 'org-open-at-point-global)
2713 @node Link abbreviations, Search options, Using links outside Org, Hyperlinks
2714 @section Link abbreviations
2715 @cindex link abbreviations
2716 @cindex abbreviation, links
2718 Long URLs can be cumbersome to type, and often many similar links are
2719 needed in a document. For this you can use link abbreviations. An
2720 abbreviated link looks like this
2723 [[linkword:tag][description]]
2727 where the tag is optional. Such abbreviations are resolved according to
2728 the information in the variable @code{org-link-abbrev-alist} that
2729 relates the linkwords to replacement text. Here is an example:
2733 (setq org-link-abbrev-alist
2734 '(("bugzilla" . "http://10.1.2.9/bugzilla/show_bug.cgi?id=")
2735 ("google" . "http://www.google.com/search?q=")
2736 ("ads" . "http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/
2737 nph-abs_connect?author=%s&db_key=AST")))
2741 If the replacement text contains the string @samp{%s}, it will be
2742 replaced with the tag. Otherwise the tag will be appended to the string
2743 in order to create the link. You may also specify a function that will
2744 be called with the tag as the only argument to create the link.
2746 With the above setting, you could link to a specific bug with
2747 @code{[[bugzilla:129]]}, search the web for @samp{OrgMode} with
2748 @code{[[google:OrgMode]]} and find out what the Org author is
2749 doing besides Emacs hacking with @code{[[ads:Dominik,C]]}.
2751 If you need special abbreviations just for a single Org buffer, you
2752 can define them in the file with
2755 #+LINK: bugzilla http://10.1.2.9/bugzilla/show_bug.cgi?id=
2756 #+LINK: google http://www.google.com/search?q=%s
2760 In-buffer completion @pxref{Completion} can be used after @samp{[} to
2761 complete link abbreviations.
2763 @node Search options, Custom searches, Link abbreviations, Hyperlinks
2764 @section Search options in file links
2765 @cindex search option in file links
2766 @cindex file links, searching
2768 File links can contain additional information to make Emacs jump to a
2769 particular location in the file when following a link. This can be a
2770 line number or a search option after a double@footnote{For backward
2771 compatibility, line numbers can also follow a single colon.} colon. For
2772 example, when the command @kbd{C-c l} creates a link (@pxref{Handling
2773 links}) to a file, it encodes the words in the current line as a search
2774 string that can be used to find this line back later when following the
2775 link with @kbd{C-c C-o}.
2777 Here is the syntax of the different ways to attach a search to a file
2778 link, together with an explanation:
2781 [[file:~/code/main.c::255]]
2782 [[file:~/xx.org::My Target]]
2783 [[file:~/xx.org::*My Target]]
2784 [[file:~/xx.org::/regexp/]]
2791 Search for a link target @samp{<<My Target>>}, or do a text search for
2792 @samp{my target}, similar to the search in internal links, see
2793 @ref{Internal links}. In HTML export (@pxref{HTML export}), such a file
2794 link will become an HTML reference to the corresponding named anchor in
2797 In an Org file, restrict search to headlines.
2799 Do a regular expression search for @code{regexp}. This uses the Emacs
2800 command @code{occur} to list all matches in a separate window. If the
2801 target file is in Org mode, @code{org-occur} is used to create a
2802 sparse tree with the matches.
2803 @c If the target file is a directory,
2804 @c @code{grep} will be used to search all files in the directory.
2807 As a degenerate case, a file link with an empty file name can be used
2808 to search the current file. For example, @code{[[file:::find me]]} does
2809 a search for @samp{find me} in the current file, just as
2810 @samp{[[find me]]} would.
2812 @node Custom searches, , Search options, Hyperlinks
2813 @section Custom Searches
2814 @cindex custom search strings
2815 @cindex search strings, custom
2817 The default mechanism for creating search strings and for doing the
2818 actual search related to a file link may not work correctly in all
2819 cases. For example, BibTeX database files have many entries like
2820 @samp{year="1993"} which would not result in good search strings,
2821 because the only unique identification for a BibTeX entry is the
2824 If you come across such a problem, you can write custom functions to set
2825 the right search string for a particular file type, and to do the search
2826 for the string in the file. Using @code{add-hook}, these functions need
2827 to be added to the hook variables
2828 @code{org-create-file-search-functions} and
2829 @code{org-execute-file-search-functions}. See the docstring for these
2830 variables for more information. Org actually uses this mechanism
2831 for Bib@TeX{} database files, and you can use the corresponding code as
2832 an implementation example. See the file @file{org-bibtex.el}.
2834 @node TODO Items, Tags, Hyperlinks, Top
2838 Org mode does not maintain TODO lists as separate documents@footnote{Of
2839 course, you can make a document that contains inly long lists of TODO items,
2840 but this is not required.}. Instead, TODO items are an integral part of the
2841 notes file, because TODO items usually come up while taking notes! With Org
2842 mode, simply mark any entry in a tree as being a TODO item. In this way,
2843 information is not duplicated, and the entire context from which the TODO
2844 item emerged is always present.
2846 Of course, this technique for managing TODO items scatters them
2847 throughout your notes file. Org mode compensates for this by providing
2848 methods to give you an overview of all the things that you have to do.
2851 * TODO basics:: Marking and displaying TODO entries
2852 * TODO extensions:: Workflow and assignments
2853 * Progress logging:: Dates and notes for progress
2854 * Priorities:: Some things are more important than others
2855 * Breaking down tasks:: Splitting a task into manageable pieces
2856 * Checkboxes:: Tick-off lists
2859 @node TODO basics, TODO extensions, TODO Items, TODO Items
2860 @section Basic TODO functionality
2862 Any headline becomes a TODO item when it starts with the word
2863 @samp{TODO}, for example:
2866 *** TODO Write letter to Sam Fortune
2870 The most important commands to work with TODO entries are:
2874 @cindex cycling, of TODO states
2876 Rotate the TODO state of the current item among
2879 ,-> (unmarked) -> TODO -> DONE --.
2880 '--------------------------------'
2883 The same rotation can also be done ``remotely'' from the timeline and
2884 agenda buffers with the @kbd{t} command key (@pxref{Agenda commands}).
2888 Select a specific keyword using completion or (if it has been set up)
2889 the fast selection interface. For the latter, you need to assign keys
2890 to TODO states, see @ref{Per-file keywords} and @ref{Setting tags} for
2893 @kindex S-@key{right}
2894 @kindex S-@key{left}
2897 Select the following/preceding TODO state, similar to cycling. Useful
2898 mostly if more than two TODO states are possible (@pxref{TODO
2902 @cindex sparse tree, for TODO
2905 View TODO items in a @emph{sparse tree} (@pxref{Sparse trees}). Folds
2906 the entire buffer, but shows all TODO items and the headings hierarchy
2907 above them. With a prefix argument, search for a specific TODO. You will be
2908 prompted for the keyword, and you can also give a list of keywords like
2909 @code{KWD1|KWD2|...}. With numeric prefix argument N, show the tree for the
2910 Nth keyword in the variable @code{org-todo-keywords}. With two prefix
2911 arguments, find all TODO and DONE entries.
2914 Show the global TODO list. Collects the TODO items from all agenda
2915 files (@pxref{Agenda Views}) into a single buffer. The new buffer will
2916 be in @code{agenda-mode}, which provides commands to examine and
2917 manipulate the TODO entries from the new buffer (@pxref{Agenda
2918 commands}). @xref{Global TODO list}, for more information.
2919 @kindex S-M-@key{RET}
2921 Insert a new TODO entry below the current one.
2925 Changing a TODO state can also trigger tag changes. See the docstring of the
2926 option @code{org-todo-state-tags-triggers} for details.
2928 @node TODO extensions, Progress logging, TODO basics, TODO Items
2929 @section Extended use of TODO keywords
2930 @cindex extended TODO keywords
2932 By default, marked TODO entries have one of only two states: TODO and
2933 DONE. Org mode allows you to classify TODO items in more complex ways
2934 with @emph{TODO keywords} (stored in @code{org-todo-keywords}). With
2935 special setup, the TODO keyword system can work differently in different
2938 Note that @i{tags} are another way to classify headlines in general and
2939 TODO items in particular (@pxref{Tags}).
2942 * Workflow states:: From TODO to DONE in steps
2943 * TODO types:: I do this, Fred does the rest
2944 * Multiple sets in one file:: Mixing it all, and still finding your way
2945 * Fast access to TODO states:: Single letter selection of a state
2946 * Per-file keywords:: Different files, different requirements
2947 * Faces for TODO keywords:: Highlighting states
2950 @node Workflow states, TODO types, TODO extensions, TODO extensions
2951 @subsection TODO keywords as workflow states
2952 @cindex TODO workflow
2953 @cindex workflow states as TODO keywords
2955 You can use TODO keywords to indicate different @emph{sequential} states
2956 in the process of working on an item, for example@footnote{Changing
2957 this variable only becomes effective after restarting Org mode in a
2961 (setq org-todo-keywords
2962 '((sequence "TODO" "FEEDBACK" "VERIFY" "|" "DONE" "DELEGATED")))
2965 The vertical bar separates the TODO keywords (states that @emph{need
2966 action}) from the DONE states (which need @emph{no further action}). If
2967 you don't provide the separator bar, the last state is used as the DONE
2969 @cindex completion, of TODO keywords
2970 With this setup, the command @kbd{C-c C-t} will cycle an entry from TODO
2971 to FEEDBACK, then to VERIFY, and finally to DONE and DELEGATED. You may
2972 also use a numeric prefix argument to quickly select a specific state. For
2973 example @kbd{C-3 C-c C-t} will change the state immediately to VERIFY.
2974 Or you can use @kbd{S-left} to go backward through the sequence. If you
2975 define many keywords, you can use in-buffer completion
2976 (@pxref{Completion}) or even a special one-key selection scheme
2977 (@pxref{Fast access to TODO states}) to insert these words into the
2978 buffer. Changing a TODO state can be logged with a timestamp, see
2979 @ref{Tracking TODO state changes} for more information.
2981 @node TODO types, Multiple sets in one file, Workflow states, TODO extensions
2982 @subsection TODO keywords as types
2984 @cindex names as TODO keywords
2985 @cindex types as TODO keywords
2987 The second possibility is to use TODO keywords to indicate different
2988 @emph{types} of action items. For example, you might want to indicate
2989 that items are for ``work'' or ``home''. Or, when you work with several
2990 people on a single project, you might want to assign action items
2991 directly to persons, by using their names as TODO keywords. This would
2992 be set up like this:
2995 (setq org-todo-keywords '((type "Fred" "Sara" "Lucy" "|" "DONE")))
2998 In this case, different keywords do not indicate a sequence, but rather
2999 different types. So the normal work flow would be to assign a task to a
3000 person, and later to mark it DONE. Org mode supports this style by adapting
3001 the workings of the command @kbd{C-c C-t}@footnote{This is also true for the
3002 @kbd{t} command in the timeline and agenda buffers.}. When used several
3003 times in succession, it will still cycle through all names, in order to first
3004 select the right type for a task. But when you return to the item after some
3005 time and execute @kbd{C-c C-t} again, it will switch from any name directly
3006 to DONE. Use prefix arguments or completion to quickly select a specific
3007 name. You can also review the items of a specific TODO type in a sparse tree
3008 by using a numeric prefix to @kbd{C-c C-v}. For example, to see all things
3009 Lucy has to do, you would use @kbd{C-3 C-c C-v}. To collect Lucy's items
3010 from all agenda files into a single buffer, you would use the numeric prefix
3011 argument as well when creating the global TODO list: @kbd{C-3 C-c t}.
3013 @node Multiple sets in one file, Fast access to TODO states, TODO types, TODO extensions
3014 @subsection Multiple keyword sets in one file
3015 @cindex TODO keyword sets
3017 Sometimes you may want to use different sets of TODO keywords in
3018 parallel. For example, you may want to have the basic
3019 @code{TODO}/@code{DONE}, but also a workflow for bug fixing, and a
3020 separate state indicating that an item has been canceled (so it is not
3021 DONE, but also does not require action). Your setup would then look
3025 (setq org-todo-keywords
3026 '((sequence "TODO" "|" "DONE")
3027 (sequence "REPORT" "BUG" "KNOWNCAUSE" "|" "FIXED")
3028 (sequence "|" "CANCELED")))
3031 The keywords should all be different, this helps Org mode to keep track
3032 of which subsequence should be used for a given entry. In this setup,
3033 @kbd{C-c C-t} only operates within a subsequence, so it switches from
3034 @code{DONE} to (nothing) to @code{TODO}, and from @code{FIXED} to
3035 (nothing) to @code{REPORT}. Therefore you need a mechanism to initially
3036 select the correct sequence. Besides the obvious ways like typing a
3037 keyword or using completion, you may also apply the following commands:
3040 @kindex C-S-@key{right}
3041 @kindex C-S-@key{left}
3042 @item C-S-@key{right}
3043 @itemx C-S-@key{left}
3044 These keys jump from one TODO subset to the next. In the above example,
3045 @kbd{C-S-@key{right}} would jump from @code{TODO} or @code{DONE} to
3046 @code{REPORT}, and any of the words in the second row to @code{CANCELED}.
3047 @kindex S-@key{right}
3048 @kindex S-@key{left}
3051 @kbd{S-@key{<left>}} and @kbd{S-@key{<right>}} and walk through
3052 @emph{all} keywords from all sets, so for example @kbd{S-@key{<right>}}
3053 would switch from @code{DONE} to @code{REPORT} in the example above.
3056 @node Fast access to TODO states, Per-file keywords, Multiple sets in one file, TODO extensions
3057 @subsection Fast access to TODO states
3059 If you would like to quickly change an entry to an arbitrary TODO state
3060 instead of cycling through the states, you can set up keys for
3061 single-letter access to the states. This is done by adding the section
3062 key after each keyword, in parenthesis. For example:
3065 (setq org-todo-keywords
3066 '((sequence "TODO(t)" "|" "DONE(d)")
3067 (sequence "REPORT(r)" "BUG(b)" "KNOWNCAUSE(k)" "|" "FIXED(f)")
3068 (sequence "|" "CANCELED(c)")))
3071 If you then press @code{C-u C-c C-t} followed by the selection key, the
3072 entry will be switched to this state. @key{SPC} can be used to remove
3073 any TODO keyword from an entry. Should you like this way of selecting
3074 TODO states a lot, you might want to set the variable
3075 @code{org-use-fast-todo-selection} to @code{t} and make this behavior
3076 the default. Check also the variable
3077 @code{org-fast-tag-selection-include-todo}, it allows to change the TODO
3078 state through the tags interface (@pxref{Setting tags}), in case you
3079 like to mingle the two concepts.
3081 @node Per-file keywords, Faces for TODO keywords, Fast access to TODO states, TODO extensions
3082 @subsection Setting up keywords for individual files
3083 @cindex keyword options
3084 @cindex per-file keywords
3086 It can be very useful to use different aspects of the TODO mechanism in
3087 different files. For file-local settings, you need to add special lines
3088 to the file which set the keywords and interpretation for that file
3089 only. For example, to set one of the two examples discussed above, you
3090 need one of the following lines, starting in column zero anywhere in the
3094 #+SEQ_TODO: TODO FEEDBACK VERIFY | DONE CANCELED
3098 #+TYP_TODO: Fred Sara Lucy Mike | DONE
3101 A setup for using several sets in parallel would be:
3104 #+SEQ_TODO: TODO | DONE
3105 #+SEQ_TODO: REPORT BUG KNOWNCAUSE | FIXED
3106 #+SEQ_TODO: | CANCELED
3109 @cindex completion, of option keywords
3111 @noindent To make sure you are using the correct keyword, type
3112 @samp{#+} into the buffer and then use @kbd{M-@key{TAB}} completion.
3114 @cindex DONE, final TODO keyword
3115 Remember that the keywords after the vertical bar (or the last keyword
3116 if no bar is there) must always mean that the item is DONE (although you
3117 may use a different word). After changing one of these lines, use
3118 @kbd{C-c C-c} with the cursor still in the line to make the changes
3119 known to Org mode@footnote{Org mode parses these lines only when
3120 Org mode is activated after visiting a file. @kbd{C-c C-c} with the
3121 cursor in a line starting with @samp{#+} is simply restarting Org mode
3122 for the current buffer.}.
3124 @node Faces for TODO keywords, , Per-file keywords, TODO extensions
3125 @subsection Faces for TODO keywords
3126 @cindex faces, for TODO keywords
3128 Org mode highlights TODO keywords with special faces: @code{org-todo}
3129 for keywords indicating that an item still has to be acted upon, and
3130 @code{org-done} for keywords indicating that an item is finished. If
3131 you are using more than 2 different states, you might want to use
3132 special faces for some of them. This can be done using the variable
3133 @code{org-todo-keyword-faces}. For example:
3136 (setq org-todo-keyword-faces
3137 '(("TODO" . org-warning)
3138 ("DEFERRED" . shadow)
3139 ("CANCELED" . (:foreground "blue" :weight bold))))
3142 While using a list with face properties as shown for CANCELED
3143 @emph{should} work, this does not aways seem to be the case. If
3144 necessary, define a special face and use that.
3147 @node Progress logging, Priorities, TODO extensions, TODO Items
3148 @section Progress logging
3149 @cindex progress logging
3150 @cindex logging, of progress
3152 Org mode can automatically record a time stamp and possibly a note when
3153 you mark a TODO item as DONE, or even each time you change the state of
3154 a TODO item. This system is highly configurable, settings can be on a
3155 per-keyword basis and can be localized to a file or even a subtree. For
3156 information on how to clock working time for a task, see @ref{Clocking
3160 * Closing items:: When was this entry marked DONE?
3161 * Tracking TODO state changes:: When did the status change?
3164 @node Closing items, Tracking TODO state changes, Progress logging, Progress logging
3165 @subsection Closing items
3167 The most basic logging is to keep track of @emph{when} a certain TODO
3168 item was finished. This is achieved with@footnote{The corresponding
3169 in-buffer setting is: @code{#+STARTUP: logdone}}.
3172 (setq org-log-done 'time)
3176 Then each time you turn an entry from a TODO (not-done) state into any
3177 of the DONE states, a line @samp{CLOSED: [timestamp]} will be inserted
3178 just after the headline. If you turn the entry back into a TODO item
3179 through further state cycling, that line will be removed again. If you
3180 want to record a note along with the timestamp, use@footnote{The
3181 corresponding in-buffer setting is: @code{#+STARTUP: lognotedone}}
3184 (setq org-log-done 'note)
3188 You will then be prompted for a note, and that note will be stored below
3189 the entry with a @samp{Closing Note} heading.
3191 In the timeline (@pxref{Timeline}) and in the agenda
3192 (@pxref{Weekly/daily agenda}), you can then use the @kbd{l} key to
3193 display the TODO items with a @samp{CLOSED} timestamp on each day,
3194 giving you an overview of what has been done.
3196 @node Tracking TODO state changes, , Closing items, Progress logging
3197 @subsection Tracking TODO state changes
3199 When TODO keywords are used as workflow states (@pxref{Workflow
3200 states}), you might want to keep track of when a state change occurred
3201 and maybe take a note about this change. Since it is normally too much
3202 to record a note for every state, Org mode expects configuration on a
3203 per-keyword basis for this. This is achieved by adding special markers
3204 @samp{!} (for a time stamp) and @samp{@@} (for a note) in parenthesis
3205 after each keyword. For example, with the setting
3208 (setq org-todo-keywords
3209 '((sequence "TODO(t)" "WAIT(w@@/!)" "|" "DONE(d!)" "CANCELED(c@@)")))
3213 you not only define global TODO keywords and fast access keys, but also
3214 request that a time is recorded when the entry is turned into
3215 DONE@footnote{It is possible that Org mode will record two time stamps
3216 when you are using both @code{org-log-done} and state change logging.
3217 However, it will never prompt for two notes - if you have configured
3218 both, the state change recording note will take precedence and cancel
3219 the @samp{Closing Note}.}, and that a note is recorded when switching to
3220 WAIT or CANCELED. The setting for WAIT is even more special: The
3221 @samp{!} after the slash means that in addition to the note taken when
3222 entering the state, a time stamp should be recorded when @i{leaving} the
3223 WAIT state, if and only if the @i{target} state does not configure
3224 logging for entering it. So it has no effect when switching from WAIT
3225 to DONE, because DONE is configured to record a timestamp only. But
3226 when switching from WAIT back to TODO, the @samp{/!} in the WAIT
3227 setting now triggers a timestamp even though TODO has no logging
3230 You can use the exact same syntax for setting logging preferences local
3233 #+SEQ_TODO: TODO(t) WAIT(w@@/!) | DONE(d!) CANCELED(c@@)
3236 In order to define logging settings that are local to a subtree or a
3237 single item, define a LOGGING property in this entry. Any non-empty
3238 LOGGING property resets all logging settings to nil. You may then turn
3239 on logging for this specific tree using STARTUP keywords like
3240 @code{lognotedone} or @code{logrepeat}, as well as adding state specific
3241 settings like @code{TODO(!)}. For example
3244 * TODO Log each state with only a time
3246 :LOGGING: TODO(!) WAIT(!) DONE(!) CANCELED(!)
3248 * TODO Only log when switching to WAIT, and when repeating
3250 :LOGGING: WAIT(@@) logrepeat
3252 * TODO No logging at all
3258 @node Priorities, Breaking down tasks, Progress logging, TODO Items
3262 If you use Org mode extensively, you may end up enough TODO items that
3263 it starts to make sense to prioritize them. Prioritizing can be done by
3264 placing a @emph{priority cookie} into the headline of a TODO item, like
3268 *** TODO [#A] Write letter to Sam Fortune
3272 By default, Org mode supports three priorities: @samp{A}, @samp{B}, and
3273 @samp{C}. @samp{A} is the highest priority. An entry without a cookie
3274 is treated as priority @samp{B}. Priorities make a difference only in
3275 the agenda (@pxref{Weekly/daily agenda}); outside the agenda, they have
3276 no inherent meaning to Org mode.
3278 Priorities can be attached to any outline tree entries; they do not need
3284 Set the priority of the current headline. The command prompts for a
3285 priority character @samp{A}, @samp{B} or @samp{C}. When you press
3286 @key{SPC} instead, the priority cookie is removed from the headline.
3287 The priorities can also be changed ``remotely'' from the timeline and
3288 agenda buffer with the @kbd{,} command (@pxref{Agenda commands}).
3291 @kindex S-@key{down}
3294 Increase/decrease priority of current headline@footnote{See also the
3295 option @code{org-priority-start-cycle-with-default'}.}. Note that these
3296 keys are also used to modify time stamps (@pxref{Creating timestamps}).
3297 Furthermore, these keys are also used by CUA mode (@pxref{Conflicts}).
3300 You can change the range of allowed priorities by setting the variables
3301 @code{org-highest-priority}, @code{org-lowest-priority}, and
3302 @code{org-default-priority}. For an individual buffer, you may set
3303 these values (highest, lowest, default) like this (please make sure that
3304 the highest priority is earlier in the alphabet than the lowest
3311 @node Breaking down tasks, Checkboxes, Priorities, TODO Items
3312 @section Breaking tasks down into subtasks
3313 @cindex tasks, breaking down
3315 It is often advisable to break down large tasks into smaller, manageable
3316 subtasks. You can do this by creating an outline tree below a TODO item,
3317 with detailed subtasks on the tree@footnote{To keep subtasks out of the
3318 global TODO list, see the @code{org-agenda-todo-list-sublevels}.}. To keep
3319 the overview over the fraction of subtasks that are already completed, insert
3320 either @samp{[/]} or @samp{[%]} anywhere in the headline. These cookies will
3321 be updates each time the todo status of a child changes. For example:
3324 * Organize Party [33%]
3325 ** TODO Call people [1/2]
3329 ** DONE Talk to neighbor
3332 If you would like a TODO entry to automatically change to DONE when all
3333 chilrden are done, you can use the following setup:
3336 (defun org-summary-todo (n-done n-not-done)
3337 "Switch entry to DONE when all subentries are done, to TODO otherwise."
3338 (let (org-log-done org-log-states) ; turn off logging
3339 (org-todo (if (= n-not-done 0) "DONE" "TODO"))))
3341 (add-hook 'org-after-todo-statistics-hook 'org-summary-todo)
3345 Another possibility is the use of checkboxes to identify (a hierarchy of) a
3346 large number of subtasks (@pxref{Checkboxes}).
3349 @node Checkboxes, , Breaking down tasks, TODO Items
3353 Every item in a plain list (@pxref{Plain lists}) can be made into a
3354 checkbox by starting it with the string @samp{[ ]}. This feature is
3355 similar to TODO items (@pxref{TODO Items}), but is more lightweight.
3356 Checkboxes are not included into the global TODO list, so they are often
3357 great to split a task into a number of simple steps. Or you can use
3358 them in a shopping list. To toggle a checkbox, use @kbd{C-c C-c}, or
3359 use the mouse (thanks to Piotr Zielinski's @file{org-mouse.el}).
3361 Here is an example of a checkbox list.
3364 * TODO Organize party [2/4]
3365 - [-] call people [1/3]
3370 - [ ] think about what music to play
3371 - [X] talk to the neighbors
3374 Checkboxes work hierarchically, so if a checkbox item has children that
3375 are checkboxes, toggling one of the children checkboxes will make the
3376 parent checkbox reflect if none, some, or all of the children are
3379 @cindex statistics, for checkboxes
3380 @cindex checkbox statistics
3381 The @samp{[2/4]} and @samp{[1/3]} in the first and second line are
3382 cookies indicating how many checkboxes present in this entry have been
3383 checked off, and the total number of checkboxes are present. This can
3384 give you an idea on how many checkboxes remain, even without opening a
3385 folded entry. The cookies can be placed into a headline or into (the
3386 first line of) a plain list item. Each cookie covers all checkboxes
3387 structurally below the headline/item on which the cookie appear. You
3388 have to insert the cookie yourself by typing either @samp{[/]} or
3389 @samp{[%]}. With @samp{[/]} you get an @samp{n out of m} result, as in
3390 the examples above. With @samp{[%]} you get information about the
3391 percentage of checkboxes checked (in the above example, this would be
3392 @samp{[50%]} and @samp{[33%]}, respectively).
3394 @noindent The following commands work with checkboxes:
3399 Toggle checkbox at point. With a prefix argument, set it to @samp{[-]},
3400 which is considered to be an intermediate state.
3403 Toggle checkbox at point.
3406 If there is an active region, toggle the first checkbox in the region
3407 and set all remaining boxes to the same status as the first. If you
3408 want to toggle all boxes in the region independently, use a prefix
3411 If the cursor is in a headline, toggle checkboxes in the region between
3412 this headline and the next (so @emph{not} the entire subtree).
3414 If there is no active region, just toggle the checkbox at point.
3416 @kindex M-S-@key{RET}
3418 Insert a new item with a checkbox.
3419 This works only if the cursor is already in a plain list item
3420 (@pxref{Plain lists}).
3423 Update the checkbox statistics in the current outline entry. When
3424 called with a @kbd{C-u} prefix, update the entire file. Checkbox
3425 statistic cookies are updated automatically if you toggle checkboxes
3426 with @kbd{C-c C-c} and make new ones with @kbd{M-S-@key{RET}}. If you
3427 delete boxes or add/change them by hand, use this command to get things
3428 back into synch. Or simply toggle any checkbox twice with @kbd{C-c C-c}.
3431 @node Tags, Properties and Columns, TODO Items, Top
3434 @cindex headline tagging
3435 @cindex matching, tags
3436 @cindex sparse tree, tag based
3438 An excellent way to implement labels and contexts for cross-correlating
3439 information is to assign @i{tags} to headlines. Org mode has extensive
3442 Every headline can contain a list of tags; they occur at the end of the
3443 headline. Tags are normal words containing letters, numbers, @samp{_},
3444 and @samp{@@}. Tags must be preceded and followed by a single colon,
3445 e.g., @samp{:work:}. Several tags can be specified, as in
3446 @samp{:work:urgent:}.
3449 * Tag inheritance:: Tags use the tree structure of the outline
3450 * Setting tags:: How to assign tags to a headline
3451 * Tag searches:: Searching for combinations of tags
3454 @node Tag inheritance, Setting tags, Tags, Tags
3455 @section Tag inheritance
3456 @cindex tag inheritance
3457 @cindex inheritance, of tags
3458 @cindex sublevels, inclusion into tags match
3460 @i{Tags} make use of the hierarchical structure of outline trees. If a
3461 heading has a certain tag, all subheadings will inherit the tag as
3462 well. For example, in the list
3465 * Meeting with the French group :work:
3466 ** Summary by Frank :boss:notes:
3467 *** TODO Prepare slides for him :action:
3471 the final heading will have the tags @samp{:work:}, @samp{:boss:},
3472 @samp{:notes:}, and @samp{:action:} even though the final heading is not
3473 explicitly marked with those tags. You can also set tags that all entries in
3474 a file should inherit as if these tags would be defined in a hypothetical
3475 level zero that surounds the entire file.
3478 #+FILETAGS: :Peter:Boss:Secret:
3482 To limit tag inheritance to specific tags, or to turn it off entirely, use
3483 the variable @code{org-use-tag-inheritance}.
3485 When a headline matches during a tags search while tag inheritance is turned
3486 on, all the sublevels in the same tree will match as well@footnote{This is
3487 only true if the the search does not involve more complex tests including
3488 properties (@pxref{Property searches}).}. The list of matches may then
3489 become very long. If you only want to see the first tags match in a subtree,
3490 configure the variable @code{org-tags-match-list-sublevels}.
3492 @node Setting tags, Tag searches, Tag inheritance, Tags
3493 @section Setting tags
3494 @cindex setting tags
3495 @cindex tags, setting
3498 Tags can simply be typed into the buffer at the end of a headline.
3499 After a colon, @kbd{M-@key{TAB}} offers completion on tags. There is
3500 also a special command for inserting tags:
3505 @cindex completion, of tags
3506 Enter new tags for the current headline. Org mode will either offer
3507 completion or a special single-key interface for setting tags, see
3508 below. After pressing @key{RET}, the tags will be inserted and aligned
3509 to @code{org-tags-column}. When called with a @kbd{C-u} prefix, all
3510 tags in the current buffer will be aligned to that column, just to make
3511 things look nice. TAGS are automatically realigned after promotion,
3512 demotion, and TODO state changes (@pxref{TODO basics}).
3515 When the cursor is in a headline, this does the same as @kbd{C-c C-q}.
3518 Org will support tag insertion based on a @emph{list of tags}. By
3519 default this list is constructed dynamically, containing all tags
3520 currently used in the buffer. You may also globally specify a hard list
3521 of tags with the variable @code{org-tag-alist}. Finally you can set
3522 the default tags for a given file with lines like
3525 #+TAGS: @@work @@home @@tennisclub
3526 #+TAGS: laptop car pc sailboat
3529 If you have globally defined your preferred set of tags using the
3530 variable @code{org-tag-alist}, but would like to use a dynamic tag list
3531 in a specific file, add an empty TAGS option line to that file:
3537 By default Org mode uses the standard minibuffer completion facilities for
3538 entering tags. However, it also implements another, quicker, tag selection
3539 method called @emph{fast tag selection}. This allows you to select and
3540 deselect tags with just a single key press. For this to work well you should
3541 assign unique letters to most of your commonly used tags. You can do this
3542 globally by configuring the variable @code{org-tag-alist} in your
3543 @file{.emacs} file. For example, you may find the need to tag many items in
3544 different files with @samp{:@@home:}. In this case you can set something
3548 (setq org-tag-alist '(("@@work" . ?w) ("@@home" . ?h) ("laptop" . ?l)))
3551 @noindent If the tag is only relevant to the file you are working on then you
3552 can, instead, set the TAGS option line as:
3555 #+TAGS: @@work(w) @@home(h) @@tennisclub(t) laptop(l) pc(p)
3559 You can also group together tags that are mutually exclusive. By using
3563 #+TAGS: @{ @@work(w) @@home(h) @@tennisclub(t) @} laptop(l) pc(p)
3566 @noindent you indicate that at most one of @samp{@@work}, @samp{@@home},
3567 and @samp{@@tennisclub} should be selected. Multiple such groups are allowed.
3569 @noindent Don't forget to press @kbd{C-c C-c} with the cursor in one of
3570 these lines to activate any changes.
3573 To set these mutually exclusive groups in the variable @code{org-mode-alist}
3574 you must use the dummy tags @code{:startgroup} and @code{:endgroup} instead
3575 of the braces. The previous example would be set globally by the following
3579 (setq org-tag-alist '((:startgroup . nil)
3580 ("@@work" . ?w) ("@@home" . ?h)
3581 ("@@tennisclub" . ?t)
3583 ("laptop" . ?l) ("pc" . ?p)))
3586 If at least one tag has a selection key then pressing @kbd{C-c C-c} will
3587 automatically present you with a special interface, listing inherited tags,
3588 the tags of the current headline, and a list of all valid tags with
3589 corresponding keys@footnote{Keys will automatically be assigned to tags which
3590 have no configured keys.}. In this interface, you can use the following
3595 Pressing keys assigned to tags will add or remove them from the list of
3596 tags in the current line. Selecting a tag in a group of mutually
3597 exclusive tags will turn off any other tags from that group.
3600 Enter a tag in the minibuffer, even if the tag is not in the predefined
3601 list. You will be able to complete on all tags present in the buffer.
3604 Clear all tags for this line.
3607 Accept the modified set.
3609 Abort without installing changes.
3611 If @kbd{q} is not assigned to a tag, it aborts like @kbd{C-g}.
3613 Turn off groups of mutually exclusive tags. Use this to (as an
3614 exception) assign several tags from such a group.
3616 Toggle auto-exit after the next change (see below).
3617 If you are using expert mode, the first @kbd{C-c} will display the
3622 This method lets you assign tags to a headline with very few keys. With
3623 the above setup, you could clear the current tags and set @samp{@@home},
3624 @samp{laptop} and @samp{pc} tags with just the following keys: @kbd{C-c
3625 C-c @key{SPC} h l p @key{RET}}. Switching from @samp{@@home} to
3626 @samp{@@work} would be done with @kbd{C-c C-c w @key{RET}} or
3627 alternatively with @kbd{C-c C-c C-c w}. Adding the non-predefined tag
3628 @samp{Sarah} could be done with @kbd{C-c C-c @key{TAB} S a r a h
3629 @key{RET} @key{RET}}.
3631 If you find that most of the time, you need only a single key press to
3632 modify your list of tags, set the variable
3633 @code{org-fast-tag-selection-single-key}. Then you no longer have to
3634 press @key{RET} to exit fast tag selection - it will immediately exit
3635 after the first change. If you then occasionally need more keys, press
3636 @kbd{C-c} to turn off auto-exit for the current tag selection process
3637 (in effect: start selection with @kbd{C-c C-c C-c} instead of @kbd{C-c
3638 C-c}). If you set the variable to the value @code{expert}, the special
3639 window is not even shown for single-key tag selection, it comes up only
3640 when you press an extra @kbd{C-c}.
3642 @node Tag searches, , Setting tags, Tags
3643 @section Tag searches
3644 @cindex tag searches
3645 @cindex searching for tags
3647 Once a system of tags has been set up, it can be used to collect related
3648 information into special lists.
3655 Create a sparse tree with all headlines matching a tags search. With a
3656 @kbd{C-u} prefix argument, ignore headlines that are not a TODO line.
3659 Create a global list of tag matches from all agenda files.
3660 @xref{Matching tags and properties}.
3663 Create a global list of tag matches from all agenda files, but check
3664 only TODO items and force checking subitems (see variable
3665 @code{org-tags-match-list-sublevels}).
3668 @cindex Boolean logic, for tag searches
3669 A @i{tags} search string can use Boolean operators @samp{&} for AND and
3670 @samp{|} for OR. @samp{&} binds more strongly than @samp{|}.
3671 Parenthesis are currently not implemented. A tag may also be preceded
3672 by @samp{-}, to select against it, and @samp{+} is syntactic sugar for
3673 positive selection. The AND operator @samp{&} is optional when @samp{+}
3674 or @samp{-} is present. Examples:
3678 Select headlines tagged @samp{:work:}, but discard those also tagged
3681 Selects lines tagged @samp{:work:} or @samp{:laptop:}.
3682 @item work|laptop&night
3683 Like before, but require the @samp{:laptop:} lines to be tagged also
3687 @cindex TODO keyword matching, with tags search
3688 You may also test for TODO keywords (@pxref{TODO extensions}) and properties
3689 (@pxref{Properties and Columns}) at the same time as matching tags. For a
3690 guide on how to match properties, see @ref{Property searches}. To match a
3691 specific TODO keyword, include an expression like @samp{+TODO="NEXT"} as one
3692 of the terms in a tags search.
3694 There is also the possibility to end the tags part of the match (which may
3695 include several terms connected with @samp{|}) with a @samp{/} and then
3696 specify a Boolean expression just for TODO keywords. The syntax is then
3697 similar to the tag matches, but should be applied with consideration: For
3698 example, a positive selection on several TODO keywords can not meaningfully
3699 be combined with boolean AND. However, @emph{negative selection} combined
3700 with AND can be meaningful. To make sure that only lines are checked that
3701 actually have any TODO keyword (resulting in a speed-up), use @kbd{C-c a M},
3702 or equivalently start the TODO part after the slash with @samp{!}. Examples:
3705 @item work+TODO="WAITING"
3706 Select @samp{:work:}-tagged TODO lines with the specific TODO
3707 keyword @samp{WAITING}.
3708 @item work+TODO="WAITING"|home+TODO="WAITING"
3709 Waiting tasks both at work and at home.
3711 Same as the first example.
3712 @item work/!-WAITING-NEXT
3713 Select @samp{:work:}-tagged TODO lines that are neither @samp{WAITING}
3715 @item work/!+WAITING|+NEXT
3716 Select @samp{:work:}-tagged TODO lines that are either @samp{WAITING} or
3720 @cindex regular expressions, with tags search
3721 Any element of the tag/todo match can be a regular expression - in this
3722 case it must be enclosed in curly braces. For example,
3723 @samp{work+@{^boss.*@}} matches headlines that contain the tag
3724 @samp{:work:} and any tag @i{starting} with @samp{boss}. You may also use a
3725 regular expression in @samp{TODO=@{^W@}} which would match TODO keywords
3726 starting with the letter @samp{W}.
3728 @cindex level, require for tags/property match
3729 @cindex category, require for tags/property match
3730 You can also require a headline to be of a certain level or category, by
3731 writing instead of any TAG an expression like @samp{LEVEL=3} or
3732 @samp{CATEGORY="work"}, respectively. For example, a search
3733 @samp{+LEVEL=3+boss/-DONE} lists all level three headlines that have the
3734 tag @samp{boss} and are @emph{not} marked with the TODO keyword DONE.
3736 Accessing TODO, LEVEL, and CATEGORY during a search is fast. Accessing any
3737 other properties will slow down the search.
3739 @node Properties and Columns, Dates and Times, Tags, Top
3740 @chapter Properties and Columns
3743 Properties are a set of key-value pairs associated with an entry. There
3744 are two main applications for properties in Org mode. First, properties
3745 are like tags, but with a value. Second, you can use properties to
3746 implement (very basic) database capabilities in an Org buffer. For
3747 an example of the first application, imagine maintaining a file where
3748 you document bugs and plan releases of a piece of software. Instead of
3749 using tags like @code{:release_1:}, @code{:release_2:}, one can use a
3750 property, say @code{:Release:}, that in different subtrees has different
3751 values, such as @code{1.0} or @code{2.0}. For an example of the second
3752 application of properties, imagine keeping track of your music CD's,
3753 where properties could be things such as the album artist, date of
3754 release, number of tracks, and so on.
3756 Properties can be conveniently edited and viewed in column view
3757 (@pxref{Column view}).
3760 * Property syntax:: How properties are spelled out
3761 * Special properties:: Access to other Org mode features
3762 * Property searches:: Matching property values
3763 * Property inheritance:: Passing values down the tree
3764 * Column view:: Tabular viewing and editing
3765 * Property API:: Properties for Lisp programmers
3768 @node Property syntax, Special properties, Properties and Columns, Properties and Columns
3769 @section Property syntax
3770 @cindex property syntax
3771 @cindex drawer, for properties
3773 Properties are key-value pairs. They need to be inserted into a special
3774 drawer (@pxref{Drawers}) with the name @code{PROPERTIES}. Each property
3775 is specified on a single line, with the key (surrounded by colons)
3776 first, and the value after it. Here is an example:
3781 *** Goldberg Variations
3783 :Title: Goldberg Variations
3784 :Composer: J.S. Bach
3786 :Publisher: Deutsche Grammphon
3791 You may define the allowed values for a particular property @samp{:Xyz:}
3792 by setting a property @samp{:Xyz_ALL:}. This special property is
3793 @emph{inherited}, so if you set it in a level 1 entry, it will apply to
3794 the entire tree. When allowed values are defined, setting the
3795 corresponding property becomes easier and is less prone to typing
3796 errors. For the example with the CD collection, we can predefine
3797 publishers and the number of disks in a box like this:
3802 :NDisks_ALL: 1 2 3 4
3803 :Publisher_ALL: "Deutsche Grammophon" Philips EMI
3807 If you want to set properties that can be inherited by any entry in a
3808 file, use a line like
3811 #+PROPERTY: NDisks_ALL 1 2 3 4
3814 Property values set with the global variable
3815 @code{org-global-properties} can be inherited by all entries in all
3819 The following commands help to work with properties:
3824 After an initial colon in a line, complete property keys. All keys used
3825 in the current file will be offered as possible completions.
3828 Set a property. This prompts for a property name and a value. If
3829 necessary, the property drawer is created as well.
3830 @item M-x org-insert-property-drawer
3831 Insert a property drawer into the current entry. The drawer will be
3832 inserted early in the entry, but after the lines with planning
3833 information like deadlines.
3836 With the cursor in a property drawer, this executes property commands.
3838 Set a property in the current entry. Both the property and the value
3839 can be inserted using completion.
3840 @kindex S-@key{right}
3841 @kindex S-@key{left}
3842 @item S-@key{left}/@key{right}
3843 Switch property at point to the next/previous allowed value.
3845 Remove a property from the current entry.
3847 Globally remove a property, from all entries in the current file.
3849 Compute the property at point, using the operator and scope from the
3850 nearest column format definition.
3853 @node Special properties, Property searches, Property syntax, Properties and Columns
3854 @section Special properties
3855 @cindex properties, special
3857 Special properties provide alternative access method to Org mode
3858 features discussed in the previous chapters, like the TODO state or the
3859 priority of an entry. This interface exists so that you can include
3860 these states into columns view (@pxref{Column view}), or to use them in
3861 queries. The following property names are special and should not be
3862 used as keys in the properties drawer:
3865 TODO @r{The TODO keyword of the entry.}
3866 TAGS @r{The tags defined directly in the headline.}
3867 ALLTAGS @r{All tags, including inherited ones.}
3868 PRIORITY @r{The priority of the entry, a string with a single letter.}
3869 DEADLINE @r{The deadline time string, without the angular brackets.}
3870 SCHEDULED @r{The scheduling time stamp, without the angular brackets.}
3871 TIMESTAMP @r{The first keyword-less time stamp in the entry.}
3872 TIMESTAMP_IA @r{The first inactive time stamp in the entry.}
3873 CLOCKSUM @r{The sum of CLOCK intervals in the subtree. @code{org-clock-sum}}
3874 @r{must be run first to compute the values.}
3877 @node Property searches, Property inheritance, Special properties, Properties and Columns
3878 @section Property searches
3879 @cindex properties, searching
3880 @cindex searching, of properties
3882 To create sparse trees and special lists with selection based on properties,
3883 the same commands are used as for tag searches (@pxref{Tag searches}), and
3884 the same logic applies. For example, here is a search string:
3887 +work-boss+PRIORITY="A"+Coffee="unlimited"+Effort<2 \
3888 +With=@{Sarah\|Denny@}+SCHEDULED>="<2008-10-11>"
3892 The type of comparison will depend on how the comparison value is written:
3895 If the comparison value is a plain number, a numerical comparison is done,
3896 and the allowed operators are @samp{<}, @samp{=}, @samp{>}, @samp{<=},
3897 @samp{>=}, and @samp{<>}.
3899 If the comparison value is enclosed in double
3900 quotes, a string comparison is done, and the same operators are allowed.
3902 If the comparison value is enclosed in double quotes @emph{and} angular
3903 brackets (like @samp{DEADLINE<="<2008-12-24 18:30>"}), both values are
3904 assumed to be date/time specifications in the standard Org way@footnote{The
3905 only special values that will be recognized are @samp{"<now>"} for now
3906 (including time), and @samp{"<today>"}, @samp{<tomorrow>}, and
3907 @samp{<yesterday>} for these days at 0:00 hours, i.e. without a time
3908 specification.}, and the comparison will be done accordingly.
3910 If the comparison value is enclosed
3911 in curly braces, a regexp match is performed, with @samp{=} meaning that the
3912 regexp matches the property value, and @samp{<>} meaning that it does not
3916 So the search string in the example finds entries tagged @samp{:work:} but
3917 not @samp{:boss:}, which also have a priority value @samp{A}, a
3918 @samp{:Coffee:} property with the value @samp{unlimited}, an @samp{Effort}
3919 property that is numerically smaller than 2, a @samp{:With:} property that is
3920 matched by the regular expression @samp{Sarah\|Denny}, and that are scheduled
3921 on or after October 11, 2008.
3923 You can configure Org mode to use property inheritance during a search, but
3924 beware that this can slow down searches considerably. See @ref{Property
3925 inheritance} for details.
3927 There is also a special command for creating sparse trees based on a
3933 Create a sparse tree based on the value of a property. This first
3934 prompts for the name of a property, and then for a value. A sparse tree
3935 is created with all entries that define this property with the given
3936 value. If you enclose the value into curly braces, it is interpreted as
3937 a regular expression and matched against the property values.
3940 @node Property inheritance, Column view, Property searches, Properties and Columns
3941 @section Property Inheritance
3942 @cindex properties, inheritance
3943 @cindex inheritance, of properties
3945 The outline structure of Org mode documents lends itself for an
3946 inheritance model of properties: If the parent in a tree has a certain
3947 property, the children can inherit this property. Org mode does not
3948 turn this on by default, because it can slow down property searches
3949 significantly and is often not needed. However, if you find inheritance
3950 useful, you can turn it on by setting the variable
3951 @code{org-use-property-inheritance}. It may be set to @code{t}, to make
3952 all properties inherited from the parent, to a list of properties
3953 that should be inherited, or to a regular expression that matches
3954 inherited properties.
3956 Org mode has a few properties for which inheritance is hard-coded, at
3957 least for the special applications for which they are used:
3961 The @code{:COLUMNS:} property defines the format of column view
3962 (@pxref{Column view}). It is inherited in the sense that the level
3963 where a @code{:COLUMNS:} property is defined is used as the starting
3964 point for a column view table, independently of the location in the
3965 subtree from where columns view is turned on.
3967 For agenda view, a category set through a @code{:CATEGORY:} property
3968 applies to the entire subtree.
3970 For archiving, the @code{:ARCHIVE:} property may define the archive
3971 location for the entire subtree (@pxref{Moving subtrees}).
3973 The LOGGING property may define logging settings for an entry or a
3974 subtree (@pxref{Tracking TODO state changes}).
3977 @node Column view, Property API, Property inheritance, Properties and Columns
3978 @section Column view
3980 A great way to view and edit properties in an outline tree is
3981 @emph{column view}. In column view, each outline item is turned into a
3982 table row. Columns in this table provide access to properties of the
3983 entries. Org mode implements columns by overlaying a tabular structure
3984 over the headline of each item. While the headlines have been turned
3985 into a table row, you can still change the visibility of the outline
3986 tree. For example, you get a compact table by switching to CONTENTS
3987 view (@kbd{S-@key{TAB} S-@key{TAB}}, or simply @kbd{c} while column view
3988 is active), but you can still open, read, and edit the entry below each
3989 headline. Or, you can switch to column view after executing a sparse
3990 tree command and in this way get a table only for the selected items.
3991 Column view also works in agenda buffers (@pxref{Agenda Views}) where
3992 queries have collected selected items, possibly from a number of files.
3995 * Defining columns:: The COLUMNS format property
3996 * Using column view:: How to create and use column view
3997 * Capturing column view:: A dynamic block for column view
4000 @node Defining columns, Using column view, Column view, Column view
4001 @subsection Defining columns
4002 @cindex column view, for properties
4003 @cindex properties, column view
4005 Setting up a column view first requires defining the columns. This is
4006 done by defining a column format line.
4009 * Scope of column definitions:: Where defined, where valid?
4010 * Column attributes:: Appearance and content of a column
4013 @node Scope of column definitions, Column attributes, Defining columns, Defining columns
4014 @subsubsection Scope of column definitions
4016 To define a column format for an entire file, use a line like
4019 #+COLUMNS: %25ITEM %TAGS %PRIORITY %TODO
4022 To specify a format that only applies to a specific tree, add a
4023 @code{:COLUMNS:} property to the top node of that tree, for example:
4026 ** Top node for columns view
4028 :COLUMNS: %25ITEM %TAGS %PRIORITY %TODO
4032 If a @code{:COLUMNS:} property is present in an entry, it defines columns
4033 for the entry itself, and for the entire subtree below it. Since the
4034 column definition is part of the hierarchical structure of the document,
4035 you can define columns on level 1 that are general enough for all
4036 sublevels, and more specific columns further down, when you edit a
4037 deeper part of the tree.
4039 @node Column attributes, , Scope of column definitions, Defining columns
4040 @subsubsection Column attributes
4041 A column definition sets the attributes of a column. The general
4042 definition looks like this:
4045 %[width]property[(title)][@{summary-type@}]
4049 Except for the percent sign and the property name, all items are
4050 optional. The individual parts have the following meaning:
4053 width @r{An integer specifying the width of the column in characters.}
4054 @r{If omitted, the width will be determined automatically.}
4055 property @r{The property that should be edited in this column.}
4056 (title) @r{The header text for the column. If omitted, the}
4057 @r{property name is used.}
4058 @{summary-type@} @r{The summary type. If specified, the column values for}
4059 @r{parent nodes are computed from the children.}
4060 @r{Supported summary types are:}
4061 @{+@} @r{Sum numbers in this column.}
4062 @{+;%.1f@} @r{Like @samp{+}, but format result with @samp{%.1f}.}
4063 @{$@} @r{Currency, short for @samp{+;%.2f}.}
4064 @{:@} @r{Sum times, HH:MM:SS, plain numbers are hours.}
4065 @{X@} @r{Checkbox status, [X] if all children are [X].}
4066 @{X/@} @r{Checkbox status, [n/m].}
4067 @{X%@} @r{Checkbox status, [n%].}
4071 Here is an example for a complete columns definition, along with allowed
4075 :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.}
4076 %10Time_Estimate@{:@} %CLOCKSUM
4077 :Owner_ALL: Tammy Mark Karl Lisa Don
4078 :Status_ALL: "In progress" "Not started yet" "Finished" ""
4079 :Approved_ALL: "[ ]" "[X]"
4082 The first column, @samp{%25ITEM}, means the first 25 characters of the
4083 item itself, i.e. of the headline. You probably always should start the
4084 column definition with the @samp{ITEM} specifier. The other specifiers
4085 create columns @samp{Owner} with a list of names as allowed values, for
4086 @samp{Status} with four different possible values, and for a checkbox
4087 field @samp{Approved}. When no width is given after the @samp{%}
4088 character, the column will be exactly as wide as it needs to be in order
4089 to fully display all values. The @samp{Approved} column does have a
4090 modified title (@samp{Approved?}, with a question mark). Summaries will
4091 be created for the @samp{Time_Estimate} column by adding time duration
4092 expressions like HH:MM, and for the @samp{Approved} column, by providing
4093 an @samp{[X]} status if all children have been checked. The
4094 @samp{CLOCKSUM} column is special, it lists the sum of CLOCK intervals
4097 @node Using column view, Capturing column view, Defining columns, Column view
4098 @subsection Using column view
4101 @tsubheading{Turning column view on and off}
4104 Create the column view for the local environment. This command searches
4105 the hierarchy, up from point, for a @code{:COLUMNS:} property that defines
4106 a format. When one is found, the column view table is established for
4107 the entire tree, starting from the entry that contains the @code{:COLUMNS:}
4108 property. If none is found, the format is taken from the @code{#+COLUMNS}
4109 line or from the variable @code{org-columns-default-format}, and column
4110 view is established for the current entry and its subtree.
4113 Recreate the column view, to include recent changes made in the buffer.
4120 @tsubheading{Editing values}
4121 @item @key{left} @key{right} @key{up} @key{down}
4122 Move through the column view from field to field.
4123 @kindex S-@key{left}
4124 @kindex S-@key{right}
4125 @item S-@key{left}/@key{right}
4126 Switch to the next/previous allowed value of the field. For this, you
4127 have to have specified allowed values for a property.
4129 Directly select the nth allowed value, @kbd{0} selects the 10th value.
4133 Same as @kbd{S-@key{left}/@key{right}}
4136 Edit the property at point. For the special properties, this will
4137 invoke the same interface that you normally use to change that
4138 property. For example, when editing a TAGS property, the tag completion
4139 or fast selection interface will pop up.
4142 When there is a checkbox at point, toggle it.
4145 View the full value of this property. This is useful if the width of
4146 the column is smaller than that of the value.
4149 Edit the list of allowed values for this property. If the list is found
4150 in the hierarchy, the modified values is stored there. If no list is
4151 found, the new value is stored in the first entry that is part of the
4152 current column view.
4153 @tsubheading{Modifying the table structure}
4157 Make the column narrower/wider by one character.
4158 @kindex S-M-@key{right}
4159 @item S-M-@key{right}
4160 Insert a new column, to the left of the current column.
4161 @kindex S-M-@key{left}
4162 @item S-M-@key{left}
4163 Delete the current column.
4166 @node Capturing column view, , Using column view, Column view
4167 @subsection Capturing column view
4169 Since column view is just an overlay over a buffer, it cannot be
4170 exported or printed directly. If you want to capture a column view, use
4171 this @code{columnview} dynamic block (@pxref{Dynamic blocks}). The frame
4172 of this block looks like this:
4174 @cindex #+BEGIN: columnview
4177 #+BEGIN: columnview :hlines 1 :id "label"
4182 @noindent This dynamic block has the following parameters:
4186 This is most important parameter. Column view is a feature that is
4187 often localized to a certain (sub)tree, and the capture block might be
4188 in a different location in the file. To identify the tree whose view to
4189 capture, you can use 3 values:
4191 local @r{use the tree in which the capture block is located}
4192 global @r{make a global view, including all headings in the file}
4193 "label" @r{call column view in the tree that has an @code{:ID:}}
4194 @r{property with the value @i{label}. You can use}
4195 @r{@kbd{M-x org-id-copy} to create a globally unique ID for}
4196 @r{the current entry and copy it to the kill-ring.}
4199 When @code{t}, insert a hline after every line. When a number N, insert
4200 a hline before each headline with level @code{<= N}.
4202 When set to @code{t}, enforce column groups to get vertical lines.
4204 When set to a number, don't capture entries below this level.
4205 @item :skip-empty-rows
4206 When set to @code{t}, skip row where the only non-empty specifier of the
4207 column view is @code{ITEM}.
4212 The following commands insert or update the dynamic block:
4217 Insert a dynamic block capturing a column view. You will be prompted
4218 for the scope or id of the view.
4223 Update dynamical block at point. The cursor needs to be in the
4224 @code{#+BEGIN} line of the dynamic block.
4225 @kindex C-u C-c C-x C-u
4226 @item C-u C-c C-x C-u
4227 Update all dynamic blocks (@pxref{Dynamic blocks}). This is useful if
4228 you have several clock table blocks in a buffer.
4231 You can add formulas to the column view table and you may add plotting
4232 instructions in front of the table - these will survive an update of the
4233 block. If there is a @code{#+TBLFM:} after the table, the table will
4234 actually be recalculated automatically after an update.
4236 @node Property API, , Column view, Properties and Columns
4237 @section The Property API
4238 @cindex properties, API
4239 @cindex API, for properties
4241 There is a full API for accessing and changing properties. This API can
4242 be used by Emacs Lisp programs to work with properties and to implement
4243 features based on them. For more information see @ref{Using the
4246 @node Dates and Times, Capture, Properties and Columns, Top
4247 @chapter Dates and Times
4253 To assist project planning, TODO items can be labeled with a date and/or
4254 a time. The specially formatted string carrying the date and time
4255 information is called a @emph{timestamp} in Org mode. This may be a
4256 little confusing because timestamp is often used as indicating when
4257 something was created or last changed. However, in Org mode this term
4258 is used in a much wider sense.
4261 * Timestamps:: Assigning a time to a tree entry
4262 * Creating timestamps:: Commands which insert timestamps
4263 * Deadlines and scheduling:: Planning your work
4264 * Clocking work time:: Tracking how long you spend on a task
4265 * Effort estimates:: Planning work effort in advance
4266 * Relative timer:: Notes with a running timer
4270 @node Timestamps, Creating timestamps, Dates and Times, Dates and Times
4271 @section Timestamps, deadlines and scheduling
4273 @cindex ranges, time
4278 A time stamp is a specification of a date (possibly with time or a range
4279 of times) in a special format, either @samp{<2003-09-16 Tue>} or
4280 @samp{<2003-09-16 Tue 09:39>} or @samp{<2003-09-16 Tue
4281 12:00-12:30>}@footnote{This is the standard ISO date/time format. To
4282 use an alternative format, see @ref{Custom time format}.}. A time stamp
4283 can appear anywhere in the headline or body of an Org tree entry. Its
4284 presence causes entries to be shown on specific dates in the agenda
4285 (@pxref{Weekly/daily agenda}). We distinguish:
4288 @item Plain time stamp; Event; Appointment
4290 A simple time stamp just assigns a date/time to an item. This is just
4291 like writing down an appointment or event in a paper agenda. In the
4292 timeline and agenda displays, the headline of an entry associated with a
4293 plain time stamp will be shown exactly on that date.
4296 * Meet Peter at the movies <2006-11-01 Wed 19:15>
4297 * Discussion on climate change <2006-11-02 Thu 20:00-22:00>
4300 @item Time stamp with repeater interval
4301 @cindex timestamp, with repeater interval
4302 A time stamp may contain a @emph{repeater interval}, indicating that it
4303 applies not only on the given date, but again and again after a certain
4304 interval of N days (d), weeks (w), months(m), or years(y). The
4305 following will show up in the agenda every Wednesday:
4308 * Pick up Sam at school <2007-05-16 Wed 12:30 +1w>
4311 @item Diary-style sexp entries
4312 For more complex date specifications, Org mode supports using the
4313 special sexp diary entries implemented in the Emacs calendar/diary
4314 package. For example
4317 * The nerd meeting on every 2nd Thursday of the month
4318 <%%(diary-float t 4 2)>
4321 @item Time/Date range
4324 Two time stamps connected by @samp{--} denote a range. The headline
4325 will be shown on the first and last day of the range, and on any dates
4326 that are displayed and fall in the range. Here is an example:
4329 ** Meeting in Amsterdam
4330 <2004-08-23 Mon>--<2004-08-26 Thu>
4333 @item Inactive time stamp
4334 @cindex timestamp, inactive
4335 @cindex inactive timestamp
4336 Just like a plain time stamp, but with square brackets instead of
4337 angular ones. These time stamps are inactive in the sense that they do
4338 @emph{not} trigger an entry to show up in the agenda.
4341 * Gillian comes late for the fifth time [2006-11-01 Wed]
4346 @node Creating timestamps, Deadlines and scheduling, Timestamps, Dates and Times
4347 @section Creating timestamps
4348 @cindex creating timestamps
4349 @cindex timestamps, creating
4351 For Org mode to recognize time stamps, they need to be in the specific
4352 format. All commands listed below produce time stamps in the correct
4358 Prompt for a date and insert a corresponding time stamp. When the cursor is
4359 at an existing time stamp in the buffer, the command is used to modify this
4360 timestamp instead of inserting a new one. When this command is used twice in
4361 succession, a time range is inserted.
4365 Like @kbd{C-c .}, but use the alternative format which contains date
4366 and time. The default time can be rounded to multiples of 5 minutes,
4367 see the option @code{org-time-stamp-rounding-minutes}.
4371 Like @kbd{C-c .}, but insert an inactive time stamp that will not cause
4376 Insert a time stamp corresponding to the cursor date in the Calendar.
4380 Access the Emacs calendar for the current date. If there is a
4381 timestamp in the current line, go to the corresponding date
4386 Access the agenda for the date given by the time stamp or -range at
4387 point (@pxref{Weekly/daily agenda}).
4389 @kindex S-@key{left}
4390 @kindex S-@key{right}
4392 @itemx S-@key{right}
4393 Change date at cursor by one day. These key bindings conflict with
4394 CUA mode (@pxref{Conflicts}).
4397 @kindex S-@key{down}
4400 Change the item under the cursor in a timestamp. The cursor can be on a
4401 year, month, day, hour or minute. Note that if the cursor is in a
4402 headline and not at a time stamp, these same keys modify the priority of
4403 an item. (@pxref{Priorities}). The key bindings also conflict with
4404 CUA mode (@pxref{Conflicts}).
4407 @cindex evaluate time range
4409 Evaluate a time range by computing the difference between start and end.
4410 With a prefix argument, insert result after the time range (in a table: into
4411 the following column).
4416 * The date/time prompt:: How Org mode helps you entering date and time
4417 * Custom time format:: Making dates look different
4420 @node The date/time prompt, Custom time format, Creating timestamps, Creating timestamps
4421 @subsection The date/time prompt
4422 @cindex date, reading in minibuffer
4423 @cindex time, reading in minibuffer
4425 When Org mode prompts for a date/time, the default is shown as an ISO
4426 date, and the prompt therefore seems to ask for an ISO date. But it
4427 will in fact accept any string containing some date and/or time
4428 information, and it is really smart about interpreting your input. You
4429 can, for example, use @kbd{C-y} to paste a (possibly multi-line) string
4430 copied from an email message. Org mode will find whatever information
4431 is in there and derive anything you have not specified from the
4432 @emph{default date and time}. The default is usually the current date
4433 and time, but when modifying an existing time stamp, or when entering
4434 the second stamp of a range, it is taken from the stamp in the buffer.
4435 When filling in information, Org mode assumes that most of the time you
4436 will want to enter a date in the future: If you omit the month/year and
4437 the given day/month is @i{before} today, it will assume that you mean a
4438 future date@footnote{See the variable
4439 @code{org-read-date-prefer-future}.}.
4441 For example, lets assume that today is @b{June 13, 2006}. Here is how
4442 various inputs will be interpreted, the items filled in by Org mode are
4446 3-2-5 --> 2003-02-05
4447 14 --> @b{2006}-@b{06}-14
4448 12 --> @b{2006}-@b{07}-12
4449 Fri --> nearest Friday (defaultdate or later)
4450 sep 15 --> @b{2006}-11-15
4451 feb 15 --> @b{2007}-02-15
4452 sep 12 9 --> 2009-09-12
4453 12:45 --> @b{2006}-@b{06}-@b{13} 12:45
4454 22 sept 0:34 --> @b{2006}-09-22 0:34
4455 w4 --> ISO week for of the current year @b{2006}
4456 2012 w4 fri --> Friday of ISO week 4 in 2012
4457 2012-w04-5 --> Same as above
4460 Furthermore you can specify a relative date by giving, as the
4461 @emph{first} thing in the input: a plus/minus sign, a number and a
4462 letter [dwmy] to indicate change in days weeks, months, years. With a
4463 single plus or minus, the date is always relative to today. With a
4464 double plus or minus, it is relative to the default date. If instead of
4465 a single letter, you use the abbreviation of day name, the date will be
4466 the nth such day. E.g.
4471 +4d --> four days from today
4472 +4 --> same as above
4473 +2w --> two weeks from today
4474 ++5 --> five days from default date
4475 +2tue --> second tuesday from now.
4478 The function understands English month and weekday abbreviations. If
4479 you want to use unabbreviated names and/or other languages, configure
4480 the variables @code{parse-time-months} and @code{parse-time-weekdays}.
4482 @cindex calendar, for selecting date
4483 Parallel to the minibuffer prompt, a calendar is popped up@footnote{If
4484 you don't need/want the calendar, configure the variable
4485 @code{org-popup-calendar-for-date-prompt}.}. When you exit the date
4486 prompt, either by clicking on a date in the calendar, or by pressing
4487 @key{RET}, the date selected in the calendar will be combined with the
4488 information entered at the prompt. You can control the calendar fully
4489 from the minibuffer:
4494 @kindex S-@key{right}
4495 @kindex S-@key{left}
4496 @kindex S-@key{down}
4498 @kindex M-S-@key{right}
4499 @kindex M-S-@key{left}
4502 > / < @r{Scroll calendar forward/backward by one month.}
4503 mouse-1 @r{Select date by clicking on it.}
4504 S-@key{right}/@key{left} @r{One day forward/backward.}
4505 S-@key{down}/@key{up} @r{One week forward/backward.}
4506 M-S-@key{right}/@key{left} @r{One month forward/backward.}
4507 @key{RET} @r{Choose date in calendar.}
4510 The actions of the date/time prompt may seem complex, but I assure you they
4511 will grow on you, and you will start getting annoyed by pretty much any other
4512 way of entering a date/time out there. To help you understand what is going
4513 on, the current interpretation of your input will be displayed live in the
4514 minibuffer@footnote{If you find this distracting, turn the display of with
4515 @code{org-read-date-display-live}.}.
4517 @node Custom time format, , The date/time prompt, Creating timestamps
4518 @subsection Custom time format
4519 @cindex custom date/time format
4520 @cindex time format, custom
4521 @cindex date format, custom
4523 Org mode uses the standard ISO notation for dates and times as it is
4524 defined in ISO 8601. If you cannot get used to this and require another
4525 representation of date and time to keep you happy, you can get it by
4526 customizing the variables @code{org-display-custom-times} and
4527 @code{org-time-stamp-custom-formats}.
4532 Toggle the display of custom formats for dates and times.
4536 Org mode needs the default format for scanning, so the custom date/time
4537 format does not @emph{replace} the default format - instead it is put
4538 @emph{over} the default format using text properties. This has the
4539 following consequences:
4542 You cannot place the cursor onto a time stamp anymore, only before or
4545 The @kbd{S-@key{up}/@key{down}} keys can no longer be used to adjust
4546 each component of a time stamp. If the cursor is at the beginning of
4547 the stamp, @kbd{S-@key{up}/@key{down}} will change the stamp by one day,
4548 just like @kbd{S-@key{left}/@key{right}}. At the end of the stamp, the
4549 time will be changed by one minute.
4551 If the time stamp contains a range of clock times or a repeater, these
4552 will not be overlayed, but remain in the buffer as they were.
4554 When you delete a time stamp character-by-character, it will only
4555 disappear from the buffer after @emph{all} (invisible) characters
4556 belonging to the ISO timestamp have been removed.
4558 If the custom time stamp format is longer than the default and you are
4559 using dates in tables, table alignment will be messed up. If the custom
4560 format is shorter, things do work as expected.
4564 @node Deadlines and scheduling, Clocking work time, Creating timestamps, Dates and Times
4565 @section Deadlines and scheduling
4567 A time stamp may be preceded by special keywords to facilitate planning:
4571 @cindex DEADLINE keyword
4573 Meaning: the task (most likely a TODO item, though not necessarily) is supposed
4574 to be finished on that date.
4576 On the deadline date, the task will be listed in the agenda. In
4577 addition, the agenda for @emph{today} will carry a warning about the
4578 approaching or missed deadline, starting
4579 @code{org-deadline-warning-days} before the due date, and continuing
4580 until the entry is marked DONE. An example:
4583 *** TODO write article about the Earth for the Guide
4584 The editor in charge is [[bbdb:Ford Prefect]]
4585 DEADLINE: <2004-02-29 Sun>
4588 You can specify a different lead time for warnings for a specific
4589 deadlines using the following syntax. Here is an example with a warning
4590 period of 5 days @code{DEADLINE: <2004-02-29 Sun -5d>}.
4593 @cindex SCHEDULED keyword
4595 Meaning: you are planning to start working on that task on the given
4598 The headline will be listed under the given date@footnote{It will still
4599 be listed on that date after it has been marked DONE. If you don't like
4600 this, set the variable @code{org-agenda-skip-scheduled-if-done}.}. In
4601 addition, a reminder that the scheduled date has passed will be present
4602 in the compilation for @emph{today}, until the entry is marked DONE.
4603 I.e., the task will automatically be forwarded until completed.
4606 *** TODO Call Trillian for a date on New Years Eve.
4607 SCHEDULED: <2004-12-25 Sat>
4611 @b{Important:} Scheduling an item in Org mode should @i{not} be
4612 understood in the same way that we understand @i{scheduling a meeting}.
4613 Setting a date for a meeting is just a simple appointment, you should
4614 mark this entry with a simple plain time stamp, to get this item shown
4615 on the date where it applies. This is a frequent mis-understanding from
4616 Org-users. In Org mode, @i{scheduling} means setting a date when you
4617 want to start working on an action item.
4620 You may use time stamps with repeaters in scheduling and deadline
4621 entries. Org mode will issue early and late warnings based on the
4622 assumption that the time stamp represents the @i{nearest instance} of
4623 the repeater. However, the use of diary sexp entries like
4625 @code{<%%(diary-float t 42)>}
4627 in scheduling and deadline timestamps is limited. Org mode does not
4628 know enough about the internals of each sexp function to issue early and
4629 late warnings. However, it will show the item on each day where the
4633 * Inserting deadline/schedule:: Planning items
4634 * Repeated tasks:: Items that show up again and again
4637 @node Inserting deadline/schedule, Repeated tasks, Deadlines and scheduling, Deadlines and scheduling
4638 @subsection Inserting deadlines or schedules
4640 The following commands allow to quickly insert a deadline or to schedule
4647 Insert @samp{DEADLINE} keyword along with a stamp. The insertion will
4648 happen in the line directly following the headline. When called with a
4649 prefix arg, an existing deadline will be removed from the entry.
4650 @c FIXME Any CLOSED timestamp will be removed.????????
4653 @cindex sparse tree, for deadlines
4655 Create a sparse tree with all deadlines that are either past-due, or
4656 which will become due within @code{org-deadline-warning-days}.
4657 With @kbd{C-u} prefix, show all deadlines in the file. With a numeric
4658 prefix, check that many days. For example, @kbd{C-1 C-c / d} shows
4659 all deadlines due tomorrow.
4663 Insert @samp{SCHEDULED} keyword along with a stamp. The insertion will
4664 happen in the line directly following the headline. Any CLOSED
4665 timestamp will be removed. When called with a prefix argument, remove
4666 the scheduling date from the entry.
4672 Mark the current entry for agenda action. After you have marked the entry
4673 like this, you can open the agenda or the calendar to find an appropriate
4674 date. With the cursor on the selected date, press @kbd{k s} or @kbd{k d} to
4675 schedule the marked item.
4678 @node Repeated tasks, , Inserting deadline/schedule, Deadlines and scheduling
4679 @subsection Repeated tasks
4681 Some tasks need to be repeated again and again. Org mode helps to
4682 organize such tasks using a so-called repeater in a DEADLINE, SCHEDULED,
4683 or plain time stamp. In the following example
4685 ** TODO Pay the rent
4686 DEADLINE: <2005-10-01 Sat +1m>
4688 the @code{+1m} is a repeater; the intended interpretation is that the
4689 task has a deadline on <2005-10-01> and repeats itself every (one) month
4690 starting from that time. If you need both a repeater and a special
4691 warning period in a deadline entry, the repeater comes first and the
4692 warning period last: @code{DEADLINE: <2005-10-01 Sat +1m -3d>}.
4694 Deadlines and scheduled items produce entries in the agenda when they
4695 are over-due, so it is important to be able to mark such an entry as
4696 completed once you have done so. When you mark a DEADLINE or a SCHEDULE
4697 with the TODO keyword DONE, it will no longer produce entries in the
4698 agenda. The problem with this is, however, that then also the
4699 @emph{next} instance of the repeated entry will not be active. Org mode
4700 deals with this in the following way: When you try to mark such an entry
4701 DONE (using @kbd{C-c C-t}), it will shift the base date of the repeating
4702 time stamp by the repeater interval, and immediately set the entry state
4703 back to TODO. In the example above, setting the state to DONE would
4704 actually switch the date like this:
4707 ** TODO Pay the rent
4708 DEADLINE: <2005-11-01 Tue +1m>
4711 A timestamp@footnote{You can change this using the option
4712 @code{org-log-repeat}, or the @code{#+STARTUP} options @code{logrepeat},
4713 @code{lognoterepeat}, and @code{nologrepeat}. With @code{lognoterepeat}, you
4714 will aslo be prompted for a note.} will be added under the deadline, to keep
4715 a record that you actually acted on the previous instance of this deadline.
4717 As a consequence of shifting the base date, this entry will no longer be
4718 visible in the agenda when checking past dates, but all future instances
4721 With the @samp{+1m} cookie, the date shift will always be exactly one
4722 month. So if you have not payed the rent for three months, marking this
4723 entry DONE will still keep it as an overdue deadline. Depending on the
4724 task, this may not be the best way to handle it. For example, if you
4725 forgot to call you father for 3 weeks, it does not make sense to call
4726 him 3 times in a single day to make up for it. Finally, there are tasks
4727 like changing batteries which should always repeat a certain time
4728 @i{after} the last time you did it. For these tasks, Org mode has
4729 special repeaters markers with @samp{++} and @samp{.+}. For example:
4733 DEADLINE: <2008-02-10 Sun ++1w>
4734 Marking this DONE will shift the date by at least one week,
4735 but also by as many weeks as it takes to get this date into
4736 the future. However, it stays on a Sunday, even if you called
4737 and marked it done on Saturday.
4738 ** TODO Check the batteries in the smoke detectors
4739 DEADLINE: <2005-11-01 Tue .+1m>
4740 Marking this DONE will shift the date to one month after
4744 You may have both scheduling and deadline information for a specific
4745 task - just make sure that the repeater intervals on both are the same.
4747 @node Clocking work time, Effort estimates, Deadlines and scheduling, Dates and Times
4748 @section Clocking work time
4750 Org mode allows you to clock the time you spent on specific tasks in a
4751 project. When you start working on an item, you can start the clock.
4752 When you stop working on that task, or when you mark the task done, the
4753 clock is stopped and the corresponding time interval is recorded. It
4754 also computes the total time spent on each subtree of a project.
4759 Start the clock on the current item (clock-in). This inserts the CLOCK
4760 keyword together with a timestamp. If this is not the first clocking of
4761 this item, the multiple CLOCK lines will be wrapped into a
4762 @code{:CLOCK:} drawer (see also the variable
4763 @code{org-clock-into-drawer}). When called with a @kbd{C-u} prefix argument,
4764 select the task from a list of recently clocked tasks. With two @kbd{C-u
4765 C-u} prefixes, clock into the task at point and mark it as the default task.
4766 The default task will always be available when selecting a clocking task,
4767 with letter @kbd{d}.
4770 Stop the clock (clock-out). The inserts another timestamp at the same
4771 location where the clock was last started. It also directly computes
4772 the resulting time in inserts it after the time range as @samp{=>
4773 HH:MM}. See the variable @code{org-log-note-clock-out} for the
4774 possibility to record an additional note together with the clock-out
4775 time stamp@footnote{The corresponding in-buffer setting is:
4776 @code{#+STARTUP: lognoteclock-out}}.
4779 Recompute the time interval after changing one of the time stamps. This
4780 is only necessary if you edit the time stamps directly. If you change
4781 them with @kbd{S-@key{cursor}} keys, the update is automatic.
4784 Changing the TODO state of an item to DONE automatically stops the clock
4785 if it is running in this same item.
4788 Cancel the current clock. This is useful if a clock was started by
4789 mistake, or if you ended up working on something else.
4792 Jump to the entry that contains the currently running clock. With a
4793 @kbd{C-u} prefix arg, select the target task from a list of recently clocked
4797 Display time summaries for each subtree in the current buffer. This
4798 puts overlays at the end of each headline, showing the total time
4799 recorded under that heading, including the time of any subheadings. You
4800 can use visibility cycling to study the tree, but the overlays disappear
4801 when you change the buffer (see variable
4802 @code{org-remove-highlights-with-change}) or press @kbd{C-c C-c}.
4805 Insert a dynamic block (@pxref{Dynamic blocks}) containing a clock
4806 report as an Org mode table into the current file. When the cursor is
4807 at an existing clock table, just update it. When called with a prefix
4808 argument, jump to the first clock report in the current document and
4810 @cindex #+BEGIN: clocktable
4812 #+BEGIN: clocktable :maxlevel 2 :emphasize nil :scope file
4816 If such a block already exists at point, its content is replaced by the
4817 new table. The @samp{BEGIN} line can specify options:
4819 :maxlevel @r{Maximum level depth to which times are listed in the table.}
4820 :emphasize @r{When @code{t}, emphasize level one and level two items}
4821 :scope @r{The scope to consider. This can be any of the following:}
4822 nil @r{the current buffer or narrowed region}
4823 file @r{the full current buffer}
4824 subtree @r{the subtree where the clocktable is located}
4825 treeN @r{the surrounding level N tree, for example @code{tree3}}
4826 tree @r{the surrounding level 1 tree}
4827 agenda @r{all agenda files}
4828 ("file"..) @r{scan these files}
4829 file-with-archives @r{current file and its archives}
4830 agenda-with-archives @r{all agenda files, including archives}
4831 :block @r{The time block to consider. This block is specified either}
4832 @r{absolute, or relative to the current time and may be any of}
4834 2007-12-31 @r{New year eve 2007}
4835 2007-12 @r{December 2007}
4836 2007-W50 @r{ISO-week 50 in 2007}
4837 2007 @r{the year 2007}
4838 today, yesterday, today-N @r{a relative day}
4839 thisweek, lastweek, thisweek-N @r{a relative week}
4840 thismonth, lastmonth, thismonth-N @r{a relative month}
4841 thisyear, lastyear, thisyear-N @r{a relative year}
4842 @r{Use @kbd{S-@key{left}/@key{right}} keys to shift the time interval.}
4843 :tstart @r{A time string specifying when to start considering times}
4844 :tend @r{A time string specifying when to stop considering times}
4845 :step @r{@code{week} or @code{day}, to split the table into chunks.}
4846 @r{To use this, @code{:block} or @code{:tstart}, @code{:tend} are needed.}
4847 :link @r{Link the item headlines in the table to their origins}
4848 :formula @r{Content of a @code{#+TBLFM} line to be added and evaluated.}
4849 @r{As a special case, @samp{:formula %} adds column with % time.}
4850 @r{If you do not specify a formula here, any existing formula}
4851 @r{below the clock table will survive updates and be evaluated.}
4853 So to get a clock summary of the current level 1 tree, for the current
4854 day, you could write
4856 #+BEGIN: clocktable :maxlevel 2 :block today :scope tree1 :link t
4859 and to use a specific time range you could write@footnote{Note that all
4860 parameters must be specified in a single line - the line is broken here
4861 only to fit it onto the manual.}
4863 #+BEGIN: clocktable :tstart "<2006-08-10 Thu 10:00>"
4864 :tend "<2006-08-10 Thu 12:00>"
4867 A summary of the current subtree with % times would be
4869 #+BEGIN: clocktable :scope subtree :link t :formula %
4876 Update dynamical block at point. The cursor needs to be in the
4877 @code{#+BEGIN} line of the dynamic block.
4878 @kindex C-u C-c C-x C-u
4879 @item C-u C-c C-x C-u
4880 Update all dynamic blocks (@pxref{Dynamic blocks}). This is useful if
4881 you have several clock table blocks in a buffer.
4882 @kindex S-@key{left}
4883 @kindex S-@key{right}
4885 @itemx S-@key{right}
4886 Shift the current @code{:block} interval and update the table. The cursor
4887 needs to be in the @code{#+BEGIN: clocktable} line for this command. If
4888 @code{:block} is @code{today}, it will be shifted to @code{today-1} etc.
4891 The @kbd{l} key may be used in the timeline (@pxref{Timeline}) and in
4892 the agenda (@pxref{Weekly/daily agenda}) to show which tasks have been
4893 worked on or closed during a day.
4895 @node Effort estimates, Relative timer, Clocking work time, Dates and Times
4896 @section Effort estimates
4897 @cindex effort estimates
4899 If you want to plan your work in a very detailed way, or if you need to
4900 produce offers with quotations of the estimated work effort, you may want to
4901 assign effort estimates to entries. If you are also clocking your work, you
4902 may later want to compare the planned effort with the actual working time, a
4903 great way to improve planning estimates. Effort estimates are stored in a
4904 special property @samp{Effort}@footnote{You may change the property being
4905 used with the variable @code{org-effort-property}.}. Clearly the best way to
4906 work with effort estimates is through column view (@pxref{Column view}). You
4907 should start by setting up discrete values for effort estimates, and a
4908 @code{COLUMNS} format that displays these values together with clock sums (if
4909 you want to clock your time). For a specific buffer you can use
4912 #+PROPERTY: Effort_ALL 0 0:10 0:30 1:00 2:00 3:00 4:00 5:00 6:00 7:00 8:00
4913 #+COLUMNS: %40ITEM(Task) %17Effort(Estimated Effort)@{:@} %CLOCKSUM
4917 or, even better, you can set up these values globally by customizing the
4918 variables @code{org-global-properties} and @code{org-columns-default-format}.
4919 In particular if you want to use this setup also in the agenda, a global
4920 setup may be advised.
4922 The way to assign estimates to individual items is then to switch to column
4923 mode, and to use @kbd{S-@key{right}} and @kbd{S-@key{left}} to change the
4924 value. The values you enter will immediately be summed up in the hierarchy.
4925 In the column next to it, any clocked time will be displayed.
4927 If you switch to column view in the daily/weekly agenda, the effort column
4928 will summarize the estimated work effort for each day@footnote{Please note
4929 the pitfalls of summing hierarchical data in a flat list (@pxref{Agenda
4930 column view}).}, and you can use this to find space in your schedule. To get
4931 an overview of the entire part of the day that is committed, you can set the
4932 option @code{org-agenda-columns-add-appointments-to-effort-sum}. The
4933 appointments on a day that take place over a specified time interval will
4934 then also be added to the load estimate of the day.
4936 Effort estimates can be used in secondary agenda filtering that is triggered
4937 with the @kbd{/} key in the agenda (@pxref{Agenda commands}). If you have
4938 these estimates defined consistently, two or three key presses will narrow
4939 down the list to stuff that fits into an available time slot.
4941 @node Relative timer, , Effort estimates, Dates and Times
4942 @section Taking notes with a relative timer
4943 @cindex relative timer
4945 When taking notes during, for example, a meeting or a video viewing, it can
4946 be useful to have access to times relative to a starting time. Org provides
4947 such a relative timer and make it easy to create timed notes.
4952 Insert a relative time into the buffer. The first time you use this, the
4953 timer will be started. When called with a prefix argument, the timer is
4957 Insert a description list item with the current relative time. With a prefix
4958 argument, first reset the timer to 0.
4961 One the timer list is started, you can also use @kbd{M-@key{RET}} to insert
4965 Reset the timer without inserting anything into the buffer. By default, the
4966 timer is reset to 0. When called with a @kbd{C-u} prefix, reset the timer to
4967 specific starting offset. The user is prompted for the offset, with a
4968 default taken from a timer string at point, if any, So this can be used to
4969 restart taking notes after a break in the process. When called with a double
4970 prefix argument @kbd{C-c C-u}, change all timer strings in the active region
4971 by a certain amount. This can be used to fix timer strings if the timer was
4972 not started at exactly the right moment.
4975 @node Capture, Agenda Views, Dates and Times, Top
4979 An important part of any organization system is the ability to quickly
4980 capture new ideas and tasks, and to associate reference material with them.
4981 Org uses the @file{remember} package to create tasks, and stores files
4982 related to a task (@i{attachments}) in a special directory.
4985 * Remember:: Capture new tasks/ideas with little interruption
4986 * Attachments:: Add files to tasks.
4989 @node Remember, Attachments, Capture, Capture
4991 @cindex @file{remember.el}
4993 The @i{Remember} package by John Wiegley lets you store quick notes with
4994 little interruption of your work flow. See
4995 @uref{http://www.emacswiki.org/cgi-bin/wiki/RememberMode} for more
4996 information. It is an excellent way to add new notes and tasks to
4997 Org files. Org significantly expands the possibilities of
4998 @i{remember}: You may define templates for different note types, and
4999 associate target files and headlines with specific templates. It also
5000 allows you to select the location where a note should be stored
5001 interactively, on the fly.
5004 * Setting up Remember:: Some code for .emacs to get things going
5005 * Remember templates:: Define the outline of different note types
5006 * Storing notes:: Directly get the note to where it belongs
5007 * Refiling notes:: Moving a note or task to a project
5010 @node Setting up Remember, Remember templates, Remember, Remember
5011 @subsection Setting up Remember
5013 The following customization will tell @i{remember} to use org files as
5014 target, and to create annotations compatible with Org links.
5017 (org-remember-insinuate)
5018 (setq org-directory "~/path/to/my/orgfiles/")
5019 (setq org-default-notes-file (concat org-directory "/notes.org"))
5020 (define-key global-map "\C-cr" 'org-remember)
5023 The last line binds the command @code{org-remember} to a global
5024 key@footnote{Please select your own key, @kbd{C-c r} is only a
5025 suggestion.}. @code{org-remember} basically just calls @code{remember},
5026 but it makes a few things easier: If there is an active region, it will
5027 automatically copy the region into the remember buffer. It also allows
5028 to jump to the buffer and location where remember notes are being
5029 stored: Just call @code{org-remember} with a prefix argument. If you
5030 use two prefix arguments, Org jumps to the location where the last
5031 remember note was stored.
5033 The remember buffer will actually use @code{org-mode} as its major mode, so
5034 that all editing features of Org-mode are available. In addition to this, a
5035 minor mode @code{org-remember-mode} is turned on, for the single purpose that
5036 you can use its keymap @code{org-remember-mode-map} to overwrite some of
5037 Org-mode's key bindings.
5039 You can also call @code{org-remember} in a special way from the agenda,
5040 using the @kbd{k r} key combination. With this access, any time stamps
5041 inserted by the selected remember template (see below) will default to
5042 the cursor date in the agenda, rather than to the current date.
5044 @node Remember templates, Storing notes, Setting up Remember, Remember
5045 @subsection Remember templates
5046 @cindex templates, for remember
5048 In combination with Org, you can use templates to generate
5049 different types of @i{remember} notes. For example, if you would like
5050 to use one template to create general TODO entries, another one for
5051 journal entries, and a third one for collecting random ideas, you could
5055 (setq org-remember-templates
5056 '(("Todo" ?t "* TODO %?\n %i\n %a" "~/org/TODO.org" "Tasks")
5057 ("Journal" ?j "* %U %?\n\n %i\n %a" "~/org/JOURNAL.org")
5058 ("Idea" ?i "* %^@{Title@}\n %i\n %a" "~/org/JOURNAL.org" "New Ideas")))
5061 @noindent In these entries, the first string is just a name, and the
5062 character specifies how to select the template. It is useful if the
5063 character is also the first letter of the name. The next string specifies
5064 the template. Two more (optional) strings give the file in which, and the
5065 headline under which the new note should be stored. The file (if not present
5066 or @code{nil}) defaults to @code{org-default-notes-file}, the heading to
5067 @code{org-remember-default-headline}. If the file name is not an absolute
5068 path, it will be interpreted relative to @code{org-directory}. The heading
5069 can also be the symbols @code{top} or @code{bottom} to send note as level 1
5070 entries to the beginning or end of the file, respectively.
5072 An optional sixth element specifies the contexts in which the user can select
5073 the template. This element can be a list of major modes or a function.
5074 @code{org-remember} will first check whether the function returns @code{t} or
5075 if we are in any of the listed major mode, and exclude templates fo which
5076 this condition is not fulfilled. Templates that do not specify this element
5077 at all, or that use @code{nil} or @code{t} as a value will always be
5083 (setq org-remember-templates
5084 '(("Bug" ?b "* BUG %?\n %i\n %a" "~/org/BUGS.org" "Bugs" (emacs-lisp-mode))
5085 ("Journal" ?j "* %U %?\n\n %i\n %a" "~/org/JOURNAL.org" "X" my-check)
5086 ("Idea" ?i "* %^@{Title@}\n %i\n %a" "~/org/JOURNAL.org" "New Ideas")))
5089 The first template will only be available when invoking @code{org-remember}
5090 from an buffer in @code{emacs-lisp-mode}. The second template will only be
5091 available when the function @code{my-check} returns @code{t}. The third
5092 template will be proposed in any context.
5094 When you call @kbd{M-x org-remember} (or @kbd{M-x remember}) to remember
5095 something, Org will prompt for a key to select the template (if you have
5096 more than one template) and then prepare the buffer like
5099 [[file:link to where you called remember]]
5103 During expansion of the template, special @kbd{%}-escapes allow dynamic
5104 insertion of content:
5106 %^@{prompt@} @r{prompt the user for a string and replace this sequence with it.}
5107 @r{You may specify a default value and a completion table with}
5108 @r{%^@{prompt|default|completion2|completion3...@}}
5109 @r{The arrow keys access a prompt-specific history.}
5110 %a @r{annotation, normally the link created with @code{org-store-link}}
5111 %A @r{like @code{%a}, but prompt for the description part}
5112 %i @r{initial content, the region when remember is called with C-u.}
5113 @r{The entire text will be indented like @code{%i} itself.}
5114 %t @r{time stamp, date only}
5115 %T @r{time stamp with date and time}
5116 %u, %U @r{like the above, but inactive time stamps}
5117 %^t @r{like @code{%t}, but prompt for date. Similarly @code{%^T}, @code{%^u}, @code{%^U}}
5118 @r{You may define a prompt like @code{%^@{Birthday@}t}}
5119 %n @r{user name (taken from @code{user-full-name})}
5120 %c @r{Current kill ring head.}
5121 %x @r{Content of the X clipboard.}
5122 %^C @r{Interactive selection of which kill or clip to use.}
5123 %^L @r{Like @code{%^C}, but insert as link.}
5124 %^g @r{prompt for tags, with completion on tags in target file.}
5125 %k @r{title of currently clocked task}
5126 %K @r{link to currently clocked task}
5127 %^G @r{prompt for tags, with completion all tags in all agenda files.}
5128 %^@{prop@}p @r{Prompt the user for a value for property @code{prop}}
5129 %:keyword @r{specific information for certain link types, see below}
5130 %[pathname] @r{insert the contents of the file given by @code{pathname}}
5131 %(sexp) @r{evaluate elisp @code{(sexp)} and replace with the result}
5132 %! @r{immediately store note after completing the template}
5133 @r{(skipping the @kbd{C-c C-c} that normally triggers storing)}
5134 %& @r{jump to target location immediately after storing note}
5138 For specific link types, the following keywords will be
5139 defined@footnote{If you define your own link types (@pxref{Adding
5140 hyperlink types}), any property you store with
5141 @code{org-store-link-props} can be accessed in remember templates in a
5145 Link type | Available keywords
5146 -------------------+----------------------------------------------
5147 bbdb | %:name %:company
5148 bbdb | %::server %:port %:nick
5149 vm, wl, mh, rmail | %:type %:subject %:message-id
5150 | %:from %:fromname %:fromaddress
5151 | %:to %:toname %:toaddress
5152 | %: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}.}}
5153 gnus | %:group, @r{for messages also all email fields}
5155 info | %:file %:node
5160 To place the cursor after template expansion use:
5163 %? @r{After completing the template, position cursor here.}
5167 If you change your mind about which template to use, call
5168 @code{org-remember} in the remember buffer. You may then select a new
5169 template that will be filled with the previous context information.
5171 @node Storing notes, Refiling notes, Remember templates, Remember
5172 @subsection Storing notes
5174 When you are finished preparing a note with @i{remember}, you have to press
5175 @kbd{C-c C-c} to file the note away. If you have started the clock in the
5176 remember buffer, you will first be asked if you want to clock out
5177 now@footnote{To avoid this query, configure the variable
5178 @code{org-remember-clock-out-on-exit}.}. If you answer @kbd{n}, the clock
5179 will continue to run after the note was filed away.
5181 The handler will then store the note in the file and under the headline
5182 specified in the template, or it will use the default file and headlines.
5183 The window configuration will be restored, sending you back to the working
5184 context before the call to @code{remember}. To re-use the location found
5185 during the last call to @code{remember}, exit the remember buffer with
5186 @kbd{C-0 C-c C-c}, i.e. specify a zero prefix argument to @kbd{C-c C-c}.
5187 Another special case is @kbd{C-2 C-c C-c} which files the note as a child of
5188 the currently clocked item.
5190 If you want to store the note directly to a different place, use
5191 @kbd{C-1 C-c C-c} instead to exit remember@footnote{Configure the
5192 variable @code{org-remember-store-without-prompt} to make this behavior
5193 the default.}. The handler will then first prompt for a target file -
5194 if you press @key{RET}, the value specified for the template is used.
5195 Then the command offers the headings tree of the selected file, with the
5196 cursor position at the default headline (if you had specified one in the
5197 template). You can either immediately press @key{RET} to get the note
5198 placed there. Or you can use the following keys to find a different
5201 @key{TAB} @r{Cycle visibility.}
5202 @key{down} / @key{up} @r{Next/previous visible headline.}
5203 n / p @r{Next/previous visible headline.}
5204 f / b @r{Next/previous headline same level.}
5206 @c 0-9 @r{Digit argument.}
5209 Pressing @key{RET} or @key{left} or @key{right}
5210 then leads to the following result.
5212 @multitable @columnfractions 0.2 0.15 0.65
5213 @item @b{Cursor position} @tab @b{Key} @tab @b{Note gets inserted}
5214 @item on headline @tab @key{RET} @tab as sublevel of the heading at cursor, first or last
5215 @item @tab @tab depending on @code{org-reverse-note-order}.
5216 @item @tab @key{left}/@key{right} @tab as same level, before/after current heading
5217 @item buffer-start @tab @key{RET} @tab as level 2 heading at end of file or level 1 at beginning
5218 @item @tab @tab depending on @code{org-reverse-note-order}.
5219 @item not on headline @tab @key{RET}
5220 @tab at cursor position, level taken from context.
5223 Before inserting the text into a tree, the function ensures that the text has
5224 a headline, i.e. a first line that starts with a @samp{*}. If not, a
5225 headline is constructed from the current date. If you have indented the text
5226 of the note below the headline, the indentation will be adapted if inserting
5227 the note into the tree requires demotion from level 1.
5229 @node Refiling notes, , Storing notes, Remember
5230 @subsection Refiling notes
5231 @cindex refiling notes
5233 Remember is usually used to quickly capture notes and tasks into one or
5234 a few capture lists. When reviewing the captured data, you may want to
5235 refile some of the entries into a different list, for example into a
5236 project. Cutting, finding the right location and then pasting the note
5237 is cumbersome. To simplify this process, you can use the following
5243 Refile the entry or region at point. This command offers possible locations
5244 for refiling the entry and lets you select one with completion. The item (or
5245 all items in the region) is filed below the target heading as a subitem.
5246 Depending on @code{org-reverse-note-order}, it will be either the first or
5248 By default, all level 1 headlines in the current buffer are considered to be
5249 targets, but you can have more complex definitions across a number of files.
5250 See the variable @code{org-refile-targets} for details. If you would like to
5251 select a location via a file-path-like completion along the outline path, see
5252 the variables @code{org-refile-use-outline-path} and
5253 @code{org-outline-path-complete-in-steps}.
5256 Use the refile interface to jump to a heading.
5257 @kindex C-u C-u C-c C-w
5258 @item C-u C-u C-c C-w
5259 Jump to the location where @code{org-refile} last moved a tree to.
5262 @node Attachments, , Remember, Capture
5263 @section Attachments
5266 It is often useful to associate reference material with an outline node/task.
5267 Small chunks of plain text can simply be stored in the subtree of a project.
5268 Hyperlinks (@pxref{Hyperlinks}) can be used to establish associations with
5269 files that live elsewhere on your computer or in the cloud, like emails or
5270 source code files belonging to a project. Another method is @i{attachments},
5271 which are files located in a directory belonging to an outline node. Org
5272 uses directories named by the unique ID of each entry. These directories are
5273 located in the @file{data} directory which lives in the same directory where
5274 your org-file lives@footnote{If you move entries or Org-files from one
5275 directory to the next, you may want to configure @code{org-attach-directory}
5276 to contain an absolute path.}. If you initialize this directory with
5277 @code{git-init}, Org will automatically commit changes when it sees them.
5278 The attachment system has been contributed to Org by John Wiegley.
5280 @noindent The following commands deal with attachments.
5286 The dispatcher for commands related to the attachment system. After these
5287 keys, a list of commands is displayed and you need to press an additional key
5288 to select a command:
5293 Select a file and move it into the task's attachment directory. The file
5294 will be copied, moved, or linked, depending on @code{org-attach-method}.
5295 Note that hard links are not supported on all systems.
5301 Attach a file using the copy/move/link method.
5302 Note that hard links are not supported on all systems.
5306 Create a new attachment as an Emacs buffer.
5310 Synchronize the current task with its attachment directory, in case you added
5311 attachments yourself.
5315 Open current task's attachment. If there are more than one, prompt for a
5316 file name first. Opening will follow the rules set by @code{org-file-apps}.
5317 For more details, see the information on following hyperlings
5318 (@pxref{Handling links}).
5322 Also open the attachment, but force opening the file in Emacs.
5326 Open the current task's attachment directory.
5330 Also open the directory, but force using @code{dired} in Emacs.
5334 Select and delete a single attachment.
5338 Delete all of a task's attachments. A safer way is to open the directory in
5339 dired and delete from there.
5343 @node Agenda Views, Embedded LaTeX, Capture, Top
5344 @chapter Agenda Views
5345 @cindex agenda views
5347 Due to the way Org works, TODO items, time-stamped items, and
5348 tagged headlines can be scattered throughout a file or even a number of
5349 files. To get an overview of open action items, or of events that are
5350 important for a particular date, this information must be collected,
5351 sorted and displayed in an organized way.
5353 Org can select items based on various criteria, and display them
5354 in a separate buffer. Seven different view types are provided:
5358 an @emph{agenda} that is like a calendar and shows information
5361 a @emph{TODO list} that covers all unfinished
5364 a @emph{match view}, showings headlines based on the tags, properties and
5365 TODO state associated with them,
5367 a @emph{timeline view} that shows all events in a single Org file,
5368 in time-sorted view,
5370 a @emph{keyword search view} that shows all entries from multiple files
5371 that contain specified keywords.
5373 a @emph{stuck projects view} showing projects that currently don't move
5376 @emph{custom views} that are special tag/keyword searches and
5377 combinations of different views.
5381 The extracted information is displayed in a special @emph{agenda
5382 buffer}. This buffer is read-only, but provides commands to visit the
5383 corresponding locations in the original Org files, and even to
5384 edit these files remotely.
5386 Two variables control how the agenda buffer is displayed and whether the
5387 window configuration is restored when the agenda exits:
5388 @code{org-agenda-window-setup} and
5389 @code{org-agenda-restore-windows-after-quit}.
5392 * Agenda files:: Files being searched for agenda information
5393 * Agenda dispatcher:: Keyboard access to agenda views
5394 * Built-in agenda views:: What is available out of the box?
5395 * Presentation and sorting:: How agenda items are prepared for display
5396 * Agenda commands:: Remote editing of Org trees
5397 * Custom agenda views:: Defining special searches and views
5398 * Agenda column view:: Using column view for collected entries
5401 @node Agenda files, Agenda dispatcher, Agenda Views, Agenda Views
5402 @section Agenda files
5403 @cindex agenda files
5404 @cindex files for agenda
5406 The information to be shown is normally collected from all @emph{agenda
5407 files}, the files listed in the variable
5408 @code{org-agenda-files}@footnote{If the value of that variable is not a
5409 list, but a single file name, then the list of agenda files will be
5410 maintained in that external file.}. If a directory is part of this list,
5411 all files with the extension @file{.org} in this directory will be part
5414 Thus even if you only work with a single Org file, this file should
5415 be put into that list@footnote{When using the dispatcher, pressing
5416 @kbd{<} before selecting a command will actually limit the command to
5417 the current file, and ignore @code{org-agenda-files} until the next
5418 dispatcher command.}. You can customize @code{org-agenda-files}, but
5419 the easiest way to maintain it is through the following commands
5421 @cindex files, adding to agenda list
5425 Add current file to the list of agenda files. The file is added to
5426 the front of the list. If it was already in the list, it is moved to
5427 the front. With a prefix argument, file is added/moved to the end.
5430 Remove current file from the list of agenda files.
5435 Cycle through agenda file list, visiting one file after the other.
5436 @kindex M-x org-iswitchb
5437 @item M-x org-iswitchb
5438 Command to use an @code{iswitchb}-like interface to switch to and between Org
5443 The Org menu contains the current list of files and can be used
5444 to visit any of them.
5446 If you would like to focus the agenda temporarily onto a file not in
5447 this list, or onto just one file in the list or even only a subtree in a
5448 file, this can be done in different ways. For a single agenda command,
5449 you may press @kbd{<} once or several times in the dispatcher
5450 (@pxref{Agenda dispatcher}). To restrict the agenda scope for an
5451 extended period, use the following commands:
5456 Permanently restrict the agenda to the current subtree. When with a
5457 prefix argument, or with the cursor before the first headline in a file,
5458 the agenda scope is set to the entire file. This restriction remains in
5459 effect until removed with @kbd{C-c C-x >}, or by typing either @kbd{<}
5460 or @kbd{>} in the agenda dispatcher. If there is a window displaying an
5461 agenda view, the new restriction takes effect immediately.
5464 Remove the permanent restriction created by @kbd{C-c C-x <}.
5468 When working with @file{Speedbar}, you can use the following commands in
5472 @item < @r{in the speedbar frame}
5473 Permanently restrict the agenda to the item at the cursor in the
5474 Speedbar frame, either an Org file or a subtree in such a file.
5475 If there is a window displaying an agenda view, the new restriction takes
5478 @item > @r{in the speedbar frame}
5479 Lift the restriction again.
5482 @node Agenda dispatcher, Built-in agenda views, Agenda files, Agenda Views
5483 @section The agenda dispatcher
5484 @cindex agenda dispatcher
5485 @cindex dispatching agenda commands
5486 The views are created through a dispatcher that should be bound to a
5487 global key, for example @kbd{C-c a} (@pxref{Installation}). In the
5488 following we will assume that @kbd{C-c a} is indeed how the dispatcher
5489 is accessed and list keyboard access to commands accordingly. After
5490 pressing @kbd{C-c a}, an additional letter is required to execute a
5491 command. The dispatcher offers the following default commands:
5494 Create the calendar-like agenda (@pxref{Weekly/daily agenda}).
5496 Create a list of all TODO items (@pxref{Global TODO list}).
5498 Create a list of headlines matching a TAGS expression (@pxref{Matching
5499 tags and properties}).
5501 Create the timeline view for the current buffer (@pxref{Timeline}).
5503 Create a list of entries selected by a boolean expression of keywords
5504 and/or regular expressions that must or must not occur in the entry.
5506 Search for a regular expression in all agenda files and additionally in
5507 the files listed in @code{org-agenda-multi-occur-extra-files}. This
5508 uses the Emacs command @code{multi-occur}. A prefix argument can be
5509 used to specify the number of context lines for each match, default is
5512 Create a list of stuck projects (@pxref{Stuck projects}).
5514 Restrict an agenda command to the current buffer@footnote{For backward
5515 compatibility, you can also press @kbd{1} to restrict to the current
5516 buffer.}. After pressing @kbd{<}, you still need to press the character
5517 selecting the command.
5519 If there is an active region, restrict the following agenda command to
5520 the region. Otherwise, restrict it to the current subtree@footnote{For
5521 backward compatibility, you can also press @kbd{0} to restrict to the
5522 current buffer.}. After pressing @kbd{< <}, you still need to press the
5523 character selecting the command.
5526 You can also define custom commands that will be accessible through the
5527 dispatcher, just like the default commands. This includes the
5528 possibility to create extended agenda buffers that contain several
5529 blocks together, for example the weekly agenda, the global TODO list and
5530 a number of special tags matches. @xref{Custom agenda views}.
5532 @node Built-in agenda views, Presentation and sorting, Agenda dispatcher, Agenda Views
5533 @section The built-in agenda views
5535 In this section we describe the built-in views.
5538 * Weekly/daily agenda:: The calendar page with current tasks
5539 * Global TODO list:: All unfinished action items
5540 * Matching tags and properties:: Structured information with fine-tuned search
5541 * Timeline:: Time-sorted view for single file
5542 * Keyword search:: Finding entries by keyword
5543 * Stuck projects:: Find projects you need to review
5546 @node Weekly/daily agenda, Global TODO list, Built-in agenda views, Built-in agenda views
5547 @subsection The weekly/daily agenda
5549 @cindex weekly agenda
5550 @cindex daily agenda
5552 The purpose of the weekly/daily @emph{agenda} is to act like a page of a
5553 paper agenda, showing all the tasks for the current week or day.
5556 @cindex org-agenda, command
5559 Compile an agenda for the current week from a list of org files. The agenda
5560 shows the entries for each day. With a numeric prefix@footnote{For backward
5561 compatibility, the universal prefix @kbd{C-u} causes all TODO entries to be
5562 listed before the agenda. This feature is deprecated, use the dedicated TODO
5563 list, or a block agenda instead (@pxref{Block agenda}).} (like @kbd{C-u 2 1
5564 C-c a a}) you may set the number of days to be displayed (see also the
5565 variable @code{org-agenda-ndays})
5568 Remote editing from the agenda buffer means, for example, that you can
5569 change the dates of deadlines and appointments from the agenda buffer.
5570 The commands available in the Agenda buffer are listed in @ref{Agenda
5573 @subsubheading Calendar/Diary integration
5574 @cindex calendar integration
5575 @cindex diary integration
5577 Emacs contains the calendar and diary by Edward M. Reingold. The
5578 calendar displays a three-month calendar with holidays from different
5579 countries and cultures. The diary allows you to keep track of
5580 anniversaries, lunar phases, sunrise/set, recurrent appointments
5581 (weekly, monthly) and more. In this way, it is quite complementary to
5582 Org. It can be very useful to combine output from Org with
5585 In order to include entries from the Emacs diary into Org mode's
5586 agenda, you only need to customize the variable
5589 (setq org-agenda-include-diary t)
5592 @noindent After that, everything will happen automatically. All diary
5593 entries including holidays, anniversaries etc will be included in the
5594 agenda buffer created by Org mode. @key{SPC}, @key{TAB}, and
5595 @key{RET} can be used from the agenda buffer to jump to the diary
5596 file in order to edit existing diary entries. The @kbd{i} command to
5597 insert new entries for the current date works in the agenda buffer, as
5598 well as the commands @kbd{S}, @kbd{M}, and @kbd{C} to display
5599 Sunrise/Sunset times, show lunar phases and to convert to other
5600 calendars, respectively. @kbd{c} can be used to switch back and forth
5601 between calendar and agenda.
5603 If you are using the diary only for sexp entries and holidays, it is
5604 faster to not use the above setting, but instead to copy or even move
5605 the entries into an Org file. Org mode evaluates diary-style sexp
5606 entries, and does it faster because there is no overhead for first
5607 creating the diary display. Note that the sexp entries must start at
5608 the left margin, no white space is allowed before them. For example,
5609 the following segment of an Org file will be processed and entries
5610 will be made in the agenda:
5613 * Birthdays and similar stuff
5615 %%(org-calendar-holiday) ; special function for holiday names
5617 %%(diary-anniversary 14 5 1956) Arthur Dent is %d years old
5618 %%(diary-anniversary 2 10 1869) Mahatma Gandhi would be %d years old
5621 @subsubheading Appointment reminders
5622 @cindex @file{appt.el}
5623 @cindex appointment reminders
5625 Org can interact with Emacs appointments notification facility.
5627 To add all the appointments of your agenda files, use the command
5628 @code{org-agenda-to-appt}. This commands also lets you filter through
5629 the list of your appointments and add only those belonging to a specific
5630 category or matching a regular expression. See the docstring for
5633 @node Global TODO list, Matching tags and properties, Weekly/daily agenda, Built-in agenda views
5634 @subsection The global TODO list
5635 @cindex global TODO list
5636 @cindex TODO list, global
5638 The global TODO list contains all unfinished TODO items, formatted and
5639 collected into a single place.
5644 Show the global TODO list. This collects the TODO items from all
5645 agenda files (@pxref{Agenda Views}) into a single buffer. The buffer is in
5646 @code{agenda-mode}, so there are commands to examine and manipulate
5647 the TODO entries directly from that buffer (@pxref{Agenda commands}).
5650 @cindex TODO keyword matching
5651 Like the above, but allows selection of a specific TODO keyword. You
5652 can also do this by specifying a prefix argument to @kbd{C-c a t}. With
5653 a @kbd{C-u} prefix you are prompted for a keyword, and you may also
5654 specify several keywords by separating them with @samp{|} as boolean OR
5655 operator. With a numeric prefix, the Nth keyword in
5656 @code{org-todo-keywords} is selected.
5658 The @kbd{r} key in the agenda buffer regenerates it, and you can give
5659 a prefix argument to this command to change the selected TODO keyword,
5660 for example @kbd{3 r}. If you often need a search for a specific
5661 keyword, define a custom command for it (@pxref{Agenda dispatcher}).@*
5662 Matching specific TODO keywords can also be done as part of a tags
5663 search (@pxref{Tag searches}).
5666 Remote editing of TODO items means that you can change the state of a
5667 TODO entry with a single key press. The commands available in the
5668 TODO list are described in @ref{Agenda commands}.
5670 @cindex sublevels, inclusion into TODO list
5671 Normally the global TODO list simply shows all headlines with TODO
5672 keywords. This list can become very long. There are two ways to keep
5676 Some people view a TODO item that has been @emph{scheduled} for
5677 execution (@pxref{Timestamps}) as no longer @emph{open}. Configure the
5678 variable @code{org-agenda-todo-ignore-scheduled} to exclude scheduled
5679 items from the global TODO list.
5681 TODO items may have sublevels to break up the task into subtasks. In
5682 such cases it may be enough to list only the highest level TODO headline
5683 and omit the sublevels from the global list. Configure the variable
5684 @code{org-agenda-todo-list-sublevels} to get this behavior.
5687 @node Matching tags and properties, Timeline, Global TODO list, Built-in agenda views
5688 @subsection Matching tags and properties
5689 @cindex matching, of tags
5690 @cindex matching, of properties
5694 If headlines in the agenda files are marked with @emph{tags}
5695 (@pxref{Tags}), you can select headlines based on the tags that apply
5696 to them and collect them into an agenda buffer.
5701 Produce a list of all headlines that match a given set of tags. The
5702 command prompts for a selection criterion, which is a boolean logic
5703 expression with tags, like @samp{+work+urgent-withboss} or
5704 @samp{work|home} (@pxref{Tags}). If you often need a specific search,
5705 define a custom command for it (@pxref{Agenda dispatcher}).
5708 Like @kbd{C-c a m}, but only select headlines that are also TODO items
5709 and force checking subitems (see variable
5710 @code{org-tags-match-list-sublevels}). Matching specific TODO keywords
5711 together with a tags match is also possible, see @ref{Tag searches}.
5714 The commands available in the tags list are described in @ref{Agenda
5717 @node Timeline, Keyword search, Matching tags and properties, Built-in agenda views
5718 @subsection Timeline for a single file
5719 @cindex timeline, single file
5720 @cindex time-sorted view
5722 The timeline summarizes all time-stamped items from a single Org mode
5723 file in a @emph{time-sorted view}. The main purpose of this command is
5724 to give an overview over events in a project.
5729 Show a time-sorted view of the org file, with all time-stamped items.
5730 When called with a @kbd{C-u} prefix, all unfinished TODO entries
5731 (scheduled or not) are also listed under the current date.
5735 The commands available in the timeline buffer are listed in
5736 @ref{Agenda commands}.
5738 @node Keyword search, Stuck projects, Timeline, Built-in agenda views
5739 @subsection Keyword search
5740 @cindex keyword search
5741 @cindex searching, for keywords
5743 This agenda view is a general text search facility for Org mode entries.
5744 It is particularly useful to find notes.
5749 This is a special search that lets you select entries by keywords or
5750 regular expression, using a boolean logic. For example, the search
5754 +computer +wifi -ethernet -@{8\.11[bg]@}
5758 will search for note entries that contain the keywords @code{computer}
5759 and @code{wifi}, but not the keyword @code{ethernet}, and which are also
5760 not matched by the regular expression @code{8\.11[bg]}, meaning to
5761 exclude both 8.11b and 8.11g.
5763 Note that in addition to the agenda files, this command will also search
5764 the files listed in @code{org-agenda-text-search-extra-files}.
5767 @node Stuck projects, , Keyword search, Built-in agenda views
5768 @subsection Stuck projects
5770 If you are following a system like David Allen's GTD to organize your
5771 work, one of the ``duties'' you have is a regular review to make sure
5772 that all projects move along. A @emph{stuck} project is a project that
5773 has no defined next actions, so it will never show up in the TODO lists
5774 Org mode produces. During the review, you need to identify such
5775 projects and define next actions for them.
5780 List projects that are stuck.
5783 Customize the variable @code{org-stuck-projects} to define what a stuck
5784 project is and how to find it.
5787 You almost certainly will have to configure this view before it will
5788 work for you. The built-in default assumes that all your projects are
5789 level-2 headlines, and that a project is not stuck if it has at least
5790 one entry marked with a TODO keyword TODO or NEXT or NEXTACTION.
5792 Let's assume that you, in your own way of using Org mode, identify
5793 projects with a tag PROJECT, and that you use a TODO keyword MAYBE to
5794 indicate a project that should not be considered yet. Let's further
5795 assume that the TODO keyword DONE marks finished projects, and that NEXT
5796 and TODO indicate next actions. The tag @@SHOP indicates shopping and
5797 is a next action even without the NEXT tag. Finally, if the project
5798 contains the special word IGNORE anywhere, it should not be listed
5799 either. In this case you would start by identifying eligible projects
5800 with a tags/todo match @samp{+PROJECT/-MAYBE-DONE}, and then check for
5801 TODO, NEXT, @@SHOP, and IGNORE in the subtree to identify projects that
5802 are not stuck. The correct customization for this is
5805 (setq org-stuck-projects
5806 '("+PROJECT/-MAYBE-DONE" ("NEXT" "TODO") ("@@SHOP")
5811 @node Presentation and sorting, Agenda commands, Built-in agenda views, Agenda Views
5812 @section Presentation and sorting
5813 @cindex presentation, of agenda items
5815 Before displaying items in an agenda view, Org mode visually prepares
5816 the items and sorts them. Each item occupies a single line. The line
5817 starts with a @emph{prefix} that contains the @emph{category}
5818 (@pxref{Categories}) of the item and other important information. You can
5819 customize the prefix using the option @code{org-agenda-prefix-format}.
5820 The prefix is followed by a cleaned-up version of the outline headline
5821 associated with the item.
5824 * Categories:: Not all tasks are equal
5825 * Time-of-day specifications:: How the agenda knows the time
5826 * Sorting of agenda items:: The order of things
5829 @node Categories, Time-of-day specifications, Presentation and sorting, Presentation and sorting
5830 @subsection Categories
5833 The category is a broad label assigned to each agenda item. By default,
5834 the category is simply derived from the file name, but you can also
5835 specify it with a special line in the buffer, like this@footnote{For
5836 backward compatibility, the following also works: If there are several
5837 such lines in a file, each specifies the category for the text below it.
5838 The first category also applies to any text before the first CATEGORY
5839 line. However, using this method is @emph{strongly} deprecated as it is
5840 incompatible with the outline structure of the document. The correct
5841 method for setting multiple categories in a buffer is using a
5849 If you would like to have a special CATEGORY for a single entry or a
5850 (sub)tree, give the entry a @code{:CATEGORY:} property with the location
5851 as the value (@pxref{Properties and Columns}).
5854 The display in the agenda buffer looks best if the category is not
5855 longer than 10 characters.
5857 @node Time-of-day specifications, Sorting of agenda items, Categories, Presentation and sorting
5858 @subsection Time-of-day specifications
5859 @cindex time-of-day specification
5861 Org mode checks each agenda item for a time-of-day specification. The
5862 time can be part of the time stamp that triggered inclusion into the
5863 agenda, for example as in @w{@samp{<2005-05-10 Tue 19:00>}}. Time
5864 ranges can be specified with two time stamps, like
5866 @w{@samp{<2005-05-10 Tue 20:30>--<2005-05-10 Tue 22:15>}}.
5868 In the headline of the entry itself, a time(range) may also appear as
5869 plain text (like @samp{12:45} or a @samp{8:30-1pm}). If the agenda
5870 integrates the Emacs diary (@pxref{Weekly/daily agenda}), time
5871 specifications in diary entries are recognized as well.
5873 For agenda display, Org mode extracts the time and displays it in a
5874 standard 24 hour format as part of the prefix. The example times in
5875 the previous paragraphs would end up in the agenda like this:
5878 8:30-13:00 Arthur Dent lies in front of the bulldozer
5879 12:45...... Ford Prefect arrives and takes Arthur to the pub
5880 19:00...... The Vogon reads his poem
5881 20:30-22:15 Marwin escorts the Hitchhikers to the bridge
5885 If the agenda is in single-day mode, or for the display of today, the
5886 timed entries are embedded in a time grid, like
5889 8:00...... ------------------
5890 8:30-13:00 Arthur Dent lies in front of the bulldozer
5891 10:00...... ------------------
5892 12:00...... ------------------
5893 12:45...... Ford Prefect arrives and takes Arthur to the pub
5894 14:00...... ------------------
5895 16:00...... ------------------
5896 18:00...... ------------------
5897 19:00...... The Vogon reads his poem
5898 20:00...... ------------------
5899 20:30-22:15 Marwin escorts the Hitchhikers to the bridge
5902 The time grid can be turned on and off with the variable
5903 @code{org-agenda-use-time-grid}, and can be configured with
5904 @code{org-agenda-time-grid}.
5906 @node Sorting of agenda items, , Time-of-day specifications, Presentation and sorting
5907 @subsection Sorting of agenda items
5908 @cindex sorting, of agenda items
5909 @cindex priorities, of agenda items
5910 Before being inserted into a view, the items are sorted. How this is
5911 done depends on the type of view.
5914 For the daily/weekly agenda, the items for each day are sorted. The
5915 default order is to first collect all items containing an explicit
5916 time-of-day specification. These entries will be shown at the beginning
5917 of the list, as a @emph{schedule} for the day. After that, items remain
5918 grouped in categories, in the sequence given by @code{org-agenda-files}.
5919 Within each category, items are sorted by priority (@pxref{Priorities}),
5920 which is composed of the base priority (2000 for priority @samp{A}, 1000
5921 for @samp{B}, and 0 for @samp{C}), plus additional increments for
5922 overdue scheduled or deadline items.
5924 For the TODO list, items remain in the order of categories, but within
5925 each category, sorting takes place according to priority
5926 (@pxref{Priorities}).
5928 For tags matches, items are not sorted at all, but just appear in the
5929 sequence in which they are found in the agenda files.
5932 Sorting can be customized using the variable
5933 @code{org-agenda-sorting-strategy}, and may also include criteria based on
5934 the estimated effort of an entry (@pxref{Effort estimates}).
5936 @node Agenda commands, Custom agenda views, Presentation and sorting, Agenda Views
5937 @section Commands in the agenda buffer
5938 @cindex commands, in agenda buffer
5940 Entries in the agenda buffer are linked back to the org file or diary
5941 file where they originate. You are not allowed to edit the agenda
5942 buffer itself, but commands are provided to show and jump to the
5943 original entry location, and to edit the org-files ``remotely'' from
5944 the agenda buffer. In this way, all information is stored only once,
5945 removing the risk that your agenda and note files may diverge.
5947 Some commands can be executed with mouse clicks on agenda lines. For
5948 the other commands, the cursor needs to be in the desired line.
5951 @tsubheading{Motion}
5952 @cindex motion commands in agenda
5955 Next line (same as @key{up} and @kbd{C-p}).
5958 Previous line (same as @key{down} and @kbd{C-n}).
5959 @tsubheading{View/Go to org file}
5964 Display the original location of the item in another window.
5968 Display original location and recenter that window.
5976 Go to the original location of the item in another window. Under Emacs
5977 22, @kbd{mouse-1} will also works for this.
5981 Go to the original location of the item and delete other windows.
5985 Toggle Follow mode. In Follow mode, as you move the cursor through
5986 the agenda buffer, the other window always shows the corresponding
5987 location in the org file. The initial setting for this mode in new
5988 agenda buffers can be set with the variable
5989 @code{org-agenda-start-with-follow-mode}.
5993 Display the entire subtree of the current item in an indirect buffer. With a
5994 numeric prefix argument N, go up to level N and then take that tree. If N is
5995 negative, go up that many levels. With a @kbd{C-u} prefix, do not remove the
5996 previously used indirect buffer.
6000 Toggle Logbook mode. In Logbook mode, entries that where marked DONE while
6001 logging was on (variable @code{org-log-done}) are shown in the agenda, as are
6002 entries that have been clocked on that day. You can configure the entry
6003 types that should be included in log mode using the variable
6004 @code{org-agenda-log-mode-items}. When called with a @kbd{C-u} prefix, show
6005 all possible logbook entries, including state changes. When called with two
6006 prefix args @kbd{C-u C-u}, show only logging information, nothing else.
6010 Toggle Archives mode. In archives mode, trees that are marked are also
6011 scanned when producing the agenda. When you call this command with a
6012 @kbd{C-u} prefix argument, even all archive files are included. To exit
6013 archives mode, press @kbd{v} again.
6017 Toggle Clockreport mode. In clockreport mode, the daily/weekly agenda will
6018 always show a table with the clocked times for the timespan and file scope
6019 covered by the current agenda view. The initial setting for this mode in new
6020 agenda buffers can be set with the variable
6021 @code{org-agenda-start-with-clockreport-mode}.
6023 @tsubheading{Change display}
6024 @cindex display changing, in agenda
6027 Delete other windows.
6034 Switch to day/week/month/year view. When switching to day or week view,
6035 this setting becomes the default for subsequent agenda commands. Since
6036 month and year views are slow to create, they do not become the default.
6037 A numeric prefix argument may be used to jump directly to a specific day
6038 of the year, ISO week, month, or year, respectively. For example,
6039 @kbd{32 d} jumps to February 1st, @kbd{9 w} to ISO week number 9. When
6040 setting day, week, or month view, a year may be encoded in the prefix
6041 argument as well. For example, @kbd{200712 w} will jump to week 12 in
6042 2007. If such a year specification has only one or two digits, it will
6043 be mapped to the interval 1938-2037.
6047 Toggle the inclusion of diary entries. See @ref{Weekly/daily agenda}.
6051 Toggle the time grid on and off. See also the variables
6052 @code{org-agenda-use-time-grid} and @code{org-agenda-time-grid}.
6056 Recreate the agenda buffer, for example to reflect the changes
6057 after modification of the time stamps of items with S-@key{left} and
6058 S-@key{right}. When the buffer is the global TODO list, a prefix
6059 argument is interpreted to create a selective list for a specific TODO
6069 Save all Org buffers in the current Emacs session.
6073 Display the following @code{org-agenda-ndays} days. For example, if
6074 the display covers a week, switch to the following week. With prefix
6075 arg, go forward that many times @code{org-agenda-ndays} days.
6079 Display the previous dates.
6087 Invoke column view (@pxref{Column view}) in the agenda buffer. The column
6088 view format is taken from the entry at point, or (if there is no entry at
6089 point), from the first entry in the agenda view. So whatever the format for
6090 that entry would be in the original buffer (taken from a property, from a
6091 @code{#+COLUMNS} line, or from the default variable
6092 @code{org-columns-default-format}), will be used in the agenda.
6094 @tsubheading{Secondary filtering and query editing}
6095 @cindex filtering, by tag and effort, in agenda
6096 @cindex tag filtering, in agenda
6097 @cindex effort filtering, in agenda
6098 @cindex query editing, in agenda
6102 Filter the current agenda view with respect to a tag and/or effort estimates.
6103 The difference between this and a custom agenda commands is that filtering is
6104 very fast, so that you can switch quickly between different filters without
6105 having to recreate the agenda.
6107 You will be prompted for a tag selection letter. Pressing @key{TAB} at that
6108 prompt will offer use completion to select a tag (including any tags that do
6109 not have a selection character). The command then hides all entries that do
6110 not contain or inherit this tag. When called with prefix arg, remove the
6111 entries that @emph{do} have the tag. A second @kbd{/} at the prompt will
6112 turn off the filter and unhide any hidden entries. If the first key you
6113 press is either @kbd{+} or @kbd{-}, the previous filter will be narrowed by
6114 requiring or forbidding the selected additional tag. Instead of pressing
6115 @kbd{+} or @kbd{-} after @kbd{/}, you can also immediately use the @kbd{\}
6118 In order to filter for effort estimates, you should set-up allowed
6119 efforts globally, for example
6121 (setq org-global-properties
6122 '(("Effort_ALL". "0 0:10 0:30 1:00 2:00 3:00 4:00")))
6124 You can then filter for an effort by first typing an operator, one of @kbd{<},
6125 @kbd{>}, and @kbd{=}, and then the one-digit index of an effort estimate in
6126 your array of allowed values, where @kbd{0} means the 10th value. The filter
6127 will then restrict to entries with effort smaller-or-equal, equal, or
6128 larger-or-equal than the selected value. If the digits 0-9 are not used as
6129 fast access keys to tags, you can also simply press the index digit directly
6130 without an operator. In this case, @kbd{<} will be assumed.
6134 Narrow the current agenda filter by an additional condition. When called with
6135 prefix arg, remove the entries that @emph{do} have the tag, or that do match
6136 the effort criterion. You can achieve the same effect by pressing @kbd{+} or
6137 @kbd{-} as the first key after the @kbd{/} command.
6144 In the @i{search view} (@pxref{Keyword search}), these keys add new search
6145 words (@kbd{[} and @kbd{]}) or new regular expressions (@kbd{@{} and
6146 @kbd{@}}) to the query string. The opening bracket/brace will add a positive
6147 search term prefixed by @samp{+}, indicating that this search term @i{must}
6148 occur/match in the entry. The closing bracket/brace will add a negative
6149 search term which @i{must not} occur/match in the entry for it to be
6153 @tsubheading{Remote editing}
6154 @cindex remote editing, from agenda
6159 @cindex undoing remote-editing events
6160 @cindex remote editing, undo
6163 Undo a change due to a remote editing command. The change is undone
6164 both in the agenda buffer and in the remote buffer.
6168 Change the TODO state of the item, both in the agenda and in the
6173 Delete the current agenda item along with the entire subtree belonging
6174 to it in the original Org file. If the text to be deleted remotely
6175 is longer than one line, the kill needs to be confirmed by the user. See
6176 variable @code{org-agenda-confirm-kill}.
6180 Toggle the ARCHIVE tag for the current headline.
6184 Move the subtree corresponding to the current entry to its @emph{Archive
6189 Archive the subtree corresponding to the current headline. This means the
6190 entry will be moved to the configured archive location, most likely a
6195 Show all tags associated with the current item. Because of
6196 inheritance, this may be more than the tags listed in the line itself.
6200 Set tags for the current headline. If there is an active region in the
6201 agenda, change a tag for all headings in the region.
6205 Set the priority for the current item. Org mode prompts for the
6206 priority character. If you reply with @key{SPC}, the priority cookie
6207 is removed from the entry.
6211 Display weighted priority of current item.
6217 Increase the priority of the current item. The priority is changed in
6218 the original buffer, but the agenda is not resorted. Use the @kbd{r}
6222 @kindex S-@key{down}
6225 Decrease the priority of the current item.
6229 Dispatcher for all command related to attachments.
6237 Set a deadline for this item.
6241 Agenda actions, to set dates for selected items to the cursor date.
6242 This command also works in the calendar! The command prompts for an
6245 m @r{Mark the entry at point for action. You can also make entries}
6246 @r{in Org files with @kbd{C-c C-x C-k}.}
6247 d @r{Set the deadline of the marked entry to the date at point.}
6248 s @r{Schedule the marked entry at the date at point.}
6249 r @r{Call @code{org-remember} with the cursor date as default date.}
6251 Press @kbd{r} afterwards to refresh the agenda and see the effect of the
6254 @kindex S-@key{right}
6256 Change the time stamp associated with the current line by one day into the
6257 future. With a numeric prefix argument, change it by that many days. For
6258 example, @kbd{3 6 5 S-@key{right}} will change it by a year. The stamp is
6259 changed in the original org file, but the change is not directly reflected in
6260 the agenda buffer. Use the @kbd{r} key to update the buffer.
6262 @kindex S-@key{left}
6264 Change the time stamp associated with the current line by one day
6269 Change the time stamp associated with the current line to today.
6270 The key @kbd{>} has been chosen, because it is the same as @kbd{S-.}
6275 Start the clock on the current item. If a clock is running already, it
6280 Stop the previously started clock.
6284 Cancel the currently running clock.
6288 Jump to the running clock in another window.
6290 @tsubheading{Calendar commands}
6291 @cindex calendar commands, from agenda
6294 Open the Emacs calendar and move to the date at the agenda cursor.
6297 When in the calendar, compute and show the Org mode agenda for the
6300 @cindex diary entries, creating from agenda
6303 Insert a new entry into the diary. Prompts for the type of entry
6304 (day, weekly, monthly, yearly, anniversary, cyclic) and creates a new
6305 entry in the diary, just as @kbd{i d} etc. would do in the calendar.
6306 The date is taken from the cursor position.
6310 Show the phases of the moon for the three months around current date.
6314 Show sunrise and sunset times. The geographical location must be set
6315 with calendar variables, see documentation of the Emacs calendar.
6319 Convert the date at cursor into many other cultural and historic
6324 Show holidays for three month around the cursor date.
6326 @item M-x org-export-icalendar-combine-agenda-files
6327 Export a single iCalendar file containing entries from all agenda files.
6328 This is a globally available command, and also available in the agenda menu.
6330 @tsubheading{Exporting to a file}
6333 @cindex exporting agenda views
6334 @cindex agenda views, exporting
6335 Write the agenda view to a file. Depending on the extension of the
6336 selected file name, the view will be exported as HTML (extension
6337 @file{.html} or @file{.htm}), Postscript (extension @file{.ps}), or
6338 plain text (any other extension). Use the variable
6339 @code{org-agenda-exporter-settings} to set options for @file{ps-print}
6340 and for @file{htmlize} to be used during export.
6342 @tsubheading{Quit and Exit}
6345 Quit agenda, remove the agenda buffer.
6348 @cindex agenda files, removing buffers
6350 Exit agenda, remove the agenda buffer and all buffers loaded by Emacs
6351 for the compilation of the agenda. Buffers created by the user to
6352 visit org files will not be removed.
6356 @node Custom agenda views, Agenda column view, Agenda commands, Agenda Views
6357 @section Custom agenda views
6358 @cindex custom agenda views
6359 @cindex agenda views, custom
6361 Custom agenda commands serve two purposes: to store and quickly access
6362 frequently used TODO and tags searches, and to create special composite
6363 agenda buffers. Custom agenda commands will be accessible through the
6364 dispatcher (@pxref{Agenda dispatcher}), just like the default commands.
6367 * Storing searches:: Type once, use often
6368 * Block agenda:: All the stuff you need in a single buffer
6369 * Setting Options:: Changing the rules
6370 * Exporting Agenda Views:: Writing agendas to files
6371 * Using the agenda elsewhere:: Using agenda information in other programs
6374 @node Storing searches, Block agenda, Custom agenda views, Custom agenda views
6375 @subsection Storing searches
6377 The first application of custom searches is the definition of keyboard
6378 shortcuts for frequently used searches, either creating an agenda
6379 buffer, or a sparse tree (the latter covering of course only the current
6382 Custom commands are configured in the variable
6383 @code{org-agenda-custom-commands}. You can customize this variable, for
6384 example by pressing @kbd{C-c a C}. You can also directly set it with
6385 Emacs Lisp in @file{.emacs}. The following example contains all valid
6390 (setq org-agenda-custom-commands
6391 '(("w" todo "WAITING")
6392 ("W" todo-tree "WAITING")
6393 ("u" tags "+boss-urgent")
6394 ("v" tags-todo "+boss-urgent")
6395 ("U" tags-tree "+boss-urgent")
6396 ("f" occur-tree "\\<FIXME\\>")
6397 ("h" . "HOME+Name tags searches") ; description for "h" prefix
6398 ("hl" tags "+home+Lisa")
6399 ("hp" tags "+home+Peter")
6400 ("hk" tags "+home+Kim")))
6405 The initial string in each entry defines the keys you have to press
6406 after the dispatcher command @kbd{C-c a} in order to access the command.
6407 Usually this will be just a single character, but if you have many
6408 similar commands, you can also define two-letter combinations where the
6409 first character is the same in several combinations and serves as a
6410 prefix key@footnote{You can provide a description for a prefix key by
6411 inserting a cons cell with the prefix and the description.}. The second
6412 parameter is the search type, followed by the string or regular
6413 expression to be used for the matching. The example above will
6418 as a global search for TODO entries with @samp{WAITING} as the TODO
6421 as the same search, but only in the current buffer and displaying the
6422 results as a sparse tree
6424 as a global tags search for headlines marked @samp{:boss:} but not
6427 as the same search as @kbd{C-c a u}, but limiting the search to
6428 headlines that are also TODO items
6430 as the same search as @kbd{C-c a u}, but only in the current buffer and
6431 displaying the result as a sparse tree
6433 to create a sparse tree (again: current buffer only) with all entries
6434 containing the word @samp{FIXME}
6436 as a prefix command for a HOME tags search where you have to press an
6437 additional key (@kbd{l}, @kbd{p} or @kbd{k}) to select a name (Lisa,
6438 Peter, or Kim) as additional tag to match.
6441 @node Block agenda, Setting Options, Storing searches, Custom agenda views
6442 @subsection Block agenda
6443 @cindex block agenda
6444 @cindex agenda, with block views
6446 Another possibility is the construction of agenda views that comprise
6447 the results of @emph{several} commands, each of which creates a block in
6448 the agenda buffer. The available commands include @code{agenda} for the
6449 daily or weekly agenda (as created with @kbd{C-c a a}), @code{alltodo}
6450 for the global TODO list (as constructed with @kbd{C-c a t}), and the
6451 matching commands discussed above: @code{todo}, @code{tags}, and
6452 @code{tags-todo}. Here are two examples:
6456 (setq org-agenda-custom-commands
6457 '(("h" "Agenda and Home-related tasks"
6461 ("o" "Agenda and Office-related tasks"
6469 This will define @kbd{C-c a h} to create a multi-block view for stuff
6470 you need to attend to at home. The resulting agenda buffer will contain
6471 your agenda for the current week, all TODO items that carry the tag
6472 @samp{home}, and also all lines tagged with @samp{garden}. Finally the
6473 command @kbd{C-c a o} provides a similar view for office tasks.
6475 @node Setting Options, Exporting Agenda Views, Block agenda, Custom agenda views
6476 @subsection Setting options for custom commands
6477 @cindex options, for custom agenda views
6479 Org mode contains a number of variables regulating agenda construction
6480 and display. The global variables define the behavior for all agenda
6481 commands, including the custom commands. However, if you want to change
6482 some settings just for a single custom view, you can do so. Setting
6483 options requires inserting a list of variable names and values at the
6484 right spot in @code{org-agenda-custom-commands}. For example:
6488 (setq org-agenda-custom-commands
6489 '(("w" todo "WAITING"
6490 ((org-agenda-sorting-strategy '(priority-down))
6491 (org-agenda-prefix-format " Mixed: ")))
6492 ("U" tags-tree "+boss-urgent"
6493 ((org-show-following-heading nil)
6494 (org-show-hierarchy-above nil)))
6496 ((org-agenda-files '("~org/notes.org"))
6497 (org-agenda-text-search-extra-files nil)))))
6502 Now the @kbd{C-c a w} command will sort the collected entries only by
6503 priority, and the prefix format is modified to just say @samp{ Mixed: }
6504 instead of giving the category of the entry. The sparse tags tree of
6505 @kbd{C-c a U} will now turn out ultra-compact, because neither the
6506 headline hierarchy above the match, nor the headline following the match
6507 will be shown. The command @kbd{C-c a N} will do a text search limited
6508 to only a single file.
6510 For command sets creating a block agenda,
6511 @code{org-agenda-custom-commands} has two separate spots for setting
6512 options. You can add options that should be valid for just a single
6513 command in the set, and options that should be valid for all commands in
6514 the set. The former are just added to the command entry, the latter
6515 must come after the list of command entries. Going back to the block
6516 agenda example (@pxref{Block agenda}), let's change the sorting strategy
6517 for the @kbd{C-c a h} commands to @code{priority-down}, but let's sort
6518 the results for GARDEN tags query in the opposite order,
6519 @code{priority-up}. This would look like this:
6523 (setq org-agenda-custom-commands
6524 '(("h" "Agenda and Home-related tasks"
6528 ((org-agenda-sorting-strategy '(priority-up)))))
6529 ((org-agenda-sorting-strategy '(priority-down))))
6530 ("o" "Agenda and Office-related tasks"
6537 As you see, the values and parenthesis setting is a little complex.
6538 When in doubt, use the customize interface to set this variable - it
6539 fully supports its structure. Just one caveat: When setting options in
6540 this interface, the @emph{values} are just lisp expressions. So if the
6541 value is a string, you need to add the double quotes around the value
6545 @node Exporting Agenda Views, Using the agenda elsewhere, Setting Options, Custom agenda views
6546 @subsection Exporting Agenda Views
6547 @cindex agenda views, exporting
6549 If you are away from your computer, it can be very useful to have a
6550 printed version of some agenda views to carry around. Org mode can
6551 export custom agenda views as plain text, HTML@footnote{You need to
6552 install Hrvoje Niksic' @file{htmlize.el}.} postscript, and iCalendar
6553 files. If you want to do this only occasionally, use the command
6558 @cindex exporting agenda views
6559 @cindex agenda views, exporting
6560 Write the agenda view to a file. Depending on the extension of the
6561 selected file name, the view will be exported as HTML (extension
6562 @file{.html} or @file{.htm}), Postscript (extension @file{.ps}),
6563 iCalendar (extension @file{.ics}), or plain text (any other extension).
6564 Use the variable @code{org-agenda-exporter-settings} to
6565 set options for @file{ps-print} and for @file{htmlize} to be used during
6569 (setq org-agenda-exporter-settings
6570 '((ps-number-of-columns 2)
6571 (ps-landscape-mode t)
6572 (htmlize-output-type 'css)))
6576 If you need to export certain agenda views frequently, you can associate
6577 any custom agenda command with a list of output file names
6578 @footnote{If you want to store standard views like the weekly agenda
6579 or the global TODO list as well, you need to define custom commands for
6580 them in order to be able to specify file names.}. Here is an example
6581 that first does define custom commands for the agenda and the global
6582 todo list, together with a number of files to which to export them.
6583 Then we define two block agenda commands and specify file names for them
6584 as well. File names can be relative to the current working directory,
6589 (setq org-agenda-custom-commands
6590 '(("X" agenda "" nil ("agenda.html" "agenda.ps"))
6591 ("Y" alltodo "" nil ("todo.html" "todo.txt" "todo.ps"))
6592 ("h" "Agenda and Home-related tasks"
6597 ("~/views/home.html"))
6598 ("o" "Agenda and Office-related tasks"
6603 ("~/views/office.ps" "~/calendars/office.ics"))))
6607 The extension of the file name determines the type of export. If it is
6608 @file{.html}, Org mode will use the @file{htmlize.el} package to convert
6609 the buffer to HTML and save it to this file name. If the extension is
6610 @file{.ps}, @code{ps-print-buffer-with-faces} is used to produce
6611 postscript output. If the extension is @file{.ics}, iCalendar export is
6612 run export over all files that were used to construct the agenda, and
6613 limit the export to entries listed in the agenda now. Any other
6614 extension produces a plain ASCII file.
6616 The export files are @emph{not} created when you use one of those
6617 commands interactively because this might use too much overhead.
6618 Instead, there is a special command to produce @emph{all} specified
6624 Export all agenda views that have export file names associated with
6628 You can use the options section of the custom agenda commands to also
6629 set options for the export commands. For example:
6632 (setq org-agenda-custom-commands
6634 ((ps-number-of-columns 2)
6635 (ps-landscape-mode t)
6636 (org-agenda-prefix-format " [ ] ")
6637 (org-agenda-with-colors nil)
6638 (org-agenda-remove-tags t))
6643 This command sets two options for the postscript exporter, to make it
6644 print in two columns in landscape format - the resulting page can be cut
6645 in two and then used in a paper agenda. The remaining settings modify
6646 the agenda prefix to omit category and scheduling information, and
6647 instead include a checkbox to check off items. We also remove the tags
6648 to make the lines compact, and we don't want to use colors for the
6649 black-and-white printer. Settings specified in
6650 @code{org-agenda-exporter-settings} will also apply, but the settings
6651 in @code{org-agenda-custom-commands} take precedence.
6654 From the command line you may also use
6656 emacs -f org-batch-store-agenda-views -kill
6659 or, if you need to modify some parameters@footnote{Quoting may depend on the
6660 system you use, please check th FAQ for examples.}
6662 emacs -eval '(org-batch-store-agenda-views \
6663 org-agenda-ndays 30 \
6664 org-agenda-start-day "2007-11-01" \
6665 org-agenda-include-diary nil \
6666 org-agenda-files (quote ("~/org/project.org")))' \
6670 which will create the agenda views restricted to the file
6671 @file{~/org/project.org}, without diary entries and with 30 days
6674 @node Using the agenda elsewhere, , Exporting Agenda Views, Custom agenda views
6675 @subsection Using agenda information outside of Org
6676 @cindex agenda, pipe
6677 @cindex Scripts, for agenda processing
6679 Org provides commands to access agenda information for the command
6680 line in emacs batch mode. This extracted information can be sent
6681 directly to a printer, or it can be read by a program that does further
6682 processing of the data. The first of these commands is the function
6683 @code{org-batch-agenda}, that produces an agenda view and sends it as
6684 ASCII text to STDOUT. The command takes a single string as parameter.
6685 If the string has length 1, it is used as a key to one of the commands
6686 you have configured in @code{org-agenda-custom-commands}, basically any
6687 key you can use after @kbd{C-c a}. For example, to directly print the
6688 current TODO list, you could use
6691 emacs -batch -l ~/.emacs -eval '(org-batch-agenda "t")' | lpr
6694 If the parameter is a string with 2 or more characters, it is used as a
6695 tags/todo match string. For example, to print your local shopping list
6696 (all items with the tag @samp{shop}, but excluding the tag
6697 @samp{NewYork}), you could use
6700 emacs -batch -l ~/.emacs \
6701 -eval '(org-batch-agenda "+shop-NewYork")' | lpr
6705 You may also modify parameters on the fly like this:
6708 emacs -batch -l ~/.emacs \
6709 -eval '(org-batch-agenda "a" \
6710 org-agenda-ndays 30 \
6711 org-agenda-include-diary nil \
6712 org-agenda-files (quote ("~/org/project.org")))' \
6717 which will produce a 30 day agenda, fully restricted to the Org file
6718 @file{~/org/projects.org}, not even including the diary.
6720 If you want to process the agenda data in more sophisticated ways, you
6721 can use the command @code{org-batch-agenda-csv} to get a comma-separated
6722 list of values for each agenda item. Each line in the output will
6723 contain a number of fields separated by commas. The fields in a line
6727 category @r{The category of the item}
6728 head @r{The headline, without TODO kwd, TAGS and PRIORITY}
6729 type @r{The type of the agenda entry, can be}
6730 todo @r{selected in TODO match}
6731 tagsmatch @r{selected in tags match}
6732 diary @r{imported from diary}
6733 deadline @r{a deadline}
6734 scheduled @r{scheduled}
6735 timestamp @r{appointment, selected by timestamp}
6736 closed @r{entry was closed on date}
6737 upcoming-deadline @r{warning about nearing deadline}
6738 past-scheduled @r{forwarded scheduled item}
6739 block @r{entry has date block including date}
6740 todo @r{The TODO keyword, if any}
6741 tags @r{All tags including inherited ones, separated by colons}
6742 date @r{The relevant date, like 2007-2-14}
6743 time @r{The time, like 15:00-16:50}
6744 extra @r{String with extra planning info}
6745 priority-l @r{The priority letter if any was given}
6746 priority-n @r{The computed numerical priority}
6750 Time and date will only be given if a timestamp (or deadline/scheduled)
6751 lead to the selection of the item.
6753 A CSV list like this is very easy to use in a post processing script.
6754 For example, here is a Perl program that gets the TODO list from
6755 Emacs/Org and prints all the items, preceded by a checkbox:
6761 # define the Emacs command to run
6762 $cmd = "emacs -batch -l ~/.emacs -eval '(org-batch-agenda-csv \"t\")'";
6764 # run it and capture the output
6765 $agenda = qx@{$cmd 2>/dev/null@};
6767 # loop over all lines
6768 foreach $line (split(/\n/,$agenda)) @{
6770 # get the individual values
6771 ($category,$head,$type,$todo,$tags,$date,$time,$extra,
6772 $priority_l,$priority_n) = split(/,/,$line);
6774 # proccess and print
6775 print "[ ] $head\n";
6780 @node Agenda column view, , Custom agenda views, Agenda Views
6781 @section Using column view in the agenda
6782 @cindex column view, in agenda
6783 @cindex agenda, column view
6785 Column view (@pxref{Column view}) is normally used to view and edit
6786 properties embedded in the hierarchical structure of an Org file. It can be
6787 quite useful to use column view also from the agenda, where entries are
6788 collected by certain criteria.
6793 Turn on column view in the agenda.
6796 To understand how to use this properly, it is important to realize that the
6797 entries in the agenda are no longer in their proper outline environment.
6798 This causes the following issues:
6802 Org needs to make a decision which @code{COLUMNS} format to use. Since the
6803 entries in the agenda are collected from different files, and different files
6804 may have different @code{COLUMNS} formats, this is a non-trivial problem.
6805 Org first checks if the variable @code{org-overriding-columns-format} is
6806 currently set, and if yes takes the format from there. Otherwise it takes
6807 the format associated with the first item in the agenda, or, if that item
6808 does not have a specific format (defined in a property, or in it's file), it
6809 uses @code{org-columns-default-format}.
6811 If any of the columns has a summary type defined (@pxref{Column attributes}),
6812 turning on column view in the agenda will visit all relevant agenda files and
6813 make sure that the computations of this property are up to date. This is
6814 also true for the special @code{CLOCKSUM} property. Org will then sum the
6815 values displayed in the agenda. In the daily/weekly agenda, the sums will
6816 cover a single day, in all other views they cover the entire block. It is
6817 vital to realize that the agenda may show the same entry @emph{twice} (for
6818 example as scheduled and as a deadline), and it may show two entries from the
6819 same hierarchy (for example a @emph{parent} and it's @emph{child}). In these
6820 cases, the summation in the agenda will lead to incorrect results because
6821 some values will count double.
6823 When the column view in the agenda shows the @code{CLOCKSUM}, that is always
6824 the entire clocked time for this item. So even in the daily/weekly agenda,
6825 the clocksum listed in column view may originate from times outside the
6826 current view. This has the advantage that you can compare these values with
6827 a column listing the planned total effort for a task - one of the major
6828 applications for column view in the agenda. If you want information about
6829 clocked time in the displayed period use clock table mode (press @kbd{R} in
6834 @node Embedded LaTeX, Exporting, Agenda Views, Top
6835 @chapter Embedded LaTeX
6836 @cindex @TeX{} interpretation
6837 @cindex La@TeX{} interpretation
6839 Plain ASCII is normally sufficient for almost all note taking. One
6840 exception, however, are scientific notes which need to be able to contain
6841 mathematical symbols and the occasional formula. La@TeX{}@footnote{La@TeX{}
6842 is a macro system based on Donald E. Knuth's @TeX{} system. Many of the
6843 features described here as ``La@TeX{}'' are really from @TeX{}, but for
6844 simplicity I am blurring this distinction.} is widely used to typeset
6845 scientific documents. Org mode supports embedding La@TeX{} code into its
6846 files, because many academics are used to reading La@TeX{} source code, and
6847 because it can be readily processed into images for HTML production.
6849 It is not necessary to mark La@TeX{} macros and code in any special way.
6850 If you observe a few conventions, Org mode knows how to find it and what
6854 * Math symbols:: TeX macros for symbols and Greek letters
6855 * Subscripts and superscripts:: Simple syntax for raising/lowering text
6856 * LaTeX fragments:: Complex formulas made easy
6857 * Processing LaTeX fragments:: Previewing LaTeX processing
6858 * CDLaTeX mode:: Speed up entering of formulas
6861 @node Math symbols, Subscripts and superscripts, Embedded LaTeX, Embedded LaTeX
6862 @section Math symbols
6863 @cindex math symbols
6866 You can use La@TeX{} macros to insert special symbols like @samp{\alpha}
6867 to indicate the Greek letter, or @samp{\to} to indicate an arrow.
6868 Completion for these macros is available, just type @samp{\} and maybe a
6869 few letters, and press @kbd{M-@key{TAB}} to see possible completions.
6870 Unlike La@TeX{} code, Org mode allows these macros to be present
6871 without surrounding math delimiters, for example:
6874 Angles are written as Greek letters \alpha, \beta and \gamma.
6877 During HTML export (@pxref{HTML export}), these symbols are translated
6878 into the proper syntax for HTML, for the above examples this is
6879 @samp{α} and @samp{→}, respectively. If you need such a symbol
6880 inside a word, terminate it like this: @samp{\Aacute@{@}stor}.
6882 @node Subscripts and superscripts, LaTeX fragments, Math symbols, Embedded LaTeX
6883 @section Subscripts and superscripts
6887 Just like in La@TeX{}, @samp{^} and @samp{_} are used to indicate super-
6888 and subscripts. Again, these can be used without embedding them in
6889 math-mode delimiters. To increase the readability of ASCII text, it is
6890 not necessary (but OK) to surround multi-character sub- and superscripts
6891 with curly braces. For example
6894 The mass if the sun is M_sun = 1.989 x 10^30 kg. The radius of
6895 the sun is R_@{sun@} = 6.96 x 10^8 m.
6898 To avoid interpretation as raised or lowered text, you can quote
6899 @samp{^} and @samp{_} with a backslash: @samp{\_} and @samp{\^}.
6901 During HTML export (@pxref{HTML export}), subscript and superscripts
6902 are surrounded with @code{<sub>} and @code{<sup>} tags, respectively.
6904 @node LaTeX fragments, Processing LaTeX fragments, Subscripts and superscripts, Embedded LaTeX
6905 @section LaTeX fragments
6906 @cindex LaTeX fragments
6908 With symbols, sub- and superscripts, HTML is pretty much at its end when
6909 it comes to representing mathematical formulas@footnote{Yes, there is
6910 MathML, but that is not yet fully supported by many browsers, and there
6911 is no decent converter for turning La@TeX{} or ASCII representations of
6912 formulas into MathML. So for the time being, converting formulas into
6913 images seems the way to go.}. More complex expressions need a dedicated
6914 formula processor. To this end, Org mode can contain arbitrary La@TeX{}
6915 fragments. It provides commands to preview the typeset result of these
6916 fragments, and upon export to HTML, all fragments will be converted to
6917 images and inlined into the HTML document@footnote{The La@TeX{} export
6918 will not use images for displaying La@TeX{} fragments but include these
6919 fragments directly into the La@TeX{} code.}. For this to work you
6920 need to be on a system with a working La@TeX{} installation. You also
6921 need the @file{dvipng} program, available at
6922 @url{http://sourceforge.net/projects/dvipng/}. The La@TeX{} header that
6923 will be used when processing a fragment can be configured with the
6924 variable @code{org-format-latex-header}.
6926 La@TeX{} fragments don't need any special marking at all. The following
6927 snippets will be identified as La@TeX{} source code:
6930 Environments of any kind. The only requirement is that the
6931 @code{\begin} statement appears on a new line, preceded by only
6934 Text within the usual La@TeX{} math delimiters. To avoid conflicts with
6935 currency specifications, single @samp{$} characters are only recognized
6936 as math delimiters if the enclosed text contains at most two line breaks,
6937 is directly attached to the @samp{$} characters with no whitespace in
6938 between, and if the closing @samp{$} is followed by whitespace or
6939 punctuation. For the other delimiters, there is no such restriction, so
6940 when in doubt, use @samp{\(...\)} as inline math delimiters.
6943 @noindent For example:
6946 \begin@{equation@} % arbitrary environments,
6947 x=\sqrt@{b@} % even tables, figures
6948 \end@{equation@} % etc
6950 If $a^2=b$ and \( b=2 \), then the solution must be
6951 either $$ a=+\sqrt@{2@} $$ or \[ a=-\sqrt@{2@} \].
6955 If you need any of the delimiter ASCII sequences for other purposes, you
6956 can configure the option @code{org-format-latex-options} to deselect the
6957 ones you do not wish to have interpreted by the La@TeX{} converter.
6959 @node Processing LaTeX fragments, CDLaTeX mode, LaTeX fragments, Embedded LaTeX
6960 @section Processing LaTeX fragments
6961 @cindex LaTeX fragments, preview
6963 La@TeX{} fragments can be processed to produce a preview images of the
6964 typeset expressions:
6969 Produce a preview image of the La@TeX{} fragment at point and overlay it
6970 over the source code. If there is no fragment at point, process all
6971 fragments in the current entry (between two headlines). When called
6972 with a prefix argument, process the entire subtree. When called with
6973 two prefix arguments, or when the cursor is before the first headline,
6974 process the entire buffer.
6977 Remove the overlay preview images.
6980 During HTML export (@pxref{HTML export}), all La@TeX{} fragments are
6981 converted into images and inlined into the document if the following
6985 (setq org-export-with-LaTeX-fragments t)
6988 @node CDLaTeX mode, , Processing LaTeX fragments, Embedded LaTeX
6989 @section Using CDLaTeX to enter math
6992 CDLaTeX mode is a minor mode that is normally used in combination with a
6993 major La@TeX{} mode like AUCTeX in order to speed-up insertion of
6994 environments and math templates. Inside Org mode, you can make use of
6995 some of the features of CDLaTeX mode. You need to install
6996 @file{cdlatex.el} and @file{texmathp.el} (the latter comes also with
6997 AUCTeX) from @url{http://www.astro.uva.nl/~dominik/Tools/cdlatex}.
6998 Don't use CDLaTeX mode itself under Org mode, but use the light
6999 version @code{org-cdlatex-mode} that comes as part of Org mode. Turn it
7000 on for the current buffer with @code{M-x org-cdlatex-mode}, or for all
7004 (add-hook 'org-mode-hook 'turn-on-org-cdlatex)
7007 When this mode is enabled, the following features are present (for more
7008 details see the documentation of CDLaTeX mode):
7012 Environment templates can be inserted with @kbd{C-c @{}.
7015 The @key{TAB} key will do template expansion if the cursor is inside a
7016 La@TeX{} fragment@footnote{Org mode has a method to test if the cursor is
7017 inside such a fragment, see the documentation of the function
7018 @code{org-inside-LaTeX-fragment-p}.}. For example, @key{TAB} will
7019 expand @code{fr} to @code{\frac@{@}@{@}} and position the cursor
7020 correctly inside the first brace. Another @key{TAB} will get you into
7021 the second brace. Even outside fragments, @key{TAB} will expand
7022 environment abbreviations at the beginning of a line. For example, if
7023 you write @samp{equ} at the beginning of a line and press @key{TAB},
7024 this abbreviation will be expanded to an @code{equation} environment.
7025 To get a list of all abbreviations, type @kbd{M-x cdlatex-command-help}.
7029 Pressing @kbd{_} and @kbd{^} inside a La@TeX{} fragment will insert these
7030 characters together with a pair of braces. If you use @key{TAB} to move
7031 out of the braces, and if the braces surround only a single character or
7032 macro, they are removed again (depending on the variable
7033 @code{cdlatex-simplify-sub-super-scripts}).
7036 Pressing the backquote @kbd{`} followed by a character inserts math
7037 macros, also outside La@TeX{} fragments. If you wait more than 1.5 seconds
7038 after the backquote, a help window will pop up.
7041 Pressing the normal quote @kbd{'} followed by another character modifies
7042 the symbol before point with an accent or a font. If you wait more than
7043 1.5 seconds after the backquote, a help window will pop up. Character
7044 modification will work only inside La@TeX{} fragments, outside the quote
7048 @node Exporting, Publishing, Embedded LaTeX, Top
7052 Org mode documents can be exported into a variety of other formats. For
7053 printing and sharing of notes, ASCII export produces a readable and
7054 simple version of an Org file. HTML export allows you to publish a
7055 notes file on the web, while the XOXO format provides a solid base for
7056 exchange with a broad range of other applications. La@TeX{} export lets
7057 you use Org mode and its structured editing functions to easily create
7058 La@TeX{} files. To incorporate entries with associated times like
7059 deadlines or appointments into a desktop calendar program like iCal,
7060 Org mode can also produce extracts in the iCalendar format. Currently
7061 Org mode only supports export, not import of these different formats.
7064 * Markup rules:: Which structures are recognized?
7065 * Selective export:: Using tags to select and exclude trees
7066 * Export options:: Per-file export settings
7067 * The export dispatcher:: How to access exporter commands
7068 * ASCII export:: Exporting to plain ASCII
7069 * HTML export:: Exporting to HTML
7070 * LaTeX and PDF export:: Exporting to LaTeX, and processing to PDF
7071 * XOXO export:: Exporting to XOXO
7072 * iCalendar export:: Exporting in iCalendar format
7075 @node Markup rules, Selective export, Exporting, Exporting
7076 @section Markup rules
7078 When exporting Org mode documents, the exporter tries to reflect the
7079 structure of the document as accurately as possible in the back-end. Since
7080 export targets like HTML or La@TeX{} allow much richer formatting, Org mode
7081 has rules how to prepare text for rich export. This section summarizes the
7082 markup rule used in an Org mode buffer.
7085 * Document title:: How the document title is determined
7086 * Headings and sections:: The main structure of the exported document
7087 * Table of contents:: If, where, how to create a table of contents
7088 * Initial text:: Text before the first headline
7089 * Lists:: Plain lists are exported
7090 * Paragraphs:: What determines beginning and ending
7091 * Literal examples:: Source code and other examples
7092 * Include files:: Include the contents of a file during export
7093 * Tables exported:: Tables are exported richly
7094 * Footnotes:: Numbers like [1]
7095 * Emphasis and monospace:: To bold or not to bold
7096 * TeX macros and LaTeX fragments:: Create special, rich export.
7097 * Horizontal rules:: A line across the page
7098 * Comment lines:: Some lines will not be exported
7101 @node Document title, Headings and sections, Markup rules, Markup rules
7102 @subheading Document title
7103 @cindex document title, markup rules
7106 The title of the exported document is taken from the special line
7109 #+TITLE: This is the title of the document
7113 If this line does not exist, the title is derived from the first non-empty,
7114 non-comment line in the buffer. If no such line exists, or if you have
7115 turned off exporting of the text before the first headline (see below), the
7116 title will be the file name without extension.
7118 If you are exporting only a subtree by marking is as the region, the heading
7119 of the subtree will become the title of the document. If the subtree has a
7120 property @code{EXPORT_TITLE}, that will take precedence.
7122 @node Headings and sections, Table of contents, Document title, Markup rules
7123 @subheading Headings and sections
7124 @cindex headings and sections, markup rules
7126 The outline structure of the document as described in @ref{Document
7127 Structure} forms the basis for defining sections of the exported document.
7128 However, since the outline structure is also used for (for example) lists of
7129 tasks, only the first three outline levels will be used as headings. Deeper
7130 levels will become itemized lists. You can change the location of this
7131 switch, globally by setting the variable @code{org-headline-levels}, or on a
7132 per file basis with a line
7138 @node Table of contents, Initial text, Headings and sections, Markup rules
7139 @subheading Table of contents
7140 @cindex table of contents, markup rules
7142 The table of contents is normally inserted directly before the first headline
7143 of the file. If you would like to get it to a different location, insert the
7144 string @code{[TABLE-OF-CONTENTS]} on a line by itself at the desired
7145 location. The depth of the table of contents is by default the same as the
7146 number of headline levels, but you can choose a smaller number or turn off
7147 the table of contents entirely by configuring the variable
7148 @code{org-export-with-toc}, or on a per-file basis with a line like
7151 #+OPTIONS: toc:2 (only to two levels in TOC)
7152 #+OPTIONS: toc:nil (no TOC at all)
7155 @node Initial text, Lists, Table of contents, Markup rules
7156 @subheading Text before the first headline
7157 @cindex text before first headline, markup rules
7160 Org mode normally exports the text before the first headline, and even uses
7161 the first line as the document title. The text will be fully marked up. If
7162 you need to include literal HTML or La@TeX{} code, use the special constructs
7163 described below in the sections for the individual exporters.
7165 Some people like to use the space before the first headline for setup and
7166 internal links and therefore would like to control the exported text before
7167 the first headline in a different way. You can do so by setting the variable
7168 @code{org-export-skip-text-before-1st-heading} to @code{t}. On a per-file
7169 basis, you can get the same effect with @samp{#+OPTIONS: skip:t}.
7172 If you still want to have some text before the first headline, use the
7173 @code{#+TEXT} construct:
7177 #+TEXT: This text will go before the *first* headline.
7178 #+TEXT: [TABLE-OF-CONTENTS]
7179 #+TEXT: This goes between the table of contents and the first headline
7182 @node Lists, Paragraphs, Initial text, Markup rules
7184 @cindex lists, markup rules
7186 Plain lists as described in @ref{Plain lists} are translated to the back-ends
7187 syntax for such lists. Most back-ends support unordered, ordered, and
7190 @node Paragraphs, Literal examples, Lists, Markup rules
7191 @subheading Paragraphs, line breaks, and quoting
7192 @cindex paragraphs, markup rules
7194 Paragraphs are separated by at least one empty line. If you need to enforce
7195 a line break within a paragraph, use @samp{\\} at the end of a line.
7197 To keep the line breaks in a region, but otherwise use normal formatting, you
7198 can use this construct, which can also be used to format poetry.
7202 Great clouds overhead
7203 Tiny black birds rise and fall
7210 When quoting a passage from another document, it is customary to format this
7211 as a paragraph that is indented on both the left and the right margin. You
7212 can include quotations in Org mode documents like this:
7216 Everything should be made as simple as possible,
7217 but not any simpler -- Albert Einstein
7222 @node Literal examples, Include files, Paragraphs, Markup rules
7223 @subheading Literal examples
7224 @cindex literal examples, markup rules
7226 You can include literal examples that should not be subjected to
7227 markup. Such examples will be typeset in monospace, so this is well suited
7228 for source code and similar examples.
7229 @cindex #+BEGIN_EXAMPLE
7233 Some example from a text file.
7237 For simplicity when using small examples, you can also start the example
7241 : Some example from a text file.
7244 @cindex formatting source code, markup rules
7245 If the example is source code from a programming language, or any other text
7246 that can be marked up by font-lock in Emacs, you can ask for the example to
7247 look like the fontified Emacs buffer@footnote{Currently this works only for
7248 the HTML back-end, and requires the @file{htmlize.el} package version 1.34 or
7249 later.}. This is done with the @samp{src} block, where you also need to
7250 specify the name of the major mode that should be used to fontify the
7255 #+BEGIN_SRC emacs-lisp
7256 (defun org-xor (a b)
7265 Edit the source code example at point in its native mode. This works by
7266 switching to an indirect buffer, narrowing the buffer and switching to the
7267 other mode. You need to exit by pressing @kbd{C-c '} again@footnote{Upon
7268 exit, lines starting with @samp{*} or @samp{#} will get a comma prepended, to
7269 keep them from being interpreted by Org as outline nodes or special
7270 comments. These commas will be striped for editing with @kbd{C-c '}, and
7271 also for export.}. Fixed-width
7272 regions (where each line starts with a colon followed by a space) will be
7273 edited using @code{artist-mode}@footnote{You may select a different-mode with
7274 the variable @code{org-edit-fixed-width-region-mode}.} to allow creating
7275 ASCII drawings easily. Using this command in an empty line will create a new
7280 @node Include files, Tables exported, Literal examples, Markup rules
7281 @subheading Include files
7282 @cindex include files, markup rules
7284 During export, you can include the content of another file. For example, to
7285 include your .emacs file, you could use:
7289 #+INCLUDE: "~/.emacs" src emacs-lisp
7292 The optional second and third parameter are the markup (@samp{quote},
7293 @samp{example}, or @samp{src}), and, if the markup is @samp{src}, the
7294 language for formatting the contents. The markup is optional, if it is not
7295 given, the text will be assumed to be in Org mode format and will be
7296 processed normally. The include line will also allow additional keyword
7297 parameters @code{:prefix1} and @code{:prefix} to specify prefixes for the
7298 first line and for each following line. For example, to include a file as an
7302 #+INCLUDE: "~/snippets/xx" :prefix1 " + " :prefix " "
7308 Visit the include file at point.
7311 @node Tables exported, Footnotes, Include files, Markup rules
7313 @cindex tables, markup rules
7315 Both the native Org mode tables (@pxref{Tables}) and tables formatted with
7316 the @file{table.el} package will be exported properly. For Org mode tables,
7317 the lines before the first horizontal separator line will become table header
7320 @node Footnotes, Emphasis and monospace, Tables exported, Markup rules
7321 @subheading Footnotes
7322 @cindex footnotes, markup rules
7323 @cindex @file{footnote.el}
7326 Numbers in square brackets are treated as footnote markers, and lines
7327 starting with such a marker are interpreted as the footnote itself. You can
7328 use the Emacs package @file{footnote.el} to create footnotes@footnote{The
7329 @file{footnote} package uses @kbd{C-c !} to invoke its commands. This
7330 binding conflicts with the Org mode command for inserting inactive time
7331 stamps. You could use the variable @code{footnote-prefix} to switch
7332 footnotes commands to another key. Or, if you are too used to this binding,
7333 you could use @code{org-replace-disputed-keys} and @code{org-disputed-keys}
7334 to change the settings in Org.}. For example:
7337 The Org homepage[1] now looks a lot better than it used to.
7339 [1] The link is: http://orgmode.org
7342 @node Emphasis and monospace, TeX macros and LaTeX fragments, Footnotes, Markup rules
7343 @subheading Emphasis and monospace
7345 @cindex underlined text, markup rules
7346 @cindex bold text, markup rules
7347 @cindex italic text, markup rules
7348 @cindex verbatim text, markup rules
7349 @cindex code text, markup rules
7350 @cindex strike-through text, markup rules
7351 You can make words @b{*bold*}, @i{/italic/}, _underlined_, @code{=code=}
7352 and @code{~verbatim~}, and, if you must, @samp{+strike-through+}. Text
7353 in the code and verbatim string is not processed for Org mode specific
7354 syntax, it is exported verbatim.
7356 @node TeX macros and LaTeX fragments, Horizontal rules, Emphasis and monospace, Markup rules
7357 @subheading @TeX{} macros and La@TeX{} fragments
7358 @cindex LaTeX fragments, markup rules
7359 @cindex TeX macros, markup rules
7360 @cindex HTML entities
7361 @cindex LaTeX entities
7363 A @TeX{}-like syntax is used to specify special characters. Where possible,
7364 these will be transformed into the native format of the exporter back-end.
7365 Strings like @code{\alpha} will be exported as @code{α} in the HTML
7366 output, and as @code{$\alpha$} in the La@TeX{} output. Similarly,
7367 @code{\nbsp} will become @code{ } in HTML and @code{~} in La@TeX{}.
7368 This applies for a large number of entities, with names taken from both HTML
7369 and La@TeX{}, see the variable @code{org-html-entities} for the complete
7370 list. If you are unsure about a name, use @kbd{M-@key{TAB}} for completion
7371 after having types the backslash and maybe a few characters
7372 (@pxref{Completion}).
7374 La@TeX{} fragments are converted into images for HTML export, and they are
7375 written literally into the La@TeX{} export. See also @ref{Embedded LaTeX}.
7377 Finally, @samp{\-} is treated as a shy hyphen, and @samp{--}, @samp{---}, and
7378 @samp{...} are all converted into special commands creating hyphens of
7379 different lengths or a compact set of dots.
7381 @node Horizontal rules, Comment lines, TeX macros and LaTeX fragments, Markup rules
7382 @subheading Horizontal rules
7383 @cindex horizontal rules, markup rules
7384 A line consisting of only dashes, and at least 5 of them, will be
7385 exported as a horizontal line (@samp{<hr/>} in HTML).
7387 @node Comment lines, , Horizontal rules, Markup rules
7388 @subheading Comment lines
7389 @cindex comment lines
7390 @cindex exporting, not
7392 Lines starting with @samp{#} in column zero are treated as comments and will
7393 never be exported. Also entire subtrees starting with the word
7394 @samp{COMMENT} will never be exported. Finally, regions surrounded by
7395 @samp{#+BEGIN_COMMENT} ... @samp{#+END_COMMENT} will not be exported.
7400 Toggle the COMMENT keyword at the beginning of an entry.
7403 @node Selective export, Export options, Markup rules, Exporting
7404 @section Selective export
7405 @cindex export, selective by tags
7407 You may use tags to select the parts of a document that should be exported,
7408 or to exclude parts from export. This behavior is governed by two variables:
7409 @code{org-export-select-tags} and @code{org-export-exclude-tags}.
7411 Org first checks if any of the @emph{select} tags is present in the buffer.
7412 If yes, all trees that do not carry one of these tags will be excluded. If a
7413 selected tree is a subtree, the heading hierarchy above it will also be
7414 selected for export, but not the text below those headings.
7417 If none of the select tags is found, the whole buffer will be selected for
7421 Finally, all subtrees that are marked by any of the @emph{exclude} tags will
7422 be removed from the export buffer.
7424 @node Export options, The export dispatcher, Selective export, Exporting
7425 @section Export options
7426 @cindex options, for export
7428 @cindex completion, of option keywords
7429 The exporter recognizes special lines in the buffer which provide
7430 additional information. These lines may be put anywhere in the file.
7431 The whole set of lines can be inserted into the buffer with @kbd{C-c
7432 C-e t}. For individual lines, a good way to make sure the keyword is
7433 correct is to type @samp{#+} and then use @kbd{M-@key{TAB}} completion
7434 (@pxref{Completion}).
7439 Insert template with export options, see example below.
7450 @cindex #+LINK_HOME:
7451 @cindex #+EXPORT_SELECT_TAGS:
7452 @cindex #+EXPORT_EXCLUDE_TAGS:
7454 #+TITLE: the title to be shown (default is the buffer name)
7455 #+AUTHOR: the author (default taken from @code{user-full-name})
7456 #+DATE: A date, fixed, of a format string for @code{format-time-string}
7457 #+EMAIL: his/her email address (default from @code{user-mail-address})
7458 #+LANGUAGE: language for HTML, e.g. @samp{en} (@code{org-export-default-language})
7459 #+TEXT: Some descriptive text to be inserted at the beginning.
7460 #+TEXT: Several lines may be given.
7461 #+OPTIONS: H:2 num:t toc:t \n:nil @@:t ::t |:t ^:t f:t TeX:t ...
7462 #+LINK_UP: the ``up'' link of an exported page
7463 #+LINK_HOME: the ``home'' link of an exported page
7464 #+EXPORT_SELECT_TAGS: Tags that select a tree for export
7465 #+EXPORT_EXCLUDE_TAGS: Tags that exclude a tree from export
7469 The OPTIONS line is a compact@footnote{If you want to configure many options
7470 this way, you can use several OPTIONS lines.} form to specify export settings. Here
7472 @cindex headline levels
7473 @cindex section-numbers
7474 @cindex table of contents
7475 @cindex line-break preservation
7476 @cindex quoted HTML tags
7477 @cindex fixed-width sections
7479 @cindex @TeX{}-like syntax for sub- and superscripts
7481 @cindex special strings
7482 @cindex emphasized text
7483 @cindex @TeX{} macros
7484 @cindex La@TeX{} fragments
7485 @cindex author info, in export
7486 @cindex time info, in export
7488 H: @r{set the number of headline levels for export}
7489 num: @r{turn on/off section-numbers}
7490 toc: @r{turn on/off table of contents, or set level limit (integer)}
7491 \n: @r{turn on/off line-break-preservation}
7492 @@: @r{turn on/off quoted HTML tags}
7493 :: @r{turn on/off fixed-width sections}
7494 |: @r{turn on/off tables}
7495 ^: @r{turn on/off @TeX{}-like syntax for sub- and superscripts. If}
7496 @r{you write "^:@{@}", @code{a_@{b@}} will be interpreted, but}
7497 @r{the simple @code{a_b} will be left as it is.}
7498 -: @r{turn on/off conversion of special strings.}
7499 f: @r{turn on/off footnotes like this[1].}
7500 *: @r{turn on/off emphasized text (bold, italic, underlined)}
7501 TeX: @r{turn on/off simple @TeX{} macros in plain text}
7502 LaTeX: @r{turn on/off La@TeX{} fragments}
7503 skip: @r{turn on/off skipping the text before the first heading}
7504 author: @r{turn on/off inclusion of author name/email into exported file}
7505 creator: @r{turn on/off inclusion of creator info into exported file}
7506 timestamp: @r{turn on/off inclusion creation time into exported file}
7507 d: @r{turn on/off inclusion of drawers}
7510 These options take effect in both the HTML and La@TeX{} export, except
7511 for @code{TeX} and @code{LaTeX}, which are respectively @code{t} and
7512 @code{nil} for the La@TeX{} export.
7514 When exporting only a single subtree by selecting it with @kbd{C-c @@} before
7515 calling an export command, the subtree can overrule some of the file's export
7516 settings with properties @code{EXPORT_FILE_NAME}, @code{EXPORT_TITLE},
7517 @code{EXPORT_TEXT}, and @code{EXPORT_OPTIONS}.
7519 @node The export dispatcher, ASCII export, Export options, Exporting
7520 @section The export dispatcher
7521 @cindex dispatcher, for export commands
7523 All export commands can be reached using the export dispatcher, which is a
7524 prefix key that prompts for an additional key specifying the command.
7525 Normally the entire file is exported, but if there is an active region that
7526 contains one outline tree, the first heading is used as document title and
7527 the subtrees are exported.
7532 Dispatcher for export and publishing commands. Displays a help-window
7533 listing the additional key(s) needed to launch an export or publishing
7534 command. The prefix arg is passed through to the exporter. A double prefix
7535 @kbd{C-u C-u} causes most commands to be executed in the background, in a
7536 separate emacs process@footnote{To make this behavior the default, customize
7537 the variable @code{org-export-run-in-background}.}.
7540 Like @kbd{C-c C-e}, but only export the text that is currently visible
7541 (i.e. not hidden by outline visibility).
7542 @kindex C-u C-u C-c C-e
7543 @item C-u C-u C-c C-e
7544 Call an the exporter, but reverse the setting of
7545 @code{org-export-run-in-background}, i.e. request background processing if
7546 not set, or force processing in the current Emacs process if st.
7549 @node ASCII export, HTML export, The export dispatcher, Exporting
7550 @section ASCII export
7551 @cindex ASCII export
7553 ASCII export produces a simple and very readable version of an Org mode
7556 @cindex region, active
7557 @cindex active region
7558 @cindex Transient mark mode
7562 Export as ASCII file. For an org file @file{myfile.org}, the ASCII file
7563 will be @file{myfile.txt}. The file will be overwritten without
7564 warning. If there is an active region, only the region will be
7565 exported. If the selected region is a single tree@footnote{To select the
7566 current subtree, use @kbd{C-c @@}.}, the tree head will
7567 become the document title. If the tree head entry has or inherits an
7568 @code{EXPORT_FILE_NAME} property, that name will be used for the
7572 Export only the visible part of the document.
7575 @cindex headline levels, for exporting
7576 In the exported version, the first 3 outline levels will become
7577 headlines, defining a general document structure. Additional levels
7578 will be exported as itemized lists. If you want that transition to occur
7579 at a different level, specify it with a prefix argument. For example,
7586 creates only top level headlines and does the rest as items. When
7587 headlines are converted to items, the indentation of the text following
7588 the headline is changed to fit nicely under the item. This is done with
7589 the assumption that the first body line indicates the base indentation of
7590 the body text. Any indentation larger than this is adjusted to preserve
7591 the layout relative to the first line. Should there be lines with less
7592 indentation than the first, these are left alone.
7594 @node HTML export, LaTeX and PDF export, ASCII export, Exporting
7595 @section HTML export
7598 Org mode contains an HTML (XHTML 1.0 strict) exporter with extensive
7599 HTML formatting, in ways similar to John Grubers @emph{markdown}
7600 language, but with additional support for tables.
7603 * HTML Export commands:: How to invoke HTML export
7604 * Quoting HTML tags:: Using direct HTML in Org mode
7605 * Links:: Transformation of links for HTML
7606 * Images:: How to include images
7607 * CSS support:: Changing the appearance of the output
7608 * Javascript support:: Info and Folding in a web browser
7611 @node HTML Export commands, Quoting HTML tags, HTML export, HTML export
7612 @subsection HTML export commands
7614 @cindex region, active
7615 @cindex active region
7616 @cindex Transient mark mode
7620 Export as HTML file @file{myfile.html}. For an org file @file{myfile.org},
7621 the ASCII file will be @file{myfile.html}. The file will be overwritten
7622 without warning. If there is an active region, only the region will be
7623 exported. If the selected region is a single tree@footnote{To select the
7624 current subtree, use @kbd{C-c @@}.}, the tree head will become the document
7625 title. If the tree head entry has or inherits an @code{EXPORT_FILE_NAME}
7626 property, that name will be used for the export.
7629 Export as HTML file and immediately open it with a browser.
7632 Export to a temporary buffer, do not create a file.
7635 Export the active region to a temporary buffer. With a prefix argument, do
7636 not produce the file header and footer, but just the plain HTML section for
7637 the region. This is good for cut-and-paste operations.
7646 Export only the visible part of the document.
7647 @item M-x org-export-region-as-html
7648 Convert the region to HTML under the assumption that it was Org mode
7649 syntax before. This is a global command that can be invoked in any
7651 @item M-x org-replace-region-by-HTML
7652 Replace the active region (assumed to be in Org mode syntax) by HTML
7656 @cindex headline levels, for exporting
7657 In the exported version, the first 3 outline levels will become headlines,
7658 defining a general document structure. Additional levels will be exported as
7659 itemized lists. If you want that transition to occur at a different level,
7660 specify it with a numeric prefix argument. For example,
7667 creates two levels of headings and does the rest as items.
7669 @node Quoting HTML tags, Links, HTML Export commands, HTML export
7670 @subsection Quoting HTML tags
7672 Plain @samp{<} and @samp{>} are always transformed to @samp{<} and
7673 @samp{>} in HTML export. If you want to include simple HTML tags
7674 which should be interpreted as such, mark them with @samp{@@} as in
7675 @samp{@@<b>bold text@@</b>}. Note that this really works only for
7676 simple tags. For more extensive HTML that should be copied verbatim to
7677 the exported file use either
7680 #+HTML: Literal HTML code for export
7684 @cindex #+BEGIN_HTML
7688 All lines between these markers are exported literally
7693 @node Links, Images, Quoting HTML tags, HTML export
7696 @cindex links, in HTML export
7697 @cindex internal links, in HTML export
7698 @cindex external links, in HTML export
7699 Internal links (@pxref{Internal links}) will continue to work in HTML
7700 files only if they match a dedicated @samp{<<target>>}. Automatic links
7701 created by radio targets (@pxref{Radio targets}) will also work in the
7702 HTML file. Links to external files will still work if the HTML file is
7703 in the same directory as the Org file. Links to other @file{.org}
7704 files will be translated into HTML links under the assumption that an
7705 HTML version also exists of the linked file. For information related to
7706 linking files while publishing them to a publishing directory see
7707 @ref{Publishing links}.
7709 If you want to specify attributes for links, you can do so using a special
7710 syntax. Here is an example that sets @code{alt} and @code{title} attributes
7711 for an inlined image:
7714 [[./img/a.jpg@{@{alt="This is image A" title="Image with no action"@}@}]]
7717 @node Images, CSS support, Links, HTML export
7720 @cindex images, inline in HTML
7721 @cindex inlining images in HTML
7722 HTML export can inline images given as links in the Org file, and
7723 it can make an image the clickable part of a link. By
7724 default@footnote{but see the variable
7725 @code{org-export-html-inline-images}}, images are inlined if a link does
7726 not have a description. So @samp{[[file:myimg.jpg]]} will be inlined,
7727 while @samp{[[file:myimg.jpg][the image]]} will just produce a link
7728 @samp{the image} that points to the image. If the description part
7729 itself is a @code{file:} link or a @code{http:} URL pointing to an
7730 image, this image will be inlined and activated so that clicking on the
7731 image will activate the link. For example, to include a thumbnail that
7732 will link to a high resolution version of the image, you could use:
7735 [[file:highres.jpg][file:thumb.jpg]]
7739 and you could use @code{http} addresses just as well.
7741 @node CSS support, Javascript support, Images, HTML export
7742 @subsection CSS support
7743 @cindex CSS, for HTML export
7744 @cindex HTML export, CSS
7746 You can also give style information for the exported file. The HTML
7747 exporter assigns the following CSS classes to appropriate parts of the
7748 document - your style specifications may change these:
7750 .todo @r{TODO keywords}
7751 .done @r{the DONE keyword}
7752 .timestamp @r{time stamp}
7753 .timestamp-kwd @r{keyword associated with a time stamp, like SCHEDULED}
7754 .tag @r{tag in a headline}
7755 .target @r{target for links}
7758 Each exported files contains a compact default style that defines these
7759 classes in a basic way@footnote{This style is defined in the constant
7760 @code{org-export-html-style-default}, which you should not modify. To turn
7761 inclusion of these defaults off, customize
7762 @code{org-export-html-style-include-default}}. You may overwrite these
7763 settings, or add to them by using the variables @code{org-export-html-style}
7764 (for Org-wide settings) and @code{org-export-html-style-extra} (for more
7765 granular settings, like file-local settings). To set the latter variable
7766 individually for each file, you can use
7769 #+STYLE: <link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="stylesheet.css" />
7773 For longer style definitions, you can use several such lines. You could also
7774 directly write a @code{<style>} @code{</style>} section in this way, without
7775 referring to an external file.
7777 @c FIXME: More about header and footer styles
7778 @c FIXME: Talk about links and targets.
7780 @node Javascript support, , CSS support, HTML export
7781 @subsection Javascript supported display of web pages
7783 @emph{Sebastian Rose} has written a JavaScript program especially designed to
7784 enhance the web viewing experience of HTML files created with Org. This
7785 program allows to view large files in two different ways. The first one is
7786 an @emph{Info}-like mode where each section is displayed separately and
7787 navigation can be done with the @kbd{n} and @kbd{p} keys (and some other keys
7788 as well, press @kbd{?} for an overview of the available keys). The second
7789 view type is a @emph{folding} view much like Org provides it inside Emacs.
7790 The script is available at @url{http://orgmode.org/org-info.js} and you can
7791 find the documentation for it at
7792 @url{http://orgmode.org/worg/code/org-info-js/org-info.js.html}. We are
7793 serving the script from our site, but if you use it a lot, you might not want
7794 to be dependent on @url{orgmode.org} and prefer to install a local copy on
7795 your own web server.
7797 To use the script, you need to make sure that the @file{org-jsinfo.el} module
7798 gets loaded. It should be loaded by default, try @kbd{M-x customize-variable
7799 @key{RET} org-modules @key{RET}} to convince yourself that this is indeed the
7800 case. All it then takes to make use of the program is adding a single line
7804 #+INFOJS_OPT: view:info toc:nil
7808 If this line is found, the HTML header will automatically contain the code
7809 needed to invoke the script. Using the line above, you can set the following
7813 path: @r{The path to the script. The default is to grab the script from}
7814 @r{@url{http://orgmode.org/org-info.js}, but you might want to have}
7815 @r{a local copy and use a path like @samp{../scripts/org-info.js}.}
7816 view: @r{Initial view when website is first shown. Possible values are:}
7817 info @r{Info-like interface with one section per page.}
7818 overview @r{Folding interface, initially showing only top-level.}
7819 content @r{Folding interface, starting with all headlines visible.}
7820 showall @r{Folding interface, all headlines and text visible.}
7821 sdepth: @r{Maximum headline level that will still become an independent}
7822 @r{section for info and folding modes. The default is taken from}
7823 @r{@code{org-headline-levels} (= the @code{H} switch in @code{#+OPTIONS}).}
7824 @r{If this is smaller than in @code{org-headline-levels}, each}
7825 @r{info/folding section can still contain children headlines.}
7826 toc: @r{Should the table of content @emph{initially} be visible?}
7827 @r{Even when @code{nil}, you can always get to the toc with @kbd{i}.}
7828 tdepth: @r{The depth of the table of contents. The defaults are taken from}
7829 @r{the variables @code{org-headline-levels} and @code{org-export-with-toc}.}
7830 ftoc: @r{Does the css of the page specify a fixed position for the toc?}
7831 @r{If yes, the toc will never be displayed as a section.}
7832 ltoc: @r{Should there be short contents (children) in each section?}
7833 mouse: @r{Headings are highlighted when the mouse is over them. Should be}
7834 @r{@samp{underline} (default) or a background color like @samp{#cccccc}.}
7835 buttons: @r{Should view-toggle buttons be everywhere? When @code{nil} (the}
7836 @r{default), only one such button will be present.}
7839 You can choose default values for these options by customizing the variable
7840 @code{org-infojs-options}. If you always want to apply the script to your
7841 pages, configure the variable @code{org-export-html-use-infojs}.
7843 @node LaTeX and PDF export, XOXO export, HTML export, Exporting
7844 @section LaTeX and PDF export
7845 @cindex LaTeX export
7848 Org mode contains a La@TeX{} exporter written by Bastien Guerry. With
7849 further processing, this backend is also used to produce PDF output. Since
7850 the LaTeX output uses @file{hyperref} to implement links and cross
7851 references, the PDF output file will be fully linked.
7854 * LaTeX/PDF export commands::
7855 * Quoting LaTeX code:: Incorporating literal LaTeX code
7856 * Sectioning structure:: Changing sectioning in LaTeX output
7859 @node LaTeX/PDF export commands, Quoting LaTeX code, LaTeX and PDF export, LaTeX and PDF export
7860 @subsection LaTeX export commands
7865 Export as La@TeX{} file @file{myfile.tex}. For an org file
7866 @file{myfile.org}, the ASCII file will be @file{myfile.tex}. The file will
7867 be overwritten without warning. If there is an active region, only the
7868 region will be exported. If the selected region is a single tree@footnote{To
7869 select the current subtree, use @kbd{C-c @@}.}, the tree head will become the
7870 document title. If the tree head entry has or inherits an
7871 @code{EXPORT_FILE_NAME} property, that name will be used for the export.
7874 Export to a temporary buffer, do not create a file.
7879 Export only the visible part of the document.
7880 @item M-x org-export-region-as-latex
7881 Convert the region to La@TeX{} under the assumption that it was Org mode
7882 syntax before. This is a global command that can be invoked in any
7884 @item M-x org-replace-region-by-latex
7885 Replace the active region (assumed to be in Org mode syntax) by La@TeX{}
7889 Export as LaTeX and then process to PDF.
7892 Export as LaTeX and then process to PDF, then open the resulting PDF file.
7895 @cindex headline levels, for exporting
7896 In the exported version, the first 3 outline levels will become
7897 headlines, defining a general document structure. Additional levels
7898 will be exported as description lists. The exporter can ignore them or
7899 convert them to a custom string depending on
7900 @code{org-latex-low-levels}.
7902 If you want that transition to occur at a different level, specify it
7903 with a numeric prefix argument. For example,
7910 creates two levels of headings and does the rest as items.
7912 @node Quoting LaTeX code, Sectioning structure, LaTeX/PDF export commands, LaTeX and PDF export
7913 @subsection Quoting LaTeX code
7915 Embedded La@TeX{} as described in @ref{Embedded LaTeX} will be correctly
7916 inserted into the La@TeX{} file. Furthermore, you can add special code
7917 that should only be present in La@TeX{} export with the following
7921 #+LaTeX: Literal LaTeX code for export
7925 @cindex #+BEGIN_LaTeX
7929 All lines between these markers are exported literally
7933 @node Sectioning structure, , Quoting LaTeX code, LaTeX and PDF export
7934 @subsection Sectioning structure
7936 @cindex LaTeX sectioning structure
7938 By default, the La@TeX{} output uses the class @code{article}.
7940 You can change this globally by setting a different value for
7941 @code{org-export-latex-default-class} or locally by adding an option like
7942 @code{#+LaTeX_CLASS: myclass} in your file. The class should be listed in
7943 @code{org-export-latex-classes}, where you can also define the sectioning
7944 structure for each class, as well as defining additonal classes.
7947 @node XOXO export, iCalendar export, LaTeX and PDF export, Exporting
7948 @section XOXO export
7951 Org mode contains an exporter that produces XOXO-style output.
7952 Currently, this exporter only handles the general outline structure and
7953 does not interpret any additional Org mode features.
7958 Export as XOXO file @file{myfile.html}.
7961 Export only the visible part of the document.
7964 @node iCalendar export, , XOXO export, Exporting
7965 @section iCalendar export
7966 @cindex iCalendar export
7968 Some people like to use Org mode for keeping track of projects, but still
7969 prefer a standard calendar application for anniversaries and appointments.
7970 In this case it can be useful to have deadlines and other time-stamped items
7971 in Org files show up in the calendar application. Org mode can export
7972 calendar information in the standard iCalendar format. If you also want to
7973 have TODO entries included in the export, configure the variable
7974 @code{org-icalendar-include-todo}. iCalendar export will export plain time
7975 stamps as VEVENT, and TODO items as VTODO. It will also create events from
7976 deadlines that are in non-TODO items. Deadlines and scheduling dates in TODO
7977 items will be used to set the start and due dates for the todo
7978 entry@footnote{See the variables @code{org-icalendar-use-deadline} and
7979 @code{org-icalendar-use-scheduled}.}. As categories, it will use the tags
7980 locally defined in the heading, and the file/tree category@footnote{To add
7981 inherited tags or the TODO state, configure the variable
7982 @code{org-icalendar-categories}.}.
7984 The iCalendar standard requires each entry to have a globally unique
7985 identifier (UID). Org creates these identifiers during export. If you set
7986 the variable @code{org-icalendar-store-UID}, the UID will be stored in the
7987 @code{:ID:} property of the entry and re-used next time you report this
7988 entry. Since a single entry can give rise to multiple iCalendar entries (as
7989 a timestamp, a deadline, a scheduled item, and as a TODO item), Org adds
7990 prefixes to the UID, depending on what triggered the inclusion of the entry.
7991 In this way the UID remains unique, but a synchronization program can still
7992 figure out from which entry all the different instances originate.
7997 Create iCalendar entries for the current file and store them in the same
7998 directory, using a file extension @file{.ics}.
8001 Like @kbd{C-c C-e i}, but do this for all files in
8002 @code{org-agenda-files}. For each of these files, a separate iCalendar
8003 file will be written.
8006 Create a single large iCalendar file from all files in
8007 @code{org-agenda-files} and write it to the file given by
8008 @code{org-combined-agenda-icalendar-file}.
8011 The export will honor SUMMARY, DESCRIPTION and LOCATION properties if
8012 the selected entries have them. If not, the summary will be derived
8013 from the headline, and the description from the body (limited to
8014 @code{org-icalendar-include-body} characters).
8016 How this calendar is best read and updated, that depends on the application
8017 you are using. The FAQ covers this issue.
8019 @node Publishing, Miscellaneous, Exporting, Top
8023 Org includes@footnote{@file{org-publish.el} is not distributed with
8024 Emacs 21, if you are still using Emacs 21, you need you need to download
8025 this file separately.} a publishing management system that allows you to
8026 configure automatic HTML conversion of @emph{projects} composed of
8027 interlinked org files. This system is called @emph{org-publish}. You can
8028 also configure org-publish to automatically upload your exported HTML
8029 pages and related attachments, such as images and source code files, to
8030 a web server. Org-publish turns Org into a web-site authoring tool.
8032 You can also use Org-publish to convert files into La@TeX{}, or even
8033 combine HTML and La@TeX{} conversion so that files are available in both
8034 formats on the server@footnote{Since La@TeX{} files on a server are not
8035 that helpful, you surely want to perform further conversion on them --
8036 e.g. convert them to @code{PDF} format.}.
8038 Org-publish has been contributed to Org by David O'Toole.
8041 * Configuration:: Defining projects
8042 * Sample configuration:: Example projects
8043 * Triggering publication:: Publication commands
8046 @node Configuration, Sample configuration, Publishing, Publishing
8047 @section Configuration
8049 Publishing needs significant configuration to specify files, destination
8050 and many other properties of a project.
8053 * Project alist:: The central configuration variable
8054 * Sources and destinations:: From here to there
8055 * Selecting files:: What files are part of the project?
8056 * Publishing action:: Setting the function doing the publishing
8057 * Publishing options:: Tweaking HTML export
8058 * Publishing links:: Which links keep working after publishing?
8059 * Project page index:: Publishing a list of project files
8062 @node Project alist, Sources and destinations, Configuration, Configuration
8063 @subsection The variable @code{org-publish-project-alist}
8064 @cindex org-publish-project-alist
8065 @cindex projects, for publishing
8067 Org-publish is configured almost entirely through setting the value of
8068 one variable, called @code{org-publish-project-alist}.
8069 Each element of the list configures one project, and may be in one of
8070 the two following forms:
8073 ("project-name" :property value :property value ...)
8077 ("project-name" :components ("project-name" "project-name" ...))
8081 In both cases, projects are configured by specifying property values.
8082 A project defines the set of files that will be published, as well as
8083 the publishing configuration to use when publishing those files. When
8084 a project takes the second form listed above, the individual members
8085 of the ``components'' property are taken to be components of the
8086 project, which group together files requiring different publishing
8087 options. When you publish such a ``meta-project'' all the components
8088 will also publish. The @code{:components} are published in the sequence
8091 @node Sources and destinations, Selecting files, Project alist, Configuration
8092 @subsection Sources and destinations for files
8093 @cindex directories, for publishing
8095 Most properties are optional, but some should always be set. In
8096 particular, org-publish needs to know where to look for source files,
8097 and where to put published files.
8099 @multitable @columnfractions 0.3 0.7
8100 @item @code{:base-directory}
8101 @tab Directory containing publishing source files
8102 @item @code{:publishing-directory}
8103 @tab Directory (possibly remote) where output files will be published.
8104 @item @code{:preparation-function}
8105 @tab Function called before starting the publishing process, for example to
8106 run @code{make} for updating files to be published.
8107 @item @code{:completion-function}
8108 @tab Function called after finishing the publishing process, for example to
8109 change permissions of the resulting files.
8113 @node Selecting files, Publishing action, Sources and destinations, Configuration
8114 @subsection Selecting files
8115 @cindex files, selecting for publishing
8117 By default, all files with extension @file{.org} in the base directory
8118 are considered part of the project. This can be modified by setting the
8120 @multitable @columnfractions 0.25 0.75
8121 @item @code{:base-extension}
8122 @tab Extension (without the dot!) of source files. This actually is a
8125 @item @code{:exclude}
8126 @tab Regular expression to match file names that should not be
8127 published, even though they have been selected on the basis of their
8130 @item @code{:include}
8131 @tab List of files to be included regardless of @code{:base-extension}
8132 and @code{:exclude}.
8135 @node Publishing action, Publishing options, Selecting files, Configuration
8136 @subsection Publishing action
8137 @cindex action, for publishing
8139 Publishing means that a file is copied to the destination directory and
8140 possibly transformed in the process. The default transformation is to export
8141 Org files as HTML files, and this is done by the function
8142 @code{org-publish-org-to-html} which calls the HTML exporter (@pxref{HTML
8143 export}). But you also can publish your files in La@TeX{} by using the
8144 function @code{org-publish-org-to-latex} instead, or as PDF files using
8145 @code{org-publish-org-to-pdf}. Other files like images only need to be
8146 copied to the publishing destination. For non-Org files, you need to provide
8147 your own publishing function:
8149 @multitable @columnfractions 0.3 0.7
8150 @item @code{:publishing-function}
8151 @tab Function executing the publication of a file. This may also be a
8152 list of functions, which will all be called in turn.
8155 The function must accept two arguments: a property list containing at
8156 least a @code{:publishing-directory} property, and the name of the file
8157 to be published. It should take the specified file, make the necessary
8158 transformation (if any) and place the result into the destination folder.
8159 You can write your own publishing function, but @code{org-publish}
8160 provides one for attachments (files that only need to be copied):
8161 @code{org-publish-attachment}.
8163 @node Publishing options, Publishing links, Publishing action, Configuration
8164 @subsection Options for the HTML/LaTeX exporters
8165 @cindex options, for publishing
8167 The property list can be used to set many export options for the HTML
8168 and La@TeX{} exporters. In most cases, these properties correspond to user
8169 variables in Org. The table below lists these properties along
8170 with the variable they belong to. See the documentation string for the
8171 respective variable for details.
8173 @multitable @columnfractions 0.3 0.7
8174 @item @code{:language} @tab @code{org-export-default-language}
8175 @item @code{:headline-levels} @tab @code{org-export-headline-levels}
8176 @item @code{:section-numbers} @tab @code{org-export-with-section-numbers}
8177 @item @code{:table-of-contents} @tab @code{org-export-with-toc}
8178 @item @code{:archived-trees} @tab @code{org-export-with-archived-trees}
8179 @item @code{:emphasize} @tab @code{org-export-with-emphasize}
8180 @item @code{:sub-superscript} @tab @code{org-export-with-sub-superscripts}
8181 @item @code{:special-strings} @tab @code{org-export-with-special-strings}
8182 @item @code{:TeX-macros} @tab @code{org-export-with-TeX-macros}
8183 @item @code{:LaTeX-fragments} @tab @code{org-export-with-LaTeX-fragments}
8184 @item @code{:fixed-width} @tab @code{org-export-with-fixed-width}
8185 @item @code{:timestamps} @tab @code{org-export-with-timestamps}
8186 @item @code{:author-info} @tab @code{org-export-author-info}
8187 @item @code{:creator-info} @tab @code{org-export-creator-info}
8188 @item @code{:tags} @tab @code{org-export-with-tags}
8189 @item @code{:tables} @tab @code{org-export-with-tables}
8190 @item @code{:table-auto-headline} @tab @code{org-export-highlight-first-table-line}
8191 @item @code{:style-include-default} @tab @code{org-export-html-style-include-default}
8192 @item @code{:style} @tab @code{org-export-html-style}
8193 @item @code{:style-extra} @tab @code{org-export-html-style-extra}
8194 @item @code{:convert-org-links} @tab @code{org-export-html-link-org-files-as-html}
8195 @item @code{:inline-images} @tab @code{org-export-html-inline-images}
8196 @item @code{:expand-quoted-html} @tab @code{org-export-html-expand}
8197 @item @code{:timestamp} @tab @code{org-export-html-with-timestamp}
8198 @item @code{:publishing-directory} @tab @code{org-export-publishing-directory}
8199 @item @code{:preamble} @tab @code{org-export-html-preamble}
8200 @item @code{:postamble} @tab @code{org-export-html-postamble}
8201 @item @code{:auto-preamble} @tab @code{org-export-html-auto-preamble}
8202 @item @code{:auto-postamble} @tab @code{org-export-html-auto-postamble}
8203 @item @code{:author} @tab @code{user-full-name}
8204 @item @code{:email} @tab @code{user-mail-address}
8205 @item @code{:select-tags} @tab @code{org-export-select-tags}
8206 @item @code{:exclude-tags} @tab @code{org-export-exclude-tags}
8209 If you use several email addresses, separate them by a semi-column.
8211 Most of the @code{org-export-with-*} variables have the same effect in
8212 both HTML and La@TeX{} exporters, except for @code{:TeX-macros} and
8213 @code{:LaTeX-fragments}, respectively @code{nil} and @code{t} in the
8216 When a property is given a value in @code{org-publish-project-alist},
8217 its setting overrides the value of the corresponding user variable (if
8218 any) during publishing. Options set within a file (@pxref{Export
8219 options}), however, override everything.
8221 @node Publishing links, Project page index, Publishing options, Configuration
8222 @subsection Links between published files
8223 @cindex links, publishing
8225 To create a link from one Org file to another, you would use
8226 something like @samp{[[file:foo.org][The foo]]} or simply
8227 @samp{file:foo.org.} (@pxref{Hyperlinks}). Upon publishing this link
8228 becomes a link to @file{foo.html}. In this way, you can interlink the
8229 pages of your "org web" project and the links will work as expected when
8230 you publish them to HTML.
8232 You may also link to related files, such as images. Provided you are
8233 careful with relative pathnames, and provided you have also configured
8234 @code{org-publish} to upload the related files, these links will work
8235 too. @ref{Complex example} for an example of this usage.
8237 Sometime an Org file to be published may contain links that are
8238 only valid in your production environment, but not in the publishing
8239 location. In this case, use the property
8241 @multitable @columnfractions 0.4 0.6
8242 @item @code{:link-validation-function}
8243 @tab Function to validate links
8247 to define a function for checking link validity. This function must
8248 accept two arguments, the file name and a directory relative to which
8249 the file name is interpreted in the production environment. If this
8250 function returns @code{nil}, then the HTML generator will only insert a
8251 description into the HTML file, but no link. One option for this
8252 function is @code{org-publish-validate-link} which checks if the given
8253 file is part of any project in @code{org-publish-project-alist}.
8255 @node Project page index, , Publishing links, Configuration
8256 @subsection Project page index
8257 @cindex index, of published pages
8259 The following properties may be used to control publishing of an
8260 index of files or summary page for a given project.
8262 @multitable @columnfractions 0.25 0.75
8263 @item @code{:auto-index}
8264 @tab When non-nil, publish an index during org-publish-current-project or
8267 @item @code{:index-filename}
8268 @tab Filename for output of index. Defaults to @file{index.org} (which
8269 becomes @file{index.html}).
8271 @item @code{:index-title}
8272 @tab Title of index page. Defaults to name of file.
8274 @item @code{:index-function}
8275 @tab Plug-in function to use for generation of index.
8276 Defaults to @code{org-publish-org-index}, which generates a plain list
8277 of links to all files in the project.
8280 @node Sample configuration, Triggering publication, Configuration, Publishing
8281 @section Sample configuration
8283 Below we provide two example configurations. The first one is a simple
8284 project publishing only a set of Org files. The second example is
8285 more complex, with a multi-component project.
8288 * Simple example:: One-component publishing
8289 * Complex example:: A multi-component publishing example
8292 @node Simple example, Complex example, Sample configuration, Sample configuration
8293 @subsection Example: simple publishing configuration
8295 This example publishes a set of Org files to the @file{public_html}
8296 directory on the local machine.
8299 (setq org-publish-project-alist
8301 :base-directory "~/org/"
8302 :publishing-directory "~/public_html"
8303 :section-numbers nil
8304 :table-of-contents nil
8305 :style "<link rel=\"stylesheet\"
8306 href=\"../other/mystyle.css\"
8307 type=\"text/css\">")))
8310 @node Complex example, , Simple example, Sample configuration
8311 @subsection Example: complex publishing configuration
8313 This more complicated example publishes an entire website, including
8314 org files converted to HTML, image files, emacs lisp source code, and
8315 style sheets. The publishing-directory is remote and private files are
8318 To ensure that links are preserved, care should be taken to replicate
8319 your directory structure on the web server, and to use relative file
8320 paths. For example, if your org files are kept in @file{~/org} and your
8321 publishable images in @file{~/images}, you'd link to an image with
8324 file:../images/myimage.png
8327 On the web server, the relative path to the image should be the
8328 same. You can accomplish this by setting up an "images" folder in the
8329 right place on the web server, and publishing images to it.
8332 (setq org-publish-project-alist
8334 :base-directory "~/org/"
8335 :base-extension "org"
8336 :publishing-directory "/ssh:user@@host:~/html/notebook/"
8337 :publishing-function org-publish-org-to-html
8338 :exclude "PrivatePage.org" ;; regexp
8340 :section-numbers nil
8341 :table-of-contents nil
8342 :style "<link rel=\"stylesheet\"
8343 href=\"../other/mystyle.css\" type=\"text/css\">"
8345 :auto-postamble nil)
8348 :base-directory "~/images/"
8349 :base-extension "jpg\\|gif\\|png"
8350 :publishing-directory "/ssh:user@@host:~/html/images/"
8351 :publishing-function org-publish-attachment)
8354 :base-directory "~/other/"
8355 :base-extension "css\\|el"
8356 :publishing-directory "/ssh:user@@host:~/html/other/"
8357 :publishing-function org-publish-attachment)
8358 ("website" :components ("orgfiles" "images" "other"))))
8361 @node Triggering publication, , Sample configuration, Publishing
8362 @section Triggering publication
8364 Once org-publish is properly configured, you can publish with the
8365 following functions:
8369 Prompt for a specific project and publish all files that belong to it.
8371 Publish the project containing the current file.
8373 Publish only the current file.
8375 Publish all projects.
8378 Org uses timestamps to track when a file has changed. The above
8379 functions normally only publish changed files. You can override this and
8380 force publishing of all files by giving a prefix argument.
8382 @node Miscellaneous, Extensions, Publishing, Top
8383 @chapter Miscellaneous
8386 * Completion:: M-TAB knows what you need
8387 * Customization:: Adapting Org to your taste
8388 * In-buffer settings:: Overview of the #+KEYWORDS
8389 * The very busy C-c C-c key:: When in doubt, press C-c C-c
8390 * Clean view:: Getting rid of leading stars in the outline
8391 * TTY keys:: Using Org on a tty
8392 * Interaction:: Other Emacs packages
8393 * Bugs:: Things which do not work perfectly
8396 @node Completion, Customization, Miscellaneous, Miscellaneous
8398 @cindex completion, of @TeX{} symbols
8399 @cindex completion, of TODO keywords
8400 @cindex completion, of dictionary words
8401 @cindex completion, of option keywords
8402 @cindex completion, of tags
8403 @cindex completion, of property keys
8404 @cindex completion, of link abbreviations
8405 @cindex @TeX{} symbol completion
8406 @cindex TODO keywords completion
8407 @cindex dictionary word completion
8408 @cindex option keyword completion
8409 @cindex tag completion
8410 @cindex link abbreviations, completion of
8412 Org supports in-buffer completion. This type of completion does
8413 not make use of the minibuffer. You simply type a few letters into
8414 the buffer and use the key to complete text right there.
8419 Complete word at point
8422 At the beginning of a headline, complete TODO keywords.
8424 After @samp{\}, complete @TeX{} symbols supported by the exporter.
8426 After @samp{*}, complete headlines in the current buffer so that they
8427 can be used in search links like @samp{[[*find this headline]]}.
8429 After @samp{:} in a headline, complete tags. The list of tags is taken
8430 from the variable @code{org-tag-alist} (possibly set through the
8431 @samp{#+TAGS} in-buffer option, @pxref{Setting tags}), or it is created
8432 dynamically from all tags used in the current buffer.
8434 After @samp{:} and not in a headline, complete property keys. The list
8435 of keys is constructed dynamically from all keys used in the current
8438 After @samp{[}, complete link abbreviations (@pxref{Link abbreviations}).
8440 After @samp{#+}, complete the special keywords like @samp{TYP_TODO} or
8441 @samp{OPTIONS} which set file-specific options for Org mode. When the
8442 option keyword is already complete, pressing @kbd{M-@key{TAB}} again
8443 will insert example settings for this keyword.
8445 In the line after @samp{#+STARTUP: }, complete startup keywords,
8446 i.e. valid keys for this line.
8448 Elsewhere, complete dictionary words using Ispell.
8452 @node Customization, In-buffer settings, Completion, Miscellaneous
8453 @section Customization
8454 @cindex customization
8455 @cindex options, for customization
8456 @cindex variables, for customization
8458 There are more than 180 variables that can be used to customize
8459 Org. For the sake of compactness of the manual, I am not
8460 describing the variables here. A structured overview of customization
8461 variables is available with @kbd{M-x org-customize}. Or select
8462 @code{Browse Org Group} from the @code{Org->Customization} menu. Many
8463 settings can also be activated on a per-file basis, by putting special
8464 lines into the buffer (@pxref{In-buffer settings}).
8466 @node In-buffer settings, The very busy C-c C-c key, Customization, Miscellaneous
8467 @section Summary of in-buffer settings
8468 @cindex in-buffer settings
8469 @cindex special keywords
8471 Org mode uses special lines in the buffer to define settings on a
8472 per-file basis. These lines start with a @samp{#+} followed by a
8473 keyword, a colon, and then individual words defining a setting. Several
8474 setting words can be in the same line, but you can also have multiple
8475 lines for the keyword. While these settings are described throughout
8476 the manual, here is a summary. After changing any of those lines in the
8477 buffer, press @kbd{C-c C-c} with the cursor still in the line to
8478 activate the changes immediately. Otherwise they become effective only
8479 when the file is visited again in a new Emacs session.
8482 @item #+ARCHIVE: %s_done::
8483 This line sets the archive location for the agenda file. It applies for
8484 all subsequent lines until the next @samp{#+ARCHIVE} line, or the end
8485 of the file. The first such line also applies to any entries before it.
8486 The corresponding variable is @code{org-archive-location}.
8488 This line sets the category for the agenda file. The category applies
8489 for all subsequent lines until the next @samp{#+CATEGORY} line, or the
8490 end of the file. The first such line also applies to any entries before it.
8491 @item #+COLUMNS: %25ITEM .....
8492 Set the default format for columns view. This format applies when
8493 columns view is invoked in location where no @code{COLUMNS} property
8495 @item #+CONSTANTS: name1=value1 ...
8496 Set file-local values for constants to be used in table formulas. This
8497 line set the local variable @code{org-table-formula-constants-local}.
8498 The global version of this variable is
8499 @code{org-table-formula-constants}.
8500 @item #+FILETAGS: :tag1:tag2:tag3:
8501 Set tags that can be inherited by any entry in the file, including the
8503 @item #+DRAWERS: NAME1 .....
8504 Set the file-local set of drawers. The corresponding global variable is
8506 @item #+LINK: linkword replace
8507 These lines (several are allowed) specify link abbreviations.
8508 @xref{Link abbreviations}. The corresponding variable is
8509 @code{org-link-abbrev-alist}.
8510 @item #+PRIORITIES: highest lowest default
8511 This line sets the limits and the default for the priorities. All three
8512 must be either letters A-Z or numbers 0-9. The highest priority must
8513 have a lower ASCII number that the lowest priority.
8514 @item #+PROPERTY: Property_Name Value
8515 This line sets a default inheritance value for entries in the current
8516 buffer, most useful for specifying the allowed values of a property.
8517 @item #+SETUPFILE: file
8518 This line defines a file that holds more in-buffer setup. Normally this is
8519 entirely ignored. Only when the buffer is parsed for option-setting lines
8520 (i.e. when starting Org mode for a file, when pressing @kbd{C-c C-c} in a
8521 settings line, or when exporting), then the contents of this file are parsed
8522 as if they had been included in the buffer. In particlar, the file can be
8523 any other Org mode file with internal setup. You can visit the file the
8524 cursor is in the line with @kbd{C-c '}.
8526 This line sets options to be used at startup of Org mode, when an
8527 Org file is being visited. The first set of options deals with the
8528 initial visibility of the outline tree. The corresponding variable for
8529 global default settings is @code{org-startup-folded}, with a default
8530 value @code{t}, which means @code{overview}.
8531 @cindex @code{overview}, STARTUP keyword
8532 @cindex @code{content}, STARTUP keyword
8533 @cindex @code{showall}, STARTUP keyword
8535 overview @r{top-level headlines only}
8536 content @r{all headlines}
8537 showall @r{no folding at all, show everything}
8539 Then there are options for aligning tables upon visiting a file. This
8540 is useful in files containing narrowed table columns. The corresponding
8541 variable is @code{org-startup-align-all-tables}, with a default value
8543 @cindex @code{align}, STARTUP keyword
8544 @cindex @code{noalign}, STARTUP keyword
8546 align @r{align all tables}
8547 noalign @r{don't align tables on startup}
8549 Logging closing and reinstating TODO items, and clock intervals
8550 (variables @code{org-log-done}, @code{org-log-note-clock-out}, and
8551 @code{org-log-repeat}) can be configured using these options.
8552 @cindex @code{logdone}, STARTUP keyword
8553 @cindex @code{lognotedone}, STARTUP keyword
8554 @cindex @code{nologdone}, STARTUP keyword
8555 @cindex @code{lognoteclock-out}, STARTUP keyword
8556 @cindex @code{nolognoteclock-out}, STARTUP keyword
8557 @cindex @code{logrepeat}, STARTUP keyword
8558 @cindex @code{lognoterepeat}, STARTUP keyword
8559 @cindex @code{nologrepeat}, STARTUP keyword
8561 logdone @r{record a timestamp when an item is marked DONE}
8562 lognotedone @r{record timestamp and a note when DONE}
8563 nologdone @r{don't record when items are marked DONE}
8564 logrepeat @r{record a time when reinstating a repeating item}
8565 lognoterepeat @r{record a note when reinstating a repeating item}
8566 nologrepeat @r{do not record when reinstating repeating item}
8567 lognoteclock-out @r{record a note when clocking out}
8568 nolognoteclock-out @r{don't record a note when clocking out}
8570 Here are the options for hiding leading stars in outline headings, and for
8571 indenting outlines. The corresponding variables are
8572 @code{org-hide-leading-stars} and @code{org-odd-levels-only}, both with a
8573 default setting @code{nil} (meaning @code{showstars} and @code{oddeven}).
8574 @cindex @code{hidestars}, STARTUP keyword
8575 @cindex @code{showstars}, STARTUP keyword
8576 @cindex @code{odd}, STARTUP keyword
8577 @cindex @code{even}, STARTUP keyword
8579 hidestars @r{make all but one of the stars starting a headline invisible.}
8580 showstars @r{show all stars starting a headline}
8581 indent @r{virtual indentation according to outline level}
8582 noindent @r{no virtual indentation according to outline level}
8583 odd @r{allow only odd outline levels (1,3,...)}
8584 oddeven @r{allow all outline levels}
8586 To turn on custom format overlays over time stamps (variables
8587 @code{org-put-time-stamp-overlays} and
8588 @code{org-time-stamp-overlay-formats}), use
8589 @cindex @code{customtime}, STARTUP keyword
8591 customtime @r{overlay custom time format}
8593 The following options influence the table spreadsheet (variable
8594 @code{constants-unit-system}).
8595 @cindex @code{constcgs}, STARTUP keyword
8596 @cindex @code{constSI}, STARTUP keyword
8598 constcgs @r{@file{constants.el} should use the c-g-s unit system}
8599 constSI @r{@file{constants.el} should use the SI unit system}
8601 @item #+TAGS: TAG1(c1) TAG2(c2)
8602 These lines (several such lines are allowed) specify the valid tags in
8603 this file, and (potentially) the corresponding @emph{fast tag selection}
8604 keys. The corresponding variable is @code{org-tag-alist}.
8606 This line contains the formulas for the table directly above the line.
8607 @item #+TITLE:, #+AUTHOR:, #+EMAIL:, #+LANGUAGE:, #+TEXT:, #+OPTIONS, #+DATE:
8608 These lines provide settings for exporting files. For more details see
8609 @ref{Export options}.
8610 @item #+SEQ_TODO: #+TYP_TODO:
8611 These lines set the TODO keywords and their interpretation in the
8612 current file. The corresponding variables are @code{org-todo-keywords}
8613 and @code{org-todo-interpretation}.
8616 @node The very busy C-c C-c key, Clean view, In-buffer settings, Miscellaneous
8617 @section The very busy C-c C-c key
8619 @cindex C-c C-c, overview
8621 The key @kbd{C-c C-c} has many purposes in Org, which are all
8622 mentioned scattered throughout this manual. One specific function of
8623 this key is to add @emph{tags} to a headline (@pxref{Tags}). In many
8624 other circumstances it means something like @emph{Hey Org, look
8625 here and update according to what you see here}. Here is a summary of
8626 what this means in different contexts.
8630 If there are highlights in the buffer from the creation of a sparse
8631 tree, or from clock display, remove these highlights.
8633 If the cursor is in one of the special @code{#+KEYWORD} lines, this
8634 triggers scanning the buffer for these lines and updating the
8637 If the cursor is inside a table, realign the table. This command
8638 works even if the automatic table editor has been turned off.
8640 If the cursor is on a @code{#+TBLFM} line, re-apply the formulas to
8643 If the cursor is inside a table created by the @file{table.el} package,
8644 activate that table.
8646 If the current buffer is a remember buffer, close the note and file it.
8647 With a prefix argument, file it, without further interaction, to the
8650 If the cursor is on a @code{<<<target>>>}, update radio targets and
8651 corresponding links in this buffer.
8653 If the cursor is in a property line or at the start or end of a property
8654 drawer, offer property commands.
8656 If the cursor is in a plain list item with a checkbox, toggle the status
8659 If the cursor is on a numbered item in a plain list, renumber the
8662 If the cursor is on the @code{#+BEGIN} line of a dynamical block, the
8666 @node Clean view, TTY keys, The very busy C-c C-c key, Miscellaneous
8667 @section A cleaner outline view
8668 @cindex hiding leading stars
8669 @cindex dynamic indentation
8670 @cindex odd-levels-only outlines
8671 @cindex clean outline view
8673 Some people find it noisy and distracting that the Org headlines are starting
8674 with a potentially large number of stars, and that text below the headlines
8675 is not indented. This is not really a problem when you are writing a book
8676 where the outline headings are really section headlines. However, in a more
8677 list-oriented outline, it is clear that an indented structure is a lot
8678 cleaner, as can be seen by comparing the two columns in the following
8683 * Top level headline | * Top level headline
8684 ** Second level | * Second level
8685 *** 3rd level | * 3rd level
8686 some text | some text
8687 *** 3rd level | * 3rd level
8688 more text | more text
8689 * Another top level headline | * Another top level headline
8694 It is non-trivial to make such a look work in Emacs, but Org contains three
8695 separate features that, combined, achieve just that.
8699 @emph{Indentation of text below headlines}@*
8700 You may indent text below each headline to make the left boundary line up
8701 with the headline, like
8705 more text, now indented
8708 A good way to get this indentation is by hand, and Org supports this with
8709 paragraph filling, line wrapping, and structure editing@footnote{See also the
8710 variable @code{org-adapt-indentation}.} preserving or adapting the
8711 indentation appropriate. A different approach would be to have a way to
8712 automatically indent lines according to outline structure by adding overlays
8713 or text properties. But I have not yet found a robust and efficient way to
8714 do this in large files.
8717 @emph{Hiding leading stars}@* You can modify the display in such a way that
8718 all leading stars become invisible. To do this in a global way, configure
8719 the variable @code{org-hide-leading-stars} or change this on a per-file basis
8723 #+STARTUP: hidestars
8727 Note that the opposite behavior is selected with @code{showstars}.
8729 With hidden stars, the tree becomes:
8733 * Top level headline
8741 Note that the leading stars are not truly replaced by whitespace, they
8742 are only fontified with the face @code{org-hide} that uses the
8743 background color as font color. If you are not using either white or
8744 black background, you may have to customize this face to get the wanted
8745 effect. Another possibility is to set this font such that the extra
8746 stars are @i{almost} invisible, for example using the color
8747 @code{grey90} on a white background.
8750 Things become cleaner still if you skip all the even levels and use only odd
8751 levels 1, 3, 5..., effectively adding two stars to go from one outline level
8752 to the next. In this way we get the outline view shown at the beginning of
8753 this section. In order to make the structure editing and export commands
8754 handle this convention correctly, configure the variable
8755 @code{org-odd-levels-only}, or set this on a per-file basis with one of the
8763 You can convert an Org file from single-star-per-level to the
8764 double-star-per-level convention with @kbd{M-x org-convert-to-odd-levels
8765 RET} in that file. The reverse operation is @kbd{M-x
8766 org-convert-to-oddeven-levels}.
8769 @node TTY keys, Interaction, Clean view, Miscellaneous
8770 @section Using Org on a tty
8771 @cindex tty key bindings
8773 Because Org contains a large number of commands, by default much of
8774 Org's core commands are bound to keys that are generally not
8775 accessible on a tty, such as the cursor keys (@key{left}, @key{right},
8776 @key{up}, @key{down}), @key{TAB} and @key{RET}, in particular when used
8777 together with modifiers like @key{Meta} and/or @key{Shift}. To access
8778 these commands on a tty when special keys are unavailable, the following
8779 alternative bindings can be used. The tty bindings below will likely be
8780 more cumbersome; you may find for some of the bindings below that a
8781 customized work-around suits you better. For example, changing a time
8782 stamp is really only fun with @kbd{S-@key{cursor}} keys, whereas on a
8783 tty you would rather use @kbd{C-c .} to re-insert the timestamp.
8785 @multitable @columnfractions 0.15 0.2 0.2
8786 @item @b{Default} @tab @b{Alternative 1} @tab @b{Alternative 2}
8787 @item @kbd{S-@key{TAB}} @tab @kbd{C-u @key{TAB}} @tab
8788 @item @kbd{M-@key{left}} @tab @kbd{C-c C-x l} @tab @kbd{@key{Esc} @key{left}}
8789 @item @kbd{M-S-@key{left}} @tab @kbd{C-c C-x L} @tab
8790 @item @kbd{M-@key{right}} @tab @kbd{C-c C-x i} @tab @kbd{@key{Esc} @key{right}}
8791 @item @kbd{M-S-@key{right}} @tab @kbd{C-c C-x R} @tab
8792 @item @kbd{M-@key{up}} @tab @kbd{C-c C-x u} @tab @kbd{@key{Esc} @key{up}}
8793 @item @kbd{M-S-@key{up}} @tab @kbd{C-c C-x U} @tab
8794 @item @kbd{M-@key{down}} @tab @kbd{C-c C-x d} @tab @kbd{@key{Esc} @key{down}}
8795 @item @kbd{M-S-@key{down}} @tab @kbd{C-c C-x D} @tab
8796 @item @kbd{S-@key{RET}} @tab @kbd{C-c C-x c} @tab
8797 @item @kbd{M-@key{RET}} @tab @kbd{C-c C-x m} @tab @kbd{@key{Esc} @key{RET}}
8798 @item @kbd{M-S-@key{RET}} @tab @kbd{C-c C-x M} @tab
8799 @item @kbd{S-@key{left}} @tab @kbd{C-c @key{left}} @tab
8800 @item @kbd{S-@key{right}} @tab @kbd{C-c @key{right}} @tab
8801 @item @kbd{S-@key{up}} @tab @kbd{C-c @key{up}} @tab
8802 @item @kbd{S-@key{down}} @tab @kbd{C-c @key{down}} @tab
8803 @item @kbd{C-S-@key{left}} @tab @kbd{C-c C-x @key{left}} @tab
8804 @item @kbd{C-S-@key{right}} @tab @kbd{C-c C-x @key{right}} @tab
8807 @node Interaction, Bugs, TTY keys, Miscellaneous
8808 @section Interaction with other packages
8809 @cindex packages, interaction with other
8810 Org lives in the world of GNU Emacs and interacts in various ways
8811 with other code out there.
8814 * Cooperation:: Packages Org cooperates with
8815 * Conflicts:: Packages that lead to conflicts
8818 @node Cooperation, Conflicts, Interaction, Interaction
8819 @subsection Packages that Org cooperates with
8822 @cindex @file{calc.el}
8823 @item @file{calc.el} by Dave Gillespie
8824 Org uses the Calc package for implementing spreadsheet
8825 functionality in its tables (@pxref{The spreadsheet}). Org
8826 checks for the availability of Calc by looking for the function
8827 @code{calc-eval} which should be autoloaded in your setup if Calc has
8828 been installed properly. As of Emacs 22, Calc is part of the Emacs
8829 distribution. Another possibility for interaction between the two
8830 packages is using Calc for embedded calculations. @xref{Embedded Mode,
8831 , Embedded Mode, Calc, GNU Emacs Calc Manual}.
8832 @cindex @file{constants.el}
8833 @item @file{constants.el} by Carsten Dominik
8834 In a table formula (@pxref{The spreadsheet}), it is possible to use
8835 names for natural constants or units. Instead of defining your own
8836 constants in the variable @code{org-table-formula-constants}, install
8837 the @file{constants} package which defines a large number of constants
8838 and units, and lets you use unit prefixes like @samp{M} for
8839 @samp{Mega} etc. You will need version 2.0 of this package, available
8840 at @url{http://www.astro.uva.nl/~dominik/Tools}. Org checks for
8841 the function @code{constants-get}, which has to be autoloaded in your
8842 setup. See the installation instructions in the file
8843 @file{constants.el}.
8844 @item @file{cdlatex.el} by Carsten Dominik
8845 @cindex @file{cdlatex.el}
8846 Org mode can make use of the CDLaTeX package to efficiently enter
8847 La@TeX{} fragments into Org files. See @ref{CDLaTeX mode}.
8848 @item @file{imenu.el} by Ake Stenhoff and Lars Lindberg
8849 @cindex @file{imenu.el}
8850 Imenu allows menu access to an index of items in a file. Org mode
8851 supports Imenu - all you need to do to get the index is the following:
8853 (add-hook 'org-mode-hook
8854 (lambda () (imenu-add-to-menubar "Imenu")))
8856 By default the index is two levels deep - you can modify the depth using
8857 the option @code{org-imenu-depth}.
8858 @item @file{remember.el} by John Wiegley
8859 @cindex @file{remember.el}
8860 Org cooperates with remember, see @ref{Remember}.
8861 @file{Remember.el} is not part of Emacs, find it on the web.
8862 @item @file{speedbar.el} by Eric M. Ludlam
8863 @cindex @file{speedbar.el}
8864 Speedbar is a package that creates a special frame displaying files and
8865 index items in files. Org mode supports Speedbar and allows you to
8866 drill into Org files directly from the Speedbar. It also allows to
8867 restrict the scope of agenda commands to a file or a subtree by using
8868 the command @kbd{<} in the Speedbar frame.
8869 @cindex @file{table.el}
8870 @item @file{table.el} by Takaaki Ota
8872 @cindex table editor, @file{table.el}
8873 @cindex @file{table.el}
8875 Complex ASCII tables with automatic line wrapping, column- and
8876 row-spanning, and alignment can be created using the Emacs table
8877 package by Takaaki Ota (@uref{http://sourceforge.net/projects/table},
8878 and also part of Emacs 22).
8879 When @key{TAB} or @kbd{C-c C-c} is pressed in such a table, Org mode
8880 will call @command{table-recognize-table} and move the cursor into the
8881 table. Inside a table, the keymap of Org mode is inactive. In order
8882 to execute Org mode-related commands, leave the table.
8887 Recognize @file{table.el} table. Works when the cursor is in a
8892 Insert a table.el table. If there is already a table at point, this
8893 command converts it between the table.el format and the Org mode
8894 format. See the documentation string of the command
8895 @code{org-convert-table} for the restrictions under which this is
8898 @file{table.el} is part of Emacs 22.
8899 @cindex @file{footnote.el}
8900 @item @file{footnote.el} by Steven L. Baur
8901 Org mode recognizes numerical footnotes as provided by this package
8902 (@pxref{Footnotes}).
8905 @node Conflicts, , Cooperation, Interaction
8906 @subsection Packages that lead to conflicts with Org mode
8910 @cindex @file{allout.el}
8911 @item @file{allout.el} by Ken Manheimer
8912 Startup of Org may fail with the error message
8913 @code{(wrong-type-argument keymapp nil)} when there is an outdated
8914 version @file{allout.el} on the load path, for example the version
8915 distributed with Emacs 21.x. Upgrade to Emacs 22 and this problem will
8916 disappear. If for some reason you cannot do this, make sure that org.el
8917 is loaded @emph{before} @file{allout.el}, for example by putting
8918 @code{(require 'org)} early enough into your @file{.emacs} file.
8920 @cindex @file{CUA.el}
8921 @item @file{CUA.el} by Kim. F. Storm
8922 Key bindings in Org conflict with the @kbd{S-<cursor>} keys used by
8923 CUA mode (as well as pc-select-mode and s-region-mode) to select and
8924 extend the region. If you want to use one of these packages along with
8925 Org, configure the variable @code{org-replace-disputed-keys}. When
8926 set, Org will move the following key bindings in Org files, and
8927 in the agenda buffer (but not during date selection).
8930 S-UP -> M-p S-DOWN -> M-n
8931 S-LEFT -> M-- S-RIGHT -> M-+
8934 Yes, these are unfortunately more difficult to remember. If you want
8935 to have other replacement keys, look at the variable
8936 @code{org-disputed-keys}.
8937 @item @file{windmove.el} by Hovav Shacham
8938 @cindex @file{windmove.el}
8939 Also this package uses the @kbd{S-<cursor>} keys, so everything written
8940 in the paragraph above about CUA mode also applies here.
8942 @cindex @file{footnote.el}
8943 @item @file{footnote.el} by Steven L. Baur
8944 Org supports the syntax of the footnote package, but only the
8945 numerical footnote markers. Also, the default key for footnote
8946 commands, @kbd{C-c !} is already used by Org. You could use the
8947 variable @code{footnote-prefix} to switch footnotes commands to another
8948 key. Or, you could use @code{org-replace-disputed-keys} and
8949 @code{org-disputed-keys} to change the settings in Org.
8954 @node Bugs, , Interaction, Miscellaneous
8958 Here is a list of things that should work differently, but which I
8959 have found too hard to fix.
8963 If a table field starts with a link, and if the corresponding table
8964 column is narrowed (@pxref{Narrow columns}) to a width too small to
8965 display the link, the field would look entirely empty even though it is
8966 not. To prevent this, Org throws an error. The work-around is to
8967 make the column wide enough to fit the link, or to add some text (at
8968 least 2 characters) before the link in the same field.
8970 Narrowing table columns does not work on XEmacs, because the
8971 @code{format} function does not transport text properties.
8973 Text in an entry protected with the @samp{QUOTE} keyword should not
8976 When the application called by @kbd{C-c C-o} to open a file link fails
8977 (for example because the application does not exist or refuses to open
8978 the file), it does so silently. No error message is displayed.
8980 Recalculating a table line applies the formulas from left to right.
8981 If a formula uses @emph{calculated} fields further down the row,
8982 multiple recalculation may be needed to get all fields consistent. You
8983 may use the command @code{org-table-iterate} (@kbd{C-u C-c *}) to
8984 recalculate until convergence.
8986 The exporters work well, but could be made more efficient.
8990 @node Extensions, Hacking, Miscellaneous, Top
8991 @appendix Extensions
8993 This appendix lists the extension modules that have been written for Org.
8994 Many of these extensions live in the @file{contrib} directory of the Org
8995 distribution, others are available somewhere on the web.
8998 * Extensions in the contrib directory:: These come with the Org distro
8999 * Other extensions:: These you have to find on the web.
9002 @node Extensions in the contrib directory, Other extensions, Extensions, Extensions
9003 @section Extensions in the @file{contrib} directory
9005 A number of extension are distributed with Org when you download it from its
9006 homepage. Please note that these extensions are @emph{not} distributed as
9007 part of Emacs, so if you use Org as delivered with Emacs, you still need to
9008 go to @url{http://orgmode.org} to get access to these modules.
9011 @item @file{org-annotate-file.el} by @i{Philip Jackson}
9012 Annotate a file with org syntax, in a separate file, with links back to
9014 @item @file{org-annotation-helper.el} by @i{Bastien Guerry and Daniel E. German}
9015 Call @i{remember} directly from Firefox/Opera, or from Adobe Reader.
9016 When activating a special link or bookmark, Emacs receives a trigger to
9017 create a note with a link back to the website. Requires some setup, a
9018 detailes description is in
9019 @file{contrib/packages/org-annotation-helper}.
9020 @item @file{org-bookmark.el} by @i{Tokuya Kameshima}
9021 Support for links to Emacs bookmarks.
9022 @item @file{org-depend.el} by @i{Carsten Dominik}
9023 TODO dependencies for Org-mode. Make TODO state changes in one entry
9024 trigger changes in another, or be blocked by the state of another
9025 entry. Also, easily create chains of TODO items with exactly one
9026 active item at any time.
9027 @item @file{org-elisp-symbol.el} by @i{Bastien Guerry}
9028 Org links to emacs-lisp symbols. This can create annotated links that
9029 exactly point to the definition location of a variable of function.
9030 @item @file{org-eval.el} by @i{Carsten Dominik}
9031 The @code{<lisp>} tag, adapted from Emacs Wiki and Emacs Muse, allows
9032 text to be included in a document that is the result of evaluating some
9033 code. Other scripting languages like @code{perl} can be supported with
9034 this package as well.
9035 @item @file{org-eval-light.el} by @i{Eric Schulte}
9036 User-controlled evaluation of code in an Org buffer.
9037 @item @file{org-exp-blocks.el} by @i{Eric Schulte}
9038 Preprocess user-defined blocks for export.
9039 @item @file{org-expiry.el} by @i{Bastien Guerry}
9040 Expiry mechanism for Org entries.
9041 @item @file{org-indent.el} by @i{Carsten Dominik}
9042 Dynamic indentation of Org outlines. The plan is to indent an outline
9043 according to level, but so far this is too hard for a proper and stable
9044 implementation. Still, it works somewhat.
9045 @item @file{org-interactive-query.el} by @i{Christopher League}
9046 Interactive modification of tags queries. After running a general
9047 query in Org, this package allows to narrow down the results by adding
9048 more tags or keywords.
9049 @item @file{org-mairix.el} by @i{Georg C. F. Greve}
9050 Hook mairix search into Org for different MUAs.
9051 @item @file{org-man.el} by @i{Carsten Dominik}
9052 Support for links to manpages in Org-mode.
9053 @item @file{org-mtags.el} by @i{Carsten Dominik}
9054 Support for some Muse-like tags in Org-mode. This package allows you
9055 to write @code{<example>} and @code{<src>} and other syntax copied from
9056 Emacs Muse, right inside an Org file. The goal here is to make it easy
9057 to publish the same file using either org-publish or Muse.
9058 @item @file{org-panel.el} by @i{Lennard Borgman}
9059 Simplified and display-aided access to some Org commands.
9060 @item @file{org-registry.el} by @i{Bastien Guerry}
9061 A registry for Org links, to find out from where links point to a given
9063 @item @file{org2rem.el} by @i{Bastien Guerry}
9064 Convert org appointments into reminders for the @file{remind} program.
9065 @item @file{org-screen.el} by @i{Andrew Hyatt}
9066 Visit screen sessions through Org-mode links.
9067 @item @file{org-toc.el} by @i{Bastien Guerry}
9068 Table of contents in a separate buffer, with fast access to sections
9069 and easy visibility cycling.
9070 @item @file{orgtbl-sqlinsert.el} by @i{Jason Riedy}
9071 Convert Org-mode tables to SQL insertions. Documentation for this can
9072 be found on the Worg pages.
9075 @node Other extensions, , Extensions in the contrib directory, Extensions
9076 @section Other extensions
9080 @node Hacking, History and Acknowledgments, Extensions, Top
9083 This appendix covers some aspects where users can extend the functionality of
9087 * Adding hyperlink types:: New custom link types
9088 * Tables in arbitrary syntax:: Orgtbl for LaTeX and other programs
9089 * Dynamic blocks:: Automatically filled blocks
9090 * Special agenda views:: Customized views
9091 * Using the property API:: Writing programs that use entry properties
9092 * Using the mapping API:: Mapping over all or selected entries
9095 @node Adding hyperlink types, Tables in arbitrary syntax, Hacking, Hacking
9096 @section Adding hyperlink types
9097 @cindex hyperlinks, adding new types
9099 Org has a large number of hyperlink types built-in
9100 (@pxref{Hyperlinks}). If you would like to add new link types, it
9101 provides an interface for doing so. Let's look at an example file
9102 @file{org-man.el} that will add support for creating links like
9103 @samp{[[man:printf][The printf manpage]]} to show Unix manual pages inside
9107 ;;; org-man.el - Support for links to manpages in Org
9111 (org-add-link-type "man" 'org-man-open)
9112 (add-hook 'org-store-link-functions 'org-man-store-link)
9114 (defcustom org-man-command 'man
9115 "The Emacs command to be used to display a man page."
9117 :type '(choice (const man) (const woman)))
9119 (defun org-man-open (path)
9120 "Visit the manpage on PATH.
9121 PATH should be a topic that can be thrown at the man command."
9122 (funcall org-man-command path))
9124 (defun org-man-store-link ()
9125 "Store a link to a manpage."
9126 (when (memq major-mode '(Man-mode woman-mode))
9127 ;; This is a man page, we do make this link
9128 (let* ((page (org-man-get-page-name))
9129 (link (concat "man:" page))
9130 (description (format "Manpage for %s" page)))
9131 (org-store-link-props
9134 :description description))))
9136 (defun org-man-get-page-name ()
9137 "Extract the page name from the buffer name."
9138 ;; This works for both `Man-mode' and `woman-mode'.
9139 (if (string-match " \\(\\S-+\\)\\*" (buffer-name))
9140 (match-string 1 (buffer-name))
9141 (error "Cannot create link to this man page")))
9145 ;;; org-man.el ends here
9149 You would activate this new link type in @file{.emacs} with
9156 Let's go through the file and see what it does.
9159 It does @code{(require 'org)} to make sure that @file{org.el} has been
9162 The next line calls @code{org-add-link-type} to define a new link type
9163 with prefix @samp{man}. The call also contains the name of a function
9164 that will be called to follow such a link.
9166 The next line adds a function to @code{org-store-link-functions}, in
9167 order to allow the command @kbd{C-c l} to record a useful link in a
9168 buffer displaying a man page.
9171 The rest of the file defines the necessary variables and functions.
9172 First there is a customization variable that determines which emacs
9173 command should be used to display man pages. There are two options,
9174 @code{man} and @code{woman}. Then the function to follow a link is
9175 defined. It gets the link path as an argument - in this case the link
9176 path is just a topic for the manual command. The function calls the
9177 value of @code{org-man-command} to display the man page.
9179 Finally the function @code{org-man-store-link} is defined. When you try
9180 to store a link with @kbd{C-c l}, also this function will be called to
9181 try to make a link. The function must first decide if it is supposed to
9182 create the link for this buffer type, we do this by checking the value
9183 of the variable @code{major-mode}. If not, the function must exit and
9184 return the value @code{nil}. If yes, the link is created by getting the
9185 manual topic from the buffer name and prefixing it with the string
9186 @samp{man:}. Then it must call the command @code{org-store-link-props}
9187 and set the @code{:type} and @code{:link} properties. Optionally you
9188 can also set the @code{:description} property to provide a default for
9189 the link description when the link is later inserted into an Org
9190 buffer with @kbd{C-c C-l}.
9192 @node Tables in arbitrary syntax, Dynamic blocks, Adding hyperlink types, Hacking
9193 @section Tables and lists in arbitrary syntax
9194 @cindex tables, in other modes
9195 @cindex lists, in other modes
9198 Since Orgtbl mode can be used as a minor mode in arbitrary buffers, a
9199 frequent feature request has been to make it work with native tables in
9200 specific languages, for example La@TeX{}. However, this is extremely
9201 hard to do in a general way, would lead to a customization nightmare,
9202 and would take away much of the simplicity of the Orgtbl mode table
9206 This appendix describes a different approach. We keep the Orgtbl mode
9207 table in its native format (the @i{source table}), and use a custom
9208 function to @i{translate} the table to the correct syntax, and to
9209 @i{install} it in the right location (the @i{target table}). This puts
9210 the burden of writing conversion functions on the user, but it allows
9211 for a very flexible system.
9213 Bastien added the ability to do the same with lists. You can use Org's
9214 facilities to edit and structure lists by turning @code{orgstruct-mode}
9215 on, then locally exporting such lists in another format (HTML, La@TeX{}
9220 * Radio tables:: Sending and receiving
9221 * A LaTeX example:: Step by step, almost a tutorial
9222 * Translator functions:: Copy and modify
9223 * Radio lists:: Doing the same for lists
9226 @node Radio tables, A LaTeX example, Tables in arbitrary syntax, Tables in arbitrary syntax
9227 @subsection Radio tables
9228 @cindex radio tables
9230 To define the location of the target table, you first need to create two
9231 lines that are comments in the current mode, but contain magic words for
9232 Orgtbl mode to find. Orgtbl mode will insert the translated table
9233 between these lines, replacing whatever was there before. For example:
9236 /* BEGIN RECEIVE ORGTBL table_name */
9237 /* END RECEIVE ORGTBL table_name */
9241 Just above the source table, we put a special line that tells
9242 Orgtbl mode how to translate this table and where to install it. For
9245 #+ORGTBL: SEND table_name translation_function arguments....
9249 @code{table_name} is the reference name for the table that is also used
9250 in the receiver lines. @code{translation_function} is the Lisp function
9251 that does the translation. Furthermore, the line can contain a list of
9252 arguments (alternating key and value) at the end. The arguments will be
9253 passed as a property list to the translation function for
9254 interpretation. A few standard parameters are already recognized and
9255 acted upon before the translation function is called:
9259 Skip the first N lines of the table. Hlines do count as separate lines for
9262 @item :skipcols (n1 n2 ...)
9263 List of columns that should be skipped. If the table has a column with
9264 calculation marks, that column is automatically discarded as well.
9265 Please note that the translator function sees the table @emph{after} the
9266 removal of these columns, the function never knows that there have been
9271 The one problem remaining is how to keep the source table in the buffer
9272 without disturbing the normal workings of the file, for example during
9273 compilation of a C file or processing of a La@TeX{} file. There are a
9274 number of different solutions:
9278 The table could be placed in a block comment if that is supported by the
9279 language. For example, in C mode you could wrap the table between
9280 @samp{/*} and @samp{*/} lines.
9282 Sometimes it is possible to put the table after some kind of @i{END}
9283 statement, for example @samp{\bye} in TeX and @samp{\end@{document@}}
9286 You can just comment the table line by line whenever you want to process
9287 the file, and uncomment it whenever you need to edit the table. This
9288 only sounds tedious - the command @kbd{M-x orgtbl-toggle-comment} does
9289 make this comment-toggling very easy, in particular if you bind it to a
9293 @node A LaTeX example, Translator functions, Radio tables, Tables in arbitrary syntax
9294 @subsection A LaTeX example of radio tables
9295 @cindex LaTeX, and Orgtbl mode
9297 The best way to wrap the source table in La@TeX{} is to use the
9298 @code{comment} environment provided by @file{comment.sty}. It has to be
9299 activated by placing @code{\usepackage@{comment@}} into the document
9300 header. Orgtbl mode can insert a radio table skeleton@footnote{By
9301 default this works only for La@TeX{}, HTML, and Texinfo. Configure the
9302 variable @code{orgtbl-radio-tables} to install templates for other
9303 modes.} with the command @kbd{M-x orgtbl-insert-radio-table}. You will
9304 be prompted for a table name, lets say we use @samp{salesfigures}. You
9305 will then get the following template:
9307 @cindex #+ORGTBL: SEND
9309 % BEGIN RECEIVE ORGTBL salesfigures
9310 % END RECEIVE ORGTBL salesfigures
9312 #+ORGTBL: SEND salesfigures orgtbl-to-latex
9318 The @code{#+ORGTBL: SEND} line tells Orgtbl mode to use the function
9319 @code{orgtbl-to-latex} to convert the table into La@TeX{} and to put it
9320 into the receiver location with name @code{salesfigures}. You may now
9321 fill in the table, feel free to use the spreadsheet features@footnote{If
9322 the @samp{#+TBLFM} line contains an odd number of dollar characters,
9323 this may cause problems with font-lock in LaTeX mode. As shown in the
9324 example you can fix this by adding an extra line inside the
9325 @code{comment} environment that is used to balance the dollar
9326 expressions. If you are using AUCTeX with the font-latex library, a
9327 much better solution is to add the @code{comment} environment to the
9328 variable @code{LaTeX-verbatim-environments}.}:
9331 % BEGIN RECEIVE ORGTBL salesfigures
9332 % END RECEIVE ORGTBL salesfigures
9334 #+ORGTBL: SEND salesfigures orgtbl-to-latex
9335 | Month | Days | Nr sold | per day |
9336 |-------+------+---------+---------|
9337 | Jan | 23 | 55 | 2.4 |
9338 | Feb | 21 | 16 | 0.8 |
9339 | March | 22 | 278 | 12.6 |
9340 #+TBLFM: $4=$3/$2;%.1f
9341 % $ (optional extra dollar to keep font-lock happy, see footnote)
9346 When you are done, press @kbd{C-c C-c} in the table to get the converted
9347 table inserted between the two marker lines.
9349 Now lets assume you want to make the table header by hand, because you
9350 want to control how columns are aligned etc. In this case we make sure
9351 that the table translator does skip the first 2 lines of the source
9352 table, and tell the command to work as a @i{splice}, i.e. to not produce
9353 header and footer commands of the target table:
9356 \begin@{tabular@}@{lrrr@}
9357 Month & \multicolumn@{1@}@{c@}@{Days@} & Nr.\ sold & per day\\
9358 % BEGIN RECEIVE ORGTBL salesfigures
9359 % END RECEIVE ORGTBL salesfigures
9363 #+ORGTBL: SEND salesfigures orgtbl-to-latex :splice t :skip 2
9364 | Month | Days | Nr sold | per day |
9365 |-------+------+---------+---------|
9366 | Jan | 23 | 55 | 2.4 |
9367 | Feb | 21 | 16 | 0.8 |
9368 | March | 22 | 278 | 12.6 |
9369 #+TBLFM: $4=$3/$2;%.1f
9373 The La@TeX{} translator function @code{orgtbl-to-latex} is already part of
9374 Orgtbl mode. It uses a @code{tabular} environment to typeset the table
9375 and marks horizontal lines with @code{\hline}. Furthermore, it
9376 interprets the following parameters (see also @ref{Translator functions}):
9380 When set to t, return only table body lines, don't wrap them into a
9381 tabular environment. Default is nil.
9384 A format to be used to wrap each field, should contain @code{%s} for the
9385 original field value. For example, to wrap each field value in dollars,
9386 you could use @code{:fmt "$%s$"}. This may also be a property list with
9387 column numbers and formats. for example @code{:fmt (2 "$%s$" 4 "%s\\%%")}.
9388 A function of one argument can be used in place of the strings; the
9389 function must return a formatted string.
9392 Use this format to print numbers with exponentials. The format should
9393 have @code{%s} twice for inserting mantissa and exponent, for example
9394 @code{"%s\\times10^@{%s@}"}. The default is @code{"%s\\,(%s)"}. This
9395 may also be a property list with column numbers and formats, for example
9396 @code{:efmt (2 "$%s\\times10^@{%s@}$" 4 "$%s\\cdot10^@{%s@}$")}. After
9397 @code{efmt} has been applied to a value, @code{fmt} will also be
9398 applied. Similar to @code{fmt}, functions of two arguments can be
9399 supplied instead of strings.
9402 @node Translator functions, Radio lists, A LaTeX example, Tables in arbitrary syntax
9403 @subsection Translator functions
9404 @cindex HTML, and Orgtbl mode
9405 @cindex translator function
9407 Orgtbl mode has several translator functions built-in: @code{orgtbl-to-csv}
9408 (comma-separated values), @code{orgtbl-to-tsv} (TAB-separated values)
9409 @code{orgtbl-to-latex}, @code{orgtbl-to-html}, and @code{orgtbl-to-texinfo}.
9410 Except for @code{orgtbl-to-html}@footnote{The HTML translator uses the same
9411 code that produces tables during HTML export.}, these all use a generic
9412 translator, @code{orgtbl-to-generic}. For example, @code{orgtbl-to-latex}
9413 itself is a very short function that computes the column definitions for the
9414 @code{tabular} environment, defines a few field and line separators and then
9415 hands over to the generic translator. Here is the entire code:
9419 (defun orgtbl-to-latex (table params)
9420 "Convert the Orgtbl mode TABLE to LaTeX."
9421 (let* ((alignment (mapconcat (lambda (x) (if x "r" "l"))
9422 org-table-last-alignment ""))
9425 :tstart (concat "\\begin@{tabular@}@{" alignment "@}")
9426 :tend "\\end@{tabular@}"
9427 :lstart "" :lend " \\\\" :sep " & "
9428 :efmt "%s\\,(%s)" :hline "\\hline")))
9429 (orgtbl-to-generic table (org-combine-plists params2 params))))
9433 As you can see, the properties passed into the function (variable
9434 @var{PARAMS}) are combined with the ones newly defined in the function
9435 (variable @var{PARAMS2}). The ones passed into the function (i.e. the
9436 ones set by the @samp{ORGTBL SEND} line) take precedence. So if you
9437 would like to use the La@TeX{} translator, but wanted the line endings to
9438 be @samp{\\[2mm]} instead of the default @samp{\\}, you could just
9439 overrule the default with
9442 #+ORGTBL: SEND test orgtbl-to-latex :lend " \\\\[2mm]"
9445 For a new language, you can either write your own converter function in
9446 analogy with the La@TeX{} translator, or you can use the generic function
9447 directly. For example, if you have a language where a table is started
9448 with @samp{!BTBL!}, ended with @samp{!ETBL!}, and where table lines are
9449 started with @samp{!BL!}, ended with @samp{!EL!} and where the field
9450 separator is a TAB, you could call the generic translator like this (on
9454 #+ORGTBL: SEND test orgtbl-to-generic :tstart "!BTBL!" :tend "!ETBL!"
9455 :lstart "!BL! " :lend " !EL!" :sep "\t"
9459 Please check the documentation string of the function
9460 @code{orgtbl-to-generic} for a full list of parameters understood by
9461 that function and remember that you can pass each of them into
9462 @code{orgtbl-to-latex}, @code{orgtbl-to-texinfo}, and any other function
9463 using the generic function.
9465 Of course you can also write a completely new function doing complicated
9466 things the generic translator cannot do. A translator function takes
9467 two arguments. The first argument is the table, a list of lines, each
9468 line either the symbol @code{hline} or a list of fields. The second
9469 argument is the property list containing all parameters specified in the
9470 @samp{#+ORGTBL: SEND} line. The function must return a single string
9471 containing the formatted table. If you write a generally useful
9472 translator, please post it on @code{emacs-orgmode@@gnu.org} so that
9473 others can benefit from your work.
9475 @node Radio lists, , Translator functions, Tables in arbitrary syntax
9476 @subsection Radio lists
9478 @cindex org-list-insert-radio-list
9480 Sending and receiving radio lists works exactly the same way than
9481 sending and receiving radio tables (@pxref{Radio tables}) @footnote{You
9482 need to load the @code{org-export-latex.el} package to use radio lists
9483 since the relevant code is there for now.}. As for radio tables, you
9484 can insert radio lists templates in HTML, La@TeX{} and Texinfo modes by
9485 calling @code{org-list-insert-radio-list}.
9487 Here are the differences with radio tables:
9491 Use @code{ORGLST} instead of @code{ORGTBL}.
9493 The available translation functions for radio lists don't take
9496 `C-c C-c' will work when pressed on the first item of the list.
9499 Here is a La@TeX{} example. Let's say that you have this in your
9503 % BEGIN RECEIVE ORGLST to-buy
9504 % END RECEIVE ORGLST to-buy
9506 #+ORGLIST: SEND to-buy orgtbl-to-latex
9515 Pressing `C-c C-c' on @code{a new house} and will insert the converted
9516 La@TeX{} list between the two marker lines.
9518 @node Dynamic blocks, Special agenda views, Tables in arbitrary syntax, Hacking
9519 @section Dynamic blocks
9520 @cindex dynamic blocks
9522 Org documents can contain @emph{dynamic blocks}. These are
9523 specially marked regions that are updated by some user-written function.
9524 A good example for such a block is the clock table inserted by the
9525 command @kbd{C-c C-x C-r} (@pxref{Clocking work time}).
9527 Dynamic block are enclosed by a BEGIN-END structure that assigns a name
9528 to the block and can also specify parameters for the function producing
9529 the content of the block.
9531 #+BEGIN:dynamic block
9533 #+BEGIN: myblock :parameter1 value1 :parameter2 value2 ...
9538 Dynamic blocks are updated with the following commands
9543 Update dynamic block at point.
9544 @kindex C-u C-c C-x C-u
9545 @item C-u C-c C-x C-u
9546 Update all dynamic blocks in the current file.
9549 Updating a dynamic block means to remove all the text between BEGIN and
9550 END, parse the BEGIN line for parameters and then call the specific
9551 writer function for this block to insert the new content. If you want
9552 to use the original content in the writer function, you can use the
9553 extra parameter @code{:content}.
9555 For a block with name @code{myblock}, the writer function is
9556 @code{org-dblock-write:myblock} with as only parameter a property list
9557 with the parameters given in the begin line. Here is a trivial example
9558 of a block that keeps track of when the block update function was last
9562 #+BEGIN: block-update-time :format "on %m/%d/%Y at %H:%M"
9568 The corresponding block writer function could look like this:
9571 (defun org-dblock-write:block-update-time (params)
9572 (let ((fmt (or (plist-get params :format) "%d. %m. %Y")))
9573 (insert "Last block update at: "
9574 (format-time-string fmt (current-time)))))
9577 If you want to make sure that all dynamic blocks are always up-to-date,
9578 you could add the function @code{org-update-all-dblocks} to a hook, for
9579 example @code{before-save-hook}. @code{org-update-all-dblocks} is
9580 written in a way that is does nothing in buffers that are not in
9583 @node Special agenda views, Using the property API, Dynamic blocks, Hacking
9584 @section Special agenda views
9585 @cindex agenda views, user-defined
9587 Org provides a special hook that can be used to narrow down the
9588 selection made by any of the agenda views. You may specify a function
9589 that is used at each match to verify if the match should indeed be part
9590 of the agenda view, and if not, how much should be skipped.
9592 Let's say you want to produce a list of projects that contain a WAITING
9593 tag anywhere in the project tree. Let's further assume that you have
9594 marked all tree headings that define a project with the TODO keyword
9595 PROJECT. In this case you would run a TODO search for the keyword
9596 PROJECT, but skip the match unless there is a WAITING tag anywhere in
9597 the subtree belonging to the project line.
9599 To achieve this, you must write a function that searches the subtree for
9600 the tag. If the tag is found, the function must return @code{nil} to
9601 indicate that this match should not be skipped. If there is no such
9602 tag, return the location of the end of the subtree, to indicate that
9603 search should continue from there.
9606 (defun my-skip-unless-waiting ()
9607 "Skip trees that are not waiting"
9608 (let ((subtree-end (save-excursion (org-end-of-subtree t))))
9609 (if (re-search-forward ":waiting:" subtree-end t)
9610 nil ; tag found, do not skip
9611 subtree-end))) ; tag not found, continue after end of subtree
9614 Now you may use this function in an agenda custom command, for example
9618 (org-add-agenda-custom-command
9619 '("b" todo "PROJECT"
9620 ((org-agenda-skip-function 'my-skip-unless-waiting)
9621 (org-agenda-overriding-header "Projects waiting for something: "))))
9624 Note that this also binds @code{org-agenda-overriding-header} to get a
9625 meaningful header in the agenda view.
9627 A general way to create custom searches is to base them on a search for
9628 entries with a certain level limit. If you want to study all entries with
9629 your custom search function, simply do a search for @samp{LEVEL>0}, and then
9630 use @code{org-agenda-skip-function} to select the entries you really want to
9633 You may also put a Lisp form into @code{org-agenda-skip-function}. In
9634 particular, you may use the functions @code{org-agenda-skip-entry-if}
9635 and @code{org-agenda-skip-subtree-if} in this form, for example:
9638 @item '(org-agenda-skip-entry-if 'scheduled)
9639 Skip current entry if it has been scheduled.
9640 @item '(org-agenda-skip-entry-if 'notscheduled)
9641 Skip current entry if it has not been scheduled.
9642 @item '(org-agenda-skip-entry-if 'deadline)
9643 Skip current entry if it has a deadline.
9644 @item '(org-agenda-skip-entry-if 'scheduled 'deadline)
9645 Skip current entry if it has a deadline, or if it is scheduled.
9646 @item '(org-agenda-skip-entry 'regexp "regular expression")
9647 Skip current entry if the regular expression matches in the entry.
9648 @item '(org-agenda-skip-entry 'notregexp "regular expression")
9649 Skip current entry unless the regular expression matches.
9650 @item '(org-agenda-skip-subtree-if 'regexp "regular expression")
9651 Same as above, but check and skip the entire subtree.
9654 Therefore we could also have written the search for WAITING projects
9655 like this, even without defining a special function:
9658 (org-add-agenda-custom-command
9659 '("b" todo "PROJECT"
9660 ((org-agenda-skip-function '(org-agenda-skip-subtree-if
9661 'regexp ":waiting:"))
9662 (org-agenda-overriding-header "Projects waiting for something: "))))
9665 @node Using the property API, Using the mapping API, Special agenda views, Hacking
9666 @section Using the property API
9667 @cindex API, for properties
9668 @cindex properties, API
9670 Here is a description of the functions that can be used to work with
9673 @defun org-entry-properties &optional pom which
9674 Get all properties of the entry at point-or-marker POM.
9675 This includes the TODO keyword, the tags, time strings for deadline,
9676 scheduled, and clocking, and any additional properties defined in the
9677 entry. The return value is an alist, keys may occur multiple times
9678 if the property key was used several times.
9679 POM may also be nil, in which case the current entry is used.
9680 If WHICH is nil or `all', get all properties. If WHICH is
9681 `special' or `standard', only get that subclass.
9683 @defun org-entry-get pom property &optional inherit
9684 Get value of PROPERTY for entry at point-or-marker POM. By default,
9685 this only looks at properties defined locally in the entry. If INHERIT
9686 is non-nil and the entry does not have the property, then also check
9687 higher levels of the hierarchy. If INHERIT is the symbol
9688 @code{selective}, use inheritance if and only if the setting of
9689 @code{org-use-property-inheritance} selects PROPERTY for inheritance.
9692 @defun org-entry-delete pom property
9693 Delete the property PROPERTY from entry at point-or-marker POM.
9696 @defun org-entry-put pom property value
9697 Set PROPERTY to VALUE for entry at point-or-marker POM.
9700 @defun org-buffer-property-keys &optional include-specials
9701 Get all property keys in the current buffer.
9704 @defun org-insert-property-drawer
9705 Insert a property drawer at point.
9708 @defun org-entry-put-multivalued-property pom property &rest values
9709 Set PROPERTY at point-or-marker POM to VALUES. VALUES should be a list of
9710 strings. They will be concatenated, with spaces as separators.
9713 @defun org-entry-get-multivalued-property pom property
9714 Treat the value of the property PROPERTY as a whitespace-separated list of
9715 values and return the values as a list of strings.
9718 @defun org-entry-add-to-multivalued-property pom property value
9719 Treat the value of the property PROPERTY as a whitespace-separated list of
9720 values and make sure that VALUE is in this list.
9723 @defun org-entry-remove-from-multivalued-property pom property value
9724 Treat the value of the property PROPERTY as a whitespace-separated list of
9725 values and make sure that VALUE is @emph{not} in this list.
9728 @defun org-entry-member-in-multivalued-property pom property value
9729 Treat the value of the property PROPERTY as a whitespace-separated list of
9730 values and check if VALUE is in this list.
9733 @node Using the mapping API, , Using the property API, Hacking
9734 @section Using the mapping API
9735 @cindex API, for mapping
9736 @cindex mapping entries, API
9738 Org has sophisticated mapping capabilities to find all entries satisfying
9739 certain criteria. Internally, this functionality is used to produce agenda
9740 views, but there is also an API that can be used to execute arbitrary
9741 functions for each or selected entries. The main entry point for this API
9744 @defun org-map-entries func &optional match scope &rest skip
9745 Call FUNC at each headline selected by MATCH in SCOPE.
9747 FUNC is a function or a lisp form. The function will be called without
9748 arguments, with the cursor positioned at the beginning of the headline.
9749 The return values of all calls to the function will be collected and
9752 MATCH is a tags/property/todo match as it is used in the agenda match view.
9753 Only headlines that are matched by this query will be considered during
9754 the iteration. When MATCH is nil or t, all headlines will be
9755 visited by the iteration.
9757 SCOPE determines the scope of this command. It can be any of:
9760 nil @r{the current buffer, respecting the restriction if any}
9761 tree @r{the subtree started with the entry at point}
9762 file @r{the current buffer, without restriction}
9764 @r{the current buffer, and any archives associated with it}
9765 agenda @r{all agenda files}
9766 agenda-with-archives
9767 @r{all agenda files with any archive files associated with them}
9769 @r{if this is a list, all files in the list will be scanned}
9772 The remaining args are treated as settings for the skipping facilities of
9773 the scanner. The following items can be given here:
9776 archive @r{skip trees with the archive tag}
9777 comment @r{skip trees with the COMMENT keyword}
9778 function or Lisp form
9779 @r{will be used as value for @code{org-agenda-skip-function},}
9780 @r{so whenever the the function returns t, FUNC}
9781 @r{will not be called for that entry and search will}
9782 @r{continue from the point where the function leaves it}
9786 The function given to that mapping routine can really do anything you like.
9787 It can uce the property API (@pxref{Using the property API}) to gather more
9788 information about the entry, or in order to change metadate in the entry.
9789 Here are a couple of functions that might be handy:
9791 @defun org-todo &optional arg
9792 Change the TODO state of the entry, see the docstring of the functions for
9793 the many possible values for the argument ARG.
9796 @defun org-priority &optional action
9797 Change the priority of the entry, see the docstring of this function for the
9798 possible values for ACTION.
9801 @defun org-toggle-tag tag &optional onoff
9802 Toggle the tag TAG in the current entry. Setting ONOFF to either @code{on}
9803 or @code{off} will not toggle tag, but ensure that it is either on or off.
9807 Promote the current entry.
9811 Demote the current entry.
9814 Here is a simple example that will turn all entries in the current file with
9815 a tag @code{TOMORROW} into TODO entries with the keyword @code{UPCOMING}.
9816 Entries in comment trees and in archive trees will be ignored.
9820 '(org-todo "UPCOMING")
9821 "+TOMORROW" 'file 'archive 'comment)
9824 The following example counts the number of entries with TODO keyword
9825 @code{WAITING}, in all agenda files.
9828 (length (org-map-entries t "/+WAITING" nil 'agenda))
9831 @node History and Acknowledgments, Main Index, Hacking, Top
9832 @appendix History and Acknowledgments
9833 @cindex acknowledgments
9837 Org was borne in 2003, out of frustration over the user interface
9838 of the Emacs Outline mode. I was trying to organize my notes and
9839 projects, and using Emacs seemed to be the natural way to go. However,
9840 having to remember eleven different commands with two or three keys per
9841 command, only to hide and show parts of the outline tree, that seemed
9842 entirely unacceptable to me. Also, when using outlines to take notes, I
9843 constantly want to restructure the tree, organizing it parallel to my
9844 thoughts and plans. @emph{Visibility cycling} and @emph{structure
9845 editing} were originally implemented in the package
9846 @file{outline-magic.el}, but quickly moved to the more general
9847 @file{org.el}. As this environment became comfortable for project
9848 planning, the next step was adding @emph{TODO entries}, basic @emph{time
9849 stamps}, and @emph{table support}. These areas highlight the two main
9850 goals that Org still has today: To create a new, outline-based,
9851 plain text mode with innovative and intuitive editing features, and to
9852 incorporate project planning functionality directly into a notes file.
9854 A special thanks goes to @i{Bastien Guerry} who has not only writen a large
9855 number of extensions to Org (most of them integrated into the core by now),
9856 but has also helped the development and maintenance of Org so much that he
9857 should be considered co-author of this package.
9859 Since the first release, literally thousands of emails to me or on
9860 @code{emacs-orgmode@@gnu.org} have provided a constant stream of bug
9861 reports, feedback, new ideas, and sometimes patches and add-on code.
9862 Many thanks to everyone who has helped to improve this package. I am
9863 trying to keep here a list of the people who had significant influence
9864 in shaping one or more aspects of Org. The list may not be
9865 complete, if I have forgotten someone, please accept my apologies and
9871 @i{Russel Adams} came up with the idea for drawers.
9873 @i{Thomas Baumann} wrote @file{org-bbdb.el} and @file{org-mhe.el}.
9875 @i{Christophe Bataillon} created the great unicorn logo that we use on the
9878 @i{Alex Bochannek} provided a patch for rounding time stamps.
9880 @i{Charles Cave}'s suggestion sparked the implementation of templates
9883 @i{Pavel Chalmoviansky} influenced the agenda treatment of items with
9886 @i{Gregory Chernov} patched support for lisp forms into table
9887 calculations and improved XEmacs compatibility, in particular by porting
9888 @file{nouline.el} to XEmacs.
9890 @i{Sacha Chua} suggested to copy some linking code from Planner.
9892 @i{Eddward DeVilla} proposed and tested checkbox statistics. He also
9893 came up with the idea of properties, and that there should be an API for
9896 @i{Kees Dullemond} used to edit projects lists directly in HTML and so
9897 inspired some of the early development, including HTML export. He also
9898 asked for a way to narrow wide table columns.
9900 @i{Christian Egli} converted the documentation into Texinfo format,
9901 patched CSS formatting into the HTML exporter, and inspired the agenda.
9903 @i{David Emery} provided a patch for custom CSS support in exported
9906 @i{Nic Ferrier} contributed mailcap and XOXO support.
9908 @i{Miguel A. Figueroa-Villanueva} implemented hierarchical checkboxes.
9910 @i{John Foerch} figured out how to make incremental search show context
9911 around a match in a hidden outline tree.
9913 @i{Niels Giesen} had the idea to automatically archive DONE trees.
9915 @i{Bastien Guerry} wrote the La@TeX{} exporter and @file{org-bibtex.el}, and
9916 has been prolific with patches, ideas, and bug reports.
9918 @i{Kai Grossjohann} pointed out key-binding conflicts with other packages.
9920 @i{Bernt Hansen} has driven much of the support for auto-repeating tasks,
9921 task state change logging, and the clocktable. His clear explanations have
9922 been critical when we started to adopt the GIT version control system.
9924 @i{Manuel Hermenegildo} has contributed various ideas, small fixed and
9927 @i{Phil Jackson} wrote @file{org-irc.el}.
9929 @i{Scott Jaderholm} proposed footnotes, control over whitespace between
9930 folded entries, and column view for properties.
9932 @i{Tokuya Kameshima} wrote @file{org-wl.el} and @file{org-mew.el}.
9934 @i{Shidai Liu} ("Leo") asked for embedded La@TeX{} and tested it. He also
9935 provided frequent feedback and some patches.
9937 @i{Jason F. McBrayer} suggested agenda export to CSV format.
9939 @i{Max Mikhanosha} came up with the idea of refiling.
9941 @i{Dmitri Minaev} sent a patch to set priority limits on a per-file
9944 @i{Stefan Monnier} provided a patch to keep the Emacs-Lisp compiler
9947 @i{Rick Moynihan} proposed to allow multiple TODO sequences in a file
9948 and to be able to quickly restrict the agenda to a subtree.
9950 @i{Todd Neal} provided patches for links to Info files and elisp forms.
9952 @i{Tim O'Callaghan} suggested in-file links, search options for general
9953 file links, and TAGS.
9955 @i{Takeshi Okano} translated the manual and David O'Toole's tutorial
9958 @i{Oliver Oppitz} suggested multi-state TODO items.
9960 @i{Scott Otterson} sparked the introduction of descriptive text for
9961 links, among other things.
9963 @i{Pete Phillips} helped during the development of the TAGS feature, and
9964 provided frequent feedback.
9966 @i{T.V. Raman} reported bugs and suggested improvements.
9968 @i{Matthias Rempe} (Oelde) provided ideas, Windows support, and quality
9971 @i{Kevin Rogers} contributed code to access VM files on remote hosts.
9973 @i{Sebastian Rose} wrote @file{org-info.js}, a Java script for displaying
9974 webpages derived from Org using an Info-like, or a folding interface with
9975 single key navigation.
9977 @i{Frank Ruell} solved the mystery of the @code{keymapp nil} bug, a
9978 conflict with @file{allout.el}.
9980 @i{Jason Riedy} generalized the send-receive mechanism for orgtbl tables with
9983 @i{Philip Rooke} created the Org reference card, provided lots
9984 of feedback, developed and applied standards to the Org documentation.
9986 @i{Christian Schlauer} proposed angular brackets around links, among
9989 @i{Eric Schulte} wrote @file{org-plot.el}.
9991 Linking to VM/BBDB/Gnus was first inspired by @i{Tom Shannon}'s
9992 @file{organizer-mode.el}.
9994 @i{Ilya Shlyakhter} proposed the Archive Sibling.
9996 @i{Stathis Sideris} wrote the @file{ditaa.jar} ASCII to PNG converter that is
9997 now packaged into Org's @file{contrib} directory.
9999 @i{Daniel Sinder} came up with the idea of internal archiving by locking
10002 @i{Dale Smith} proposed link abbreviations.
10004 @i{James TD Smith} has contributed a large number of patches for useful
10005 tweaks and features.
10007 @i{Adam Spiers} asked for global linking commands, inspired the link
10008 extension system, added support for mairix, and proposed the mapping API.
10010 @i{David O'Toole} wrote @file{org-publish.el} and drafted the manual
10011 chapter about publishing.
10013 @i{J@"urgen Vollmer} contributed code generating the table of contents
10016 @i{Chris Wallace} provided a patch implementing the @samp{QUOTE}
10019 @i{David Wainberg} suggested archiving, and improvements to the linking
10022 @i{John Wiegley} wrote @file{emacs-wiki.el}, @file{planner.el}, and
10023 @file{muse.el}, which have similar goals as Org. Initially the
10024 development of Org was fully independent because I was not aware of the
10025 existence of these packages. But with time I have accasionally looked
10026 at John's code and learned a lot from it. John has also contributed a
10027 number of great ideas and patches directly to Org, including the attachment
10028 system (@file{org-attach.el}) and integration with Apple Mail
10029 (@file{org-mac-message.el}).
10031 @i{Carsten Wimmer} suggested some changes and helped fix a bug in
10034 @i{Roland Winkler} requested additional key bindings to make Org
10037 @i{Piotr Zielinski} wrote @file{org-mouse.el}, proposed agenda blocks
10038 and contributed various ideas and code snippets.
10042 @node Main Index, Key Index, History and Acknowledgments, Top
10043 @unnumbered The Main Index
10047 @node Key Index, , Main Index, Top
10048 @unnumbered Key Index
10055 arch-tag: 7893d1Fe-cc57-4d13-b5e5-f494a1CBC7ac
10058 @c Local variables:
10059 @c ispell-local-dictionary: "en_US-w_accents"
10060 @c ispell-local-pdict: "./.aspell.org.pws"