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1 \input texinfo
2 @c %**start of header
3 @setfilename ../info/org
4 @settitle Org Mode Manual
5
6 @set VERSION 4.54
7 @set DATE November 2006
8
9 @dircategory Emacs
10 @direntry
11 * Org Mode: (org). outline-based notes management and organizer
12 @end direntry
13
14 @c Version and Contact Info
15 @set MAINTAINERSITE @uref{http://www.astro.uva.nl/~dominik/Tools/org/,maintainers webpage}
16 @set AUTHOR Carsten Dominik
17 @set MAINTAINER Carsten Dominik
18 @set MAINTAINEREMAIL @email{dominik at science dot uva dot nl}
19 @set MAINTAINERCONTACT @uref{mailto:dominik at science dot uva dot nl,contact the maintainer}
20 @c %**end of header
21 @finalout
22
23 @c Macro definitions
24
25 @c Subheadings inside a table.
26 @macro tsubheading{text}
27 @ifinfo
28 @subsubheading \text\
29 @end ifinfo
30 @ifnotinfo
31 @item @b{\text\}
32 @end ifnotinfo
33 @end macro
34
35 @copying
36 This manual is for Org-mode (version @value{VERSION}).
37
38 Copyright @copyright{} 2004, 2005, 2006 Free Software Foundation
39
40 @quotation
41 Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document
42 under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.1 or
43 any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no
44 Invariant Sections, with the Front-Cover texts being ``A GNU Manual,''
45 and with the Back-Cover Texts as in (a) below. A copy of the
46 license is included in the section entitled ``GNU Free Documentation
47 License.''
48
49 (a) The FSF's Back-Cover Text is: ``You have freedom to copy and modify
50 this GNU Manual, like GNU software. Copies published by the Free
51 Software Foundation raise funds for GNU development.''
52 @end quotation
53 @end copying
54
55 @titlepage
56 @title Org Mode Manual
57
58 @subtitle Release @value{VERSION}
59 @author by Carsten Dominik
60
61 @c The following two commands start the copyright page.
62 @page
63 @vskip 0pt plus 1filll
64 @insertcopying
65 @end titlepage
66
67 @c Output the table of contents at the beginning.
68 @contents
69
70 @ifnottex
71 @node Top, Introduction, (dir), (dir)
72 @top Org Mode Manual
73
74 @insertcopying
75 @end ifnottex
76
77 @menu
78 * Introduction:: Getting started
79 * Document structure:: A tree works like your brain
80 * Tables:: Pure magic for quick formatting
81 * Hyperlinks:: Notes in context
82 * TODO items:: Every tree branch can be a TODO item
83 * Timestamps:: Assign date and time to items
84 * Tags:: Tagging headlines and matching sets of tags
85 * Agenda views:: Collecting information into views
86 * Embedded LaTeX:: LaTeX fragments and formulas
87 * Exporting:: Sharing and publishing of notes
88 * Publishing:: Create a web site of linked Org-mode files
89 * Miscellaneous:: All the rest which did not fit elsewhere
90 * Extensions and Hacking:: It is possible to write add-on code
91 * History and Acknowledgments:: How Org-mode came into being
92 * Index:: The fast road to specific information
93 * Key Index:: Key bindings and where they are described
94
95 @detailmenu
96 --- The Detailed Node Listing ---
97
98 Introduction
99
100 * Summary:: Brief summary of what Org-mode does
101 * Installation:: How to install a downloaded version of Org-mode
102 * Activation:: How to activate Org-mode for certain buffers.
103 * Feedback:: Bug reports, ideas, patches etc.
104
105 Document Structure
106
107 * Outlines:: Org-mode is based on outline-mode
108 * Headlines:: How to typeset org-tree headlines
109 * Visibility cycling:: Show and hide, much simplified
110 * Motion:: Jumping to other headlines
111 * Structure editing:: Changing sequence and level of headlines
112 * Archiving:: Move done task trees to a different place
113 * Sparse trees:: Matches embedded in context
114 * Plain lists:: Additional structure within an entry
115
116 Archiving
117
118 * ARCHIVE tag:: Marking a tree as inactive
119 * Moving subtrees:: Moving a tree to an archive file
120
121 Tables
122
123 * Built-in table editor:: Simple tables
124 * Narrow columns:: Stop wasting space in tables
125 * Table calculations:: Compute a field from other fields
126 * orgtbl-mode:: The table editor as minor mode
127 * table.el:: Complex tables
128
129 Calculations in tables
130
131 * Formula syntax:: How to write a formula
132 * Lisp formulas:: An alternative way to write formulas
133 * Column formulas:: Formulas valid for all fields in a column
134 * Advanced features:: Field names, parameters and automatic recalc
135 * Named-field formulas:: Formulas valid in single fields
136 * Editing/debugging formulas:: Changing a stored formula
137 * Appetizer:: Taste the power of calc
138
139 Hyperlinks
140
141 * Link format:: How links in Org-mode are formatted
142 * Internal links:: Links to other places in the current file
143 * External links:: URL-like links to the world
144 * Handling links:: Creating, inserting and following
145 * Link abbreviations:: Shortcuts for writing complex links
146 * Search options:: Linking to a specific location
147 * Custom searches:: When the default search is not enough
148 * Remember:: Org-trees store quick notes
149
150 Internal links
151
152 * Radio targets:: Make targets trigger links in plain text.
153 * CamelCase links:: Activating CamelCase words as links
154
155 TODO items
156
157 * TODO basics:: Marking and displaying TODO entries
158 * TODO extensions:: Workflow and assignments
159 * Priorities:: Some things are more important than others
160 * Breaking down tasks:: Splitting a task into managable pieces
161 * Checkboxes:: Tick-off lists
162
163 Extended use of TODO keywords
164
165 * Workflow states:: From TODO to DONE in steps
166 * TODO types:: I do this, Fred the rest
167 * Per file keywords:: Different files, different requirements
168
169 Timestamps
170
171 * Time stamps:: Assigning a time to a tree entry
172 * Creating timestamps:: Commands which insert timestamps
173 * Custom time format:: If you cannot work with the ISO format
174 * Progress logging:: Documenting when what work was done.
175
176 Creating timestamps
177
178 * The date/time prompt:: How org-mode helps you entring date and time
179
180 Progress Logging
181
182 * Closing items:: When was this entry marked DONE?
183 * Clocking work time:: When exactly did you work on this item?
184
185 Tags
186
187 * Tag inheritance:: Tags use the tree structure of the outline
188 * Setting tags:: How to assign tags to a headline
189 * Tag searches:: Searching for combinations of tags
190
191 Agenda Views
192
193 * Agenda files:: Files being searched for agenda information
194 * Agenda dispatcher:: Keyboard access to agenda views
195 * Weekly/Daily agenda:: The calendar page with current tasks
196 * Global TODO list:: All unfinished action items
197 * Matching headline tags:: Structured information with fine-tuned search
198 * Timeline:: Time-sorted view for single file
199 * Presentation and sorting:: How agenda items are prepared for display
200 * Agenda commands:: Remote editing of org trees
201 * Custom agenda views:: Defining special searches and views
202
203 The weekly/daily agenda
204
205 * Calendar/Diary integration:: Integrating Anniversaries and more
206
207 Presentation and sorting
208
209 * Categories:: Not all tasks are equal
210 * Time-of-day specifications:: How the agenda knows the time
211 * Sorting of agenda items:: The order of things
212
213 Custom agenda views
214
215 * Storing searches:: Type once, use often
216 * Block agenda:: All the stuff you need in a single buffer
217 * Setting Options:: Changing the rules
218 * Batch processing:: Agenda views from the command line
219
220 Embedded LaTeX
221
222 * Math symbols:: TeX macros for symbols and Greek letters
223 * Subscripts and Superscripts:: Simple syntax for raising/lowering text
224 * LaTeX fragments:: Complex formulas made easy
225 * Processing LaTeX fragments:: Previewing LaTeX processing
226 * CDLaTeX mode:: Speed up entering of formulas
227
228 Exporting
229
230 * ASCII export:: Exporting to plain ASCII
231 * HTML export:: Exporting to HTML
232 * XOXO export:: Exporting to XOXO
233 * iCalendar export:: Exporting in iCalendar format
234 * Text interpretation:: How the exporter looks at the file
235
236 Text interpretation by the exporter
237
238 * Comment lines:: Some lines will not be exported
239 * Enhancing text:: Subscripts, symbols and more
240 * Export options:: How to influence the export settings
241
242 Publishing
243
244 * Configuration:: Defining projects
245 * Sample configuration:: Example projects
246 * Triggering publication:: Publication commands
247
248 Configuration
249
250 * Project alist:: The central configuration variable
251 * Sources and destinations:: From here to there
252 * Selecting files:: What files are part of the project?
253 * Publishing action:: Setting the function doing the publishing
254 * Publishing options:: Tweaking HTML export
255 * Publishing links:: Which links keep working after publishing?
256 * Project page index:: Publishing a list of project files
257
258 Sample configuration
259
260 * Simple example:: One-component publishing
261 * Complex example:: A multi-component publishing example
262
263 Miscellaneous
264
265 * Completion:: M-TAB knows what you need
266 * Customization:: Adapting Org-mode to your taste
267 * In-buffer settings:: Overview of the #+KEYWORDS
268 * The very busy C-c C-c key:: When in doubt, press C-c C-c
269 * Clean view:: Getting rid of leading stars in the outline
270 * TTY keys:: Using Org-mode on a tty
271 * Interaction:: Other Emacs packages
272 * Bugs:: Things which do not work perfectly
273
274 Interaction with other packages
275
276 * Cooperation:: Packages Org-mode cooperates with
277 * Conflicts:: Packages that lead to conflicts
278
279 Extensions, Hooks and Hacking
280
281 * Extensions:: Existing 3rd-part extensions
282 * Dynamic blocks:: Automatically filled blocks
283
284 @end detailmenu
285 @end menu
286
287 @node Introduction, Document structure, Top, Top
288 @chapter Introduction
289 @cindex introduction
290
291 @menu
292 * Summary:: Brief summary of what Org-mode does
293 * Installation:: How to install a downloaded version of Org-mode
294 * Activation:: How to activate Org-mode for certain buffers.
295 * Feedback:: Bug reports, ideas, patches etc.
296 @end menu
297
298 @node Summary, Installation, Introduction, Introduction
299 @section Summary
300 @cindex summary
301
302 Org-mode is a mode for keeping notes, maintaining ToDo lists, and doing
303 project planning with a fast and effective plain-text system.
304
305 Org-mode develops organizational tasks around NOTES files that contain
306 information about projects as plain text. Org-mode is implemented on
307 top of outline-mode, which makes it possible to keep the content of
308 large files well structured. Visibility cycling and structure editing
309 help to work with the tree. Tables are easily created with a built-in
310 table editor. Org-mode supports ToDo items, deadlines, time stamps,
311 and scheduling. It dynamically compiles entries into an agenda that
312 utilizes and smoothly integrates much of the Emacs calendar and diary.
313 Plain text URL-like links connect to websites, emails, Usenet
314 messages, BBDB entries, and any files related to the projects. For
315 printing and sharing of notes, an Org-mode file can be exported as a
316 structured ASCII file, as HTML, or (todo and agenda items only) as an
317 iCalendar file. It can also serve as a publishing tool for a set of
318 linked webpages.
319
320 An important design aspect that distinguishes Org-mode from other
321 packages like Planner/Muse is that it encougages to store every piece of
322 information only once. In Planner, you have project pages, day pages
323 and possibly other files, duplicating some information such as tasks.
324 In Org-mode, you only have notes files. In your notes you mark entries
325 as tasks, label them with tags and timestamps. All necessary lists like
326 a schedule for the day, the agenda for a meeting, tasks lists selected
327 by tags etc are created dynamically when you need them.
328
329 Org-mode keeps simple things simple. When first fired up, it should
330 feel like a straightforward, easy to use outliner. Complexity is not
331 imposed, but a large amount of functionality is available when you need
332 it. Org-mode can be used on different levels and in different ways, for
333 example:
334
335 @example
336 @r{@bullet{} as an outline extension with visibility cycling and structure editing}
337 @r{@bullet{} as an ASCII system and table editor for taking structured notes}
338 @r{@bullet{} as an ASCII table editor with spreadsheet-like capabilities}
339 @r{@bullet{} as a TODO list editor}
340 @r{@bullet{} as a full agenda and planner with deadlines and work scheduling}
341 @r{@bullet{} as an environment to implement David Allen's GTD system}
342 @r{@bullet{} as a simple hypertext system, with HTML export}
343 @r{@bullet{} as a publishing tool to create a set of interlinked webpages}
344 @end example
345
346 Org-mode's automatic, context sensitive table editor can be integrated
347 into any major mode by activating the minor Orgtbl-mode.
348
349 @cindex FAQ
350 There is a website for Org-mode which provides links to the newest
351 version of Org-mode, as well as additional information, frequently asked
352 questions (FAQ), links to tutorials etc. This page is located at
353 @uref{http://www.astro.uva.nl/~dominik/Tools/org/}.
354
355 @page
356
357 @node Installation, Activation, Summary, Introduction
358 @section Installation
359 @cindex installation
360 @cindex XEmacs
361
362 @b{Important:} If Org-mode is part of the Emacs distribution or an
363 XEmacs package, please skip this section and go directly to
364 @ref{Activation}.
365
366 If you have downloaded Org-mode from the Web, you must take the
367 following steps to install it: Go into the Org-mode distribution
368 directory and edit the top section of the file @file{Makefile}. You
369 must set the name of the Emacs binary (likely either @file{emacs} or
370 @file{xemacs}), and the paths to the directories where local Lisp and
371 Info files are kept. If you don't have access to the system-wide
372 directories, create your own two directories for these files, enter them
373 into the Makefile, and make sure Emacs finds the Lisp files by adding
374 the following line to @file{.emacs}:
375
376 @example
377 (setq load-path (cons "~/path/to/lispdir" load-path))
378 @end example
379
380 @b{XEmacs users now need to install the file @file{noutline.el} from
381 the @file{xemacs} subdirectory of the Org-mode distribution. Use the
382 command:}
383
384 @example
385 @b{make install-noutline}
386 @end example
387
388 @noindent Now byte-compile and install the Lisp files with the shell
389 commands:
390
391 @example
392 make
393 make install
394 @end example
395
396 @noindent If you want to install the info documentation, use this command:
397
398 @example
399 make install-info
400 @end example
401
402 @noindent Then add to @file{.emacs}:
403
404 @lisp
405 ;; This line only if org-mode is not part of the X/Emacs distribution.
406 (require 'org-install)
407 @end lisp
408
409 @node Activation, Feedback, Installation, Introduction
410 @section Activation
411 @cindex activation
412 @cindex autoload
413 @cindex global keybindings
414 @cindex keybindings, global
415
416 Add the following lines to your @file{.emacs} file. The last two lines
417 define @emph{global} keys for the commands @command{org-store-link} and
418 @command{org-agenda} - please choose suitable keys yourself.
419
420 @lisp
421 ;; The following lines are always needed. Choose your own keys.
422 (add-to-list 'auto-mode-alist '("\\.org$" . org-mode))
423 (define-key global-map "\C-cl" 'org-store-link)
424 (define-key global-map "\C-ca" 'org-agenda)
425 @end lisp
426
427 Furthermore, you must activate @code{font-lock-mode} in org-mode
428 buffers, because significant functionality depends on font-locking being
429 active. You can do this with either one of the following two lines
430 (XEmacs user must use the second option):
431 @lisp
432 (global-font-lock-mode 1) ; for all buffers
433 (add-hook 'org-mode-hook 'turn-on-font-lock) ; org-mode buffers only
434 @end lisp
435
436 @cindex org-mode, turning on
437 With this setup, all files with extension @samp{.org} will be put
438 into Org-mode. As an alternative, make the first line of a file look
439 like this:
440
441 @example
442 MY PROJECTS -*- mode: org; -*-
443 @end example
444
445 @noindent which will select Org-mode for this buffer no matter what
446 the file's name is. See also the variable
447 @code{org-insert-mode-line-in-empty-file}.
448
449 @node Feedback, , Activation, Introduction
450 @section Feedback
451 @cindex feedback
452 @cindex bug reports
453 @cindex maintainer
454 @cindex author
455
456 If you find problems with Org-mode, or if you have questions, remarks,
457 or ideas about it, please contact the maintainer @value{MAINTAINER} at
458 @value{MAINTAINEREMAIL}.
459
460 For bug reports, please provide as much information as possible,
461 including the version information of Emacs (@kbd{C-h v emacs-version
462 @key{RET}}) and Org-mode (@kbd{C-h v org-version @key{RET}}), as well as
463 the Org-mode related setup in @file{.emacs}. If an error occurs, a
464 backtrace can be very useful (see below on how to create one). Often a
465 small example file helps, along with clear information about:
466
467 @enumerate
468 @item What exactly did you do?
469 @item What did you expect to happen?
470 @item What happened instead?
471 @end enumerate
472 @noindent Thank you for helping to improve this mode.
473
474 @subsubheading How to create a useful backtrace
475
476 @cindex backtrace of an error
477 If working with Org-mode produces an error with a message you don't
478 understand, you may have hit a bug. The best way to report this is by
479 providing, in addition to what was mentioned above, a @emph{Backtrace}.
480 This is information from the built-in debugger about where and how the
481 error occurred. Here is how to produce a useful backtrace:
482
483 @enumerate
484 @item
485 Start a fresh Emacs or XEmacs, and make sure that it will load the
486 original Lisp code in @file{org.el} instead of the compiled version in
487 @file{org.elc}. The backtrace contains much more information if it is
488 produced with uncompiled code. To do this, either rename @file{org.elc}
489 to something else before starting Emacs, or ask Emacs explicitly to load
490 @file{org.el} by using the command line
491 @example
492 emacs -l /path/to/org.el
493 @end example
494 @item
495 Go to the @code{Options} menu and select @code{Enter Debugger on Error}
496 (XEmacs has this option in the @code{Troubleshooting} sub-menu).
497 @item
498 Do whatever you have to do to hit the error. Don't forget to to
499 document the steps you take.
500 @item
501 When you hit the error, a @file{*Backtrace*} buffer will appear on the
502 screen. Safe this buffer to a file (for example using @kbd{C-x C-w} and
503 attach) it to your bug report.
504 @end enumerate
505
506 @node Document structure, Tables, Introduction, Top
507 @chapter Document Structure
508 @cindex document structure
509 @cindex structure of document
510
511 Org-mode is based on outline mode and provides flexible commands to
512 edit the structure of the document.
513
514 @menu
515 * Outlines:: Org-mode is based on outline-mode
516 * Headlines:: How to typeset org-tree headlines
517 * Visibility cycling:: Show and hide, much simplified
518 * Motion:: Jumping to other headlines
519 * Structure editing:: Changing sequence and level of headlines
520 * Archiving:: Move done task trees to a different place
521 * Sparse trees:: Matches embedded in context
522 * Plain lists:: Additional structure within an entry
523 @end menu
524
525 @node Outlines, Headlines, Document structure, Document structure
526 @section Outlines
527 @cindex outlines
528 @cindex outline-mode
529
530 Org-mode is implemented on top of outline-mode. Outlines allow to
531 organize a document in a hierarchical structure, which (at least for
532 me) is the best representation of notes and thoughts. Overview over
533 this structure is achieved by folding (hiding) large parts of the
534 document to show only the general document structure and the parts
535 currently being worked on. Org-mode greatly simplifies the use of
536 outlines by compressing the entire show/hide functionality into a
537 single command @command{org-cycle}, which is bound to the @key{TAB}
538 key.
539
540 @node Headlines, Visibility cycling, Outlines, Document structure
541 @section Headlines
542 @cindex headlines
543 @cindex outline tree
544
545 Headlines define the structure of an outline tree. The headlines in
546 Org-mode start with one or more stars, on the left margin. For
547 example:
548
549 @example
550 * Top level headline
551 ** Second level
552 *** 3rd level
553 some text
554 *** 3rd level
555 more text
556 * Another top level headline
557 @end example
558
559 @noindent Some people find the many stars too noisy and would prefer an
560 outline that has whitespace followed by a single star as headline
561 starters. @ref{Clean view} describes a setup to realize this.
562
563 @node Visibility cycling, Motion, Headlines, Document structure
564 @section Visibility cycling
565 @cindex cycling, visibility
566 @cindex visibility cycling
567 @cindex trees, visibility
568 @cindex show hidden text
569 @cindex hide text
570
571 Outlines make it possible to hide parts of the text in the buffer.
572 Org-mode uses just two commands, bound to @key{TAB} and
573 @kbd{S-@key{TAB}} to change the visibility in the buffer.
574
575 @cindex subtree visibility states
576 @cindex subtree cycling
577 @cindex folded, subtree visibility state
578 @cindex children, subtree visibility state
579 @cindex subtree, subtree visibility state
580 @table @kbd
581 @kindex @key{TAB}
582 @item @key{TAB}
583 @emph{Subtree cycling}: Rotate current subtree between the states
584
585 @example
586 ,-> FOLDED -> CHILDREN -> SUBTREE --.
587 '-----------------------------------'
588 @end example
589
590 The cursor must be on a headline for this to work@footnote{see, however,
591 the option @code{org-cycle-emulate-tab}.}. When the cursor is at the
592 beginning of the buffer and the first line is not a headline, then
593 @key{TAB} actually runs global cycling (see below)@footnote{see the
594 option @code{org-cycle-global-at-bob}.}. Also when called with a prefix
595 argument (@kbd{C-u @key{TAB}}), global cycling is invoked.
596
597 @cindex global visibility states
598 @cindex global cycling
599 @cindex overview, global visibility state
600 @cindex contents, global visibility state
601 @cindex show all, global visibility state
602 @kindex S-@key{TAB}
603 @item S-@key{TAB}
604 @itemx C-u @key{TAB}
605 @emph{Global cycling}: Rotate the entire buffer between the states
606
607 @example
608 ,-> OVERVIEW -> CONTENTS -> SHOW ALL --.
609 '--------------------------------------'
610 @end example
611
612 Note that inside tables, @kbd{S-@key{TAB}} jumps to the previous field.
613
614 @cindex show all, command
615 @kindex C-c C-a
616 @item C-c C-a
617 Show all.
618 @kindex C-c C-r
619 @item C-c C-r
620 Reveal context around point, showing the current entry, the following
621 heading and the hierarchy above. Useful for working near a location
622 exposed by a sparse tree command (@pxref{Sparse trees}) or an agenda
623 command (@pxref{Agenda commands}).
624 @end table
625
626 When Emacs first visits an Org-mode file, the global state is set to
627 OVERVIEW, i.e. only the top level headlines are visible. This can be
628 configured through the variable @code{org-startup-folded}, or on a
629 per-file basis by adding one of the following lines anywhere in the
630 buffer:
631
632 @example
633 #+STARTUP: overview
634 #+STARTUP: content
635 #+STARTUP: showall
636 @end example
637
638 @node Motion, Structure editing, Visibility cycling, Document structure
639 @section Motion
640 @cindex motion, between headlines
641 @cindex jumping, to headlines
642 @cindex headline navigation
643 The following commands jump to other headlines in the buffer.
644
645 @table @kbd
646 @kindex C-c C-n
647 @item C-c C-n
648 Next heading.
649 @kindex C-c C-p
650 @item C-c C-p
651 Previous heading.
652 @kindex C-c C-f
653 @item C-c C-f
654 Next heading same level.
655 @kindex C-c C-b
656 @item C-c C-b
657 Previous heading same level.
658 @kindex C-c C-u
659 @item C-c C-u
660 Backward to higher level heading.
661 @kindex C-c C-j
662 @item C-c C-j
663 Jump to a different place without changing the current outline
664 visibility. Shows the document structure in a temporary buffer, where
665 you can use visibility cycling (@key{TAB}) to find your destination.
666 After pressing @key{RET}, the cursor moves to the selected location in
667 the original buffer, and the headings hierarchy above it is made
668 visible.
669 @end table
670
671 @node Structure editing, Archiving, Motion, Document structure
672 @section Structure editing
673 @cindex structure editing
674 @cindex headline, promotion and demotion
675 @cindex promotion, of subtrees
676 @cindex demotion, of subtrees
677 @cindex subtree, cut and paste
678 @cindex pasting, of subtrees
679 @cindex cutting, of subtrees
680 @cindex copying, of subtrees
681 @cindex subtrees, cut and paste
682
683 @table @kbd
684 @kindex M-@key{RET}
685 @item M-@key{RET}
686 Insert new heading with same level as current. If the cursor is in a
687 plain list item, a new item is created (@pxref{Plain lists}). To force
688 creation of a new headline, use a prefix arg, or first press @key{RET}
689 to get to the beginning of the next line. When this command is used in
690 the middle of a line, the line is split and the rest of the line becomes
691 the new headline. If the command is used at the beginning of a
692 headline, the new headline is created before the current line. If at
693 the beginning of any other line, the content of that line is made the
694 new heading. If the command is used at the end of a folded subtree
695 (i.e. behind the ellipses at the end of a headline), then a headline
696 like the current one will be inserted after the end of the subtree.
697 @kindex M-S-@key{RET}
698 @item M-S-@key{RET}
699 Insert new TODO entry with same level as current heading.
700 @kindex M-@key{left}
701 @item M-@key{left}
702 Promote current heading by one level.
703 @kindex M-@key{right}
704 @item M-@key{right}
705 Demote current heading by one level.
706 @kindex M-S-@key{left}
707 @item M-S-@key{left}
708 Promote the current subtree by one level.
709 @kindex M-S-@key{right}
710 @item M-S-@key{right}
711 Demote the current subtree by one level.
712 @kindex M-S-@key{up}
713 @item M-S-@key{up}
714 Move subtree up (swap with previous subtree of same
715 level).
716 @kindex M-S-@key{down}
717 @item M-S-@key{down}
718 Move subtree down (swap with next subtree of same level).
719 @kindex C-c C-x C-w
720 @kindex C-c C-x C-k
721 @item C-c C-x C-w
722 @itemx C-c C-x C-k
723 Kill subtree, i.e. remove it from buffer but save in kill ring.
724 @kindex C-c C-x M-w
725 @item C-c C-x M-w
726 Copy subtree to kill ring.
727 @kindex C-c C-x C-y
728 @item C-c C-x C-y
729 Yank subtree from kill ring. This does modify the level of the subtree to
730 make sure the tree fits in nicely at the yank position. The yank
731 level can also be specified with a prefix arg, or by yanking after a
732 headline marker like @samp{****}.
733 @end table
734
735 @cindex region, active
736 @cindex active region
737 @cindex transient-mark-mode
738 When there is an active region (transient-mark-mode), promotion and
739 demotion work on all headlines in the region. To select a region of
740 headlines, it is best to place both point and mark at the beginning of a
741 line, mark at the beginning of the first headline, and point at the line
742 just after the last headline to change. Note that when the cursor is
743 inside a table (@pxref{Tables}), the Meta-Cursor keys have different
744 functionality.
745
746 @node Archiving, Sparse trees, Structure editing, Document structure
747 @section Archiving
748 @cindex archiving
749
750 When a project represented by a (sub)tree is finished, you may want
751 to move the tree out of the way and to stop it from contributing to the
752 agenda. Org-mode knows two ways of archiving. You can mark a tree with
753 the ARCHIVE tag, or you can move an entire (sub)tree to a different
754 location.
755
756 @menu
757 * ARCHIVE tag:: Marking a tree as inactive
758 * Moving subtrees:: Moving a tree to an archive file
759 @end menu
760
761 @node ARCHIVE tag, Moving subtrees, Archiving, Archiving
762 @subsection The ARCHIVE tag
763 @cindex internal archiving
764
765 A headline that is marked with the ARCHIVE tag (@pxref{Tags}) stays at
766 its location in the outline tree, but behaves in the following way:
767 @itemize @minus
768 @item
769 It does not open when you attempt to do so with a visibility cycling
770 command (@pxref{Visibility cycling}). You can force cycling archived
771 subtrees with @kbd{C-@key{TAB}}, or by setting the option
772 @code{org-cycle-open-archived-trees}. Also normal outline commands like
773 @code{show-all} will open archived subtrees.
774 @item
775 During sparse tree construction (@pxref{Sparse trees}), matches in
776 archived subtrees are not exposed, unless you configure the option
777 @code{org-sparse-tree-open-archived-trees}.
778 @item
779 During agenda view construction (@pxref{Agenda views}), the content of
780 archived trees is ignored unless you configure the option
781 @code{org-agenda-skip-archived-trees}.
782 @item
783 Archived trees are not exported (@pxref{Exporting}), only the headline
784 is. Configure the details using the variable
785 @code{org-export-with-archived-trees}.
786 @end itemize
787
788 The following commands help managing the ARCHIVE tag:
789
790 @table @kbd
791 @kindex C-c C-x C-a
792 @item C-c C-x C-a
793 Toggle the ARCHIVE tag for the current headline. When the tag is set,
794 the headline changes to a shadowish face, and the subtree below it is
795 hidden.
796 @kindex C-u C-c C-x C-a
797 @item C-u C-c C-x C-a
798 Check if any direct children of the current headline should be archived.
799 To do this, each subtree is checked for open TODO entries. If none are
800 found, the command offers to set the ARCHIVE tag for the child. If the
801 cursor is @emph{not} on a headline when this command is invoked, the
802 level 1 trees will be checked.
803 @kindex C-@kbd{TAB}
804 @item C-@kbd{TAB}
805 Cycle a tree even if it is tagged with ARCHIVE.
806 @end table
807
808 @node Moving subtrees, , ARCHIVE tag, Archiving
809 @subsection Moving subtrees
810 @cindex external archiving
811
812 Once an entire project is finished, you may want to move it to a
813 different location, either in the current file, or even in a different
814 file, the archive file.
815
816 @table @kbd
817 @kindex C-c $
818 @item C-c $
819 Archive the subtree starting at the cursor position to the location
820 given by @code{org-archive-location}.
821 @kindex C-u C-c $
822 @item C-u C-c $
823 Check if any direct children of the current headline could be moved to
824 the archive. To do this, each subtree is checked for open TODO entries.
825 If none are found, the command offers to move it to the archive
826 location. If the cursor is @emph{not} on a headline when this command
827 is invoked, the level 1 trees will be checked.
828 @end table
829
830 @cindex archive locations
831 The default archive location is a file in the same directory as the
832 current file, with the name derived by appending @file{_archive} to the
833 current file name. For information and examples on how to change this,
834 see the documentation string of the variable
835 @code{org-archive-location}.
836
837 @node Sparse trees, Plain lists, Archiving, Document structure
838 @section Sparse trees
839 @cindex sparse trees
840 @cindex trees, sparse
841 @cindex folding, sparse trees
842 @cindex occur, command
843
844 An important feature of Org-mode is the ability to construct
845 @emph{sparse trees} for selected information in an outline tree. A
846 sparse tree means that the entire document is folded as much as
847 possible, but the selected information is made visible along with the
848 headline structure above it@footnote{See also the variables
849 @code{org-show-hierarchy-above} and
850 @code{org-show-following-heading}.}. Just try it out and you will see
851 immediately how it works.
852
853 Org-mode contains several commands creating such trees. The most
854 basic one is @command{org-occur}:
855
856 @table @kbd
857 @kindex C-c /
858 @item C-c /
859 Occur. Prompts for a regexp and shows a sparse tree with all matches.
860 If the match is in a headline, the headline is made visible. If the
861 match is in the body of an entry, headline and body are made visible.
862 In order to provide minimal context, also the full hierarchy of
863 headlines above the match is shown, as well as the headline following
864 the match. Each match is also highlighted; the highlights disappear
865 when the bufer is changes an editing command, or by pressing @kbd{C-c
866 C-c}. When called with a @kbd{C-u} prefix argument, previous highlights
867 are kept, so several calls to this command can be stacked.
868 @end table
869 @noindent
870 For frequently used sparse trees of specific search strings, you can
871 use the variable @code{org-agenda-custom-commands} to define fast
872 keyboard access to specific sparse trees. These commands will then be
873 accessible through the agenda dispatcher (@pxref{Agenda dispatcher}).
874 For example:
875
876 @lisp
877 (setq org-agenda-custom-commands
878 '(("f" occur-tree "FIXME")))
879 @end lisp
880
881 @noindent will define the key @kbd{C-c a f} as a shortcut for creating
882 a sparse tree matching the string @samp{FIXME}.
883
884 Other commands use sparse trees as well. For example @kbd{C-c
885 C-v} creates a sparse TODO tree (@pxref{TODO basics}).
886
887 @kindex C-c C-e v
888 @cindex printing sparse trees
889 @cindex visible text, printing
890 To print a sparse tree, you can use the Emacs command
891 @code{ps-print-buffer-with-faces} which does not print invisible parts
892 of the document @footnote{This does not work under XEmacs, because
893 XEmacs uses selective display for outlining, not text properties.}.
894 Or you can use the command @kbd{C-c C-e v} to export only the visible
895 part of the document and print the resulting file.
896
897 @node Plain lists, , Sparse trees, Document structure
898 @section Plain lists
899 @cindex plain lists
900 @cindex lists, plain
901 @cindex lists, ordered
902 @cindex ordered lists
903
904 Within an entry of the outline tree, hand-formatted lists can provide
905 additional structure. They also provide a way to create lists of
906 checkboxes (@pxref{Checkboxes}). Org-mode supports editing such lists,
907 and the HTML exporter (@pxref{Exporting}) does parse and format them.
908
909 Org-mode knows ordered and unordered lists. Unordered list items start
910 with @samp{-}, @samp{+}, or @samp{*}@footnote{When using @samp{*} as a
911 bullet, lines must be indented or they will be seen as top-level
912 headlines. Also, when you are hiding leading stars to get a clean
913 outline view, plain list items starting with a star are visually
914 indistinguishable from true headlines. In short: even though @samp{*}
915 is supported, it may be better not to use it for plain list items} as
916 bullets. Ordered list items start with @samp{1.} or @samp{1)}. Items
917 belonging to the same list must have the same indentation on the first
918 line. In particular, if an ordered list reaches number @samp{10.}, then
919 the 2--digit numbers must be written left-aligned with the other numbers
920 in the list. Indentation also determines the end of a list item. It
921 ends before the next line that is indented like the bullet/number, or
922 less. For example:
923
924 @example
925 @group
926 ** Lord of the Rings
927 My favorite scenes are (in this order)
928 1. The attack of the Rohirrim
929 2. Eowyns fight with the witch king
930 + this was already my favorite scene in the book
931 + I really like Miranda Otto.
932 3. Peter Jackson being shot by Legolas
933 - on DVD only
934 He makes a really funny face when it happens.
935 But in the end, not individual scenes matter but the film as a whole.
936 @end group
937 @end example
938
939 Org-mode supports these lists by tuning filling and wrapping commands to
940 deal with them correctly@footnote{Org-mode only changes the filling
941 settings for Emacs. For XEmacs, you should use Kyle E. Jones'
942 @file{filladapt.el}. To turn is on, put into @file{.emacs}:
943 @example
944 (require 'filladapt)
945 @end example
946 }.
947
948 The following commands act on items when the cursor is in the first line
949 of an item (the line with the bullet or number).
950
951 @table @kbd
952 @kindex @key{TAB}
953 @item @key{TAB}
954 Items can be folded just like headline levels if you set the variable
955 @code{org-cycle-include-plain-lists}. The level of an item is then
956 given by the indentation of the bullet/number. Items are always
957 subordinate to real headlines, however; the hierarchies remain
958 completely separated.
959 @kindex M-@key{RET}
960 @item M-@key{RET}
961 Insert new item at current level. With prefix arg, force a new heading
962 (@pxref{Structure editing}). If this command is used in the middle of a
963 line, the line is @emph{split} and the rest of the line becomes the new
964 item. If this command is executed in the @emph{whitespace before a bullet or
965 number}, the new item is created @emph{before} the current item. If the
966 command is executed in the white space before the text that is part of
967 an item but does not contain the bullet, a bullet is added to the
968 current line.
969 @kindex M-S-@key{RET}
970 @item M-S-@key{RET}
971 Insert a new item with a checkbox (@pxref{Checkboxes}).
972 @kindex S-@key{up}
973 @kindex S-@key{down}
974 @item S-@key{up}
975 @itemx S-@key{down}
976 Jump to the previous/next item in the current list.
977 @kindex M-S-@key{up}
978 @kindex M-S-@key{down}
979 @item M-S-@key{up}
980 @itemx M-S-@key{down}
981 Move the item including subitems up/down (swap with previous/next item
982 of same indentation). If the list is ordered, renumbering is
983 automatic.
984 @kindex M-S-@key{left}
985 @kindex M-S-@key{right}
986 @item M-S-@key{left}
987 @itemx M-S-@key{right}
988 Decrease/increase the indentation of the item, including subitems.
989 Initially, the item tree is selected based on current indentation.
990 When these commands are executed several times in direct succession,
991 the initially selected region is used, even if the new indentation
992 would imply a different hierarchy. To use the new hierarchy, break
993 the command chain with a cursor motion or so.
994 @kindex C-c C-c
995 @item C-c C-c
996 If there is a checkbox (@pxref{Checkboxes}) in the item line, toggle the
997 state of the checkbox. Otherwise, if this is an ordered list, renumber
998 the ordered list at the cursor.
999 @end table
1000
1001 @node Tables, Hyperlinks, Document structure, Top
1002 @chapter Tables
1003 @cindex tables
1004 @cindex editing tables
1005
1006 Org-mode has a very fast and intuitive table editor built-in.
1007 Spreadsheet-like calculations are supported in connection with the
1008 Emacs @file{calc} package.
1009
1010 @menu
1011 * Built-in table editor:: Simple tables
1012 * Narrow columns:: Stop wasting space in tables
1013 * Table calculations:: Compute a field from other fields
1014 * orgtbl-mode:: The table editor as minor mode
1015 * table.el:: Complex tables
1016 @end menu
1017
1018 @node Built-in table editor, Narrow columns, Tables, Tables
1019 @section The built-in table editor
1020 @cindex table editor, builtin
1021
1022 Org-mode makes it easy to format tables in plain ASCII. Any line with
1023 @samp{|} as the first non-white character is considered part of a
1024 table. @samp{|} is also the column separator. A table might look
1025 like this:
1026
1027 @example
1028 | Name | Phone | Age |
1029 |-------+-------+-----|
1030 | Peter | 1234 | 17 |
1031 | Anna | 4321 | 25 |
1032 @end example
1033
1034 A table is re-aligned automatically each time you press @key{TAB} or
1035 @key{RET} or @kbd{C-c C-c} inside the table. @key{TAB} also moves to
1036 the next field (@key{RET} to the next row) and creates new table rows
1037 at the end of the table or before horizontal lines. The indentation
1038 of the table is set by the first line. Any line starting with
1039 @samp{|-} is considered as a horizontal separator line and will be
1040 expanded on the next re-align to span the whole table width. So, to
1041 create the above table, you would only type
1042
1043 @example
1044 |Name|Phone|Age|
1045 |-
1046 @end example
1047
1048 @noindent and then press @key{TAB} to align the table and start filling in
1049 fields.
1050
1051 When typing text into a field, Org-mode treats @key{DEL},
1052 @key{Backspace}, and all character keys in a special way, so that
1053 inserting and deleting avoids shifting other fields. Also, when
1054 typing @emph{immediately after the cursor was moved into a new field
1055 with @kbd{@key{TAB}}, @kbd{S-@key{TAB}} or @kbd{@key{RET}}}, the
1056 field is automatically made blank. If this behavior is too
1057 unpredictable for you, configure the variables
1058 @code{org-enable-table-editor} and @code{org-table-auto-blank-field}.
1059
1060 @table @kbd
1061 @tsubheading{Creation and conversion}
1062 @kindex C-c |
1063 @item C-c |
1064 Convert the active region to table. If every line contains at least one
1065 TAB character, the function assumes that the material is tab separated.
1066 If not, lines are split at whitespace into fields. You can use a prefix
1067 argument to indicate the minimum number of consecutive spaces required
1068 to identify a field separator (default: just one).@*
1069 If there is no active region, this command creates an empty Org-mode
1070 table. But it's easier just to start typing, like
1071 @kbd{|Name|Phone|Age @key{RET} |- @key{TAB}}.
1072
1073 @tsubheading{Re-aligning and field motion}
1074 @kindex C-c C-c
1075 @item C-c C-c
1076 Re-align the table without moving the cursor.
1077
1078 @kindex @key{TAB}
1079 @item @key{TAB}
1080 Re-align the table, move to the next field. Creates a new row if
1081 necessary.
1082
1083 @kindex S-@key{TAB}
1084 @item S-@key{TAB}
1085 Re-align, move to previous field.
1086
1087 @kindex @key{RET}
1088 @item @key{RET}
1089 Re-align the table and move down to next row. Creates a new row if
1090 necessary. At the beginning or end of a line, @key{RET} still does
1091 NEWLINE, so it can be used to split a table.
1092
1093 @tsubheading{Column and row editing}
1094 @kindex M-@key{left}
1095 @kindex M-@key{right}
1096 @item M-@key{left}
1097 @itemx M-@key{right}
1098 Move the current column left/right.
1099
1100 @kindex M-S-@key{left}
1101 @item M-S-@key{left}
1102 Kill the current column.
1103
1104 @kindex M-S-@key{right}
1105 @item M-S-@key{right}
1106 Insert a new column to the left of the cursor position.
1107
1108 @kindex M-@key{up}
1109 @kindex M-@key{down}
1110 @item M-@key{up}
1111 @itemx M-@key{down}
1112 Move the current row up/down.
1113
1114 @kindex M-S-@key{up}
1115 @item M-S-@key{up}
1116 Kill the current row or horizontal line.
1117
1118 @kindex M-S-@key{down}
1119 @item M-S-@key{down}
1120 Insert a new row above (with arg: below) the current row.
1121
1122 @kindex C-c -
1123 @item C-c -
1124 Insert a horizontal line below current row. With prefix arg, the line
1125 is created above the current line.
1126
1127 @kindex C-c ^
1128 @item C-c ^
1129 Sort the table lines in the region. Point and mark must be in the first
1130 and last line to be included, and must be in the column that should be
1131 used for sorting. The command prompts for numerical versus
1132 alphanumerical sorting.
1133
1134 @tsubheading{Regions}
1135 @kindex C-c C-x M-w
1136 @item C-c C-x M-w
1137 Copy a rectangular region from a table to a special clipboard. Point
1138 and mark determine edge fields of the rectangle. The process ignores
1139 horizontal separator lines.
1140 @kindex C-c C-x C-w
1141 @item C-c C-x C-w
1142 Copy a rectangular region from a table to a special clipboard, and
1143 blank all fields in the rectangle. So this is the ``cut'' operation.
1144 @kindex C-c C-x C-y
1145 @item C-c C-x C-y
1146 Paste a rectangular region into a table.
1147 The upper right corner ends up in the current field. All involved fields
1148 will be overwritten. If the rectangle does not fit into the present table,
1149 the table is enlarged as needed. The process ignores horizontal separator
1150 lines.
1151 @kindex C-c C-q
1152 @item C-c C-q
1153 Wrap several fields in a column like a paragraph. If there is an active
1154 region, and both point and mark are in the same column, the text in the
1155 column is wrapped to minimum width for the given number of lines. A
1156 prefix ARG may be used to change the number of desired lines. If there
1157 is no region, the current field is split at the cursor position and the
1158 text fragment to the right of the cursor is prepended to the field one
1159 line down. If there is no region, but you specify a prefix ARG, the
1160 current field is made blank, and the content is appended to the field
1161 above.
1162
1163 @tsubheading{Calculations}
1164 @cindex formula, in tables
1165 @cindex calculations, in tables
1166 @kindex C-c =
1167 @item C-c =
1168 Install a new formula for the current column and replace current field
1169 with the result of the formula.
1170
1171 @kindex C-u C-c =
1172 @item C-u C-c =
1173 Install a new formula for the current field, which must be a named
1174 field. Evaluate the formula and replace the field content with the
1175 result.
1176
1177 @kindex C-c '
1178 @item C-c '
1179 Edit all formulas associated with the current table in a separate
1180 buffer.
1181
1182 @kindex C-c *
1183 @item C-c *
1184 Recalculate the current row by applying the stored formulas from left
1185 to right. When called with a @kbd{C-u} prefix, recalculate the
1186 entire table, starting with the first non-header line (i.e. below the
1187 first horizontal separator line). For details, see @ref{Table calculations}.
1188
1189 @kindex C-#
1190 @item C-#
1191 Rotate the calculation mark in first column through the states
1192 @samp{}, @samp{#}, @samp{*}, @samp{!}, @samp{$}. For the meaning of
1193 these marks see @ref{Advanced features}. When there is an active
1194 region, change all marks in the region.
1195
1196 @kindex C-c ?
1197 @item C-c ?
1198 Which table column is the cursor in? Displays number >0 in echo
1199 area.
1200
1201 @cindex region, active
1202 @cindex active region
1203 @cindex transient-mark-mode
1204 @kindex C-c +
1205 @item C-c +
1206 Sum the numbers in the current column, or in the rectangle defined by
1207 the active region. The result is shown in the echo area and can
1208 be inserted with @kbd{C-y}.
1209
1210 @kindex S-@key{RET}
1211 @item S-@key{RET}
1212 When current field is empty, copy from first non-empty field above.
1213 When not empty, copy current field down to next row and move cursor
1214 along with it. Depending on the variable
1215 @code{org-table-copy-increment}, integer field values will be
1216 incremented during copy. This key is also used by CUA-mode
1217 (@pxref{Cooperation}).
1218
1219 @tsubheading{Miscellaneous}
1220 @kindex C-c `
1221 @item C-c `
1222 Edit the current field in a separate window. This is useful for fields
1223 that are not fully visible (@pxref{Narrow columns}). When called with a
1224 @kbd{C-u} prefix, just make the full field visible, so that it can be
1225 edited in place.
1226
1227 @kindex C-c @key{TAB}
1228 @item C-c @key{TAB}
1229 This is an alias for @kbd{C-u C-c `} to make the current field fully
1230 visible.
1231
1232 @item M-x org-table-import
1233 Import a file as a table. The table should be TAB- or whitespace
1234 separated. Useful, for example, to import an Excel table or data from a
1235 database, because these programs generally can write TAB-separated text
1236 files. This command works by inserting the file into the buffer and
1237 then converting the region to a table. Any prefix argument is passed on
1238 to the converter, which uses it to determine the separator.
1239
1240 @item M-x org-table-export
1241 Export the table as a TAB-separated file. Useful for data exchange with,
1242 for example, Excel or database programs.
1243
1244 @end table
1245
1246 If you don't like the automatic table editor because it gets in your
1247 way on lines which you would like to start with @samp{|}, you can turn
1248 it off with
1249
1250 @lisp
1251 (setq org-enable-table-editor nil)
1252 @end lisp
1253
1254 @noindent Then the only table command that still works is
1255 @kbd{C-c C-c} to do a manual re-align.
1256
1257 @node Narrow columns, Table calculations, Built-in table editor, Tables
1258 @section Narrow columns
1259 @cindex narrow columns in tables
1260
1261 The width of columns is automatically determined by the table editor.
1262 Sometimes a single field or a few fields need to carry more text,
1263 leading to inconveniently wide columns. To limit@footnote{This feature
1264 does not work on XEmacs.} the width of a column, one field anywhere in
1265 the column may contain just the string @samp{<N>} where @samp{N} is an
1266 integer specifying the width of the column in characters. The next
1267 re-align will then set the width of this column to no more than this
1268 value.
1269
1270 @example
1271 |---+------------------------------| |---+--------|
1272 | | | | | <6> |
1273 | 1 | one | | 1 | one |
1274 | 2 | two | ----\ | 2 | two |
1275 | 3 | This is a long chunk of text | ----/ | 3 | This=> |
1276 | 4 | four | | 4 | four |
1277 |---+------------------------------| |---+--------|
1278 @end example
1279
1280 @noindent
1281 Fields that are wider become clipped and end in the string @samp{=>}.
1282 Note that the full text is still in the buffer, it is only invisible.
1283 To see the full text, hold the mouse over the field - a tooltip window
1284 will show the full content. To edit such a field, use the command
1285 @kbd{C-c `} (that is @kbd{C-c} followed by the backquote). This will
1286 open a new window with the full field. Edit it and finish with @kbd{C-c
1287 C-c}.
1288
1289 When visiting a file containing a table with narrowed columns, the
1290 necessary character hiding has not yet happened, and the table needs to
1291 be aligned before it looks nice. Setting the option
1292 @code{org-startup-align-all-tables} will realign all tables in a file
1293 upon visiting, but also slow down startup. You can also set this option
1294 on a per-file basis with:
1295
1296 @example
1297 #+STARTUP: align
1298 #+STARTUP: noalign
1299 @end example
1300
1301 @node Table calculations, orgtbl-mode, Narrow columns, Tables
1302 @section Calculations in tables
1303 @cindex calculations, in tables
1304 @cindex spreadsheet capabilities
1305 @cindex @file{calc} package
1306
1307 The table editor makes use of the Emacs @file{calc} package to implement
1308 spreadsheet-like capabilities. It can also evaluate Emacs Lisp forms to
1309 derive fields from other fields. Org-mode has two levels of complexity
1310 for table calculations. On the basic level, tables do only horizontal
1311 computations, so a field can be computed from other fields @emph{in the
1312 same row}, and Org-mode assumes that there is only one formula for each
1313 column. This is very efficient to work with and enough for many tasks.
1314 On the complex level, columns and individual fields can be named for
1315 easier referencing in formulas, individual named fields can have their
1316 own formula associated with them, and recalculation can be automated.
1317
1318 @menu
1319 * Formula syntax:: How to write a formula
1320 * Lisp formulas:: An alternative way to write formulas
1321 * Column formulas:: Formulas valid for all fields in a column
1322 * Advanced features:: Field names, parameters and automatic recalc
1323 * Named-field formulas:: Formulas valid in single fields
1324 * Editing/debugging formulas:: Changing a stored formula
1325 * Appetizer:: Taste the power of calc
1326 @end menu
1327
1328 @node Formula syntax, Lisp formulas, Table calculations, Table calculations
1329 @subsection Formula syntax
1330 @cindex formula syntax
1331 @cindex syntax, of formulas
1332
1333 A formula can be any algebraic expression understood by the Emacs
1334 @file{calc} package. Note that @file{calc} has the slightly
1335 non-standard convention that @samp{/} has lower precedence than
1336 @samp{*}, so that @samp{a/b*c} is interpreted as @samp{a/(b*c)}. Before
1337 evaluation by @code{calc-eval} (@pxref{Calling Calc from Your
1338 Programs,calc-eval,Calling calc from Your Lisp Programs,calc,GNU Emacs
1339 Calc Manual}), variable substitution takes place:
1340
1341 @example
1342 $ @r{refers to the current field}
1343 $3 @r{refers to the field in column 3 of the current row}
1344 $3..$7 @r{a vector of the fields in columns 3-7 of current row}
1345 $P1..$P3 @r{vector of column range, using column names}
1346 &2 @r{second data field above the current, in same column}
1347 &5-2 @r{vector from fifth to second field above current}
1348 &III-II @r{vector of fields between 2nd and 3rd hline above}
1349 &III @r{vector of fields between third hline above and current field}
1350 $name @r{a named field, parameter or constant}
1351 @end example
1352
1353 @cindex vectors, in table calculations
1354 The range vectors can be directly fed into the calc vector functions
1355 like @samp{vmean} and @samp{vsum}.
1356
1357 @cindex name, of column or field
1358 @cindex constants, in calculations
1359 @samp{$name} is interpreted as the name of a column, parameter or
1360 constant. Constants are defined globally through the variable
1361 @code{org-table-formula-constants}. If you have the
1362 @file{constants.el} package, it will also be used to resolve
1363 constants, including natural constants like @samp{$h} for Planck's
1364 constant, and units like @samp{$km} for kilometers. Column names and
1365 parameters can be specified in special table lines. These are
1366 described below, see @ref{Advanced features}.
1367
1368 @cindex format specifier
1369 @cindex mode, for @file{calc}
1370 A formula can contain an optional mode string after a semicolon. This
1371 string consists of flags to influence calc's modes@footnote{By
1372 default, Org-mode uses the standard calc modes (precision 12, angular
1373 units degrees, fraction and symbolic modes off). The display format,
1374 however, has been changed to @code{(float 5)} to keep tables compact.
1375 The default settings can be configured using the variable
1376 @code{org-calc-default-modes}.} during execution, e.g. @samp{p20} to
1377 switch the internal precision to 20 digits, @samp{n3}, @samp{s3},
1378 @samp{e2} or @samp{f4} to switch to normal, scientific, engineering,
1379 or fixed display format, respectively, and @samp{D}, @samp{R}, @samp{F},
1380 and @samp{S} to turn on degrees, radians, fraction and symbolic modes,
1381 respectively. In addition, you may provide a @code{printf} format
1382 specifier to reformat the final result. A few examples:
1383
1384 @example
1385 $1+$2 @r{Sum of first and second field}
1386 $1+$2;%.2f @r{Same, format result to two decimals}
1387 exp($2)+exp($1) @r{Math functions can be used}
1388 $;%.1f @r{Reformat current cell to 1 decimal}
1389 ($3-32)*5/9 @r{Degrees F -> C conversion}
1390 $c/$1/$cm @r{Hz -> cm conversion, using @file{constants.el}}
1391 tan($1);Dp3s1 @r{Compute in degrees, precision 3, display SCI 1}
1392 sin($1);Dp3%.1e @r{Same, but use printf specifier for display}
1393 vmean($2..$7) @r{Compute column range mean, using vector function}
1394 vsum(&III) @r{Sum numbers from 3rd hline above, up to here}
1395 taylor($3,x=7,2) @r{taylor series of $3, at x=7, second degree}
1396 @end example
1397
1398 @node Lisp formulas, Column formulas, Formula syntax, Table calculations
1399 @subsection Emacs Lisp forms as formulas
1400 @cindex Lisp forms, as table formulas
1401
1402 It is also possible to write a formula in Emacs lisp; this can be useful
1403 for string manipulation and control structures. If a formula starts
1404 with a single quote followed by an opening parenthesis, then it is
1405 evaluated as a lisp form. The evaluation should return either a string
1406 or a number. Just as with @file{calc} formulas, you can provide a
1407 format specifier after a semicolon. A few examples:
1408
1409 @example
1410 @r{swap the first two characters of the content of column 1}
1411 '(concat (substring "$1" 1 2) (substring "$1" 0 1) (substring "$1" 2))
1412 @r{Add columns 1 and 2, equivalent to the calc's @code{$1+$2}}
1413 '(+ $1 $2)
1414 @end example
1415
1416 @node Column formulas, Advanced features, Lisp formulas, Table calculations
1417 @subsection Column formulas
1418 @cindex column formula
1419 @cindex formula, for table column
1420
1421 To apply a formula to a field, type it directly into the field,
1422 preceded by an equal sign, like @samp{=$1+$2}. When you press
1423 @key{TAB} or @key{RET} or @kbd{C-c C-c} with the cursor still in the
1424 field, the formula will be stored as the formula for the current
1425 column, evaluated and the current field replaced with the result. If
1426 the field contains only @samp{=}, the previously stored formula for
1427 this column is used.
1428
1429 For each column, Org-mode will remember the most recently used
1430 formula. The information is stored in a special line starting with
1431 @samp{#+TBLFM} directly below the table. When adding/deleting/moving
1432 columns with the appropriate commands, the stored equations will be
1433 modified accordingly. When a column used in a calculation is removed,
1434 references to this column become invalid and will cause an error upon
1435 applying the equation.
1436
1437 Instead of typing an equation into the field, you may also use the
1438 command @kbd{C-c =}. It prompts for a formula (with default taken
1439 from the @samp{#+TBLFM:} line) and applies it to the current field. A
1440 numerical prefix (e.g. @kbd{C-5 C-c =}) will apply it to that many
1441 consecutive fields in the current column.
1442
1443 @cindex recomputing table fields
1444 To recompute all the fields in a line, use the command @kbd{C-c *}.
1445 It re-applies all stored equations to the current row, from left to
1446 right. With a @kbd{C-u} prefix, this will be done to every line in
1447 the table, so use this command it you want to make sure the entire
1448 table is up-to-date. @kbd{C-u C-c C-c} is another way to update the
1449 entire table. Global updating does not touch the line(s) above the
1450 first horizontal separator line, assuming that this is the table
1451 header.
1452
1453 @node Advanced features, Named-field formulas, Column formulas, Table calculations
1454 @subsection Advanced features
1455
1456 If you want the recalculation of fields to happen automatically,
1457 or if you want to be able to assign a formula to an individual field
1458 (instead of an entire column) you need to reserve the first column of
1459 the table for special marking characters. Here is an example of a
1460 table that collects exam results of students and makes use of these
1461 features:
1462
1463 @example
1464 @group
1465 |---+---------+--------+--------+--------+-------+------|
1466 | | Student | Prob 1 | Prob 2 | Prob 3 | Total | Note |
1467 |---+---------+--------+--------+--------+-------+------|
1468 | ! | | P1 | P2 | P3 | Tot | |
1469 | # | Maximum | 10 | 15 | 25 | 50 | 10.0 |
1470 | ^ | | m1 | m2 | m3 | mt | |
1471 |---+---------+--------+--------+--------+-------+------|
1472 | # | Peter | 10 | 8 | 23 | 41 | 8.2 |
1473 | # | Sara | 6 | 14 | 19 | 39 | 7.8 |
1474 | # | Sam | 2 | 4 | 3 | 9 | 1.8 |
1475 |---+---------+--------+--------+--------+-------+------|
1476 | | Average | | | | 29.7 | |
1477 | ^ | | | | | at | |
1478 | $ | max=50 | | | | | |
1479 |---+---------+--------+--------+--------+-------+------|
1480 #+TBLFM: $6=vsum($P1..$P3)::$7=10*$Tot/$max;%.1f::$at=vmean(&II);%.1f
1481 @end group
1482 @end example
1483
1484 @noindent @b{Important}: Please note that for these special tables,
1485 recalculating the table with @kbd{C-u C-c *} will only affect rows
1486 that are marked @samp{#} or @samp{*}, and named fields. The column
1487 formulas are not applied in rows with empty first field.
1488
1489 @cindex marking characters, tables
1490 The marking characters have the following meaning:
1491 @table @samp
1492 @item !
1493 The fields in this line define names for the columns, so that you may
1494 refer to a column as @samp{$Tot} instead of @samp{$6}.
1495 @item ^
1496 This row defines names for the fields @emph{above} the row. With such
1497 a definition, any formula in the table may use @samp{$m1} to refer to
1498 the value @samp{10}. Also, named fields can have their own formula
1499 associated with them.
1500 @item _
1501 Similar to @samp{^}, but defines names for the fields in the row
1502 @emph{below}.
1503 @item $
1504 Fields in this row can define @emph{parameters} for formulas. For
1505 example, if a field in a @samp{$} row contains @samp{max=50}, then
1506 formulas in this table can refer to the value 50 using @samp{$max}.
1507 Parameters work exactly like constants, only that they can be defined on
1508 a per-table basis. Changing a parameter and then recalculating the
1509 table can be useful.
1510 @item #
1511 Fields in this row are automatically recalculated when pressing
1512 @key{TAB} or @key{RET} or @kbd{S-@key{TAB}} in this row. Also, this row
1513 is selected for a global recalculation with @kbd{C-u C-c *}. Unmarked
1514 lines will be left alone by this command.
1515 @item *
1516 Selects this line for global recalculation with @kbd{C-u C-c *}, but
1517 not for automatic recalculation. Use this when automatic
1518 recalculation slows down editing too much.
1519 @item
1520 Unmarked lines are exempt from recalculation with @kbd{C-u C-c *}.
1521 All lines that should be recalculated should be marked with @samp{#}
1522 or @samp{*}.
1523 @end table
1524
1525 @node Named-field formulas, Editing/debugging formulas, Advanced features, Table calculations
1526 @subsection Named-field formulas
1527 @cindex named field formula
1528 @cindex formula, for named table field
1529
1530 A named field can have its own formula associated with it. In the
1531 example above, this is used for the @samp{at} field that contains
1532 the average result of the students. To enter a formula for a named
1533 field, just type it into the buffer, preceded by @samp{:=}. Or use
1534 @kbd{C-u C-c =}. This equation will be stored below the table like
1535 @samp{$name=...}. Any recalculation in the table (even if only
1536 requested for the current line) will also update all named field
1537 formulas.
1538
1539 @node Editing/debugging formulas, Appetizer, Named-field formulas, Table calculations
1540 @subsection Editing and debugging formulas
1541 @cindex formula editing
1542 @cindex editing, of table formulas
1543
1544 To edit a column or field formula, use the commands @kbd{C-c
1545 =} and @kbd{C-u C-c =}, respectively. The currently active expression
1546 is then presented as default in the minibuffer, where it may be edited.
1547
1548 Note that making a table field blank does not remove the formula
1549 associated with the field - during the next recalculation the field
1550 will be filled again. To remove a formula from a field, you have to
1551 give an empty reply when prompted for the formula, or to edit the
1552 @samp{#+TBLFM} line.
1553
1554 @kindex C-c C-c
1555 You may edit the @samp{#+TBLFM} directly and re-apply
1556 the changed equations with @kbd{C-c C-c} in that line, or with the
1557 normal recalculation commands in the table.
1558
1559 @kindex C-c '
1560 @kindex C-c C-c
1561 @kindex C-c C-q
1562 @kindex C-c ?
1563 In particular for large tables with many formulas, it is convenient to
1564 use the command @kbd{C-c '} to edit the formulas of the current table
1565 in a separate buffer. That buffer will show the formulas one per
1566 line, and you are free to edit, add and remove formulas. Press
1567 @kbd{C-c ?} on a @samp{$...} expression to get information about its
1568 interpretation. Exiting the buffer with @kbd{C-c C-c} only stores the
1569 modified formulas below the table. Exiting with @kbd{C-u C-c C-c}
1570 also applies them to the entire table. @kbd{C-c C-q} exits without
1571 installing the changes.
1572
1573 When the evaluation of a formula leads to an error, the field content
1574 becomes the string @samp{#ERROR}. If you would like see what is going
1575 on during variable substitution and calculation in order to find a
1576 bug, turn on formula debugging in the menu and repeat the calculation,
1577 for example by pressing @kbd{C-c = @key{RET}} in a field.
1578 Detailed information will be displayed.
1579
1580 @node Appetizer, , Editing/debugging formulas, Table calculations
1581 @subsection Appetizer
1582
1583 Finally, just to whet your appetite on what can be done with the fantastic
1584 @file{calc} package, here is a table that computes the Taylor series
1585 for a couple of functions (homework: try that with Excel :-)
1586
1587 @example
1588 @group
1589 |---+-------------+---+-----+--------------------------------------|
1590 | | Func | n | x | Result |
1591 |---+-------------+---+-----+--------------------------------------|
1592 | # | exp(x) | 1 | x | 1 + x |
1593 | # | exp(x) | 2 | x | 1 + x + x^2 / 2 |
1594 | # | exp(x) | 3 | x | 1 + x + x^2 / 2 + x^3 / 6 |
1595 | # | x^2+sqrt(x) | 2 | x=0 | x*(0.5 / 0) + x^2 (2 - 0.25 / 0) / 2 |
1596 | # | x^2+sqrt(x) | 2 | x=1 | 2 + 2.5 x - 2.5 + 0.875 (x - 1)^2 |
1597 | * | tan(x) | 3 | x | 0.0175 x + 1.77e-6 x^3 |
1598 |---+-------------+---+-----+--------------------------------------|
1599 #+TBLFM: $5=taylor($2,$4,$3);n3
1600 @end group
1601 @end example
1602
1603 @node orgtbl-mode, table.el, Table calculations, Tables
1604 @section The Orgtbl minor mode
1605 @cindex orgtbl-mode
1606 @cindex minor mode for tables
1607
1608 If you like the intuitive way the Org-mode table editor works, you
1609 might also want to use it in other modes like text-mode or mail-mode.
1610 The minor mode Orgtbl-mode makes this possible. You can always toggle
1611 the mode with @kbd{M-x orgtbl-mode}. To turn it on by default, for
1612 example in mail mode, use
1613
1614 @lisp
1615 (add-hook 'mail-mode-hook 'turn-on-orgtbl)
1616 @end lisp
1617
1618 @node table.el, , orgtbl-mode, Tables
1619 @section The @file{table.el} package
1620 @kindex C-c C-c
1621 @cindex table editor, @file{table.el}
1622 @cindex @file{table.el}
1623
1624 Complex ASCII tables with automatic line wrapping, column- and
1625 row-spanning, and alignment can be created using the Emacs table
1626 package by Takaaki Ota (@uref{http://sourceforge.net/projects/table},
1627 and also part of Emacs 22).
1628 When @key{TAB} or @kbd{C-c C-c} is pressed in such a table, Org-mode
1629 will call @command{table-recognize-table} and move the cursor into the
1630 table. Inside a table, the keymap of Org-mode is inactive. In order
1631 to execute Org-mode-related commands, leave the table.
1632
1633 @table @kbd
1634 @kindex C-c C-c
1635 @item C-c C-c
1636 Recognize @file{table.el} table. Works when the cursor is in a
1637 table.el table.
1638
1639 @kindex C-c ~
1640 @item C-c ~
1641 Insert a table.el table. If there is already a table at point, this
1642 command converts it between the table.el format and the Org-mode
1643 format. See the documentation string of the command
1644 @code{org-convert-table} for the restrictions under which this is
1645 possible.
1646 @end table
1647
1648 @node Hyperlinks, TODO items, Tables, Top
1649 @chapter Hyperlinks
1650 @cindex hyperlinks
1651
1652 Just like HTML, Org-mode provides links inside a file, and external
1653 links to other files, Usenet articles, emails, and much more.
1654
1655 @menu
1656 * Link format:: How links in Org-mode are formatted
1657 * Internal links:: Links to other places in the current file
1658 * External links:: URL-like links to the world
1659 * Handling links:: Creating, inserting and following
1660 * Link abbreviations:: Shortcuts for writing complex links
1661 * Search options:: Linking to a specific location
1662 * Custom searches:: When the default search is not enough
1663 * Remember:: Org-trees store quick notes
1664 @end menu
1665
1666 @node Link format, Internal links, Hyperlinks, Hyperlinks
1667 @section Link format
1668 @cindex link format
1669 @cindex format, of links
1670
1671 Org-mode will recognize plain URL-like links and activate them as
1672 clickable links. The general link format, however, looks like this:
1673
1674 @example
1675 [[link][description]] @r{or alternatively} [[link]]
1676 @end example
1677
1678 Once a link in the buffer is complete (all brackets present), Org-mode
1679 will change the display so that @samp{description} is displayed instead
1680 of @samp{[[link][description]]} and @samp{link} is displayed instead of
1681 @samp{[[link]]}. Links will be highlighted in the face @code{org-link},
1682 which by default is an underlined face. You can directly edit the
1683 visible part of a link. Note that this can be either the @samp{link}
1684 part (if there is no description) or the @samp{description} part. To
1685 edit also the invisible @samp{link} part, use @kbd{C-c C-l} with the
1686 cursor on the link.
1687
1688 If you place the cursor at the beginning or just behind the end of the
1689 displayed text and press @key{BACKSPACE}, you will remove the
1690 (invisible) bracket at that location. This makes the link incomplete
1691 and the internals are again displayed as plain text. Inserting the
1692 missing bracket hides the link internals again. To show the
1693 internal structure of all links, use the menu entry
1694 @code{Org->Hyperlinks->Literal links}.
1695
1696 @node Internal links, External links, Link format, Hyperlinks
1697 @section Internal links
1698 @cindex internal links
1699 @cindex links, internal
1700 @cindex CamelCase links
1701 @cindex targets, for links
1702
1703 If the link does not look like a URL, it is considered to be internal in
1704 the current file. Links such as @samp{[[My Target]]} or @samp{[[My
1705 Target][Find my target]]} lead to a text search in the current file.
1706 The link can be followed with @kbd{C-c C-o} when the cursor is on the
1707 link, or with a mouse click (@pxref{Handling links}). The preferred
1708 match for such a link is a dedicated target: the same string in double
1709 angular brackets. Targets may be located anywhere; often it is
1710 convenient to put them into a comment line. For example
1711
1712 @example
1713 # <<My Target>>
1714 @end example
1715
1716 @noindent In HTML export (@pxref{HTML export}), such targets will become
1717 named anchors for direct access through @samp{http} links@footnote{Note
1718 that text before the first headline will never be exported, so the first
1719 such target must be after the first headline.}.
1720
1721 If no dedicated target exists, Org-mode will search for the words in the
1722 link. In the above example the search would be for @samp{my target}.
1723 Links starting with a star like @samp{*My Target} restrict the search to
1724 headlines. When searching, Org-mode will first try an exact match, but
1725 then move on to more and more lenient searches. For example, the link
1726 @samp{[[*My Targets]]} will find any of the following:
1727
1728 @example
1729 ** My targets
1730 ** TODO my targets are bright
1731 ** my 20 targets are
1732 @end example
1733
1734 To insert a link targeting a headline, in-buffer completion can be used.
1735 Just type a star followed by a few optional letters into the buffer and
1736 press @kbd{M-@key{TAB}}. All headlines in the current buffer will be
1737 offered as completions. @xref{Handling links}, for more commands
1738 creating links.
1739
1740 Following a link pushes a mark onto Org-mode's own mark ring. You can
1741 return to the previous position with @kbd{C-c &}. Using this command
1742 several times in direct succession goes back to positions recorded
1743 earlier.
1744
1745 @menu
1746 * Radio targets:: Make targets trigger links in plain text.
1747 * CamelCase links:: Activating CamelCase words as links
1748 @end menu
1749
1750 @node Radio targets, CamelCase links, Internal links, Internal links
1751 @subsection Radio targets
1752 @cindex radio targets
1753 @cindex targets, radio
1754 @cindex links, radio targets
1755
1756 You can configure Org-mode to link any occurrences of certain target
1757 names in normal text. So without explicitly creating a link, the text
1758 connects to the target radioing its position. Radio targets are
1759 enclosed by triple angular brackets. For example, a target
1760 @samp{<<<My Target>>>} causes each occurrence of @samp{my target} in
1761 normal text to become activated as a link. The Org-mode file is
1762 scanned automatically for radio targets only when the file is first
1763 loaded into Emacs. To update the target list during editing, press
1764 @kbd{C-c C-c} with the cursor on or at a target.
1765
1766 @node CamelCase links, , Radio targets, Internal links
1767 @subsection CamelCase words as links
1768 @cindex completion, of CamelCase links
1769 @cindex CamelCase links, completion of
1770
1771 Org-mode also supports CamelCase words as links. This feature is not
1772 turned on by default because of the inconsistencies this system suffers
1773 from. It is also possible that this feature will disappear entirely in
1774 a future version of Org-mode. To activate CamelCase words as links, you
1775 need to customize the option @code{org-activate-links}. A CamelCase
1776 word then leads to a text search such that @samp{CamelCaseLink} is
1777 equivalent to @samp{[[camel case link]]}.
1778
1779 @node External links, Handling links, Internal links, Hyperlinks
1780 @section External links
1781 @cindex links, external
1782 @cindex external links
1783 @cindex links, external
1784 @cindex GNUS links
1785 @cindex BBDB links
1786 @cindex URL links
1787 @cindex file links
1788 @cindex VM links
1789 @cindex RMAIL links
1790 @cindex WANDERLUST links
1791 @cindex MH-E links
1792 @cindex USENET links
1793 @cindex SHELL links
1794 @cindex Info links
1795 @cindex elisp links
1796
1797 Org-mode supports links to files, websites, Usenet and email messages,
1798 and BBDB database entries. External links are URL-like locators. They
1799 start with a short identifying string followed by a colon. There can be
1800 no space after the colon. The following list shows examples for each
1801 link type.
1802
1803 @example
1804 http://www.astro.uva.nl/~dominik @r{on the web}
1805 file:/home/dominik/images/jupiter.jpg @r{file, absolute path}
1806 file:papers/last.pdf @r{file, relative path}
1807 news:comp.emacs @r{Usenet link}
1808 mailto:adent@@galaxy.net @r{Mail link}
1809 vm:folder @r{VM folder link}
1810 vm:folder#id @r{VM message link}
1811 vm://myself@@some.where.org/folder#id @r{VM on remote machine}
1812 wl:folder @r{WANDERLUST folder link}
1813 wl:folder#id @r{WANDERLUST message link}
1814 mhe:folder @r{MH-E folder link}
1815 mhe:folder#id @r{MH-E message link}
1816 rmail:folder @r{RMAIL folder link}
1817 rmail:folder#id @r{RMAIL message link}
1818 gnus:group @r{GNUS group link}
1819 gnus:group#id @r{GNUS article link}
1820 bbdb:Richard Stallman @r{BBDB link}
1821 shell:ls *.org @r{A shell command}
1822 elisp:(find-file-other-frame "Elisp.org") @r{An elisp form to evaluate}
1823 @end example
1824
1825 A link should be enclosed in double brackets and may contain a
1826 descriptive text to be displayed instead of the url (@pxref{Link
1827 format}), for example:
1828
1829 @example
1830 [[http://www.gnu.org/software/emacs/][GNU Emacs]]
1831 @end example
1832
1833 @cindex angular brackets, around links
1834 @cindex plain text external links
1835 Org-mode also finds external links in the normal text and activates them
1836 as links. If spaces must be part of the link (for example in
1837 @samp{bbdb:Richard Stallman}), or you need to remove ambiguities about the end of
1838 the link, enclose them in angular brackets.
1839
1840 @node Handling links, Link abbreviations, External links, Hyperlinks
1841 @section Handling links
1842 @cindex links, handling
1843
1844 Org-mode provides methods to create a link in the correct syntax, to
1845 insert it into an org-mode file, and to follow the link.
1846
1847 @table @kbd
1848 @kindex C-c l
1849 @cindex storing links
1850 @item C-c l
1851 Store a link to the current location. This is a @emph{global} command
1852 which can be used in any buffer to create a link. The link will be
1853 stored for later insertion into an Org-mode buffer (see below). For
1854 Org-mode files, if there is a @samp{<<target>>} at the cursor, the link
1855 points to the target. Otherwise it points to the current headline. For
1856 VM, RMAIL, WANDERLUST, MH-E, GNUS and BBDB buffers, the link will
1857 indicate the current article/entry. For W3 and W3M buffers, the link
1858 goes to the current URL. For any other files, the link will point to
1859 the file, with a search string (@pxref{Search options}) pointing to the
1860 contents of the current line. If there is an active region, the
1861 selected words will form the basis of the search string. If the
1862 automatically created link is not working correctly or accurately
1863 enough, you can write custom functions to select the search string and
1864 to do the search for particular file types - see @ref{Custom searches}.
1865 The key binding @kbd{C-c l} is only a suggestion - see @ref{Installation}.
1866
1867 @kindex C-c C-l
1868 @cindex link completion
1869 @cindex completion, of links
1870 @cindex inserting links
1871 @item C-c C-l
1872 Insert a link. This prompts for a link to be inserted into the buffer.
1873 You can just type a link, using text for an internal link, or one of the
1874 link type prefixes mentioned in the examples above. Through completion,
1875 all links stored during the current session can be
1876 accessed@footnote{After insertion of a stored link, the link will be
1877 removed from the list of stored links. To keep it in the list later
1878 use, use a triple @kbd{C-u} prefix to @kbd{C-c C-l}, or configure the
1879 option @code{org-keep-stored-link-after-insertion}.}. The link
1880 will be inserted into the buffer, along with a descriptive text. Note
1881 that you don't have to use this command to insert a link. Links in
1882 Org-mode are plain text, and you can type or paste them straight into
1883 the buffer. By using this command, the links are automatically enclosed
1884 in double brackets, and you will be asked for the optional descriptive
1885 text. If the link is a @samp{file:} link and the linked file is located
1886 in the same directory as the current file or a subdirectory of it, the
1887 path of the file will be inserted relative to the current directory.
1888
1889 @kindex C-u C-c C-l
1890 @cindex file name completion
1891 @cindex completion, of file names
1892 @item C-u C-c C-l
1893 When @kbd{C-c C-l} is called with a @kbd{C-u} prefix argument, a link to
1894 a file will be inserted and you may use file name completion to select
1895 the name of the file. The path to the file is inserted relative to the
1896 directory of the current org file, if the linked file is in the current
1897 directory or in a subdirectory of it, or if the path is written relative
1898 to the current directory using @samp{../}. Otherwise an absolute path
1899 is used, if possible with @samp{~/} for your home directory. You can
1900 force an absolute path with two @kbd{C-u} prefixes.
1901
1902 @item C-c C-l @r{with cursor on existing link}
1903 When the cursor is on an existing link, @kbd{C-c C-l} allows you to edit the
1904 link and description parts of the link.
1905
1906 @cindex following links
1907 @kindex C-c C-o
1908 @item C-c C-o
1909 Open link at point. This will launch a web browser for URLs (using
1910 @command{browse-url-at-point}), run vm/mh-e/wanderlust/rmail/gnus/bbdb
1911 for the corresponding links, and execute the command in a shell link.
1912 When the cursor is on an internal link, this commands runs the
1913 corresponding search. When the cursor is on a TAG list in a headline,
1914 it creates the corresponding TAGS view. If the cursor is on a time
1915 stamp, it compiles the agenda for that date. Furthermore, it will visit
1916 text and remote files in @samp{file:} links with Emacs and select a
1917 suitable application for local non-text files. Classification of files
1918 is based on file extension only. See option @code{org-file-apps}. If
1919 you want to override the default application and visit the file with
1920 Emacs, use a @kbd{C-u} prefix.
1921
1922 @kindex mouse-2
1923 @kindex mouse-1
1924 @item mouse-2
1925 @itemx mouse-1
1926 On links, @kbd{mouse-2} will open the link just as @kbd{C-c C-o}
1927 would. Under Emacs 22, also @kbd{mouse-1} will follow a link.
1928
1929 @kindex mouse-3
1930 @item mouse-3
1931 Like @kbd{mouse-2}, but force file links to be opened with Emacs, and
1932 internal links to be displayed in another window@footnote{See the
1933 variable @code{org-display-internal-link-with-indirect-buffer}}.
1934
1935 @cindex mark ring
1936 @kindex C-c %
1937 @item C-c %
1938 Push the current position onto the mark ring, to be able to return
1939 easily. Commands following an internal link do this automatically.
1940
1941 @cindex links, returning to
1942 @kindex C-c &
1943 @item C-c &
1944 Jump back to a recorded position. A position is recorded by the
1945 commands following internal links, and by @kbd{C-c %}. Using this
1946 command several times in direct succession moves through a ring of
1947 previously recorded positions.
1948 @end table
1949
1950 @node Link abbreviations, Search options, Handling links, Hyperlinks
1951 @section Link abbreviatons
1952 @cindex link abbreviations
1953 @cindex abbreviation, links
1954
1955 Long URLs can be cumbersome to type, and often many similar links are
1956 needed in a document. For this you can use link abbreviations. An
1957 abbreviated link looks like this
1958
1959 @example
1960 [[linkword::tag][description]]
1961 @end example
1962
1963 @noindent
1964 where the tag is optional. Such abbreviations are resolved according to
1965 the information in the variable @code{org-link-abbrev-alist} that
1966 relates the linkwords to replacement text. Here is an example:
1967
1968 @lisp
1969 @group
1970 (setq org-link-abbrev-alist
1971 '(("bugzilla" . "http://10.1.2.9/bugzilla/show_bug.cgi?id=")
1972 ("google" . "http://www.google.com/search?q=")
1973 ("ads" . "http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/
1974 nph-abs_connect?author=%s&db_key=AST")))
1975 @end group
1976 @end lisp
1977
1978 If the replacement text contains the string @samp{%s}, it will be
1979 replaced with the tag. Otherwise the tag will be appended to the string
1980 in order to create the link. You may also specify a function that will
1981 be called with the tag as the only argument to create the link.
1982
1983 With the above setting, you could link to a specific bug with
1984 @code{[[bugzilla::129]]}, search the web for OrgMode with
1985 @code{[[google::OrgMode]]} and find out what the Org-mode author is
1986 doing besides Emacs hacking with @code{[[ads::Dominik,C]]}.
1987
1988 If you need special abbreviations just for a single Org-mode buffer, you
1989 can define them in the file with
1990
1991 @example
1992 #+LINK: bugzilla http://10.1.2.9/bugzilla/show_bug.cgi?id=
1993 #+LINK: google http://www.google.com/search?q=%s
1994 @end example
1995
1996 @noindent
1997 In-buffer completion @pxref{Completion} can be used after @samp{[} to
1998 complete link abbreviations.
1999
2000 @node Search options, Custom searches, Link abbreviations, Hyperlinks
2001 @section Search options in file links
2002 @cindex search option in file links
2003 @cindex file links, searching
2004
2005 File links can contain additional information to make Emacs jump to a
2006 particular location in the file when following a link. This can be a
2007 line number or a search option after a double@footnote{For backward
2008 compatibility, line numbers can also follow a single colon.} colon. For
2009 example, when the command @kbd{C-c l} creates a link (@pxref{Handling
2010 links}) to a file, it encodes the words in the current line as a search
2011 string that can be used to find this line back later when following the
2012 link with @kbd{C-c C-o}.
2013
2014 Here is the syntax of the different ways to attach a search to a file
2015 link, together with an explanation:
2016
2017 @example
2018 [[file:~/code/main.c::255]]
2019 [[file:~/xx.org::My Target]]
2020 [[file:~/xx.org::*My Target]]
2021 [[file:~/xx.org::/regexp/]]
2022 @end example
2023
2024 @table @code
2025 @item 255
2026 Jump to line 255.
2027 @item My Target
2028 Search for a link target @samp{<<My Target>>}, or do a text search for
2029 @samp{my target}, similar to the search in internal links, see
2030 @ref{Internal links}. In HTML export (@pxref{HTML export}), such a file
2031 link will become an HTML reference to the corresponding named anchor in
2032 the linked file.
2033 @item *My Target
2034 In an Org-mode file, restrict search to headlines.
2035 @item /regexp/
2036 Do a regular expression search for @code{regexp}. This uses the Emacs
2037 command @code{occur} to list all matches in a separate window. If the
2038 target file is in Org-mode, @code{org-occur} is used to create a
2039 sparse tree with the matches.
2040 @c If the target file is a directory,
2041 @c @code{grep} will be used to search all files in the directory.
2042 @end table
2043
2044 As a degenerate case, a file link with an empty file name can be used
2045 to search the current file. For example, @code{<file:::find me>} does
2046 a search for @samp{find me} in the current file, just as
2047 @samp{[[find me]]} would.
2048
2049 @node Custom searches, Remember, Search options, Hyperlinks
2050 @section Custom Searches
2051 @cindex custom search strings
2052 @cindex search strings, custom
2053
2054 The default mechanism for creating search strings and for doing the
2055 actual search related to a file link may not work correctly in all
2056 cases. For example, BibTeX database files have many entries like
2057 @samp{year="1993"} which would not result in good search strings,
2058 because the only unique identification for a BibTeX entry is the
2059 citation key.
2060
2061 If you come across such a problem, you can write custom functions to set
2062 the right search string for a particular file type, and to do the search
2063 for the string in the file. Using @code{add-hook}, these functions need
2064 to be added to the hook variables
2065 @code{org-create-file-search-functions} and
2066 @code{org-execute-file-search-functions}. See the docstring for these
2067 variables for more information. Org-mode actually uses this mechanism
2068 for Bib@TeX{} database files, and you can use the corresponding code as
2069 an implementation example. Search for @samp{BibTeX links} in the source
2070 file.
2071
2072
2073 @node Remember, , Custom searches, Hyperlinks
2074 @section Remember
2075 @cindex @file{remember.el}
2076
2077 Another way to create org entries with links to other files is through
2078 the @emph{Remember} package by John Wiegley. @emph{Remember} lets you
2079 store quick notes with little interruption of your work flow. See
2080 @uref{http://www.emacswiki.org/cgi-bin/wiki/RememberMode} for more
2081 information. The notes produced by @emph{Remember} can be stored in
2082 different ways, and Org-mode files are a good target. Org-mode allows
2083 you to file away notes either to a default file, or directly to the correct
2084 location in your Org-mode outline tree. The following customization
2085 will tell @emph{Remember} to use org files as target, and to create
2086 annotations compatible with Org-mode links.
2087
2088 @example
2089 (setq org-directory "~/path/to/my/orgfiles/")
2090 (setq org-default-notes-file "~/.notes")
2091 (setq remember-annotation-functions '(org-remember-annotation))
2092 (setq remember-handler-functions '(org-remember-handler))
2093 (add-hook 'remember-mode-hook 'org-remember-apply-template)
2094 @end example
2095
2096 @cindex templates, for remember
2097 In combination with Org-mode, you can use templates to generate
2098 different types of remember notes. For example, if you would like to
2099 use one template to create general TODO entries, and another one for
2100 journal entries, you could use:
2101
2102 @example
2103 (setq org-remember-templates
2104 '((?t "* TODO %?\n %i\n %a" "~/org/TODO.org")
2105 (?j "* %U %?\n\n %i\n %a" "~/org/JOURNAL.org")))
2106 @end example
2107
2108 @noindent In these entries, the character specifies how to select the
2109 template, the first string specifies the template, and the (optional)
2110 second string specifies a default file (overruling
2111 @code{org-default-notes-file}) as a target for this note.
2112
2113 When you call @kbd{M-x remember} to remember something, org will prompt
2114 for a key to select the template and then prepare the buffer like
2115 @example
2116 * TODO
2117 <file:link to where you called remember>
2118 @end example
2119
2120 @noindent or
2121
2122 @example
2123 * [2006-03-21 Tue 15:37]
2124
2125 <file:link to where you called remember>
2126 @end example
2127
2128 @noindent See the variable @code{org-remember-templates} for more details.
2129
2130 When you are finished composing a note with remember, you have to press
2131 @kbd{C-c C-c} to file the note away. The handler first prompts for a
2132 target file - if you press @key{RET}, the value of
2133 @code{org-default-notes-file} is used. Then the command offers the
2134 headings tree of the selected file. You can either immediately press
2135 @key{RET} to get the note appended to the file. Or you can use vertical
2136 cursor motion (@key{up} and @key{down}) and visibility cycling
2137 (@key{TAB}) to find a better place. Pressing @key{RET} or @key{left} or
2138 @key{right} leads to the following result.
2139
2140 @multitable @columnfractions 0.2 0.1 0.7
2141 @item @b{Cursor position} @tab @b{Key} @tab @b{Note gets inserted}
2142 @item buffer-start @tab @key{RET} @tab as level 2 heading at end of file
2143 @item on headline @tab @key{RET} @tab as sublevel of the heading at cursor
2144 @item @tab @key{left} @tab as same level, before current heading
2145 @item @tab @key{right} @tab as same level, after current heading
2146 @item not on headline @tab @key{RET}
2147 @tab at cursor position, level taken from context.
2148 Or use prefix arg to specify level manually.
2149 @end multitable
2150
2151 So a fast way to store the note is to press @kbd{C-c C-c @key{RET}
2152 @key{RET}} to append it to the default file. Even shorter would be
2153 @kbd{C-u C-c C-c}, which does the same without even showing the tree.
2154 But with little extra effort, you can push it directly to the correct
2155 location.
2156
2157 Before inserting the text into a tree, the function ensures that the
2158 text has a headline, i.e. a first line that starts with a @samp{*}.
2159 If not, a headline is constructed from the current date and some
2160 additional data. If the variable @code{org-adapt-indentation} is
2161 non-nil, the entire text is also indented so that it starts in the
2162 same column as the headline (after the asterisks).
2163
2164
2165 @node TODO items, Timestamps, Hyperlinks, Top
2166 @chapter TODO items
2167 @cindex TODO items
2168
2169 Org-mode does not maintain TODO lists as a separate document. TODO
2170 items are an integral part of the notes file, because TODO items
2171 usually come up while taking notes! With Org-mode, you simply mark
2172 any entry in a tree as being a TODO item. In this way, the
2173 information is not duplicated, and the entire context from which the
2174 item emerged is always present when you check.
2175
2176 Of course, this technique causes TODO items to be scattered throughout
2177 your file. Org-mode provides methods to give you an overview over all
2178 things you have to do.
2179
2180 @menu
2181 * TODO basics:: Marking and displaying TODO entries
2182 * TODO extensions:: Workflow and assignments
2183 * Priorities:: Some things are more important than others
2184 * Breaking down tasks:: Splitting a task into managable pieces
2185 * Checkboxes:: Tick-off lists
2186 @end menu
2187
2188 @node TODO basics, TODO extensions, TODO items, TODO items
2189 @section Basic TODO functionality
2190
2191 Any headline can become a TODO item by starting it with the word TODO,
2192 for example:
2193
2194 @example
2195 *** TODO Write letter to Sam Fortune
2196 @end example
2197
2198 @noindent
2199 The most important commands to work with TODO entries are:
2200
2201 @table @kbd
2202 @kindex C-c C-t
2203 @cindex cycling, of TODO states
2204 @item C-c C-t
2205 Rotate the TODO state of the current item between
2206
2207 @example
2208 ,-> (unmarked) -> TODO -> DONE --.
2209 '--------------------------------'
2210 @end example
2211
2212 The same rotation can also be done ``remotely'' from the timeline and
2213 agenda buffers with the @kbd{t} command key (@pxref{Agenda commands}).
2214 @kindex S-@key{right}
2215 @kindex S-@key{left}
2216 @item S-@key{right}
2217 @itemx S-@key{left}
2218 Select the following/preceding TODO state, similar to cycling. Mostly
2219 useful if more than two TODO states are possible (@pxref{TODO extensions}).
2220 @kindex C-c C-v
2221 @cindex sparse tree, for TODO
2222 @item C-c C-v
2223 View TODO items in a @emph{sparse tree} (@pxref{Sparse trees}). Folds
2224 the entire buffer, but shows all TODO items and the headings hierarchy
2225 above them. With prefix arg, show also the DONE entries. With
2226 numerical prefix N, show the tree for the Nth keyword in the variable
2227 @code{org-todo-keywords}.
2228 @kindex C-c a t
2229 @item C-c a t
2230 Show the global TODO list. This collects the TODO items from all
2231 agenda files (@pxref{Agenda views}) into a single buffer. The buffer is in
2232 @code{agenda-mode}, so there are commands to examine and manipulate
2233 the TODO entries directly from that buffer (@pxref{Agenda commands}).
2234 @xref{Global TODO list}, for more information.
2235 @c @item @code{org-agenda-include-all-todo}
2236 @c If you would like to have all your TODO items listed as part of your
2237 @c agenda, customize the variable @code{org-agenda-include-all-todo}.
2238 @end table
2239
2240
2241 @node TODO extensions, Priorities, TODO basics, TODO items
2242 @section Extended use of TODO keywords
2243 @cindex extended TODO keywords
2244
2245 The default implementation of TODO entries is just two states: TODO and
2246 DONE. You can, however, use the TODO feature for more complicated
2247 things by configuring the variables @code{org-todo-keywords} and
2248 @code{org-todo-interpretation}. Using special setup, you can even use
2249 TODO keywords in different ways in different org files.
2250
2251 Note that @i{tags} are another way to classify headlines in general and
2252 TODO items in particular (@pxref{Tags}).
2253
2254 @menu
2255 * Workflow states:: From TODO to DONE in steps
2256 * TODO types:: I do this, Fred the rest
2257 * Per file keywords:: Different files, different requirements
2258 @end menu
2259
2260 @node Workflow states, TODO types, TODO extensions, TODO extensions
2261 @subsection TODO keywords as workflow states
2262 @cindex TODO workflow
2263 @cindex workflow states as TODO keywords
2264
2265 You can use TODO keywords to indicate different states in the process
2266 of working on an item, for example:
2267
2268 @lisp
2269 (setq org-todo-keywords '("TODO" "FEEDBACK" "VERIFY" "DONE")
2270 org-todo-interpretation 'sequence)
2271 @end lisp
2272
2273 @cindex completion, of TODO keywords
2274 Changing these variables only becomes effective in a new Emacs session.
2275 With this setup, the command @kbd{C-c C-t} will cycle an entry from
2276 TODO to FEEDBACK, then to VERIFY, and finally to DONE. You may also
2277 use a prefix argument to quickly select a specific state. For example
2278 @kbd{C-3 C-c C-t} will change the state immediately to VERIFY.
2279 If you define many keywords, you can use in-buffer completion (see
2280 @ref{Completion}) to insert these words into the buffer.
2281
2282 @node TODO types, Per file keywords, Workflow states, TODO extensions
2283 @subsection TODO keywords as types
2284 @cindex TODO types
2285 @cindex names as TODO keywords
2286 @cindex types as TODO keywords
2287
2288 The second possibility is to use TODO keywords to indicate different
2289 types of action items. For example, you might want to indicate that
2290 items are for ``work'' or ``home''. If you are into David Allen's
2291 @emph{Getting Things DONE}, you might want to use todo types
2292 @samp{NEXTACTION}, @samp{WAITING}, @samp{MAYBE}. Or, when you work
2293 with several people on a single project, you might want to assign
2294 action items directly to persons, by using their names as TODO
2295 keywords. This would be set up like this:
2296
2297 @lisp
2298 (setq org-todo-keywords '("Fred" "Sara" "Lucy" "Mike" "DONE")
2299 org-todo-interpretation 'type)
2300 @end lisp
2301
2302 In this case, different keywords do not indicate a sequence, but
2303 rather different types. So it is normally not useful to change from
2304 one type to another. Therefore, in this case the behavior of the
2305 command @kbd{C-c C-t} is changed slightly@footnote{This is also true
2306 for the @kbd{t} command in the timeline and agenda buffers.}. When
2307 used several times in succession, it will still cycle through all
2308 names. But when you return to the item after some time and execute
2309 @kbd{C-c C-t} again, it will switch from each name directly to DONE.
2310 Use prefix arguments or completion to quickly select a specific name.
2311 You can also review the items of a specific TODO type in a sparse tree
2312 by using a numeric prefix to @kbd{C-c C-v}. For example, to see all
2313 things Lucy has to do, you would use @kbd{C-3 C-c C-v}. To collect
2314 Lucy's items from all agenda files into a single buffer, you
2315 would use the prefix arg as well when creating the global todo list:
2316 @kbd{C-3 C-c t}.
2317
2318 @node Per file keywords, , TODO types, TODO extensions
2319 @subsection Setting up TODO keywords for individual files
2320 @cindex keyword options
2321 @cindex per file keywords
2322
2323 It can be very useful to use different aspects of the TODO mechanism
2324 in different files, which is not possible with the global settings
2325 described above. For file-local settings, you need to add special
2326 lines to the file which set the keywords and interpretation for that
2327 file only. For example, to set one of the two examples discussed
2328 above, you need one of the following lines, starting in column zero
2329 anywhere in the file:
2330
2331 @example
2332 #+SEQ_TODO: TODO FEEDBACK VERIFY DONE
2333 #+TYP_TODO: Fred Sara Lucy Mike DONE
2334 @end example
2335
2336 @cindex Completion, of option keywords
2337 @kindex M-@key{TAB}
2338 @noindent To make sure you are using the correct keyword, type
2339 @samp{#+} into the buffer and then use @kbd{M-@key{TAB}} completion.
2340
2341 @cindex DONE, final TODO keyword
2342 Remember that the last keyword must always mean that the item is DONE
2343 (although you may use a different word). Also note that in each file,
2344 only one of the two aspects of TODO keywords can be used. After
2345 changing one of these lines, use @kbd{C-c C-c} with the cursor still
2346 in the line to make the changes known to Org-mode@footnote{Org-mode
2347 parses these lines only when Org-mode is activated after visiting a
2348 file. @kbd{C-c C-c} with the cursor in a line starting with @samp{#+}
2349 is simply restarting Org-mode for the current buffer.}.
2350
2351 If you want to use very many keywords, for example when working with a
2352 large group of people, you may split the names over several lines:
2353
2354 @example
2355 #+TYP_TODO: Fred Sara Lucy Mike
2356 #+TYP_TODO: Luis George Jules Jessica
2357 #+TYP_TODO: Kim Arnold Peter
2358 #+TYP_TODO: DONE
2359 @end example
2360
2361 @node Priorities, Breaking down tasks, TODO extensions, TODO items
2362 @section Priorities
2363 @cindex priorities
2364
2365 If you use Org-mode extensively to organize your work, you may end up
2366 with a number of TODO entries so large that you'd like to prioritize
2367 them. This can be done by placing a @emph{priority cookie} into the
2368 headline, like this
2369
2370 @example
2371 *** TODO [#A] Write letter to Sam Fortune
2372 @end example
2373
2374 @noindent
2375 With its standard setup, Org-mode supports priorities @samp{A},
2376 @samp{B}, and @samp{C}. @samp{A} is the highest priority. An entry
2377 without a cookie is treated as priority @samp{B}. Priorities make a
2378 difference only in the agenda (@pxref{Weekly/Daily agenda}).
2379
2380 @table @kbd
2381 @kindex @kbd{C-c ,}
2382 @item @kbd{C-c ,}
2383 Set the priority of the current headline. The command prompts for a
2384 priority character @samp{A}, @samp{B} or @samp{C}. When you press
2385 @key{SPC} instead, the priority cookie is removed from the headline.
2386 The priorities can also be changed ``remotely'' from the timeline and
2387 agenda buffer with the @kbd{,} command (@pxref{Agenda commands}).
2388
2389 @kindex S-@key{up}
2390 @kindex S-@key{down}
2391 @item S-@key{up}
2392 @itemx S-@key{down}
2393 Increase/decrease priority of current headline. Note that these keys
2394 are also used to modify time stamps (@pxref{Creating timestamps}).
2395 Furthermore, these keys are also used by CUA-mode (@pxref{Conflicts}).
2396 @end table
2397
2398 @node Breaking down tasks, Checkboxes, Priorities, TODO items
2399 @section Breaking tasks down into subtasks
2400 @cindex tasks, breaking down
2401
2402 It is often advisable to break down large tasks into smaller, managable
2403 subtasks. You can do this by creating an outline tree below a TODO
2404 item, with detailed subtasks on the tree@footnote{To keep subtasks out
2405 of the global TODO list, see the
2406 @code{org-agenda-todo-list-sublevels}.}. Another possibility is the use
2407 of checkboxes to ideantify (a hierarchy of) a large number of subtasks
2408 (@pxref{Checkboxes}).
2409
2410
2411 @node Checkboxes, , Breaking down tasks, TODO items
2412 @section Checkboxes
2413 @cindex checkboxes
2414
2415 Every item in a plain list (@pxref{Plain lists}) can be made a checkbox
2416 by starting it with the string @samp{[ ]}. This feature is similar to
2417 TODO items (@pxref{TODO items}), but more lightweight. Checkboxes are
2418 not included into the global TODO list, so they are often great to split
2419 a task into a number of simple steps. Or you can use them in a shopping
2420 list. To toggle a checkbox, use @kbd{C-c C-c}, or try Piotr Zielinski's
2421 @file{org-mouse.el}. Here is an example of a checkbox list.
2422
2423 @example
2424 * TODO Organize party [3/6]
2425 - call people [1/3]
2426 - [ ] Peter
2427 - [X] Sarah
2428 - [ ] Sam
2429 - [X] order food
2430 - [ ] think about what music to play
2431 - [X] talk to the neighbors
2432 @end example
2433
2434 @cindex statistics, for checkboxes
2435 @cindex checkbox statistics
2436 The @samp{[3/6]} and @samp{[1/3]} in the first and second line are
2437 cookies indicating how many checkboxes are present in this entry, and
2438 how many of them have been checked off. This can give you an idea on
2439 how many checkboxes remain, even without opening a folded entry. The
2440 cookies can be placed into a headline or into (the first line of) a
2441 plain list item. Each cookie covers all checkboxes structurally below
2442 that headline/item. You have to insert the cookie yourself by typing
2443 either @samp{[/]} or @samp{[%]}. In the first case you get an @samp{n
2444 out of m} result, in the second case you get information about the
2445 percentage of checkboxes checked (in the above example, this would be
2446 @samp{[50%]} and @samp{[33%], respectively}).
2447
2448 @noindent The following commands work with checkboxes:
2449
2450 @table @kbd
2451 @kindex C-c C-c
2452 @item C-c C-c
2453 Toggle checkbox at point.
2454 @kindex C-c C-x C-b
2455 @item C-c C-x C-b
2456 Toggle checkbox at point.
2457 @itemize @minus
2458 @item
2459 If there is an active region, toggle the first checkbox in the region
2460 and set all remaining boxes to the same status as the first. If you
2461 want to toggle all boxes in the region independently, use a prefix
2462 argument.
2463 @item
2464 If the cursor is in a headline, toggle checkboxes in the region between
2465 this headline and the next (so @emph{not} the entire subtree).
2466 @item
2467 If no active region, just toggle the checkbox at point.
2468 @end itemize
2469 @kindex M-S-@key{RET}
2470 @item M-S-@key{RET}
2471 Insert a new item with a checkbox.
2472 This works only if the cursor is already in a plain list item
2473 (@pxref{Plain lists}).
2474 @kindex C-c #
2475 @item C-c #
2476 Update the checkbox statistics in the current outline entry. When
2477 called with a @kbd{C-u} prefix, update the entire file. Checkbox
2478 statistic cookies are updated automatically if you toggle checkboxes
2479 with @kbd{C-c C-c} and make new ones with @kbd{M-S-@key{RET}}. If you
2480 delete boxes or add/change them by hand, use this command to get things
2481 back into synch. Or simply toggle any checkbox twice with @kbd{C-c C-c}.
2482 @end table
2483
2484 @node Timestamps, Tags, TODO items, Top
2485 @chapter Timestamps
2486 @cindex time stamps
2487 @cindex date stamps
2488
2489 Items can be labeled with timestamps to make them useful for project
2490 planning.
2491
2492 @menu
2493 * Time stamps:: Assigning a time to a tree entry
2494 * Creating timestamps:: Commands which insert timestamps
2495 * Custom time format:: If you cannot work with the ISO format
2496 * Progress logging:: Documenting when what work was done.
2497 @end menu
2498
2499
2500 @node Time stamps, Creating timestamps, Timestamps, Timestamps
2501 @section Time stamps, deadlines and scheduling
2502 @cindex time stamps
2503 @cindex ranges, time
2504 @cindex date stamps
2505 @cindex deadlines
2506 @cindex scheduling
2507
2508 A time stamp is a specification of a date (possibly with time) in a
2509 special format, either @samp{<2003-09-16 Tue>} or @samp{<2003-09-16 Tue
2510 09:39>}@footnote{This is the standard ISO date/time format. If you
2511 cannot get used to these, see @ref{Custom time format}}. A time stamp
2512 can appear anywhere in the headline or body of an org-tree entry. Its
2513 presence allows entries to be shown on specific dates in the agenda
2514 (@pxref{Weekly/Daily agenda}). We distinguish:
2515
2516 @table @var
2517 @item Plain time stamp
2518 @cindex timestamp
2519 A simple time stamp just assigns a date/time to an item. This is just
2520 like writing down an appointment in a paper agenda, or like writing down
2521 an event in a diary, when you want to take note of when something
2522 happened. In the timeline and agenda displays, the headline of an entry
2523 associated with a plain time stamp will be shown exactly on that date.
2524
2525 @example
2526 * Meet Peter at the movies <2006-11-01 Wed 19:15>
2527 @end example
2528
2529 @item Inactive time stamp
2530 @cindex timestamp, inactive
2531 @cindex inactive timestamp
2532 Just like a plain time stamp, but with square brackets instead of
2533 angular ones. These time stamps are inactive in the sense that thay do
2534 @emph{not} trigger an entry to show up in the agenda.
2535
2536 @example
2537 * Gillian comes late for the fifth time [2006-11-01 Wed]
2538 @end example
2539
2540 @item Time stamp range
2541 @cindex timerange
2542 Two time stamps connected by @samp{--} denote a time range. The
2543 headline will be shown on the first and last day of the range, and on
2544 any dates that are displayed and fall in the range. Here is an
2545 example:
2546
2547 @example
2548 ** Meeting in Amsterdam
2549 <2004-08-23 Mon>--<2004-08-26 Thu>
2550 @end example
2551
2552 @item Time stamp with SCHEDULED keyword
2553 @cindex SCHEDULED keyword
2554 If a time stamp is preceded by the word @samp{SCHEDULED:}, it means you
2555 are planning to start working on that task on the given date. So this is
2556 not about recording an event, but about planning your work. The
2557 headline will be listed under the given date. In addition, a reminder
2558 that the scheduled date has passed will be present in the compilation
2559 for @emph{today}, until the entry is marked DONE. I.e., the task will
2560 automatically be forwarded until completed.
2561
2562 @example
2563 *** TODO Call Trillian for a date on New Years Eve.
2564 SCHEDULED: <2004-12-25 Sat>
2565 @end example
2566
2567 @item Time stamp with DEADLINE keyword
2568 @cindex DEADLINE keyword
2569 If a time stamp is preceded by the word @samp{DEADLINE:}, the task
2570 (most likely a TODO item) is supposed to be finished on that date, and
2571 it will be listed then. In addition, the compilation for @emph{today}
2572 will carry a warning about the approaching or missed deadline,
2573 starting @code{org-deadline-warning-days} before the due date, and
2574 continuing until the entry is marked DONE. An example:
2575
2576 @example
2577 *** TODO write article about the Earth for the Guide
2578 The editor in charge is <bbdb:Ford Prefect>
2579 DEADLINE: <2004-02-29 Sun>
2580 @end example
2581 @item Time stamp with CLOSED keyword
2582 @cindex CLOSED keyword
2583 When @code{org-log-done} is non-nil, Org-mode will automatically insert
2584 a special time stamp each time a TODO entry is marked done
2585 (@pxref{Progress logging}). This time stamp is enclosed in square
2586 brackets instead of angular brackets.
2587
2588 @item Time range with CLOCK keyword
2589 @cindex CLOCK keyword
2590 When using the clock to time the work that is being done on specific
2591 items, time ranges preceded by the CLOCK keyword are inserted
2592 automatically into the file. The time stamps are enclosed in square
2593 brackets instead of angular brackets. @xref{Clocking work time}.
2594 @end table
2595
2596 @node Creating timestamps, Custom time format, Time stamps, Timestamps
2597 @section Creating timestamps
2598 @cindex creating timestamps
2599 @cindex timestamps, creating
2600
2601 For Org-mode to recognize time stamps, they need to be in the specific
2602 format. All commands listed below produce time stamps in the correct
2603 format.
2604
2605 @table @kbd
2606 @kindex C-c .
2607 @item C-c .
2608 Prompt for a date and insert a corresponding time stamp. When the
2609 cursor is at a previously used time stamp, it is updated to NOW. When
2610 this command is used twice in succession, a time range is inserted.
2611
2612 @kindex C-u C-c .
2613 @item C-u C-c .
2614 Like @kbd{C-c .}, but use the alternative format which contains date
2615 and time. The default time can be rounded to multiples of 5 minutes,
2616 see the option @code{org-time-stamp-rounding-minutes}.
2617
2618 @kindex C-c !
2619 @item C-c !
2620 Like @kbd{C-c .}, but insert an inactive time stamp not triggering the
2621 agenda.
2622
2623 @kindex C-c <
2624 @item C-c <
2625 Insert a time stamp corresponding to the cursor date in the Calendar.
2626
2627 @kindex C-c >
2628 @item C-c >
2629 Access the Emacs calendar for the current date. If there is a
2630 timestamp in the current line, goto the corresponding date
2631 instead.
2632
2633 @kindex C-c C-o
2634 @item C-c C-o
2635 Access the agenda for the date given by the time stamp or -range at
2636 point (@pxref{Weekly/Daily agenda}).
2637
2638 @kindex C-c C-d
2639 @item C-c C-d
2640 Insert @samp{DEADLINE} keyword along with a stamp. The insertion will
2641 happen in the line directly following the headline.
2642 @c FIXME Any CLOSED timestamp will be removed.????????
2643
2644 @kindex C-c C-w
2645 @cindex sparse tree, for deadlines
2646 @item C-c C-w
2647 Create a sparse tree with all deadlines that are either past-due, or
2648 which will become due within @code{org-deadline-warning-days}.
2649 With @kbd{C-u} prefix, show all deadlines in the file. With a numeric
2650 prefix, check that many days. For example, @kbd{C-1 C-c C-w} shows
2651 all deadlines due tomorrow.
2652
2653 @kindex C-c C-s
2654 @item C-c C-s
2655 Insert @samp{SCHEDULED} keyword along with a stamp. The insertion will
2656 happen in the line directly following the headline. Any CLOSED
2657 timestamp will be removed.
2658
2659 @kindex S-@key{left}
2660 @kindex S-@key{right}
2661 @item S-@key{left}
2662 @itemx S-@key{right}
2663 Change date at cursor by one day. These key bindings conflict with
2664 CUA-mode (@pxref{Conflicts}).
2665
2666 @kindex S-@key{up}
2667 @kindex S-@key{down}
2668 @item S-@key{up}
2669 @itemx S-@key{down}
2670 Change the item under the cursor in a timestamp. The cursor can be on a
2671 year, month, day, hour or minute. Note that if the cursor is in a
2672 headline and not at a time stamp, these same keys modify the priority of
2673 an item. (@pxref{Priorities}). The key bindings also conflict with
2674 CUA-mode (@pxref{Conflicts}).
2675
2676
2677 @kindex C-c C-y
2678 @cindex evaluate time range
2679 @item C-c C-y
2680 Evaluate a time range by computing the difference between start and
2681 end. With prefix arg, insert result after the time range (in a table:
2682 into the following column).
2683 @end table
2684
2685
2686 @menu
2687 * The date/time prompt:: How org-mode helps you entring date and time
2688 @end menu
2689
2690 @node The date/time prompt, , Creating timestamps, Creating timestamps
2691 @subsection The date/time prompt
2692 @cindex date, reading in minibuffer
2693 @cindex time, reading in minibuffer
2694
2695 When Org-mode prompts for a date/time, the prompt suggests to enter an
2696 ISO date. But it will in fact accept any string containing some date
2697 and/or time information. You can, for example, use @kbd{C-y} to paste a
2698 (possibly multi-line) string copied from an email message. Org-mode
2699 will find whatever information is in there and will replace anything not
2700 specified with the current date and time. For example:
2701
2702 @example
2703 3-2-5 --> 2003-02-05
2704 feb 15 --> currentyear-02-15
2705 sep 12 9 --> 2009-09-12
2706 12:45 --> today 12:45
2707 22 sept 0:34 --> currentyear-09-22 0:34
2708 12 --> currentyear-currentmonth-12
2709 Fri --> nearest Friday (today or later)
2710 @end example
2711
2712 The function understands English month and weekday abbreviations. If
2713 you want to use unabbreviated names and/or other languages, configure
2714 the variables @code{parse-time-months} and @code{parse-time-weekdays}.
2715
2716 @cindex calendar, for selecting date
2717 Parallel to the minibuffer prompt, a calendar is popped up@footnote{If
2718 you don't need/want the calendar, configure the variable
2719 @code{org-popup-calendar-for-date-prompt}.}. You can control the
2720 calendar fully from the minibuffer:
2721
2722 @table @kbd
2723 @kindex <
2724 @item <
2725 Scroll calendar backwards by one month.
2726 @kindex >
2727 @item >
2728 Scroll calendar forwards by one month.
2729 @kindex mouse-1
2730 @item mouse-1
2731 Select date by clicking on it.
2732 @kindex S-@key{right}
2733 @item S-@key{right}
2734 One day forward.
2735 @kindex S-@key{left}
2736 @item S-@key{left}
2737 One day back.
2738 @kindex S-@key{down}
2739 @item S-@key{down}
2740 One week forward.
2741 @kindex S-@key{up}
2742 @item S-@key{up}
2743 One week back.
2744 @kindex M-S-@key{right}
2745 @item M-S-@key{right}
2746 One month forward.
2747 @kindex M-S-@key{left}
2748 @item M-S-@key{left}
2749 One month back.
2750 @kindex @key{RET}
2751 @item @key{RET}
2752 Choose date in calendar (only if nothing was typed into minibuffer).
2753 @end table
2754
2755 @node Custom time format, Progress logging, Creating timestamps, Timestamps
2756 @section Custom time format
2757 @cindex custom date/time format
2758 @cindex time format, custom
2759 @cindex date format, custom
2760
2761 Org-mode uses the standard ISO notation for dates and times as it is
2762 defined in ISO 8601. If you cannot get used to this and require another
2763 representation of date and time to keep you happy, you can get it by
2764 customizing the variables @code{org-display-custom-times} and
2765 @code{org-time-stamp-custom-formats}.
2766
2767 @table @kbd
2768 @kindex C-c C-x C-t
2769 @item C-c C-x C-t
2770 Toggle the display of custom formats for dates and times.
2771 @end table
2772
2773 @noindent
2774 Org-mode needs the default format for scanning, so the custom date/time
2775 format does not @emph{replace} the default format - instead it is put
2776 @emph{over} the default format using text properties. This has the
2777 following consequences:
2778 @itemize @bullet
2779 @item
2780 You cannot place the cursor onto a time stamp anymore, only before or
2781 after.
2782 @item
2783 The @kbd{S-@key{up}/@key{down}} keys can no longer be used to adjust
2784 each component of a time stamp. If the cursor is at the beginning of
2785 the stamp, @kbd{S-@key{up}/@key{down}} will change the stamp by one day,
2786 just like @kbd{S-@key{left}/@key{right}}. At the end of the stamp, the
2787 time will be changed by one minute.
2788 @item
2789 When you delete a time stamp character-by-character, it will only
2790 disappear from the buffer after @emph{all} (invisible) characters
2791 belonging to the ISO timestamp have been removed.
2792 @item
2793 If the custom time stamp format is longer than the default and you are
2794 using dates in tables, table alignment will be messed up. If the custom
2795 format is shorter, things do work as expected.
2796 @end itemize
2797
2798 @node Progress logging, , Custom time format, Timestamps
2799 @section Progress Logging
2800 @cindex progress logging
2801 @cindex logging, of progress
2802
2803 Org-mode can automatically record a time stamp when you mark a TODO item
2804 as DONE. You can also measure precisely the time you spent on specific
2805 items in a project by starting and stopping a clock when you start and
2806 stop working on an aspect of a project.
2807
2808 @menu
2809 * Closing items:: When was this entry marked DONE?
2810 * Clocking work time:: When exactly did you work on this item?
2811 @end menu
2812
2813 @node Closing items, Clocking work time, Progress logging, Progress logging
2814 @subsection Closing items
2815
2816 If you want to keep track of @emph{when} a certain TODO item was
2817 finished, turn on logging with
2818
2819 @lisp
2820 (setq org-log-done t)
2821 @end lisp
2822
2823 @noindent
2824 Then each time you turn a TODO entry into DONE using either @kbd{C-c
2825 C-t} in the Org-mode buffer or @kbd{t} in the agenda buffer, a line
2826 @samp{CLOSED: [timestamp]} will be inserted just after the headline.
2827 If you turn the entry back into a TODO item again through further
2828 state cycling, that line will be removed again. In the timeline
2829 (@pxref{Timeline}) and in the agenda (@pxref{Weekly/Daily agenda}),
2830 you can then use the @kbd{l} key to display the TODO items closed on
2831 each day, giving you an overview of what has been done on a day.
2832 See the variable @code{org-log-done} for the possibility to record an
2833 additional note together with a timestamp.
2834
2835 @node Clocking work time, , Closing items, Progress logging
2836 @subsection Clocking work time
2837
2838 Org-mode allows you to clock the time you spent on specific tasks in a
2839 project. When you start working on an item, you can start the clock.
2840 When you stop working on that task, or when you mark the task done, the
2841 clock is stopped and the corresponding time interval is recorded. It
2842 also computes the total time spent on each subtree of a project.
2843
2844 @table @kbd
2845 @kindex C-c C-x C-i
2846 @item C-c C-x C-i
2847 Start the clock on the current item (clock-in). This inserts the CLOCK
2848 keyword together with a timestamp.
2849 @kindex C-c C-x C-o
2850 @item C-c C-x C-o
2851 Stop the clock (clock-out). The inserts another timestamp at the same
2852 location where the clock was last started. It also directly computes
2853 the resulting time in inserts it after the time range as @samp{=>
2854 HH:MM}. See the variable @code{org-log-done} for the possibility to
2855 record an additional note together with a the clock-out time stamp.
2856 @kindex C-c C-y
2857 @item C-c C-y
2858 Recompute the time interval after changing one of the time stamps. This
2859 is only necessary if you edit the time stamps directly. If you change
2860 them with @kbd{S-@key{cursor}} keys, the update is automatic.
2861 @kindex C-c C-t
2862 @item C-c C-t
2863 Changing the TODO state of an item to DONE automatically stops the clock
2864 if it is running in this same item.
2865 @kindex C-c C-x C-x
2866 @item C-c C-x C-x
2867 Cancel the current clock. This is useful if a clock was started by
2868 mistake, or if you ended up working on something else.
2869 @kindex C-c C-x C-d
2870 @item C-c C-x C-d
2871 Display time summaries for each subtree in the current buffer. This
2872 puts overlays at the end of each headline, showing the total time
2873 recorded under that heading, including the time of any subheadings. You
2874 can use visibility cycling to study the tree, but the overlays disappear
2875 when you change the buffer (see variable
2876 @code{org-remove-highlights-with-change}) or press @kbd{C-c C-c}.
2877 @kindex C-c C-x C-r
2878 @item C-c C-x C-r
2879 Insert a dynamic block (@pxref{Dynamic blocks}) containing a clock
2880 report as an org-mode table into the current file.
2881 @example
2882 #+BEGIN: clocktable :maxlevel 2 :emphasize nil
2883
2884 #+END: clocktable
2885 @end example
2886 @noindent
2887 If such a block already exists, its content is replaced by the new
2888 table. The @samp{BEGIN} line can specify options:
2889 @example
2890 :maxlevels @r{Maximum level depth to which times are listed in the table.}
2891 :emphasize @r{When @code{t}, emphasize level one and level two items}
2892 :block @r{The time block to consider. This block is specified relative}
2893 @r{to the current time and may be any of these keywords:}
2894 @r{@code{today}, @code{yesterday}, @code{thisweek}, @code{lastweek},}
2895 @r{@code{thismonth}, @code{lastmonth}, @code{thisyear}, or @code{lastyear}}.
2896 :tstart @r{A time string specifying when to start considering times}
2897 :tend @r{A time string specifying when to stop considering times}
2898 @end example
2899 So to get a clock summary for the current day, you could write
2900 @example
2901 #+BEGIN: clocktable :maxlevel 2 :block today
2902
2903 #+END: clocktable
2904 @end example
2905 and to use a specific time range you could write@footnote{Note that all
2906 parameters must be specified in a single line - the line is broken here
2907 only to fit it onto the manual.}
2908 @example
2909 #+BEGIN: clocktable :tstart "<2006-08-10 Thu 10:00>"
2910 :tend "<2006-08-10 Thu 12:00>"
2911
2912 #+END: clocktable
2913 @end example
2914 @kindex C-u C-c C-x C-u
2915 @item C-u C-c C-x C-u
2916 Update all dynamic blocks (@pxref{Dynamic blocks}). This is useful if
2917 you have several clocktable blocks in a buffer.
2918 @end table
2919
2920 The @kbd{l} key may be used in the timeline (@pxref{Timeline}) and in
2921 the agenda (@pxref{Weekly/Daily agenda}) to show which tasks have been
2922 worked on or closed during a day.
2923
2924 @node Tags, Agenda views, Timestamps, Top
2925 @chapter Tags
2926 @cindex tags
2927 @cindex headline tagging
2928 @cindex matching, tags
2929 @cindex sparse tree, tag based
2930
2931 If you wish to implement a system of labels and contexts for
2932 cross-correlating information, an excellent way is to assign @i{tags} to
2933 headlines. Org-mode has extensive support for using tags.
2934
2935 Every headline can contain a list of tags, at the end of the headline.
2936 Tags are normal words containing letters, numbers, @samp{_}, and
2937 @samp{@@}. Tags must be preceded and followed by a single colon; like
2938 @samp{:WORK:}. Several tags can be specified like @samp{:WORK:URGENT:}.
2939
2940 @menu
2941 * Tag inheritance:: Tags use the tree structure of the outline
2942 * Setting tags:: How to assign tags to a headline
2943 * Tag searches:: Searching for combinations of tags
2944 @end menu
2945
2946 @node Tag inheritance, Setting tags, Tags, Tags
2947 @section Tag inheritance
2948 @cindex inheritance, of tags
2949 @cindex sublevels, inclusion into tags match
2950
2951 @i{Tags} make use of the hierarchical structure of outline trees. If a
2952 heading has a certain tag, all subheadings will inherit the tag as
2953 well. For example, in the list
2954
2955 @example
2956 * Meeting with the French group :WORK:
2957 ** Summary by Frank :BOSS:NOTES:
2958 *** TODO Prepare slides for him :ACTION:
2959 @end example
2960
2961 @noindent
2962 the final heading will have the tags @samp{:WORK:}, @samp{:BOSS:},
2963 @samp{:NOTES:}, and @samp{:ACTION:}. When executing tag searches and
2964 Org-mode finds that a certain headline matches the search criterion, it
2965 will not check any sublevel headline, assuming that these likely also
2966 match, and that the list of matches can become very long. This may
2967 not be what you want, however, and you can influence inheritance and
2968 searching using the variables @code{org-use-tag-inheritance} and
2969 @code{org-tags-match-list-sublevels}.
2970
2971 @node Setting tags, Tag searches, Tag inheritance, Tags
2972 @section Setting tags
2973 @cindex setting tags
2974 @cindex tags, setting
2975
2976 @kindex M-@key{TAB}
2977 Tags can simply be typed into the buffer at the end of a headline.
2978 After a colon, @kbd{M-@key{TAB}} offers completion on tags. There is
2979 also a special command for inserting tags:
2980
2981 @table @kbd
2982 @kindex C-c C-c
2983 @item C-c C-c
2984 @cindex completion, of tags
2985 Enter new tags for the current headline. Org-mode will either offer
2986 completion or a special single-key interface for setting tags, see
2987 below. After pressing @key{RET}, the tags will be inserted and aligned
2988 to @code{org-tags-column}. When called with a @kbd{C-u} prefix, all
2989 tags in the current buffer will be aligned to that column, just to make
2990 things look nice. TAGS are automatically realigned after promotion,
2991 demotion, and TODO state changes (@pxref{TODO basics}).
2992 @end table
2993
2994 Org will support tag insertion based on a @emph{list of tags}. By
2995 default this list is constructed dynamically, containing all tags
2996 currently used in the buffer. You may also globally specify a hard list
2997 of tags with the variable @code{org-tag-alist}. Finally you can set
2998 the default tags for a given file with lines like
2999
3000 @example
3001 #+TAGS: @@WORK @@HOME @@TENNISCLUB
3002 #+TAGS: Laptop Car PC Sailboat
3003 @end example
3004
3005 If you have globally defined your preferred set of tags using the
3006 variable @code{org-tag-alist}, but would like to use a dynamic tag list
3007 in a specific file: Just add an empty TAGS option line to that file:
3008
3009 @example
3010 #+TAGS:
3011 @end example
3012
3013 The default support method for entering tags is minibuffer completion.
3014 However, Org-mode also implements a much better method: @emph{fast tag
3015 selection}. This method allows to select and deselect tags with a
3016 single key per tag. To function efficiently, you should assign unique
3017 keys to most tags. This can be done globally with
3018
3019 @lisp
3020 (setq org-tag-alist '(("@@WORK" . ?w) ("@@HOME" . ?h) ("Laptop" . ?l)))
3021 @end lisp
3022
3023 @noindent or on a per-file basis with
3024
3025 @example
3026 #+TAGS: @@WORK(w) @@HOME(h) @@TENNISCLUB(t) Laptop(l) PC(p)
3027 @end example
3028
3029 @noindent
3030 You can also group together tags that are mutually exclusive. With
3031 curly braces@footnote{In @code{org-mode-alist} use
3032 @code{'(:startgroup)} and @code{'(:endgroup)}, respectively. Several
3033 groups are allowed.}
3034
3035 @example
3036 #+TAGS: @{ @@WORK(w) @@HOME(h) @@TENNISCLUB(t) @} Laptop(l) PC(p)
3037 @end example
3038
3039 @noindent you indicate that at most one of @samp{@@WORK}, @samp{@@HOME},
3040 and @samp{@@TENNISCLUB} should be selected.
3041
3042 @noindent Don't forget to press @kbd{C-c C-c} with the cursor in one of
3043 these lines to activate any changes.
3044
3045 If at least one tag has a selection key, pressing @kbd{C-c C-c} will
3046 automatically present you with a special interface, listing inherited
3047 tags, the tags of the current headline, and a list of all legal tags
3048 with corresponding keys@footnote{Keys will automatically be assigned to
3049 tags which have no configured keys.}. In this interface, you can use
3050 the following keys:
3051
3052 @table @kbd
3053 @item a-z...
3054 Pressing keys assigned to tags will add or remove them from the list of
3055 tags in the current line. Selecting a tag in a group of mutually
3056 exclusive tags will turn off any other tags from that group.
3057 @kindex @key{TAB}
3058 @item @key{TAB}
3059 Enter a tag in the minibuffer, even if the tag is not in the predefined
3060 list. You will be able to complete on all tags present in the buffer.
3061 @kindex @key{SPC}
3062 @item @key{SPC}
3063 Clear all tags for this line.
3064 @kindex @key{RET}
3065 @item @key{RET}
3066 Accept the modified set.
3067 @item C-g
3068 Abort without installing changes.
3069 @item q
3070 If @kbd{q} is not assigned to a tag, it aborts like @kbd{C-g}.
3071 @item !
3072 Turn of groups of mutually exclusive tags. Use this to (as an
3073 exception) assign several tags from such a group.
3074 @item C-c
3075 Toggle auto-exit after the next change (see below).
3076 @end table
3077
3078 @noindent
3079 This method lets you assign tags to a headline with very few keys. With
3080 the above setup, you could clear the current tags and set @samp{@@HOME},
3081 @samp{Laptop} and @samp{PC} tags with just the following keys: @kbd{C-c
3082 C-c @key{SPC} h l p @key{RET}}. Switching from @samp{@@HOME} to
3083 @samp{@@WORK} would be done with @kbd{C-c C-c w @key{RET}} or
3084 alternatively with @kbd{C-c C-c C-c w}. Adding the non-predefined tag
3085 @samp{Sarah} could be done with @kbd{C-c C-c @key{TAB} S a r a h
3086 @key{RET} @key{RET}}.
3087
3088 If you find that most of the time, you need only a single keypress to
3089 modify your list of tags, set the variable
3090 @code{org-fast-tag-selection-single-key}. Then you no longer have to
3091 press @key{RET} to exit fast tag selection - it will immediately exit
3092 after the first change. If you then occasionally need more keys, press
3093 @kbd{C-c} to turn off auto-exit for the current tag selection process.
3094
3095 @node Tag searches, , Setting tags, Tags
3096 @section Tag searches
3097 @cindex tag searches
3098 @cindex searching for tags
3099
3100 Once a tags system has been set up, it can be used to collect related
3101 information into special lists.
3102
3103 @table @kbd
3104 @kindex C-c \
3105 @item C-c \
3106 Create a sparse tree with all headlines matching a tags search.
3107 @kindex C-c a m
3108 @item C-c a m
3109 Create a global list of tag matches from all agenda files.
3110 @xref{Matching headline tags}.
3111 @kindex C-c a M
3112 @item C-c a M
3113 Create a global list of tag matches from all agenda files, but check
3114 only TODO items and force checking subitems (see variable
3115 @code{org-tags-match-list-sublevels}).
3116 @end table
3117
3118 @cindex Boolean logic, for tag searches
3119 A @i{tags} search string can use Boolean operators @samp{&} for AND and
3120 @samp{|} for OR. @samp{&} binds more strongly than @samp{|}.
3121 Parenthesis are currently not implemented. A tag may also be preceded
3122 by @samp{-}, to select against it, and @samp{+} is syntactic sugar for
3123 positive selection. The AND operator @samp{&} is optional when @samp{+}
3124 or @samp{-} is present. Examples:
3125
3126 @table @samp
3127 @item +WORK-BOSS
3128 Select all headlines that are tagged @samp{:WORK:}, but discard those also tagged
3129 @samp{:BOSS:}.
3130 @item WORK|LAPTOP
3131 Selects lines tagged @samp{:WORK:} or @samp{:LAPTOP:}.
3132 @item WORK|LAPTOP&NIGHT
3133 Like the previous example, but require the @samp{:LAPTOP:} lines to be
3134 tagged also @samp{NIGHT}.
3135 @end table
3136
3137 @cindex TODO keyword matching, with tags search
3138 If you are using multi-state TODO keywords (@pxref{TODO extensions}), it
3139 can be useful to also match on the TODO keyword. This can be done by
3140 adding a condition after a slash to a tags match. The syntax is similar
3141 to the tag matches, but should be applied with consideration: For
3142 example, a positive selection on several TODO keywords can not
3143 meaningfully be combined with boolean AND. However, @emph{negative
3144 selection} combined with AND can be meaningful. Examples:
3145
3146 @table @samp
3147 @item WORK/WAITING
3148 Select @samp{:WORK:}-tagged TODO lines with the specific TODO
3149 keyword @samp{WAITING}.
3150 @item WORK/-WAITING-NEXT
3151 Select @samp{:WORK:}-tagged TODO lines that are neither @samp{WAITING}
3152 nor @samp{NEXT}
3153 @item WORK/+WAITING|+NEXT
3154 Select @samp{:WORK:}-tagged TODO lines that are either @samp{WAITING} or
3155 @samp{NEXT}.
3156 @end table
3157
3158 @node Agenda views, Embedded LaTeX, Tags, Top
3159 @chapter Agenda Views
3160 @cindex agenda views
3161
3162 Due to the way Org-mode works, TODO items, time-stamped items, and
3163 tagged headlines can be scattered throughout a file or even a number of
3164 files. To get an overview over open action items, or over events that
3165 are important for a particular date, this information must be collected,
3166 sorted and displayed in an organized way.
3167
3168 Org-mode can select items based on various criteria, and display them
3169 in a separate buffer. Five different view types are provided:
3170
3171 @itemize @bullet
3172 @item
3173 an @emph{agenda} that is like a calendar and shows information
3174 for specific dates
3175 @item
3176 a @emph{TODO list} that covers all unfinished
3177 action items,
3178 @item
3179 a @emph{tags view} that shows information based on
3180 the tags associated with headlines in the outline tree,
3181 @item
3182 a @emph{timeline view} that shows all events in a single Org-mode file,
3183 in time-sorted view
3184 @item
3185 @emph{custom views} that are special tag and keyword searches and
3186 combinations of different views.
3187 @end itemize
3188
3189 @noindent
3190 The extracted information is displayed in a special @emph{agenda
3191 buffer}. This buffer is read-only, but provides commands to visit the
3192 corresponding locations in the original Org-mode files, and even to
3193 edit these files remotely.
3194
3195 Two variables control how the agenda buffer is displayed and whether the
3196 window configuration is restored when the agenda exits:
3197 @code{org-agenda-window-setup} and
3198 @code{org-agenda-restore-windows-after-quit}.
3199
3200 @menu
3201 * Agenda files:: Files being searched for agenda information
3202 * Agenda dispatcher:: Keyboard access to agenda views
3203 * Weekly/Daily agenda:: The calendar page with current tasks
3204 * Global TODO list:: All unfinished action items
3205 * Matching headline tags:: Structured information with fine-tuned search
3206 * Timeline:: Time-sorted view for single file
3207 * Presentation and sorting:: How agenda items are prepared for display
3208 * Agenda commands:: Remote editing of org trees
3209 * Custom agenda views:: Defining special searches and views
3210 @end menu
3211
3212 @node Agenda files, Agenda dispatcher, Agenda views, Agenda views
3213 @section Agenda files
3214 @cindex agenda files
3215 @cindex files for agenda
3216
3217 The information to be shown is collected from all @emph{agenda files},
3218 the files listed in the variable @code{org-agenda-files}@footnote{If the
3219 value of that variable is not a list, but a single file name, then the
3220 list of agenda files will be maintained in that external file.}. Thus even
3221 if you only work with a single Org-mode file, this file should be put
3222 into that list@footnote{When using the dispatcher, pressing @kbd{1}
3223 before selecting a command will actually limit the command to the
3224 current file, and ignore @code{org-agenda-files} until the next
3225 dispatcher command.}. You can customize @code{org-agenda-files}, but
3226 the easiest way to maintain it is through the following commands
3227
3228 @cindex files, adding to agenda list
3229 @table @kbd
3230 @kindex C-c [
3231 @item C-c [
3232 Add current file to the list of agenda files. The file is added to
3233 the front of the list. If it was already in the list, it is moved to
3234 the front. With prefix arg, file is added/moved to the end.
3235 @kindex C-c ]
3236 @item C-c ]
3237 Remove current file from the list of agenda files.
3238 @kindex C-,
3239 @item C-,
3240 Cycle through agenda file list, visiting one file after the other.
3241 @end table
3242
3243 @noindent
3244 The Org menu contains the current list of files and can be used
3245 to visit any of them.
3246
3247 @node Agenda dispatcher, Weekly/Daily agenda, Agenda files, Agenda views
3248 @section The agenda dispatcher
3249 @cindex agenda dispatcher
3250 @cindex dispatching agenda commands
3251 The views are created through a dispatcher that should be bound to a
3252 global key, for example @kbd{C-c a} (@pxref{Installation}). In the
3253 following we will assume that @kbd{C-c a} is indeed how the dispatcher
3254 is accessed and list keyboard access to commands accordingly. After
3255 pressing @kbd{C-c a}, an additional letter is required to execute a
3256 command. The dispatcher offers the following default commands:
3257 @table @kbd
3258 @item a
3259 Create the calendar-like agenda (@pxref{Weekly/Daily agenda}).
3260 @item t / T
3261 Create a list of all TODO items (@pxref{Global TODO list}).
3262 @item m / M
3263 Create a list of headlines matching a TAGS expression (@pxref{Matching
3264 headline tags}).
3265 @item L
3266 Create the timeline view for the current buffer (@pxref{Timeline}).
3267 @item 1
3268 Restrict an agenda command to the current buffer. After pressing
3269 @kbd{1}, you still need to press the character selecting the command.
3270 @item 0
3271 If there is an active region, restrict the following agenda command to
3272 the region. Otherwise, restrict it to the current subtree. After
3273 pressing @kbd{0}, you still need to press the character selecting the
3274 command.
3275 @end table
3276
3277 You can also define custom commands that will be accessible through the
3278 dispatcher, just like the default commands. This includes the
3279 possibility to create extended agenda buffers that contain several
3280 blocks together, for example the weekly agenda, the global TODO list and
3281 a number of special tags matches. @xref{Custom agenda views}.
3282
3283 @node Weekly/Daily agenda, Global TODO list, Agenda dispatcher, Agenda views
3284 @section The weekly/daily agenda
3285 @cindex agenda
3286 @cindex weekly agenda
3287 @cindex daily agenda
3288
3289 The purpose of the weekly/daily @emph{agenda} is to act like a page of a
3290 paper agenda, showing all the tasks for the current week or day.
3291
3292 @table @kbd
3293 @cindex org-agenda, command
3294 @kindex C-c a a
3295 @item C-c a a
3296 Compile an agenda for the current week from a list of org files. The
3297 agenda shows the entries for each day. With a @kbd{C-u} prefix (or
3298 when the variable @code{org-agenda-include-all-todo} is @code{t}), all
3299 unfinished TODO items (including those without a date) are also listed at
3300 the beginning of the buffer, before the first date.@*
3301 @end table
3302
3303 Remote editing from the agenda buffer means, for example, that you can
3304 change the dates of deadlines and appointments from the agenda buffer.
3305 The commands available in the Agenda buffer are listed in @ref{Agenda
3306 commands}.
3307
3308 @menu
3309 * Calendar/Diary integration:: Integrating Anniversaries and more
3310 @end menu
3311
3312
3313 @node Calendar/Diary integration, , Weekly/Daily agenda, Weekly/Daily agenda
3314 @subsection Calendar/Diary integration
3315 @cindex calendar integration
3316 @cindex diary integration
3317
3318 Emacs contains the calendar and diary by Edward M. Reingold. The
3319 calendar displays a three-month calendar with holidays from different
3320 countries and cultures. The diary allows you to keep track of
3321 anniversaries, lunar phases, sunrise/set, recurrent appointments
3322 (weekly, monthly) and more. In this way, it is quite complementary to
3323 Org-mode. It can be very useful to combine output from Org-mode with
3324 the diary.
3325
3326 In order to include entries from the Emacs diary into Org-mode's
3327 agenda, you only need to customize the variable
3328
3329 @lisp
3330 (setq org-agenda-include-diary t)
3331 @end lisp
3332
3333 @noindent After that, everything will happen automatically. All diary
3334 entries including holidays, anniversaries etc will be included in the
3335 agenda buffer created by Org-mode. @key{SPC}, @key{TAB}, and
3336 @key{RET} can be used from the agenda buffer to jump to the diary
3337 file in order to edit existing diary entries. The @kbd{i} command to
3338 insert new entries for the current date works in the agenda buffer, as
3339 well as the commands @kbd{S}, @kbd{M}, and @kbd{C} to display
3340 Sunrise/Sunset times, show lunar phases and to convert to other
3341 calendars, respectively. @kbd{c} can be used to switch back and forth
3342 between calendar and agenda.
3343
3344
3345 @node Global TODO list, Matching headline tags, Weekly/Daily agenda, Agenda views
3346 @section The global TODO list
3347 @cindex global TODO list
3348 @cindex TODO list, global
3349
3350 The global TODO list contains all unfinished TODO items, formatted and
3351 collected into a single place.
3352
3353 @table @kbd
3354 @kindex C-c a t
3355 @item C-c a t
3356 Show the global TODO list. This collects the TODO items from all
3357 agenda files (@pxref{Agenda views}) into a single buffer. The buffer is in
3358 @code{agenda-mode}, so there are commands to examine and manipulate
3359 the TODO entries directly from that buffer (@pxref{Agenda commands}).
3360 @kindex C-c a T
3361 @item C-c a T
3362 @cindex TODO keyword matching
3363 Like the above, but allows selection of a specific TODO keyword. You can
3364 also do this by specifying a prefix argument to @kbd{C-c a t}. With a
3365 @kbd{C-u} prefix you are prompted for a keyword. With a numeric
3366 prefix, the Nth keyword in @code{org-todo-keywords} is selected.
3367 @kindex r
3368 The @kbd{r} key in the agenda buffer regenerates it, and you can give
3369 a prefix argument to this command to change the selected TODO keyword,
3370 for example @kbd{3 r}. If you often need a search for a specific
3371 keyword, define a custom command for it (@pxref{Agenda dispatcher}).@*
3372 Matching specific TODO keywords can also be done as part of a tags
3373 search (@pxref{Tag searches}).
3374 @end table
3375
3376 Remote editing of TODO items means that you can change the state of a
3377 TODO entry with a single key press. The commands available in the
3378 TODO list are described in @ref{Agenda commands}.
3379
3380 @cindex sublevels, inclusion into todo list
3381 Normally the global todo list simply shows all headlines with TODO
3382 keywords. This list can become very long. There are two ways to keep
3383 it more compact:
3384 @itemize @minus
3385 @item
3386 Some people view a TODO item that has been @emph{scheduled} for
3387 execution (@pxref{Time stamps}) as no longer @emph{open}. Configure the
3388 variable @code{org-agenda-todo-ignore-scheduled} to exclude scheduled
3389 items from the global TODO list.
3390 @item
3391 TODO items may have sublevels to break up the task into subtasks. In
3392 such cases it may be enough to list only the highest level TODO headline
3393 and omit the sublevels from the global list. Configure the variable
3394 @code{org-agenda-todo-list-sublevels} to get this behavior.
3395 @end itemize
3396
3397 @node Matching headline tags, Timeline, Global TODO list, Agenda views
3398 @section Matching headline tags
3399 @cindex matching, of tags
3400 @cindex tags view
3401
3402 If headlines in the agenda files are marked with @emph{tags}
3403 (@pxref{Tags}), you can select headlines based on the tags that apply
3404 to them and collect them into an agenda buffer.
3405
3406 @table @kbd
3407 @kindex C-c a m
3408 @item C-c a m
3409 Produce a list of all headlines that match a given set of tags. The
3410 command prompts for a selection criterion, which is a boolean logic
3411 expression with tags, like @samp{+WORK+URGENT-WITHBOSS} or
3412 @samp{WORK|HOME} (@pxref{Tags}). If you often need a specific search,
3413 define a custom command for it (@pxref{Agenda dispatcher}).
3414 @kindex C-c a M
3415 @item C-c a M
3416 Like @kbd{C-c a m}, but only select headlines that are also TODO items
3417 and force checking subitems (see variable
3418 @code{org-tags-match-list-sublevels}). Matching specific todo keywords
3419 together with a tags match is also possible, see @ref{Tag searches}.
3420 @end table
3421
3422 The commands available in the tags list are described in @ref{Agenda
3423 commands}.
3424
3425 @node Timeline, Presentation and sorting, Matching headline tags, Agenda views
3426 @section Timeline for a single file
3427 @cindex timeline, single file
3428 @cindex time-sorted view
3429
3430 The timeline summarizes all time-stamped items from a single Org-mode
3431 file in a @emph{time-sorted view}. The main purpose of this command is
3432 to give an overview over events in a project.
3433
3434 @table @kbd
3435 @kindex C-a a L
3436 @item C-c a L
3437 Show a time-sorted view of the org file, with all time-stamped items.
3438 When called with a @kbd{C-u} prefix, all unfinished TODO entries
3439 (scheduled or not) are also listed under the current date.
3440 @end table
3441
3442 @noindent
3443 The commands available in the timeline buffer are listed in
3444 @ref{Agenda commands}.
3445
3446
3447 @node Presentation and sorting, Agenda commands, Timeline, Agenda views
3448 @section Presentation and sorting
3449 @cindex presentation, of agenda items
3450
3451 Before displaying items in an agenda view, Org-mode visually prepares
3452 the items and sorts them. Each item occupies a single line. The line
3453 starts with a @emph{prefix} that contains the @emph{category}
3454 (@pxref{Categories}) of the item and other important information. You can
3455 customize the prefix using the option @code{org-agenda-prefix-format}.
3456 The prefix is followed by a cleaned-up version of the outline headline
3457 associated with the item.
3458
3459 @menu
3460 * Categories:: Not all tasks are equal
3461 * Time-of-day specifications:: How the agenda knows the time
3462 * Sorting of agenda items:: The order of things
3463 @end menu
3464
3465 @node Categories, Time-of-day specifications, Presentation and sorting, Presentation and sorting
3466 @subsection Categories
3467
3468 @cindex category
3469 The category is a broad label assigned to each agenda item. By default,
3470 the category is simply derived from the file name, but you can also
3471 specify it with a special line in the buffer, like this:
3472
3473 @example
3474 #+CATEGORY: Thesis
3475 @end example
3476
3477 If there are several such lines in a file, each specifies the category
3478 for the text below it (but the first category also applies to any text
3479 before the first CATEGORY line). The display in the agenda buffer looks
3480 best if the category is not longer than 10 characters.
3481
3482 @node Time-of-day specifications, Sorting of agenda items, Categories, Presentation and sorting
3483 @subsection Time-of-Day Specifications
3484 @cindex time-of-day specification
3485
3486 Org-mode checks each agenda item for a time-of-day specification. The
3487 time can be part of the time stamp that triggered inclusion into the
3488 agenda, for example as in @w{@samp{<2005-05-10 Tue 19:00>}}. Time
3489 ranges can be specified with two time stamps, like
3490 @c
3491 @w{@samp{<2005-05-10 Tue 20:30>--<2005-05-10 Tue 22:15>}}.
3492
3493 In the headline of the entry itself, a time(range) may also appear as
3494 plain text (like @samp{12:45} or a @samp{8:30-1pm}. If the agenda
3495 integrates the Emacs diary (@pxref{Calendar/Diary integration}), time
3496 specifications in diary entries are recognized as well.
3497
3498 For agenda display, Org-mode extracts the time and displays it in a
3499 standard 24 hour format as part of the prefix. The example times in
3500 the previous paragraphs would end up in the agenda like this:
3501
3502 @example
3503 8:30-13:00 Arthur Dent lies in front of the bulldozer
3504 12:45...... Ford Prefect arrives and takes Arthur to the pub
3505 19:00...... The Vogon reads his poem
3506 20:30-22:15 Marwin escorts the Hitchhikers to the bridge
3507 @end example
3508
3509 @cindex time grid
3510 If the agenda is in single-day mode, or for the display of today, the
3511 timed entries are embedded in a time grid, like
3512
3513 @example
3514 8:00...... ------------------
3515 8:30-13:00 Arthur Dent lies in front of the bulldozer
3516 10:00...... ------------------
3517 12:00...... ------------------
3518 12:45...... Ford Prefect arrives and takes Arthur to the pub
3519 14:00...... ------------------
3520 16:00...... ------------------
3521 18:00...... ------------------
3522 19:00...... The Vogon reads his poem
3523 20:00...... ------------------
3524 20:30-22:15 Marwin escorts the Hitchhikers to the bridge
3525 @end example
3526
3527 The time grid can be turned on and off with the variable
3528 @code{org-agenda-use-time-grid}, and can be configured with
3529 @code{org-agenda-time-grid}.
3530
3531 @node Sorting of agenda items, , Time-of-day specifications, Presentation and sorting
3532 @subsection Sorting of agenda items
3533 @cindex sorting, of agenda items
3534 @cindex priorities, of agenda items
3535 Before being inserted into a view, the items are sorted. How this is
3536 done depends on the type of view.
3537 @itemize @bullet
3538 @item
3539 For the daily/weekly agenda, the items for each day are sorted. The
3540 default order is to first collect all items containing an explicit
3541 time-of-day specification. These entries will be shown at the beginning
3542 of the list, as a @emph{schedule} for the day. After that, items remain
3543 grouped in categories, in the sequence given by @code{org-agenda-files}.
3544 Within each category, items are sorted by priority (@pxref{Priorities}),
3545 which is composed of the base priority (2000 for priority @samp{A}, 1000
3546 for @samp{B}, and 0 for @samp{C}), plus additional increments for
3547 overdue scheduled or deadline items.
3548 @item
3549 For the TODO list, items remain in the order of categories, but within
3550 each category, sorting takes place according to priority
3551 (@pxref{Priorities}).
3552 @item
3553 For tags matches, items are not sorted at all, but just appear in the
3554 sequence in which they are found in the agenda files.
3555 @end itemize
3556
3557 Sorting can be customized using the variable
3558 @code{org-agenda-sorting-strategy}.
3559
3560
3561 @node Agenda commands, Custom agenda views, Presentation and sorting, Agenda views
3562 @section Commands in the agenda buffer
3563 @cindex commands, in agenda buffer
3564
3565 Entries in the agenda buffer are linked back to the org file or diary
3566 file where they originate. You are not allowed to edit the agenda
3567 buffer itself, but commands are provided to show and jump to the
3568 original entry location, and to edit the org-files ``remotely'' from
3569 the agenda buffer. In this way, all information is stored only once,
3570 removing the risk that your agenda and note files may diverge.
3571
3572 Some commands can be executed with mouse clicks on agenda lines. For
3573 the other commands, the cursor needs to be in the desired line.
3574
3575 @table @kbd
3576 @tsubheading{Motion}
3577 @cindex motion commands in agenda
3578 @kindex n
3579 @item n
3580 Next line (same as @key{up}).
3581 @kindex p
3582 @item p
3583 Previous line (same as @key{down}).
3584 @tsubheading{View/GoTo org file}
3585 @kindex mouse-3
3586 @kindex @key{SPC}
3587 @item mouse-3
3588 @itemx @key{SPC}
3589 Display the original location of the item in another window.
3590
3591 @kindex L
3592 @item L
3593 Display original location and recenter that window.
3594
3595 @kindex mouse-2
3596 @kindex mouse-1
3597 @kindex @key{TAB}
3598 @item mouse-2
3599 @itemx mouse-1
3600 @itemx @key{TAB}
3601 Go to the original location of the item in another window. Under Emacs
3602 22, @kbd{mouse-1} will also works for this.
3603
3604 @kindex @key{RET}
3605 @itemx @key{RET}
3606 Go to the original location of the item and delete other windows.
3607
3608 @kindex f
3609 @item f
3610 Toggle Follow mode. In Follow mode, as you move the cursor through
3611 the agenda buffer, the other window always shows the corresponding
3612 location in the org file. The initial setting for this mode in new
3613 agenda buffers can be set with the variable
3614 @code{org-agenda-start-with-follow-mode}.
3615
3616 @kindex l
3617 @item l
3618 Toggle Logbook mode. In Logbook mode, entries that where marked DONE while
3619 logging was on (variable @code{org-log-done}) are shown in the agenda,
3620 as are entries that have been clocked on that day.
3621
3622 @tsubheading{Change display}
3623 @cindex display changing, in agenda
3624 @kindex o
3625 @item o
3626 Delete other windows.
3627
3628 @kindex w
3629 @item w
3630 Switch to weekly view (7 days displayed together).
3631
3632 @kindex d
3633 @item d
3634 Switch to daily view (just one day displayed).
3635
3636 @kindex D
3637 @item D
3638 Toggle the inclusion of diary entries. See @ref{Calendar/Diary integration}.
3639
3640 @kindex g
3641 @item g
3642 Toggle the time grid on and off. See also the variables
3643 @code{org-agenda-use-time-grid} and @code{org-agenda-time-grid}.
3644
3645 @kindex r
3646 @item r
3647 Recreate the agenda buffer, for example to reflect the changes
3648 after modification of the time stamps of items with S-@key{left} and
3649 S-@key{right}. When the buffer is the global todo list, a prefix
3650 argument is interpreted to create a selective list for a specific TODO
3651 keyword.
3652
3653 @kindex s
3654 @item s
3655 Save all Org-mode buffers in the current Emacs session.
3656
3657 @kindex @key{right}
3658 @item @key{right}
3659 Display the following @code{org-agenda-ndays} days. For example, if
3660 the display covers a week, switch to the following week. With prefix
3661 arg, go forward that many times @code{org-agenda-ndays} days.
3662
3663 @kindex @key{left}
3664 @item @key{left}
3665 Display the previous dates.
3666
3667 @kindex .
3668 @item .
3669 Goto today.
3670
3671 @tsubheading{Remote editing}
3672 @cindex remote editing, from agenda
3673
3674 @item 0-9
3675 Digit argument.
3676
3677 @kindex t
3678 @item t
3679 Change the TODO state of the item, both in the agenda and in the
3680 original org file.
3681
3682 @kindex T
3683 @item T
3684 Show all tags associated with the current item. Because of
3685 inheritance, this may be more than the tags listed in the line itself.
3686
3687 @kindex :
3688 @item :
3689 Set tags for the current headline.
3690
3691 @kindex a
3692 @item a
3693 Toggle the ARCHIVE tag for the current headline.
3694
3695 @kindex ,
3696 @item ,
3697 Set the priority for the current item. Org-mode prompts for the
3698 priority character. If you reply with @key{SPC}, the priority cookie
3699 is removed from the entry.
3700
3701 @kindex P
3702 @item p
3703 Display weighted priority of current item.
3704
3705 @kindex +
3706 @kindex S-@key{up}
3707 @item +
3708 @itemx S-@key{up}
3709 Increase the priority of the current item. The priority is changed in
3710 the original buffer, but the agenda is not resorted. Use the @kbd{r}
3711 key for this.
3712
3713 @kindex -
3714 @kindex S-@key{down}
3715 @item -
3716 @itemx S-@key{down}
3717 Decrease the priority of the current item.
3718
3719 @kindex C-c C-s
3720 @item C-c C-s
3721 Schedule this item
3722
3723 @kindex C-c C-d
3724 @item C-c C-d
3725 Set a deadline for this item.
3726
3727 @kindex S-@key{right}
3728 @item S-@key{right}
3729 Change the time stamp associated with the current line by one day into
3730 the future. With prefix argument, change it by that many days. For
3731 example, @kbd{3 6 5 S-@key{right}} will change it by a year. The
3732 stamp is changed in the original org file, but the change is not
3733 directly reflected in the agenda buffer. Use the
3734 @kbd{r} key to update the buffer.
3735
3736 @kindex S-@key{left}
3737 @item S-@key{left}
3738 Change the time stamp associated with the current line by one day
3739 into the past.
3740
3741 @kindex >
3742 @item >
3743 Change the time stamp associated with the current line to today.
3744 The key @kbd{>} has been chosen, because it is the same as @kbd{S-.}
3745 on my keyboard.
3746
3747 @kindex I
3748 @item I
3749 Start the clock on the current item. If a clock is running already, it
3750 is stopped first.
3751 @kindex O
3752 @item O
3753 Stop the previously started clock.
3754 @kindex X
3755 @item X
3756 Cancel the currently running clock.
3757
3758 @tsubheading{Calendar commands}
3759 @cindex calendar commands, from agenda
3760 @kindex c
3761 @item c
3762 Open the Emacs calendar and move to the date at the agenda cursor.
3763
3764 @item c
3765 When in the calendar, compute and show the Org-mode agenda for the
3766 date at the cursor.
3767
3768 @cindex diary entries, creating from agenda
3769 @kindex i
3770 @item i
3771 Insert a new entry into the diary. Prompts for the type of entry
3772 (day, weekly, monthly, yearly, anniversary, cyclic) and creates a new
3773 entry in the diary, just as @kbd{i d} etc. would do in the calendar.
3774 The date is taken from the cursor position.
3775
3776 @kindex M
3777 @item M
3778 Show the phases of the moon for the three months around current date.
3779
3780 @kindex S
3781 @item S
3782 Show sunrise and sunset times. The geographical location must be set
3783 with calendar variables, see documentation of the Emacs calendar.
3784
3785 @kindex C
3786 @item C
3787 Convert the date at cursor into many other cultural and historic
3788 calendars.
3789
3790 @kindex H
3791 @item H
3792 Show holidays for three month around the cursor date.
3793
3794 @c FIXME: This should be a different key.
3795 @kindex C-c C-x C-c
3796 @item C-c C-x C-c
3797 Export a single iCalendar file containing entries from all agenda files.
3798
3799 @tsubheading{Quit and Exit}
3800 @kindex q
3801 @item q
3802 Quit agenda, remove the agenda buffer.
3803
3804 @kindex x
3805 @cindex agenda files, removing buffers
3806 @item x
3807 Exit agenda, remove the agenda buffer and all buffers loaded by Emacs
3808 for the compilation of the agenda. Buffers created by the user to
3809 visit org files will not be removed.
3810
3811 @end table
3812
3813
3814 @node Custom agenda views, , Agenda commands, Agenda views
3815 @section Custom agenda views
3816 @cindex custom agenda views
3817 @cindex agenda views, custom
3818
3819 Custom agenda commands serve two purposes: to store and quickly access
3820 frequently used TODO and tags searches, and to create special composite
3821 agenda buffers. Custom agenda commands will be accessible through the
3822 dispatcher (@pxref{Agenda dispatcher}), just like the default commands.
3823
3824 @menu
3825 * Storing searches:: Type once, use often
3826 * Block agenda:: All the stuff you need in a single buffer
3827 * Setting Options:: Changing the rules
3828 * Batch processing:: Agenda views from the command line
3829 @end menu
3830
3831 @node Storing searches, Block agenda, Custom agenda views, Custom agenda views
3832 @subsection Storing searches
3833
3834 The first application of custom searches is the definition of keyboard
3835 shortcuts for frequently used searches, either creating an agenda
3836 buffer, or a sparse tree (the latter covering of course only the current
3837 buffer).
3838 @kindex C-c a C
3839 Custom commands are configured in the variable
3840 @code{org-agenda-custom-commands}. You can customize this variable, for
3841 example by pressing @kbd{C-c a C}. You can also directly set it with
3842 Emacs Lisp in @file{.emacs}. The following example contains all valid
3843 search types:
3844
3845 @lisp
3846 @group
3847 (setq org-agenda-custom-commands
3848 '(("w" todo "WAITING")
3849 ("W" todo-tree "WAITING")
3850 ("u" tags "+BOSS-URGENT")
3851 ("v" tags-todo "+BOSS-URGENT")
3852 ("U" tags-tree "+BOSS-URGENT")
3853 ("f" occur-tree "\\<FIXME\\>")))
3854 @end group
3855 @end lisp
3856
3857 @noindent
3858 The initial single-character string in each entry defines the character
3859 you have to press after the dispatcher command @kbd{C-c a} in order to
3860 access the command. The second parameter is the search type, followed
3861 by the string or regular expression to be used for the matching. The
3862 example above will therefore define:
3863
3864 @table @kbd
3865 @item C-c a w
3866 as a global search for TODO entries with @samp{WAITING} as the TODO
3867 keyword
3868 @item C-c a W
3869 as the same search, but only in the current buffer and displaying the
3870 results as a sparse tree
3871 @item C-c a u
3872 as a global tags search for headlines marked @samp{:BOSS:} but not
3873 @samp{:URGENT:}
3874 @item C-c a v
3875 as the same search as @kbd{C-c a u}, but limiting the search to
3876 headlines that are also TODO items
3877 @item C-c a U
3878 as the same search as @kbd{C-c a u}, but only in the current buffer and
3879 displaying the result as a sparse tree
3880 @item C-c a f
3881 to create a sparse tree (again: current buffer only) with all entries
3882 containing the word @samp{FIXME}.
3883 @end table
3884
3885 @node Block agenda, Setting Options, Storing searches, Custom agenda views
3886 @subsection Block agenda
3887 @cindex block agenda
3888 @cindex agenda, with block views
3889
3890 Another possibility is the construction of agenda views that comprise
3891 the results of @emph{several} commands, each of which creates a block in
3892 the agenda buffer. The available commands include @code{agenda} for the
3893 daily or weekly agenda (as created with @kbd{C-c a a}), @code{alltodo}
3894 for the global todo list (as constructed with @kbd{C-c a t}), and the
3895 matching commands discussed above: @code{todo}, @code{tags}, and
3896 @code{tags-todo}. Here are two examples:
3897
3898 @lisp
3899 @group
3900 (setq org-agenda-custom-commands
3901 '(("h" "Agenda and Home-related tasks"
3902 ((agenda)
3903 (tags-todo "HOME")
3904 (tags "GARDEN")))
3905 ("o" "Agenda and Office-related tasks"
3906 ((agenda)
3907 (tags-todo "WORK")
3908 (tags "OFFICE")))))
3909 @end group
3910 @end lisp
3911
3912 @noindent
3913 This will define @kbd{C-c a h} to create a multi-block view for stuff
3914 you need to attend to at home. The resulting agenda buffer will contain
3915 your agenda for the current week, all TODO items that carry the tag
3916 @samp{HOME}, and also all lines tagged with @samp{GARDEN}. Finally the
3917 command @kbd{C-c a o} provides a similar view for office tasks.
3918
3919
3920 @node Setting Options, Batch processing, Block agenda, Custom agenda views
3921 @subsection Setting Options for custom commands
3922 @cindex options, for custom agenda views
3923
3924 Org-mode contains a number of variables regulating agenda construction
3925 and display. The global variables define the behavior for all agenda
3926 commands, including the custom commands. However, if you want to change
3927 some settings just for a single custom view, you can do so. Setting
3928 options requires inserting a list of variable names and values at the
3929 right spot in @code{org-agenda-custom-commands}. For example:
3930
3931 @lisp
3932 @group
3933 (setq org-agenda-custom-commands
3934 '(("w" todo "WAITING"
3935 ((org-agenda-sorting-strategy '(priority-down))
3936 (org-agenda-prefix-format " Mixed: ")))
3937 ("U" tags-tree "+BOSS-URGENT"
3938 ((org-show-following-heading nil)
3939 (org-show-hierarchy-above nil)))))
3940 @end group
3941 @end lisp
3942
3943 @noindent
3944 Now the @kbd{C-c a w} command will sort the collected entries only by
3945 priority, and the prefix format is modified to just say @samp{ Mixed:}
3946 instead of giving the category of the entry. The sparse tags tree of
3947 @kbd{C-c a U} will now turn out ultra-compact, because neither the
3948 headline hierarchy above the match, nor the headline following the match
3949 will be shown.
3950
3951 For command sets creating a block agenda,
3952 @code{org-agenda-custom-commands} has two separate spots for setting
3953 options. You can add options that should be valid for just a single
3954 command in the set, and options that should be valid for all commands in
3955 the set. The former are just added to the command entry, the latter
3956 must come after the list of command entries. Going back to the block
3957 agenda example (@pxref{Block agenda}), let's change the sorting strategy
3958 for the @kbd{C-c a h} commands to @code{priority-down}, but let's sort
3959 the results for GARDEN tags query in the opposite order,
3960 @code{priority-up}. This would look like this:
3961
3962 @lisp
3963 @group
3964 (setq org-agenda-custom-commands
3965 '(("h" "Agenda and Home-related tasks"
3966 ((agenda)
3967 (tags-todo "HOME")
3968 (tags "GARDEN" ((org-agenda-sorting-strategy '(priority-up)))))
3969 ((org-agenda-sorting-strategy '(priority-down))))
3970 ("o" "Agenda and Office-related tasks"
3971 ((agenda)
3972 (tags-todo "WORK")
3973 (tags "OFFICE")))))
3974 @end group
3975 @end lisp
3976
3977 As you see, the values and parenthesis setting is a little complex.
3978 When in doubt, use the customize interface to set this variable - it
3979 fully supports its structure. Just one caveat: When setting options in
3980 this interface, the @emph{values} are just lisp expressions. So if the
3981 value is a string, you need to add the double quotes around the value
3982 yourself.
3983
3984 @node Batch processing, , Setting Options, Custom agenda views
3985 @subsection Creating agenda views in batch processing
3986 @cindex agenda, batch production
3987
3988 If you want to print or otherwise reprocess agenda views, it can be
3989 useful to create an agenda from the command line. This is the purpose
3990 of the function @code{org-batch-agenda}. It takes as a parameter one of
3991 the strings that are the keys in @code{org-agenda-custom-commands}. For
3992 example, to directly print the current TODO list, you could use
3993
3994 @example
3995 emacs -batch -l ~/.emacs -eval '(org-batch-agenda "t")' | lpr
3996 @end example
3997
3998 @noindent
3999 You may also modify parameters on the fly like this:
4000
4001 @example
4002 emacs -batch -l ~/.emacs \
4003 -eval '(org-batch-agenda "a" \
4004 org-agenda-ndays 300 \
4005 org-agenda-include-diary nil \
4006 org-agenda-files (quote ("~/org/project.org")))' \
4007 | lpr
4008 @end example
4009
4010 @noindent
4011 which will produce a 300 day agenda, fully restricted to the Org file
4012 @file{~/org/projects.org}, not even including the diary.
4013
4014 @node Embedded LaTeX, Exporting, Agenda views, Top
4015 @chapter Embedded LaTeX
4016 @cindex @TeX{} interpretation
4017 @cindex La@TeX{} interpretation
4018
4019 Plain ASCII is normally sufficient for almost all note taking. One
4020 exception, however, are scientific notes which need to be able to
4021 contain mathematical symbols and the occasional formula.
4022 La@TeX{}@footnote{La@TeX{} is a macro system based on Donald E. Knuth's
4023 @TeX{} system. Many of the features described here as ``La@TeX{}'' are
4024 really from @TeX{}, but for simplicity I am blurring this distinction.}
4025 is widely used to typeset scientific documents. Org-mode supports
4026 embedding La@TeX{} code into its files, because many academics are used
4027 to read La@TeX{} source code, and because it can be readily processed
4028 into images for HTML production.
4029
4030 It is not necessary to mark La@TeX{} macros and code in any special way.
4031 If you observe a few conventions, Org-mode knows how to find it and what
4032 to do with it.
4033
4034 @menu
4035 * Math symbols:: TeX macros for symbols and Greek letters
4036 * Subscripts and Superscripts:: Simple syntax for raising/lowering text
4037 * LaTeX fragments:: Complex formulas made easy
4038 * Processing LaTeX fragments:: Previewing LaTeX processing
4039 * CDLaTeX mode:: Speed up entering of formulas
4040 @end menu
4041
4042 @node Math symbols, Subscripts and Superscripts, Embedded LaTeX, Embedded LaTeX
4043 @section Math symbols
4044 @cindex math symbols
4045 @cindex TeX macros
4046
4047 You can use La@TeX{} macros to insert special symbols like @samp{\alpha}
4048 to indicate the Greek letter, or @samp{\to} to indicate an arrow.
4049 Completion for these macros is available, just type @samp{\} and maybe a
4050 few letters, and press @kbd{M-@key{TAB}} to see possible completions.
4051 Unlike La@TeX{} code, Org-mode allows these macros to be present
4052 without surrounding math delimiters, for example:
4053
4054 @example
4055 Angles are written as Greek letters \alpha, \beta and \gamma.
4056 @end example
4057
4058 During HTML export (@pxref{HTML export}), these symbols are translated
4059 into the proper syntax for HTML, for the above examples this is
4060 @samp{&alpha;} and @samp{&rarr;}, respectively.
4061
4062 @node Subscripts and Superscripts, LaTeX fragments, Math symbols, Embedded LaTeX
4063 @section Subscripts and Superscripts
4064 @cindex subscript
4065 @cindex superscript
4066
4067 Just like in La@TeX{}, @samp{^} and @samp{_} are used to indicate super-
4068 and subscripts. Again, these can be used without embedding them in
4069 math-mode delimiters. To increase the readability of ASCII text, it is
4070 not necessary (but OK) to surround multi-character sub- and superscripts
4071 with curly braces. For example
4072
4073 @example
4074 The mass if the sun is M_sun = 1.989 x 10^30 kg. The radius of
4075 the sun is R_@{sun@} = 6.96 x 10^8 m.
4076 @end example
4077
4078 To avoid interpretation as raised or lowered text, you can quote
4079 @samp{^} and @samp{_} with a backslash: @samp{\_} and @samp{\^}.
4080
4081 During HTML export (@pxref{HTML export}), subscript and superscripts
4082 are surrounded with @code{<sub>} and @code{<sup>} tags, respectively.
4083
4084 @node LaTeX fragments, Processing LaTeX fragments, Subscripts and Superscripts, Embedded LaTeX
4085 @section LaTeX fragments
4086 @cindex LaTeX fragments
4087
4088 With symbols, sub- and superscripts, HTML is pretty much at its end when
4089 it comes to representing mathematical formulas@footnote{Yes, there is
4090 MathML, but that is not yet fully supported by many browsers, and there
4091 is no decent converter for turning LaTeX of ASCII representations of
4092 formulas into MathML. So for the time being, converting formulas into
4093 images seems the way to go.}. More complex
4094 expressions need a dedicated formula processor. To this end, Org-mode
4095 can contain arbitrary La@TeX{} fragments. It provides commands to
4096 preview the typeset result of these fragments, and upon export to HTML,
4097 all fragments will be converted to images and inlined into the HTML
4098 document. For this to work you need to be on a system with a working
4099 La@TeX{} installation. You also need the @file{dvipng} program,
4100 available at @url{http://sourceforge.net/projects/dvipng/}.
4101
4102 La@TeX{} fragments don't need any special marking at all. The following
4103 snippets will be identified as LaTeX source code:
4104 @itemize @bullet
4105 @item
4106 Environments of any kind. The only requirement is that the
4107 @code{\begin} statement appears on a new line, preceded by only
4108 whitespace.
4109 @item
4110 Text within the usual La@TeX{} math delimiters. To avoid conflicts with
4111 currency specifications, single @samp{$} characters are only recognized
4112 as math delimiters if the enclosed text contains at most two line breaks,
4113 is directly attached to the @samp{$} characters with no whitespace in
4114 between, and if the closing @samp{$} is followed by whitespace or
4115 punctuation. For the other delimiters, there is no such restriction, so
4116 when in doubt, use @samp{\(...\)} as inline math delimiters.
4117 @end itemize
4118
4119 @noindent For example:
4120
4121 @example
4122 \begin@{equation@} % arbitrary environments,
4123 x=\sqrt@{b@} % even tables, figures
4124 \end@{equation@} % etc
4125
4126 If $a^2=b$ and \( b=2 \), then the solution must be
4127 either $$ a=+\sqrt@{2@} $$ or \[ a=-\sqrt@{2@} \].
4128 @end example
4129
4130 @noindent
4131 If you need any of the delimiter ASCII sequences for other purposes, you
4132 can configure the option @code{org-format-latex-options} to deselect the
4133 ones you do not wish to have interpreted by the La@TeX{} converter.
4134
4135 @node Processing LaTeX fragments, CDLaTeX mode, LaTeX fragments, Embedded LaTeX
4136 @section Processing LaTeX fragments
4137 @cindex LaTeX fragments, preview
4138
4139 La@TeX{} fragments can be processed to produce a preview images of the
4140 typeset expressions:
4141
4142 @table @kbd
4143 @kindex C-c C-x C-l
4144 @item C-c C-x C-l
4145 Produce a preview image of the La@TeX{} fragment at point and overlay it
4146 over the source code. If there is no fragment at point, process all
4147 fragments in the current entry (between two headlines). When called
4148 with a prefix argument, process the entire subtree. When called with
4149 two prefix arguments, or when the cursor is before the first headline,
4150 process the entire buffer.
4151 @kindex C-c C-c
4152 @item C-c C-c
4153 Remove the overlay preview images.
4154 @end table
4155
4156 During HTML export (@pxref{HTML export}), all La@TeX{} fragments are
4157 converted into images and inlined into the document if the following
4158 setting is active:
4159
4160 @lisp
4161 (setq org-export-with-LaTeX-fragments t)
4162 @end lisp
4163
4164 @node CDLaTeX mode, , Processing LaTeX fragments, Embedded LaTeX
4165 @section Using CDLaTeX to enter math
4166 @cindex CDLaTeX
4167
4168 CDLaTeX-mode is a minor mode that is normally used in combination with a
4169 major LaTeX mode like AUCTeX in order to speed-up insertion of
4170 environments and math templates. Inside Org-mode, you can make use of
4171 some of the features of cdlatex-mode. You need to install
4172 @file{cdlatex.el} and @file{texmathp.el} (the latter comes also with
4173 AUCTeX) from @url{http://www.astro.uva.nl/~dominik/Tools/cdlatex}.
4174 Don't turn cdlatex-mode itself under Org-mode, but use the light
4175 version @code{org-cdlatex-mode} that comes as part of Org-mode. Turn it
4176 on for the current buffer with @code{M-x org-cdlatex-mode}, or for all
4177 Org-mode files with
4178
4179 @lisp
4180 (add-hook 'org-mode-hook 'turn-on-org-cdlatex)
4181 @end lisp
4182
4183 When this mode is enabled, the following features are present (for more
4184 details see the documentation of cdlatex-mode):
4185 @itemize @bullet
4186 @kindex C-c @{
4187 @item
4188 Environment templates can be inserted with @kbd{C-c @{}.
4189 @item
4190 @kindex @key{TAB}
4191 The @key{TAB} key will do template expansion if the cursor is inside a
4192 LaTeX fragment@footnote{Org-mode has a method to test if the cursor is
4193 inside such a fragment, see the documentation of the function
4194 @code{org-inside-LaTeX-fragment-p}.}. For example, @key{TAB} will
4195 expand @code{fr} to @code{\frac@{@}@{@}} and position the cursor
4196 correctly inside the first brace. Another @key{TAB} will get you into
4197 the second brace. Even outside fragments, @key{TAB} will expand
4198 environment abbreviations at the beginning of a line. For example, if
4199 you write @samp{equ} at the beginning of a line and press @key{TAB},
4200 this abbreviation will be expanded to an @code{equation} environment.
4201 To get a list of all abbreviations, type @kbd{M-x cdlatex-command-help}.
4202 @item
4203 @kindex _
4204 @kindex ^
4205 Pressing @kbd{_} and @kbd{^} inside a LaTeX fragment will insert these
4206 characters together with a pair of braces. If you use @key{TAB} to move
4207 out of the braces, and if the braces surround only a single character or
4208 macro, they are removed again (depending on the variable
4209 @code{cdlatex-simplify-sub-super-scripts}).
4210 @item
4211 @kindex `
4212 Pressing the backquote @kbd{`} followed by a character inserts math
4213 macros, also outside LaTeX fragments. If you wait more than 1.5 seconds
4214 after the backquote, a help window will pop up.
4215 @item
4216 @kindex '
4217 Pressing the normal quote @kbd{'} followed by another character modifies
4218 the symbol before point with an accent or a font. If you wait more than
4219 1.5 seconds after the backquote, a help window will pop up. Character
4220 modification will work only inside La@TeX{} fragments, outside the quote
4221 is normal.
4222 @end itemize
4223
4224 @node Exporting, Publishing, Embedded LaTeX, Top
4225 @chapter Exporting
4226 @cindex exporting
4227
4228 Org-mode documents can be exported into a variety of other formats. For
4229 printing and sharing of notes, ASCII export produces a readable and
4230 simple version of an Org-mode file. HTML export allows you to publish a
4231 notes file on the web, while the XOXO format provides a solid base for
4232 exchange with a broad range of other applications. To incorporate
4233 entries with associated times like deadlines or appointments into a
4234 desktop calendar program like iCal, Org-mode can also produce extracts
4235 in the iCalendar format. Currently Org-mode only supports export, not
4236 import of these different formats.
4237
4238 When exporting, Org-mode uses special conventions to enrich the output
4239 produced. @xref{Text interpretation}, for more details.
4240
4241 @table @kbd
4242 @kindex C-c C-e
4243 @item C-c C-e
4244 Dispatcher for export and publishing commands. Displays a help-window
4245 listing the additional key(s) needed to launch an export or publishing
4246 command.
4247 @end table
4248
4249 @menu
4250 * ASCII export:: Exporting to plain ASCII
4251 * HTML export:: Exporting to HTML
4252 * XOXO export:: Exporting to XOXO
4253 * iCalendar export:: Exporting in iCalendar format
4254 * Text interpretation:: How the exporter looks at the file
4255 @end menu
4256
4257 @node ASCII export, HTML export, Exporting, Exporting
4258 @section ASCII export
4259 @cindex ASCII export
4260
4261 ASCII export produces a simple and very readable version of an Org-mode
4262 file.
4263
4264 @cindex region, active
4265 @cindex active region
4266 @cindex transient-mark-mode
4267 @table @kbd
4268 @kindex C-c C-e a
4269 @item C-c C-e a
4270 Export as ASCII file. If there is an active region, only the region
4271 will be exported. For an org file @file{myfile.org}, the ASCII file
4272 will be @file{myfile.txt}. The file will be overwritten without
4273 warning.
4274 @kindex C-c C-e v a
4275 @item C-c C-e v a
4276 Export only the visible part of the document.
4277 @end table
4278
4279 @cindex headline levels, for exporting
4280 In the exported version, the first 3 outline levels will become
4281 headlines, defining a general document structure. Additional levels
4282 will be exported as itemized lists. If you want that transition to occur
4283 at a different level, specify it with a prefix argument. For example,
4284
4285 @example
4286 @kbd{C-1 C-c C-e a}
4287 @end example
4288
4289 @noindent
4290 creates only top level headlines and does the rest as items. When
4291 headlines are converted to items, the indentation of the text following
4292 the headline is changed to fit nicely under the item. This is done with
4293 the assumption that the first bodyline indicates the base indentation of
4294 the body text. Any indentation larger than this is adjusted to preserve
4295 the layout relative to the first line. Should there be lines with less
4296 indentation than the first, these are left alone.
4297
4298 @node HTML export, XOXO export, ASCII export, Exporting
4299 @section HTML export
4300 @cindex HTML export
4301
4302 Org-mode contains an HTML (XHTML 1.0 strict) exporter with extensive
4303 HTML formatting, in ways similar to John Grubers @emph{markdown}
4304 language, but with additional support for tables.
4305
4306 @cindex region, active
4307 @cindex active region
4308 @cindex transient-mark-mode
4309 @table @kbd
4310 @kindex C-c C-e h
4311 @item C-c C-e h
4312 Export as HTML file @file{myfile.html}.
4313 @kindex C-c C-e b
4314 @item C-c C-e b
4315 Export as HTML file and open it with a browser.
4316 @kindex C-c C-e v h
4317 @kindex C-c C-e v b
4318 @item C-c C-e v h
4319 @item C-c C-e v b
4320 Export only the visible part of the document.
4321 @end table
4322
4323 @cindex headline levels, for exporting
4324 In the exported version, the first 3 outline levels will become
4325 headlines, defining a general document structure. Additional levels
4326 will be exported as itemized lists. If you want that transition to occur
4327 at a different level, specify it with a prefix argument. For example,
4328
4329 @example
4330 @kbd{C-2 C-c C-e b}
4331 @end example
4332
4333 @noindent
4334 creates two levels of headings and does the rest as items.
4335
4336 If you want to include HTML tags which should be interpreted as such,
4337 mark them with @samp{@@} as in @samp{@@<b>bold text@@</b>}.
4338 Plain @samp{<} and @samp{>} are always transformed to @samp{&lt;} and
4339 @samp{&gt;} in HTML export.
4340
4341 @cindex links, in HTML export
4342 @cindex internal links, in HTML export
4343 @cindex external links, in HTML export
4344 Internal links (@pxref{Internal links}) will continue to work in HTML
4345 files only if they match a dedicated @samp{<<target>>}. Automatic links
4346 created by radio targets (@pxref{Radio targets}) will also work in the
4347 HTML file. Links to external files will still work if the HTML file is
4348 in the same directory as the Org-mode file. Links to other @file{.org}
4349 files will be translated into HTML links under the assumption that an
4350 HTML version also exists of the linked file. For information related to
4351 linking files while publishing them to a publishing directory see
4352 @ref{Publishing links}.
4353
4354 You can also give style information for the exported file. The HTML
4355 exporter assigns the following CSS classes to appropriate parts of the
4356 document - your style specifications may change these:
4357 @example
4358 .todo @r{TODO keywords}
4359 .done @r{the DONE keyword}
4360 .timestamp @r{time stamp}
4361 .timestamp-kwd @r{keyword associated with a time stamp, like SCHEDULED}
4362 .tag @r{tag in a headline}
4363 .target @r{target for links}
4364 @end example
4365
4366 The default style specification can be configured through the option
4367 @code{org-export-html-style}. If you want to use a file-local style,
4368 you may use file variables, best wrapped into a COMMENT section at the
4369 end of the outline tree. For example:
4370
4371 @example
4372 * COMMENT HTML style specifications
4373
4374 # Local Variables:
4375 # org-export-html-style: " <style type=\"text/css\">
4376 # p @{font-weight: normal; color: gray; @}
4377 # h1 @{color: black; @}
4378 # </style>"
4379 # End:
4380 @end example
4381
4382 Remember to execute @kbd{M-x normal-mode} after changing this to make
4383 the new style visible to Emacs. This command restarts org-mode for the
4384 current buffer and forces Emacs to re-evaluate the local variables
4385 section in the buffer.
4386
4387 @c FIXME: More about header and footer styles
4388 @c FIXME: Talk about links and targets.
4389
4390 @node XOXO export, iCalendar export, HTML export, Exporting
4391 @section XOXO export
4392 @cindex XOXO export
4393
4394 Org-mode contains an exporter that produces XOXO-style output.
4395 Currently, this exporter only handles the general outline structure and
4396 does not interpret any additional Org-mode features.
4397
4398 @table @kbd
4399 @kindex C-c C-e x
4400 @item C-c C-e x
4401 Export as XOXO file @file{myfile.html}.
4402 @kindex C-c C-e v
4403 @item C-c C-e v x
4404 Export only the visible part of the document.
4405 @end table
4406
4407 @node iCalendar export, Text interpretation, XOXO export, Exporting
4408 @section iCalendar export
4409 @cindex iCalendar export
4410
4411 Some people like to use Org-mode for keeping track of projects, but
4412 still prefer a standard calendar application for anniversaries and
4413 appointments. In this case it can be useful to have deadlines and
4414 other time-stamped items in Org-mode files show up in the calendar
4415 application. Org-mode can export calendar information in the standard
4416 iCalendar format.
4417
4418 @table @kbd
4419 @kindex C-c C-e i
4420 @item C-c C-e i
4421 Create iCalendar entries for the current file and store them in the same
4422 directory, using a file extension @file{.ics}.
4423 @kindex C-c C-e I
4424 @item C-c C-e I
4425 Like @kbd{C-c C-e i}, but do this for all files in
4426 @code{org-agenda-files}. For each of these files, a separate iCalendar
4427 file will be written.
4428 @kindex C-c C-e c
4429 @item C-c C-e c
4430 Create a single large iCalendar file from all files in
4431 @code{org-agenda-files} and write it to the file given by
4432 @code{org-combined-agenda-icalendar-file}.
4433 @end table
4434
4435 How this calendar is best read and updated, depends on the application
4436 you are using. For example, when using iCal under Apple MacOS X, you
4437 could create a new calendar @samp{OrgMode} (the default name for the
4438 calendar created by @kbd{C-c C-e c}, see the variables
4439 @code{org-icalendar-combined-name} and
4440 @code{org-combined-agenda-icalendar-file}). Then set Org-mode to
4441 overwrite the corresponding file
4442 @file{~/Library/Calendars/OrgMode.ics}. You may even use AppleScript
4443 to make iCal re-read the calendar files each time a new version of
4444 @file{OrgMode.ics} is produced. Here is the setup needed for this:
4445
4446 @cindex applescript, for calendar update
4447 @lisp
4448 (setq org-combined-agenda-icalendar-file
4449 "~/Library/Calendars/OrgMode.ics")
4450 (add-hook 'org-after-save-iCalendar-file-hook
4451 (lambda ()
4452 (shell-command
4453 "osascript -e 'tell application \"iCal\" to reload calendars'")))
4454 @end lisp
4455
4456 @node Text interpretation, , iCalendar export, Exporting
4457 @section Text interpretation by the exporter
4458
4459 The exporter backends interpret additional structure in the Org-mode file
4460 in order to produce better output.
4461
4462 @menu
4463 * Comment lines:: Some lines will not be exported
4464 * Enhancing text:: Subscripts, symbols and more
4465 * Export options:: How to influence the export settings
4466 @end menu
4467
4468 @node Comment lines, Enhancing text, Text interpretation, Text interpretation
4469 @subsection Comment lines
4470 @cindex comment lines
4471 @cindex exporting, not
4472
4473 Lines starting with @samp{#} in column zero are treated as comments
4474 and will never be exported. Also entire subtrees starting with the
4475 word @samp{COMMENT} will never be exported. Finally, any text before
4476 the first headline will not be exported either.
4477
4478 @table @kbd
4479 @kindex C-c ;
4480 @item C-c ;
4481 Toggle the COMMENT keyword at the beginning of an entry.
4482 @end table
4483
4484 @node Enhancing text, Export options, Comment lines, Text interpretation
4485 @subsection Enhancing text for export
4486 @cindex enhancing text
4487 @cindex richer text
4488
4489 Some of the export backends of Org-mode allow for sophisticated text
4490 formatting, this is true in particular for the HTML backend. Org-mode
4491 has a number of typing conventions that allow to produce a richly
4492 formatted output.
4493
4494 @itemize @bullet
4495
4496 @cindex hand-formatted lists
4497 @cindex lists, hand-formatted
4498 @item
4499 Plain lists @samp{-}, @samp{*} or @samp{+} as bullet, or with @samp{1.}
4500 or @samp{2)} as enumerator will be recognized and transformed if the
4501 backend supports lists. See @xref{Plain lists}.
4502
4503 @cindex underlined text
4504 @cindex bold text
4505 @cindex italic text
4506 @item
4507 You can make words @b{*bold*}, @i{/italic/}, _underlined_,
4508 @code{=code=}, and @samp{+strikethrough+}.
4509
4510 @cindex LaTeX fragments, export
4511 @cindex TeX macros, export
4512 @item
4513 Many @TeX{} macros and entire La@TeX{} fragments are converted into HTML
4514 entities or images (@pxref{Embedded LaTeX}).
4515
4516 @cindex tables, export
4517 @item
4518 Tables are transformed into native tables under the exporter, if the
4519 export backend supports this. Data fields before the first horizontal
4520 separator line will be formatted as table header fields.
4521
4522 @cindex fixed width
4523 @item
4524 If a headline starts with the word @samp{QUOTE}, the text below the
4525 headline will be typeset as fixed-width, to allow quoting of computer
4526 codes etc. Lines starting with @samp{:} are also typeset in
4527 fixed-width font.
4528 @table @kbd
4529 @kindex C-c :
4530 @item C-c :
4531 Toggle fixed-width for entry (QUOTE) or region, see below.
4532 @end table
4533
4534 @cindex linebreak, forced
4535 @item
4536 A double backslash @emph{at the end of a line} enforces a line break at
4537 this position.
4538 @end itemize
4539
4540 If these conversions conflict with your habits of typing ASCII text,
4541 they can all be turned off with corresponding variables (see the
4542 customization group @code{org-export-general}, and the following section
4543 which explains how to set export options with special lines in a
4544 buffer.
4545
4546
4547 @node Export options, , Enhancing text, Text interpretation
4548 @subsection Export options
4549 @cindex options, for export
4550
4551 @cindex completion, of option keywords
4552 The exporter recognizes special lines in the buffer which provide
4553 additional information. These lines may be put anywhere in the file.
4554 The whole set of lines can be inserted into the buffer with @kbd{C-c
4555 C-e t}. For individual lines, a good way to make sure the keyword is
4556 correct is to type @samp{#+} and then use @kbd{M-@key{TAB}} completion
4557 (@pxref{Completion}).
4558
4559 @table @kbd
4560 @kindex C-c C-e t
4561 @item C-c C-e t
4562 Insert template with export options, see example below.
4563 @end table
4564
4565 @example
4566 #+TITLE: the title to be shown (default is the buffer name)
4567 #+AUTHOR: the author (default taken from @code{user-full-name})
4568 #+EMAIL: his/her email address (default from @code{user-mail-address})
4569 #+LANGUAGE: language for HTML, e.g. @samp{en} (@code{org-export-default-language})
4570 #+TEXT: Some descriptive text to be inserted at the beginning.
4571 #+TEXT: Several lines may be given.
4572 #+OPTIONS: H:2 num:t toc:t \n:nil @@:t ::t |:t ^:t *:nil TeX:t LaTeX:t
4573 @end example
4574
4575 @noindent
4576 The OPTIONS line is a compact form to specify export settings. Here
4577 you can:
4578 @cindex headline levels
4579 @cindex section-numbers
4580 @cindex table of contents
4581 @cindex linebreak preservation
4582 @cindex quoted HTML tags
4583 @cindex fixed-width sections
4584 @cindex tables
4585 @cindex @TeX{}-like syntax for sub- and superscripts
4586 @cindex emphasized text
4587 @cindex @TeX{} macros
4588 @cindex La@TeX{} fragments
4589 @example
4590 H: @r{set the number of headline levels for export}
4591 num: @r{turn on/off section-numbers}
4592 toc: @r{turn on/off table of contents}
4593 \n: @r{turn on/off linebreak-preservation}
4594 @@: @r{turn on/off quoted HTML tags}
4595 :: @r{turn on/off fixed-width sections}
4596 |: @r{turn on/off tables}
4597 ^: @r{turn on/off @TeX{}-like syntax for sub- and superscripts.}
4598 *: @r{turn on/off emphasized text (bold, italic, underlined)}
4599 TeX: @r{turn on/off simple @TeX{} macros in plain text}
4600 LaTeX: @r{turn on/off La@TeX{} fragments}
4601 @end example
4602
4603 @node Publishing, Miscellaneous, Exporting, Top
4604 @chapter Publishing
4605 @cindex publishing
4606
4607 Org-mode includes@footnote{@file{org-publish.el} is not yet part of
4608 Emacs, so if you are using @file{org.el} as it comes with Emacs, you
4609 need to download this file separately. Also make sure org.el is at
4610 least version 4.27.} a publishing management system
4611 that allows you to configure automatic HTML conversion of
4612 @emph{projects} composed of interlinked org files. This system is
4613 called @emph{org-publish}. You can also configure org-publish to
4614 automatically upload your exported HTML pages and related attachments,
4615 such as images and source code files, to a web server. Org-publish turns
4616 org-mode into a web-site authoring tool.
4617
4618 Org-publish has been contributed to Org-mode by David O'Toole.
4619
4620 @menu
4621 * Configuration:: Defining projects
4622 * Sample configuration:: Example projects
4623 * Triggering publication:: Publication commands
4624 @end menu
4625
4626 @node Configuration, Sample configuration, Publishing, Publishing
4627 @section Configuration
4628
4629 Publishing needs significant configuration to specify files, destination
4630 and many other properties of a project.
4631
4632 @menu
4633 * Project alist:: The central configuration variable
4634 * Sources and destinations:: From here to there
4635 * Selecting files:: What files are part of the project?
4636 * Publishing action:: Setting the function doing the publishing
4637 * Publishing options:: Tweaking HTML export
4638 * Publishing links:: Which links keep working after publishing?
4639 * Project page index:: Publishing a list of project files
4640 @end menu
4641
4642 @node Project alist, Sources and destinations, Configuration, Configuration
4643 @subsection The variable @code{org-publish-project-alist}
4644 @cindex org-publish-project-alist
4645 @cindex projects, for publishing
4646
4647 Org-publish is configured almost entirely through setting the value of
4648 one variable, called @code{org-publish-project-alist}.
4649 Each element of the list configures one project, and may be in one of
4650 the two following forms:
4651
4652 @lisp
4653 ("project-name" :property value :property value ...)
4654
4655 @r{or}
4656
4657 ("project-name" :components ("project-name" "project-name" ...))
4658
4659 @end lisp
4660
4661 In both cases, projects are configured by specifying property values.
4662 A project defines the set of files that will be published, as well as
4663 the publishing configuration to use when publishing those files. When
4664 a project takes the second form listed above, the individual members
4665 of the ``components'' property are taken to be components of the
4666 project, which group together files requiring different publishing
4667 options. When you publish such a ``meta-project'' all the components
4668 will also publish.
4669
4670 @node Sources and destinations, Selecting files, Project alist, Configuration
4671 @subsection Sources and destinations for files
4672 @cindex directories, for publishing
4673
4674 Most properties are optional, but some should always be set. In
4675 particular, org-publish needs to know where to look for source files,
4676 and where to put published files.
4677
4678 @multitable @columnfractions 0.3 0.7
4679 @item @code{:base-directory}
4680 @tab Directory containing publishing source files
4681 @item @code{:publishing-directory}
4682 @tab Directory (possibly remote) where output files will be published.
4683 @item @code{:preparation-function}
4684 @tab Function called before starting publishing process, for example to
4685 run @code{make} for updating files to be published.
4686 @end multitable
4687 @noindent
4688
4689 @node Selecting files, Publishing action, Sources and destinations, Configuration
4690 @subsection Selecting files
4691 @cindex files, selecting for publishing
4692
4693 By default, all files with extension @file{.org} in the base directory
4694 are considered part of the project. This can be modified by setting the
4695 properties
4696 @multitable @columnfractions 0.25 0.75
4697 @item @code{:base-extension}
4698 @tab Extension (without the dot!) of source files. This actually is a
4699 regular expression.
4700
4701 @item @code{:exclude}
4702 @tab Regular expression to match file names that should not be
4703 published, even though they have been selected on the basis of their
4704 extension.
4705
4706 @item @code{:include}
4707 @tab List of files to be included regardless of @code{:base-extension}
4708 and @code{:exclude}.
4709 @end multitable
4710
4711 @node Publishing action, Publishing options, Selecting files, Configuration
4712 @subsection Publishing Action
4713 @cindex action, for publishing
4714
4715 Publishing means that a file is copied to the destination directory and
4716 possibly transformed in the process. The default transformation is to
4717 export Org-mode files as HTML files, and this is done by the function
4718 @code{org-publish-org-to-html} which calls the HTML exporter
4719 (@pxref{HTML export}). Other files like images only need to be copied
4720 to the publishing destination. For non-Org-mode files, you need to
4721 specify the publishing function.
4722
4723 @multitable @columnfractions 0.3 0.7
4724 @item @code{:publishing-function}
4725 @tab Function executing the publication of a file. This may also be a
4726 list of functions, which will all be called in turn.
4727 @end multitable
4728
4729 The function must accept two arguments: a property list containing at
4730 least a @code{:publishing-directory} property, and the name of the file
4731 to be published. It should take the specified file, make the necessary
4732 transformation (if any) and place the result into the destination folder.
4733 You can write your own publishing function, but @code{org-publish}
4734 provides one for attachments (files that only need to be copied):
4735 @code{org-publish-attachment}.
4736
4737 @node Publishing options, Publishing links, Publishing action, Configuration
4738 @subsection Options for the HTML exporter
4739 @cindex options, for publishing
4740
4741 The property list can be used to set many export options for the HTML
4742 exporter. In most cases, these properties correspond to user variables
4743 in Org-mode. The table below lists these properties along with the
4744 variable they belong to. See the documentation string for the
4745 respective variable for details.
4746
4747 @multitable @columnfractions 0.3 0.7
4748 @item @code{:language} @tab @code{org-export-default-language}
4749 @item @code{:headline-levels} @tab @code{org-export-headline-levels}
4750 @item @code{:section-numbers} @tab @code{org-export-with-section-numbers}
4751 @item @code{:table-of-contents} @tab @code{org-export-with-toc}
4752 @item @code{:archived-trees} @tab @code{org-export-with-archived-trees}
4753 @item @code{:emphasize} @tab @code{org-export-with-emphasize}
4754 @item @code{:sub-superscript} @tab @code{org-export-with-sub-superscripts}
4755 @item @code{:TeX-macros} @tab @code{org-export-with-TeX-macros}
4756 @item @code{:LaTeX-fragments} @tab @code{org-export-with-LaTeX-fragments}
4757 @item @code{:fixed-width} @tab @code{org-export-with-fixed-width}
4758 @item @code{:timestamps} .@tab @code{org-export-with-timestamps}
4759 @item @code{:tags} .@tab @code{org-export-with-tags}
4760 @item @code{:tables} @tab @code{org-export-with-tables}
4761 @item @code{:table-auto-headline} @tab @code{org-export-highlight-first-table-line}
4762 @item @code{:style} @tab @code{org-export-html-style}
4763 @item @code{:convert-org-links} @tab @code{org-export-html-link-org-files-as-html}
4764 @item @code{:inline-images} @tab @code{org-export-html-inline-images}
4765 @item @code{:expand-quoted-html} @tab @code{org-export-html-expand}
4766 @item @code{:timestamp} @tab @code{org-export-html-with-timestamp}
4767 @item @code{:publishing-directory} @tab @code{org-export-publishing-directory}
4768 @item @code{:preamble} @tab @code{org-export-html-preamble}
4769 @item @code{:postamble} @tab @code{org-export-html-postamble}
4770 @item @code{:auto-preamble} @tab @code{org-export-html-auto-preamble}
4771 @item @code{:auto-postamble} @tab @code{org-export-html-auto-postamble}
4772 @item @code{:author} @tab @code{user-full-name}
4773 @item @code{:email} @tab @code{user-mail-address}
4774 @end multitable
4775
4776 When a property is given a value in org-publish-project-alist, its
4777 setting overrides the value of the corresponding user variable (if any)
4778 during publishing. options set within a file (@pxref{Export
4779 options}), however, override everything.
4780
4781 @node Publishing links, Project page index, Publishing options, Configuration
4782 @subsection Links between published files
4783 @cindex links, publishing
4784
4785 To create a link from one Org-mode file to another, you would use
4786 something like @samp{[[file:foo.org][The foo]]} or simply
4787 @samp{file:foo.org.} (@pxref{Hyperlinks}). Upon publishing this link
4788 becomes a link to @file{foo.html}. In this way, you can interlink the
4789 pages of your "org web" project and the links will work as expected when
4790 you publish them to HTML.
4791
4792 You may also link to related files, such as images. Provided you are
4793 careful with relative pathnames, and provided you have also configured
4794 org-publish to upload the related files, these links will work
4795 too. @ref{Complex example} for an example of this usage.
4796
4797 Sometime an Org-mode file to be published may contain links that are
4798 only valid in your production environment, but not in the publishing
4799 location. In this case, use the property
4800
4801 @multitable @columnfractions 0.4 0.6
4802 @item @code{:link-validation-function}
4803 @tab Function to validate links
4804 @end multitable
4805
4806 @noindent
4807 to define a function for checking link validity. This function must
4808 accept two arguments, the file name and a directory relative to which
4809 the file name is interpreted in the production environment. If this
4810 function returns @code{nil}, then the HTML generator will only insert a
4811 description into the HTML file, but no link. One option for this
4812 function is @code{org-publish-validate-link} which checks if the given
4813 file is part of any project in @code{org-publish-project-alist}.
4814
4815 @node Project page index, , Publishing links, Configuration
4816 @subsection Project page index
4817 @cindex index, of published pages
4818
4819 The following properties may be used to control publishing of an
4820 index of files or summary page for a given project.
4821
4822 @multitable @columnfractions 0.25 0.75
4823 @item @code{:auto-index}
4824 @tab When non-nil, publish an index during org-publish-current-project or
4825 org-publish-all.
4826
4827 @item @code{:index-filename}
4828 @tab Filename for output of index. Defaults to @file{index.org} (which
4829 becomes @file{index.html}).
4830
4831 @item @code{:index-title}
4832 @tab Title of index page. Defaults to name of file.
4833
4834 @item @code{:index-function}
4835 @tab Plugin function to use for generation of index.
4836 Defaults to @code{org-publish-org-index}, which generates a plain list
4837 of links to all files in the project.
4838 @end multitable
4839
4840 @node Sample configuration, Triggering publication, Configuration, Publishing
4841 @section Sample configuration
4842
4843 Below we provide two example configurations. The first one is a simple
4844 project publishing only a set of Org-mode files. The second example is
4845 more complex, with a multi-component project.
4846
4847 @menu
4848 * Simple example:: One-component publishing
4849 * Complex example:: A multi-component publishing example
4850 @end menu
4851
4852 @node Simple example, Complex example, Sample configuration, Sample configuration
4853 @subsection Example: simple publishing configuration
4854
4855 This example publishes a set of Org-mode files to the @file{public_html}
4856 directory on the local machine.
4857
4858 @lisp
4859 (setq org-publish-project-alist
4860 '(("org"
4861 :base-directory "~/org/"
4862 :publishing-directory "~/public_html"
4863 :section-numbers nil
4864 :table-of-contents nil
4865 :style "<link rel=stylesheet
4866 href=\"../other/mystyle.css\"
4867 type=\"text/css\">")))
4868 @end lisp
4869
4870 @node Complex example, , Simple example, Sample configuration
4871 @subsection Example: complex publishing configuration
4872
4873 This more complicated example publishes an entire website, including
4874 org files converted to HTML, image files, emacs lisp source code, and
4875 stylesheets. The publishing-directory is remote and private files are
4876 excluded.
4877
4878 To ensure that links are preserved, care should be taken to replicate
4879 your directory structure on the web server, and to use relative file
4880 paths. For example, if your org files are kept in @file{~/org} and your
4881 publishable images in @file{~/images}, you'd link to an image with
4882 @c
4883 @example
4884 file:../images/myimage.png
4885 @end example
4886 @c
4887 On the web server, the relative path to the image should be the
4888 same. You can accomplish this by setting up an "images" folder in the
4889 right place on the webserver, and publishing images to it.
4890
4891 @lisp
4892 (setq org-publish-project-alist
4893 '(("orgfiles"
4894 :base-directory "~/org/"
4895 :base-extension "org"
4896 :publishing-directory "/ssh:user@@host:~/html/notebook/"
4897 :publishing-function org-publish-org-to-html
4898 :exclude "PrivatePage.org" ;; regexp
4899 :headline-levels 3
4900 :section-numbers nil
4901 :table-of-contents nil
4902 :style "<link rel=stylesheet
4903 href=\"../other/mystyle.css\" type=\"text/css\">"
4904 :auto-preamble t
4905 :auto-postamble nil)
4906
4907 ("images"
4908 :base-directory "~/images/"
4909 :base-extension "jpg\\|gif\\|png"
4910 :publishing-directory "/ssh:user@@host:~/html/images/"
4911 :publishing-function org-publish-attachment)
4912
4913 ("other"
4914 :base-directory "~/other/"
4915 :base-extension "css\\|el"
4916 :publishing-directory "/ssh:user@@host:~/html/other/"
4917 :publishing-function org-publish-attachment)
4918 ("website" :components ("orgfiles" "images" "other"))))
4919 @end lisp
4920
4921 @node Triggering publication, , Sample configuration, Publishing
4922 @section Triggering publication
4923
4924 Once org-publish is properly configured, you can publish with the
4925 following functions:
4926
4927 @table @kbd
4928 @item C-c C-e c
4929 Prompt for a specific project and publish all files that belong to it.
4930 @item C-c C-e p
4931 Publish the project containing the current file.
4932 @item C-c C-e f
4933 Publish only the current file.
4934 @item C-c C-e a
4935 Publish all projects.
4936 @end table
4937
4938 Org uses timestamps to track when a file has changed. The above
4939 functions normally only publish changed files. You can override this and
4940 force publishing of all files by giving a prefix argument.
4941
4942 @node Miscellaneous, Extensions and Hacking, Publishing, Top
4943 @chapter Miscellaneous
4944
4945 @menu
4946 * Completion:: M-TAB knows what you need
4947 * Customization:: Adapting Org-mode to your taste
4948 * In-buffer settings:: Overview of the #+KEYWORDS
4949 * The very busy C-c C-c key:: When in doubt, press C-c C-c
4950 * Clean view:: Getting rid of leading stars in the outline
4951 * TTY keys:: Using Org-mode on a tty
4952 * Interaction:: Other Emacs packages
4953 * Bugs:: Things which do not work perfectly
4954 @end menu
4955
4956 @node Completion, Customization, Miscellaneous, Miscellaneous
4957 @section Completion
4958 @cindex completion, of @TeX{} symbols
4959 @cindex completion, of TODO keywords
4960 @cindex completion, of dictionary words
4961 @cindex completion, of option keywords
4962 @cindex completion, of CamelCase links
4963 @cindex completion, of tags
4964 @cindex @TeX{} symbol completion
4965 @cindex TODO keywords completion
4966 @cindex dictionary word completion
4967 @cindex option keyword completion
4968 @cindex CamelCase link completion
4969 @cindex tag completion
4970
4971 Org-mode supports in-buffer completion. This type of completion does
4972 not make use of the minibuffer. You simply type a few letters into
4973 the buffer and use the key to complete text right there.
4974
4975 @table @kbd
4976 @kindex M-@key{TAB}
4977 @item M-@key{TAB}
4978 Complete word at point
4979 @itemize @bullet
4980 @item
4981 At the beginning of a headline, complete TODO keywords.
4982 @item
4983 After @samp{\}, complete @TeX{} symbols supported by the exporter.
4984 @item
4985 After @samp{*}, complete headlines in the current buffer so that they
4986 can be used in search links like @samp{[[*find this headline]]}.
4987 @item
4988 After @samp{:}, complete tags. The list of tags is taken from the
4989 variable @code{org-tag-alist} (possibly set through the @samp{#+TAGS}
4990 in-buffer option, @pxref{Setting tags}), or it is created dynamically
4991 from all tags used in the current buffer.
4992 @item
4993 After @samp{[}, complete link abbreviations (@pxref{Link abbreviations}).
4994 @item
4995 After @samp{#+}, complete the special keywords like @samp{TYP_TODO} or
4996 @samp{OPTIONS} which set file-specific options for Org-mode. When the
4997 option keyword is already complete, pressing @kbd{M-@key{TAB}} again
4998 will insert example settings for this keyword.
4999 @item
5000 In the line after @samp{#+STARTUP: }, complete startup keywords,
5001 i.e. valid keys for this line.
5002 @item
5003 Elsewhere, complete dictionary words using ispell.
5004 @end itemize
5005 @end table
5006
5007 @node Customization, In-buffer settings, Completion, Miscellaneous
5008 @section Customization
5009 @cindex customization
5010 @cindex options, for customization
5011 @cindex variables, for customization
5012
5013 There are more than 100 variables that can be used to customize
5014 Org-mode. For the sake of compactness of the manual, we are not
5015 describing the variables here. A structured overview of customization
5016 variables is available with @kbd{M-x org-customize}. Or select
5017 @code{Browse Org Group} from the @code{Org->Customization} menu. Many
5018 settings can also be activated on a per-file basis, by putting special
5019 lines into the buffer (@pxref{In-buffer settings}).
5020
5021 @node In-buffer settings, The very busy C-c C-c key, Customization, Miscellaneous
5022 @section Summary of in-buffer settings
5023 @cindex in-buffer settings
5024 @cindex special keywords
5025
5026 Org-mode uses special lines in the buffer to define settings on a
5027 per-file basis. These lines start with a @samp{#+} followed by a
5028 keyword, a colon, and then individual words defining a setting. Several
5029 setting words can be in the same line, but you can also have multiple
5030 lines for the keyword. While these settings are described throughout
5031 the manual, here is a summary. After changing any of those lines in the
5032 buffer, press @kbd{C-c C-c} with the cursor still in the line to
5033 activate the changes immediately. Otherwise they become effective only
5034 when the file is visited again in a new Emacs session.
5035
5036 @table @kbd
5037 @item #+STARTUP:
5038 This line sets options to be used at startup of org-mode, when an
5039 Org-mode file is being visited. The first set of options deals with the
5040 initial visibility of the outline tree. The corresponding variable for
5041 global default settings is @code{org-startup-folded}, with a default
5042 value @code{t}, which means @code{overview}.
5043 @example
5044 overview @r{top-level headlines only}
5045 content @r{all headlines}
5046 showall @r{no folding at all, show everything}
5047 @end example
5048 Then there are options for aligning tables upon visiting a file. This
5049 is useful in files containing narrowed table columns. The corresponding
5050 variable is @code{org-startup-align-all-tables}, with a default value
5051 @code{nil}.
5052 @example
5053 align @r{align all tables}
5054 noalign @r{don't align tables on startup}
5055 @end example
5056 Logging when a TODO item is marked DONE (variable @code{org-log-done})
5057 can be configured using these options.
5058 @example
5059 logging @r{record a timestamp when an item is marked DONE}
5060 nologging @r{don't record when items are marked DONE}
5061 @end example
5062 Here are the options for hiding leading stars in outline headings. The
5063 corresponding variables are @code{org-hide-leading-stars} and
5064 @code{org-odd-levels-only}, both with a default setting @code{nil}
5065 (meaning @code{showstars} and @code{oddeven}).
5066 @example
5067 hidestars @r{make all but one of the stars starting a headline invisible.}
5068 showstars @r{show all stars starting a headline}
5069 odd @r{allow only odd outline levels (1,3,...)}
5070 oddeven @r{allow all outline levels}
5071 @end example
5072 To turn on custom format overlayes over time stamps (variables
5073 @code{org-put-time-stamp-overlays} and
5074 @code{org-time-stamp-overlay-formats}), use
5075 @example
5076 customtime @r{overlay custom time format}
5077 @end example
5078 @item #+SEQ_TODO: #+TYP_TODO:
5079 These lines set the TODO keywords and their interpretation in the
5080 current file. The corresponding variables are @code{org-todo-keywords}
5081 and @code{org-todo-interpretation}.
5082 @item #+TAGS: TAG1(c1) TAG2(c2)
5083 These lines (several such lines are allowed) specify the legal tags in
5084 this file, and (potentially) the corresponding @emph{fast tag selection}
5085 keys. The corresponding variable is @code{org-tag-alist}.
5086 @item #+LINK: linkword replace
5087 These lines (several are allowed) specify link abbreviations.
5088 @xref{Link abbreviations}. The corresponding variable is
5089 @code{org-link-abbrev-alist}.
5090 @item #+CATEGORY:
5091 This line sets the category for the agenda file. The category applies
5092 for all subsequent lines until the next @samp{#+CATEGORY} line, or the
5093 end of the file.
5094 @item #+TBLFM:
5095 This line contains the formulas for the table directly above the line.
5096 @item #+TITLE:, #+AUTHOR:, #+EMAIL:, #+LANGUAGE:, #+TEXT:, #+OPTIONS:
5097 These lines provide settings for exporting files. For more details see
5098 @ref{Export options}.
5099 @end table
5100
5101 @node The very busy C-c C-c key, Clean view, In-buffer settings, Miscellaneous
5102 @section The very busy C-c C-c key
5103 @kindex C-c C-c
5104 @cindex C-c C-c, overview
5105
5106 The key @kbd{C-c C-c} has many purposes in org-mode, which are all
5107 mentioned scattered throughout this manual. One specific function of
5108 this key is to add @emph{tags} to a headline (@pxref{Tags}). In many
5109 other circumstances it means something like @emph{Hey Org-mode, look
5110 here and update according to what you see here}. Here is a summary of
5111 what this means in different contexts.
5112
5113 @itemize @minus
5114 @item
5115 If there are highlights in the buffer from the creation of a sparse
5116 tree, or from clock display, remove these highlights.
5117 @item
5118 If the cursor is in one of the special @code{#+KEYWORD} lines, this
5119 triggers scanning the buffer for these lines and updating the
5120 information.
5121 @item
5122 If the cursor is inside a table, realign the table. This command
5123 works even if the automatic table editor has been turned off.
5124 @item
5125 If the cursor is on a @code{#+TBLFM} line, re-apply the formulas to
5126 the entire table.
5127 @item
5128 If the cursor is inside a table created by the @file{table.el} package,
5129 activate that table.
5130 @item
5131 If the current buffer is a remember buffer, close the note and file it.
5132 With a prefix argument, file it, without further interaction, to the
5133 default location.
5134 @item
5135 If the cursor is on a @code{<<<target>>>}, update radio targets and
5136 corresponding links in this buffer.
5137 @item
5138 If the cursor is in a plain list item with a checkbox, toggle the status
5139 of the checkbox.
5140 @item
5141 If the cursor is on a numbered item in a plain list, renumber the
5142 ordered list.
5143 @end itemize
5144
5145 @node Clean view, TTY keys, The very busy C-c C-c key, Miscellaneous
5146 @section A cleaner outline view
5147 @cindex hiding leading stars
5148 @cindex clean outline view
5149
5150 Some people find it noisy and distracting that the Org-mode headlines
5151 are starting with a potentially large number of stars. For example
5152 the tree from @ref{Headlines}:
5153
5154 @example
5155 * Top level headline
5156 ** Second level
5157 *** 3rd level
5158 some text
5159 *** 3rd level
5160 more text
5161 * Another top level headline
5162 @end example
5163
5164 @noindent
5165 Unfortunately this is deeply ingrained into the code of Org-mode and
5166 cannot be easily changed. You can, however, modify the display in such
5167 a way that all leading stars become invisible and the outline more easy
5168 to read. To do this, customize the variable
5169 @code{org-hide-leading-stars} like this:
5170
5171 @lisp
5172 (setq org-hide-leading-stars t)
5173 @end lisp
5174
5175 @noindent
5176 or change this on a per-file basis with one of the lines (anywhere in
5177 the buffer)
5178
5179 @example
5180 #+STARTUP: showstars
5181 #+STARTUP: hidestars
5182 @end example
5183
5184 @noindent
5185 Press @kbd{C-c C-c} with the cursor in a @samp{STARTUP} line to activate
5186 the modifications.
5187
5188 With stars hidden, the tree becomes:
5189
5190 @example
5191 * Top level headline
5192 * Second level
5193 * 3rd level
5194 some text
5195 * 3rd level
5196 more text
5197 * Another top level headline
5198 @end example
5199
5200 @noindent
5201 Note that the leading stars are not truly replaced by whitespace, they
5202 are only fontified with the face @code{org-hide} that uses the
5203 background color as font color. If are are not using either white or
5204 black background, you may have to customize this face to get the wanted
5205 effect. Another possibility is to set this font such that the extra
5206 stars are @i{almost} invisible, for example using the color
5207 @code{grey90} on a white background.
5208
5209 Things become cleaner still if you skip all the even levels and use only
5210 odd levels 1, 3, 5..., effectively adding two stars to go from one
5211 outline level to the next:
5212
5213 @example
5214 * Top level headline
5215 * Second level
5216 * 3rd level
5217 some text
5218 * 3rd level
5219 more text
5220 * Another top level headline
5221 @end example
5222
5223 @noindent
5224 In order to make the structure editing and export commands handle this
5225 convention correctly, use
5226
5227 @lisp
5228 (setq org-odd-levels-only t)
5229 @end lisp
5230
5231 @noindent
5232 or set this on a per-file basis with one of the following lines (don't
5233 forget to press @kbd{C-c C-c} with the cursor in the startup line to
5234 activate changes immediately).
5235
5236 @example
5237 #+STARTUP: odd
5238 #+STARTUP: oddeven
5239 @end example
5240
5241 You can convert an Org-mode file from single-star-per-level to the
5242 double-star-per-level convention with @kbd{M-x org-convert-to-odd-levels
5243 RET} in that file. The reverse operation is @kbd{M-x
5244 org-convert-to-oddeven-levels}.
5245
5246 @node TTY keys, Interaction, Clean view, Miscellaneous
5247 @section Using org-mode on a tty
5248 @cindex tty keybindings
5249
5250 Org-mode uses a number of keys that are not accessible on a tty. This
5251 applies to most special keys like cursor keys, @key{TAB} and
5252 @key{RET}, when these are combined with modifier keys like @key{Meta}
5253 and/or @key{Shift}. Org-mode uses these bindings because it needs to
5254 provide keys for a large number of commands, and because these keys
5255 appeared particularly easy to remember. In order to still be able to
5256 access the core functionality of Org-mode on a tty, alternative
5257 bindings are provided. Here is a complete list of these bindings,
5258 which are obviously more cumbersome to use. Note that sometimes a
5259 work-around can be better. For example changing a time stamp is
5260 really only fun with @kbd{S-@key{cursor}} keys. On a tty you would
5261 rather use @kbd{C-c .} to re-insert the timestamp.
5262
5263 @multitable @columnfractions 0.15 0.2 0.2
5264 @item @b{Default} @tab @b{Alternative 1} @tab @b{Alternative 2}
5265 @item @kbd{S-@key{TAB}} @tab @kbd{C-u @key{TAB}} @tab
5266 @item @kbd{M-@key{left}} @tab @kbd{C-c C-x l} @tab @kbd{@key{Esc} @key{left}}
5267 @item @kbd{M-S-@key{left}} @tab @kbd{C-c C-x L} @tab
5268 @item @kbd{M-@key{right}} @tab @kbd{C-c C-x r} @tab @kbd{@key{Esc} @key{right}}
5269 @item @kbd{M-S-@key{right}} @tab @kbd{C-c C-x R} @tab
5270 @item @kbd{M-@key{up}} @tab @kbd{C-c C-x u} @tab @kbd{@key{Esc} @key{up}}
5271 @item @kbd{M-S-@key{up}} @tab @kbd{C-c C-x U} @tab
5272 @item @kbd{M-@key{down}} @tab @kbd{C-c C-x d} @tab @kbd{@key{Esc} @key{down}}
5273 @item @kbd{M-S-@key{down}} @tab @kbd{C-c C-x D} @tab
5274 @item @kbd{S-@key{RET}} @tab @kbd{C-c C-x c} @tab
5275 @item @kbd{M-@key{RET}} @tab @kbd{C-c C-x m} @tab @kbd{@key{Esc} @key{RET}}
5276 @item @kbd{M-S-@key{RET}} @tab @kbd{C-c C-x M} @tab
5277 @item @kbd{S-@key{left}} @tab @kbd{C-c C-x @key{left}} @tab
5278 @item @kbd{S-@key{right}} @tab @kbd{C-c C-x @key{right}} @tab
5279 @item @kbd{S-@key{up}} @tab @kbd{C-c C-x @key{up}} @tab
5280 @item @kbd{S-@key{down}} @tab @kbd{C-c C-x @key{down}} @tab
5281 @end multitable
5282
5283 @node Interaction, Bugs, TTY keys, Miscellaneous
5284 @section Interaction with other packages
5285 @cindex packages, interaction with other
5286 Org-mode lives in the world of GNU Emacs and interacts in various ways
5287 with other code out there.
5288
5289 @menu
5290 * Cooperation:: Packages Org-mode cooperates with
5291 * Conflicts:: Packages that lead to conflicts
5292 @end menu
5293
5294 @node Cooperation, Conflicts, Interaction, Interaction
5295 @subsection Packages that Org-mode cooperates with
5296
5297 @table @asis
5298 @cindex @file{calc.el}
5299 @item @file{calc.el} by Dave Gillespie
5300 Org-mode uses the calc package for implementing spreadsheet
5301 functionality in its tables (@pxref{Table calculations}). Org-modes
5302 checks for the availability of calc by looking for the function
5303 @code{calc-eval} which should be autoloaded in your setup if calc has
5304 been installed properly. As of Emacs 22, calc is part of the Emacs
5305 distribution. Another possibility for interaction between the two
5306 packages is using calc for embedded calculations. @xref{Embedded Mode,
5307 , Embedded Mode, calc, GNU Emacs Calc Manual}.
5308 @cindex @file{constants.el}
5309 @item @file{constants.el} by Carsten Dominik
5310 In a table formula (@pxref{Table calculations}), it is possible to use
5311 names for natural constants or units. Instead of defining your own
5312 constants in the variable @code{org-table-formula-constants}, install
5313 the @file{constants} package which defines a large number of constants
5314 and units, and lets you use unit prefixes like @samp{M} for
5315 @samp{Mega} etc. You will need version 2.0 of this package, available
5316 at @url{http://www.astro.uva.nl/~dominik/Tools}. Org-mode checks for
5317 the function @code{constants-get}, which has to be autoloaded in your
5318 setup. See the installation instructions in the file
5319 @file{constants.el}.
5320 @item @file{cdlatex.el} by Carsten Dominik
5321 @cindex @file{cdlatex.el}
5322 Org-mode can make use of the cdlatex package to efficiently enter
5323 La@TeX{} fragments into Org-mode files. See @ref{CDLaTeX mode}.
5324 @item @file{remember.el} by John Wiegley
5325 @cindex @file{remember.el}
5326 Org mode cooperates with remember, see @ref{Remember}.
5327 @file{Remember.el} is not part of Emacs, find it on the web.
5328 @cindex @file{table.el}
5329 @item @file{table.el} by Takaaki Ota
5330 Org mode cooperates with table.el, see @ref{table.el}. @file{table.el}
5331 is part of Emacs 22.
5332 @end table
5333
5334 @node Conflicts, , Cooperation, Interaction
5335 @subsection Packages that lead to conflicts with Org-mode
5336
5337 @table @asis
5338
5339 @cindex @file{allout.el}
5340 @item @file{allout.el} by Ken Manheimer
5341 Startup of Org-mode may fail with the error message
5342 @code{(wrong-type-argument keymapp nil)} when there is an outdated
5343 version @file{allout.el} on the load path, for example the version
5344 distributed with Emacs 21.x. Upgrade to Emacs 22 and this problem will
5345 disappear. If for some reason you cannot do this, make sure that org.el
5346 is loaded @emph{before} @file{allout.el}, for example by putting
5347 @code{(require 'org)} early enough into your @file{.emacs} file.
5348
5349 @cindex @file{CUA.el}
5350 @item @file{CUA.el} by Kim. F. Storm
5351 Keybindings in Org-mode conflict with the @kbd{S-<cursor>} keys
5352 used by CUA-mode (as well as pc-select-mode and s-region-mode) to
5353 select and extend the region. If you want to use one of these
5354 packages along with Org-mode, configure the variable
5355 @code{org-CUA-compatible}. When set, Org-mode will move the following
5356 keybindings in org-mode files, and in the agenda buffer (but not
5357 during date selection).
5358
5359 @example
5360 S-UP -> M-p S-DOWN -> M-n
5361 S-LEFT -> M-- S-RIGHT -> M-+
5362 S-RET -> C-S-RET
5363 @end example
5364
5365 Yes, these are unfortunately more difficult to remember. If you want
5366 to have other replacement keys, look at the variable
5367 @code{org-disputed-keys}.
5368 @item @file{windmove.el} by Hovav Shacham
5369 @cindex @file{windmove.el}
5370 Also this package uses the @kbd{S-<cursor>} keys, so everything written
5371 in the paragraph above about CUA mode also applies here.
5372 @end table
5373
5374
5375 @node Bugs, , Interaction, Miscellaneous
5376 @section Bugs
5377 @cindex bugs
5378
5379 Here is a list of things that should work differently, but which I
5380 have found too hard to fix.
5381
5382 @itemize @bullet
5383 @item
5384 If a table field starts with a link, and if the corresponding table
5385 column is narrowed (@pxref{Narrow columns}) to a width too small to
5386 display the link, the field would look entirely empty even though it is
5387 not. To prevent this, Org-mode throws an error. The work-around is to
5388 make the column wide enough to fit the link, or to add some text (at
5389 least 2 characters) before the link in the same field.
5390 @item
5391 Narrowing table columns does not work on XEmacs, because the
5392 @code{format} function does not transport text properties.
5393 @item
5394 Text in an entry protected with the @samp{QUOTE} keyword should not
5395 autowrap.
5396 @item
5397 When the application called by @kbd{C-c C-o} to open a file link fails
5398 (for example because the application does not exist or refuses to open
5399 the file), it does so silently. No error message is displayed.
5400 @item
5401 The remote-editing commands in the agenda buffer cannot be undone with
5402 @code{undo} called from within the agenda buffer. But you can go to
5403 the corresponding buffer (using @key{TAB} or @key{RET} and execute
5404 @code{undo} there.
5405 @item
5406 Recalculating a table line applies the formulas from left to right.
5407 If a formula uses @emph{calculated} fields further down the row,
5408 multiple recalculation may be needed to get all fields consistent.
5409 @item
5410 A single letter cannot be made bold, for example @samp{*a*}.
5411 @item
5412 The exporters work well, but could be made more efficient.
5413 @end itemize
5414
5415
5416 @node Extensions and Hacking, History and Acknowledgments, Miscellaneous, Top
5417 @appendix Extensions, Hooks and Hacking
5418
5419 This appendix lists extensions for Org-mode written by other authors.
5420 It also covers some aspects where users can easily extend the
5421 functionality of Org-mode.
5422
5423 @menu
5424 * Extensions:: Existing 3rd-part extensions
5425 * Dynamic blocks:: Automatically filled blocks
5426 @end menu
5427
5428 @node Extensions, Dynamic blocks, Extensions and Hacking, Extensions and Hacking
5429 @section Third-party extensions for Org-mode
5430
5431 The following extensions for Org-mode have been written by other people:
5432
5433 @table @asis
5434 @cindex @file{org-publish.el}
5435 @item @file{org-publish.el} by David O'Toole
5436 This package provides facilities for publishing related sets of Org-mode
5437 files together with linked files like images as a webpages. It is
5438 highly configurable and can be used for other publishing purposes as
5439 well. As of Org-mode version 4.30, @file{org-publish.el} is part of the
5440 Org-mode distribution. It is not yet part of Emacs, however, a delay
5441 caused by the preparations for the 22.1 release. In the mean time,
5442 @file{org-publish.el} can be downloaded from David's site:
5443 @url{http://dto.freeshell.org/e/org-publish.el}.
5444 @cindex @file{org-mouse.el}
5445 @item @file{org-mouse.el} by Piotr Zielinski
5446 This package implements extended mouse functionality for Org-mode. It
5447 allows you to cycle visibility and to edit the document structure with
5448 the mouse. Best of all, it provides a context-sensitive menu on
5449 @key{mouse-3} that changes depending on the context of a mouse-click.
5450 As of Org-mode version 4.53, @file{org-mouse.el} is part of the
5451 Org-mode distribution. It is not yet part of Emacs, however, a delay
5452 caused by the preparations for the 22.1 release. In the mean time,
5453 @file{org-mouse.el} can be downloaded from Piotr's site:
5454 @url{http://www.cl.cam.ac.uk/~pz215/files/org-mouse.el}.
5455 @cindex @file{org-blog.el}
5456 @item @file{org-blog.el} by David O'Toole
5457 A blogging plug-in for @file{org-publish.el}.@*
5458 @url{http://dto.freeshell.org/notebook/OrgMode.html}.
5459 @cindex @file{org-blogging.el}
5460 @item @file{org-blogging.el} by Bastien Guerry
5461 Publish Org-mode files as
5462 blogs. @url{http://www.cognition.ens.fr/~guerry/org-blogging.html}.
5463 @end table
5464
5465 @node Dynamic blocks, , Extensions, Extensions and Hacking
5466 @section Dynamic blocks
5467
5468 Org-mode documents can contain @emph{dynamic blocks}. These are
5469 specially marked regions that are updated by some user-written
5470 function. A good example for such a block is the clock table inserted
5471 by the command @kbd{C-c C-x C-r} (@pxref{Clocking work time}).
5472
5473 Dynamic block are enclosed by a BEGIN-END structure that assigns a name
5474 to the block and can also specify parameters for the function producing
5475 the content of the block.
5476
5477 @example
5478 #+BEGIN: myblock :parameter1 value1 :parameter2 value2 ...
5479
5480 #+END:
5481 @end example
5482
5483 Dynamic blocks are updated with the following commands
5484
5485 @table @kbd
5486 @kindex C-c C-x C-u
5487 @item C-c C-x C-u
5488 Update dynamic block at point.
5489 @kindex C-u C-c C-x C-u
5490 @item C-u C-c C-x C-u
5491 Update all dynamic blocks in the current file.
5492 @end table
5493
5494 Updating a dynamic block means to remove all the text between BEGIN and
5495 END, parse the BEGIN line for parameters and then call the specific
5496 writer function for this block to insert the new content. For a block
5497 with name @code{myblock}, the writer function is
5498 @code{org-dblock-write:myblock} with as only parameter a property list
5499 with the parameters given in the begin line. Here is a trivial example
5500 of a block that keeps track of when the block update function was last
5501 run:
5502
5503 @example
5504 #+BEGIN: block-update-time :format "on %m/%d/%Y at %H:%M"
5505
5506 #+END:
5507 @end example
5508
5509 @noindent
5510 The corresponding block writer function could look like this:
5511
5512 @lisp
5513 (defun org-dblock-write:block-update-time (params)
5514 (let ((fmt (or (plist-get params :format) "%d. %m. %Y")))
5515 (insert "Last block update at: "
5516 (format-time-string fmt (current-time)))))
5517 @end lisp
5518
5519 If you want to make sure that all dynamic blocks are always up-to-date,
5520 you could add the function @code{org-update-all-dblocks} to a hook, for
5521 example @code{before-save-hook}. @code{org-update-all-dblocks} is
5522 written in a way that is does nothing in buffers that are not in Org-mode.
5523
5524 @node History and Acknowledgments, Index, Extensions and Hacking, Top
5525 @appendix History and Acknowledgments
5526 @cindex acknowledgments
5527 @cindex history
5528 @cindex thanks
5529
5530 Org-mode was borne in 2003, out of frustration over the user interface
5531 of the Emacs outline-mode. All I wanted was to make working with an
5532 outline tree possible without having to remember more than 10 commands
5533 just for hiding and unhiding parts of the outline tree, and to allow to
5534 restructure a tree easily. Visibility cycling and structure editing
5535 were originally implemented in the package @file{outline-magic.el}, but
5536 quickly moved to the more general @file{org.el}. TODO entries, basic
5537 time stamps, and table support were added next, and highlight the two
5538 main goals that Org-mode still has today: To create a new,
5539 outline-based, plain text mode with innovative and intuitive editing
5540 features, and to incorporate project planning functionality directly
5541 into a notes file.
5542
5543 Since the first release, hundreds of emails to me or on
5544 @code{emacs-orgmode@@gnu.org} have provided a constant stream of bug
5545 reports, feedback, new ideas, and sometimes even patches and add-on
5546 code. Many thanks to everyone who has helped to improve this package.
5547 I am trying to keep here a list of the people who had significant
5548 influence in shaping one or more aspects of Org-mode. The list may not
5549 be complete, if I have forgotten someone, please accept my apologies and
5550 let me know.
5551
5552 @itemize @bullet
5553 @item
5554 @i{Thomas Baumann} contributed the code for links to the MH-E email
5555 system.
5556 @item
5557 @i{Alex Bochannek} provided a patch for rounding time stamps.
5558 @item
5559 @i{Charles Cave}'s suggestion sparked the implementation of templates
5560 for Remember.
5561 @item
5562 @i{Pavel Chalmoviansky} influenced the agenda treatment of items with
5563 specified time.
5564 @item
5565 @i{Gregory Chernov} patched support for lisp forms into table
5566 calculations and improved XEmacs compatibility, in particular by porting
5567 @file{nouline.el} to XEmacs.
5568 @item
5569 @i{Sacha Chua} suggested to copy some linking code from Planner.
5570 @item
5571 @i{Eddward DeVilla} proposed and tested checkbox statistics.
5572 @item
5573 @i{Kees Dullemond} inspired the use of narrowed tabled columns.
5574 @item
5575 @i{Christian Egli} converted the documentation into TeXInfo format,
5576 patched CSS formatting into the HTML exporter, and inspired the agenda.
5577 @item
5578 @i{Nic Ferrier} contributed mailcap and XOXO support.
5579 @item
5580 @i{Niels Giessen} had the idea to automatically archive DONE trees.
5581 @item
5582 @i{Bastien Guerry} provided extensive feedback.
5583 @item
5584 @i{Kai Grossjohann} pointed out key-binding conflicts with other packages.
5585 @item
5586 @i{Leon Liu} asked for embedded LaTeX and tested it.
5587 @item
5588 @i{Stefan Monnier} provided a patch to keep the Emacs-Lisp compiler
5589 happy.
5590 @item
5591 @i{Todd Neal} provided patches for links to Info files and elisp forms.
5592 @item
5593 @i{Tim O'Callaghan} suggested in-file links, search options for general
5594 file links, and TAGS.
5595 @item
5596 @i{Oliver Oppitz} suggested multi-state TODO items.
5597 @item
5598 @i{Scott Otterson} sparked the introduction of descriptive text for
5599 links, among other things.
5600 @item
5601 @i{Pete Phillips} helped during the development of the TAGS feature, and
5602 provided frequent feedback.
5603 @item
5604 @i{T.V. Raman} reported bugs and suggested improvements.
5605 @item
5606 @i{Matthias Rempe} (Oelde) provided ideas, Windows support, and quality
5607 control.
5608 @item
5609 @i{Kevin Rogers} contributed code to access VM files on remote hosts.
5610 @item
5611 @i{Frank Ruell} solved the mystery of the @code{keymapp nil} bug, a
5612 conflict with @file{allout.el}.
5613 @item
5614 @i{Jason Riedy} sent a patch to fix a bug with export of TODO keywerds.
5615 @item
5616 @i{Philip Rooke} created the Org-mode reference card and provided lots
5617 of feedback.
5618 @item
5619 @i{Christian Schlauer} proposed angular brackets around links, among
5620 other things.
5621 @item
5622 Linking to VM/BBDB/GNUS was inspired by @i{Tom Shannon}'s
5623 @file{organizer-mode.el}.
5624 @item
5625 @i{Daniel Sinder} came up with the idea of internal archiving by locking
5626 subtrees.
5627 @item
5628 @i{Dale Smith} proposed link abbreviations.
5629 @item
5630 @i{David O'Toole} wrote @file{org-publish.el} and drafted the manual
5631 chapter about publishing.
5632 @item
5633 @i{J@"urgen Vollmer} contributed code generating the table of contents
5634 in HTML output.
5635 @item
5636 @i{Chris Wallace} provided a patch implementing the @samp{QUOTE}
5637 keyword.
5638 @item
5639 @i{David Wainberg} suggested archiving, and improvements to the linking
5640 system.
5641 @item
5642 @i{John Wiegley} wrote @file{emacs-wiki.el} and @file{planner.el}. The
5643 development of Org-mode was fully independent, and both systems are
5644 really different beasts in their basic ideas and implementation details.
5645 I later looked at John's code, however, and learned from his
5646 implementation of (i) links where the link itself is hidden and only a
5647 description is shown, and (ii) popping up a calendar to select a date.
5648 @item
5649 @i{Carsten Wimmer} suggested some changes and helped fix a bug in
5650 linking to GNUS.
5651 @item
5652 @i{Roland Winkler} requested additional keybindings to make Org-mode
5653 work on a tty.
5654 @item
5655 @i{Piotr Zielinski} wrote @file{org-mouse.el}, proposed angenda blocks
5656 and contributed various ideas and code snippets.
5657 @end itemize
5658
5659
5660 @node Index, Key Index, History and Acknowledgments, Top
5661 @unnumbered Index
5662
5663 @printindex cp
5664
5665 @node Key Index, , Index, Top
5666 @unnumbered Key Index
5667
5668 @printindex ky
5669
5670 @bye
5671
5672 @ignore
5673 arch-tag: 7893d1fe-cc57-4d13-b5e5-f494a1bcc7ac
5674 @end ignore