Commit `523e1cbdc9`

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cmc <hello@cleberg.net> · 2024-08-12 17:48 UTC

add org-mode-features post

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content/blog/2024-08-11-org-mode-features.org added +351

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	1	#+date: <2024-08-12 Mon 12:48:00>
	2	#+title: My Top 8 Most Used Org-Mode Features
	3	#+description: Read about my personal favorite org-mode features and how I use them.
	4	#+filetags: :org-mode:
	5	#+slug: org-mode-features
	6
	7	* Cycling (Folding)
	8
	9	#+begin_quote
	10	[[https://git.sr.ht/~cyborg/cleberg.net/tree/main/item/content/blog/2024-08-11-org-mode-features.org#L7][View this section]] in org-mode.
	11	#+end_quote
	12
	13	My absolute top-used feature is [[https://orgmode.org/manual/Global-and-local-cycling.html][global and local cycling]] and it's not even
	14	close. Being able to hit =S-TAB= and collapse all headings when opening a file
	15	or needing to see a file's headings is an under appreciated trait.
	16
	17	** Local Cycling
	18
	19	When focused on a heading, you can press =TAB= (=org-cycle=) to cycle that
	20	subtree among the states =folded=, =children=, and =subtree=.
	21
	22	#+begin_src txt
	23	,-> FOLDED -> CHILDREN -> SUBTREE --.
	24	'-----------------------------------'
	25	#+end_src
	26
	27	** Global Cycling
	28
	29	If you're looking to cycle more than one subtree or heading at a time, you can
	30	press =S-TAB= or =C-u TAB= to cycle the entire buffer among the states
	31	=overview=, =contents=, and =show all=.
	32
	33	#+begin_src txt
	34	,-> OVERVIEW -> CONTENTS -> SHOW ALL --.
	35	'--------------------------------------'
	36	#+end_src
	37
	38	** Default Views
	39
	40	If you need to set a default view for a certain file, you can run =C-u C-u TAB=
	41	to set the =org-set-startup-visibility=. Alternatively, just put the following
	42	at the top of the buffer:
	43
	44	#+begin_src org
	45	#+STARTUP: overview
	46	#+STARTUP: content
	47	#+STARTUP: showall
	48	#+STARTUP: show2levels
	49	#+STARTUP: show3levels
	50	#+STARTUP: show4levels
	51	#+STARTUP: show5levels
	52	#+STARTUP: showeverything
	53	#+end_src
	54
	55	* TODO Lists
	56
	57	#+begin_quote
	58	[[https://git.sr.ht/~cyborg/cleberg.net/tree/main/item/content/blog/2024-08-11-org-mode-features.org#L58][View this section]] in org-mode.
	59	#+end_quote
	60
	61	Next up on in this post are [[https://orgmode.org/manual/TODO-Items.html][TODO Lists]]. Being able to combine note taking and
	62	reminders was the primary reason I switched to org-mode in the first place.
	63
	64	TODO lists are more than just the Markdown equivalent of =- [ ] Task=. Instead,
	65	you can utilize org-mode's native functionality to dynamically create TODO
	66	items, have fast access to TODO states, log progress on tasks, clocking work
	67	time, prioritization, breaking down tasks into subtasks, and even using checkbox
	68	formatting as well.
	69
	70	** Prioritizing Tasks
	71
	72	One of my favorite ways to separate my tasks are to assign priorities. You can
	73	do this by placing a priority cookie into the headline of a TODO item.
	74
	75	#+begin_src org
	76	,*** TODO [#A] My Task
	77	,*** TODO [#C] My Other Task
	78	#+end_src
	79
	80	You can quickly shift priorities with =S-UP= and =S-DOWN=, as well as set the
	81	allowed priorities for a buffer with the following syntax:
	82
	83	#+begin_src org
	84	#+PRIORITIES: A C B
	85	#+PRIORITIES: 1 10 5
	86	#+end_src
	87
	88	** Deadlines
	89
	90	Plans can be set per task by settings special keywords with a date. You can set
	91	a =DEADLINE= to note when the task will appear in the agenda or set the
	92	=SCHEDULED= variable to note when you plan to start working on the task.
	93
	94	#+begin_src org
	95	,* TODO My Task
	96	DEADLINE: <2004-02-29 Sun>
	97
	98	,* My Other Task
	99	SCHEDULED: <2004-12-25 Sat>
	100	#+end_src
	101
	102	As a side note, I use [[https://www.beorgapp.com/][Beorg]] on iOS to sync and edit my org-mode files on the go.
	103	Within this app, I use the =SCHEDULED= variable by default and rely heavily on
	104	that variable to alert me of tasks with iOS native notifications.
	105
	106	* Time Stamping
	107
	108	#+begin_quote
	109	[[https://git.sr.ht/~cyborg/cleberg.net/tree/main/item/content/blog/2024-08-11-org-mode-features.org#L106][View this section]] in org-mode.
	110	#+end_quote
	111
	112	Another great feature are the [[https://orgmode.org/manual/Dates-and-Times.html][dates and times]] functionalities within org-mode.
	113	Timestamps follow this format in org-mode:
	114
	115	#+begin_src org
	116	,* An active timestamp
	117	<2006-11-01 Wed 19:15>
	118
	119	,* An inactive timestamp
	120	[2006-11-01 Wed 19:15>
	121
	122	,* Repeated timestamps
	123	<2006-11-01 Wed 19:15 +1m>
	124
	125	,* Time range
	126	<2006-11-02 Thu 10:00-12:00>
	127
	128	,* Date range
	129	<2004-08-23 Mon>--<2004-08-26 Thu>
	130	#+end_src
	131
	132	In addition to the deadlines mentioned above, you can insert timestamps into any
	133	marker within the buffer with =C-c .= for an active timestamp and =C-c != for an
	134	inactive timestamp. You can read more on [[https://orgmode.org/manual/Creating-Timestamps.html][creating timestamps]] to figure out the
	135	different options available when creating timestamps.
	136
	137	* Tags
	138
	139	#+begin_quote
	140	[[https://git.sr.ht/~cyborg/cleberg.net/tree/main/item/content/blog/2024-08-11-org-mode-features.org#L137][View this section]] in org-mode.
	141	#+end_quote
	142
	143	Next up are [[https://orgmode.org/manual/Tags.html][Tags]], which provide a way to document contexts within and across
	144	buffers and files.
	145
	146	You can assign tags directly to headlines or at the file level and can contain
	147	letters, numbers, underscores, and the =@= symbol.
	148
	149	#+begin_src org
	150	,#+FILETAGS: :Fruits:
	151
	152	,* Pick fruits off the trees :work:
	153	,** Start with the orange grove :orange:tree:
	154	,*** TODO Pick bananas last :banana:
	155	#+end_src
	156
	157	** Filtering and Searching by Tag
	158
	159	You can search for tags with =C-c \= or open the org-agenda with =M-x org-agenda
	160	m= and search for a tag of your choosing.
	161
	162	* Tables
	163
	164	#+begin_quote
	165	[[https://git.sr.ht/~cyborg/cleberg.net/tree/main/item/content/blog/2024-08-11-org-mode-features.org#L162][View this section]] in org-mode.
	166	#+end_quote
	167
	168	One of the most inconvenient parts of writing in Markdown was dealing with
	169	tables. In org-mode, [[https://orgmode.org/manual/Tables.html][Tables]] are a breeze due to Emacs's built-in table editor
	170	and formatter.
	171
	172	** Built-In Table Editor
	173
	174	With the built-in table editor, press =C-c \|= to convert the active region to a
	175	table or create an empty table.
	176
	177	When focused on a table, press =TAB= to re-align the table. There are more
	178	commands available to re-align, traverse, and edit cells and regions within
	179	tables in Emacs.
	180
	181	For example, refer to the following table. This table uses the =TBLFM= variable
	182	to define functions that will apply to the cells within the table. When I press
	183	=C-c C-c=, the table cells updated to their resulting values.
	184
	185	\| N \| N^2 \| N^3 \| N^4 \| sqrt(n) \| sqrt[4](N) \|
	186	\|---+-----+-----+-----+-----------+------------\|
	187	\| / \| < \| \| > \| < \| > \|
	188	\| 1 \| 1 \| 1 \| 1 \| 1 \| 1 \|
	189	\| 2 \| 4 \| 8 \| 16 \| 1.4142136 \| 1.1892071 \|
	190	\| 3 \| 9 \| 27 \| 81 \| 1.7320508 \| 1.3160740 \|
	191	\|---+-----+-----+-----+-----------+------------\|
	192	#+TBLFM: $2=$1^2::$3=$1^3::$4=$1^4::$5=sqrt($1)::$6=sqrt(sqrt(($1)))
	193
	194	** Spreadsheet
	195
	196	If you spend a lot of time in spreadsheets, you'll appreciate the Emacs Calc
	197	package, which Emacs uses to implement spreadsheet-like capabilities within
	198	org-mode tables.
	199
	200	Read through the [[https://orgmode.org/manual/The-Spreadsheet.html][spreadsheet]] documentation to learn more about field references
	201	(=@ROW$COLUMN=), range references (=$1..$3=), coordinates, formulas, and more.
	202
	203	For example, refer to the following table. Here is a table that computes the
	204	Taylor series of degree n at location x for a couple of functions. You can clear
	205	the values out of the =Result= column for each row, press =C-c C-c=, and watch
	206	as the table re-calculates the results for each.
	207
	208	\|---+-------------+---+-----+--------------------------------------\|
	209	\| \| Func \| n \| x \| Result \|
	210	\|---+-------------+---+-----+--------------------------------------\|
	211	\| # \| exp(x) \| 1 \| x \| 1 + x \|
	212	\| # \| exp(x) \| 2 \| x \| 1 + x + x^2 / 2 \|
	213	\| # \| exp(x) \| 3 \| x \| 1 + x + x^2 / 2 + x^3 / 6 \|
	214	\| # \| x^2+sqrt(x) \| 2 \| x=0 \| x*(0.5 / 0) + x^2 (2 - 0.25 / 0) / 2 \|
	215	\| # \| x^2+sqrt(x) \| 2 \| x=1 \| 2 + 2.5 x - 2.5 + 0.875 (x - 1)^2 \|
	216	\| * \| tan(x) \| 3 \| x \| x pi / 180 + 5.72e-8 x^3 pi^3 \|
	217	\|---+-------------+---+-----+--------------------------------------\|
	218	#+TBLFM: $5=taylor($2,$4,$3);n3
	219
	220	Alternatively, you can also refer to the following table. This table will update
	221	to different values based on the =TBLFM= I select when I'm pressing =C-c C-c=.
	222	The results are =[1,2]= when focused on the first line and =[2,4]= when focused
	223	on the second line.
	224
	225	\| x \| y \|
	226	\|---+---\|
	227	\| 1 \| 2 \|
	228	\| 2 \| 4 \|
	229	#+TBLFM: $2=$1*1
	230	#+TBLFM: $2=$1*2
	231
	232	* Source Code Blocks
	233
	234	#+begin_quote
	235	[[https://git.sr.ht/~cyborg/cleberg.net/tree/main/item/content/blog/2024-08-11-org-mode-features.org#L232][View this section]] in org-mode.
	236	#+end_quote
	237
	238	** Introduction to Source Code Blocks
	239
	240	If you run a technical blog, write code frequently, or like to take notes with
	241	source code examples, you will appreciate the [[https://orgmode.org/manual/Working-with-Source-Code.html][source code]] functionality of
	242	org-mode.
	243
	244	With this feature, org-mode can manage the source code you define with features
	245	such as editing, formatting, extracting, exporting, and publishing.
	246	Additionally, you can compile and execute source code dynamically within the
	247	org-mode file or buffer.
	248
	249	A full source code block uses the following structure:
	250
	251	#+begin_src org
	252	,#+NAME: <name>
	253	,#+BEGIN_SRC <language> <switches> <header arguments>
	254	<body>
	255	,#+END_SRC
	256	#+end_src
	257
	258	You can also use inline blocks:
	259
	260	#+begin_src org
	261	src_<language>[<header arguments>]{<body>}
	262	#+end_src
	263
	264	** Editing Source Code Blocks
	265
	266	When focused on a code block, press =C-c'= to edit the code block in a special
	267	editor. Press =C-x C-x= to save the buffer and =C-c '= again to close the
	268	buffer.
	269
	270	** Syntax Highlighting and Formatting
	271
	272	Emacs provides syntax highlighting by default within org-mode's source code
	273	blocks. Org-mode will copy the text to a temporary buffer, highlight it using
	274	the major mode relevant to the language (e.g., [[https://www.gnu.org/software/emacs/manual/html_mono/ccmode.html][CC Mode]]), and then return the
	275	resulting highlighted text.
	276
	277	** Buffer Evaluation
	278
	279	By default, org-mode will only evaluate Emacs Lisp code blocks. You will need to
	280	enable other [[https://orgmode.org/manual/Languages.html][languages]] in order to evaluate code blocks written in languages
	281	other than elisp.
	282
	283	When focused on a code block, you can execute the block with =C-c C-c=. The
	284	results of the evaluation will appear below the code block in a =RESULTS= block.
	285
	286	For example, here is a code block in elisp that I have written and evaluated with
	287	org-mode inside this blog post. I will press =C-c C-c= and you will see the
	288	results below the code block.
	289
	290	#+begin_src elisp
	291	(defun greet-me ()
	292	(message "Hello, world!"))
	293
	294	(greet-me)
	295	#+end_src
	296
	297	#+begin_src org
	298	,#+RESULTS:
	299	: Hello, world!
	300	#+end_src
	301
	302	* Exporting and Publishing
	303
	304	#+begin_quote
	305	[[https://git.sr.ht/~cyborg/cleberg.net/tree/main/item/content/blog/2024-08-11-org-mode-features.org#L302][View this section]] in org-mode.
	306	#+end_quote
	307
	308	I would be remiss if I did not mention the native [[https://orgmode.org/manual/Exporting.html][exporting and publishing]]
	309	functionality within Emacs and org-mode.
	310
	311	** Built-In Publishing
	312
	313	This functionality allows you to translate Org to the following formats
	314	(additional formats may be available via external packages):
	315
	316	- ascii (ASCII format)
	317	- beamer (LaTeX Beamer format)
	318	- html (HTML format)
	319	- icalendar (iCalendar format)
	320	- latex (LaTeX format)
	321	- md (Markdown format)
	322	- odt (OpenDocument Text format)
	323	- org (Org format)
	324	- texinfo (Texinfo format)
	325	- man (Man page format)
	326
	327	You can export with =C-c C-h= and then select your preferred destination
	328	format. For example, an export from org to HTML as a file would use =C-c C-e h
	329	h=.
	330
	331	** External Publishing Tools
	332
	333	If the native functionality isn't useful enough for you, there are a myriad of
	334	external [[https://orgmode.org/tools.html][tools]], including [[https://orgmode.org/worg/org-blog-wiki.html][blogs and wikis]], that work with org-mode.
	335
	336	* Agenda
	337
	338	#+begin_quote
	339	[[https://git.sr.ht/~cyborg/cleberg.net/tree/main/item/content/blog/2024-08-11-org-mode-features.org#L339][View this section]] in org-mode.
	340	#+end_quote
	341
	342	Last, but not least, are [[https://orgmode.org/manual/Agenda-Views.html][Agenda Views]]. With agenda views, you can easily view
	343	your agenda of TODO items, scheduled items, projects, etc. across your
	344	collection of org-mode files.
	345
	346	Org-mode will extract all of this information from your org files
	347	(=org-agenda-files=) and display it within the agenda buffer.
	348
	349	You can open the agenda with =M-x org-agenda=. Once inside the buffer, you can
	350	use shortcuts in the [[https://orgmode.org/manual/Agenda-Dispatcher.html][Agenda Dispatcher]] to quickly view calendars, TODOs, create
	351	items, filter items, and more.

theme/templates/index.html +6 −7

 <section>
 	<h2>Recent Blog Posts</h2>
+	<div class="post">
+		<time date="2024-08-11 20:18:15">2024-08-11</time>
+		<a href="/blog/org-mode-features.html"
+			>My Top 8 Most Used Org-Mode Features</a
+		>
+	</div>
 	<div class="post">
 		<time datetime="2024-07-11 20:24:02">2024-07-11</time>
 		<a href="/blog/emacs-on-ipad.html">Emacs on iPadOS</a>
 		>
 	</div>
-	<div class="post">
-		<time datetime="2024-05-03 00:00:00">2024-05-03</time>
-		<a href="/blog/ubuntu-on-macos.html"
-			>Running Ubuntu Linux on macOS with OrbStack</a
-		>
-	</div>
 	<br />
 	<a href="/blog/">All Posts →</a>
 </section>

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