cmc/cleberg.net
My personal web garden & blog.
clone: git clone https://gitbay.org/cmc/cleberg.net.git
534e503ecb7bf9c3404c51cf2a443569f5a623bf
unsigned
author: Christian Cleberg <hello@cleberg.net> · 2024-03-14T16:21:53Z
content/blog/2024-03-13-doom-emacs.md | 334 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1 file changed, 334 insertions(+) new file mode 100644 @@ -0,0 +1,334 @@ +date = 2024-03-14T16:19:23+00:00 +title = "Doom Emacs & Org-Mode" +description = "A quick look at my setup with Doom Emacs and the Org-Mode syntax." + +## Screenshots + +These screenshots are showing a project opened with projectile, a treemacs side +pane open with the project contents, multiple buffers tiled next to each other, +and the help pane open at the bottomm. + +The themes are `doom-homage-white` and `doom-dracula`. + + + + + +## Getting Started + +I have been switching back and forth between +[markdown](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Markdown) and +[org-mode](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Org-mode) recently for my personal note +taking, wiki, and even this blog. As a result, I have been stumbling further +into the world of Emacs and found myself at a point where I now prefer to do +most of my basic editing within Emacs. + +I'll leave the markdown vs. org-mode debate for another post, but I love +org-mode's extensibility and interactive nature within Emacs, but it becomes +very unwieldy in any other client implementation of org-mode - especially on +iOS. On the flip side, markdown is limited in functionality and fractured into +different standards, but it's simple and popular enough that there are a +plethora of great clients to choose from that will get the job done. + +For now, I want to focus on how I have been using Emacs and some of the things +that would have helped me learn it faster had I known where to start. + +### Installation + +This post focuses on [Doom Emacs](https://github.com/doomemacs/doomemacs), which +is an Emacs framework that provides an alternative experience to the vanilla +[GNU Emacs](https://www.gnu.org/software/emacs/). + +The [Getting Start +Guide](https://github.com/doomemacs/doomemacs/blob/master/docs/getting_started.org) +has an extremely detailed walkthrough of installation for all systems, so please +refer to that guide for up-to-date instructions. + +I chose to install on macOS, using the Homebrew option with the +`railwaycat/emacsmacport` version of Emacs. + +Once the program is installed, you can run the program by typing `emacs` in a +terminal. If you installed a version of Emacs that supports both a GUI and TUI, +you will have to run `emacs -nw` to get the TUI instead of the default GUI. + +### Configuration + +Once installed, you can configure Doom by editing the files within the +`~/.doom.d/` directory. This directory holds four files: + +1. `config.el` - Personal configuration file +2. `custom.el` - Custom set variables +3. `init.el` - Doom modules and load order, must run `doom sync` after modifying +4. `packages.el` - Declare packages to install in this file, then run `doom + sync` to install + +I only needed a few customizations for my configuration, so I'll list them +below. + +```lisp +;; ~/.doom.d/config.el +(setq doom-theme 'doom-homage-black) +(setq display-line-numbers-type t) +(setq org-directory "~/Documents/Notes/") + +;; lengthy org-publish directives at the bottom of the file +``` + +```lisp +;; ~/.doom.d/init.el +(doom! :input + :completion + company ; the ultimate code completion backend + vertico ; the search engine of the future + + :ui + doom ; what makes DOOM look the way it does + doom-dashboard ; a nifty splash screen for Emacs + (emoji +unicode) ; 🙂 + hl-todo ; highlight TODO/FIXME/NOTE/DEPRECATED/HACK/REVIEW + minimap ; show a map of the code on the side + modeline ; snazzy, Atom-inspired modeline, plus API + ophints ; highlight the region an operation acts on + (popup +defaults) ; tame sudden yet inevitable temporary windows + tabs ; a tab bar for Emacs + treemacs ; a project drawer, like neotree but cooler + (vc-gutter +pretty) ; vcs diff in the fringe + vi-tilde-fringe ; fringe tildes to mark beyond EOB + workspaces ; tab emulation, persistence & separate workspaces + + :editor + (evil +everywhere); come to the dark side, we have cookies + file-templates ; auto-snippets for empty files + fold ; (nigh) universal code folding + snippets ; my elves. They type so I don't have to + + :emacs + dired ; making dired pretty [functional] + electric ; smarter, keyword-based electric-indent + undo ; persistent, smarter undo for your inevitable mistakes + vc ; version-control and Emacs, sitting in a tree + + :term + term ; basic terminal emulator for Emacs + + :checkers + syntax ; tasing you for every semicolon you forget + + :tools + (eval +overlay) ; run code, run (also, repls) + lookup ; navigate your code and its documentation + magit ; a git porcelain for Emacs + + :os + (:if (featurep :system 'macos) macos) ; improve compatibility with macOS + + :lang + common-lisp ; if you've seen one lisp, you've seen them all + emacs-lisp ; drown in parentheses + markdown ; writing docs for people to ignore + org ; organize your plain life in plain text + python ; beautiful is better than ugly + sh ; she sells {ba,z,fi}sh shells on the C xor + + :app + irc ; how neckbeards socialize + (rss +org) ; emacs as an RSS reader + + (default +bindings +smartparens)) +``` + +If you're editing these files within Doom directly, remember to run `SPC h r r` +to reload the configuration. Also remember to run `doom sync` for any changes to +the `init.el` or `packages.el` files. + +## Basic Functionality + +I kept a cheat sheet note open at first with all of the basic functions typed +out, copied as I went through the tutorial. After a little while, I no longer +needed it. I highly recommend writing down the most applicable shortcuts for +your preferred functionality and refer back to it until you've memorized it. + +Memorizing the shortcuts will differ based on the type of Emacs framework being +used. Personally, migrating from vanilla Emacs to Doom Emacs simplified +everything by a large factor and instantly enabled me to start working on my +projects, eliminating most of the hurdles I was running into. The vanilla emacs +hotkeys became obnoxious and I actually stopped using Emacs entirely for about a +month before trying Doom. + +For me, the first logical step is to interact with the local filesystem. To do +this, I needed to know how to open directories, open files, save files, discard +changes, close files, and switch between open files. Here are some example +shortcuts I've written down in order to accomplish file-based actions. + +| Doom Hotkey | Emacs Hotkey | Description | +|-----------------|--------------|----------------------------------------| +| `SPC :` | `C-x` | Run functions | +| `SPC f f` | `C-x f` | Open file in buffer | +| `SPC f d` | `C-x d` | Open directory with `dired` | +| `i` | `C-x C-q` | Edit current buffer (insert mode) | +| `q` | `C-x C-q` | Quit out of insert mode | +| `SPC f s` | `C-x s` | Save current buffer | +| `SPC b k` | `C-x k` | Kill current buffer | +| `SPC w h/j/k/l` | `C-x o`[^1] | Move left/down/up/right to next buffer | + +[^1] Doom's evil-window functionality is a bit different from GNU Emacs, but you +can always switch to the "other" buffer with `C-x o` or `C-x b` to get a list of +buffers to select. + +In general, when in Doom, you can press `SPC` and wait a second for the help +pane to appear with all available hotkey options. For example, you can press +`SPC`, wait for the help pane, and then select a key such as `g` to enter the +git help pane and explore further command options. + +## Editing + +Next in my process is to dive into editing for any languages I'm currently +using. In this post, I will just cover Markdown and Org-Mode but I have also +been slowly adoping some Python and general web dev tools as well. + +### Markdown + +Markdown is fairly simple as the syntax is limited, so just make sure the +`~/.doom.d/init.el` includes the `markdown` declaration in the `:lang` section. + +This package includes the following hotkey menus. The insert and toggle menu +expands further, allowing you to insert various markdown elements and toggle +things like link hiding. + +| Doom Hotkey | Function | +|------------------------------|--------------------------| +| `SPC m '` | markdown-edit-code-block | +| `SPC m e` | markdown-export | +| `SPC m i` | +insert | +| `SPC m o` | markdown-open | +| `SPC m p` | markdown-preview | +| `SPC m t` | +toggle | +| `SPC : markdown-table-align` | markdown-table-align | + +### Org-Mode + +Similar to the markdown section above, ensure that the `~/.doom.d/init.el` +includes the `org` declaration in the `:lang` section. + +There are a few hot keys, but a quick search with `SPC : org` shows that there +are 865 possible org-related functions you can run. I won't possibly be able to +list them all, so I will simply cover a few of the basic commands I use myself. + +| Doom Hotkey | Function | +|----------------|---------------------------------------| +| `SPC m t` | org-todo | +| `SPC n t` | org-todo-list | +| `SPC o A` | org-agenda | +| `SPC X` | org-capture | +| `SPC m p p` | org-priority | +| `SPC m d s` | org-schedule | +| `TAB` | org-cycle | +| `SHIFT TAB` | Collapse/open all headings in buffer | +| `M-q` | Format/wrap current section | +| `M-Left/Right` | Demote/promote current heading | +| `M-Down/Up` | Shift current heading section down/up | + +#### Org-Publish + +Org includes a [publishing management +system](https://orgmode.org/manual/Publishing.html) by default that allows you +to export org files to Org, iCalendar, HTML, LaTex, Markdown, ODT, and Plain +Text. Most of these can be exported into another buffer and opened, or simply to +an external file. + +While inside an org file, simply run `SPC m e` or `M-x org-export-dispatch` to +open the export menu. This menu will show all options and ask you to select an +option. If you want to export to HTML, simply press `h` and then `H` (As HTML +buffer), `h` (As HTML file), or `o` (As HTML file and open). + +#### Projects + +Some publishing options are easier with a defined project in Emacs. To create a +project within Emacs, I use two methods: + +1. Add the project via the projectile command `SPC p a`. Does not always work + for me. +2. Add an empty `.projectile` file in the project root. + +Once a project has been created, you can create custom publishing actions within +your `~/.doom.d/config.el` file. For example, here's a test project I created to +try and convert this blog to org-mode recently. + +```lisp ;; org-publish (require 'ox-publish) + +(defun my/org-sitemap-date-entry-format (entry style project) "Format ENTRY in + org-publish PROJECT Sitemap format ENTRY ENTRY STYLE format that includes + date." (let ((filename (org-publish-find-title entry project))) (if (= (length + filename) 0) (format "*%s*" entry) (format "{{{timestamp(%s)}}} + [[file:%s][%s]]" (format-time-string "%Y-%m-%d" (org-publish-find-date entry + project)) entry filename)))) + +(setq org-export-global-macros '(("timestamp" . "@@html:<time datetime='[$1]' + class='timestamp'>[$1]</time>@@"))) + +(setq org-publish-project-alist + `(("blog" + :base-directory "~/Source/cleberg.net/" + :base-extension "org" + :recursive t + :publishing-directory "~/Source/cleberg.net/public/" + :publishing-function org-html-publish-to-html + ;; HTML5 + :html-doctype "html5" + :html-html5-fancy t + ;; Disable some Org's HTML defaults + :html-head-include-scripts nil + :html-head-include-default-style nil + :section-numbers nil + :with-title nil + ;; Sitemap + :auto-sitemap t + :sitemap-title: "Sitemap" + :sitemap-sort-files anti-chronologically + ; :sitemap-function my/org-sitemap-date-entry-format + ;; Customize HTML output + :html-divs ((preamble "header" "preamble") + (content "main" "content") + (postamble "footer" "postamble")) + :html-head "<meta name='theme-color' content='#111' media='(prefers-color-scheme: dark)'> + <meta name='theme-color' content='#fff' media='(prefers-color-scheme: light)'> + <link rel='stylesheet' href='/syntax-theme-dark.css' media='(prefers-color-scheme: dark)'> + <link rel='stylesheet' href='/syntax-theme-light.css' media='(prefers-color-scheme: light)'> + <link rel='stylesheet' href='/styles.css' type='text/css'>" + :html-preamble "<nav class='site-nav' aria-label='site-nav' role='navigation'> + <ul> + <li><a href='/'>Home</a></li> + <li><a href='/blog/'>Blog</a></li> + <li><a href='/services/'>Services</a></li> + <li><a href='/wiki/'>Wiki</a></li> + </ul></nav> + <h1>%t</h1> + <time datetime='%d'>%d</time>" + :html-postamble " + <p>Last build: %T</p> + <p>Created with %c</p>" + ) + + ("static" + :base-directory "~/Source/cleberg.net/static/" + :base-extension "css\\|txt\\|jpg\\|gif\\|png" + :recursive t + :publishing-directory "~/Source/cleberg.net/public/" + :publishing-function org-publish-attachment) + + ("cleberg.net" :components ("blog" "static")))) +``` + +## General Thoughts + +I have enjoyed Doom Emacs (far more than GNU Emacs) and will likely continue to +use it as my main editor for the time being. Org-Mode is certainly the largest +factor here, as I far prefer it over Markdown due to its inherent features and +detailed markup options. However, working with org-mode on iOS has been a pain +and I will have to see if there's an easier way to resolve those issues or if +going back to separate Markdown, Reminders, and Calendar apps is easier to work +with than an all-in-one org solution.