Basic orgmode tutorial

Basic orgmode tutorial

[Alexander Poslavsky]

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Hello,

lately there is some talk about a basic org-mode tutorial. Something simpler then the documentation, that will help a person new to emacs and org-mode start using org. I would like to put the following on worg, if people would think something like this would fit the bill. What do you think? If the response is positive then I would add more chapters to it.

greetings,

alex


[-- Attachment #2: org4beginners.org --]
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#+TITLE: Org-mode tutorial
#+OPTIONS: toc:nil

  Org-mode, as the it says on the [[http://orgmode.org/ ][official web page]] is for keeping notes,
  maintaining ToDo lists, doing project planning, and authoring with a
  fast and effective plain-text system. Beginning with Emacs 22.2 and
  XEmacs 22.1 it has been part of Emacs. The following is a simple
  tutorial to help you get started using Emacs and org-mode.

* The absolute minimum you need to know about Emacs 

  The absolute minimum you need to know about Emacs, to be able to do
  /anything/, is more then you need to know about many other
  applications. But, you might compare it to a regular toy and
  lego. Lego is harder to begin with (you start with a box with little
  plastic pieces), but in the long run, you can do more with it.

  Emacs is heavy on shortcuts. starting out, that is rather
  annoying, but in time you'll notice you start to use the mouse less
  and less, and you actually start to work quicker.

  All the basic things can be done, with the mouse, from the menu,
  open file, save file , etc. You will notice, however, that in time it
  is faster to use shortcuts, and leave your hands on the keyboard.

  Emacs uses a lot of double shortcuts, so instead of Alt-F and
  Alt-S, like most applications, it uses *Control-X Control-F* and
  *Control-X Control-S*, this seems rather counter-productive in the
  beginning, but you'll get used to it.

  *Note:* Key abbreviations:
  - *M* - Alt (used to be called Meta on ancient keyboards, that's why)
  - *C* - Control
  - *S* - Shift
  - *C-x f* - means holding both Control /and/ x, then release Control
    and press f

**  What version of Emacs should you choose?

    If it is all the same to you, then choose Emacs over XEmacs (if
    you disagree then you know already enough to skip this
    paragraph). Here are some links to help:
    - [[http://aquamacs.org/][Aquamacs: Emacs for Mac OS X]] (my favourite)
    - [[http://homepage.mac.com/zenitani/emacs-e.html][Carbon Emacs for OSX]]
    - [[http://Emacsformacosx.com/][Regular Emacs for OS X]]
    - [[http://ftp.gnu.org/gnu/windows/Emacs/][Emacs for MS Windows]]
    On Linux, just use your package manager to install Emacs. On Debian:
#+BEGIN_SRC bash
sudo apt-get install emacs
#+END_SRC

** Configuration

   The biggest pain, when you just begin with Emacs, is the
   configuration. There is not really a menu for it (you might later
   hear there is, but they are lying, that menu is really there to
   trap innocent people), you need to edit a text-file. The location
   of that config-file (and even the name) is different on different
   OSes, but the text in it is mostly the same, across platforms. Many
   people actually use the same config-file on different OSes and even
   over many years, so in the long run, it is for the best!

   Location of the configuration file:
   - Aquamacs: ~/Library/Preferences/Aquamacs Emacs/Preferences.el
   - Regular emacs on Linux or OS X: ~/.emacs
   - On Windows: c:\emacs\.emacs.d\init.txt
     ([[http://www.claremontmckenna.edu/math/alee/emacs/emacs.html][according to this example installation]])
* Starting org-mode
  New shortcuts used in this chapter:
  - *C-x b* - switch to document (buffer)
  - *C-x s* - save document
  - *C-x f* - open document
** Our first org-mode document
   By now, we know enough to start our first org-mode document. Start
   up Emacs. If you have a completely new Emacs install, then you
   should see the Emacs splash-screen. It has a couple of shortcuts,
   to the Emacs tutorial and some other documents, but for now, we
   don't need any of that.

   To start a new document, use the following short-cut: *C-x b*,
   which will offer you to open another document (or buffer as it is
   called in Emacs), type *1.org*. This will give you a brand-new,
   empty document.
  
   To save the document, either press the save icon, or press *C-x s*,
   call it 1.org.

   Emacs does not actually understand you are editing an org-mode
   document, yet. To enable org-mode on your current document, type  
   : M-x org-mode
   Which will enable the org-mode on the current document.

   To make Emacs understand that this is an org-mode document, when it
   opens up the document, add the following to the top of your document:
#+BEGIN_SRC org
# -*- mode: org -*- 
#+END_SRC
   Those are minuses, /not/ underscores.

   This will enable org-mode for this document, no matter what the
   file-ending is.

   To enable org-mode to always work on all your org-files, you have
   to edit your Emacs configuration, we do that in the following paragraph.
** Our first edit to our Emacs configuration

   Open your Emacs configuration file (see [[Configuration]]), to open it
   in Emacs, use *C-x f* (open file), and put the following in it:

#+BEGIN_SRC elisp
;; -*- mode: elisp -*-

;;disable the splash screen (to enable it agin, replace the t with 0)
(setq inhibit-splash-screen t)

;;enable syntax highlighting
(global-font-lock-mode t)

;;;;org-mode configuration
;;enable org-mode
(require 'org)
;;make org-mode work with files ending in .org
(add-to-list 'auto-mode-alist '("\\.org$" . org-mode))
#+END_SRC

  Restart Emacs.
* Keep track of lists and notes
  New shortcuts used in this chapter:
  - *TAB* / *S-TAB* - (un)fold
  - *M-up/down* - move a headline up or down
  - *M-left/right* - promote or demote a headline
  - *M-RET* - insert a new headline
  - *C-x s* - save file
  - *C-h t* - Emacs tutorial

  Now that we have configured Emacs to work with org-mode document, we
  can actually start using it. Let's begin with an outline that will
  help us get to know org-mode. Start a new document (*C-x b), call it
  2.org, and copy and paste the following in it:
#+BEGIN_SRC org
 #-*- mode: org -*-
 #+STARTUP: showall

 * Welcome to org-mode

   Welcome, and thanks for trying out Org-mode. Making outlines in
   org is very simple. It is just text! Just start typing.
 * This is a headline, it starts with one or more stars
   A heading has one star, a sub-heading two, etc.
 * Working with lists
 ** Moving around in our outline
 ** Moving around headlines
#+END_SRC
   Save the file (*C-x s*) as 1.org, and you will notice that the
   colors change, syntax highlighting is turned on, and Emacs
   understands you are working in org-mode.

   Now, let's really start working with org-mode!
** Working with lists
   List are great for brainstorming and to keep track of things. Also
   it helps keeping the big picture in mind when taking notes.

   The first thing we will do is folding, especially when you have a
   long document, this is very useful. In our example document, go to
   the first headline (just use the arrow keys), *Welcome to
   org-mode*, end press *TAB*, and now press *S-TAB*. *Tab* will fold
   and unfold parts or, using shift, the whole document. 

   The basic idea of brainstorming is to write a list of items. Then,
   later, you might want to change the order of your items, for
   example in order of importance. To move a headline up or down, use
   *M-up/down*, try it on any of the headlines. Notice that your list
   folds in, showing only headings, to give a general overview of
   the document, and you don't get lost in the details.

   Next we will promote and demote headings. For example you might
   make *This is a headline, it starts with one or more stars*, a
   sub-heading of *Working with lists*, moving it down, and then using
   *M-right* to demote it.

   Last, to add a new headline, press *M-RET*.
** Working with notes
   To keep notes, there is some markup to make things stand out a bit
   more. You can use the following markup:

   : You can make words *bold*, /italic/, _underlined_, =code= and ~verbatim~, and, if you must, +strike-through+.

   It will look like this:

  You can make words *bold*, /italic/, _underlined_, =code= and
  ~verbatim~, and, if you must, +strike-through+.
   
   If you like what you see so far, the it might be a good idea to do
   the Emacs tutorial, that comes with Emacs itself (*C-h t*). The
   tutorial will teach you some Emacs shortcuts, used to move around
   in your documents.
   
* Working with todo items
  New shortcuts used in this chapter:
  - *S-left/right* - cycle workflow
  - *C-c C-v* - show todos in current document
** Basic todo functionality
   The biggest use-case of org-mode is using it to keep track of
   todos. To start working with todos you don't have to do anything,
   just add the TODO keyword in a headline:
#+BEGIN_SRC org
 ** TODO buy airplane
#+END_SRC
  To speed up working with todo-list there is the following shortcut,
  - *S-left/right*
  which will cycle through: *TODO* - *DONE* and empty.

  Imagine that you have a large document, with scattered all over the
  document todo entries, *C-c C-v* will show only your current todos,
  and folding the rest away.
** Configuring todos
*** In the file itself
    Org-mode files can be configured by adding workflow states to the
    beginning of the file, like so:
#+BEGIN_SRC org
#+TODO: TODO IN-PROGRESS WAITING DONE
#+END_SRC
    The line shoud be at the top of file, there should /not/ be any
    empty lines between the top and the #+TODO line.

    To activate the new workflow, either reopen the file, or go to the
    top of the file (any line starting with #) and press *C-c C-c*.

    Try copying the workflow to your test-file 1.org, seeing it helps
    understanding what you can do with it.
*** In the Emacs-config file
    Adding the workflow states to every org-file you create gets
    boring soon, so it also possible to do this in your config
    file. Add the following /after/ the (require 'org) line:
#+BEGIN_SRC lisp
     (setq org-todo-keywords
       '((sequence "TODO" "IN-PROGRESS" "WAITING" "DONE")))
#+END_SRC
    To activate the workflow states, restart Emacs.

* Agendas
* Reading the org-mode documentation
  Org-mode is well documented. The fastest way to read the org-mode
  documentation right in Emacs, in the so-called info-browser.
  
  to call the info browser, use *C-h i*, and use *TAB* to jump from
  hyperlink, to hyperlink.

  To move around in the info-browser use:
  - u -- up
  - n -- next
  - p -- previous


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Re: Basic orgmode tutorial

[Adam]

On Tuesday 23 March 2010 06:59 am, Alexander Poslavsky wrote:
> Hello,
>
> lately there is some talk about a basic org-mode tutorial. Something
> simpler then the documentation, that will help a person new to emacs and
> org-mode start using org. I would like to put the following on worg, if
> people would think something like this would fit the bill. What do you
> think? If the response is positive then I would add more chapters to it.
>
> greetings,
>
> alex

Timely, Alex.  The learning curve is a little steep for some of us 
org-mode newbies. Have been through the FAQ but its the basics, 
and interaction with diary, and calendar, and a few other things.   

I'll take a look and maybe get back with thoughts. Thanks.   

Re: Basic orgmode tutorial

[John Hendy]

[-- Attachment #1.1: Type: text/plain, Size: 1371 bytes --]

I'll also take a look and see what I think. Just been using org-mode and
learning for about a week. Thanks for your efforts on this! While some have
pointed out that org-mode may never be for a 'beginner', I still think
allowing others to have the best chance possible to evaluate it and at least
give it a shot is great.


John

On Mon, Mar 22, 2010 at 3:09 PM, Adam <ahcnz@ihug.co.nz> wrote:

> On Tuesday 23 March 2010 06:59 am, Alexander Poslavsky wrote:
> > Hello,
> >
> > lately there is some talk about a basic org-mode tutorial. Something
> > simpler then the documentation, that will help a person new to emacs and
> > org-mode start using org. I would like to put the following on worg, if
> > people would think something like this would fit the bill. What do you
> > think? If the response is positive then I would add more chapters to it.
> >
> > greetings,
> >
> > alex
>
> Timely, Alex.  The learning curve is a little steep for some of us
> org-mode newbies. Have been through the FAQ but its the basics,
> and interaction with diary, and calendar, and a few other things.
>
> I'll take a look and maybe get back with thoughts. Thanks.
>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> Emacs-orgmode mailing list
> Please use `Reply All' to send replies to the list.
> Emacs-orgmode@gnu.org
> http://lists.gnu.org/mailman/listinfo/emacs-orgmode
>

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Emacs-orgmode mailing list
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Re: Basic orgmode tutorial

[Alexander Poslavsky]

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Hi!

On Mar 22, 2010, at 9:51 PM, John Hendy wrote:

> I'll also take a look and see what I think. Just been using org-mode and learning for about a week. Thanks for your efforts on this! While some have pointed out that org-mode may never be for a 'beginner', I still think allowing others to have the best chance possible to evaluate it and at least give it a shot is great.
<snip>
thanks!

attached is an updated version of the file, added agenda and some lines on gtd and exporting.

Thanks for reading,
alex


[-- Attachment #2: org4beginners.org --]
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#+TITLE: Org-mode tutorial
#+OPTIONS: toc:nil

  Org-mode, as the it says on the [[http://orgmode.org/ ][official web page]] is for keeping notes,
  maintaining ToDo lists, doing project planning, and authoring with a
  fast and effective plain-text system. Beginning with Emacs 22.2 and
  XEmacs 22.1 it has been part of Emacs. The following is a simple
  tutorial to help you get started using Emacs and org-mode.

* The absolute minimum you need to know about Emacs 
  The absolute minimum you need to know about Emacs, to be able to do
  /anything/, is more then you need to know about many other
  applications. But, you might compare it to a regular toy and
  lego. Lego is harder to begin with (you start with a box with little
  plastic pieces), but in the long run, you can do more with it.

  Emacs is heavy on shortcuts. starting out, that is rather
  annoying, but in time you'll notice you start to use the mouse less
  and less, and you actually start to work quicker.

  All the basic things can be done, with the mouse, from the menu,
  open file, save file , etc. You will notice, however, that in time it
  is faster to use shortcuts, and leave your hands on the keyboard.

  Emacs uses a lot of double shortcuts, so instead of Alt-F and
  Alt-S, like most applications, it uses *Control-X Control-F* and
  *Control-X Control-S*, this seems rather counter-productive in the
  beginning, but you'll get used to it.

  *Note:* Key abbreviations:
  - *M* -- Alt (used to be called Meta on ancient keyboards, that's why)
  - *C* -- Control
  - *S* -- Shift
  - *C-x f* -- means holding both Control /and/ x, then release Control
    and press f

**  What version of Emacs should you choose?
    If it is all the same to you, then choose Emacs over XEmacs (if
    you disagree then you know already enough to skip this
    paragraph). Here are some links to help:
    - [[http://aquamacs.org/][Aquamacs: Emacs for Mac OS X]] (my favourite)
    - [[http://homepage.mac.com/zenitani/emacs-e.html][Carbon Emacs for OSX]]
    - [[http://Emacsformacosx.com/][Regular Emacs for OS X]]
    - [[http://ftp.gnu.org/gnu/windows/Emacs/][Emacs for MS Windows]]
    On Linux, just use your package manager to install Emacs. On Debian:
#+BEGIN_SRC bash
sudo apt-get install emacs
#+END_SRC

** Configuration

   The biggest pain, when you just begin with Emacs, is the
   configuration. There is not really a menu for it (you might later
   hear there is, but they are lying, that menu is really there to
   trap innocent people), you need to edit a text-file. The location
   of that config-file (and even the name) is different on different
   OSes, but the text in it is mostly the same, across platforms. Many
   people actually use the same config-file on different OSes and even
   over many years, so in the long run, it is for the best!

   Location of the configuration file:
   - Aquamacs: ~/Library/Preferences/Aquamacs Emacs/Preferences.el
   - Regular emacs on Linux or OS X: ~/.emacs
   - On Windows: c:\emacs\.emacs.d\init.txt
     ([[http://www.claremontmckenna.edu/math/alee/emacs/emacs.html][according to this example installation]])
* Starting org-mode
  New shortcuts used in this chapter:
  - *C-x b* -- switch to document (buffer)
  - *C-x s* -- save document
  - *C-x f* -- open document
** Our first org-mode document
   By now, we know enough to start our first org-mode document. Start
   up Emacs. If you have a completely new Emacs install, then you
   should see the Emacs splash-screen. It has a couple of shortcuts,
   to the Emacs tutorial and some other documents, but for now, we
   don't need any of that.

   To start a new document, use the following short-cut: *C-x b*,
   which will offer you to open another document (or buffer as it is
   called in Emacs), type *1.org*. This will give you a brand-new,
   empty document.
  
   To save the document, either press the save icon, or press *C-x s*,
   call it 1.org.

   Emacs does not actually understand you are editing an org-mode
   document, yet. To enable org-mode on your current document, type  
   : M-x org-mode
   Which will enable the org-mode on the current document.

   To make Emacs understand that this is an org-mode document, when it
   opens up the document, add the following to the top of your document:
#+BEGIN_SRC org
# -*- mode: org -*- 
#+END_SRC
   Those are minuses, /not/ underscores.

   This will enable org-mode for this document, no matter what the
   file-ending is.

   To enable org-mode to always work on all your org-files, you have
   to edit your Emacs configuration, we do that in the following paragraph.
** Our first edit to our Emacs configuration

   Open your Emacs configuration file (see [[Configuration]]), to open it
   in Emacs, use *C-x f* (open file), and put the following in it:

#+BEGIN_SRC elisp
;; -*- mode: elisp -*-

;;disable the splash screen (to enable it agin, replace the t with 0)
(setq inhibit-splash-screen t)

;;enable syntax highlighting
(global-font-lock-mode t)

;;;;org-mode configuration
;;enable org-mode
(require 'org)
;;make org-mode work with files ending in .org
(add-to-list 'auto-mode-alist '("\\.org$" . org-mode))
#+END_SRC

  Restart Emacs.
* Keep track of lists and notes
  New shortcuts used in this chapter:
  - *TAB* / *S-TAB* -- (un)fold
  - *M-up/down* -- move a headline up or down
  - *M-left/right* -- promote or demote a headline
  - *M-RET* -- insert a new headline
  - *C-x s* -- save file
  - *C-h t* -- Emacs tutorial

  Now that we have configured Emacs to work with org-mode document, we
  can actually start using it. Let's begin with an outline that will
  help us get to know org-mode. Start a new document (*C-x b), call it
  2.org, and copy and paste the following in it:
#+BEGIN_SRC org
 #-*- mode: org -*-
 #+STARTUP: showall

 * Welcome to org-mode

   Welcome, and thanks for trying out Org-mode. Making outlines in
   org is very simple. It is just text! Just start typing.
 * This is a headline, it starts with one or more stars
   A heading has one star, a sub-heading two, etc.
 * Working with lists
 ** Moving around in our outline
 ** Moving around headlines
#+END_SRC
   Save the file (*C-x s*) as 1.org, and you will notice that the
   colors change, syntax highlighting is turned on, and Emacs
   understands you are working in org-mode.

   Now, let's really start working with org-mode!
** Working with lists
   List are great for brainstorming and to keep track of things. Also
   it helps keeping the big picture in mind when taking notes.

   The first thing we will do is folding, especially when you have a
   long document, this is very useful. In our example document, go to
   the first headline (just use the arrow keys), *Welcome to
   org-mode*, end press *TAB*, and now press *S-TAB*. *Tab* will fold
   and unfold parts or, using shift, the whole document. 

   The basic idea of brainstorming is to write a list of items. Then,
   later, you might want to change the order of your items, for
   example in order of importance. To move a headline up or down, use
   *M-up/down*, try it on any of the headlines. Notice that your list
   folds in, showing only headings, to give a general overview of
   the document, and you don't get lost in the details.

   Next we will promote and demote headings. For example you might
   make *This is a headline, it starts with one or more stars*, a
   sub-heading of *Working with lists*, moving it down, and then using
   *M-right* to demote it.

   Finally, to add a new headline, press *M-RET*.

   Besides headlines there are still other kind of lists, ordered and
   unordered lists. These are made like so:

#+BEGIN_SRC org
     ** Lord of the Rings
        My favorite scenes are (in this order)
        1. The attack of the Rohirrim
        2. Eowyn's fight with the witch king
           + this was already my favorite scene in the book
           + I really like Miranda Otto.
        3. Peter Jackson being shot by Legolas
            - on DVD only
           He makes a really funny face when it happens.
        But in the end, no individual scenes matter but the film as a whole.
        Important actors in this film are:
        - Elijah Wood :: He plays Frodo
        - Sean Austin :: He plays Sam, Frodo's friend.  I still remember
          him very well from his role as Mikey Walsh in The Goonies.
#+END_SRC

   Ordered lists start with -,+,or \*. Ordered lists start with a
   number and a dot. Descriptions use ::. 
** Working with notes
   To keep notes, there is some markup to make things stand out a bit
   more. You can use the following markup:

   : You can make words *bold*, /italic/, _underlined_, =code= and ~verbatim~, and, if you must, +strike-through+.

   It will look like this:

  You can make words *bold*, /italic/, _underlined_, =code= and
  ~verbatim~, and, if you must, +strike-through+.
   
   If you like what you see so far, the it might be a good idea to do
   the Emacs tutorial, that comes with Emacs itself (*C-h t*). The
   tutorial will teach you some Emacs shortcuts, used to move around
   in your documents.
* Working with todo items
  New shortcuts used in this chapter:
  - *S-left/right* -- cycle workflow
  - *C-c C-v* -- show todos in current document
** Basic todo functionality
   The biggest use-case of org-mode is using it to keep track of
   todos. To start working with todos you don't have to do anything,
   just add the TODO keyword in a headline:
#+BEGIN_SRC org
 ** TODO buy airplane
#+END_SRC
  To speed up working with todo-list there is the following shortcut,
  - *S-left/right*
  which will cycle through: *TODO* - *DONE* and empty.

  Imagine that you have a large document, with scattered all over the
  document todo entries, *C-c C-v* will show only your current todos,
  and folding the rest away.
** Configuring todos
*** In the file itself
    Org-mode files can be configured by adding workflow states to the
    beginning of the file, like so:
#+BEGIN_SRC org
#+TODO: TODO IN-PROGRESS WAITING DONE
#+END_SRC
    The line shoud be at the top of file, there should /not/ be any
    empty lines between the top and the #+TODO line.

    To activate the new workflow, either reopen the file, or go to the
    top of the file (any line starting with #) and press *C-c C-c*.

    Try copying the workflow to your test-file 1.org, seeing it helps
    understanding what you can do with it.
*** In the Emacs-config file
    Adding the workflow states to every org-file you create gets
    boring soon, so it also possible to do this in your config
    file. Add the following /after/ the (require 'org) line:
#+BEGIN_SRC lisp
     (setq org-todo-keywords
       '((sequence "TODO" "IN-PROGRESS" "WAITING" "DONE")))
#+END_SRC
    To activate the workflow states, restart Emacs.
* Agendas
  Shortcuts used in this chapter:
  - *C-c a* -- agenda
  - *C-c [* -- add document to the list of agenda files
  - *C-c ]* -- remove document from the list of agenda files
  - C-c .* -- add date
  - *C-u C-c .* -- add time and date
  - *C-g* -- stop doing what you are trying to do, escape

  The basic meaning of the word agenda is /things to be done/, coming
  from the latin /agendum/. Org-mode is very good in making different
  kind of agendas, or task-lists, collecting all the tasks from one or
  more org-documents.
** Creating lists of all active todos
   We will start with using 1.org as our basic agenda-file, later we
   will see how this works in the Emacs-config file.

   So, again, visit 1.org. Next press *C-c a*, which calls the
   agenda. It looks like this:
#+BEGIN_EXAMPLE
Press key for an agenda command
-------------------------------
a Agenda for the current week or day
t List of all TODO entries
#+END_EXAMPLE
   and then some more.

   Unfortunately, both will show just empty lists (you can try if you
   want). So just press *C-g* (the Emacs version of escape). Next we
   will add 1.org as agenda file, using *C-c [*. Now if you go to the
   agenda menu (*C-c a*), and press *t* you get a list off all your todo items. 
   
   You will also notice that, if you have added a more comprehensive
   workflow, as explained in [[working with todo items]], all items are
   listed, except DONE.

   This can be repeated for as many documents as you want, and agenda
   will give you a complete list of todos. If you want to remove a
   documents from the list of agenda files, press *C-c ]*.
** Appointments and deadlines
   When a task is time related, then we usually put it in our
   calendar. This can also be done in org-mode. And agenda can then
   show us a time-based list of all our todos. This is done in the
   following way.

   In 1.org, add a new (sub-)heading called: /Call fred/ (*M-RET*Call
   fred), but at the end press *C-c .*. This will give you, at the
   bottom of the screen, the date chooser. You can either type
   something by hand, or use *S-left/right* to change the date. If you
   want to add a time as well, use *C-u C-c .* instead of *C-c .*.

   Now, if you go to the agenda (*C-c a*) and press *a*, you get an
   agenda entry!
** Configuring the agenda in the Emacs configuration file
   If you open up your emacs configuration file, after you have used
   *C-c [*, you will see the following:
#+BEGIN_SRC emacs-lisp -n -r
(custom-set-variables
  ;; custom-set-variables was added by Custom.
  ;; If you edit it by hand, you could mess it up, so be careful.
  ;; Your init file should contain only one such instance.
  ;; If there is more than one, they won't work right.
 '(org-agenda-files (quote ("~/Documents/Projects/org4beginners/2.org"
 "~/Documents/Projects/org4beginners/1.org"))))
(custom-set-faces
  ;; custom-set-faces was added by Custom.
  ;; If you edit it by hand, you could mess it up, so be careful.
  ;; Your init file should contain only one such instance.
  ;; If there is more than one, they won't work right.
 )
#+END_SRC
   Welcome to the world of Emacs lisp. This is what it looks like if
   Emacs changes your config file. (*Note:* on Aquamacs, this is in a
   seperate file called customizations.el)

   For us, the important part is in the middle (lines 5 and 6), the line with
   /org-agenda-files/. There we see the list of files agenda uses to
   create it's lists. For now we can just leave it there, but at least
   you know what it is, when you later look at your config-file.
* GTD
  Shortcuts used in this chapter:
  - *C-c C-c* -- add tag
  /Getting things done/, is one of the most popular ways to organize
  oneself, with 4.3 miljon hits on Google. It is quite possible to use
  the same kind of setup in org mode, using tags.

  Tags are used to organize different kind of todo-entries, for
  example all tasks on the phone, reading, shopping, etc.

  To add tags, add the following to the top your document:

#+BEGIN_SRC org
 #+TAGS: { @OFFICE(o) @HOME(h) } COMPUTER(c) PHONE(p) READING(r) 
#+END_SRC

  Reload the document, or press *C-c C-c* on a line starting with #.

  Now it is possible to add one or more tags, to any line in your
  document. If we press *C-c C-c*, the following will pop up:
#+BEGIN_EXAMPLE
Inherited:
Current:
{ [o] @OFFICE     [h] @HOME    }
  [C] COMPUTER   [p] PHONE   [r] READING
#+END_EXAMPLE
  These are the shortcuts we defined at the beginning of our
  document. The first two tags (OFFICE and HOME) are mutually
  exclusive, the rest can just be added.

  A very good example of a GTD setup is: [[http://members.optusnet.com.au/~charles57/GTD/gtd_workflow.html][How I use Emacs and Org-mode to implement GTD]]
** Adding tags to the Emacs config-file
   To add tags to the Emacs config-file, so it is available to al your
   documents, add the following.
#+BEGIN_SRC emacs-lisp
      (setq org-tag-alist '(("@work" . ?w) ("@home" . ?h) ("laptop" . ?l)))
#+END_SRC
   To set mutually exclusive groups, like the previous example, see
   [[http://orgmode.org/org.html#Setting-tags][here]] in the manual.

   It is always possible to override your settings by adding something
   else to the top of the document. This way every document can have
   it's own workflow and/or tags.
* Export
  Shortcuts used in this chapter:
  - *C-c C-e* -- export menu

  Working with org-mode documents is usually fine, but sometimes you
  might want to export your documents to another format.

  To export the current document to for example html, press *C-c C-e*,
  and then *b*. This will export the document and open the new
  document in your browser.
* Reading the org-mode documentation
  Org-mode is well documented. The fastest way to read the org-mode
  documentation right in Emacs, in the so-called info-browser.
  
  to call the info browser, use *C-h i*, and use *TAB* to jump from
  hyperlink, to hyperlink.

  To move around in the info-browser use:
  - u -- up
  - n -- next
  - p -- previous


[-- Attachment #3: Type: text/plain, Size: 201 bytes --]

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Re: Basic orgmode tutorial

[Dan Davison]

Alexander Poslavsky <alexander.poslavsky@gmail.com> writes:

> Hi!
>
> On Mar 22, 2010, at 9:51 PM, John Hendy wrote:
>
>> I'll also take a look and see what I think. Just been using org-mode and learning for about a week. Thanks for your efforts on this! While some have pointed out that org-mode may never be for a 'beginner', I still think allowing others to have the best chance possible to evaluate it and at least give it a shot is great.
> <snip>
> thanks!
>
> attached is an updated version of the file, added agenda and some lines on gtd and exporting.

Hi Alex,

Please do put the tutorial on Worg (in the org-tutorials dir) for easy
updating and editing. One change I was going to suggest is to

  - *C-x f* -- means holding both Control /and/ x, then release Control
    and press f

as when I follow that literally I get

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxf

:)

Dan

>
> Thanks for reading,
> alex
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> Emacs-orgmode mailing list
> Please use `Reply All' to send replies to the list.
> Emacs-orgmode@gnu.org
> http://lists.gnu.org/mailman/listinfo/emacs-orgmode

Re: Basic orgmode tutorial

[Memnon Anon]

Hi,
Alexander Poslavsky <alexander.poslavsky@gmail.com> writes:

> attached is an updated version of the file, added agenda and some lines on gtd and exporting.

I just read it and you did a great job so far; I will have a closer look
later again, sadly I am very busy right now :(.

Just one suggestion: I think it would be nice to have a "Further
Reading" Subsection at the end of each Section, containing links to the 
org manual pages, tutorials on this topic, FAQ Entries, screencasts,
whatever.

Tutorials are an excellent starting point, but they also great to look
up what you recently learned and are tinkering with. Lets say I read the
tutorial and tried the "Clocking". Then, suddenly, I realize I am not
sure how I can really integrate this feature into a workflow. First
thing I would do is return to my tutorial and reread the section.
If the limited information there [its a tutorial, it is by definition
limited], I would really appreciate a "Further Reading" Section, linking
e.g. to Bernt Hansens excellent infos on his clock usage, like:

* [[http://doc.norang.ca/org-mode.html#Clocking][Bernt Hansens extensive
    description Time Clocking: Usage, Customization, Workflow
    description.]]
* [[http://orgmode.org/manual/Clocking-work-time.html#Clocking-work-time][The
    orgmode Clocking Section]]
* [[http://orgmode.org/worg/org-tutorials/index.php#sec-3.3][Clock
    related Links on Worg]]

etc.

OTOH, this seems a bit redundant, given the fact that there is already
org-tutorials on worg. It might be more convenient to only have a link
to the proper sections on worg ...

> Thanks for reading,

Thanks for writing!

Memnon Anon

Re: Basic orgmode tutorial

[Richard Riley]

Memnon Anon <gegendosenfleisch@googlemail.com> writes:

> Hi,
> Alexander Poslavsky <alexander.poslavsky@gmail.com> writes:
>
>> attached is an updated version of the file, added agenda and some lines on gtd and exporting.
>
> I just read it and you did a great job so far; I will have a closer look
> later again, sadly I am very busy right now :(.
>
> Just one suggestion: I think it would be nice to have a "Further
> Reading" Subsection at the end of each Section, containing links to the 
> org manual pages, tutorials on this topic, FAQ Entries, screencasts,
> whatever.
>


Just an idle thought :-

Wouldn't it be great to have tutorial for org-mode .... in org-mode.

e.g lesson one is how to complete a TODO - ie complete the tutorial
element which describes how to complete a task ....

etc.

Would be pretty neat.

Re: Re: Basic orgmode tutorial

[Alexander Poslavsky]

On Mar 23, 2010, at 6:37 PM, Memnon Anon wrote:

> Hi,
> Alexander Poslavsky <alexander.poslavsky@gmail.com> writes:
> 
>> attached is an updated version of the file, added agenda and some lines on gtd and exporting.
> 
> I just read it and you did a great job so far; I will have a closer look
> later again, sadly I am very busy right now :(.
> 
> Just one suggestion: I think it would be nice to have a "Further
> Reading" Subsection at the end of each Section, containing links to the 
> org manual pages, tutorials on this topic, FAQ Entries, screencasts,
> whatever.
> 
> Tutorials are an excellent starting point, but they also great to look
> up what you recently learned and are tinkering with. Lets say I read the
> tutorial and tried the "Clocking". Then, suddenly, I realize I am not
> sure how I can really integrate this feature into a workflow. First
> thing I would do is return to my tutorial and reread the section.
> If the limited information there [its a tutorial, it is by definition
> limited], I would really appreciate a "Further Reading" Section, linking
> e.g. to Bernt Hansens excellent infos on his clock usage, like:
> 
> * [[http://doc.norang.ca/org-mode.html#Clocking][Bernt Hansens extensive
>   description Time Clocking: Usage, Customization, Workflow
>   description.]]
> * [[http://orgmode.org/manual/Clocking-work-time.html#Clocking-work-time][The
>   orgmode Clocking Section]]
> * [[http://orgmode.org/worg/org-tutorials/index.php#sec-3.3][Clock
>   related Links on Worg]]
> 
> etc.
> 
> OTOH, this seems a bit redundant, given the fact that there is already
> org-tutorials on worg. It might be more convenient to only have a link
> to the proper sections on worg …
<snip>
thanks, just added a bunch of links for further reading. Even if redundant, it still might ease the pain of learning.

,alex

Re: Basic orgmode tutorial

[Russell Adams]

The idea of a tutorial is great, but has anyone considered a
pre-configured out-of-the-box Org customized Emacs distribution?

I've had to help several new users get things like basic agenda, emacs
initialization, and remember templates setup and it seemed very
repetitive.

The Emacs learning curve really holds back Org adoption in that sense,
they can't just open Emacs and use Org immediately as anything other
than an outline editor.

Perhaps just a script to enact default customizations, that the
tutorial could then build upon?

Thanks.

On Mon, Mar 22, 2010 at 07:59:11PM +0100, Alexander Poslavsky wrote:
> Hello,
> 
> lately there is some talk about a basic org-mode tutorial. Something simpler then the documentation, that will help a person new to emacs and org-mode start using org. I would like to put the following on worg, if people would think something like this would fit the bill. What do you think? If the response is positive then I would add more chapters to it.
> 
> greetings,
> 
> alex
> 


> _______________________________________________
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> Please use `Reply All' to send replies to the list.
> Emacs-orgmode@gnu.org
> http://lists.gnu.org/mailman/listinfo/emacs-orgmode



------------------------------------------------------------------
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PGP Key ID:     0x1160DCB3           http://www.adamsinfoserv.com/

Fingerprint:    1723 D8CA 4280 1EC9 557F  66E8 1154 E018 1160 DCB3

Re: Basic orgmode tutorial

[Carsten Dominik]

Hi Russel,

this is also a valuable idea.  There are two avenues in this direction.

1. Make the org-mode defaults already set all this stuff up.

2. Offer a blind set of configurations and tell users,
    if you don' know nothing yet, use these.


In either case, what would the improved defaults be that
help beginners get a better start?

- Carsten

On Mar 23, 2010, at 11:07 PM, Russell Adams wrote:

> The idea of a tutorial is great, but has anyone considered a
> pre-configured out-of-the-box Org customized Emacs distribution?
>
> I've had to help several new users get things like basic agenda, emacs
> initialization, and remember templates setup and it seemed very
> repetitive.
>
> The Emacs learning curve really holds back Org adoption in that sense,
> they can't just open Emacs and use Org immediately as anything other
> than an outline editor.
>
> Perhaps just a script to enact default customizations, that the
> tutorial could then build upon?
>
> Thanks.
>
> On Mon, Mar 22, 2010 at 07:59:11PM +0100, Alexander Poslavsky wrote:
>> Hello,
>>
>> lately there is some talk about a basic org-mode tutorial.  
>> Something simpler then the documentation, that will help a person  
>> new to emacs and org-mode start using org. I would like to put the  
>> following on worg, if people would think something like this would  
>> fit the bill. What do you think? If the response is positive then I  
>> would add more chapters to it.
>>
>> greetings,
>>
>> alex
>>
>
>
>> _______________________________________________
>> Emacs-orgmode mailing list
>> Please use `Reply All' to send replies to the list.
>> Emacs-orgmode@gnu.org
>> http://lists.gnu.org/mailman/listinfo/emacs-orgmode
>
>
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------------
> Russell Adams                            RLAdams@AdamsInfoServ.com
>
> PGP Key ID:     0x1160DCB3           http://www.adamsinfoserv.com/
>
> Fingerprint:    1723 D8CA 4280 1EC9 557F  66E8 1154 E018 1160 DCB3
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> Emacs-orgmode mailing list
> Please use `Reply All' to send replies to the list.
> Emacs-orgmode@gnu.org
> http://lists.gnu.org/mailman/listinfo/emacs-orgmode

- Carsten

Re: Basic orgmode tutorial

[Russell Adams]

Carsten,

I discussed this with a few users off an on.

In the manual there are items required to setup org, keybindings, etc.

The idea would be to include:

 - An Agenda file, which loads by default
 - Init file which
   - Preconfigured keybindings
   - Remember keybinding for basic todo to agenda file
   - Configured auto-mode-alist
   - Recommended Global key maps

They are all basic items to an experienced emacs user, but a new user
doesn't understand why they have to go edit the config file and make
changes. Their emphasis is on they want to run "Org-mode", not "Emacs
with Org-mode".

Perhaps an install script which sets the file association for .org in
whatever OS they are installing to. Option icon to load straight to
agenda view...

Just a few idea that have been bantered around, I suspect all of those
could be performed with a script as opposed to redistributing emacs.

Thanks.


On Wed, Mar 24, 2010 at 11:52:41AM +0100, Carsten Dominik wrote:
> Hi Russel,
>
> this is also a valuable idea.  There are two avenues in this direction.
>
> 1. Make the org-mode defaults already set all this stuff up.
>
> 2. Offer a blind set of configurations and tell users,
>    if you don' know nothing yet, use these.
>
>
> In either case, what would the improved defaults be that
> help beginners get a better start?
>
> - Carsten
>
> On Mar 23, 2010, at 11:07 PM, Russell Adams wrote:
>
>> The idea of a tutorial is great, but has anyone considered a
>> pre-configured out-of-the-box Org customized Emacs distribution?
>>
>> I've had to help several new users get things like basic agenda, emacs
>> initialization, and remember templates setup and it seemed very
>> repetitive.
>>
>> The Emacs learning curve really holds back Org adoption in that sense,
>> they can't just open Emacs and use Org immediately as anything other
>> than an outline editor.
>>
>> Perhaps just a script to enact default customizations, that the
>> tutorial could then build upon?
>>
>> Thanks.
>>
>> On Mon, Mar 22, 2010 at 07:59:11PM +0100, Alexander Poslavsky wrote:
>>> Hello,
>>>
>>> lately there is some talk about a basic org-mode tutorial. Something 
>>> simpler then the documentation, that will help a person new to emacs 
>>> and org-mode start using org. I would like to put the following on 
>>> worg, if people would think something like this would fit the bill. 
>>> What do you think? If the response is positive then I would add more 
>>> chapters to it.
>>>
>>> greetings,
>>>
>>> alex
>>>
>>
>>
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> Emacs-orgmode mailing list
>>> Please use `Reply All' to send replies to the list.
>>> Emacs-orgmode@gnu.org
>>> http://lists.gnu.org/mailman/listinfo/emacs-orgmode
>>
>>
>>
>> ------------------------------------------------------------------
>> Russell Adams                            RLAdams@AdamsInfoServ.com
>>
>> PGP Key ID:     0x1160DCB3           http://www.adamsinfoserv.com/
>>
>> Fingerprint:    1723 D8CA 4280 1EC9 557F  66E8 1154 E018 1160 DCB3
>>
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> Emacs-orgmode mailing list
>> Please use `Reply All' to send replies to the list.
>> Emacs-orgmode@gnu.org
>> http://lists.gnu.org/mailman/listinfo/emacs-orgmode
>
> - Carsten
>
>
>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> Emacs-orgmode mailing list
> Please use `Reply All' to send replies to the list.
> Emacs-orgmode@gnu.org
> http://lists.gnu.org/mailman/listinfo/emacs-orgmode
>


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Re: Basic orgmode tutorial

[Dan Davison]

Russell Adams <RLAdams@adamsinfoserv.com> writes:

> Carsten,
>
> I discussed this with a few users off an on.
>
> In the manual there are items required to setup org, keybindings, etc.
>
> The idea would be to include:
>
>  - An Agenda file, which loads by default
>  - Init file which
>    - Preconfigured keybindings
>    - Remember keybinding for basic todo to agenda file
>    - Configured auto-mode-alist
>    - Recommended Global key maps

I think this sort of approach, perhaps as part of an org-mode emacs
distribution, sounds like a very good idea.

>
> They are all basic items to an experienced emacs user, but a new user
> doesn't understand why they have to go edit the config file and make
> changes. Their emphasis is on they want to run "Org-mode", not "Emacs
> with Org-mode".

Yes, exactly. I want to counter some of the recent pessimism on this
topic. Org-mode is very attractive to people in its own right, and as it
happens it is implemented in emacs. I know one person who has used
org-mode constantly for a couple of years now, purely for the agenda and
todo lists, without ever aquiring any ability or interest in using emacs
per se. She knows the keys to change TODO states, set timestamps and
call up the agenda and that was all that was needed. Although only
scraping the surface of what org-mode can do, the fact that someone who
otherwise only uses MS Word and firefox is still using org-mode after
two years says something *extremely* positive about org-mode.

So I don't think it is true that org-mode is hard to learn, *once* it is
configured. And I don't think it's true that org-mode users have to know
anything about emacs. Certainly I don't think org-mode newbies should go
anywhere near the emacs tutorial (I don't use any of those navigation
commands, what on Earth's wrong with up, down, left, right, page down
etc?[3])

That also brings up the question of org-CUA-compatible -- would that be
set in this putative newbie org configuration?

Regarding the idea of an org-specific emacs distribution, the Emacs
Speaks Statistics (ESS) project is in a similar situation in that many
of its new users come to it not having used emacs previously. On their
download page[1], they link to an easy-to-set-up Emacs installation for
Windows and OS X maintained by Vincent Goulet[2] which is kept
up-to-date with the current version of ESS.

So what I am saying is that org-mode is sufficiently attractive that we
should expect non-emacs users to be attracted to it, and that we should
be optimistic about the ability of such people to start using
org-mode. And that yes, we need to work on the configuration for them.

Dan

Footnotes:

[1] http://ess.r-project.org/index.php?Section=download

[2] http://vgoulet.act.ulaval.ca/en/ressources/emacs/

[3] Maybe it makes more sense if you can touch type, something which is
common among college-educated people in the USA but not in the UK.

>
> Perhaps an install script which sets the file association for .org in
> whatever OS they are installing to. Option icon to load straight to
> agenda view...
>
> Just a few idea that have been bantered around, I suspect all of those
> could be performed with a script as opposed to redistributing emacs.
>
> Thanks.
>
>
> On Wed, Mar 24, 2010 at 11:52:41AM +0100, Carsten Dominik wrote:
>> Hi Russel,
>>
>> this is also a valuable idea.  There are two avenues in this direction.
>>
>> 1. Make the org-mode defaults already set all this stuff up.
>>
>> 2. Offer a blind set of configurations and tell users,
>>    if you don' know nothing yet, use these.
>>
>>
>> In either case, what would the improved defaults be that
>> help beginners get a better start?
>>
>> - Carsten
>>
>> On Mar 23, 2010, at 11:07 PM, Russell Adams wrote:
>>
>>> The idea of a tutorial is great, but has anyone considered a
>>> pre-configured out-of-the-box Org customized Emacs distribution?
>>>
>>> I've had to help several new users get things like basic agenda, emacs
>>> initialization, and remember templates setup and it seemed very
>>> repetitive.
>>>
>>> The Emacs learning curve really holds back Org adoption in that sense,
>>> they can't just open Emacs and use Org immediately as anything other
>>> than an outline editor.
>>>
>>> Perhaps just a script to enact default customizations, that the
>>> tutorial could then build upon?
>>>
>>> Thanks.
>>>
>>> On Mon, Mar 22, 2010 at 07:59:11PM +0100, Alexander Poslavsky wrote:
>>>> Hello,
>>>>
>>>> lately there is some talk about a basic org-mode tutorial. Something 
>>>> simpler then the documentation, that will help a person new to emacs 
>>>> and org-mode start using org. I would like to put the following on 
>>>> worg, if people would think something like this would fit the bill. 
>>>> What do you think? If the response is positive then I would add more 
>>>> chapters to it.
>>>>
>>>> greetings,
>>>>
>>>> alex
>>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>> Emacs-orgmode mailing list
>>>> Please use `Reply All' to send replies to the list.
>>>> Emacs-orgmode@gnu.org
>>>> http://lists.gnu.org/mailman/listinfo/emacs-orgmode
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> ------------------------------------------------------------------
>>> Russell Adams                            RLAdams@AdamsInfoServ.com
>>>
>>> PGP Key ID:     0x1160DCB3           http://www.adamsinfoserv.com/
>>>
>>> Fingerprint:    1723 D8CA 4280 1EC9 557F  66E8 1154 E018 1160 DCB3
>>>
>>>
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> Emacs-orgmode mailing list
>>> Please use `Reply All' to send replies to the list.
>>> Emacs-orgmode@gnu.org
>>> http://lists.gnu.org/mailman/listinfo/emacs-orgmode
>>
>> - Carsten
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> Emacs-orgmode mailing list
>> Please use `Reply All' to send replies to the list.
>> Emacs-orgmode@gnu.org
>> http://lists.gnu.org/mailman/listinfo/emacs-orgmode
>>
>
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------------
> Russell Adams                            RLAdams@AdamsInfoServ.com
>
> PGP Key ID:     0x1160DCB3           http://www.adamsinfoserv.com/
>
> Fingerprint:    1723 D8CA 4280 1EC9 557F  66E8 1154 E018 1160 DCB3
>
>
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> Please use `Reply All' to send replies to the list.
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> http://lists.gnu.org/mailman/listinfo/emacs-orgmode

Re: Basic orgmode tutorial

[Memnon Anon]

Dan Davison <davison@stats.ox.ac.uk> writes:

> Yes, exactly. I want to counter some of the recent pessimism on this
> topic. Org-mode is very attractive to people in its own right, and as it
> happens it is implemented in emacs. I know one person who has used
> org-mode constantly for a couple of years now, purely for the agenda and
> todo lists, without ever aquiring any ability or interest in using emacs
> per se. She knows the keys to change TODO states, set timestamps and
> call up the agenda and that was all that was needed. Although only
> scraping the surface of what org-mode can do, the fact that someone who
> otherwise only uses MS Word and firefox is still using org-mode after
> two years says something *extremely* positive about org-mode.
[...]
> That also brings up the question of org-CUA-compatible -- would that be
> set in this putative newbie org configuration?
[...]
> So what I am saying is that org-mode is sufficiently attractive that we
> should expect non-emacs users to be attracted to it, and that we should
> be optimistic about the ability of such people to start using
> org-mode. And that yes, we need to work on the configuration for them.

I recently installed emacs for a co-student of mine, just to give her 
the ability to have the outline. She struggled with organizing her notes
on her research (first semester ;), so I suggested to her to have a look
at the outline tools out there; after she tried some of the solutions
available, I finally showed her orgmode, and she really chose org.
Reason: Cleaner look, less clutter: Some of the menus in the other 
programs were overwhelming for her and org offered her exactly what she
wanted. She is a student with average computer/software knowledge: Watch
movies, use firefox, use openoffice. And thats it.

I will ask her for feedback, I haven't spoken to her lately.

One thing, however, I noticed at once: 
I installed for her the official emacs windows build, and the inconsistent
mouse usage was a problem. Inconsistent not in itself, just different to
what she learned and expects how mouse, copy and paste, selecting text
etc. works. It broke her pattern of usage, and it was interesting to
see, how confusing that is from an outside perspective. ;). 

I wish I had chosen Lennart Borgmanns Built, which, I guess - I am on
linux only, comes with a more sensible set of preconfigurations.

Memnon

...

P.S.: Crazy idea: Would it be possible to use the mouse to move
      Headlines like M-up/M-down does? I do not understand it, but again
      and again I see computerusers cherishing their beloved rodent.
      Even heavy computer users find it hard to remember keystrokes.
      Or they are just unwilling to invest the effort ... 

Re: Basic orgmode tutorial

[Stefan Vollmar]

Dear Dan,
dear Russell,
dear Carsten,

On 24.03.2010, at 20:07, Dan Davison wrote:

> Russell Adams <RLAdams@adamsinfoserv.com> writes:
> 
>> I discussed this with a few users off an on.
>> 
>> In the manual there are items required to setup org, keybindings, etc.
>> 
>> The idea would be to include:
>> 
>> - An Agenda file, which loads by default
>> - Init file which
>>   - Preconfigured keybindings
>>   - Remember keybinding for basic todo to agenda file
>>   - Configured auto-mode-alist
>>   - Recommended Global key maps
> 
> I think this sort of approach, perhaps as part of an org-mode emacs
> distribution, sounds like a very good idea.

I agree and I had in mind "distributions" for Windows and for MacOS X. Windows is not my favourite platform, however, this is also true for many users who have no choice. I have already played a little with the "official" GNU distribution over the last weeks: if one adds a recent Org-mode version (upgrading Org-mode on Windows is a bit of a pain and an efficient way to lose potential new users...) and (optionally) a standard Windows installer (we like http://nsis.sourceforge.net for our own projects), a little more "tweaking" will get you a long way towards a real out-of-the-box Org-mode on Windows.

There is also some work in progress on an Org-mode package for Aquamacs (MacOS X) here. The idea is that upgrading Aquamacs to the latest Org-mode release should be possible with a single click (or fairly few clicks anyway).

Both projects would benefit from and depend on suggestions on how to implement Russell's list. Let me emphasize that we have no ambition to create new "distributions" from scratch: I am quite confident that the existing Windows GNU version and Aquamacs will only need comparatively minor changes.

Once upon a time I would have found an approach involving "distributions" to upgrade only small portions of a large software package wasteful and inefficient. However, these days we have the bandwidth and, I feel, the advantages of potential new users outweigh the inelegance of this brute force method.

Any comments are welcome.
Warm regards,
 Stefan
-- 
Dr. Stefan Vollmar, Dipl.-Phys.
Head of IT group
Max-Planck-Institut für neurologische Forschung
Gleuelerstr. 50, 50931 Köln, Germany
Tel.: +49-221-4726-213  FAX +49-221-4726-298
Tel.: +49-221-478-5713  Mobile: 0160-93874279
Email: vollmar@nf.mpg.de   http://www.nf.mpg.de

Re: Re: Basic orgmode tutorial

[Carsten Dominik]

On Mar 24, 2010, at 9:49 PM, Memnon Anon wrote:

> Dan Davison <davison@stats.ox.ac.uk> writes:
>
>> Yes, exactly. I want to counter some of the recent pessimism on this
>> topic. Org-mode is very attractive to people in its own right, and  
>> as it
>> happens it is implemented in emacs. I know one person who has used
>> org-mode constantly for a couple of years now, purely for the  
>> agenda and
>> todo lists, without ever aquiring any ability or interest in using  
>> emacs
>> per se. She knows the keys to change TODO states, set timestamps and
>> call up the agenda and that was all that was needed. Although only
>> scraping the surface of what org-mode can do, the fact that someone  
>> who
>> otherwise only uses MS Word and firefox is still using org-mode after
>> two years says something *extremely* positive about org-mode.
> [...]
>> That also brings up the question of org-CUA-compatible -- would  
>> that be
>> set in this putative newbie org configuration?
> [...]
>> So what I am saying is that org-mode is sufficiently attractive  
>> that we
>> should expect non-emacs users to be attracted to it, and that we  
>> should
>> be optimistic about the ability of such people to start using
>> org-mode. And that yes, we need to work on the configuration for  
>> them.
>
> I recently installed emacs for a co-student of mine, just to give her
> the ability to have the outline. She struggled with organizing her  
> notes
> on her research (first semester ;), so I suggested to her to have a  
> look
> at the outline tools out there; after she tried some of the solutions
> available, I finally showed her orgmode, and she really chose org.
> Reason: Cleaner look, less clutter: Some of the menus in the other
> programs were overwhelming for her and org offered her exactly what  
> she
> wanted. She is a student with average computer/software knowledge:  
> Watch
> movies, use firefox, use openoffice. And thats it.
>
> I will ask her for feedback, I haven't spoken to her lately.
>
> One thing, however, I noticed at once:
> I installed for her the official emacs windows build, and the  
> inconsistent
> mouse usage was a problem. Inconsistent not in itself, just  
> different to
> what she learned and expects how mouse, copy and paste, selecting text
> etc. works. It broke her pattern of usage, and it was interesting to
> see, how confusing that is from an outside perspective. ;).
>
> I wish I had chosen Lennart Borgmanns Built, which, I guess - I am on
> linux only, comes with a more sensible set of preconfigurations.
>
> Memnon
>
> ...
>
> P.S.: Crazy idea: Would it be possible to use the mouse to move
>      Headlines like M-up/M-down does? I do not understand it, but  
> again
>      and again I see computerusers cherishing their beloved rodent.
>      Even heavy computer users find it hard to remember keystrokes.
>      Or they are just unwilling to invest the effort ...

I believe that org-mouse.el might have some limited support for this.

- Carsten

Re: Basic orgmode tutorial

[Thomas S. Dye]

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On Mar 24, 2010, at 7:18 AM, Russell Adams wrote:

> Carsten,
>
> I discussed this with a few users off an on.
>
> In the manual there are items required to setup org, keybindings, etc.
>
> The idea would be to include:
>
> - An Agenda file, which loads by default
> - Init file which
>   - Preconfigured keybindings
>   - Remember keybinding for basic todo to agenda file
>   - Configured auto-mode-alist
>   - Recommended Global key maps
>
> They are all basic items to an experienced emacs user, but a new user
> doesn't understand why they have to go edit the config file and make
> changes. Their emphasis is on they want to run "Org-mode", not "Emacs
> with Org-mode".
>
> Perhaps an install script which sets the file association for .org in
> whatever OS they are installing to. Option icon to load straight to
> agenda view...
>
> Just a few idea that have been bantered around, I suspect all of those
> could be performed with a script as opposed to redistributing emacs.
>
> Thanks.
>
>
> On Wed, Mar 24, 2010 at 11:52:41AM +0100, Carsten Dominik wrote:
>> Hi Russel,
>>
>> this is also a valuable idea.  There are two avenues in this  
>> direction.
>>
>> 1. Make the org-mode defaults already set all this stuff up.
>>
>> 2. Offer a blind set of configurations and tell users,
>>   if you don' know nothing yet, use these.
>>
>>
>> In either case, what would the improved defaults be that
>> help beginners get a better start?
>>
>> - Carsten
>>
>> On Mar 23, 2010, at 11:07 PM, Russell Adams wrote:
>>
>>> The idea of a tutorial is great, but has anyone considered a
>>> pre-configured out-of-the-box Org customized Emacs distribution?
>>>
>>> I've had to help several new users get things like basic agenda,  
>>> emacs
>>> initialization, and remember templates setup and it seemed very
>>> repetitive.
>>>
>>> The Emacs learning curve really holds back Org adoption in that  
>>> sense,
>>> they can't just open Emacs and use Org immediately as anything other
>>> than an outline editor.
>>>
>>> Perhaps just a script to enact default customizations, that the
>>> tutorial could then build upon?
>>>
>>> Thanks.
>>>
>>> On Mon, Mar 22, 2010 at 07:59:11PM +0100, Alexander Poslavsky wrote:
>>>> Hello,
>>>>
>>>> lately there is some talk about a basic org-mode tutorial.  
>>>> Something
>>>> simpler then the documentation, that will help a person new to  
>>>> emacs
>>>> and org-mode start using org. I would like to put the following on
>>>> worg, if people would think something like this would fit the bill.
>>>> What do you think? If the response is positive then I would add  
>>>> more
>>>> chapters to it.
>>>>
>>>> greetings,
>>>>
>>>> alex
>>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>> Emacs-orgmode mailing list
>>>> Please use `Reply All' to send replies to the list.
>>>> Emacs-orgmode@gnu.org
>>>> http://lists.gnu.org/mailman/listinfo/emacs-orgmode
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> ------------------------------------------------------------------
>>> Russell Adams                            RLAdams@AdamsInfoServ.com
>>>
>>> PGP Key ID:     0x1160DCB3           http://www.adamsinfoserv.com/
>>>
>>> Fingerprint:    1723 D8CA 4280 1EC9 557F  66E8 1154 E018 1160 DCB3
>>>
>>>
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> Emacs-orgmode mailing list
>>> Please use `Reply All' to send replies to the list.
>>> Emacs-orgmode@gnu.org
>>> http://lists.gnu.org/mailman/listinfo/emacs-orgmode
>>
>> - Carsten
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> Emacs-orgmode mailing list
>> Please use `Reply All' to send replies to the list.
>> Emacs-orgmode@gnu.org
>> http://lists.gnu.org/mailman/listinfo/emacs-orgmode
>>
>
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------------
> Russell Adams                            RLAdams@AdamsInfoServ.com
>
> PGP Key ID:     0x1160DCB3           http://www.adamsinfoserv.com/
>
> Fingerprint:    1723 D8CA 4280 1EC9 557F  66E8 1154 E018 1160 DCB3
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> Emacs-orgmode mailing list
> Please use `Reply All' to send replies to the list.
> Emacs-orgmode@gnu.org
> http://lists.gnu.org/mailman/listinfo/emacs-orgmode

Aloha all,

A possible contribution to this thread, org-check.org, is now  
available on Worg:
http://orgmode.org/worg/org-contrib/babel/examples/org-check.php

This is a stub for a file that uses Org-babel to execute functions  
that query various configuration parameters and report back results in  
a table.  Eric Schulte generously provided technical assistance.

The table is organized by task, e.g. preview latex, with various  
configuration topics and their tests under each task.

Here is an example of the anticipated use-case: the new user who wants  
to preview latex, but gets no results when following the manual  
instruction, can refresh the org-check table to see if the system has  
the necessary software, paths to the software on exec-path, and the  
value of the :scale property.  Results are reported as pass/fail, or  
some other easy-to-interpret value.

My ability to augment the file and to test it on different  
architectures is limited (as is Eric's ability to offer me technical  
assistance) and I'm hoping that others on the list will find the idea  
worthwhile and help out.  The file org-check.org is available on github:
http://github.com/tsdye/org-check
and this link can be found on Worg, as well.

Comments, contributions, criticisms, and suggestions are all welcome.

All the best,
Tom

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