make sort-paragraph do non-paragraphs; key = numAsterisks

make sort-paragraph do non-paragraphs; key = numAsterisks

[David Combs]

Maybe 20 years I solved with sort-paragraphs a file todo-tasks like
below, each task beginning with a "^\[\]",  where the sort-key is a
string of asterisks, and if no such string on the left of the 
pseudo-paragraphs first line, then the sort key is zero or negative
infinity or would "bottom" be a proper term for this also?
The MORE asterisks that first-line asterisk-string had, the 
HIGHER the sort-order, with no such asterisk-string giving zero.



------------------- beginning of file or region:

 [] get gas, plus
 fill one 5-gal tank.

   Also put Stabil into the lawnmower

 [] ** go to store

 [] **** order books from amazon:

   book1 ...

   book2 ...

 [] wash the dog
   and the cat too.

 [] ** email HELLO to John.

 [] 2oct13: ******* now is the time for
     all good men [NOTE: if necessary, I could
     have the possible asterisk-string shifted
     left, to come after the  "[]<whiteSpace>*" (THAT
     asterisk meaning, between you and me, 0 or 
     more white-chars)end-NOTE]

     to come to the aid of their country.

------------------- ending of file or region.

This was my idea of CHANGING what sort-paragraph
 thought a "paragraph" looked like:

The body of my pseudo paragraph contained a [] as the
first two chars, and included everything up to (not
through) the NEXT [] OR the EOB or end of region.


What I wanted to do was to pretend that each "[]" 
  (a) ended any prior "paragraph"
       and was not contained with in it
       (with option with its trailing "vertical" blankspace
         was or was not to be eaten away), AND ALSO

 (b) started a paragraph AND indeed was kept as part of it.


I used sort-paragraph rearrange the "paragraphs" of the
HIGHEST priority (MOST asterisks) ended up FIRST in the file or region..

I recall I had to fool with paragraph-start and -end,
and somehow made it work.

But I stupidly didn't save it somewhere I could find it,
with my documentation of it.


Thanks!

David

Re: make sort-paragraph do non-paragraphs; key = numAsterisks

[Damien Wyart]

A bit off-topic, but you might want to have a look at OrgMode ; this is
a dedicated "framework" to handle tasks and time management in general
inside Emacs.

Overkill for your (current, they might evolve...) needs, but you might
very well only learn and use the TODO part. You will have something more
robust than defining your own file format, and you will have some
goodies, too: splitting todos in several files, handling the status of
tasks, etc.

http://orgmode.org/features.html

-- 
DW