Re: [RFC] Document level property drawer

[Marco Wahl <marcowahlsoft@gmail.com>]

>> Sebastian Miele <sebastian.miele@gmail.com> writes:

>>> I would like to be able to make a clear distinction between properties
>>> that are visible by default and properties that are not. Maybe it would
>>> be possible to allow some #+.. syntax following headings for subtree
>>> properties that are visible by default. A requirement could be made that
>>> such property specifications always have to be followed by a property
>>> drawer, even if that is empty. Then everything #+.. that is before the
>>> property drawer would belong to the heading/subtree, and everything #+..
>>> that follows the drawer would be treated as it is until now.
>>>
>>> Please tell me if I missed something and Org is already capable of
>>> something like that. If not, are there others who would like
>>> visible-by-default property specifications for headings/subtrees in
>>> addition to invisible-by-default property specifications in drawers,
>>> too?
>>
>> I don't think Org is capable of this out of the box right now.  Further
>> I don't feel the need for a visible-by-default property, but that's just
>> me.
>
> After a few more months of living without that feature I must say that I
> basically live perfectly well without that, too. I just do not define
> source block header args in property drawers. It gets a bit verbose at
> times. But not to the degree of being painful.

Sounds good to me.

>>> Finally, I would like to state an opinion: If there is
>>> visible-by-default (by #+..) and invisible-by-default (by drawers)
>>> syntax for headings/subtrees, including level 0, it may be viable to
>>> require them to be disjoint for each heading/subtree. Most probably it
>>> would be good practice, anyway. And the precedence question raised
>>> previously in this thread would be eliminated.
>>
>> I may not feel the need for the visible/invisible-by-default properties
>> but actually I like the idea of #+ properties parallel to the property
>> drawers as visible by default properties.  But since the #+ properties
>> may appear anywhere in the Org file and affect the whole file it would
>> be difficult or even impossible to give them reliable meaning for
>> subtrees AFAICS.
>
> In the meantime I had a look into worg/dev/org-syntax.org. From the
> document: "Property drawers are a special type of drawer containing
> properties attached to a headline. They are located right after a
> headline and its planning information."

Thanks for the quote.

> So, currently, #+ properties may not appear between a heading and a
> property drawer. At least not without turning the property drawer into a
> non-special drawer. So, in principle, it would be possible to change the
> syntax of Org to allow #+ properties between headings and (possibly
> empty) property drawers in order to denote visible-by-default
> properties attached to a heading.

Sounds true AFAICS.

> Moreover, this change probably would introduce very little to no
> backwards incompatibility. With the change it would not be possible to
> turn property drawers into non-special drawers by putting a #+ property
> before them. Now it is possible to sort of uncomment property drawers by
> putting #+ properties before them. This "feature" probably is hardly
> used, if at all.

I also think this is very corner case-y.

All in all I think your idea is good.  But the masses did not scream for
that change so I think your idea is something for a wishlist to wait for
further discussion.


Best regards,
-- 
Marco