using "variables" (correct term?)

using "variables" (correct term?)

[Steven Arntson]

Perhaps what I'm really searching for here is just the correct term,
because I don't think it's "variables."

I'm trying to send out some form letters to various people, and am
looking for a way to define something at the top, like:

     #+RECIPIENT: Jane Doe

which would automatically replace itself in the letter when referenced
with "RECIPIENT". Is this called a "variable"? How would I go about
doing it? I'm using org-mode, but the solution needn't be org-based.

Ever-a-newbie,
Steven Arntson

Re: using "variables" (correct term?)

[Andreas Politz]

Steven Arntson <steven@stevenarntson.com> writes:

> I'm trying to send out some form letters to various people, and am
> looking for a way to define something at the top, like:
>
>      #+RECIPIENT: Jane Doe
>
> which would automatically replace itself in the letter when referenced

I think this would rather be called a macro, since a variable denotes a
place in memory.

-ap

Re: using "variables" (correct term?)

[Steven Arntson]

Andreas Politz <politza@hochschule-trier.de> writes:

> Steven Arntson <steven@stevenarntson.com> writes:
>
>> I'm trying to send out some form letters to various people, and am
>> looking for a way to define something at the top, like:
>>
>>      #+RECIPIENT: Jane Doe
>>
>> which would automatically replace itself in the letter when referenced
>
> I think this would rather be called a macro, since a variable denotes a
> place in memory.
>
> -ap

Searching on "emacs macros" leads me to information on the kind
of macro you "record" with `C-x (' in order to reproduce a series of
keystrokes.

For the moment, I'm looking into Auctex as perhaps a way of leveraging
Latex for this. I've always avoided Latex because of its learning
curve, but perhaps this will be the thing that finally propels me!

-steven

Re: using "variables" (correct term?)

[Barry Margolin]

In article <mailman.19347.1423161313.1147.help-gnu-emacs@gnu.org>,
 Steven Arntson <steven@stevenarntson.com> wrote:

> Perhaps what I'm really searching for here is just the correct term,
> because I don't think it's "variables."
> 
> I'm trying to send out some form letters to various people, and am
> looking for a way to define something at the top, like:
> 
>      #+RECIPIENT: Jane Doe
> 
> which would automatically replace itself in the letter when referenced
> with "RECIPIENT". Is this called a "variable"? How would I go about
> doing it? I'm using org-mode, but the solution needn't be org-based.
> 
> Ever-a-newbie,
> Steven Arntson

This is generally called "mail merge" or "templates".

-- 
Barry Margolin, barmar@alum.mit.edu
Arlington, MA
*** PLEASE post questions in newsgroups, not directly to me ***

Re: using "variables" (correct term?)

[Nicolas Richard]

Steven Arntson <steven@stevenarntson.com> writes:

> Perhaps what I'm really searching for here is just the correct term,
> because I don't think it's "variables."
>
> I'm trying to send out some form letters to various people, and am
> looking for a way to define something at the top, like:
>
>      #+RECIPIENT: Jane Doe
>
> which would automatically replace itself in the letter when referenced
> with "RECIPIENT". Is this called a "variable"? How would I go about
> doing it? I'm using org-mode, but the solution needn't be org-based.

Org somehow re-invented file local variables with its own syntax and
parsing. That's what most of these #+FOO: lines are. But they are not
arbitrary, so I don't think you can't use RECIPIENT (I didn't test).

OTOH, there is a feature called "macro" which are, again, specific to Org:
(info "(org) Macro replacement")

(they are not macros in the "keyboard macro" sense.)

HTH,

-- 
Nicolas Richard

Re: using "variables" (correct term?)

[Steven Arntson]

Nicolas Richard <theonewiththeevillook@yahoo.fr> writes:

>> I'm trying to send out some form letters to various people, and am
>> looking for a way to define something at the top, like:
>>
>>      #+RECIPIENT: Jane Doe
>>
>> which would automatically replace itself in the letter when referenced
>> with "RECIPIENT". Is this called a "variable"? How would I go about
>> doing it? I'm using org-mode, but the solution needn't be org-based.
>
> Org somehow re-invented file local variables with its own syntax and
> parsing. That's what most of these #+FOO: lines are. But they are not
> arbitrary, so I don't think you can't use RECIPIENT (I didn't test).
>
> OTOH, there is a feature called "macro" which are, again, specific to Org:
> (info "(org) Macro replacement")
>
> (they are not macros in the "keyboard macro" sense.)
>
> HTH,

Thanks for this---it does look like org macros are what I was looking
for. However, I have heedlessly plunged into Auctex. I found this
snippet for a TeX file that does the job also:

    \newcommand{\commandname}{text to insert}

Then just \commandname{} wherever I want the text to go. It will fit my
purposes.

Best,
steven arntson