org-mode & multiple TODO sequences within a file.

org-mode & multiple TODO sequences within a file.

[Rick Moynihan]

Hi,

I've been using org-mode happily for nearly 6 months and think it's a 
fantastic tool!!  I've always quite liked Emacs, but org-mode has led to 
me really seeing Emacs's potential.

I was however wondering if there was anyway for org-mode to support 
multiple TODO sequences within a single file.  I tried specifying 
sections of the file as operating under particular sequences, but this 
doesn't seem to work (in 4.52) e.g.:

#+SEQ_TODO: REPORT BUG KNOWNCAUSE RESOLVED

* BUG there is a bug in foo...
* RESOLVED fixed bug.

#+SEQ_TODO: TODO DONE

* TODO ask if org-mode can support multiple TODO sequences...
* DONE shopping...

A step even further might be to allow multiple TODO_SEQ which are bound 
to different keys, allowing the user to mix and match e.g.:

* BUG blah blah

** TODO fix bug
** TODO celebrate

I realise that I could use checkboxes for stuff like this, but they 
don't allow you to naturally specify a sequence.  So whilst it makes 
sense for binary TODO->DONE transitions, for others it might not.

Anyway, it's just a suggestion, and something which I feel might enable 
me to organise things even better.

Thanks,

R.

Re: org-mode & multiple TODO sequences within a file.

[Carsten Dominik]

Hi Rick,

On Mar 15, 2007, at 17:45, Rick Moynihan wrote:

> Hi,
>
> I've been using org-mode happily for nearly 6 months and think it's a 
> fantastic tool!!  I've always quite liked Emacs, but org-mode has led 
> to me really seeing Emacs's potential.
>
> I was however wondering if there was anyway for org-mode to support 
> multiple TODO sequences within a single file.  I tried specifying 
> sections of the file as operating under particular sequences, but this 
> doesn't seem to work (in 4.52) e.g.:
>
> #+SEQ_TODO: REPORT BUG KNOWNCAUSE RESOLVED
>
> * BUG there is a bug in foo...
> * RESOLVED fixed bug.
>
> #+SEQ_TODO: TODO DONE

No, this does not work.  Could be done, of course, but adds complexity,
and I am sure once it is there,  people will want to switch
TODO keywords constantly, filling the entire file with new #+TODO
statements.  Does not feel right.

How about the following alternative:

Just make a long sequence containing all the subsequences,
like

#+SEQ_TODO: REPORT BUG KNOWNCAUSE RESOLVED TODO WAITING VERIFY DONE

You can then use command like `M-5 C-c C-t'
(or `5 t' in the agenda) to jump to
TODO in this sequence.  Basically, you need to remember where
in your list the different sequences start, put items onto
the right starting point, and then work through your states.

Hmmm, looking at this it might actually be useful to
allow additional DONE states in the middle of the sequence, but
this will at least currently lead to problems, both when cycling
from DONE to nothing to TODO, and also in the highlighting
of TODO keywords in the agenda.  I'll check if I can fix these
small issues.

- Carsten



--
Carsten Dominik
Sterrenkundig Instituut "Anton Pannekoek"
Universiteit van Amsterdam
Kruislaan 403
NL-1098SJ Amsterdam
phone: +31 20 525 7477

Re: org-mode & multiple TODO sequences within a file.

[Rick Moynihan]

Carsten Dominik wrote:
> No, this does not work.  Could be done, of course, but adds complexity,
> and I am sure once it is there,  people will want to switch
> TODO keywords constantly, filling the entire file with new #+TODO
> statements.  Does not feel right.
> 
> How about the following alternative:
> 
> Just make a long sequence containing all the subsequences,
> like
> 
> #+SEQ_TODO: REPORT BUG KNOWNCAUSE RESOLVED TODO WAITING VERIFY DONE
> 
> You can then use command like `M-5 C-c C-t'
> (or `5 t' in the agenda) to jump to
> TODO in this sequence.  Basically, you need to remember where
> in your list the different sequences start, put items onto
> the right starting point, and then work through your states.
> 
> Hmmm, looking at this it might actually be useful to
> allow additional DONE states in the middle of the sequence, but
> this will at least currently lead to problems, both when cycling
> from DONE to nothing to TODO, and also in the highlighting
> of TODO keywords in the agenda.  I'll check if I can fix these
> small issues.

I can see that my suggestion would add complexity in both code and org 
files.  Supporting multiple DONE states would be a nice, especially if 
they integrate properly with the agenda.

R.

Re: org-mode & multiple TODO sequences within a file.

[Bastien]

Rick Moynihan <rick@calicojack.co.uk> writes:

> I can see that my suggestion would add complexity in both code and org
> files.  Supporting multiple DONE states would be a nice, especially if
> they integrate properly with the agenda.

Maybe we could use the same grouping conventions than for tags :

  #+SEQ_TODO: TODO NEXT INPROGRESS WAITING { ACHIEVED DONE }

That would make it easy to have several states and just a few logging
steps.  Consider the next sequence being just *three* states :

  #+SEQ_TODO: { TODO NEXT } { INPROGRESS WAITING } { ACHIEVED DONE }
              `-> state 1   |                      |
                            `-> log-state 2        |
                                                   `-> state 3    

-- 
Bastien

Re: org-mode & multiple TODO sequences within a file.

[Rick Moynihan]

Bastien wrote:
> Rick Moynihan <rick@calicojack.co.uk> writes:
> 
>> I can see that my suggestion would add complexity in both code and org
>> files.  Supporting multiple DONE states would be a nice, especially if
>> they integrate properly with the agenda.
> 
> Maybe we could use the same grouping conventions than for tags :
> 
>   #+SEQ_TODO: TODO NEXT INPROGRESS WAITING { ACHIEVED DONE }
> 
> That would make it easy to have several states and just a few logging
> steps.  Consider the next sequence being just *three* states :
> 
>   #+SEQ_TODO: { TODO NEXT } { INPROGRESS WAITING } { ACHIEVED DONE }
>               `-> state 1   |                      |
>                             `-> log-state 2        |
>                                                    `-> state 3    
> 

I quite like the idea of grouping the sequences within braces.  However, 
I think we might be describing (slightly) different things.  To clarify 
what I'd REALLY like to be able to do is to define different sequences, 
for use within a single file, rather than a single sequence made up of 
sub-sequences.

a hypothetical example:

#+SEQ_TODO: { TODO DONE } { BUG RESOLVED } { REQUIREMENTS DESIGN 
DEVELOPMENT TESTING }

This would define 3 sequences which are each for different things, and 
might even be unrelated, though nesting related sequences might be quite 
nice:

* TESTING

** BUG

   Bug report...

*** TODO Identify cause

   Suspect foo is the problem.


Here I've assumed that the last state within each group is the final 
DONE state, though it might also be pretty neat if multiple DONE states 
could be supported.

Anyway, it's just an idea.

Thanks again,

R.

Re: org-mode & multiple TODO sequences within a file.

[Bastien]

Rick Moynihan <rick@calicojack.co.uk> writes:

> I quite like the idea of grouping the sequences within braces.  However,
> I think we might be describing (slightly) different things.  To clarify
> what I'd REALLY like to be able to do is to define different sequences,
> for use within a single file, rather than a single sequence made up of
> sub-sequences.

I was just thinking of a more general implementation of the "multiple
DONE states" you mentionned before. But yes, it's actually a slightly
different idea than the one of multiple TODO sequences.  

Regards,

-- 
Bastien