many an agenda keyword search improvement

* many an agenda keyword search improvement
@ 2010-03-13 17:36 Samuel Wales
  2010-03-13 23:54 ` Samuel Wales
                   ` (2 more replies)
  0 siblings, 3 replies; 5+ messages in thread
From: Samuel Wales @ 2010-03-13 17:36 UTC (permalink / raw)
  To: emacs-orgmode

Here are agenda suggestions for org keyword searches that I
have been collecting.

All of them would be very useful (to me).

Is it better to use separate emails?

1.  Colorize headlines as in the outline.

When I search for "forums" in org using M-x
org-agenda-dispatch s, I get an agenda that does not
colorize the italic part of the headline below.

  * NAKA [#A] /email and forum/ forums                             :now:refile:

If it could be colorized normally, I would be able to find
the headline much faster.

2.  Colorize matches.

Some hits are from headlines (i.e. "forums" is in the
headline), but others are from body text.  These are not
distinguished.  Also, regexp searches do not show what
matched, and you can't tell where the match is in a headline
easily.

These problems are solved by colorizing matches (e.g. using
the same face that isearch does).

3.  Pre-seed isearch and isearch-regexp.

If you RET on a headline, you sometimes want to search for
the search expression (e.g. "forums") in the body text.
(Optionally) pre-seeding isearch and isearch-regexp with the
search expression would allow you to not have to type it.

This would turn the entire expression, such as "alpha beta
{gamma\|linoleic}", into a regular expression.

4.  E-like mode for body matches.

If matches are in body text, perhaps the matching lines can
be shown under the headilnes with the matches highlighted.

5.  Link type for agenda search.

Sometimes you want a todo item to do an agenda keyword search.

6.  Colorize matches in other window.

When you show the outline buffer in the other window,
colorize matches there.

7.  Search within results.

The / command is useful for searching for tags within
results (including body text) without having to incur the
overhead of an entire agenda search again.

I'd like the same thing for keyword searches.  Searches are
very slow on my system, so I never refine searches.  But I
would if I had this capability.

8.  Or search within results and do other stuff.

I also have a proposal for an idea that supersedes #7 and
also allows more functionality.  I alluded to it in previous
email in a footnote.

Suppose we could have a "next command operates on the
selected entries (or ALL displayed entries if none
selected)" command?

This could fold the / command and the command I am
requesting into a single facility that can then be used for
other purposes also.  To do a todo search within a keyword
search, you just do the keyword search, run the command,
then do a todo search.  Or any other command.

It could be on /.  Current / behavior could be done with two
/es (first says next command is within results and second
says do tag search).

9.  Search in attachments.

I have already covered this in another email.  Perhaps the
discussion could be revived if there is enough interest.

Thanks.

Samuel

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