Re: Request: org as minor mode?

[Carsten Dominik <dominik@science.uva.nl>]

Hi Raman

This is a complex question.

Of course one could define a minor mode that contains some of the 
org-mode commands.  The main problem is key bindings.  Major modes 
define their own keys, and I guess you don't want to have the minor 
mode override bindings from the major mode, except under special 
circumstances.

Orgtbl-mode deals with this challange in a special way.  All the keys 
that are acting on tables are bound to a special function.  That 
function first determines if the cursor is inside a table.  If yes, the 
Org-mode table function is executed.  If not, the minor mode is 
deactivated for a moment and the "other" binding of that same key, most 
likely set by the major mode or another minor mode will be executed.

I believe you would have to formulate your request much more narrowly:  
What Org-mode functionality would you like to have available in other 
modes?  How should the minor mode decide if which function of a key to 
call.  For example, you could say you mostly want the structure editing 
commands, when the cursor is on a headline or a plain list item.
But others might want the ability to put time stamps, or whatever.

So in order to realize such a minor mode, I would need a clear 
definition.

- Carsten

On Mar 31, 2007, at 23:58, T. V. Raman wrote:

> I've now come to rely heavily on org-mode for too many things --
> this is of course good.
>
> But this is also means that increasingly, I'd like to use
> org-mode as a minor mode in conjunction with other major
> modes. Is this possible?
>
> org lets you use things like orgtbl or org-cdlatex within
> org-mode;
> what I'd like to see is org-mode itself be usable as a minor mode
> --- in a manner similar to outline-minor-mode.
>
> I think this would make things like email composition really
> convenient -- org-mode is as yet the most convenient means I've
> found in emacs to write ordered and bulleted lists with a minimal
> amount of fuss.
>  Thanks,
>  --Raman
>
> -- 
> Best Regards,
> --raman
>
>
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--
Carsten Dominik
Sterrenkundig Instituut "Anton Pannekoek"
Universiteit van Amsterdam
Kruislaan 403
NL-1098SJ Amsterdam
phone: +31 20 525 7477