Re: Org-mode version 5.01

[Russell Adams <RLAdams@AdamsInfoServ.Com>]

I must say it:

Is it not nifty?!

Thanks!

On Mon, Jul 02, 2007 at 03:42:36PM +0200, Carsten Dominik wrote:
> Hi,
> 
> I am releasing Org-mode 5.01.  It is available at my website
> 
>    http://www.astro.uva.nl/~dominik/Tools/org
> 
> and also through Emacs CVS.
> 
> I am pretty excited about this release, a new major version.
> 
> First: Credit where credit is due:
> 
> Much of this was triggered by the thread "Duration Tally"
> on emacs-orgmode@gnu.org.  Many thanks to
> 
> - Edward DeVilla for coming up with the idea of properties.
> 
> - Russel Adams for mentioning an "additional level of folding"
>   to be used for capturing properties.  This trigger has become
>   the new "Drawer" feature.
> 
> - Scott Jaderholm for pointing out the advantages of column view.
> 
> - Raman for suggesting a minor mode that exports org-mode
>   structure editing to arbitrary modes.
> 
> There are important changes, so unless you plan to read the manual
> in the near future, I'd advise you carefully read the notes below.
> 
> Enjoy!
> 
> - Carsten
> 
> Changes in version 5.01
> -----------------------
> 
> * Overview
> 
>   - A new minor mode, orgstruct-mode, exports the Org-mode
>     structure editing commands into any other mode.
> 
>   - DRAWERS are a new level off folding for special sections
>     that should stay closed during visibility cycling and only
>     open if explicitly asked.
> 
>   - Entries can now have PROPERTIES.
> 
>   - A COLUMN VIEW implementation allows to easily view and edit
>     the properties of a hierarchy of entries.
> 
>   - Formula evaluation in the spreadsheet is more consistent
>     now.  Properties and per-file constants can be used during
>     evaluation.
> 
>   - Bug fixes and minor changes.
> 
> * Incompatible changes
> 
>   - When using LEVEL=N in a tags search, things have changed if
>     you are also using `org-odd-levels-only'.  If you are using
>     only odd levels (i.e. 1 or 3 or 5... stars), LEVEL=2 will
>     now refer to 3 stars, LEVEL=3 to 5 stars etc.  Many thanks
>     to Leo (or blame him if you must) who has convinced me
>     that this is the better convention.
> 
> * Details
> 
>   + Orgstruct minor mode
> 
>     There is a new minor mode, orgstruct-mode.  This modes works
>     in a similar way as Orgtbl-mode.  It can be used to export
>     the Org-mode structure-editing commands into arbitrary major
>     modes in Emacs.  For example, you can use it in Mail-mode to
>     easily create lists.
> 
>     The functionality in Orgstruct mode is only active, if the
>     cursor is in a line that looks either like a headline, or
>     like the first line of a plain list item.  Then the commands
>     `TAB', `M-cursor', `M-S-cursor', `M-RET', `M-S-RET', `C-c ^',
>     `C-c C-c', and `C-c -' will do structure-related editing just
>     like in Org-mode.  If the cursor is not in such a line, all
>     these keys will do whatever the major mode or other active
>     minor modes have assigned to them.
> 
>     Orgstruct-mode is the result of a proposal by Raman, quite
>     some time ago.  It has taken a long time, but here is finally
>     the promised implementation.
> 
>   + Drawers
> 
>     The new concept of /drawers/ allows to create sections
>     that remain folded during visibility cycling.  Drawers need
>     to be configured using the variable `org-drawers'.  A drawer
>     starts with a line containing only the name of the drawer
>     bracketed by colons. It ends with :END:.  For example,
>     after setting
> 
>        (setq org-drawers '("PROPERTIES" "HIDDEN"))
> 
>     you can then create drawers like this:
> 
>        :HIDDEN:
>          here is some stuff that remains hidden
>          unless TAB is pressed directly in that line
>        :END:
> 
>     The PROPERTIES drawer has special meaning for ORG-mode, it
>     contains properties of an entry (see below).
> 
>   + Properties and Column View
> 
>     - Entries in Org-mode can now have arbitrary /properties/
>       associated with them.  Org-mode handles some default
>       properties like the TODO state, the priority, the local
>       tags, and planning information like DEADLINE and SCHEDULED.
>       In addition, you can assign arbitrary properties by creating
>       a property drawer and inserting a line like
> 
>          :PROPNAME: This is the value of the property
> 
>       Org-mode has an API for properties, if you want to write a
>       program using properties, use the functions
>       `org-entry-properties', `org-entry-get', `org-entry-put',
>       and `org-entry-delete'.
> 
>     - Planning information like DEADLINE can be hidden in the
>       properties drawer.
> 
>       If the PROPERTIES drawer starts in the first line after a
>       headline, also the DEADLINE, SCHEDULED and CLOCK information
>       will be inserted inside the drawer.  If no PROPERTIES drawer
>       is present, or if it does not start in the line right after
>       the headline, this information remains in the lines directly
>       after the headline, outside the drawer.
> 
>     - TAGS searches can now also query properties.  For example,
>       the search
> 
>          LEVEL=3+BOSS+ASSIGNED="Hans"/WAITING
> 
>       will find entries that
>       - are level 3
>       - have the tag BOSS
>       - have an ASSIGNED property with the value "Hans"
>       - are TODO status WAITING.
> 
>         So here is an entry that will match:
> 
>            *** WAITING Clean up the factory     :BOSS:
>                :PROPERTIES:
>                :ASSIGNED:    Hans
>                :END:
> 
>         You may also use a regular expression to match against a
>         property value.  For example, to find stuff assigned to Hans
>         or Sarah, use
> 
>            ASSIGNED={^\(Hans\|Sarah\)$}
> 
>     - Column View is a special way to look at property values in
>       tabular form.  Column View can be used in any org-mode
>       file, and also in any agenda buffer.  It works by placing
>       an overlay over each headline (or agenda line) that shows a
>       table of selected properties.  You can look at and edit
>       properties from this view.  Which properties are shown in
>       the table must be set up using the COLUMNS property.  You
>       can set up different property columns on different levels
>       of an outline tree.  For example:
> 
>          * People
>            :PROPERTIES:
>            :COLUMNS: %25ITEM %Name
>            :END:
>          ** Family
>             :PROPERTIES:
>             :COLUMNS: %25ITEM %Name %3Age
>             :END:
>          *** Sam
>              Info about Sam, including a property list with Name and 
> Age.
>          *** Sarah
>              Info about Sarah, including a property list with Name and 
> Age.
>          ** Office
>             :PROPERTIES:
>             :COLUMNS: %25ITEM %Name %Function %Salary
>             :END:
>          *** Boss
>              Info about the Boss, including a property list with Name,
>              Function and Salary (if only we knew....).
> 
>       Now we have defined three different sets of columns.  If
>       you switch to column view in the /Family/ section, you
>       will get a different table than if you do it in the
>       /Office/ section.  However, if you switch to column
>       view with the cursor on the /People/ section, the
>       table will cover all entries, but contain only the
>       /Name/.
> 
>     - Properties can be used in table formulas.  To access the
>       value of the property :XYZ:, use $PROP_XYZ.  The property
>       needs to be defined in the hierarchy above the table, not
>       necessarily in the same entry as the table.  This was a
>       request by Eddward.  File-wide constants can be defined with
>       #+CONSTANTS, see below.
> 
>     - Things that still need to be sorted out about drawers,
>       properties and column view - comments and suggestions
>       welcome!
> 
>       + How to deal with drawers and properties in HTML and ASCII
>         export?
>       + What key could be used to insert an empty property drawer
>         into an entry?  Where exactly should it be inserted?
>       + Right now column view is invoked through the command C-c
>         C-x C-c.  It is too easy to type C-x C-c by mistake, and
>         that causes Emacs to quit.  Suggestions for a different
>         key?
>       + Fontification of drawers and properties is not good yet.
>         Any suggestions for better defaults?
>       + Mouse support for editing properties in column view would
>         be nice - maybe Piotr is interested to add this to
>         org-mouse.el?
> 
>   + Spreadsheet
> 
>     - In the spreadsheet, the evaluation of formulas has changed.
>       Previously, first the column formulas would be evaluated
>       everywhere, and then the field formulas would kick in, and
>       in some cases overwrite the results of column formulas in
>       the appropriate fields.  This had the side effect that some
>       formulas might always use the wrong, intermediate content of
>       a field that is computed both by a column and a field
>       formula.
> 
>       From now on, column formulas will no longer temporarily
>       overwrite field formulas.  This gives much more consistent
>       results.  For example you can now finally have a column of
>       increasing numbers by setting the first field to a fixed
>       number, and let the rest follow from a column formula.
> 
>       Here is an example
> 
>          | 1 |
>          | 2 |
>          | 3 |
>          #+TBLFM: $1=@-1+1::@1$1=1
> 
>     - Constants for formulas in spreadsheets are globally defined
>       with the variable `org-table-formula-constants'.  File-local
>       constants can now be set with a line like:
> 
>          #+CONSTANTS: c=299792458.  pi=3.14  eps=2.4e-6
> 
>   + Minor changes
> 
>     - When entries are archived, a timestamp for the moment of
>       archiving is added to the line with planning information.
>       It looks like this:
> 
>        ARCHIVED: [2007-07-02 Mon 11:34]
> 
>       Thanks to J. David Boyd for constructive comments.
> 
>     - Bug fixes
> 
>       Many bugs are fixed, as usually all the ones where I replied
>       "fixed" on emacs-orgmode.  If you reported one of these
>       bugs, please check if it really has disappeared in the new
>       version, and complain if not.  Thanks!
> 
> 
> 
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> Emacs-orgmode@gnu.org
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Russell Adams                            RLAdams@AdamsInfoServ.com

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