Re: [ANN] BREAKING CHANGE -- removing #+BABEL file-wide property lines

["Sebastien Vauban" <wxhgmqzgwmuf-geNee64TY+gS+FvcfC7Uqw@public.gmane.org>]

Hi Eric,

Eric Schulte wrote:
> Nick Dokos <nicholas.dokos-VXdhtT5mjnY@public.gmane.org> writes:
>> Eric Schulte <schulte.eric-Re5JQEeQqe8AvxtiuMwx3w@public.gmane.org> wrote:
>>> Nick Dokos <nicholas.dokos-VXdhtT5mjnY@public.gmane.org> writes:
>>> > Eric Schulte <schulte.eric-Re5JQEeQqe8AvxtiuMwx3w@public.gmane.org> wrote:
>>> >
>>> >> I have just pushed up a change to the Org-mode git repository which
>>> >> removes support for #+BABEL lines.  Please use the more general
>>> >> #+PROPERTIES lines instead.
>>> >
>>> > Coming late to the dance - sorry. I think that's very confusing.
>>> > "Property" is an overloaded term in org: we now have the :PROPERTIES:
>>> > drawer, the #+PROPERTY line and the #+PROPERTIES line (singular and
>>> > plural forms are already pretty bad).
>>> 
>>> Do the #+PROPERTY and #+PROPERTIES lines have different semantics?
>>
>> I think so: see section 7.1 for a use of the former. AFAICT, the latter
>> only applies to code block header arguments.
>
> Oh!
>
> Thank you for making this clear, I had assumed that #+PROPERTIES: lines
> were an integral part of Org-mode which code block header arguments were
> simply making use of.  Having read the section of the info manual you
> point out above I see that I was mistaken.  I've just pushed up what I
> consider to be a clean implementation.  Put briefly the new behavior is
> that "properties may be used to specify header arguments".  More
> completely...
>
> 1. The #+PROPERTIES: (and #+BABEL:) directives no longer exist.
>
> 2. The existing #+PROPERTY: line may now be used to specify values for
>    header arguments, e.g.,
>
>    #+PROPERTY: results silent
>
>    would silence all results in the current buffer.
>
> I think this should be simple, easy to remember, and it certainly
> cleaned up the code base.  Please let me know what you think of this new
> setup.

I just have one question, as I'm puzzled by the lack of `:' in front of the
"properties": how do we distinguish the argument "value" from the argument
"name"?

For example, how do we translate, in the new syntax,

#+BABEL:    :results output code append

(where `:results' is the "name", and `output', `code' and `append' are
"values")?

Best regards,
  Seb

-- 
Sebastien Vauban