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

[Eric Schulte <schulte.eric@gmail.com>]

"Sebastien Vauban" <wxhgmqzgwmuf@spammotel.com> writes:

> Hi Eric,
>
> Eric Schulte wrote:
>> Nick Dokos <nicholas.dokos@hp.com> writes:
>>> Eric Schulte <schulte.eric@gmail.com> wrote:
>>>> Nick Dokos <nicholas.dokos@hp.com> writes:
>>>> > Eric Schulte <schulte.eric@gmail.com> 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")?
>

The above would become

#+PROPERTY: results output code append

Since only one property may be specified per property line there is no
need for colons.  This mirrors exactly the way the properties are saved
under subtrees in :PROPERTY: blocks.

Multiple lines may be used to specify multiple properties. e.g.,

#+PROPERTY: results silent
#+PROPERTY: cache yes

Best -- Eric

>
> Best regards,
>   Seb

-- 
Eric Schulte
http://cs.unm.edu/~eschulte/