Re: [Feature Request] Cross headings in tables

[Nicolas Goaziou <n.goaziou@gmail.com>]

Hello,

Achim Gratz <Stromeko@nexgo.de> writes:

> I've just looked at how to implement this using org-element and the
> new exporter. Much to my dismay I found that table headers are not
> a separate row or row group type and the new exporter is still using
> this "everything before the first separator is a heading" kludge.

I wouldn't call that a kludge. That's where most of the mere mortals
expect the heading to be anyway. Also, it's somewhat back-end specific.

> It's easy enough to introduce a second type of separator in
> org-element (BTW, I don't think that 'rule is a particularly good
> symbol name for this) by adding another type of table rows, but then
> these lines get ignored by the new exporter. While the logic used
> there is amendable (not as easily), it would be more hackish than
> I hoped.

You only need to modify org-element if Org syntax has been changed.

>  Also, it appears that each element can have only one property or did
> I miss something? It seems that having a way to get the (main)
> property and then asking if there are sub-properties on that element
> would allow simpler code in this particular instance and likely
> elsewhere. Maybe I missed how to do it, though.

I don't understand that part. For example:

--8<---------------cut here---------------start------------->8---
   * TODO Headline                                          :tag:
--8<---------------cut here---------------end--------------->8---

In the following buffer, you can have:

  (org-element-property :priority (org-element-at-point))
  (org-element-property :tag (org-element-at-point))
  (org-element-property :todo-keyword (org-element-at-point))
  (org-element-property :todo-type (org-element-at-point))
  (org-element-property :level: (org-element-at-point))
  ...

So there is more than one property. See:

  http://orgmode.org/worg/dev/org-export-reference.html

for a list of all properties associated to a given element or object
type.
 
> The cleanest way to implement this would be if being a header would be a
> property of the row group (maybe returnable as the sign of the row group
> number).  There'd be two types of separators, "|-" and "|~".  If the
> line past the end of a row group is "|~", then it is a header group,
> otherwise it is a normal group.  This is incompatible with tradition,
> but it would allow to use row groups in formulas without introducing
> unwanted headers.
>
> Thoughts?

I think the cleanest way to implement this would be to _not_ modify Org
syntax, because it is export back-end very specific. Something like:

  #+attr_html: :header-groups (1 3)
  | This      | will      |
  | be        | a header  |
  |-----------+-----------|
  | This      | won't     |
  |-----------+-----------|
  | This will | be too    |
  |-----------+-----------|
  | This      | won't too |

You are talking about formulas, so, perhaps you have plans for the
spreadsheet. Anyway, if Org syntax changes, org-element.el will have to
be updated accordingly, and so will have all the back-ends.


Regards,

-- 
Nicolas Goaziou