Re: [Orgmode] One year after - questions and suggestions

[Carsten Dominik]

On Mar 14, 2009, at 5:43 PM, Bastien wrote:

> Hi Carsten and all,
>
> it's been one year now that I stopped actively contributing to Org,  
> but
> I didn't stop using it, of course.  Here is a loooong list of  
> questions
> and suggestions I have.  I tested them over a fresh Org and Emacs,  
> both
> pulled from their repos this morning.
>
> I apologize if most of this has already been mentionned in  
> discussions I
> missed - I digged the mailing list a bit but I didn't check  
> thoroughly.
>
> Thanks!
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> - BUG: When export a descriptive list to ASCII, replace the ":"
>  separator by a single ":".m

Fixed.  I am also removing the list bullet for this case.

> - BUG: Switch to a state requiring an annotation, cancel the  
> annotation,
>  there will be an empty :LOGBOOK: drawer.  Remove it?

Yes.  done.

> - BUG: When picking up a date with `org-time-stamp', <up> and <down>  
> will
>  browse the minibuffer history.  I think it does not make sense here.

This has now its own history list.

> - BUG/FR: When building completion list for refiling, don't include  
> the
>  very entry we are trying to refile.

This is a bit hard, and Org will throw a good error if you try.

> - BUG: In agenda mode, C-e goes to the [last-1] char of the line.   
> (Note
>  that this is not visible when the entries finishes with a link.)

It does because I want to avoid problems with the overlay keymaps
and stuff like this.  Why is it a problem?

> - BUG: Weird result of C-c * when used before the first heading.

Fixed.

> - BUG: Properties inserting in a remember buffer are not indented
>  correctly when the remember note goes to its target.  For example:
>
>  * My remember note
>    :PROPERTIES:
>    :Effort: 10
>    :END:
>
>  Is refiled to the Notes entries:
>
>  * Notes
>  ** My remember note
>   :PROPERTIES:
>   :Effort: 10
>   :END:
>
>  ... but the drawer does not align with the stars.

It is for me.  The reason why the indentation adaptation does not work
it probably because you have lines that are not indented at all in the
note as well.  This will inhibit org-adapt-indentation when pasting
a subtree.  Only if all lines are indented at least one space, then
indentation will be adapted during pasting.

> - BUG?: When deleting an attachment, the :ID: property is not itself
>  deleted.  Not sure if it's wrong, but it's weird.

The ID property is something independent of the attachment,  how
could Org know that you do not need it for different purposes?

> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> - FR: In addition to the {+} {:} facilities for dynamically  
> computing a
>  property's value, have a way to use a calc or a tbl formula?
>  Additionnally, have a _DEFAULT suffix to define defaults.

There was a patch recently on the mailing list, subject "elisp  
formulas....."

> - FR: A function to display the link the cursor is on (the same way  
> the
>  mouse displays a small popup.)  This function would particularily be
>  useful in the agenda view.

C-c C-l  LOOK  RET RET   :-)
Hard to find new key bindings for these.
TODO

> - FR: C-c C-l in agenda view to edit link at point?  (Or is this
>  producing to much overlap between org-agenda and the normal org
>  editing mode?)
>
> - FR: Highlight the currently clocked-in task in agenda-mode?

Good one.
TODO

> - FR: When selecting an attachment, if there is already a directory
>  defined for this the current entry, then use this directory as the
>  default directory for browsing and select the attachment.

You mean if there is an attachment directory defined?
What do you mean by "when selecting and attachment"?

> - FR: All numeric values within brackets are highlighted.  Since this
>  type of footnotes is now discouraged, I think it make sense not to
>  highlight those values (having digits in square brackets is not so
>  rare.)

I guess we should have an option to disable these as footnote markers,  
yes.
TODO

> - FR: When refiling to a non-existent entry, create this entry on the
>  fly?

This has been requested frequently - I am not sure if I can do this
with all the different completion interfaces...
TODO

> - FR: Allow to insert "+1d"-type strings when picking up a date with
>  `org-time-stamp'.

This works for me, what am I missing here?

> - FR: Symmetric to individual lead time, I wish I can have individual
>  "remaining" time - for example, the number of days during which a
>  deadline is still visible in the agenda view.  (That would happily
>  steal 90% of what org-expiry.el is trying to achieve.)

I think the purpose of deadlines is for them sting you until you do  
something about them?  For me it seems that this would be counter  
productive.  Why don't you tick off these items ok archive/kill them????

> - FR: IMHO, turning off follow-mode in the agenda view should restore
>  the window configuration we had before turning follow-mode on.

Hmmm, I am not sure.  When you press SPC to look at an entry, the config
is also not restored.  Still, maybe a good idea........
TODO


>  (By
>  the way, not being able to use `C-x 1' when follow-mode is on is  
> quite
>  confusing.)
>
> - FR: Following a sh: or an elisp: link prompts the user for
>  confirmation.  Can we have a variable that let the user to globally
>  turn this off?

Yes, there is such a variable: org-confirm-elisp-link-function
and org-confirm-shell-link-function.

> - FR: Visually mark (with #) entries that are marked in the agenda  
> view?

I am not sure what you are talking about, what marking???

> - FR: When setting a mark in the agenda view, go to the next line?
>  (Like in buffer-menu and other menu mode.)

I am not sure what you are talking about, what marking???

> - FR: When undoing an archive command, correctly delete was has been
>  added to the archive file?

This is hard and error-prone.

> - FR: Symmetric to `C-c / b' have a `C-c / a' command to select  
> entries
>  that are after a date?

Implemented, thanks.

> - FR: Maybe `?' could provide a little help in agenda mode.

Hmmm, yes, why not.  What should it say?
Because, the keys are available in the menu.

> - FR: Grouping several :clock: lines when clocking periods are very
>  close to each other (with a user-defined threshold).  For example,
>  clocking 5 times 10 minutes within the same hour would be rounded up
>  to one hour.

With things nicely tugged way into drawers, I see no reasons to do this.

> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> - Q: How to set a recurring time range (say an 2-days event)?
>
>  For example: <2009-03-14 sam>--<2009-03-15 dim> recurring each month.
>  I know I could use a diary sexp but I wonder if it's possible withing
>  Org's syntax.

Would be nice, but handling time stamps is already extremely
complex because of all the little things I added.  I think I
would like to rewrite the entire timestamp handling first,
which will not happen.

> - Q: Is there a way to select properties which values are = < > to a
>  numeric value?

yes! "PROPERTY<5" in any tags/property search

> - Q: `org-attach-auto-tag' has no effect when attaching a directory
>  (instead of a file)?
>
> - Q/FR: Is there a way to set `org-enforce-todo-dependencies' per  
> task?
>  (By the way, if I understand correctly, the :ORDERED: property only
>  makes sense when `org-enforce-todo-dependencies' is non-nil, right?)

No, this is currently not possible.  I guess we could have
another property for this.  However, this would only work
locally, not for the agenda because if you do not set the global
option, the test looking for dependencies is optimized away.
I believe this is good.

> - Q/FR: How to go at the end of a field in a table?  Maybe C-a and C-e
>  could be contextually redefined to do this, since a table is such a
>  specific editing context.

Word-motion commands?  I am not comfortable with overloading C-a and C- 
e.

> - Q/FR: How to delete the timestamp of an entry from the agenda?   
> Maybe
>  `C-c C-d SPC', `C-c C-s SPC' could respectively delete deadlines and
>  scheduled properties.  Or maybe C-c C-u could remove any timestamp
>  (this keystroke is free in org-agenda-mode since outline-mode is not
>  loaded.)

I believe C-u C-c C-s and C-u C-c C-d do this for Deadlines.  You men  
the time stamp w/o any keyword????

- Carsten