Re: [Orgmode] Re: Composing letters using Org mode and the LaTeX isodoc class

[Eric Schulte]

Hi Seb,

Sébastien Vauban <address@hidden> writes:

> Hi Eric,
>
> "Eric Schulte" wrote:
>> I look forward to any potential org->letter export this line of
>> investigation yields.
>
> As soon as this is closed, I'm willing to write a Worg page for this.
>
>>> - because I had not the hope of being able to configure the LaTeX export 
>>> class
>>>   and/or code in the right way,
>>
>> Hmm, I don't know how complex isodoc is to configure, but I'd think that
>> defining a custom latex class would be simpler than tangling out LaTeX code
>> blocks, however maybe this will change once I've looked at and understood an
>> example application.
>
> Isodoc is quite easy to configure, but it's through keyval mappings. I don't
> know enough of Org to imagine being able to convert headings and contents to
> keys and values, respectively...
>
> That does not mean it really is difficult. Just for me, the only accessible
> way remained the Babel route.
>

I see, I just wanted to ensure that wrapping content in code blocks was
a last resort, but I agree using Babel in this way should be much easier
than defining a new Org export backend or mucking with Org-mode
internals.  I'm very happy if Babel can help to further blur the lines
between Org-mode usage and development in this way.

>
>>> - because, in a way, that's quite logical. Here and there, you define
>>>   stuff. At the end, you just arrange them all in a way that fits well the
>>>   LaTeX class demands.
>>>
>>> Though, it's not just copying, the way Babel actually does with snippets of
>>> code "à la Noweb". Hence, I really need at least the body to be in real Org
>>> plain code, and be automatically converted to LaTeX, so that I can make use
>>> of the tables, and all the Org markup.
>>>
>>> I'm sure Babel is able of that, mixing raw code with convertable code. Just
>>> needs more thinking.
>>
>> I've just implemented export of org code blocks to ascii, latex or html,
>
> This is brand new, right?  In any case, the real good solution to such a
> problem, IMHO...
>

Yes this is new, it actually only required a couple of lines of code to
implement.  However that means it may still be buggy.

>
>
>> so the following should now (if I understood) allow the tangling
>> behavior you've described
>>
>> ** tangle org-mode block
>> #+source: org-list
>> #+begin_src org :results latex
>>   - one
>>   - two
>>   - three
>> #+end_src
>>
>> #+begin_src emacs-lisp :tangle yes :noweb yes
>>   "
>>   <<org-list()>>
>>   "
>> #+end_src
>>
>> tangles to
>>
>>
>> "
>> \begin{itemize}
>> \item two
>> \item three
>> \end{itemize}
>>
>>
>> "
>
> Here, I just don't understand why you're choosing `emacs-lisp' as target
> language for LaTeX code. Is there a reason for this, or just a typo?
>

I do all my testing with emacs-lisp code blocks, as their sort of the
simplest (at least for me/Babel) code block.  Once it's working there it
should extend to code blocks in other languages as well.

>
>
>> note that the () on the end of the code block name in the noweb syntax
>> means to insert the results of evaluating the code block (in this case
>> latex) rather than the body of the code block itself.
>
> Understood!  Thanks.
>
> FYI, I've git pulled once again 15 minutes ago (13:30 CET). My repo was
> already up-to-date, but your code does not work for me...
>
> _Nothing is tangled anymore_... Not even if I explicitly state
> =:tangle "AA.tex"= for example (with and without quotes ;-)).
>

I've taken your excerpt and changed it so that it was tangling
successfully on my system.  The main problem was that there were many
noweb references which pointed to outside of the example.  The following
does work on my system.  Notice that it uses a table to hold the small
components rather than wrapping each in it's own Org-mode block.

--8<---------------cut here---------------start------------->8---
* Letter
#+tblname: head
| To      | Eric Schulte       |
| Subject | Tangling is Broken |
| Opening | Hi                 |
| Closing | Best               |

#+source: body
#+begin_src org :results latex
  - one
  - two
  - three
#+end_src

#+begin_src latex :noweb yes :tangle yes :var h-to=head[0,1] :var 
h-subject=head[1,1] :var h-opening=head[2,1] :var h-closing=head[3,1]
\documentclass[11pt]{isodoc}
\usepackage[utf8x]{inputenc}
\usepackage[T1]{fontenc}

\usepackage{isodoc-style}

\setupdocument{
    to = {h-to},
    subject = {h-subject},
    opening = {h-opening},
    closing = {h-closing}
}

\begin{document}
\letter{%
<<body()>>
}
\end{document}
#+end_src
--8<---------------cut here---------------end--------------->8---

There appears to be some lingering issues with converting the org block
to latex, for me the first item in the list was missing, I'll try to
take a look at this later today.  However, hopefully this gets Babel far
enough that at least the structure of an isodoc letter writing solution
can be fleshed out.

Best -- Eric