Re: Org Capture Menu cannot be fully viewed

[TRS-80]

On 2020-12-12 22:49, pietru@caramail.com wrote:
> TRS-80 wrote:
> > Are there any more to these templates you did not show?
> >
> > Because, (and unless I am missing something) what I see are 
> > essentially
> > all the same (and quite simple).  You would end up with something like
> > the following in your target file (with the cursor ending up at the 
> > x):
>
> It was an example for long agenda option.  Wanted to send a basic one
> without the details that could bother you.  The real one will have
> information regarding Site_Type [Domestic, Funerary, Water-Related,
> Settlement].  But we don't have the things in org though.

It's no bother.  In fact I am already thinking ahead as to the structure
of the data, which is the most important consideration.  Choice of
tool(s) should flow from that, and also from the desired workflow,
instead of the other way around.

Just so you know, you /could/ have the things in Org, if you wanted to
(or even in a separate plain text file, and use that as input for your
narrowing selection list).  Maybe they change, or there are other
reasons, but you could have the options in a list to choose from.  This
sort of thing reduce typos and errors.  You could limit to such list
strictly, or not (the latter allowing flexibility to add things on the
fly).

> > If all my assumptions above are true, I think you would probably be
> > better served with a simple completing-read (or similar) function to
> > select the "Investigation Type" from a list and then simply insert 
> > that
> > along with a timestamp.  Which it will take you longer to reply to 
> > this
> > email and confirm than it would take me to write such a function.  :)
>
> Yes, I know about " %^{Investigation Type: |Site
> Stabilization|Heritage Management|Environment Research} %?\n"

I am beginning to suspect you have bigger data and more options than fit
comfortably into a capture template.  I could be wrong, but in my mind
at least, the idea of capture templates is to quickly store small ideas,
notes, TODOs, etc. so you can go back to what you were working on in the
first place, with minimal interruption to your original train of
thought.

> Data can then be parsed into database once we get tho data files at 
> home
> base.

True, however well designed "capture" mechanism (in reality, data
structure) will make this job much easier.

> What sort of thing better than template capture?  My basic idea was to 
> see
> what org tools are available, see what kind of problems me get to, 
> without
> asking too much things specific to us.  We can then work through things
> ourselves.  Perhaps share them with some other organisations.

As I mentioned in last mail, I think Org Properties might be more what
you might be looking for.  You may or may not even need any custom Elisp
in addition to that.

> > [1] https://orgmode.org/manual/Properties-and-Columns.html

Try and just play around with that, create some heading and do
org-set-property and then enter a key and value.  If you want to set a
list to choose from, you put at top of file something like:

#+PROPERTY: Investigation_Type_ALL Site_Stabilize Heritage_Management
#+PROPERTY: District_ALL 1 2 3
#+PROPERTY: Site_Type_ALL Domestic Funerary Water-Related Settlement
[...]

You may need to press C-c C-c within the above to re-load and make it
live.

If you like something like that, it's easy to copy blank template and
just open new one for each survey or whatever you are doing and go from
there.  And then here is where Emacs and Orgmode really shine, as they
are unparalleled as note taking tools.  You can include pictures,
tables, etc. headlines and lists, etc.  But you probably know all that
already.

Cheers,
TRS-80