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authorChristian Cleberg <hello@cleberg.net>2024-03-14 11:21:53 -0500
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+date = 2024-03-14T16:19:23+00:00
+title = "Doom Emacs & Org-Mode"
+description = "A quick look at my setup with Doom Emacs and the Org-Mode syntax."
++++
+
+## Screenshots
+
+These screenshots are showing a project opened with projectile, a treemacs side
+pane open with the project contents, multiple buffers tiled next to each other,
+and the help pane open at the bottomm.
+
+The themes are `doom-homage-white` and `doom-dracula`.
+
+![Doom Emacs Light
+Mode](https://img.cleberg.net/blog/20240314-doom-emacs/light.png)
+
+![Doom Emacs Dark
+Mode](https://img.cleberg.net/blog/20240314-doom-emacs/dark.png)
+
+## Getting Started
+
+I have been switching back and forth between
+[markdown](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Markdown) and
+[org-mode](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Org-mode) recently for my personal note
+taking, wiki, and even this blog. As a result, I have been stumbling further
+into the world of Emacs and found myself at a point where I now prefer to do
+most of my basic editing within Emacs.
+
+I'll leave the markdown vs. org-mode debate for another post, but I love
+org-mode's extensibility and interactive nature within Emacs, but it becomes
+very unwieldy in any other client implementation of org-mode - especially on
+iOS. On the flip side, markdown is limited in functionality and fractured into
+different standards, but it's simple and popular enough that there are a
+plethora of great clients to choose from that will get the job done.
+
+For now, I want to focus on how I have been using Emacs and some of the things
+that would have helped me learn it faster had I known where to start.
+
+### Installation
+
+This post focuses on [Doom Emacs](https://github.com/doomemacs/doomemacs), which
+is an Emacs framework that provides an alternative experience to the vanilla
+[GNU Emacs](https://www.gnu.org/software/emacs/).
+
+The [Getting Start
+Guide](https://github.com/doomemacs/doomemacs/blob/master/docs/getting_started.org)
+has an extremely detailed walkthrough of installation for all systems, so please
+refer to that guide for up-to-date instructions.
+
+I chose to install on macOS, using the Homebrew option with the
+`railwaycat/emacsmacport` version of Emacs.
+
+Once the program is installed, you can run the program by typing `emacs` in a
+terminal. If you installed a version of Emacs that supports both a GUI and TUI,
+you will have to run `emacs -nw` to get the TUI instead of the default GUI.
+
+### Configuration
+
+Once installed, you can configure Doom by editing the files within the
+`~/.doom.d/` directory. This directory holds four files:
+
+1. `config.el` - Personal configuration file
+2. `custom.el` - Custom set variables
+3. `init.el` - Doom modules and load order, must run `doom sync` after modifying
+4. `packages.el` - Declare packages to install in this file, then run `doom
+ sync` to install
+
+I only needed a few customizations for my configuration, so I'll list them
+below.
+
+```lisp
+;; ~/.doom.d/config.el
+(setq doom-theme 'doom-homage-black)
+(setq display-line-numbers-type t)
+(setq org-directory "~/Documents/Notes/")
+
+;; lengthy org-publish directives at the bottom of the file
+```
+
+```lisp
+;; ~/.doom.d/init.el
+(doom! :input
+ :completion
+ company ; the ultimate code completion backend
+ vertico ; the search engine of the future
+
+ :ui
+ doom ; what makes DOOM look the way it does
+ doom-dashboard ; a nifty splash screen for Emacs
+ (emoji +unicode) ; 🙂
+ hl-todo ; highlight TODO/FIXME/NOTE/DEPRECATED/HACK/REVIEW
+ minimap ; show a map of the code on the side
+ modeline ; snazzy, Atom-inspired modeline, plus API
+ ophints ; highlight the region an operation acts on
+ (popup +defaults) ; tame sudden yet inevitable temporary windows
+ tabs ; a tab bar for Emacs
+ treemacs ; a project drawer, like neotree but cooler
+ (vc-gutter +pretty) ; vcs diff in the fringe
+ vi-tilde-fringe ; fringe tildes to mark beyond EOB
+ workspaces ; tab emulation, persistence & separate workspaces
+
+ :editor
+ (evil +everywhere); come to the dark side, we have cookies
+ file-templates ; auto-snippets for empty files
+ fold ; (nigh) universal code folding
+ snippets ; my elves. They type so I don't have to
+
+ :emacs
+ dired ; making dired pretty [functional]
+ electric ; smarter, keyword-based electric-indent
+ undo ; persistent, smarter undo for your inevitable mistakes
+ vc ; version-control and Emacs, sitting in a tree
+
+ :term
+ term ; basic terminal emulator for Emacs
+
+ :checkers
+ syntax ; tasing you for every semicolon you forget
+
+ :tools
+ (eval +overlay) ; run code, run (also, repls)
+ lookup ; navigate your code and its documentation
+ magit ; a git porcelain for Emacs
+
+ :os
+ (:if (featurep :system 'macos) macos) ; improve compatibility with macOS
+
+ :lang
+ common-lisp ; if you've seen one lisp, you've seen them all
+ emacs-lisp ; drown in parentheses
+ markdown ; writing docs for people to ignore
+ org ; organize your plain life in plain text
+ python ; beautiful is better than ugly
+ sh ; she sells {ba,z,fi}sh shells on the C xor
+
+ :app
+ irc ; how neckbeards socialize
+ (rss +org) ; emacs as an RSS reader
+
+ (default +bindings +smartparens))
+```
+
+If you're editing these files within Doom directly, remember to run `SPC h r r`
+to reload the configuration. Also remember to run `doom sync` for any changes to
+the `init.el` or `packages.el` files.
+
+## Basic Functionality
+
+I kept a cheat sheet note open at first with all of the basic functions typed
+out, copied as I went through the tutorial. After a little while, I no longer
+needed it. I highly recommend writing down the most applicable shortcuts for
+your preferred functionality and refer back to it until you've memorized it.
+
+Memorizing the shortcuts will differ based on the type of Emacs framework being
+used. Personally, migrating from vanilla Emacs to Doom Emacs simplified
+everything by a large factor and instantly enabled me to start working on my
+projects, eliminating most of the hurdles I was running into. The vanilla emacs
+hotkeys became obnoxious and I actually stopped using Emacs entirely for about a
+month before trying Doom.
+
+For me, the first logical step is to interact with the local filesystem. To do
+this, I needed to know how to open directories, open files, save files, discard
+changes, close files, and switch between open files. Here are some example
+shortcuts I've written down in order to accomplish file-based actions.
+
+| Doom Hotkey | Emacs Hotkey | Description |
+|-----------------|--------------|----------------------------------------|
+| `SPC :` | `C-x` | Run functions |
+| `SPC f f` | `C-x f` | Open file in buffer |
+| `SPC f d` | `C-x d` | Open directory with `dired` |
+| `i` | `C-x C-q` | Edit current buffer (insert mode) |
+| `q` | `C-x C-q` | Quit out of insert mode |
+| `SPC f s` | `C-x s` | Save current buffer |
+| `SPC b k` | `C-x k` | Kill current buffer |
+| `SPC w h/j/k/l` | `C-x o`[^1] | Move left/down/up/right to next buffer |
+
+[^1] Doom's evil-window functionality is a bit different from GNU Emacs, but you
+can always switch to the "other" buffer with `C-x o` or `C-x b` to get a list of
+buffers to select.
+
+In general, when in Doom, you can press `SPC` and wait a second for the help
+pane to appear with all available hotkey options. For example, you can press
+`SPC`, wait for the help pane, and then select a key such as `g` to enter the
+git help pane and explore further command options.
+
+## Editing
+
+Next in my process is to dive into editing for any languages I'm currently
+using. In this post, I will just cover Markdown and Org-Mode but I have also
+been slowly adoping some Python and general web dev tools as well.
+
+### Markdown
+
+Markdown is fairly simple as the syntax is limited, so just make sure the
+`~/.doom.d/init.el` includes the `markdown` declaration in the `:lang` section.
+
+This package includes the following hotkey menus. The insert and toggle menu
+expands further, allowing you to insert various markdown elements and toggle
+things like link hiding.
+
+| Doom Hotkey | Function |
+|------------------------------|--------------------------|
+| `SPC m '` | markdown-edit-code-block |
+| `SPC m e` | markdown-export |
+| `SPC m i` | +insert |
+| `SPC m o` | markdown-open |
+| `SPC m p` | markdown-preview |
+| `SPC m t` | +toggle |
+| `SPC : markdown-table-align` | markdown-table-align |
+
+### Org-Mode
+
+Similar to the markdown section above, ensure that the `~/.doom.d/init.el`
+includes the `org` declaration in the `:lang` section.
+
+There are a few hot keys, but a quick search with `SPC : org` shows that there
+are 865 possible org-related functions you can run. I won't possibly be able to
+list them all, so I will simply cover a few of the basic commands I use myself.
+
+| Doom Hotkey | Function |
+|----------------|---------------------------------------|
+| `SPC m t` | org-todo |
+| `SPC n t` | org-todo-list |
+| `SPC o A` | org-agenda |
+| `SPC X` | org-capture |
+| `SPC m p p` | org-priority |
+| `SPC m d s` | org-schedule |
+| `TAB` | org-cycle |
+| `SHIFT TAB` | Collapse/open all headings in buffer |
+| `M-q` | Format/wrap current section |
+| `M-Left/Right` | Demote/promote current heading |
+| `M-Down/Up` | Shift current heading section down/up |
+
+#### Org-Publish
+
+Org includes a [publishing management
+system](https://orgmode.org/manual/Publishing.html) by default that allows you
+to export org files to Org, iCalendar, HTML, LaTex, Markdown, ODT, and Plain
+Text. Most of these can be exported into another buffer and opened, or simply to
+an external file.
+
+While inside an org file, simply run `SPC m e` or `M-x org-export-dispatch` to
+open the export menu. This menu will show all options and ask you to select an
+option. If you want to export to HTML, simply press `h` and then `H` (As HTML
+buffer), `h` (As HTML file), or `o` (As HTML file and open).
+
+#### Projects
+
+Some publishing options are easier with a defined project in Emacs. To create a
+project within Emacs, I use two methods:
+
+1. Add the project via the projectile command `SPC p a`. Does not always work
+ for me.
+2. Add an empty `.projectile` file in the project root.
+
+Once a project has been created, you can create custom publishing actions within
+your `~/.doom.d/config.el` file. For example, here's a test project I created to
+try and convert this blog to org-mode recently.
+
+```lisp ;; org-publish (require 'ox-publish)
+
+(defun my/org-sitemap-date-entry-format (entry style project) "Format ENTRY in
+ org-publish PROJECT Sitemap format ENTRY ENTRY STYLE format that includes
+ date." (let ((filename (org-publish-find-title entry project))) (if (= (length
+ filename) 0) (format "*%s*" entry) (format "{{{timestamp(%s)}}}
+ [[file:%s][%s]]" (format-time-string "%Y-%m-%d" (org-publish-find-date entry
+ project)) entry filename))))
+
+(setq org-export-global-macros '(("timestamp" . "@@html:<time datetime='[$1]'
+ class='timestamp'>[$1]</time>@@")))
+
+(setq org-publish-project-alist
+ `(("blog"
+ :base-directory "~/Source/cleberg.net/"
+ :base-extension "org"
+ :recursive t
+ :publishing-directory "~/Source/cleberg.net/public/"
+ :publishing-function org-html-publish-to-html
+ ;; HTML5
+ :html-doctype "html5"
+ :html-html5-fancy t
+ ;; Disable some Org's HTML defaults
+ :html-head-include-scripts nil
+ :html-head-include-default-style nil
+ :section-numbers nil
+ :with-title nil
+ ;; Sitemap
+ :auto-sitemap t
+ :sitemap-title: "Sitemap"
+ :sitemap-sort-files anti-chronologically
+ ; :sitemap-function my/org-sitemap-date-entry-format
+ ;; Customize HTML output
+ :html-divs ((preamble "header" "preamble")
+ (content "main" "content")
+ (postamble "footer" "postamble"))
+ :html-head "<meta name='theme-color' content='#111' media='(prefers-color-scheme: dark)'>
+ <meta name='theme-color' content='#fff' media='(prefers-color-scheme: light)'>
+ <link rel='stylesheet' href='/syntax-theme-dark.css' media='(prefers-color-scheme: dark)'>
+ <link rel='stylesheet' href='/syntax-theme-light.css' media='(prefers-color-scheme: light)'>
+ <link rel='stylesheet' href='/styles.css' type='text/css'>"
+ :html-preamble "<nav class='site-nav' aria-label='site-nav' role='navigation'>
+ <ul>
+ <li><a href='/'>Home</a></li>
+ <li><a href='/blog/'>Blog</a></li>
+ <li><a href='/services/'>Services</a></li>
+ <li><a href='/wiki/'>Wiki</a></li>
+ </ul></nav>
+ <h1>%t</h1>
+ <time datetime='%d'>%d</time>"
+ :html-postamble "
+ <p>Last build: %T</p>
+ <p>Created with %c</p>"
+ )
+
+ ("static"
+ :base-directory "~/Source/cleberg.net/static/"
+ :base-extension "css\\|txt\\|jpg\\|gif\\|png"
+ :recursive t
+ :publishing-directory "~/Source/cleberg.net/public/"
+ :publishing-function org-publish-attachment)
+
+ ("cleberg.net" :components ("blog" "static"))))
+```
+
+## General Thoughts
+
+I have enjoyed Doom Emacs (far more than GNU Emacs) and will likely continue to
+use it as my main editor for the time being. Org-Mode is certainly the largest
+factor here, as I far prefer it over Markdown due to its inherent features and
+detailed markup options. However, working with org-mode on iOS has been a pain
+and I will have to see if there's an easier way to resolve those issues or if
+going back to separate Markdown, Reminders, and Calendar apps is easier to work
+with than an all-in-one org solution.