path: root/content/blog/2024-08-11-org-mode-features.org

#+date:        <2024-08-12 Mon 12:48:00>
#+title:       Essential Org-Mode Features for Productivity
#+description: Detailed overview of essential Org-Mode functionalities focusing on task organization, note-taking, and workflow optimization.
#+slug:        org-mode-features
#+filetags:    :productivity:emacs:org-mode:

* Cycling (Folding)

#+begin_quote
[[https://git.sr.ht/~cxc/cleberg.net/tree/main/item/content/blog/2024-08-11-org-mode-features.org#L7][View this section]] in org-mode.
#+end_quote

My absolute top-used feature is [[https://orgmode.org/manual/Global-and-local-cycling.html][global and local cycling]] and it's not even
close. Being able to hit =S-TAB= and collapse all headings when opening a file
or needing to see a file's headings is an under appreciated trait.

** Local Cycling

When focused on a heading, you can press =TAB= (=org-cycle=) to cycle that
subtree among the states =folded=, =children=, and =subtree=.

#+begin_src txt
,-> FOLDED -> CHILDREN -> SUBTREE --.
'-----------------------------------'
#+end_src

** Global Cycling

If you're looking to cycle more than one subtree or heading at a time, you can
press =S-TAB= or =C-u TAB= to cycle the entire buffer among the states
=overview=, =contents=, and =show all=.

#+begin_src txt
,-> OVERVIEW -> CONTENTS -> SHOW ALL --.
'--------------------------------------'
#+end_src

** Default Views

If you need to set a default view for a certain file, you can run =C-u C-u TAB=
to set the =org-set-startup-visibility=. Alternatively, just put the following
at the top of the buffer:

#+begin_src org
#+STARTUP: overview
#+STARTUP: content
#+STARTUP: showall
#+STARTUP: show2levels
#+STARTUP: show3levels
#+STARTUP: show4levels
#+STARTUP: show5levels
#+STARTUP: showeverything
#+end_src

* TODO Lists

#+begin_quote
[[https://git.sr.ht/~cxc/cleberg.net/tree/main/item/content/blog/2024-08-11-org-mode-features.org#L55][View this section]] in org-mode.
#+end_quote

Next up on in this post are [[https://orgmode.org/manual/TODO-Items.html][TODO Lists]]. Being able to combine note taking and
reminders was the primary reason I switched to org-mode in the first place.

TODO lists are more than just the Markdown equivalent of =- [ ] Task=. Instead,
you can utilize org-mode's native functionality to dynamically create TODO
items, have fast access to TODO states, log progress on tasks, clocking work
time, prioritization, breaking down tasks into subtasks, and even using checkbox
formatting as well.

** Prioritizing Tasks

One of my favorite ways to separate my tasks are to assign priorities. You can
do this by placing a priority cookie into the headline of a TODO item.

#+begin_src org
,*** TODO [#A] My Task
,*** TODO [#C] My Other Task
#+end_src

You can quickly shift priorities with =S-UP= and =S-DOWN=, as well as set the
allowed priorities for a buffer with the following syntax:

#+begin_src org
#+PRIORITIES: A C B
#+PRIORITIES: 1 10 5
#+end_src

** Deadlines

Plans can be set per task by settings special keywords with a date. You can set
a =DEADLINE= to note when the task will appear in the agenda or set the
=SCHEDULED= variable to note when you plan to start working on the task.

#+begin_src org
,* TODO My Task
DEADLINE: <2004-02-29 Sun>

,* My Other Task
SCHEDULED: <2004-12-25 Sat>
#+end_src

As a side note, I use [[https://www.beorgapp.com/][Beorg]] on iOS to sync and edit my org-mode files on the go.
Within this app, I use the =SCHEDULED= variable by default and rely heavily on
that variable to alert me of tasks with iOS native notifications.

* Time Stamping

#+begin_quote
[[https://git.sr.ht/~cxc/cleberg.net/tree/main/item/content/blog/2024-08-11-org-mode-features.org#L106][View this section]] in org-mode.
#+end_quote

Another great feature are the [[https://orgmode.org/manual/Dates-and-Times.html][dates and times]] functionalities within org-mode.
Timestamps follow this format in org-mode:

#+begin_src org
,* An active timestamp
<2006-11-01 Wed 19:15>

,* An inactive timestamp
[2006-11-01 Wed 19:15>

,* Repeated timestamps
<2006-11-01 Wed 19:15 +1m>

,* Time range
<2006-11-02 Thu 10:00-12:00>

,* Date range
<2004-08-23 Mon>--<2004-08-26 Thu>
#+end_src

In addition to the deadlines mentioned above, you can insert timestamps into any
marker within the buffer with =C-c .= for an active timestamp and =C-c != for an
inactive timestamp. You can read more on [[https://orgmode.org/manual/Creating-Timestamps.html][creating timestamps]] to figure out the
different options available when creating timestamps.

* Tags

#+begin_quote
[[https://git.sr.ht/~cxc/cleberg.net/tree/main/item/content/blog/2024-08-11-org-mode-features.org#L137][View this section]] in org-mode.
#+end_quote

Next up are [[https://orgmode.org/manual/Tags.html][Tags]], which provide a way to document contexts within and across
buffers and files.

You can assign tags directly to headlines or at the file level and can contain
letters, numbers, underscores, and the =@= symbol.

#+begin_src org
,#+FILETAGS: :Fruits:

,* Pick fruits off the trees      :work:
,** Start with the orange grove   :orange:tree:
,*** TODO Pick bananas last       :banana:
#+end_src

** Filtering and Searching by Tag

You can search for tags with =C-c \= or open the org-agenda with =M-x org-agenda
m= and search for a tag of your choosing.

* Tables

#+begin_quote
[[https://git.sr.ht/~cxc/cleberg.net/tree/main/item/content/blog/2024-08-11-org-mode-features.org#L162][View this section]] in org-mode.
#+end_quote

One of the most inconvenient parts of writing in Markdown was dealing with
tables. In org-mode, [[https://orgmode.org/manual/Tables.html][Tables]] are a breeze due to Emacs's built-in table editor
and formatter.

** Built-In Table Editor

With the built-in table editor, press =C-c |= to convert the active region to a
table or create an empty table.

When focused on a table, press =TAB= to re-align the table. There are more
commands available to re-align, traverse, and edit cells and regions within
tables in Emacs.

For example, refer to the following table. This table uses the =TBLFM= variable
to define functions that will apply to the cells within the table. When I press
=C-c C-c=, the table cells updated to their resulting values.

| N | N^2 | N^3 | N^4 |   sqrt(n) | sqrt[4](N) |
|---+-----+-----+-----+-----------+------------|
| / |   < |     |   > |         < |          > |
| 1 |   1 |   1 |   1 |         1 |          1 |
| 2 |   4 |   8 |  16 | 1.4142136 |  1.1892071 |
| 3 |   9 |  27 |  81 | 1.7320508 |  1.3160740 |
|---+-----+-----+-----+-----------+------------|
#+TBLFM: $2=$1^2::$3=$1^3::$4=$1^4::$5=sqrt($1)::$6=sqrt(sqrt(($1)))

** Spreadsheet

If you spend a lot of time in spreadsheets, you'll appreciate the Emacs Calc
package, which Emacs uses to implement spreadsheet-like capabilities within
org-mode tables.

Read through the [[https://orgmode.org/manual/The-Spreadsheet.html][spreadsheet]] documentation to learn more about field references
(=@ROW$COLUMN=), range references (=$1..$3=), coordinates, formulas, and more.

For example, refer to the following table. Here is a table that computes the
Taylor series of degree n at location x for a couple of functions. You can clear
the values out of the =Result= column for each row, press =C-c C-c=, and watch
as the table re-calculates the results for each.

|---+-------------+---+-----+--------------------------------------|
|   | Func        | n | x   | Result                               |
|---+-------------+---+-----+--------------------------------------|
| # | exp(x)      | 1 | x   | 1 + x                                |
| # | exp(x)      | 2 | x   | 1 + x + x^2 / 2                      |
| # | exp(x)      | 3 | x   | 1 + x + x^2 / 2 + x^3 / 6            |
| # | x^2+sqrt(x) | 2 | x=0 | x*(0.5 / 0) + x^2 (2 - 0.25 / 0) / 2 |
| # | x^2+sqrt(x) | 2 | x=1 | 2 + 2.5 x - 2.5 + 0.875 (x - 1)^2    |
| * | tan(x)      | 3 | x   | x pi / 180 + 5.72e-8 x^3 pi^3        |
|---+-------------+---+-----+--------------------------------------|
#+TBLFM: $5=taylor($2,$4,$3);n3

Alternatively, you can also refer to the following table. This table will update
to different values based on the =TBLFM= I select when I'm pressing =C-c C-c=.
The results are =[1,2]= when focused on the first line and =[2,4]= when focused
on the second line.

| x | y |
|---+---|
| 1 | 2 |
| 2 | 4 |
#+TBLFM: $2=$1*1
#+TBLFM: $2=$1*2

* Source Code Blocks

#+begin_quote
[[https://git.sr.ht/~cxc/cleberg.net/tree/main/item/content/blog/2024-08-11-org-mode-features.org#L232][View this section]] in org-mode.
#+end_quote

** Introduction to Source Code Blocks

If you run a technical blog, write code frequently, or like to take notes with
source code examples, you will appreciate the [[https://orgmode.org/manual/Working-with-Source-Code.html][source code]] functionality of
org-mode.

With this feature, org-mode can manage the source code you define with features
such as editing, formatting, extracting, exporting, and publishing.
Additionally, you can compile and execute source code dynamically within the
org-mode file or buffer.

A full source code block uses the following structure:

#+begin_src org
,#+NAME: <name>
,#+BEGIN_SRC <language> <switches> <header arguments>
  <body>
,#+END_SRC
#+end_src

You can also use inline blocks:

#+begin_src org
src_<language>[<header arguments>]{<body>}
#+end_src

** Editing Source Code Blocks

When focused on a code block, press =C-c'= to edit the code block in a special
editor. Press =C-x C-x= to save the buffer and =C-c '= again to close the
buffer.

** Syntax Highlighting and Formatting

Emacs provides syntax highlighting by default within org-mode's source code
blocks. Org-mode will copy the text to a temporary buffer, highlight it using
the major mode relevant to the language (e.g., [[https://www.gnu.org/software/emacs/manual/html_mono/ccmode.html][CC Mode]]), and then return the
resulting highlighted text.

** Buffer Evaluation

By default, org-mode will only evaluate Emacs Lisp code blocks. You will need to
enable other [[https://orgmode.org/manual/Languages.html][languages]] in order to evaluate code blocks written in languages
other than elisp.

When focused on a code block, you can execute the block with =C-c C-c=. The
results of the evaluation will appear below the code block in a =RESULTS= block.

For example, here is a code block in elisp that I have written and evaluated with
org-mode inside this blog post. I will press =C-c C-c= and you will see the
results below the code block.

#+begin_src elisp
(defun greet-me ()
  (message "Hello, world!"))

(greet-me)
#+end_src

#+begin_src org
,#+RESULTS:
: Hello, world!
#+end_src

* Exporting and Publishing

#+begin_quote
[[https://git.sr.ht/~cxc/cleberg.net/tree/main/item/content/blog/2024-08-11-org-mode-features.org#L302][View this section]] in org-mode.
#+end_quote

I would be remiss if I did not mention the native [[https://orgmode.org/manual/Exporting.html][exporting and publishing]]
functionality within Emacs and org-mode.

** Built-In Publishing

This functionality allows you to translate Org to the following formats
(additional formats may be available via external packages):

- ascii (ASCII format)
- beamer (LaTeX Beamer format)
- html (HTML format)
- icalendar (iCalendar format)
- latex (LaTeX format)
- md (Markdown format)
- odt (OpenDocument Text format)
- org (Org format)
- texinfo (Texinfo format)
- man (Man page format)

  You can export with =C-c C-h= and then select your preferred destination
  format. For example, an export from org to HTML as a file would use =C-c C-e h
  h=.

** External Publishing Tools

If the native functionality isn't useful enough for you, there are a myriad of
external [[https://orgmode.org/tools.html][tools]], including [[https://orgmode.org/worg/org-blog-wiki.html][blogs and wikis]], that work with org-mode.

* Agenda

#+begin_quote
[[https://git.sr.ht/~cxc/cleberg.net/tree/main/item/content/blog/2024-08-11-org-mode-features.org#L336][View this section]] in org-mode.
#+end_quote

Last, but not least, are [[https://orgmode.org/manual/Agenda-Views.html][Agenda Views]]. With agenda views, you can easily view
your agenda of TODO items, scheduled items, projects, etc. across your
collection of org-mode files.

Org-mode will extract all of this information from your org files
(=org-agenda-files=) and display it within the agenda buffer.

You can open the agenda with =M-x org-agenda=. Once inside the buffer, you can
use shortcuts in the [[https://orgmode.org/manual/Agenda-Dispatcher.html][Agenda Dispatcher]] to quickly view calendars, TODOs, create
items, filter items, and more.