Re: [emacs-humanities] Using org-mode for project organization

[Christian Tietze]

Didn't send my reply in time, so edited to remove overlap with Paul's :)

>> I bet one could (ab)use org-mode to treat the outline as the project
>> structure (just like Scrivener offers an outline) and store the notes
>> as content below the org headings.
>
> How would you go about that?

Here's the rough approach:

I'd make an .org file for the project, and then show it as a dedicated
(so it stays in the window) side-window. Reduce font size, enable
variable-pitch-mode in the buffer for more content per line, and then
have it open like e.g. neotree or treemacs or binder displays the
sidebar content.

Change the file to show all subtrees but hide the content below the
headings -- et voilà, you have a project outline.

Window dedication should help to not follow links in the same window.
This way, the "sidebar" always displays the outline and the content
files are displayed in the main content part.

This can also be achieved by fiddling with `display-buffer-alist'. I got
my Org Agenda to remain in a particular tab and open 1 split to the
right, if needed, when I follow links from the Agenda:
https://christiantietze.de/posts/2022/12/updated-org-mode-agenda-display-buffer-alist/

Upsides: org-mode provides a very competent outliner. (Plain
outline-mode also works, and so does outline-minor-mode to outline-ify
other content.)

Downsides: the outline items aren't Scrivener "cards" by default. You
need to link from the headings to the content files. And what if you
tinker with the outline, insert a new heading, and now need a new file
for the associated content? That requires writing some Elisp to make
this more convenient.

Alternatively, use 1 huge .org file as the meta-document and embed your
actual content in source blocks, literate programming style. Then tangle
the content into the typoscript for further processing. That's a bit
cumbersome, but you can use some tricks to make a sidebar for the document show 
its outline: dedicate the sidebar to an imenu display or org-view-mode with 
some tweaks; or have an indirect buffer show the outline
(zoomed out) in the sidebar, and even make it read-only. The same
document, with details expanded, can be edited in the main content area.

For a dedicated imenu browser, the old Speedbar might also do the trick:
https://www.gnu.org/software/emacs/manual/html_node/emacs/Speedbar.html


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