[Orgmode] Re: A Header outline and an Argument outline in one?

[Bernt Hansen]

Scot Becker <address@hidden> writes:

> Greetings, org-moders,
>
> I use org for academic writing, and it seems to me that org might be a
> good way (perhaps even the only existing way) to keep the following
> two kinds of outline structures in one place:
>
> 1.  The typographic outline.  Headers and Subheaders that should
> organize my final document.
> 2.  The argument outline.  The running structure of my argument, not
> finally published but visible to me as I organize and write.  This
> should also be printable as an outline, to discuss my ongoing work.
>
> Right now I do use org to do (1), as part of my writing, which then
> gets exported to LaTeX.  This is nothing new.  Org makes a fantastic
> sandbox for (2).  But it isn't very easy to keep them both together.
> I'm thinking of a way that:
>
> (a) I can use org's great outlining UI to do either (1) or (2), in the
> same outline structure, even if not at the same time.
> (b) keeps them both together, so I can use (2) to prompt my writing.
> (c) Lets me just print the argument outline (i.e. with the easylist[1]
> latex package), or just the document headings, or both
> (c) lets me keep my statements of argument with my text as my written
> piece develops, and possibly
> (e) lets me have argument statements for small sections that I don't
> want typographical headings for.  (Paragraphs yet to be written).
>
> It seems to me that the only way to be able to use org-ui to do and
> keep a non published argument outline is to have a mechanism that
> would exchange the org heading ("*  Chapter One" ) with the argument
> statements when I tell it to.  It could then store the currently
> inactive 'header' either in a commented line or an org-property.  This
> would allow all the goodness of org to operate freely on either kind
> of node title, and the typical export case which keeps the Argument
> lines hidden, or exports them as comments.
>
> I could then have another mechanism which would allow both headers AND
> argument lines to be exported to LaTeX/HTML, for those cases when I
> want a talking points outline to discuss with my supervisor, or to
> work on the whole in pen-and-paper mode.  I assume such a mechanism
> would either put the two headers together in one heading (* Chapter
> One :: The Music of the 50s made a generation crazy), or somehow
> export the property containing the Argument AS the body text, or as
> the argument of a custom latex command.
>
>
> (e) above is a bit of another matter, and I'm not sure how to
> accomplish it in orgmode, which only has native capacity to supress
> whole nodes, not just the headers, but it would be a great addition,
> since it would let me do pre-writing outlining at a far finer level.
>
> I am an elisp learner (as an Emacs user must be, I suppose), but still
> very early in my elisp childhood.  I would be very grateful for some
> ideas about the best way to accomplish this, and/or some guidance
> about what code I might take model these things on.  And of course any
> expressions of enthusiasm for the idea, or hacks that already
> accomplish something like it are mightily welcome.


Hi Scot

I think you can do most if not all of what you want with tags.  I'm not
sure but I think you want to keep your notes and arguments inline with
your document structure something like this:

Consider the following test org-mode document

,----[ test.org ]
| #+EXPORT_SELECT_TAGS: 
| #+EXPORT_EXCLUDE_TAGS: argument note
| 
| * One
|   Stuff about One
| ** One.Argument                                                          
:argument:
|    Argument for One
| * Two
|   Stuff about Two
| ** Two.One
|    Stuff about Two.One
| ** Some note about two                                                       
:note:
|    This is a note
| ** Two.Two
|    Stuff about Two.Two
| * Three
|   Stuff about Three
| ** Argument for Three                                            :argument:
|    [2009-11-18 Wed 09:21]
| *** TODO Don't forget to do this
|     [2009-11-18 Wed 09:22]
| * Four
|   Stuff about Four
| ** Four.One
|    Stuff about Four.One
| ** Four.Two
|    Stuff about Four.Two
| *** Note about Four.Two                                                      
:note:
|     More interesting stuff
| *** Four.Two.One
|     Stuff about Four.Two.One
| **** Argument for Four.Two.One                                           
:argument:
|      [2009-11-18 Wed 09:24]
| *** Four.Two.Two
|     Stuff about Four.Two.Two
| *** Four.Two.Three
|     Stuff about Four.Two.Three
| * Five
|   Stuff about Five
| * Six
|   Stuff about Six
| * Seven
|   Stuff about Seven
`----

By simply changing the EXPORT_SELECT_TAGS and EXPORT_EXCLUDE_TAGS you
can control what ends up in your exported document.

Export the document without arguments or notes
,----
| #+EXPORT_SELECT_TAGS:
| #+EXPORT_EXCLUDE_TAGS: argument note
`----

Export the argument and notes only
,----
| #+EXPORT_SELECT_TAGS: argument note
| #+EXPORT_EXCLUDE_TAGS:
`----

Export only the arguments
,----
| #+EXPORT_SELECT_TAGS: argument
| #+EXPORT_EXCLUDE_TAGS:
`----

Export everything
,----
| #+EXPORT_SELECT_TAGS:
| #+EXPORT_EXCLUDE_TAGS:
`----

HTH,
Bernt