Re: [O] Bug: org-refile-targets doesn't say whether it's AND or OR [7.7 (release_7.7.351.gb8b5)]

[Dave Abrahams]

on Wed Sep 28 2011, Nick Dokos <nicholas.dokos-AT-hp.com> wrote:

> Dave Abrahams <address@hidden> wrote:
>
>> 
>> 
>> Remember to cover the basics, that is, what you expected to happen and
>> what in fact did happen.  You don't know how to make a good report?  See
>> 
>>      http://orgmode.org/manual/Feedback.html#Feedback
>> 
>> Your bug report will be posted to the Org-mode mailing list.
>> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
>> 
>> The documentation doesn't specify whether the cons cells are ANDed or
>> ORed together when selecting refile targets.
>> 
>
> I'm not really sure what you mean, so let me tell you how I understand
> this variable and then come back to the question of what you would like
> to see.
>
> AFAIK, the variable is used to construct a set of possible targets: you
> select the items to refile and then you select *one* item from this
> set. There is completion: as you type, the set is cut down to whatever
> subset matches your current input - org does not let you finish until
> the refiling target has been specified uniquely.
>
> Each element of the org-refile-targets list generates a set of posssible
> targets. The whole set is the union of these partial sets. Since ORs map
> to unions and ANDs to intersections, I guess one could say that they are
> ORed together, but personally I find it confusing to think of it in
> these terms.

Then think of it / describe it in terms of set unions.  ORing predicates
creates a set union.

> Assuming that this is correct, does it help? 

Yes.

> And if it is correct and it does help, what would you change in the
> docs to incorporate this information? And how?

I would change the doc for org-refile-targets to say that the resulting
list of targets is the union of all the targets matched by each cons
cell.  I think you could take that pretty much verbatim.

-- 
Dave Abrahams
BoostPro Computing
http://www.boostpro.com