Get Organized with Emacs Org-mode

Org-mode is based on Emacs' outlinemode, but it makes working with outlines much easier. Place the cursor on a headline. Using the Tab key, you can expand the headline to show its branches and body. Using Shift-Tab does the same for the entire document (Figures 2–4).

Figure 2. Outline Overview

Figure 3. Outline Partially Expanded

Figure 4. Outline Fully Expanded

Org-mode provides useful keystrokes for modifying the outline structure. To promote a heading by one level, place the cursor on the heading, and use the keystroke M-left (meta and left arrow keys together). To demote a heading by one level use M-right. You can promote an entire subtree with M-Shift-left (Meta, Shift and left arrow keys together) and demote it with M-Shift-right.

Sometimes you may need to add a plain list within the body of a subtree that is not part of the tree structure of the document. To add an unordered plain list, start the line with - or +. To make Org-mode add a - or + at the start of subsequent list items automatically, use M-Return to insert the next list item. To add an ordered list, start the line with 1., and to make Org-mode number subsequent items automatically, use M-Return to insert the next list item. Add an item in the middle of an ordered list, and Org-mode automatically renumbers the list items. You can mix ordered and unordered lists too. Want to add check boxes to a plain list? Start the list item with -[ ]. You can toggle the check box using C-c C-c, which displays the check box as [X] (Figure 5).

Figure 5. Plain Lists

Org-mode recognizes URLs and turns them into clickable links. If Emacs knows your default Web browser, clicking on URLs in Org-mode opens up the link in your default Web browser. Org-mode supports other types of external links, including links to files and images (Figure 6).

Figure 6. Hyperlinks

Org-mode includes a table editor that makes it possible to format tables in plain ASCII text. Using | as a column separator, Org-mode automatically reformats the plain-text table to realign columns or add new rows. Use Tab to move to the next cell and Shift-Tab to move to the previous cell. Org-mode helpfully right-aligns numbers. You can do spreadsheet calculations in these plain-text tables by inserting formulae within cells (Figure 7).

Figure 7. Plain-Text Tables

These are just a few examples of how Org-mode makes it easy to write and format in plain text. But Org-mode's most impressive features are those that enable you to organize and track tasks.

You can assign tags to any headline. Tags are simply letters or numbers preceded and followed by a colon. For example, :RED: could be a tag. You can associate multiple tags with a single headline as in :RED:GREEN:. Tags are added to the end of a headline. To add a tag to a headline, place the cursor on the headline and type C-c C-c. Org-mode will prompt you for a tag.

Org-mode creates a dynamic list of all tags in the file. If you already have tags in a file and want to tag a headline, Org-mode presents a list of already-entered tags. After typing C-c C-c on a headline, use the up and down arrow keys to see other tags in use.

Figure 8. Tags

Tags can be used to set up a system of labels to relate and group information spread out across an Org file. You could use tags to mark the activity type, such as :CODE: and :CALL:. If you are coordinating tasks with others, you could use colleagues' names as tags.