From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 From: Mark Elston Subject: Re: Continuation of main section text after subsections ? Date: Wed, 30 Mar 2011 11:26:54 -0700 Message-ID: <4D9375EE.8080704@comcast.net> References: <20110327170251.58923564@hsdev.com> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Return-path: Received: from [140.186.70.92] (port=52657 helo=eggs.gnu.org) by lists.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.43) id 1Q506q-0002m2-8Y for emacs-orgmode@gnu.org; Wed, 30 Mar 2011 14:27:14 -0400 Received: from Debian-exim by eggs.gnu.org with spam-scanned (Exim 4.71) (envelope-from ) id 1Q506o-0007Yq-4y for emacs-orgmode@gnu.org; Wed, 30 Mar 2011 14:27:11 -0400 Received: from qmta06.emeryville.ca.mail.comcast.net ([76.96.30.56]:49329) by eggs.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.71) (envelope-from ) id 1Q506n-0007Wj-Sw for emacs-orgmode@gnu.org; Wed, 30 Mar 2011 14:27:10 -0400 In-Reply-To: <20110327170251.58923564@hsdev.com> List-Id: "General discussions about Org-mode." List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , Sender: emacs-orgmode-bounces+geo-emacs-orgmode=m.gmane.org@gnu.org Errors-To: emacs-orgmode-bounces+geo-emacs-orgmode=m.gmane.org@gnu.org To: emacs-orgmode@gnu.org On 3/27/2011 8:02 AM, Marcel van der Boom wrote: > Hi, > > When I'm using orgmode to write out largish documents, I often run into > the outlining problem that it's apparently not possible to continue > text of a higher level outline once subsections have been started. > > A simplified example of such an outline would be: > > --- > * Main headline > Some thoughts expressed here > > ** Subheading 1 > More thoughts expressed here > ** Subheading 2 > More thoughts expressed here > > I would like to have this text part of 'Main headline', not of > 'Subheading 2' > ---- I have been following this thread with some interest. But I must admit to being a little confused as to what is meant by the last sentence, above. If this is just a matter of indentation in the org file that can be handled by the user. Org will honor any user-specified indentation for entered text and all subsequent text will maintain the same indentation until a new heading is encountered or the user enters text with a new indentation level. If, OTOH, what is asked for is having org "understand" that the final sentence was part of the main heading so that folding subheading 2 would not fold the last sentence as well, that is something else entirely. I would suggest that the common rules of outlining should be observed so as to minimize the principle of least surprise to the end user. Org mode is, after all, an outliner (albeit one with a /lot/ of bells and whistles added for convenience). On those occasions where I ran into something similar I wound up restructuring my organization to suit. For example, the above might be better structured as: * Main headline Some thoughts expressed here ** Initial points *** Subheading 1 More thoughts expressed here *** Subheading 2 More thoughts expressed here ** Next set of points I would like to have this text part of 'Main headline', not of 'Subheading 2'. However, as it doesn't belong to the previous set of points it starts a new subsection of the 'Main headline.' etc. This seems more in line with what you were intending, anyway. Something to keep in mind here is that in the final output, unless you really jump through some hoops, there isn't going to be any difference in the text associated with the different heading levels. That is, text under "Main headline" will look (font/indentation/etc) identical to text under "Subheading 1", etc. So the only real difference is going to come from the nature of the outline and the subsequent sectioning commands in the output. Of course, if "Subheading 1/2" were changed to lists this is /not/ the case as lists are visually distinct from the surrounding text... I have recently been playing with Freemind and find it a pretty interesting alternative to a purely textual listing as in org-mode. However, mind-maps seem to be rather isomorphic with outlines in many ways and *still* follow most of the same rules (adapted for a graphical environment, of course). I guess I am just not certain how "free floating" text in an outline is to be viewed conceptually, or to be rendered in the final output. Mark