Re: Trouble with Properties and Sparse Trees/Agenda View

From: Carsten Dominik <carsten.dominik@gmail.com>
To: Tom Shannon <tshanno@gmail.com>
Cc: emacs-orgmode@gnu.org
Subject: Re: Trouble with Properties and Sparse Trees/Agenda View
Date: Sat, 4 Apr 2009 23:15:38 +0200	[thread overview]
Message-ID: <6E32EA84-3D99-4347-AF79-A7860B555680@gmail.com> (raw)
In-Reply-To: <aaddd280904041222v452e622ay4280262a3894df5d@mail.gmail.com>

Hi Tom,

welcome back.

Your search fails because "-" is an operator in tags/property searches.
Therefore it should not be used as a character in a property name.

A search

    Contact-Name="Shannon"

will search for entries that do have the tag "Contact", but that do
not have a property "Name" with the value "Shannon".

You need to use Contact_Name or ContactName or something like this
for your property names.

Hope this helps

- Carsten

P.S. I do now realize that this restriction is not enforced or even
described in the manual.  Actually, I would like to have "-" in
property names, but how to disambiguate this is a search?  The best
is to avoid the dash...

On Apr 4, 2009, at 9:22 PM, Tom Shannon wrote:

> In my never ending search for good organizational tools I've come back
> to try org-mode again.  The concept of using tags wasn't that
> appealing to me but the addition of properties and columns makes it
> now very feasible.  I am, however, running into problems associated
> with these new features.
>
> I'm using org-mode 6.24b and emacs 22.2.1 under Ubuntu Linux.
> Creation of sparse trees and agenda views based upon tag matching is
> working very well for me.  Creation of sparse trees and agenda views
> based upon properties fails spectacularly.  So badly in fact that I
> know I must be doing something wrong.  Here's a sample org file:
>
> ---------
>
> * Tasks
>  :PROPERTIES:
>  :Task-Status_ALL: "Not Started" "In Progress" Waiting
>  :END:
> ** Shannon, Thomas R.
>   :PROPERTIES:
>   :Contact-Name: Shannon
>   :Task-Status: Waiting
>   :END:
> *** TODO This is a task
> *** TODO Task 4
> **** TODO Task 2
> **** TODO Task 3						       :Tag1:
>
> * This is a heading
> ** TODO This is a task
> ** TODO Task 4
> *** TODO Task 2
> *** TODO Task 3
>
> ----------
>
> Creation of a sparse tree (C-c / m) with a tag match "Tag1" give the  
> following:
>
> * Tasks...
> ** Shannon, Thomas R....
> *** TODO Task 4...
> **** TODO Task 3						       :Tag1:
> * This is a heading...
>
> So far so good.
>
> Creation of a sparse tree (C-c / p) to match the property
> "Contact-Name" with the value "Shannon" when prompted gives this:
>
> * Tasks...
> * This is a heading...
>
> I expected:
>
> * Tasks...
> ** Shannon, Thomas R....
> * This is a heading...
>
> Trying to create an agenda view based upon a property is even worse.
> I can't get a search using C-c a m to match anything but tags.
>
> This functionality is make-or-break for me.  Any indication of what
> I'm doing wrong would be greatly appreciated.
>
> Thanks,
>
> Tom S.
> -- 
> The release of the atom power has changed everything except our way of
> thinking...  The solution to this problem lies in the heart of
> mankind.  If only I had known, I should have become a watchmaker.
> -- Albert Einstein
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> Emacs-orgmode mailing list
> Remember: use `Reply All' to send replies to the list.
> Emacs-orgmode@gnu.org
> http://lists.gnu.org/mailman/listinfo/emacs-orgmode