From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 From: Vikas Rawal Subject: Org-mode to feed a database Date: Mon, 29 Dec 2014 07:31:57 +0530 Message-ID: Mime-Version: 1.0 (Mac OS X Mail 7.3 \(1878.6\)) Content-Type: text/plain; charset=windows-1252 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Return-path: Received: from eggs.gnu.org ([2001:4830:134:3::10]:49545) by lists.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.71) (envelope-from ) id 1Y5Pet-0004FR-VL for emacs-orgmode@gnu.org; Sun, 28 Dec 2014 21:02:12 -0500 Received: from Debian-exim by eggs.gnu.org with spam-scanned (Exim 4.71) (envelope-from ) id 1Y5Pep-000249-Uk for emacs-orgmode@gnu.org; Sun, 28 Dec 2014 21:02:11 -0500 Received: from mail-pd0-f178.google.com ([209.85.192.178]:33277) by eggs.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.71) (envelope-from ) id 1Y5Pep-00023z-Pn for emacs-orgmode@gnu.org; Sun, 28 Dec 2014 21:02:07 -0500 Received: by mail-pd0-f178.google.com with SMTP id r10so16280705pdi.9 for ; Sun, 28 Dec 2014 18:02:05 -0800 (PST) Received: from [192.168.1.37] ([59.176.42.82]) by mx.google.com with ESMTPSA id hn4sm33947461pdb.77.2014.12.28.18.02.04 for (version=TLSv1 cipher=ECDHE-RSA-RC4-SHA bits=128/128); Sun, 28 Dec 2014 18:02:05 -0800 (PST) List-Id: "General discussions about Org-mode." List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , Errors-To: emacs-orgmode-bounces+geo-emacs-orgmode=m.gmane.org@gnu.org Sender: emacs-orgmode-bounces+geo-emacs-orgmode=m.gmane.org@gnu.org To: org-mode mailing list This is, in all likelihood, a crazy idea. Please excuse me for that. I often need to get a number of people enter complex survey data into a = database using some kind of forms. The forms I need are fairly complex = (with several nested grids, for example). I need radio-buttons and = drop-down menus-equivalents. I was thinking if it would be worth it to use Org-mode for data entry. The idea would be something like this. We have a template org file that = is copied for each survey respondent. The template contains =93blank=94 = org tables and some source blocks. Responses are filled into the org = tables, and then the source blocks are evaluated to feed the data into = the database. You can version-control the whole thing so that different = people can create these records and push it to a centralised git = repository. Has anyone done anything like this? What has been the experience? There are two aspects that immediately come to my mind. 1. Is org adequately feature rich for such a scenario? There are two = concerns I can think of right now.=20 1.1 Would feeding information from one Org table to another become = too complicated? 1.2 Is there a way to build in tab-completion for columns in = Org-table using pre-specified categories?=20 2. In my case, people who would enter the data into org files would not = have used emacs before. So, there is a learning curve. Is it worth it? = Or should one just build a web-based graphic application for such people = to use? Vikas=