Re: Simplify repeated same section with different variable value

[Toby Cubitt <tsc25@cantab.net>]

On Tue, Apr 24, 2012 at 03:01:44PM +0200, Rainer M Krug wrote:
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> On 24/04/12 14:36, Myles English wrote:
> >>> On Tue, 24 Apr 2012 14:22:48 +0200, Rainer M Krug said:
> > 
> >> Hi I have a section which I want to repeat for different variable
> >> values. At the moment I am copying them, but I do not like it at
> >> all:
> > 
> >> ** Species one :PROPERTIES: :var: SPECIES="sp1" :END: *** Data
> >> Checks Here is some text #+header: :results output #+begin_src R
> >> checkData(species=SPECIES) #+end_src
> > 
> > 
> >> ** Species 2 :PROPERTIES: :var: SPECIES="sp2" :END: *** Data Checks
> >> Here is some text #+header: :results output #+begin_src R
> >> checkData(species=SPECIES) #+end_src
> > 
> > 
> >> I am sure there must be an easier way with org?
> > 
> > How about using yasnippet?
> 
> Yasnippets would help in filling the file with the repeated code - but
> if I want to change e.g.  "some text" to "some more text", I still have
> to do it manually. Nevertheless, if I could define the org section once
> and repeat it with different variable values, this would enable me to
> change it only once.

I don't personally know of an org-specific way. But you can do amazing
things with `query-replace-regexp' in Emacs, especially the \# and \,
escapes which, respectively, let you embed the replacement counter and
arbitrary elisp code in the replacement string. (See the docstring or
Emacs manual for details.)

Whether you consider writing regexps and elisp snippets "easier" is open
to debate...

Toby
-- 
Dr T. S. Cubitt
Mathematics and Quantum Information group
Department of Mathematics
Complutense University
Madrid, Spain

email: tsc25@cantab.net
web:   www.dr-qubit.org