Re: Sectioning in LaTeX export

[Mark Elston <m_elston@comcast.net>]

Nick Dokos wrote:
> Mark,
> 
> I tried (on Org-mode version 6.25b) the following simple test and it
> seems to work OK (see attached tex.file) - note that (at least afaik)
> there is a one-one correspondence between the heading level and the
> LaTeX construct: that is controlled in a limited way by the variable
> org-export-latex-classes (see below).
> 
> * main file book.org:
> 
> ,----
> | #+TITLE:  My Tasks
> | #+OPTIONS: H:5 num:t d:nil
> | #+LaTeX_CLASS: book
> | 
> | 
> | * Part 1
> | #+INCLUDE: "ch1.org"
> | 
> | #+INCLUDE: "ch2.org"
> `----
> 

It appears that the key is in this file.  This file *must* have
a headline of level 1 or nothing else works.  Who knew?  (Except
Carsten, of course)  :)

> 
> * Chapter 1 file:
> 
> ,----
> | ** First chapter
> | *** Introduction
> | *** Elaboration
> | *** Proof
> | **** Subsection 3.1
> | **** Subsection 3.2
> | *** Summary
> `----
> 
> * Chapter 2 file:
> 
> ,----
> | ** Chapter 2
> | *** Section 1
> | *** Section 2
> | **** Subsection 2.1
> | **** Subsection 2.2
> | *** Section 3
> | *** Section 4
> `----
> 
> But you'll have to compromise a bit: 
> 
> o you'll have to make the chapters at least level 1 - but you can
>   use M-S-<right> or M-S-<left> to demote/promote the whole tree,
>   as long as the top level is >= 1.
> 

Your example doesn't show this as both have level 2 trees, but, yes,
if the main file has a level 1 headline *before* including any further
files then the structure is honored.

This is a little awkward but not too bad.

> o you can edit the book portion of org-export-latex-classes to change the
>   correspondence of level to LaTeX construct:
> 

Yeah, I am using a custom org-export-latex-classes so I can use memoir
and do some further customizations.

> ...
> o Note also that the H:5 setting controls not only the tocdepth
> in LaTeX but it also affects how levels >= (H value) correspond
> to LaTeX constructs - what would become a subsection given a high
> enough value for H, actually becomes an \itemize for a lower value.
> I observer this experimentally and I have no idea if there is some
> other way of getting around it.
> 

I am going to play around with this.  I looked at the code for the latex
exporting and had trouble following it (I am not a lisp expert by any
means).

Thanks for discovering this.  I would not have tried this as I am
keeping different kinds of information in different files and simply
using a 'main' file to group them for 'pretty-printing'.  It's not
really a book.  It is my notes of ongoing tasks for my team that I use
for my 'Management by Walking Around' style... :)  One chapter is for
ongoing tasks, one chapter for bugs, one chapter for project schedule
items, etc.  They are short chapters but having it all collected
simplifies my life when I go into meetings and need to report on the
progress of any particular item.

Mark