information/feature request: org analog to latex \description environment

information/feature request: org analog to latex \description environment

[Eric Schulte]

Does org currently support any syntax like the latex \desciption
environment, something that would look like

,----
| first: a description/definition of first
| another: another item to be defined
`----

or

,----
| - first: a description/definition of first
| - another: another item to be defined
`----

in org, and would export to something like

,----
| \begin{description}
| \item[first] a description/definition of first
| \item[another] another item to be defined
| \end{description}
`----

in latex?  If not would it be difficult/desirable to add?

Thanks -- Eric

Re: information/feature request: org analog to latex \description environment

[Bernt Hansen]

"Eric Schulte" <schulte.eric@gmail.com> writes:

> Does org currently support any syntax like the latex \desciption
> environment, something that would look like
>
> ,----
> | first: a description/definition of first
> | another: another item to be defined
> `----
>
> or
>
> ,----
> | - first: a description/definition of first
> | - another: another item to be defined
> `----
>
> in org, and would export to something like
>
> ,----
> | \begin{description}
> | \item[first] a description/definition of first
> | \item[another] another item to be defined
> | \end{description}
> `----
>
> in latex?  If not would it be difficult/desirable to add?
>
> Thanks -- Eric

By default org export to latex creates description lists for headlines
when you go more than 3 levels deep.

Here's a sample org file where heading levels 2 and greater become
description lists.

,----[ play.org ]
| #+STARTUP:
| #+TITLE:     play.org
| #+OPTIONS:   H:1 num:t toc:nil \n:nil @:t ::t |:t ^:nil -:t f:t *:t TeX:t LaTeX:nil skip:nil d:nil tags:not-in-toc
| #+INFOJS_OPT: view:nil toc:nil ltoc:t mouse:underline buttons:0 path:http://orgmode.org/org-info.js
| * Test file
| ** TODO Furniture
| *** TODO Chairs
| *** TODO Tables
| **** TODO Coffee Table
| Stuff goes here
| **** TODO Buffer Table
| More stuff goes here
`----

exorted with C-c C-e L

,----[ play.tex ]
| % Created 2008-09-09 Tue 17:00
| \documentclass[11pt,a4paper]{article}
| \usepackage[utf8]{inputenc}
| \usepackage[T1]{fontenc}
| \usepackage{hyperref}
| 
| 
| \title{play.org}
| \author{Bernt Hansen}
| \date{09 September 2008}
| 
| \begin{document}
| 
| \maketitle
| 
| \section{Furniture}
| 
| \begin{description}
| 
| \item[Chairs]
| 
| 
| \end{description}
| \begin{description}
| 
| \item[Tables]
| 
| 
| \begin{description}
| 
| \item[Coffee Table]
| 
| 
| Stuff goes here
| \end{description}
| \begin{description}
| 
| \item[Buffer Table]
| 
| 
| More stuff goes here
| \end{description}
| \end{description}
| 
| \end{document}
`----

You can set the number of heading levels to export as headings in the
export options line (H:1)

-Bernt

Re: information/feature request: org analog to latex \description environment

[Sebastian Rose]

Hi Eric,



"Eric Schulte" <schulte.eric@gmail.com> writes:
> Hi Sebastian,
>
> I was not clear enough in my original email.  I did find the method you
> describe in the orgmode mailing list archives, however I feel that (to
> me at least) the biggest benefit would be in the ability to edit files
> in org-mode with `fill-paragraph', automated line endings, and even
> bolding of the term to be defined.  Using a syntax like
>
> ,----
> | first term: and it's definition
> | second: and it's definition
> `----


How should Org distinguish those colons from other colons?


> would be much preferable to what I currently often find myself doing
> which is
>
> ,----
> | - *first term*: and it's definition
> | - *second*: and it's definition
> `----


This is what I did too :-) I even wrote a little little elisp function
to do this for me. But since a few weeks there is:


  - Term1 :: description (try to press ALT-RET here)
  - Term2 :: description (try to press ALT-RET here)


Are you aware of this syntax?

'Term' is displayed as bold text then.

Unfortunately this is currently only supported for XHTML-Export, where
this becomes a definition-list:

<dl>
  <dt>Term1</dt>
  <dd>description (try to press ALT-RET here)</dd>
  <dt>Term2</dt>
  <dd>description (try to press ALT-RET here)</dd>
</dl>


It does not work like this on LaTeX export though. But I guess this will
follow soon (it's quite a fresh feature).



> granted this is largely just synactic sugar, but small edit helpers like
> this are part of what make org so great!
>
> Do you think features like this would be generally useful and practical
> to implement?


Definetively, yes. All that's needed is some volunteer to implement the
feature in org-export-latex.el or where ever.





Regards,

--
Sebastian Rose, EMMA STIL - mediendesign, Niemeyerstr.6, 30449 Hannover

Tel.:  +49 (0)511 - 36 58 472
Fax:   +49 (0)1805 - 233633 - 11044
mobil: +49 (0)173 - 83 93 417
Email: s.rose@emma-stil.de, sebastian_rose@gmx.de
Http:  www.emma-stil.de

Re: information/feature request: org analog to latex \description environment

[Eric Schulte]

Sebastian Rose <sebastian_rose@gmx.de> writes:

>> ,----
>> | first term: and it's definition
>> | second: and it's definition
>> `----
>
>
> How should Org distinguish those colons from other colons?

yes, I suppose the double colons you show below would be required

>> would be much preferable to what I currently often find myself doing
>> which is
>>
>> ,----
>> | - *first term*: and it's definition
>> | - *second*: and it's definition
>> `----
>
>
> This is what I did too :-) I even wrote a little little elisp function
> to do this for me. But since a few weeks there is:
>
>
>   - Term1 :: description (try to press ALT-RET here)
>   - Term2 :: description (try to press ALT-RET here)
>
>
> Are you aware of this syntax?

No, I was not aware of that, it is exactly what I was after.

Thanks -- Eric

Re: information/feature request: org analog to latex \description environment

[Carsten Dominik]

On Sep 10, 2008, at 12:19 AM, Eric Schulte wrote:

> Sebastian Rose <sebastian_rose@gmx.de> writes:
>
>>> ,----
>>> | first term: and it's definition
>>> | second: and it's definition
>>> `----
>>
>>
>> How should Org distinguish those colons from other colons?
>
> yes, I suppose the double colons you show below would be required
>
>>> would be much preferable to what I currently often find myself doing
>>> which is
>>>
>>> ,----
>>> | - *first term*: and it's definition
>>> | - *second*: and it's definition
>>> `----
>>
>>
>> This is what I did too :-) I even wrote a little little elisp  
>> function
>> to do this for me. But since a few weeks there is:
>>
>>
>>  - Term1 :: description (try to press ALT-RET here)
>>  - Term2 :: description (try to press ALT-RET here)

However, this syntax is only supported by the HTML backend, not by the  
LaTeX backend yet.... :-(

- Carsten

Re: information/feature request: org analog to latex \description environment

[Carsten Dominik]

On Sep 10, 2008, at 8:46 AM, Carsten Dominik wrote:

>
> On Sep 10, 2008, at 12:19 AM, Eric Schulte wrote:
>
>> Sebastian Rose <sebastian_rose@gmx.de> writes:
>>
>>>> ,----
>>>> | first term: and it's definition
>>>> | second: and it's definition
>>>> `----
>>>
>>>
>>> How should Org distinguish those colons from other colons?
>>
>> yes, I suppose the double colons you show below would be required
>>
>>>> would be much preferable to what I currently often find myself  
>>>> doing
>>>> which is
>>>>
>>>> ,----
>>>> | - *first term*: and it's definition
>>>> | - *second*: and it's definition
>>>> `----
>>>
>>>
>>> This is what I did too :-) I even wrote a little little elisp  
>>> function
>>> to do this for me. But since a few weeks there is:
>>>
>>>
>>> - Term1 :: description (try to press ALT-RET here)
>>> - Term2 :: description (try to press ALT-RET here)
>
> However, this syntax is only supported by the HTML backend, not by  
> the LaTeX backend yet.... :-(

Bastien has implemented description lists into the LaTeX exporter now,  
the fix is in 6.07b.

- Carsten