Re: tags-todo org-agenda-custom-command weirdness

[Kyle Meyer <kyle@kyleam.com>]

Stig Brautaset writes:

> For me a2 and a4 returns the same, but a1 and a3 just returns TODO h2.
> However, I can reproduce what you're seeing by setting this:
>
> (setq org-agenda-todo-ignore-scheduled nil)

So, provided you've configured org-agenda-todo-ignore-scheduled and
org-agenda-tags-todo-honor-ignore-options away from their default values
of nil, the a1-4 behavior you described is as advertised, correct?

>> b1 and b3 are empty, which I think is expected given the tags-todo type.
>
> Well, I disagree :-)
>
> This behaviour of `tags-todo` seems inconsistent to me. If `todo` can
> find DONE items, why shouldn't `tags-todo` do the same?

Perhaps it should.  The behavior has been that way for a long time, and
the code makes it look very deliberate.  That of course is not an
argument that it should be that way, just one basis for expectations
(and a reason to be wary of breaking workflows).

And it looks like it was actually supposed to change to your preference
in 2017.  There was a report [0] that essentially boils down to what
you're saying, I think.  In response, 942b6267a (org-agenda: `tags-todo'
command type includes DONE keywords, 2017-04-18) was applied, but then
reverted for reasons not related to the intended change in behavior [1].

There was then a follow-up in 2fb129b5c (`org-scan-tags' retrieve all
TODO keywords, not only not-done ones, 2017-08-17).  As far as I can
tell, that was supposed to achieve the behavior you're after but didn't.
I don't have time to dig much at the moment, but quickly stepping
through org-scan-tags, I think the issue is that the MATCHER argument
still filters out done states.


[0] https://orgmode.org/list/CAF96XX0XxhPKjAxy0dQmOiy3rnT+DUok4p1y71F1AwyJaNL-MA@mail.gmail.com/
[1] https://orgmode.org/list/874lt89fi2.fsf@free.fr/