From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 From: Bastien Subject: Re: What's the use of Column View? Date: Wed, 16 Jan 2008 01:39:38 +0000 Message-ID: <87r6gimtut.fsf@bzg.ath.cx> References: Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Return-path: Received: from mailman by lists.gnu.org with tmda-scanned (Exim 4.43) id 1JExFu-0000cX-Iy for emacs-orgmode@gnu.org; Tue, 15 Jan 2008 20:39:50 -0500 Received: from exim by lists.gnu.org with spam-scanned (Exim 4.43) id 1JExFm-0000ZB-Vc for emacs-orgmode@gnu.org; Tue, 15 Jan 2008 20:39:49 -0500 Received: from [199.232.76.173] (helo=monty-python.gnu.org) by lists.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.43) id 1JExFm-0000Yu-P8 for emacs-orgmode@gnu.org; Tue, 15 Jan 2008 20:39:42 -0500 Received: from fg-out-1718.google.com ([72.14.220.152]) by monty-python.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.60) (envelope-from ) id 1JExFm-00070I-Op for emacs-orgmode@gnu.org; Tue, 15 Jan 2008 20:39:43 -0500 Received: by fg-out-1718.google.com with SMTP id d23so76595fga.30 for ; Tue, 15 Jan 2008 17:39:41 -0800 (PST) In-Reply-To: (Leo's message of "Tue, 15 Jan 2008 19:11:07 +0000") List-Id: "General discussions about Org-mode." List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , Sender: emacs-orgmode-bounces+geo-emacs-orgmode=m.gmane.org@gnu.org Errors-To: emacs-orgmode-bounces+geo-emacs-orgmode=m.gmane.org@gnu.org To: Leo Cc: emacs-orgmode@gnu.org Leo writes: > Any one find the column view feature of any use? Yes! I do love the column view feature. For example, when I want to add milestones to tasks. My project gets a :MILESTONE: property, accepting :MILESTONE_ALL: 1.8 1.9 2.0 2.1 2.2, etc. Then being able to see the different milestones just by switching to the column view is great. It helps reorder the tasks - among other things. But this is just one small example, I guess many people will use the column view in many other ways. > 1. It reduced the readability of .org files. For me it doesn't reduce the readability. You can always pick up other faces that look less intrusive to your eyes, or not use this feature at all (if you don't like it.) > I think the syntax of the file should be kept as close as possible to > plain text file. What is a "plain text file"? If you mean: a "plain text file, as it is displayed in Emacs' text-mode", then I think that : 1) It has always been the philosophy behind org-mode (as far as it makes sense...) 2) a mode is a toolbox helping the user to interact with a file: Org is an Emacs tool that helps people using "text" files to store notes and do some planning - in this context, the column view is just a feature of the tool itself, not a property of the file 3) the only syntactic notion involved behind the curtain of the column view is that of _properties_. But this notion is so deeply rooted in org-mode that I don't think it makes sense discussing it... > 2. It barely has a role in any GTD work flow. AFAICT org-mode itself is - hopefully - not limited to the GTD methodology. > All in all, I fail to understand this feature. Don't try to understand it, try to *use* it :) Hints on deciding whether this can be useful for you: 1. are you using properties? 2. is there a property that you are using *often*? 3. is there a property that you are often searching by? 4. is there a property that you are often changing? 5. is there a property you need to view your file is folded? If you replied "yes" to one of these, chances are that you might be a happy column-view user in a near future :) -- Bastien