OK, got it now, thanks! I confirmed everything you said.

My takeaway is that instead of using global properties as a single property
at the top level,
I should create a top-level properties drawer, which will have immediate
usability.

In the case of my example that would be:

C-u C-c C-x d HOURLY_RATE <enter> 150 <enter>

and then HOURLY_RATE is immediately usable in my table, without even having
to save the file.

On Mon, Oct 17, 2022 at 11:03 PM Ihor Radchenko <yantar92@posteo.net> wrote:

> Jeff Trull <edaskel@att.net> writes:
>
> > Yes, I can make it work now - but only after reloading it at least one
> time
> > from disk.
> >
> > When I type it in for the first time, it doesn't work. I have to save,
> then
> > (revert-buffer).
> > ...
> > Also, if you change the value (say, from 150 to 210) the old value
> persists
> > until you
> > reload the file. Even saving the file doesn't help.
>
> It is expected and documented.
> See 17.8 Summary of In-Buffer Settings section of the manual.
> Basically, you need to press C-c C-c on the property line to make Org
> refresh the settings.
>
> Alternatively, you can use document property drawer. It is updated
> automatically on the latest development version of Org.
>
> --
> Ihor Radchenko // yantar92,
> Org mode contributor,
> Learn more about Org mode at <https://orgmode.org/>.
> Support Org development at <https://liberapay.com/org-mode>,
> or support my work at <https://liberapay.com/yantar92>
>