Re: File Scoped Properties?

[Tim Visher <tim.visher@gmail.com>]

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On Fri, Mar 6, 2020 at 9:09 AM Tim Visher <tim.visher@gmail.com> wrote:

> Thanks for the response, Eric. :)
>
> On Fri, Mar 6, 2020 at 1:51 AM Fraga, Eric <e.fraga@ucl.ac.uk> wrote:
>
>> On Thursday,  5 Mar 2020 at 10:28, Tim Visher wrote:
>> > I _am_ able to get it to work by adding a file local variable like
>> >
>> > ```
>> > # Local Variables:
>> > # org-attach-id-dir: "~/.foo/data"
>> > # End:
>> > ```
>> >
>> > but then whenever I open the file it tells me it's possibly not safe to
>> set
>> > that.
>>
>> You've already received a more org-ish response but I'll give you an
>> Emacs response to this part of your post: Emacs is simply making sure
>> you are aware that a variable is being set when visiting a file.
>>
>
> My question was more around why I had to do it at all since based on my
> reading of the manual it seems like I should've been able to do this with
> some kind of file-wide property. Specifically, I've never been able to wrap
> my head around `(info "(org) Property Syntax")`.
>
> "Properties are key–value pairs. When they are associated with a single
> entry or with a tree…," for instance, seems to imply by "When they are
> associated with a single entry…" that they can be associated with all the
> entries (or a particular tree or node).
>
> Anyway, I think between you and Gustav I finally have this sorted.
>
>    1. To set properties at the top level of a file you need to use the
>    `#+PROPERTY: <PROPERTY_NAME> <PROPERTY_VALUE>` syntax. I've been trying to
>    figure out how I misinterpreted that in the past and I _think_ it was
>    because I assumed that the `#+PROPERTY` was actually `#+<PROPERTY>` as in
>    `#+DIR` rather than `#+PROPERTY: DIR`. It looks like to set a file local
>    property in an org file you _must_ (at least on 9.3 or earlier) use the
>    `#+PROPERTY: <PROPERTY_NAME> <PROPERTY_VALUE>` syntax.
>
>    2. Even then by default org-attach property inheritance is set to
>    `'selective` and `org-use-property-inheritance` is set to off. I've now
>    customized `org-use-property-inheritance` to `'("DIR")` which I believe
>    says that I consider the `DIR` property to be a possible candidate for
>    inheritance and no others. I'm a little concerned about performance
>    implications as the manual gives me all kinds of scary warnings but we'll
>    see about that.
>
> Anyway this appears to work as I expect it to. I don't have to set a
> file-local variable to anything. I'm using org properties. And
> `org-attach-dir` now returns the proper directory for this file.
>
> Thanks all! If you think I'm still misunderstanding something please
> correct me. :)
>

I'll go ahead and correct myself. (－‸ლ)

It turns out that I wasn't understanding what the `DIR` property actually
does. If `DIR` is set, it makes that the attachment directory, period. In
other words it's different than the default `./data/` prefix directory in
that ID paths are not then suffixed upon the end of it like
`./data/XX/XXXXX-XXX-XXX/` for each entry. Instead, if you have `DIR` set,
that headings attachment directory == `DIR`.

So the way to change the attachment directory prefix is just not to mess
with `DIR` at all. Instead, you must set the variable `org-attach-id-dir`,
and if you want that to be local to a file the natural way to do that is
with a file-local variable.

```
# Local Variables:
# org-attach-id-dir: "~/.foo/data"
# End:
```

Cheers. :)

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