On Fri, Mar 6, 2020 at 9:09 AM Tim Visher wrote: > Thanks for the response, Eric. :) > > On Fri, Mar 6, 2020 at 1:51 AM Fraga, Eric 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: ` 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 `#+` 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: ` 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. :)