Global TODO: display more than the TODO heading line?

Global TODO: display more than the TODO heading line?

[Zebee Johnstone]

I use orgmode as a to do tracker rather than a scheduler, so C-cat is
my main command.

I have a bunch of files with TODO items in various states including
WAITING and HOLD.  When I change something to the WAITING or HOLD
state, the C-c C-t command is set to ask why so a line of information
is in the org file after the TODO line.

(setq org-todo-keywords
      (quote ((sequence "TODO(t)" "NEXT(n)" "SCHEDULED(s)" "|" "DONE(d)")
              (sequence "WAITING(w@/!)" "HOLD(h@/!)" "|"
"CANCELLED(c@/!)" "PHONE" "MEETING"))))


I'd love to see that line of information in the TODO list so I know
why something is waiting or on hold without having to visit it.

So and org file entry that looks like this:

* HOLD make staffauth group and upload keys
  - State "HOLD"       from "TODO"       [2013-12-16 Mon 11:54] \\
    Hold till we can work out a group to create (or a current one to use?)

Now appears in the global todo list as:
56726-user-keys-ovl01.syd:HOLD make staffauth group and upload keys

and I'd like to see something like

56726-user-keys-ovl01.syd:HOLD make staffauth group and upload keys
    Hold till we can work out a group to create (or a current one to use?)

Can the todo list be tweaked in this way?

Can some other agenda view be created so that the comments made when
the item is set to WAITING or HOLD show up?  With or without the date
the comment was made?

Zebee

Re: Global TODO: display more than the TODO heading line?

[Bastien]

Hi Zebee,

sadly no, this is not currently possible.  The notes attached to a
TODO state change are not really stored in a structure way, so it's
not possible to retrieve this information and to display it.

Sorry,

-- 
 Bastien

Re: Global TODO: display more than the TODO heading line?

[Zebee Johnstone]

On Sun, Dec 22, 2013 at 7:54 PM, Bastien <bzg@gnu.org> wrote:
> Hi Zebee,
>
> sadly no, this is not currently possible.  The notes attached to a
> TODO state change are not really stored in a structure way, so it's
> not possible to retrieve this information and to display it.


Bastien,

was afraid of that.  I've experimented with using columns but it was
too much faffing about to really bother with.

Zebee

Re: Global TODO: display more than the TODO heading line?

[Bastien]

Hi Zebee,

Zebee Johnstone <zebeej@gmail.com> writes:

> was afraid of that.  I've experimented with using columns but it was
> too much faffing about to really bother with.

Maybe you can use `org-after-todo-state-change-hook' to store a note
in a property, then display the content of this property in the column
view -- but this is a bit hackish anyway.

-- 
 Bastien

Re: Global TODO: display more than the TODO heading line?

[Eric Abrahamsen]

Bastien <bzg@altern.org> writes:

> Hi Zebee,
>
> Zebee Johnstone <zebeej@gmail.com> writes:
>
>> was afraid of that.  I've experimented with using columns but it was
>> too much faffing about to really bother with.
>
> Maybe you can use `org-after-todo-state-change-hook' to store a note
> in a property, then display the content of this property in the column
> view -- but this is a bit hackish anyway.

I've wanted this too -- if we're logging into a drawer (ie LOGBOOK),
shouldn't there be a relatively simple way of getting the drawer
contents, and taking the top (or bottom) log entry? 

On the other hand, looking at `org-add-log-setup', maybe it wouldn't be
all that easy, either.

E

Re: Global TODO: display more than the TODO heading line?

[Bastien]

Eric Abrahamsen <eric@ericabrahamsen.net> writes:

>> Maybe you can use `org-after-todo-state-change-hook' to store a note
>> in a property, then display the content of this property in the column
>> view -- but this is a bit hackish anyway.
>
> I've wanted this too -- if we're logging into a drawer (ie LOGBOOK),
> shouldn't there be a relatively simple way of getting the drawer
> contents, and taking the top (or bottom) log entry? 
>
> On the other hand, looking at `org-add-log-setup', maybe it wouldn't be
> all that easy, either.

We could have a new special property like "LAST_NOTE" that would
retrieve the last note, but I doubt the use-case is general enough
to require such a new special property.  The implementation would
be 100% ad hoc...  if many users need this, please speak up!

-- 
 Bastien

Re: Global TODO: display more than the TODO heading line?

[Eric Abrahamsen]

Bastien <bzg@gnu.org> writes:

> Eric Abrahamsen <eric@ericabrahamsen.net> writes:
>
>>> Maybe you can use `org-after-todo-state-change-hook' to store a note
>>> in a property, then display the content of this property in the column
>>> view -- but this is a bit hackish anyway.
>>
>> I've wanted this too -- if we're logging into a drawer (ie LOGBOOK),
>> shouldn't there be a relatively simple way of getting the drawer
>> contents, and taking the top (or bottom) log entry? 
>>
>> On the other hand, looking at `org-add-log-setup', maybe it wouldn't be
>> all that easy, either.
>
> We could have a new special property like "LAST_NOTE" that would
> retrieve the last note, but I doubt the use-case is general enough
> to require such a new special property.  The implementation would
> be 100% ad hoc...  if many users need this, please speak up!

No, that sounds like a bad idea... Unless log entries were later made
into first-class citizens, I think home-rolled ad hoc solutions are all
we should bother with.

E