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Alejandro Alcalde

Data Scientist and Computer Scientist. Creator of this blog.

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Quick reference guide for emacs Org-mode key binds

This is a quick reference to org mode, it is mostly a copy and paste from its manual, but I needed an easy way of checking the most useful org-mode commands in a single view, because I found myself checking again and again its manual.

<figure> <a href="/img/orgmodequickreference.jpg"> <img on="tap:lightbox1" role="button" tabindex="0" layout="responsive" src="/img/orgmodequickreference.jpg" alt="Org mode quick reference" title="Org mode quick reference" sizes="(min-width: 640px) 640px, 100vw" width="640" height="480"> </img> </a> <figcaption>Org mode quick reference</figcaption> </figure>

First, you can cycle through your sections with <TAB>, which expands/contract sections in your document.

Sections

* Top level headline
** Second level
*** 3rd level
    some text
*** 3rd level
    more text

* Another top level headline

Cycling

You can cycle through sections with:

• <TAB> Cycle sub-tree.

• S-<TAB> or C-u <TAB> Global cycle. (The entire buffer)

• C-u C-u C-u <TAB> Show all.

Move through headlines

• C-c C-n Next heading.

• C-c C-p Previous heading.

• C-c C-f Next heading same level.

• C-c C-b Previous heading same level.

• C-c C-u Backward to higher level heading.

<!–ad–>

Insert/modify sections

• M-<RET> Insert new heading with same level as current. If the cursor is at a plain list item, a new item is created. If used in the middle of a line, split the line and the rest become a new headline.

• M-S-<RET> Insert new TODO at same level.

• <TAB> In a new empty entry cycle through levels.

• M-<left>/<right> Promote/demote current headline by one level.

• M-S-<left>/<right> Promote/demote the current sub-tree by one level.

• M-S-<up>/<down> Move sub-tree up/down (swap with previous/next sub-tree of same level).

• C-c C-w Refile entry or region to a different location.

• C-x n s/w Narrow buffer to current sub-tree / widen it again

Sparse Trees

Useful to hide documents parts where you are not currently working.

• C-c <forward slash> Prompts to create a sparse-tree

• C-c <forward slash> r Occur. Prompts for a regexp and shows a sparse tree with all matches. Each match is also highlighted; the highlights disappear by pressing C-c C-c.

Plain lists

• Unordered: -, + or *.

• Ordered: 1. or 1)

• Description: Use :: to separate the term from the description.

• <TAB> Fold items.

• M-<RET> Insert item at the same level.

• M-S-<RET> Insert item with a Checkbox.

• M-S-<up>/<down> Move items including sub-items up/down.

• M-<left>/M-<right> Decrease/increase indentation level.

• M-S-<left>/<right> Decrease/increase indentation level, including sub-items.

• C-c C-c If there is a checkbox, toggle it.

• C-c - Cycle through differences kinds of lists.

Footnotes

• C-c C-x f When cursor is at a footnote reference, jump to definition. When at a definition, jump to first reference. Otherwise, create a new footnote.

• C-c C-c Jump between definition and reference.

Here is an example footnote ¹. The code to generate it is:

Here is an example footnote [fn:1].

[fn:1] Click return to return to reference

Hyperlinks

Syntax: [[link][description]] or only [[link]], once a link is created, you can edit it with C-c C-l

In case the link is not a URL, it is considered to be internal in the current file:

[[#custom-id]]
[[My Target][Find my target]]

The last one will search for a target in the current file with syntax <<My Target>>

• C-c l Store a link to the current location.

• C-c C-l Insert link, it will ask you for the link and an optional description. If called with C-u prefix, file name completion is used to link to a file.

• C-c C-l with cursor in a link, allows to edit it.

• C-c C-o or mouse-1 or mouse-2 open link.

TODO items

Any headline starting with TODO becomes a TODO item.

• C-c C-t Rotate the TODO state of the current item among (unmarked) -> TODO -> DONE -> (unmarked)

• S-<right>/<left> As above, but only for the item at point.

• C-c / t View TODO items in a sparse tree.

• C-c a t Show the global TODO list.

• S-M-<RET> Insert new TODO item.

• C-c , Set priority for item (Between A,B,C).

• S-<up>/<dwn> Cycle through priorities.

  TODO checkboxes

You can have a composed list of TODO items, and can toggle it with C-c C-c, and create a new one with M-S-<RET>.

* TODO Organize party [0/3]
  - [ ] call people [0/2]
    - [ ] Peter
    - [ ] Sarah
  - [ ] order food

<figure> <a href="/img/org-mode-todo-checkboxs.gif"> <img on="tap:lightbox1" role="button" tabindex="0" layout="responsive" src="/img/org-mode-todo-checkboxs.gif" alt="TODO Items checkboxes" title="TODO items checkboxes" sizes="(min-width: 244px) 244px, 100vw" width="244" height="100"> </img> </a> <figcaption>TODO Items checkboxes</figcaption> </figure>

Markup

• *bold* => bold.

• /italics/ => italics.

• =code= and ~verbatim~ -> code, verbatim.

• +strike-through+ -> strike-through.

• _underline_

Images & Tables

Tables have this syntax:

| HEADER1  | header2  |
|----------+----------|
| content1 | contend2 |

<figure> <a href="/img/org-mode-table.gif"> <img on="tap:lightbox1" role="button" tabindex="0" layout="responsive" src="/img/org-mode-table.gif" alt="Creating tables in org-mode" title="Creating tables in org-mode" sizes="(min-width: 304px) 304px, 100vw" width="304" height="214"> </img> </a> <figcaption>Creating tables in org-mode</figcaption> </figure>

Images are like links: [[./img/a-image.jpg]]

Source code

To include source code:

 #+BEGIN_SRC emacs-lisp
     (defun org-xor (a b)
        "Exclusive or."
        (if a (not b) b))

#+END_SRC

will render to

(defun org-xor (a b)
  "Exclusive or."
  (if a (not b) b))

You can edit the code example in a buffer supporting that language with C-c '

Source

• Org-mode short guide

Spot a typo?: Help me fix it by contacting me or commenting below!

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