Getting started with Org-mode⌗

In its simplest form, Org is like any other markup language.

You can write Org syntax in any text editor.

However, to experience the full potential of Org you need an editor that transforms Org syntax into a living, interactive document.

Preamble⌗

At the start of a file (before the first heading), it is common to set the title, author and other export options.

#+title: The glories of Org
#+author: A. Org Writer

Heading⌗

Lines that start with an asterisk * are headings.

A single * denotes a 1st-level heading, ** denotes a 2nd-level heading, etc.

\* Welcome to Org-mode
\*\* Sub-heading
Each extra ~\*~ increases the depth by one level.

In their simplest form headings are just the start of a section. However, any heading can also become a TODO item.

TODO items are the basic building block that Org uses to track and organize all kinds of tasks.

To add a TODO item to a heading, start the heading with a TODO keyword such as TODO or HOLD.

\* TODO Promulgate Org to the world
\*\* TODO Create a quickstart guide

Markup⌗

To mark up text in Org, simply surround it with one or more marker characters. Bold, italic and underline are fairly intuitive, and the ability to use ~strikethrough~ is a plus. You can combine the basic markup in any order, however code and verbatim need to be the inner-most markers if they are present since their contents are interpreted _literally_.

To markup text in Org, simply surround it with one or more marker characters.
\*Bold\*, /italic/ and \_underline\_ are fairly intuitive, and the ability to use
+strikethrough+ is a plus.  You can \_/\*combine\*/\_ the basic markup in any
order, however ~code~ and =verbatim= need to be the \*\_~inner-most~\_\* markers
if they are present since their contents are interpreted =\_literally\_=.

See Emphasis Markers for more details.

Lists⌗

Unordered lists start with +, -, or *1. Ordered lists start with 1., 1), A., or A). Ordered and unordered bullets can be nested in any order.

To buy:
1. Milk
2. Eggs
   - Organic
3. Cheese
   + Parmesan
   + Mozzarella

Lists can contain checkboxes [ ], [-], [X].

\- \[ \] not started
- \[-\] in progress
- \[X\] complete

Lists can contain tags (and checkboxes at the same time).

\- \[ \] fruits :: get apples
- \[X\] veggies :: get carrots

Links⌗

To create a link put the target between two square brackets, like so: [[target]]. You can include a description in square brackets after the target [[target][desc]].

The order is easy to remember because it is the same as an html <a> tag <a href="target">desc</a> and you can’t mix up brackets and parentheses because there are only square brackets!

Org supports a wide variety of types of link targets, and you can also add your own. Link types are indicated with a type: prefix, i.e., [type:target]. If no type: is provided, org searches the current file for a heading that matches target.

Some examples:

\[\[https://orgmode.org\]\[a nice website\]\]
\[\[file:~/Pictures/dank-meme.png\]\]
\[\[earlier heading\]\[an earlier heading in the document\]\]

Images⌗

Org mode automatically recognizes and renders image links during export. Just link to an image (don’t include a description). That’s it.
[[https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5d/Konigsberg_bridges.png]]

Images located on your computer can also be rendered in the Emacs buffer with C-c C-x C-v.

Blocks⌗

Org mode uses #+BEGIN … #+END blocks for many purposes. Some of the basic blocks types quote, example, and src.

If you all you need is monospace text, you can use an example block.

#+begin\_example
monospace
#+end\_example

However, example blocks do not give you the power of Org babel. For that you need a source block. Source blocks provide syntax highlighting, code execution, literate programming, and more.

#+begin\_src emacs-lisp
(message "Hello world")
#+end\_src

More info⌗

A hello world example cannot even begin to scratch the surface Org mode’s support for working with source code.

Tables⌗

Org mode comes with a table editor complete with support cell references and formulas.

In its simplest form a table is text separated using pipes |.

| I    | am  | a    | table |
| with | two | rows | !     |

A more useful example is this comparison of existing Literate programming / reproducible research tools (from Schulte et al. 2012).

| Tool         | Literate programming? | Reproducible Research? | Languages |
|--------------+-----------------------+------------------------+-----------|
| Javadoc      | partial               | no                     | Java      |
| Haskell .lhs | partial               | no                     | Haskell   |
| noweb        | yes                   | no                     | any       |
| Sweave       | partial               | yes                    | R         |
| Org-mode     | yes                   | yes                    | any       |

Worried about aligning free text tables? Org mode does it in a single keystroke – tab.

Macros⌗

Org has many more advanced features built into its syntax. To give only a single example, let’s take a look at macros.

#+macro: attn \_\*/$1/\*\_
{{{attn(Attention! This text gets all the markup!)}}}

#+html\_head: <style>.red{color:red;}</style>
#+latex\_header: \\usepackage{xcolor}
#+macro: red @@html:<span class="red">$1</span>@@@@latex:\\textcolor{red}{$1}@@
Regular text. {{{red(This text will be red.)}}} More regular text.

Next steps⌗

Looking for something in particular? The manual (PDF) is a good place to start.

Looking for something between this quickstart and the manual? The guide (PDF) is worth a shot.

licensed under the GNU FDL 1.3

Org-mode quickstart tutorial