[Orgmode] Re: clock based context settings

[Richard Riley]

David Maus <address@hidden> writes:

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> Hi Richard,
>
> At Tue, 19 Jan 2010 23:16:08 +0100,
> Richard Riley wrote:
>>
>>
>> I would like to be able to execute arbitrary elisp when I clock in or
>> out of a certain org.item This would be very, very useful for defining
>> variables or even keystrokes on a "per project" basis. Ideally it would
>> work using inheritance so if an item does not have something then the
>> project or file level values would be used.
>>
>> e.g at the file level:
>>
>> #+CLOCKINEXEC: (setq curr-url "project1.com")
>>
>> Or at the org item level
>>
>> ** touch up picture of the org logo
>>   :PROPERTIES:
>>   :CLOCKINEXEC:   (setq curr-url "org-mode.com/images")
>>   :END:
>>
>> Would others think this might be useful or is there another way/approach
>> to achieve something similar?
>
> You could use the org-clock-hooks `org-clock-in-hook',
> `org-clock-out-hook' and `org-clock-cancel-hook' in combination with a
> function that checks for the desired conditions and sets the variables
> accordingly.

No variables or conditions. Just exec the block.

>
> A question that came in my mind: What happens if you clock out or
> cancel a clock? Are the variables kept or set to a default value? Or
> to the value they had before clocking in?

Neither. I had thought to keep it easy - globals/whatever set by both
clockin and clockout - its up to you to ensure that the elisp in your
in/out code properties "do it right". They are nothing more than single
elisp snippets. Probably a progn sequence or equivalent But then I dont
know too much about things like local/global scope in elisp. ie can I
create some sort of specific "object" and tack these value on and have
them all just vanish when clockout occurs?  Even then I could see that
clock in/out code (:CLOCKOUTEXEC:) would probably set things globally
frequently.

Limited experience with elisp and how it all hangs together makes it
hard for me to pinpoint what might be the best approach.

e.g globals set (if you so want) or can we provide something with more
localisation on a per task basis to complement/simplify the code?  ie
perhaps CLOCKINEXEC is "(progn (org-with-current-task-set-var "url"
"ibm.com")(setq myGlobal nil)) and elsewhere a hot key invokes
(browse-url (org-with-current-task-get "url")). I dont know to be honest
what the "elisp/emacs" paradigm/approach is to things like that.

Just chewing the cud at this stage;)

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