Re: Org Capture Menu cannot be fully viewed

[Christopher Dimech]

Org Capture has the ability to get specific information
using "%:keyword" (e.g., for rmail one can use %:subject
to get the specific email subject).

An extension to "%:keyword", would be to allow the extraction of
keywords taken from recfiles, which are also text based.

You could then have %:Investigation_Type in Org-Capture entry.
There needs to be some way to specify the recfile.

The specification of recfiles is described by Gnu Recutils.
https://www.gnu.org/software/recutils/

----- file.rec -----
Investigation_Type: Historic Background Research Site Evaluation/Testing
----- file.rec -----

This could make easier capture because instead of
%^{prompt|default|completion2|completion3...}

you could have

%:Site_Type

The scheme would work very well if you have hierarchical
lists that you can use for specificity.

Domestic Structure > Settlement > Hamlet or Village

%:Domestic_Structure: %:Settlement\n

----- file.rec -----
Domestic_Structure: Settlement
Settlement: Hamlet or Village
----- file.rec -----

rather than using

    "Site_Type: %^{Site_Type: |default|
+ Domestic Structure or Architectural Complex|
+ Resource Extraction or Production|
+ Transportation Structure or Features|
+ Funerary and Burial Structures or Features|
+ Non-Domestic Structures|
+ Archaeological Feature|
+ Rock Art|
+ Water-Related}\n%?"



> Sent: Sunday, December 13, 2020 at 5:57 AM
> From: pietru@caramail.com
> To: "TRS-80" <lists.trs-80@isnotmyreal.name>
> Cc: emacs-orgmode@gnu.org
> Subject: Re: Org Capture Menu cannot be fully viewed
>
> > If you care to share a slightly bigger picture view, particularly about
> > the structure of the data you are trying to capture (and/or, your
> > workflow) we could likely come up with something that would work much
> > better for you than a capture template, at least in this particular
> > case.
>
> Most agencies, universities, museums and archaeological organizations use
> standard forms for recording sites. Generally speaking these are used but
> with a couple of caveats.  First, there are occasions when a standard form
> may not call for recording enough data or the right kinds of data to satisfy
> particular needs.  Then there are Exclusive Surveys (Incomplete coverage,
> portions of the project are excluded) and Unsystematic Surveys (done without
> a specific plan, methods at varied level of intensity; coverage random,
> opportunistic, or intuitive). In many instances, previous work would have
> been done, so people would want to quickly skip entries.
>
> The plan for Org-Mode Capture is primarily for such Exclusive and 
> Unsystematic Surveys
> where we do not necessarily use standard forms.  I'm not sure if you capture 
> the drift
> concerning unsystematic surveys.  Most times I cannot tell you exactly what 
> people in
> the field came up with.  The pace can be rapid and some could be working in 
> challenging
> conditions.  The plan is for the Crew Chief to make a quick template, and 
> which could
> change each day.  maintain and review notebooks and records and overseeing 
> quality
> control is done daily.  It is customary to split the day.  One of the best 
> ways we
> improve survey efficiency is to anticipate bottlenecks and invent creative 
> logistical
> solutions right in the field.
>
> The long template situation then occurs.  You can access better than myself 
> as you
> know what org and org-capture can do and what not.  I briefly reported on 
> what we
> found problematic in practice.  But we're at the beginning of this, and would
> likely report  on other things as we progress.  Still, most things are likely
> to be done by the "Institute for Technologies applied to Cultural Heritage 
> (itabc)".
>
> Nevertheless, we see some aspects where your scheme can be improved to cater 
> for more
> serious work.  Emacs is quite good software.
>
> Hope my comments helped somewhat.
>
> Pietru
>
>
>
>
>
> > Sent: Sunday, December 13, 2020 at 4:16 AM
> > From: "TRS-80" <lists.trs-80@isnotmyreal.name>
> > To: emacs-orgmode@gnu.org
> > Subject: Re: Org Capture Menu cannot be fully viewed
> >
> > On 2020-12-12 21:08, pietru@caramail.com wrote:
> > > Here is one version of a template
> > >
> > > (setq capture-template-investigation-type '(
> > >
> > >  ("a" "Historic Background Research Site Evaluation/Testing" entry
> > >   (file "~/histr/archaeol.org")
> > >   "* Site_Type: %?\n %T\n")
> > >
> > > [...]
> > >
> > >  ("u" "Remote Sensing" entry
> > >   (file "~/histr/archaeol.org")
> > >   "* Site_Type: %?\n %T\n") ))
> > >
> >
> > Are there any more to these templates you did not show?
> >
> > Because, (and unless I am missing something) what I see are essentially
> > all the same (and quite simple).  You would end up with something like
> > the following in your target file (with the cursor ending up at the x):
>
> > #+begin_example
> >
> > * Site_Type: x
> > [2020-12-12 Sat 21:58]
> >
> > #+end_example
> >
> > In fact I don't even see where the type name ends up in the result?
> >
> > If all my assumptions above are true, I think you would probably be
> > better served with a simple completing-read (or similar) function to
> > select the "Investigation Type" from a list and then simply insert that
> > along with a timestamp.  Which it will take you longer to reply to this
> > email and confirm than it would take me to write such a function.  :)
> >
> > Benefit of that way also removes possibility of typos in the type name.
> >
> > In fact, the above could even be done with something as simple as
> > Yankpad[0].
> >
> > I have no idea what your workflow looks like, or where this data ends
> > up.  However, thinking further, I would imagine it might even be helpful
> > to set one or more Org properties[1] for things like "Investigation
> > Type" (along with some other things I could speculate like "Location"
> > etc.).  But all of that depends on even more things I don't know about.
> >
> > If you care to share a slightly bigger picture view, particularly about
> > the structure of the data you are trying to capture (and/or, your
> > workflow) we could likely come up with something that would work much
> > better for you than a capture template, at least in this particular
> > case.
> >
> > Cheers,
> > TRS-80
> >
> > [0] https://github.com/Kungsgeten/yankpad
> > [1] https://orgmode.org/manual/Properties-and-Columns.html
> >
> >
>
>

---------------------
Christopher Dimech
General Administrator - Naiad Informatics - GNU Project (Geocomputation)
- Geophysical Simulation
- Geological Subsurface Mapping
- Disaster Preparedness and Mitigation
- Natural Resource Exploration and Production
- Free Software Advocacy