Re: [BUG] Agenda no longer works for timestamps inside properties drawer [9.5.2 (release_9.5.2-24-g668205 @ /home/ignacio/repos/emacs/lisp/org/)]

[Ihor Radchenko]

Ignacio Casso <ignaciocasso@hotmail.com> writes:

> In Emacs 27.2, with an up to date version of org from ELPA (9.5.2),
> org-agenda considers timestamps that appear in property drawers, so the
> entry below appears in the daily agenda view.
>
> * Heading
>   :PROPERTIES:
>   :timestamp: <2022-03-12 sáb>
>   :END:
>
> However, in the latest Emacs version built from source (29.0.50), with
> the built-in version of org (also 9.5.2, but the latest release, I
> assume), this is no longer the case and that entry does not appear in
> the agenda view.
>
> I know that maybe it's unorthodox, but I have some org files that rely
> in the previous behavior, with entries like the following:
>
> * Some friend
>   :PROPERTIES:
>   :birth-date: <1994-03-12 sáb +1y>
>   :END:
>
> Is this a bug? If it's not, can someone point me to the functions I need
> to touch to restore the previous behavior? Or maybe I should stop doing
> this and start moving those timestamps out of the properties drawer in
> my files?

What you see in the new Org version is not a bug. Property values are
treated as plain text by Org.

In the older versions, agenda code did not rely on Org's internal
parsing and matched timestamps in places where timestamps are not
allowed (inside code blocks, for example). See
https://orgmode.org/list/20220101122409.GA29829@itccanarias.org

Dear all,

I was unable to find a place in manual describing that timestamps cannot
be placed inside property values:

>> A timestamp is a specification of a date (possibly with a time or a
>> range of times) in a special format, either ‘<2003-09-16 Tue>’ or
>> ‘<2003-09-16 Tue 09:39>’ or ‘<2003-09-16 Tue 12:00-12:30>’(1).  A
>> timestamp can appear anywhere in the headline or body of an Org tree
>> entry.  Its presence causes entries to be shown on specific dates in the
>> agenda (see *note Weekly/daily agenda::).  We distinguish:

I personally see allowing timestamps (and links) inside property values
as a useful feature. Would it be of interest for other users?

In any case, we should probably clarify manual in this regard.

Best,
Ihor