Other meanings of Org mode
Computing
Org-mode is a major mode for the GNU Emacs text editor, designed for note-taking, project planning, task management, and authoring. It uses a plain-text format with minimal markup, enabling users to create structured outlines, manage to-do lists, and generate documents in multiple output formats. First released in 2003 by Carsten Dominik, Org-mode has become a central tool in the Emacs ecosystem, praised for its flexibility and extensibility.
Org-mode is built around a hierarchical outline structure, where each line begins with one or more asterisks (*) to denote heading levels.1 This plain-text format allows users to organize notes, ideas, and tasks with collapsible sections. Headings, lists, and tables are all represented in a readable, editable way. The mode supports literate programming through Org Babel, enabling code blocks in various languages to be executed and their results captured within the document. Org-mode files typically have the .org extension and are fully compatible with version control systems like Git, because they are plain text.
Org-mode excels at personal productivity through its task management system. Users can mark headlines with TODO keywords, schedule deadlines, and set priorities. The Agenda view compiles tasks from multiple files into a daily/weekly overview, with filtering by status, tags, or custom queries.2 Effort estimation, clocking, and time tracking are built in, making Org-mode a full-featured project management tool. The org-capture system allows quick logging of ideas or tasks from anywhere in Emacs, minimizing workflow disruption.
Org-mode documents can be exported to a wide range of formats, including HTML, LaTeX (for PDF), Markdown, OpenDocument (ODT), and plain text.3 This export system is highly customizable, allowing users to define style sheets, templates, and pre- and post-processing hooks. Org-mode's publishing feature automates the generation of a website or documentation set from a collection of Org files, managing dependencies and incremental updates. This makes it a popular choice for maintaining personal knowledge bases and scientific note-taking.
Beyond its mainstream uses, Org-mode includes niche features such as Org-bibtex integration for managing bibliographic references, and org-attach for attaching files to headlines. The org-plot subsystem can generate graphs directly from tables using Gnuplot or other backends.4 Org-mode also supports spreadsheet-like formulas for table cells, with Calc and Emacs Lisp as the computing engines. The org-edna extension provides advanced dependency management for tasks, while org-roam (a third-party package) adds a Zettelkasten-style knowledge management layer. The mode's clock table feature can generate reports of time spent on tasks, useful for freelance billing.
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