1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
119
120
121
122
123
124
125
126
127
128
129
130
131
132
133
134
135
136
137
138
139
140
141
142
143
144
145
146
147
148
149
150
151
152
153
154
155
156
157
158
159
160
161
162
163
164
165
166
167
168
169
170
171
172
173
174
175
176
177
178
179
180
181
182
183
184
185
186
187
188
189
190
191
192
193
194
195
196
197
198
199
200
201
202
203
204
205
206
207
208
209
210
211
212
213
214
215
216
217
218
219
220
221
222
223
224
225
226
227
228
229
230
231
232
233
234
235
236
237
238
239
240
241
242
243
244
245
246
247
248
249
250
251
252
253
254
255
256
257
258
259
260
261
262
263
264
265
266
267
268
269
270
271
272
273
274
275
276
277
278
279
280
281
282
283
284
285
286
287
288
289
290
291
292
293
294
295
296
297
298
299
300
301
302
303
304
305
306
307
308
309
310
311
312
313
314
315
316
317
318
319
320
321
322
323
324
325
326
327
328
329
330
331
332
333
334
335
336
337
338
339
340
341
342
343
344
345
346
347
348
349
350
351
352
353
354
355
356
357
358
359
360
361
362
363
364
365
366
367
368
369
370
371
372
373
374
375
376
377
378
379
380
381
382
383
384
385
386
387
388
389
390
391
392
393
394
395
396
397
398
399
400
401
402
403
404
405
406
407
408
409
410
411
412
413
414
415
416
417
418
419
420
421
422
423
424
425
426
427
428
429
430
431
432
433
434
435
436
437
438
439
440
441
442
443
444
445
446
447
448
449
450
451
452
453
454
455
456
457
458
459
460
461
462
463
464
465
466
467
468
469
470
471
472
473
474
475
476
477
478
479
480
481
482
483
484
485
486
487
488
489
490
491
492
493
494
495
496
497
498
499
500
501
502
503
504
505
506
507
508
509
510
511
512
513
514
515
516
517
518
519
520
521
522
523
524
525
526
527
528
529
530
531
532
533
534
535
536
537
538
539
540
541
542
543
544
545
546
547
548
549
550
551
552
553
554
555
556
557
558
559
560
561
562
563
564
565
566
567
568
569
570
571
572
573
574
575
576
577
578
579
580
581
582
583
584
585
586
587
588
589
590
591
592
593
594
595
596
597
598
599
600
601
602
603
604
605
606
607
608
609
610
611
612
613
614
615
616
617
618
619
620
621
622
623
624
625
626
627
628
629
630
631
632
633
634
635
636
637
638
639
640
641
642
643
644
645
646
647
648
649
650
651
652
653
654
655
656
657
658
659
660
661
662
663
664
665
666
667
668
669
670
671
672
673
674
675
676
677
678
679
680
681
682
683
684
685
686
687
688
689
690
691
692
693
694
695
696
697
698
699
700
701
702
703
704
705
706
707
708
709
710
711
712
713
714
715
716
717
718
719
720
721
722
723
724
725
726
727
728
729
730
731
732
733
734
735
736
737
738
739
740
741
742
743
744
745
746
747
748
749
750
751
752
753
754
755
756
757
758
759
760
761
762
763
764
765
766
767
768
769
770
771
772
773
774
775
776
777
778
779
780
781
782
783
784
785
786
787
788
789
790
791
792
793
794
795
796
797
798
799
800
801
802
803
804
805
806
807
808
809
810
811
812
813
814
815
816
817
818
819
820
821
822
823
824
825
826
827
828
829
830
831
832
833
834
835
836
837
838
839
840
841
842
843
844
845
846
847
848
849
850
851
852
853
854
855
856
857
858
859
860
861
862
863
864
865
866
867
868
869
870
871
872
873
874
875
876
877
878
879
880
881
882
883
884
885
886
887
888
889
890
891
892
893
894
895
896
897
898
899
900
901
902
903
904
905
906
907
908
909
910
911
912
913
914
915
916
917
918
919
920
921
922
923
924
925
926
927
928
929
930
931
932
933
934
935
936
937
938
939
940
941
942
943
944
945
946
947
948
949
950
951
952
953
954
955
956
957
958
959
960
961
962
963
964
965
966
967
968
969
970
971
972
973
974
975
976
977
978
979
980
981
982
983
984
985
986
987
988
989
990
991
992
993
994
995
996
997
998
999
1000
1001
1002
1003
1004
1005
1006
1007
1008
1009
1010
1011
1012
1013
1014
1015
1016
1017
1018
1019
1020
1021
1022
1023
1024
1025
1026
1027
1028
1029
1030
1031
1032
1033
1034
1035
1036
1037
1038
1039
1040
1041
1042
1043
1044
1045
1046
1047
1048
1049
1050
1051
1052
1053
1054
1055
1056
1057
1058
1059
1060
1061
1062
1063
1064
1065
1066
1067
1068
1069
1070
1071
1072
1073
1074
1075
1076
1077
1078
1079
1080
1081
1082
1083
1084
1085
1086
1087
1088
1089
1090
1091
1092
1093
1094
1095
1096
1097
1098
1099
1100
1101
1102
1103
1104
1105
1106
1107
1108
1109
1110
1111
1112
1113
1114
1115
1116
1117
1118
1119
1120
1121
1122
1123
1124
1125
1126
1127
1128
1129
1130
1131
1132
1133
1134
1135
1136
1137
1138
1139
1140
1141
1142
1143
1144
1145
1146
1147
1148
1149
1150
1151
1152
1153
1154
1155
1156
1157
1158
1159
1160
1161
1162
1163
1164
1165
1166
1167
1168
1169
1170
1171
1172
1173
1174
1175
1176
1177
1178
1179
1180
1181
1182
1183
1184
1185
1186
1187
1188
1189
1190
1191
1192
1193
1194
1195
1196
1197
1198
1199
1200
1201
1202
1203
1204
1205
1206
1207
1208
1209
1210
1211
1212
1213
1214
1215
1216
1217
1218
1219
1220
1221
1222
1223
1224
1225
1226
1227
1228
1229
1230
1231
1232
1233
1234
1235
1236
1237
1238
1239
1240
1241
1242
|
*vo_readme.txt* VimOutliner 0.3.4 for Vim 6.1+ *vo* *vimoutliner*
Contents
LICENSE |vo-license|
VERSION |vo-version|
INSTALLING AND TESTING VIMOUTLINER |vo-install|
Automatic method |vo-auto-install|
Updating an existing installation |vo-updating|
Manual method |vo-manual-install|
Color schemes |vo-color|
Testing |vo-testing|
Debian |vo-debian|
USING VIMOUTLINER ON OTHER FILE TYPES |vo-other-files|
TROUBLESHOOTING |vo-troubleshooting|
VIMOUTLINER PHILOSOPHY |vo-philosophy|
RUNNING VIMOUTLINER |vo-running|
What are the comma comma commands |vo-command|
How do you perform basic VimOutliner activities |vo-activities|
Menu |vo-menu|
Vim Outliner objects |vo-objects|
Post Processors |vo-post-processors|
CAUTIONS!!! |vo-cautions|
ADVANCED |vo-advanced|
Executable Lines |vo-executable-lines|
PLUGINS |vo-plugins|
Checkboxes |vo-checkbox|
Hoisting |vo-hoisting|
SCRIPTS |vo-scripts|
vo_maketags.pl |vo-maketags|
otl2html.py |otl2html|
OTHER INFORMATION |vo-other-info|
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
LICENSE *vo-license*
VimOutliner Copyright (C) 2001, 2003 by Steve Litt
Copyright (C) 2004 by Noel Henson
Licensed under the GNU General Public License (GPL), version 2
Absolutely no warranty, see COPYING file for details.
If your distro doesn't come with this file
HTML: http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/gpl.html
Text: http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/gpl.txt
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
VERSION *vo-version*
Version 0.3.4
Released
Additions/changes:
Added ,,cp which works like ,,c% but forces % signs to be added
Color schemes have been added
Checkboxes and hoisting default to 'on'
Modified ,,cb and ,,c% (and ,,cp) to work only on headings
Fixed the ,,cz command to make the correct call
Added descriptions of VO objects to help
(headings, text, tables, etc.)
Bug fixes:
W18 errors have been fixed
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
INSTALLING AND TESTING VIMOUTLINER *vo-install*
How do I install VimOutliner?
Automatic Method |vo-auto-install|
Updating |vo-updating|
Manual Method |vo-manual-install|
Testing |vo-testing|
Automatic method *vo-auto-install*
The new automatic installation targets Unix-compatible
platforms.
$ tar xzvf vimoutliner-0.3.x.tar.gz
$ cd vimoutliner
$ sh install.sh
First you can decide whether to install the VimOutliner
files or abort the process leaving everything unchanged.
Assuming you confirmed the installation, the script
creates the necessary directory tree and copies the files
which provide the core functionality and documentation.
With the second question you decide whether you want to
install some brand new add-ons, currently implementing
hoisting and checkboxes.
Updating an existing installation *vo-updating*
Updating an existing installation might require some
manual work.
If you are already working with a previous VimOutliner
release, there is a slight chance that the current directory
tree is different from your current one. In this case, you
will have to manually migrate your files to the new locations.
The installation script creates unique backups of files
being replaced with newer versions. So if you put some
local customisations into, say $HOME/.vimoutlinerrc, you'll
probably have to merge the backup with the new file by hand.
Manual method *vo-manual-install*
You can also copy the files from the unpacked distribution
tarball into their destination folders by yourself. The
following steps are a description of what has to go where
and assume some knowledge of your vim setup.
If you encounter problems, please contact the mailinglist
for an immediate solution and more complete future
documentation. www.lists.vimoutliner.org
If you want to setup VimOutliner on a system running Microsoft
Windows, the directory $HOME denotes the base folder of the
vim installation. If you're on Unix based system, $HOME
is as usual.
You need the following subtrees in your $HOME directory:
$HOME/.vim/
doc/ ftdetect/ ftplugin/ syntax/
$HOME/.vimoutliner/
plugins/ scripts/
The distribution tarball unpacks into a directory vimoutliner
with the following contents
add-ons/
plugins/ (2)
scripts/ (2)
doc/ (1)
ftdetect/ (1)
ftplugin/ (1)
install.sh*
scripts/ (2)
syntax/ (1)
vimoutlinerrc (3)
(1) The content of these folders should be copied to their
namesakes in the $HOME/.vim folder
(2) The content of these folders should be copied to their
namesakes in the $HOME/.vimoutliner folder
(3) This file needs to be moved to $HOME/.vimoutlinerrc
Your $HOME/.vimrc file should contain the lines
filetype plugin indent on
syntax on
Your $HOME/.vim/ftplugin/vo_base.vim file should contain
the lines
runtime! ftdetect/*.vim
Finally, you need to integrate the online help provided
with VimOutliner into the vim help system. Start vim
and execute the following command:
:helptags $HOME/.vim/doc
At this point, VimOutliner should be functional.
Type "help vo" to get started.
Color Schemes *vo-color*
Color schemes specify the colors Vim Outliner uses when
displaying an outline. Colors are specified by object and level.
These objects currently include: headings, body text, pre-
formatted body text, tables and others. See |vo-objects| for
more information.
Color scheme files are located in the system-wide vim colors
directory and/or your $HOME/.vim/colors directory. You can
select from any of the provided schemes. Vim Outliner internally
includes a scheme the matches vo_light.vim.
To override the default color scheme you can edit these lines
in your $HOME/.vimoutlinerrc file:
"Custom Colors **********************************
" Uncomment this next line to force using VO on
" a light background
" colorscheme vo_light
" Uncomment this next line to force using VO on
" a dark background
" colorscheme vo_dark
To create your own scheme follow these simple steps:
1. Move to your $HOME/.vim/colors directory.
If you don't have one, create it.
2. Make a copy of one of the included schemes to use
as a starting point. You should be able to find them
in places like: $HOME/.vim/colors and
/usr/share/vim/vim63/colors. Put the copy in your
own colors directory ($HOME/.vim/colors)
3. Edit the scheme file to change whatever colors you
wish.
4. Select the scheme in your $HOME/.vimoutlinerrc file.
The line should look something like this:
colorscheme noel
That's all there is to it.
Testing base functionality *vo-testing*
rm $HOME/vo_test.otl
gvim $HOME/vo_test.otl
or vim $HOME/vo_test.otl
Verify the following:
Tabs indent the text
Different indent levels are different colors
Lines starting with a colon and space word-wrap
Lines starting with colons are body text. They should
word wrap and should be a special color (typically
green, but it can vary). Verify that paragraphs of body
text can be reformatted with the Vim gq commands.
Verify interoutline linking
Interoutline linking currently requires a working perl installation
to generate the necessary tag file. We are looking into porting
this to vim's own scripting language.
Place the following two lines in $HOME/vo_test.otl:
_tag_newfile
$HOME/vo_newfile.otl
Note that in the preceding, the 2nd line should be indented
from the first.
To create VimOutliner's tag file $HOME/.vimoutliner/vo_tags.tag,
run vo_maketags.pl, which resides in $HOME/.vimoutliner/scripts/:
$ $HOME/.vimoutliner/scripts/vo_maketags.pl $HOME/vo_test.otl
In $HOME/vo_test.otl
Cursor to the _tag_newfile marker
Press Ctrl+K
You should be brought to $HOME/vo_newfile.otl
Press Ctrl+N
You should be brought back to $HOME/vo_test.otl
Note:
Ctrl+K is a VimOutliner synonym for Ctrl+]
Ctrl+N is a VimOutliner synonym for Ctrl+T
Debian Installation *vo-debian*
Debian does include Vim Outliner as a package. However some
Debian version require this line to be added to your .vimrc file:
syntax on
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
USING VIMOUTLINER ON OTHER FILE TYPES *vo-other-files*
How do I use VimOutliner on non .otl files
Overview
Previous VimOutliner versions used the ol script to invoke
VimOutliner. As of VimOutliner 0.3.0, the ol script is no
longer necessary nor provided. Instead, VimOutliner is now a
Vim plugin, so Vim does all the work.
This makes VimOutliner much simpler to use in most cases,
but Vim plugins are file extension based, meaning that if
you want to use VimOutliner on a file extension other than
.otl, you must declare that file extension in
$HOME/.vim/ftdetect/vo_base.vim. In this section we'll
use the .emdl extension (Easy Menu Definition Language)
as an example.
To enable VimOutliner work with .emdl files, do this:
vim $HOME/.vim/ftdetect/vo_base.vim
Right below the line reading:
au! BufRead,BufNewFile *.otl setfiletype vo_base
Insert the following line:
au! BufRead,BufNewFile *.emdl setfiletype vo_base
Save and exit
Test with the following:
gvim $HOME/vo_test.emdl
You should get
level colors,
body text (lines starting with colon)
comma comma commands (try ,,2 and ,,1)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
TROUBLESHOOTING *vo-troubleshooting*
Troubleshooting
I can't switch between colon based and space based body text
See next question
My ,,b and ,,B don't do anything. How do I fix it?
vim $HOME/.vim/ftplugin/vo_base.vim
Search for use_space_colon
Make sure it is set to 0, not 1
Rerun Vim, and ,,b and ,,B should work
I don't get VimOutliner features on files of extension .whatever
vim $HOME/.vim/ftdetect/vo_base.vim
Right below the line reading:
au! BufRead,BufNewFile *.otl setfiletype vo_base
Insert the following line:
au! BufRead,BufNewFile *.whatever setfiletype vo_base
Save and exit
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
VIMOUTLINER PHILOSOPHY *vo-philosophy*
Authoring Speed
VimOutliner is an outline processor with many of the same
features as Grandview, More, Thinktank, Ecco, etc. Features
include tree expand/collapse, tree promotion/demotion, level
sensitive colors, interoutline linking, and body text.
What sets VimOutliner apart from the rest is that it's been
constructed from the ground up for fast and easy authoring.
Keystrokes are quick and easy, especially for someone knowing the
Vim editor. The mouse is completely unnecessary (but is supported
to the extent that Vim supports the mouse). Many of the
VimOutliner commands start with a double comma because that's
very quick to type.
Many outliners are prettier than VimOutliner. Most other
outliners are more intuitive for the newbie not knowing Vim. Many
outliners are more featureful than VimOutliner (although
VimOutliner gains features monthly and is already very powerful).
Some outliners are faster on lookup than VimOutliner. But as far
as we know, NO outliner is faster at getting information out of
your mind and into an outline than VimOutliner.
VimOutliner will always give you lightning fast authoring. That's
our basic, underlying philosophy, and will never change, no
matter what features are added.
Vim integration
Earlier VimOutliner versions prided themselves on being
standalone applications, self-contained in a single directory
with a special script to run everything.
As of 0.3.0, VimOutliner is packaged as a Vim Plugin, eliminating
the need for the ol script, which many saw as clumsy. Given that
all VimOutliner features are produced by the Vim engine, it makes
perfect sense to admit that VimOutliner is an add-on to Vim.
Therefore VimOutliner now prides itself in being a Vim plugin.
With the VimOutliner package installed, the Vim editor yields the
VimOutliner feature set for files whose extensions are listed as
vo_base types in $HOME/.vim/ftplugin/vo_base.vim.
The Vim Plugin philosophy yields several benefits:
Less reliance on Perl, bash and environment vars
(upcoming) Portability between Linux, Windows and Mac
(upcoming) Installation via Vim script
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
RUNNING VIMOUTLINER *vo-running*
Vim knowledge is a prerequisite
Overview
You needn't be a Vim expert to use VimOutliner. If you know
the basics -- inserting and deleting linewise and
characterwise, moving between command and insert modes, use
of Visual Mode selections,and reformatting, you should be
well equipped to use VimOutliner.
VimOutliner is a set of Vim scripts and configurations. Its
features all come from the Vim editor's engine. If you do not
know Vim, you'll need to learn the Vim basics before using
VimOutliner. Start by taking the Vim tutorial. The tutorial
should take about 2 hours.
VimOutliner is so fast, that if you often use outlining,
you'll make up that time within a week.
Taking the Vim tutorial
Run vim or gvim
Type the command, :help tutor
Follow the instructions
What are the comma comma commands *vo-command*
Overview
For maximum authoring speed, VimOutliner features are
accessed through keyboard commands starting with 2 commas.
The double comma followed by a character is incredibly fast
to type.
We expect to create more comma comma commands, so try not to
create your own, as they may clash with later comma comma
commands. If you have an exceptionally handy command, please
report it to the VimOutliner list. Perhaps others could
benefit from it.
Command list
,,D all VimOutliner reserved command
,,H all reserved for manual de-hoisting (add-on)
,,h all reserved for hoisting (add-on)
,,1 all set foldlevel=0
,,2 all set foldlevel=1
,,3 all set foldlevel=2
,,4 all set foldlevel=3
,,5 all set foldlevel=4
,,6 all set foldlevel=5
,,7 all set foldlevel=6
,,8 all set foldlevel=7
,,9 all set foldlevel=8
,,0 all set foldlevel=99999
,,- all Draw dashed line
,,f normal Directory listing of the current directory
,,s normal Sort sub-tree under cursor ascending
,,S normal Sort sub-tree under cursor descending
,,t normal Append timestamp (HH:MM:SS) to heading
,,T normal Pre-pend timestamp (HH:MM:SS) to heading
,,T normal Pre-pend timestamp (HH:MM:SS) to heading
,,t insert Insert timestamp (HH:MM:SS) at cursor
,,d normal Append datestamp (YYYY-MM-DD) to heading
,,d insert Insert datestamp (YYYY-MM-DD) at cursor
,,D normal Pre-pend datestamp (YYYY-MM-DD) to heading
,,B normal Make body text start with a space
,,b normal Make body text start with a colon and space
,,w insert Save changes and return to insert mode
,,e normal Execute the executable tag line under cursor
What are some other VimOutliner Commands
Overview
Naturally, almost all Vim commands work in VimOutliner.
Additionally, VimOutliner adds a few extra commands besides
the comma comma commands discussed previously.
Command list:
Ctrl+K Follow tag (Synonym for Ctrl+])
Ctrl+N Return from tag (Synonym for Ctrl+T)
Q Reformat (Synonym for gq)
How do you perform basic VimOutliner activities *vo-activities*
How do I collapse a tree within command mode?
zc
(note: a full list of folding commands |fold-commands|)
How do I expand a tree within command mode?
To expand one level:
zo
To expand all the way down
zO
How do I demote a headline?
In command mode, >>
In insert mode at start of the line, press the Tab key
In insert mode within the headline, Ctrl+T
How do I promote a headline?
In command mode, <<
In insert mode at start of the line, press the Backspace key
In insert mode within the headline, Ctrl+D
How do I promote or demote several consecutive headlines?
Highlight the lines with the V command
Press < to promote or > to demote. You can precede
the < or > with a count to promote or demote several levels
How do I promote or demote an entire tree?
Collapse the tree
Use << or >> as appropriate
How do I collapse an entire outline?
,,1
How do I maximally expand an entire outline?
,,0
How do I expand an outline down to the third level?
,,3
How do I move a tree?
Use Vim's visual cut and paste
How do I create body text?
Open a blank line below a headline
Start the line with a colon followed by a space
Continue to type. Your text will wrap
How do I reformat body text?
Highlight (Shift+V) the body text to be reformatted
Use the gq command to reformat
How do I reformat one paragraph of body text?
The safest way is highlighting.
DANGER! Other methods can reformat genuine headlines.
How do I switch between colon based and space based body text?
,,b for colon based, ,,B for space based
What if ,,b and ,,B don't work
Change variable use_space_colon from 1 to 0
in $HOME/.vim/ftplugin/vo_base.vim
How do I perform a wordcount?
Use the command :w !wc
The space before the exclamation point is a MUST.
Menu *vo-menu*
There is a simple menu included in Vim Outliner when running
in GUI mode. Named 'VO', you can usually find it right next to the
'Help' menu. There are commands to change the fold level and select
alternate color schemes. There is also entries for common tools.
Currently there are only two entries for running the otl2html.py
script included with VO.
The first otl2html.py tool item executes the script with default
options. The only control a user has it to modify the nnnnnn.css
file.
The second tool item calls a shell script, 'myotl2html.sh'. This
script should be provided by the user and is not included in VO
releases. A sample myotl2html.sh script might look like this:
#!/bin/bash
otl2html.py -S pjtstat.css $1 > $HOME/public_html/$1.html
If you have several different types of reports you create regularly,
you can create your own menu entries. Just add lines like these to
your ~/.vimoutlinerrc file:
amenu &VO.&Reports.&Big\ Project :!otl2html.py -S big.css % > %.html
amenu &VO.&Reports.&Hot\ List :!otl2html.py -S todo.css % > %.html
amenu &VO.&Reports.&Weekly :!otl2html.py -S weekly.css % > %.html
I'm sure you get the idea.
Vim Outliner Objects *vo-objects*
There are several object/line types that VO supports. The most
common on simple headings and body text. Simple headings are
tab-indented line that start with any non-whitespace character
except: : ; | < >. These characters specify other objects. Here
is a list of each of the non-heading types:
: body text (wrapping)
; preformatted body text (non-wrapping)
| table
> user-defined, text block (wrapping)
< user-defined, preformatted text block (non-wrapping)
The body text marker, :, is used to specify lines that are
automatically wrapped and reformatted. VO and post-processors are
free to wrap and reformat this text as well as use proportionally-
spaced fonts. A post-processor will probably change the appearance
of what you have written. If you are writing a book or other
document, most of the information you enter will be body text.
Here is an example:
Kirby the Wonder Dog
: Kirby is nine years old. He understand about 70-100
: English words. Kirby also understands 11 different hand
: signals. He is affectionate, playful and attentive.
:
: His breeding is unknown. He appears to be a mix between
: a german shepherd and a collie.
When folded, body text looks something like this:
Kirby the Wonder Dog
[TEXT] -------------------------------- (6 lines)
The preformatted text marker, ;, is used to mark text that should
not be reformatted nor wrapped by VO or any post-processor. A post-
processor would use a fixed-space font, like courier, to render
these lines. A post-processor will probably not change the
appearance of what you have written. This is useful for making text
picture, program code or other format-dependent text.
Here is an example:
Output waveform
; _______ ______
; _____/ \______________/
; |-10us--|----35us------|
When folded, preformatted body text looks something like this:
Output waveform
[TEXT BLOCK] -------------------------- (6 lines)
The table marker, |, is used to create tables. This is an excellent
way to show tabular data. The marker is used as if it were are real
vertical line. A || (double-|) is optionally used to mark a table
heading line. This is useful for post-processors.
Here is an example:
Pets
|| Name | Age | Animal | Inside/Outside |
| Kirby | 9 | dog | both |
| Hoover | 1 | dog | both |
| Sophia | 9 | cat | inside |
There is no automatic alignment of columns yet. It must be done
manually. The post-processor, otl2thml.py, does have alignment
functions. See its documentation for more information.
When folded, a table looks something like this:
Pets
[TABLE] ------------------------------- (4 lines)
User-defined text is similar to body text but more flexible and it's
use is not pre-defined by Vim Outliner. The basic, user-defined
text block marker, >, behaves just like body text.
For example:
Kirby the Wonder Dog
> Kirby is nine years old. He understand about 70-100
> English words. Kirby also understands 11 different hand
> signals. He is affectionate, playful and attentive.
>
> His breeding is unknown. He appears to be a mix between
> a german shepherd and a collie.
When folded, body text looks something like this:
Kirby the Wonder Dog
[USER] -------------------------------- (6 lines)
But unlike body text, user-defined text can be expanded. You could
have user-defined text types. If you were writing a book, in
addition to body text for paragraphs you might need special
paragraphs for tips and warnings. User-defined text blocks can
accomplish this:
>Tips
> Don't forget to back up your computer daily. You don't
> need to back up the entire computer. You just need to
> backup up the files that have changed.
>Warning
>Never store you backup floppy disks on the side of you
>file cabinets by adhering them with magnets.
A post processor will know how to remove the style tags (Tips and
Warning) and you want the text to be formatted.
When folded, the above would appear as:
[USER Tips] --------------------------- (4 lines)
[USER Warning]------------------------- (3 lines)
The user-defined, preformatted text block marker, <, behaves just
like preformatted text. But like >, it leaves the functional
definition up to the user. A simple user-defined, preformatted text
block could be:
Tux
< _.._
< .-' `-.
< : ;
< ; ,_ _, ;
< : \{" "}/ :
< ,'.'"=..=''.'.
< ; / \ / \ ;
< .' ; '.__.' ; '.
< .-' .' '. '-.
< .' ; ; '.
< / / \ \
< ; ; ; ;
< ; `-._ _.-' ;
< ; ""--. .--"" ;
< '. _ ; ; _ .'
< {""..' '._.-. .-._.' '..""}
< \ ; ; /
< : : : :
< : :.__.: :
< \ /"-..-"\ / fsc
< '-.__.' '.__.-'
When folded it would be:
Tux
[USER BLOCK] -------------------------- (6 lines)
Like user-defined text, these blocks can be given user-defined
styles. For example:
<ASCIIart
< _.._
< .-' `-.
< : ;
< ; ,_ _, ;
< : \{" "}/ :
< ,'.'"=..=''.'.
< ; / \ / \ ;
< .' ; '.__.' ; '.
< .-' .' '. '-.
< .' ; ; '.
< / / \ \
< ; ; ; ;
< ; `-._ _.-' ;
< ; ""--. .--"" ;
< '. _ ; ; _ .'
< {""..' '._.-. .-._.' '..""}
< \ ; ; /
< : : : :
< : :.__.: :
< \ /"-..-"\ / fsc
< '-.__.' '.__.-'
<Code
< getRXDN macro
<
< local gRXD1, gRXD2
< bcf STATUS,C
< btfsc FLAGS,SERPOL
<
< goto gRXD1
< btfsc RXDN
< bsf STATUS,C
< goto gRXD2
<
< gRXD1 btfss RXDN
< bsf STATUS,C
< nop
< gRXD2
< endm
When folded, the above would appear as:
[USER BLOCK ASCIIart] ----------------- (22 lines)
[USER BLOCK Code] --------------------- (17 lines)
Vim Outliner Post-processors *vo-post-processors*
There are already serveral post processors for Vim Outliner. Some
are general purpose in nature and others perform specific
conversions. Here is list of currently know programs:
Node.pm Steve Litt www.troubleshooters.com/projects/Node
This program is general purpose in nature and can
generate many types of output. It can even output
complete keyboarder-friendly menu scripts (EDML
www.troubleshooters.com/projects/edml). See the
website for more details.
otl2docbook.pl Christian Warden www.vimoutliner.org Downloads
This perl script converts OTL files to DocBook.
otl2html.py Noel Henson included with Vim Outliner
This python script outputs html pages, one page per
OTL file. It is useful for creating pretty reports
and nicely formatted, but simple, web pages. See
the help (otl2thml.py --help) for more detail.
otl2ooimpress Noel Henson www.vimoutliner.org Downloads
A very simple script to output Open Office Impress
files.
otl2pdb.pl Gabriel Horner www.vimoutliner.org Downloads
A perl script to convert contact information in VO
to Palm pdb files.
vo2html.py Ricardo Cardenes www.vimoutliner.org Downloads
Converts an OTL file to a set of html 'slides'. It
supports used-defined templates.
otl_handler Mahlon E. Smith www.martini.nu/misc/otl_hander.tgz
Not a converter really, but a mod_perl script that
enables Apache to show VO todo lists in
a nicely-formatted way. Folding of sections and CSS
is supported.
This list is likely to be out of date. Please check the Vim
Outliner website for more.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
CAUTIONS!!! *vo-cautions*
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
ADVANCED VIMOUTLINER *vo-advanced*
Executable Lines *vo-executable-lines*
Executable lines enable you to launch any command from a specially
constructed headline within VimOutliner. The line must be constructed
like this:
Description _exe_ command
Here's an example to pull up Troubleshooters.Com:
Troubleshooters.Com _exe_ mozilla http://www.troubleshooters.com
Executable lines offer the huge benefit of a single-source knowledge
tree, where all your knowledge, no matter what its format, exists
within a single tree of outlines connected with inter-outline links and
executable lines.
To enable this behavior, insert the following code into your $HOME/.vimoutlinerrc file:
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
PLUGINS *vo-plugins*
The VimOutliner distribution currently includes two plugins
for easy handling of checkboxes and to enable hoisting (see below).
If you want to check out other plugins or experimental stuff,
take a look at VimOutliner's home page http://www.vimoutliner.org
You can find more complete descriptions in your $HOME/.vimoutliner/doc
folder, what follows here are the "just the facts".
Checkboxes *vo-checkbox*
Checkboxes enable VimOutliner to understand tasks and calculate
the current status of todo-lists etc. Three special notations
are used:
[_] an unchecked item or incomplete task
[X] a checked item or complete task
% a placeholder for percentage of completion
Several ,,-commands make up the user interface:
,,cb Insert a check box on the current line or each line
of the currently selected range (including lines in
selected but closed folds). This command is currently
not aware of body text. Automatic recalculation of
is performed for the entire root-parent branch that
contains the updated child. (see ,,cz)
,,cx Toggle check box state (percentage aware)
,,cd Delete check boxes
,,c% Create a check box with percentage placeholder except
on childless parents
,,cp Create a check box with percentage placeholder on all
headings
,,cz Compute completion for the tree below the current
heading.
How do I use it?
Start with a simple example.
Let's start with planning a small party; say a barbeque.
1. Make the initial outline
Barbeque
Guests
Bill and Barb
Larry and Louise
Marty and Mary
Chris and Christine
David and Darla
Noel and Susan
Food
Chicken
Ribs
Corn on the cob
Salad
Desert
Beverages
Soda
Iced Tea
Beer
Party Favors
Squirt guns
Hats
Name tags
Materials
Paper Plates
Napkins
Trash Containers
2. Add the check boxes
This can be done by visually selecting them and typing
,,cb. When done, you should see this:
[_] Barbeque
[_] Guests
[_] Bill and Barb
[_] Larry and Louise
[_] Marty and Mary
[_] Chris and Christine
[_] David and Darla
[_] Noel and Susan
[_] Food
[_] Chicken
[_] Ribs
[_] Corn on the cob
[_] Salad
[_] Desert
[_] Beverages
[_] Soda
[_] Iced Tea
[_] Beer
[_] Party Favors
[_] Squirt guns
[_] Hats
[_] Name tags
[_] Materials
[_] Paper Plates
[_] Napkins
[_] Trash Containers
3. Now check off what's done
Checking off what is complete is easy with the ,,cx
command. Just place the cursor on a heading and ,,cx
it. Now you can see what's done as long as the outline
is fully expanded.
[_] Barbeque
[_] Guests
[X] Bill and Barb
[X] Larry and Louise
[X] Marty and Mary
[X] Chris and Christine
[X] David and Darla
[X] Noel and Susan
[_] Food
[X] Chicken
[X] Ribs
[_] Corn on the cob
[_] Salad
[X] Desert
[_] Beverages
[_] Soda
[X] Iced Tea
[X] Beer
[_] Party Favors
[_] Squirt guns
[_] Hats
[_] Name tags
[_] Materials
[X] Paper Plates
[_] Napkins
[X] Trash Containers
4. Getting more advanced
Now summarize what's done.
You can summarize what is done with the ,,cz command.
Place the cursor on the 'Barbeque' heading and ,,cz it.
The command will recursively process the outline and
update the check boxes of the parent headlines. You
should see:
(Note: the only change is on the 'Guests' heading. It
changed because all of its children are complete.)
[_] Barbeque
[X] Guests
[X] Bill and Barb
[X] Larry and Louise
[X] Marty and Mary
[X] Chris and Christine
[X] David and Darla
[X] Noel and Susan
[_] Food
[X] Chicken
[X] Ribs
[_] Corn on the cob
[_] Salad
[X] Desert
[_] Beverages
[_] Soda
[X] Iced Tea
[X] Beer
[_] Party Favors
[_] Squirt guns
[_] Hats
[_] Name tags
[_] Materials
[X] Paper Plates
[_] Napkins
[X] Trash Containers
Add percentages for a better view
You can get a much better view of what's going on,
especially with collapsed headings, if you add
percentages. Place a % on each heading that has children
like this:
[_] % Barbeque
[X] % Guests
[X] Bill and Barb
[X] Larry and Louise
[X] Marty and Mary
[X] Chris and Christine
[X] David and Darla
[X] Noel and Susan
[_] % Food
[X] Chicken
[X] Ribs
[_] Corn on the cob
[_] Salad
[X] Desert
[_] % Beverages
[_] Soda
[X] Iced Tea
[X] Beer
[_] % Party Favors
[_] Squirt guns
[_] Hats
[_] Name tags
[_] % Materials
[X] Paper Plates
[_] Napkins
[X] Trash Containers
Now compute the percentage of completion
After adding the % symbols, place the cursor on the
'Barbeque' heading and execute ,,cz as before. Keep in
mind that the recursive percentages are weighted. You
should see:
[_] 58% Barbeque
[X] 100% Guests
[X] Bill and Barb
[X] Larry and Louise
[X] Marty and Mary
[X] Chris and Christine
[X] David and Darla
[X] Noel and Susan
[_] 60% Food
[X] Chicken
[X] Ribs
[_] Corn on the cob
[_] Salad
[X] Desert
[_] 66% Beverages
[_] Soda
[X] Iced Tea
[X] Beer
[_] 0% Party Favors
[_] Squirt guns
[_] Hats
[_] Name tags
[_] 66% Materials
[X] Paper Plates
[_] Napkins
[X] Trash Containers
Complete a few more just for fun
Mark Salad and Soda and you should see the ouline below.
Try plaing around with zc and zo to see the effects of
opening and closing folds. Even if you place the cursor
on 'Barbeque' and zo it, you still have a good
understanding of how complete the project is.
[_] 69% Barbeque
[X] 100% Guests
[X] Bill and Barb
[X] Larry and Louise
[X] Marty and Mary
[X] Chris and Christine
[X] David and Darla
[X] Noel and Susan
[_] 80% Food
[X] Chicken
[X] Ribs
[_] Corn on the cob
[X] Salad
[X] Desert
[X] 100% Beverages
[X] Soda
[X] Iced Tea
[X] Beer
[_] 0% Party Favors
[_] Squirt guns
[_] Hats
[_] Name tags
[_] 66% Materials
[X] Paper Plates
[_] Napkins
[X] Trash Containers
Hoisting *vo-hoisting*
Hoisting is a way to focus on the offspring of the currently
selected outline item. The subitems will be presented as top
level items in the automatically extracted hoist-file located
in the same directory as the main outline file. You cannot
hoist parts of an already hoisted file again.
If you installed the add-on, you hoist the subtopics of
the currently selected item with
,,h Hoist the subtopics into a temporary file
The changes are merged back into the original file by closing
the temporary hoist file with
:q :wq :x ZZ
If something went wrong, you can perform a manual de-hoisting
with the following procedure:
Open the main file in VimOutliner
Search for the line containing the __hoist tag
On this line, do
,,H Manual de-hoisting
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
SCRIPTS *vo-scripts*
The VimOutliner distribution currently includes two external scripts
to support interoutline links and HTML export.
If you want to check out other scripts or experimental stuff,
take a look at VimOutliner's home page, http://www.vimoutliner.org
vo_maketags.pl *vo-maketags*
A basic description of how to use this Perl script is given in
section |vo-testing|, subsection "Verify interoutline linking".
otl2html.py *otl2html*
This Python script transforms an outline into an HTML file. Use
$ otl2html.py --help to get detailed information.
This script does not adhere to the VimOutliner naming convention
with the 'vo_' prefix because it is not necessary for any
VimOutliner functionality. It is provided both as a useful tool
for creating HTML pages and HTML slides from outlines and as
a working demonstration of how to convert .otl files to other
formats.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
OTHER INFORMATION *vo-other-info*
The Vimoutliner Project
How do I add my own features?
Two ways -- by changing VimOutliner source code, or by
inserting your own code in $HOME/.vimoutlinerrc, which runs
at the end of the VimOutliner startup scripts. You might have
to merge your personal .vimoutlinerrc with future versions
to take advantage of new features.
How is VimOutliner licensed?
VimOutliner is licensed under the GNU General Public License.
How do I contribute to VimOutliner
Step 1 is to subscribe to our mailing list. Join up at
http://www.lists.vimoutliner.org/. Lurk for a few days or so
to get the feel, then submit your idea/suggestion. A lively
discussion will ensue, after which your idea, probably in
some modified form, will be considered. The more of the actual
work you have done, the more likely your feature will go in
the distribution in a
timely manner.
VimOutliner Naming Convention
All VimOutliner files must begin with vo_ unless Vim itself
requires them to have a different name. A few older files
from previous versions break this rule, but over time these
will be changed to our naming convention.
In the old days, with the "self contained" philosophy, there
was no naming convention, because VimOutliner files were
segregated into their own tree. With the coming of the "vim
plugin" philosophy, there's a need to identify VimOutliner
files for purposes of modification, upgrade and
de-installation. Hence our naming convention.
What if my feature doesn't make it into the VimOutliner distribution?
You can offer it Extra-Distro, either on your own website, or
very possibly on the VimOutliner home page, www.vimoutliner.org.
VimOutliner ships with its core features, but many additional
functionalities, especially those that operate from Perl scripts
(or bash or python) are available outside the distro. For
instance, right now there's an Executable Line feature that turns
VimOutliner into a true single tree information reservoir. The
Executable Line feature is available extra-distro on the
VimOutliner home page.
Anticipated improvements in later versions
Command-invoking headlines
Already prototyped
Probably coming next version
Allows you to press a key and get an html command in a browser
Enables a true single tree knowledge collection
Enables use of VimOutliner as a shell
Groupware
Not yet well defined
Enables collaborative work on an outline
A pipedream, but VimOutliner itself was once a pipedream
Easy mode
Let's Windows users operate VO like a common insert-only
editor. This will remove a great deal of VO's keyboarder-
friendly features. But then, they're Windows users: let them
use the mouse.
Headline to headline links
Not yet sanctioned, might never be implemented
If implemented, this would presumably create links not just
between outlines, but between headlines, either in the same
outline or in a different one. This would be a start on
"neural networking".
Headline numbering
Under feasibility investigation
Supported by external scripts
Toolbar in gvim
Under feasibility investigation
Further information on outlines, outline processing and outliners
http://www.vimoutliner.org
Main distribution website
http://www.troubleshooters.com/tpromag/199911/199911.htm
Outlining discussion, not product specific
http://www.troubleshooters.com/linux/olvim.htm
Discussion on how to use Vim for outlining
http://www.troubleshooters.com/projects/vimoutliner.htm
Former Webpage for the VimOutliner distro
http://www.outliners.com
Discussion of (proprietary) outliners from days gone by
Downloads for ancient versions of such outliners
Unfortunately, all are dos, windows and mac
http://members.ozemail.com.au/~caveman/Creative/Software/Inspiration/index.html
Discussion of (proprietary,Mac) Inspiration software
This page discusses many methods of thought/computer interaction
Visual Outlining
Textual Outlining
Idea mapping
Mind Mapping
Brainstorming with Rapid Fire Entry
Concept Mapping
Storyboarding
Diagrams (using rich symbol library)
http://members.ozemail.com.au/~caveman/Creative/index.html
Not about outlines, but instead about how to use your brain
The whole purpose of outlines is to use your brain
New ways of using your brain produce new ways to use outlines
|
