2

I want a list of upcoming deadlines (like: the next 2 months). I found two solutions, but both have a disadvantage.

Solution 1: Build an agenda view which excludes all entries which are not deadlines. Set nspan to, say, 60 days. Works fine. BUT: I cannot filter the entries. Yet I have regular deadlines upcoming every week I want to filter. No way. The usual answer given is that I should use org-agenda-tag-filter-preset, but the list is part of a block agenda, and the documentation of that variable clearly says that this variable does not work in a block agenda. And it does not work. So I could filter it manually, but I want a separate list which does not require me to do manual filtering.

Solution 2: Create a tags search matching all entries between certain dates ("DEADLINE>=<today>&DEADLINE<=<+2m>"). Works fine again. But then the list does not display the date. So I am stuck with a list of items which I know are due, but I have to look at each item separately in order to find out when it is due. What is missing, then, is the scheduling information the first solution gave me. Tweaking org-agenda-prefix-format changes nothing, obviously the scheduling information is only provided in agenda views.

So any ideas how I can have all three -- a list of deadlines, with automatic exclusion of certain (inherited!) tags, showing directly when the item is due?

EDIT: I want to see the "calculated" deadline, not just the value of the deadline cookie. Informations like <2017-12-3 +1m> are not helpful, plus, I am German and I always have to translate it to the German format, mentally.

Improve this question

1 Answer 1

Reset to default
1

Use your tags search solution but combine it with column view to display the extra information you want. The variable org-agenda-overriding-columns-format lets you customize the columns for just that agenda view.

(add-to-list 'org-agenda-custom-commands
             '("d" "Deadlines"
               tags "+DEADLINE>=\"<today>\"&DEADLINE<=\"<+2m>\""
               ((org-agenda-overriding-columns-format
                 "%25ITEM %DEADLINE %TAGS")))
             )
Improve this answer
2
  • 2
    Thank you, a good idea. But the column view does only show the value of the deadline cookie. What I want is an overview of the real date, i.e., the calculated date in the case there are repeaters and the like in the deadline cookie. Column view does not respect this, plus it ignores the overlay setting for a non-us timestamp format. I edited my question in order to make this part of the problem more visible.
    – Jörg Volbers
    Commented Oct 22, 2017 at 16:24
  • @JörgVolbers: Right, and moreover in column view the deadlines are not presented in the temporal order but in the order of the occurance in the files!
    – Dieter.Wilhelm
    Commented May 21, 2018 at 14:08

Your Answer

By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service and acknowledge you have read our privacy policy.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.