1

I'm working with an org-mode file that might contain headlines and text, like

* Headline 1
  :PROPERTIES:
  :ID: h1
  :END:
  This is some text.
** Subheading A
   :PROPERTIES:
   :ID: s1
   :END:
   The subheading can also have text.

Suppose I have a string bound to the symbol mytext that looks like

:PROPERTIES:
:ID: h1
:END:
This is some UPDATED text.

As you can see, it can
be multlined.

I want to replace h1's "body" text with the stuff in mytext (including the Properties drawer and all), but leave any subtrees alone. So the end result should look like

* Headline 1
  :PROPERTIES:
  :ID: h1
  :END:
  This is some UPDATED text.

  As you can see, it can
  be multlined.
** Subheading A
   :PROPERTIES:
   :ID: s1
   :END:
   The subheading can also have text.

What's the fastest / easiest way to do this with elisp?

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2
  • delete-region and insert your symbol/text. There are insufficient details in the question be more specific as we do not know how it is that the region to be replaced will be selected/chosen, where the cursor is in the buffer, whether the region is presently selected/highlighted, whether the original poster is looking for a select region consisting of the subtree in relation to wherever the cursor is presently located, etc.
    – lawlist
    Sep 16, 2016 at 5:11
  • The original poster may also be interested in org-cut-subtree: "Cut the current subtree into the clipboard. With prefix arg N, cut this many sequential subtrees. This is a short-hand for marking the subtree and then cutting it."
    – lawlist
    Sep 16, 2016 at 5:33

2 Answers 2

Reset to default
1

You can use my org-parser library to pull the org file as a data structure, then make the changes, then write back to the org file:

(let* ((parsed-buffer (org-parser-parse-buffer "test.org"))
       (block-to-change (first parsed-buffer))
       (mytext ":PROPERTIES:
:ID: h1
:END:
This is some UPDATED text.

As you can see, it can
be multlined.")
       (mytext-as-org-block (concat "* title to be ignored\n" mytext))
       (new-properties (org-parser--get-properties mytext-as-org-block))
       (new-body (org-parser--get-body mytext-as-org-block)))
  (puthash :properties new-properties block-to-change)
  (puthash :body new-body block-to-change)
  (with-current-buffer "test.org"
    (erase-buffer)
    (insert (org-parser--to-string parsed-buffer))))

You obviously won't need to include mytext as part of the let*, and in fact, if you have the properties block as an alist ('(("ID" . "h1"))) separate from the body text, you can skip the mytext-as-org-block, and jump directly to the puthash lines.

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2
  • What advantages does your library have over Org mode's parser, org-element-parse-buffer?
    – Omar
    Aug 12, 2017 at 18:21
  • It more abstracts away the underlying file into a data structure, without reference back to the original string, nor extra attributes (why does each list from #'org-element-parse-buffer have org-data nil at the beginning of it?). This data structure is far more intuitive to work with. (Compare a plain list with only two items with both #'org-element-parse-buffer and #org-parser-parse-buffer).
    – zck
    Aug 13, 2017 at 6:04
0

This plain replace-regexp seems to cut it:

(defun org-replace-h1 ()
  (interactive)
  (let ((mytext "
  :PROPERTIES:
  :ID: h1
  :END:
  This is some UPDATED text.

  As you can see, it can
  be multlined."))

    (goto-char (point-min))
    (while (search-forward-regexp "^\\* \\(.+\\)\n\\(.+\\|\n\\)+?\\*" nil t)
      (replace-match (concat "* " (match-string 1) mytext "\n*") t nil))))
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