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Following this response: Org-Mode - How do I create a new file with org-capture https://stackoverflow.com/questions/11902620/org-mode-how-do-i-create-a-new-file-with-org-capture?

I am trying to make this piece of code work, but I get the error: invalid file location: nil.

(defun capture-report-date-file (path)
  (let ((name (read-string "Name: ")))
    (expand-file-name (format "%s-%s.txt"
                              (format-time-string "%Y-%m-%d")
                              name) path)))

(setq org-capture-templates   
      '(("t"
         "todo"
         entry
         (file (capture-report-date-file  "~/path/path/name"))
         "* TODO")))
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1 Answer 1

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1

The code is outdated. Since version 9.1 org-capture-templates no longer accepts S-expressions as file names, so you have to turn:

(capture-report-date-file  "~/path/path/name")

into

(lambda () (capture-report-date-file  "~/path/path/name"))
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  • Interesting! I knew something was amiss, thanks. I tried it and get the following error:ebugger entered--Lisp error: (error "Invalid capture target specification: (lambda nil ...") signal(error ("Invalid capture target specification: (lambda nil ...")) error("Invalid capture target specification: %S" (lambda nil (capture-report-date-file "~/path/path/name"))) (let ((target val)) (error "Invalid capture target specification: %S" target))
    – Emmanuel Goldstein
    Commented Feb 9, 2021 at 16:30
  • Do you also see this with emacs -Q?
    – jagrg
    Commented Feb 10, 2021 at 0:16
  • It gives me this error: org-capture-expand-file: Symbol’s value as variable is void: capture-report-date-file. When I make the function (interactive), I run M-x capture-report-date-file, and returns: funcall-interactively: Wrong number of arguments: ((t) (path) (interactive) (let ((name (read-string "Name: "))) (expand-file-name (format "%s-%s.txt" (format-time-string "%Y-%m-%d") name) path))), 0. I'm clueless!
    – Emmanuel Goldstein
    Commented Feb 10, 2021 at 7:44
  • emacs -Q won't load your init file so you will have to paste the code above to your scratch buffer and evaluate) both capture-report-date-file and org-capture-templates manually, usually by pressing C-x C-e. Once that's done press M-x org-capture and follow the prompt. The second error is expected.
    – jagrg
    Commented Feb 10, 2021 at 9:50
  • Yes, that is what I did. I copied it into the scratch buffer and evaluated it. The error is after doing M-x org-capture and pressing the "t".
    – Emmanuel Goldstein
    Commented Feb 10, 2021 at 11:38

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