auto-insert-alist

Question

I'd like to insert

#+SETUPFILE: ~/.emacs.d/org-templates/level-0.org

to each .org file that I intend to publish.

I opened the variable auto-insert-alist but I cannot figure out where to paste my insert.

Can you help?

Can I add auto-insert-alist to my init file instead of customizing it in Quick Customization window?

Thanks. EDİT

EDIT:

I found this code here

   (use-package autoinsert
      :init
      ;; Don't want to be prompted before insertion:
      (setq auto-insert-query nil)

      (setq auto-insert-directory (locate-user-emacs-file "templates"))
      (add-hook 'find-file-hook 'auto-insert)
      (auto-insert-mode 1)

      :config
      (define-auto-insert "\\.html?$" "default-html.html"))

This would work for me. But I didn't understand this line

      (setq auto-insert-directory (locate-user-emacs-file "templates"))

Do I need to create a templates file?

Answer 1

You can bypass both customize and use-package[1]. Add something like this to your init file, changing the definition of auto-insert-directory to whatever you want and adding dotted pairs of (mode . "mode.template") for each mode that you are interested in; e.g.:

(setq auto-insert-directory "/path/to/templates/")
(setq auto-insert-alist '(
                          ;; templates for python and html mode
                          ;; are examples
                          (python-mode   . "python.template")
                          (html-mode     . "html.template")
                          (org-mode      . "org.template")

                          ;; more such pairs for other modes
                          ;; can be added here...
              ))

(add-hook 'find-file-hook 'auto-insert)

Then create the corresponding files in your templates directory. For Org mode, create org.template containing this:

#+SETUPFILE: ~/.emacs.d/org-templates/level-0.org

and whatever you want for the other modes. Restart emacs and open a new Org mode file.

---

[1] I would normally not bypass customize but it seems that the interface is too complicated in this case. As for use-package, IMO a prerequisite to its usage would be to understand it very well at a high level (and in some detail at the lower levels, at least to the extent of what its constructs would translate to), and be able to debug problems with it. I have a vague understanding of it at a high level, but I do not meet most of these prerequisites, so I don't use it.

Answer 2

It is unusually complicated for a customize interface, that's true. I'd go so far as to say the code that defines auto-insert-alist needs to be re-written to present a clearer interface making better use of Customize features.

Anyway... you need to enter org-mode into the first field (as "Major mode") and (nil "#+SETUPFILE: ~/.emacs.d/...")-- that is, a Lisp list of two elements, with nil as the first element -- into the second field (as "Skeleton or vector").

It's that second field interface that really needs to be re-written IMO. We should be able to just enter the text we want, with no enclosing quotes, much less quotes and an enclosing list.