Warning: this is alpha-level software. Although it does not touch files on disk, you should consider all binder data (project structure, notes, statuses) as susceptible to loss. Key bindings, variable and function names, and overall program design are subject to change.
Binder is global minor mode (and associated major modes) to facilitate working on a writing project in multiple files. It is heavily inspired by the binder feature in the macOS writing app Scrivener.
The rationale behind working this way is to split a large writing project into much smaller pieces.
Primarily, Binder provides a global minor mode binder-mode. This allows
working with files in the current binder data, which is saved in a .binder.el
file in the current directory. (You can change the name of this file is
binder-default-file option.)
At this top-level, the main interaction with your binder will be in navigating back and forth between binder files:
binder-next(bound toC-c ]) visits the next file in the binder, andbinder-previous(bound toC-c [) visits the previous.
Calling these commands activates a transient map so that each command can be repeated by repeating only the last key.
You probably want some idea of the structure of your binder project...
binder-reveal-in-sidebar(bound toC-c ;) will find the current file in the binder sidebar (see below) or callbinder-init-binder-fileif there is none.binder-toggle-sidebar(bound toC-c ') toggles the visibility of the binder sidebar.
And when you're writing and want to quickly add something new, you can with...
binder-add-file(bound toC-c :) prompts for a file-name and adds this possibly non-existent file to the binder after the current file's index. If no file-name extension is provided, use value of the binder'sdefault-extensionproperty (set withbinder-default-file-extentionoption).
A major mode for displaying the binder sidebar. This is where your main interaction with the binder happens.
Binder items are displayed in a linear ordered list. Calling
binder-sidebar-find-file (bound to RET) or
binder-sidebar-find-file-other-window (bound to o) will visit the
corresponding file.
Each item in the binder sidebar displays the following information:
binder-sidebar-include-char(defaultx) denotes that this item has a non-nil value for itsincludeproperty and therefore is included inbinder-stable-mode(see below).binder-sidebar-notes-char(default*) denotes that this item has a string value for itsnotesproperty, which can be edited inbinder-notes-mode(see below), orbinder-sidebar-missing-char(defautl?) denote that the item's corresponding file cannot be found, but can be relocated by callingbinder-sidebar-relocate(bound toR).- The item name, either the
carof the item element or itsdisplayproperty, which can be set by callingbinder-sidebar-rename(bound tor). - The item
statusproperty value, prefixed withbinder-sidebar-status-char(default#). The display of this value can be set with thebinder-sidebar-status-columnoption.
Add an item with binder-sidebar-add-file (bound to a) or add all files in
directory with binder-sidebar-add-all-files (bound to A). Add a new file
with binder-sidebar-new-file (bound to M-RET). Remove items with
binder-sidebar-remove (bound to d) -- this does not delete the files, only
removes them from the binder.
Items can be reordered with binder-sidebar-shift-up (bound to M-p & M-up)
and binder-sidebar-shift-down (bound to M-n & M-down).
Each item's include state is toggled with binder-sidebar-toggle-include (bound
to x).
Each item can be given a status with binder-sidebar-set-status (bound to #).
Filter item by including or excluding a status with binder-sidebar-filter-in
(bound to /) and binder-sidebar-filter-out (bound to \). To clear a
status, just set an empty string. (n.b. Each command filter in/out only a single
status, therefore it won't make sense to use them in conjunction.)
The notes buffer (see below) can be accessed with either
binder-sidebar-open-notes (bound to z) or binder-sidebar-toggle-notes
(bound to i).
Hide item file extensions by setting the binder-sidebar-hide-file-extensions
option. This can be toggled with binder-sidebar-toggle-file-extensions (bound
to E).
You can customize how the sidebar window is displayed by setting
binder-sidebar-display-alist option.
(There is a "mark" functionality, but this is yet to be implemented beyond just temporarily making items look marked.)
A major mode for editing binder notes.
Notes are only saved to the binder when calling binder-notes-commit (bound to
C-c C-c). Calling quit-window (bound to C-c C-q) or binder-toggle-sidebar
does not save notes.
By default, the notes window will update to the corresponding item notes
whenever the cursor moves in the binder sidebar. This may be disconcerting, so
you can change it by setting the binder-notes-keep-in-sync option.
If the notes side window feels too small, you can pop the buffer out to a
regular sized window with binder-notes-expand-window (bound to C-c C-l).
You can customize how the notes window is displayed by setting
binder-notes-display-alist option.
A minor mode for "stapling" binder files together.
When calling binder-sidebar-staple (bound to v), items marked as included in
the binder will be concatenated in a new buffer, separated by
binder-staple-separator string.
In this buffer, calling binder-staple-find-original-file (bound to M-RET)
will visit the original file corresponding to the text at point.
Org Mode is nice, but it's also a very heavy tool that almost insists that everything be done within Org Mode. This isn't useful if you want to write in a different format, e.g. Markdown or Fountain.
Also, I prefer to keep my writing in a collection of separate text files. It feels nicer to work on something small and self-contained than to organize a large file with headings and use indirect buffers with narrowing.
- Emacs 25.3
Report bugs and feature requests at: https://github.com/rnkn/binder/issues
This file is part of a sample binder project. Enabled binder-mode and type C-c ;
to reveal this file in the binder siderbar.