> see discussion on Mauro's thread about > the fact that it is probably just easier to use Emacs directly if you > need to export > to a certain format in a specific way. It is free software after all. I would like to add, that this is pretty easy to do, and also to make independent of the users emacs environment. Here is an example that uses the whole orgmode-babel-latex-html machinery to create derived documents from source-of-truth org-mode files which get exported to a book: https://hg.sr.ht/~arnebab/ews/browse/Hauptdokument/ews30/Makefile.am?rev=b8e3899c6d8b#L121 chargen.tex: chargen.org $(ewstables_SOURCES) kasten-alter-groesse-gewicht.org ews30setup.el echo yes > $$(tty); Xvfb :3 -screen 0 1024x768x16 & time DISPLAY=:3 HOME=@abs_top_srcdir@ @EMACS@ -l "@abs_top_srcdir@/ews30setup.el" --eval '(setq vc-follow-symlinks nil)' --eval '(setq org-id-locations-file "@abs_top_builddir@/.org-id-locations")' "$<" -e org-latex-export-to-latex -e kill-emacs < $$(tty) >> build.log && rm -f "@abs_top_builddir@/.org-id-locations" Note how this sets the HOME to the sourcedir (so a project-specific .emacs.d setup is used) and loads ews30setup.el at startup for additional customization. Also note the call to Xvfb which avoids showing a graphical Emacs during build. This uses an org-mode file that pulls data from tables in other org-mode files by setting variables for code based on autotools-included datafiles. Here’s an example of pulling the tables into variables: https://hg.sr.ht/~arnebab/ews/browse/Hauptdokument/ews30/chargen.org.in?rev=b8e3899c6d8b#L153 #+begin_src scheme :exports none :results output raw :prologue "(import (srfi srfi-1)(ice-9 match)(ice-9 receive))(set! *random-state* (random-state-from-platform))\n" :tangle chargen.scm :noweb yes :var kernantriebe=tabelle-kernantriebe :var hautfarbe=tabelle-hautfarbe :var haarfarbe=tabelle-haarfarbe :var augenfarbe=tabelle-augenfarbe :var darstellung1=tabelle-darstellung1 :var darstellung2=tabelle-darstellung2 :var kleidung_oben_maenner=tabelle-kleidung-fantasy-oben-maenner :var kleidung_unten_maenner=tabelle-kleidung-fantasy-unten-maenner :var kleidung_oben_frauen=tabelle-kleidung-fantasy-oben-frauen :var kleidung_unten_frauen=tabelle-kleidung-fantasy-unten-frauen :var kleidung_oben_frauen=tabelle-kleidung-fantasy-oben-frauen :var kleidung_unten_frauen=tabelle-kleidung-fantasy-unten-frauen :var namen=tabelle-namen-fantasy-jetzt :var sex=tabelle-sexualitaet :var stichwort=tabelle-stichwort-fantasy (let () {{{chargen-setup}}} {{{chargen-generic}}} {{{chargen-colors}}} {{{chargen-specifics-fantasy}}} {{{chargen-print-char}}} (chargen-print-char) ) #+end_src Note the {{{…}}} blocks. Those use literate programming to include blocks defined below, with customized separators: chargen-setup block: https://hg.sr.ht/~arnebab/ews/browse/Hauptdokument/ews30/chargen.org.in?rev=b8e3899c6d8b#L360 customization of separators: https://hg.sr.ht/~arnebab/ews/browse/Hauptdokument/ews30/chargen.org.in?rev=b8e3899c6d8b#L638 # Local Variables: # org-confirm-babel-evaluate: nil # org-export-allow-bind-keywords: t # org-babel-noweb-wrap-start: "{{{" # org-babel-noweb-wrap-end: "}}}" # End: Here’s how it pulls tables: https://hg.sr.ht/~arnebab/ews/browse/Hauptdokument/ews30/chargen.org.in?rev=b8e3899c6d8b#L578 @tabelle_aussehen@ And this is an example of the datafiles that are used as source-of-truth and also directly inluded in the main book as tables: https://hg.sr.ht/~arnebab/ews/browse/Hauptdokument/ews30/tabelle-aussehen.org?rev=b8e3899c6d8b#L578 #+tblname: tabelle-hautfarbe | | -5 | direkt | 6 | |------+--------+-------------+----------------| | -3 | blass | rosig | sommersprossig | | -1 | grau | gelblich | elfenbein | | 2 | kupfer | rotbraun | bronze | | 4 | oliv | dunkelbraun | schwarz | | -5/6 | albino | - | fleckig | All this machinery can be invoked without ever seeing Emacs. So yes, the Emacs implementation is the source of truth, and yes, this can be used without requiring people to operate Emacs by simply using Emacs as utility with project-specific setup — just as you would do it with a compiler. Best wishes, Arne -- Unpolitisch sein heißt politisch sein ohne es zu merken