Why was PR #47 (“Allow empty date and author to save on-screen space”) reverted?

[rusimody]

Hello,

Thanks for your work
This package has been useful to me after epresent has stopped working

Just a small hitch

I noticed that PR #47 introduced a useful feature: allowing users to suppress the display of the date and author on slides by setting them to empty strings. However, this commit was later reverted in the branch called "revert-47-allow-empty-date-author".

Could you clarify why #47 was reverted? Was there a technical issue, a design choice, or a user-experience concern?

From a presentation perspective, having an option (via defcustom or similar) to hide the date is very helpful. For example, in my use case [I am a professor of CS and I much prefer emacs for quick presentations] I want a very minimal slide header without extra information. Right now I’ve had to comment out parts of org-tree-slide.el locally.

If there are no strong objections, I can try to prepare a PR that re-introduces this feature in a configurable way (e.g. via a boolean org-tree-slide-show-date variable instead of relying on empty strings).

Thanks for your time, and for maintaining this package!

[takaxp]

Since a break of user flow by the code was reported, I decided to revert it. It is welcome to include a new code that implements the same function. I'll merge after well testing.

[rusimody]

Great to hear!

Just checking:

1. One option each for have or not have: Title, Author, Date would be good?
2. A couple of more detailed profiles for the natural combinations?
3. Suitable changes to README

Sounds right?

PS "Break in user flow" Could you point me to the issue just in case I repeat the mistakes?

[rusimody]

Thinking further
The most natural preference (for me of course!) would be

• A title page added on with (a) title (b) author (c) email (d) date
• Only title (but not the others by default) on other actual slides
• All the above configurable

[takaxp]

In my opinion, adding a list taking something like '(title author date) is best way to handle the new function. If the list is nil then the header will not include the three fields to save the header space.

Changing on the profiles is discouraged because adding additional profiles to the code will increase the code size and I think a custom profile can be implemented by user in their init.el.

The report is here: #48

[rusimody]

Not sure what you mean...

Function will be called by whom?

The way I envisaged the only real additions would be defcustoms with corresponding modifications to the code

Im not particular abt new profiles (at the package level). Users can add as they like ofc

And did you see my last additional message regarding title page?

[takaxp]

I post my message before reading your message, sorry. And 'Function' means 'a newly added functionality', not a lisp function.

I agree your thought adding a 'defcustom' variable and my proposal is the variable will be a list taking '(title author email date) as the default. This will not effect to the current other users when the variable will be introduced.

And maybe in your case you will use the variable as probably only taking '(title) to hide author, email, and date.

[rusimody]

Would it not be most smooth (for users) if we just mirrored or shadowed the default behavior of latex, html etc export?

ie use lines like
#+OPTIONS: author:nil title:t date:nil

Further re. title page we can of course have a new variable:
#+OPTIONS: org-tree-slide-titlepage: nil

But it seems we can just reuse the toc (which is already in use in latex html odt... export)
#+OPTIONS: toc: nil

[takaxp]

Yeah, it could be. In that case, the defcustom variable can be updated when starting a presentation.

[rusimody]

Heres a patch.
Pls try and let me know
Note:

1. Added customizations and related functions are at file end. So you can see them clearly
2. Added functions org-tree-slide--get- metadata and org-tree-slide--display-tree-with-text at end
3. Changed function org-tree-slide--set-slide-header is in place

diff --git a/org-tree-slide.el b/org-tree-slide.el
index bd5b4cc..080c604 100644
--- a/org-tree-slide.el
+++ b/org-tree-slide.el
@@ -848,18 +848,25 @@ Some number of BLANK-LINES will be shown below the header."
                'org-tree-slide-header-overlay-face)
   (if org-tree-slide-header
       (overlay-put org-tree-slide--header-overlay 'display
-                   (concat (if org-tree-slide-title org-tree-slide-title
-                             (buffer-name))
-                           "\n"
-                           org-tree-slide-date "  "
-                           (when org-tree-slide-author
-                             (concat org-tree-slide-author "  "))
-                           (when org-tree-slide-email
-                             (concat "<" org-tree-slide-email ">"))
-                           (when org-tree-slide-breadcrumbs
-                             (concat "\n" (org-tree-slide--get-parents
-                                           org-tree-slide-breadcrumbs)))
-                           (org-tree-slide--get-blank-lines blank-lines)))
+                   (let ((header-text
+			  (mapconcat
+			   (lambda (key)
+			     (pcase key
+			       ('title (or org-tree-slide-title (buffer-name)))
+			       ('author org-tree-slide-author)
+			       ('email (when org-tree-slide-email
+					 (concat "<" org-tree-slide-email ">")))
+			       ('date org-tree-slide-date)
+			       (_ "")))
+			   org-tree-slide-default-slide-header
+			   "\n")))
+		     (overlay-put org-tree-slide--header-overlay 'display
+				  (concat header-text
+					  (when org-tree-slide-breadcrumbs
+					    (concat "\n" (org-tree-slide--get-parents
+							  org-tree-slide-breadcrumbs)))
+					  (org-tree-slide--get-blank-lines blank-lines))))
+		   )
     (overlay-put org-tree-slide--header-overlay 'display
                  (org-tree-slide--get-blank-lines blank-lines))))
 
@@ -1012,3 +1019,57 @@ If every heading is specified as skip, return nil.
 (provide 'org-tree-slide)
 
 ;;; org-tree-slide.el ends here
+
+;;;; Rusi Additions
+(defcustom org-tree-slide-titlepage-contents '(title author email date)
+  "List specifying what to display on the title page.
+Valid elements are: title, author, email, date.
+Elements will be displayed in the order specified."
+  :type '(repeat (choice (const title)
+                         (const author) 
+                         (const email)
+                         (const date)))
+  :group 'org-tree-slide)
+
+(defcustom org-tree-slide-default-slide-header '(title)
+  "List specifying what to display in regular slide headers.
+Valid elements are: title, author, email, date.
+Elements will be displayed in the order specified."
+  :type '(repeat (choice (const title)
+                         (const author)
+                         (const email) 
+                         (const date)))
+  :group 'org-tree-slide)
+
+;; 1
+(defun org-tree-slide--get-metadata ()
+  "Extract only the requested metadata from the current Org buffer."
+  (let ((env (org-export-get-environment))
+        (metadata '()))
+    (dolist (key org-tree-slide-default-slide-header)
+      (let ((value (plist-get env (intern (format ":%s" key)))))
+        (when value
+          (push (cons key value) metadata))))
+    metadata))
+
+
+(defun org-tree-slide--display-tree-with-text ()
+  "Display the current subtree as a slide with optional header metadata."
+  (let ((text (org-tree-slide--get-subtree-text))
+        (meta (org-tree-slide--get-metadata))
+        (header org-tree-slide-default-slide-header)
+        (header-text
+         (mapconcat
+          (lambda (key)
+            (or (cdr (assoc key meta))
+                (cdr (assoc key org-tree-slide-default-slide-header))
+                ""))
+          header "\n")))
+    ;; Clear buffer and insert header + slide content
+    (with-current-buffer (get-buffer-create org-tree-slide-buffer-name)
+      (erase-buffer)
+      (insert header-text "\n\n" text)
+      (goto-char (point-min))
+      (org-mode)
+      (org-tree-slide--set-face)
+      (switch-to-buffer (current-buffer)))))
-- 
2.48.1

[rusimody]

Oh!
I see that (defcustom org-tree-slide-titlepage-contents ... is there in the patch.
That is work-in-progress and is currently unimplemented.

I thought I'd submit what I have so far to see if you find the direction meaningful

[rusimody]

I see youve put a 👍🏻
Tnx!
Do you want a PR?

[Note: Im not very great with elisp 😛. So good if you take a look at the code]

[rusimody]

On second thought

Pls cancel my patch suggestion
There are some issues... More than I thought at first!

[rusimody]

My earlier patch had extra useless cruft.

I see now that we need only two things — one customize addition and one function change:

1. The customize

   (defcustom org-tree-slide-default-slide-header '(title)
     "List specifying what to display in regular slide headers.
   Valid elements are: title, author, email, date.
   Elements will be displayed in the order specified."
     :type '(repeat (choice (const title)
                            (const author)
                            (const email)
                            (const date)))
     :group 'org-tree-slide)
   
   

2. The changed function

   (defun org-tree-slide--set-slide-header (blank-lines)
     "Set the header with overlay.
   Some number of BLANK-LINES will be shown below the header."
     (org-tree-slide--hide-slide-header)
     (setq org-tree-slide--header-overlay
           (make-overlay (point-min) (+ 1 (point-min))))
     (overlay-put org-tree-slide--header-overlay 'after-string " ")
     (overlay-put org-tree-slide--header-overlay
                  'face
                  'org-tree-slide-header-overlay-face)
     (if org-tree-slide-header
         (overlay-put org-tree-slide--header-overlay 'display
                      (let ((header-text
    			  (mapconcat
    			   (lambda (key)
    			     (pcase key
    			       ('title (or org-tree-slide-title (buffer-name)))
    			       ('author org-tree-slide-author)
    			       ('email (when org-tree-slide-email
    					 (concat "<" org-tree-slide-email ">")))
    			       ('date org-tree-slide-date)
    			       (_ "")))
    			   org-tree-slide-default-slide-header
    			   "\n")))
    		     (overlay-put org-tree-slide--header-overlay 'display
    				  (concat header-text
    					  (when org-tree-slide-breadcrumbs
    					    (concat "\n" (org-tree-slide--get-parents
    							  org-tree-slide-breadcrumbs)))
    					  (org-tree-slide--get-blank-lines blank-lines))))
    		   )
       (overlay-put org-tree-slide--header-overlay 'display
                    (org-tree-slide--get-blank-lines blank-lines))))
   

[takaxp]

I have not run the code by myself but it seems that 4 lines will be needed to show title, author, email, and date, correct? If so the change will break the current version because only 2 lines is needed to show all information, 1 line for title and another line for author, email, and date.

[rusimody]

If I understand you right, you are saying that my code gives 16 (= 2⁴) possibilities: Every subset possible of {Title, Author, Email, Date}. Whereas you would prefer just two choices leading to 4 possibilities All subsets of {Title, {Author, Email, Date}} with the inner set all in or all out

Which is fine for me : As a teacher presenting notes, students dont need to see my name all the time (They have enough of me anyway 😅) Nor any of {title, date email}. ie for informal/semiformal presentations I would personally turn all off. About others and their use-cases I dont know...

Just a reminder: What I posted is a suggestion and a work-in-progress. Where the fuller version I envisaged had a title page with the same 16-way choices for a title page. All-in-all 16×2 = 32 choices

In any case: If you want only two choices, that's perfectly fine (by me).
Maybe email you dont want anyway. I just added it because I thought its natural to have it in a title page but Ive not yet got round to that.