4.8 KiB
exepub: A Flexible Emacs-Based Publication Workflow
- Purpose
- Core Concepts
- Directory Layout
- Authoring Workflow
- Generating Manifestations
- Customization and Extensions
- Getting Started
- Conclusion
of the exepub package for Emacs, supporting academic-quality article production, embargo management and multi-channel dissemination.
Purpose
exepub was conceived to bridge the gap between rigorous academic writing and modern multi-platform publication. It provides Emacs users with a coherent set of commands and directory conventions to author, track, export and disseminate digital assets—be they full-length articles, short essays or multimedia derivatives—while preserving bibliographic references, embargo rules and distribution metadata in a single Org-mode workflow.
Core Concepts
At its heart exepub treats every piece of writing as an “asset” that passes through well-defined stages: draft, dissemination (archive) and manifestation. A draft lives in a dedicated directory, named with a timestamp, a sanitized slug and a set of keywords. When it is ready for delivery to a publisher or platform, the `exepub/disseminate` command moves it into an archive folder organized by year and updates its `#+PUBLISHED:` date and `#+STATUS:`. Downstream, each format-and-channel combination is a “manifestation” housed in its own subdirectory, allowing HTML, PDF, audio or video versions to coexist alongside the original Org source.
Directory Layout
Upon initialization exepub creates a base container with seven subdirectories named by keyword: :base holds overall configuration :drafts contains in-progress assets :archive stores finalized assets, year-by-year :attic archives abandoned drafts :template keeps reusable snippets and option templates :logs publishes a machine-readable log of each dissemination event :trash receives permanently deleted items
This structure ensures that every file lives in its assigned place, enabling simple Dired navigation via `exepub/open-drafts`, `exepub/open-archive` and so on.
Authoring Workflow
Writing begins with `exepub/article-create`, which prompts for a slug and keywords, generates a new `draft.org` prefilled with default headers (`#+TITLE:`, `#+CREATED:`, `#+STATUS: draft`, `#+SLUG:` and `#+KEYWORDS:`) and imports shared `#+OPTIONS:` from a template. Authors then compose in Org mode, inserting headings, citations and figures in the usual way.
When the manuscript is mature, `exepub/disseminate` atomically renames and moves the draft into the archive, updating its slug, setting `#+STATUS: ready` or `manifestation`, stamping the publication date and moving the folder under `archive/<year>/`. This operation can be rolled back automatically if any step fails, preserving data integrity.
Generating Manifestations
Each dissemination may require multiple exported formats. The `exepub/export-to` command creates a `manifestation/<format>-<channel>/` folder, copies the Org source (stripped of noexport sections), disables the inline title, sets `#+STATUS: manifestation` and appends a license footer. Supported formats include HTML, Markdown and LaTeX/PDF; unsupported formats produce a placeholder file. Metadata such as `DELIVERED`, `EMBARGO` and custom properties defined under a top-level `* Manifestations :noexport:` section are read and updated automatically.
Customization and Extensions
All directory paths live in the `exepub–dirs` alist and can be re-initialized via `exepub–dirs-setup` using `exepub/home-directory`. Default header values (`CREATED`, `STATUS`, `PUBLISHED`, `KEYWORDS` etc.) are exposed as Emacs custom variables. Export options (`#+OPTIONS:`) are injected by advice on `org-export-insert-default-template` from a customizable alist. Hooks on `before-save` regenerate slugs and rename directories, while export filters and custom CSS allow fine-tuning of HTML output.
Getting Started
To begin using exepub, add its directory to your `load-path`, require it in your init file and set `exepub/home-directory` to your container path. Evaluate `(exepub–dirs-setup exepub/home-directory)` and ensure your `template/options.org` defines any shared `#+OPTIONS:`. You are then ready to create your first draft with `M-x exepub/article-create`.
Conclusion
exepub unifies rigorous academic workflows with the flexibility of Org mode and Emacs Lisp. By encoding every step—drafting, embargo management, multi-format export and channel-specific dissemination—into a programmable structure, it empowers authors to focus on content while the system manages metadata, versioning and delivery. Whether you publish in peer-reviewed journals, blogs, social networks or private logs, exepub provides a single, extensible pipeline from idea to audience. ::contentReference[oaicite:0]{index=0}