Wrangling project files with includes

One of the things I really like about Org Mode is the support for file includes.

#+INCLUDE: /path/to/file

This allows you to integrate contents from another file into whatever file you’re currently working in.

I leaned heavily on this functionality when writing my Emacs For Writers handbook. I had the various chapters written and spread out across multiple files in my notes directory, and I used a “binder” file to hyperlink to those chapters as I drafted them. This kept everything organized via a simple, hierarchical list.

The “binder” file is a like a notebook or codex containing links to all relevant files in that project. For some reason, I find this easier than managing a massive project from a singular file.

But once you’ve got content spread out all over the place, how do you wrangle it into one exported document?

File include brings it all together.

I sometimes refer to these various files by temperature: hot and cold.

• Cold files are never seen by the public. They are organizational files: binders, notes, outlines, etc.
• Hot files are eventually exported to the public: website posts, emails, chapters of novels, and short stories, etc.

With file includes, and being able to segment documents by headings excluded or ignored by the export functions, you can really take masterful control over all your various content whether it’s spread across the file system or contained in a single working directory.