Plain Org

Why?

Org mode on Emacs is wonderful. I'm a big fan and use it regularly on my laptop. As an iPhone user, I wanted quick access to org tasks while on the go... so I built Plain Org for iOS.

News

• Jul 16th, 2023 - v1.7 Released
• Sep 14th, 2022 - v1.5 Released
• Apr 24th, 2022 - v1.4 Released (see rundown)
• Apr 15th, 2022 - v1.3 Released (see rundown)
• Mar 27th, 2022 - v1.2.1 Released (see rundown)
• Feb 9th, 2022 - v1.2 Released (see rundown)
• Dec 12th, 2021 - v1.1 Released (see rundown) 🎄☃️
• Nov 10th, 2021 - v1.0 Released

v1.4 Features

Org is a wonderfully rich markup language, so please check if your favorite feature is supported (it may not be):

• View and edit your org mode tasks while on the go.
• Beautifully rendered TODOs, links, tables, blocks, checkboxes, lists, drawers...
• Sync your org files using your favorite cloud provider.
• Control your display between regular and compact mode.
• Optimize wrapping using paragraph fill.
• Regroup your tasks so active ones bubble up.
• Toggle visibility for scheduling, tags, and stars.
• Create new files.
• Outline-style editing with toolbar
• Keywords
• Indent
• Priority
• Tags
• Formatting: bold, italic, underline, strikethrough, verbatim, and code.
• Lists and checkboxes
• Add links from Safari via share extension.
• Add new tasks via Spotlight.
• Reorder headings via drag/drop.
• Checkboxes
• Interactive toggling.
• Quickly reset multiple checkboxes.
• Open local links (including id links).
• Show inline images.
• File-local keywords and visibility.
• Filter open/closed tasks.
• Filter by keyword, tag, and priority.
• High fidelity org roundtripping.
• Show/hide stars.
• Edit raw text.
• Light/dark mode.
• Show inline images.
• Open either .org .org_archive or .txt files.
• Toggle recurring tasks.
• Log state transitions.

Feature requests

Org has a rich feature set. Plain Org is young and catching up. It's only me behind it, so I have to prioritize whatever is built next. If Plain Org v1 is missing a feature, file a request over at r/plainorg or upvote an existing one. You can also send feedback via Plain Org itself.

What is org?

Org is a powerful plain text markup, somewhat similar to markdown. It's got lots of features. Being pure text, you can view and edit using your favourite text editor (Emacs, Vim, VSCode, etc.) while you're at your computer.

Here's a sample snippet:

Syncing your data

Plain Org syncs data using iOS file-providing extensions. If your favorite cloud service offers an iOS extension, Plain Org should be able to open, edit, and sync your data.

Your mileage may vary creating new files or opening local links. These may not be possible using your provider's extension.

Cloud provider support

	View file	Edit file	New file	Open local links
Dropbox	○	○	○
iCloud	○	○	○	○
Google Drive	○	○
Syncthing / Möbius Sync	○	○	○	○
Working Copy / Git	○	○	○	○

Enabling cloud syncing

See iOS's using third-party apps in Files to enable syncing data with your cloud service.

Paid app

Plain Org is a paid app. At present, it is not FOSS. This may change in the future, but it is not something I can currently offer. I understand this may not be ideal for all, but hope there's partial relief in implementing a well-known text markup (ie. no vendor lock-in). Please help support its development if you can. Ping me if you need a free copy. Email me at "plainorg" + "@" + "xenodium.com". https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/floss-and-foss.en.html

Beta testing

Please help support Plain Org by purchasing from the App Store. If you're feeling adventurous and have tolerance for a few rough edges, you can also get access to early beta builds via TestFlight. I'll need an email address to send you an invite. Ping me on reddit, twitter, or email me at "plainorg" + "@" + "xenodium.com".

FAQ

Can I use my own custom keywords?

Yes. Plain Org recognizes per-file keywords. That is, in the org file itself, you can specify both active and inactive keywords. You can the following to an existing org file:


Note: Keywords on the left hand side of the "|" are considered active while those on the right are inactive.

How do I sync my org files?

All depends on your preferred provider. See syncing your data.

What kind of links are supported?

http(s):// links

https://plainorg.com
http://plainorg.com
[[https://plainorg.com][Plain Org]]

id: links (across files)

To resolve id links, Plain Org needs granted access to a directory. When an id link is opened, the app searches the owning directory for other org files that may contain the id that's linked to. The following snippet shows a sample snippet:

Note: Not all syncing providers support granting access to a directory. Without this, Plain Org is unable to resolve id links.

Documents/bar.org

:PROPERTIES:
:ID: 90daa47c-3d6b-4d94-bf78-18d776c431c1
:CREATED: [2021-09-28 Tue 09:02]
:END:
#+TITLE: Bar

* TODO Review [[id:e4453d79-227f-4a78-bf04-9bdff5e4675f][Foo]]

Documents/foo.org

:PROPERTIES:
:ID: e4453d79-227f-4a78-bf04-9bdff5e4675f
:CREATED: [2021-09-28 Tue 09:02]
:END:
#+TITLE: Foo

* Some heading
* Another heading

file: links

To resolve file links, Plain Org needs granted access to a directory. When an file link is opened, the app tries to access the referenced file within the owning directory. If the linked file is an image and is accessible, Plain Org renders it inline. For others, like pdfs, they are opened in a modal screen.

Note: Not all syncing providers support granting access to a directory. Without this, Plain Org is unable to resolve file links.

File structure

Documents/report.org
Documents/subdir/image.png
Documents/subdir/foo.org
Documents/subdir/document.pdf

Documents/report.org

[[file:subdir/foo.org][Foo]]
[[file:subdir/image.png]]
[[file:subdir/document.pdf]]

Note: Relative link resolution requires the org file's owning directory (i.e. Documents) to be a parent of the linked file.

Unsupported

[[file:../Desktop/foo.org][Foo]]

App Store reviews

Privacy policy

No personal data is sent to any server, as there is no server component to this app. There are neither third party server integrations, accounts, analytics, advertising, nor hidden trackers in this app. All your data is kept on your iPhone, unless you choose a cloud provider to sync or store your data. See your cloud provider's privacy policy for details on how they may handle it.