# refcard-org-mode is a cheat sheet you can read on GitHub

> refcard-org-mode is a single Org document that demonstrates Org mode syntax by example, from document headers and TOC options to tables, custom code blocks and export targets. It suits a writer who already knows what to write but forgets the exact keyword, and it is the wrong tool for learning Org mode from scratch.

**fniessen/refcard-org-mode** — Get organized and boost your productivity with our comprehensive Org mode syntax reference card! Get a quick access to helpful tips and tricks. #orgmode #syntax #productivity #referencecard

- Repository: https://github.com/fniessen/refcard-org-mode
- Stars: 672 · Forks: 115
- Language: Unknown
- License: GPL-3.0
- Published: 2026-10-21 · Updated: 2026-10-21 · Language: en
- Canonical page: https://hysenlabs.com/projects/fniessen-refcard-org-mode

## A document that teaches by showing, with every example fenced off

The project is one Org file, README.org, plus a rendered README.html and an images directory, and the whole premise is that Org mode syntax is demonstrated rather than described. The document header says so directly with a description of Org mode syntax example and keywords covering org-mode, syntax, quick reference, cheat sheet, recommended practices, latex, beamer and html. The body opens with a summary that lists what a reader will learn, writing docs in Org mode, creating tables and creating custom code blocks, followed by the observation that Org mode is an easy to write plain text formatting syntax for authoring notes, articles, LaTeX documents, books, web pages and Beamer slide decks. The mechanism for demonstration is unusual and worth noticing. Rather than writing the syntax inline, the document wraps each example in an Org source block whose header carries the evaluation and export settings:

```text
#+begin_src org :eval never-export
,#+TITLE:     Org mode syntax examples
,#+AUTHOR:    Fabrice Niessen

My document provides...
#+end_src
```

The never-export flag keeps the example out of the exported output, and the leading comma on the keyword lines neutralises them so the example renders as text rather than being interpreted as real header directives. That is a small piece of Org craft that most people learn only after they have already broken a document.

## The OPTIONS line is where most of the behaviour is actually set

If you read one line of the file you learn the most. The header carries #+OPTIONS: H:4 num:nil toc:2 p:t, and the reference card breaks that apart into separate sections so each flag can be understood on its own. H:4 controls how deep headings are numbered, and the card also shows a numbered heading example with the same option set to H:4 to enable numbered headings up to a certain level. num:nil turns numbering off. toc:2 activates an auto-generated table of contents, limited to its first two levels, at the top of the document. The card documents each of these as its own example, which is the right way to teach a single flag, and it also covers the local insertion form:

```text
#+begin_src org :eval never-export
,#+TOC: headlines 2
#+end_src
```

The optional keyword is that the ~#+TOC: headlines [n]~ feature inserts a table of contents at a chosen place in the document rather than only at the top. The card also records where the backends stand, with a note that a list of figures is not yet implemented in the HTML backend while a list of tables already is, and that a list of equations has its own section. That kind of backend-specific note is exactly the detail a general tutorial omits.

## Headings, paragraphs and line breaks, shown in the smallest possible examples

The reference card covers the core document structure with the smallest examples that still work. Headings are demonstrated at four levels, from a biggest heading at level 1 down to a level 4 sub-sub-section, each with a short line of body text under it. Paragraphs are shown with a deliberate contrast, since a single newline has no effect and the following line is part of the same paragraph, while an empty line demarcates paragraphs:

```text
#+begin_src org
A single newline has no effect.
This line is part of the same paragraph.

But an empty line

demarcates paragraphs.
#+end_src
```

Line breaks are handled separately, by entering two consecutive backslashes to force a line break without starting a new paragraph. Horizontal rules are demonstrated with at least five dashes, with text above and below the rule so the effect is visible. The card is candid that reading all of the official documentation is highly recommended and offers the quick steps for the impatient as an alternative.

## Version drift is visible in the document itself

There is a small inconsistency in the source that tells you how to treat the card. The summary says this is a cheat sheet for Org mode 8, with the reason given as some markup syntax changes since Org mode 7, while the table at the top of the document lists the framework as Org mode 9. The summary also notes that the file is an Org mode document using the .org extension, supported by GitHub, and that it uses the ReadTheOrg CSS from the author's org-html-themes project, referenced by a setup file line pointing at a theme file in the user's own org directory. So the content targets Org mode 8 syntax while the table advertises 9, and the styling depends on a setup file that a reader on another machine will not have. Neither problem is fatal for the intended use, since the point is to see the syntax rather than to reproduce the exact rendering, but it does mean the card should be read as a demonstration of the syntax rather than as a normative statement about what the current Org mode does. The header also carries a property line setting header arguments to evaluate yes, export both and replace results, which is what lets the source blocks run when the document is exported.

## Two ways to use it: read it on GitHub, or read the HTML

There is no installation step, and that is deliberate. The repository contains LICENSE, README.org, README.html and an images directory, so the document is meant to be read rather than run. The .org extension is supported by GitHub, so visiting the repository renders the source with the formatting visible, which is how most people consume it. The committed README.html is the alternative path, and the header's keywords and export options point at the same project from several directions, with latex, beamer and html named as targets, and the HTML link home and up keywords pointing at a home page and an up link. The document's own table at the top lists a source URL and a bug tracker URL for the project. There is also a set of images, which for a syntax card is presumably where rendered examples live. The absence of a build system is the notable part: there is no Makefile, no export script and no release pipeline, so if you want a PDF or a slide deck from this file you run Org yourself on your own machine, with your own setup file, and take responsibility for the theme.

## Where a reference card stops and the manual begins

The clearest boundary is stated by the project itself. The document says reading through all of the documentation is highly recommended, and it points at the Org mode manual PDF as the thing to read, with the quick steps here offered for the impatient. That is the honest division of labour. A reference card is good at the lookup case, the moment where you know you want a table of contents limited to two levels and you cannot remember whether the flag is toc:2 or something else, and it answers that in a screen height. It is bad at the learning case, because every example assumes the surrounding concepts, so a reader who does not yet know what a source block or a headline level is gets a page of fragments. The alternative to a card like this is not another card. It is the official documentation, which explains the model and the syntax together and stays current with the implementation, at the cost of length. A second practical alternative is to keep your own scratch file, since a personal .org file with the settings you actually use is a better lookup for you than any published card, and it is a few minutes of work to make one. The card is most useful to a person who already has that scratch file and wants to check a keyword they are fairly sure about.

## Conclusion

refcard-org-mode is worth keeping open in a browser tab while you write, because it shows the working keyword for each construct instead of describing it, and the file renders on GitHub without any setup. It is the wrong resource for a newcomer, since it assumes you already know what a headline or a source block is, and it is the wrong resource for reference, since the readme itself recommends the official Org mode documentation for that. Verify first that the syntax you need is present in the card rather than assumed, since the document targets an older Org version than the one the header table names, and that the export path you plan to use, HTML, LaTeX or Beamer, is covered. The last push was on 2026-07-10 and the repository publishes no GitHub releases.

## FAQ

### What is refcard-org-mode?

A single Org document, README.org, that demonstrates Org mode syntax by example, covering document headers, document settings, table of contents options, headings, paragraphs and line breaks. A rendered README.html is committed alongside it.

### Do I need to install anything to use refcard-org-mode?

No. The file uses the .org extension, which GitHub supports, so the repository renders the document directly. The committed README.html is there if you prefer a rendered version, and the document itself sets a setup file for the ReadTheOrg theme that a reader on another machine will not have.

### Which Org mode version does the reference card target?

The summary calls it a cheat sheet for Org mode 8, citing markup syntax changes since Org mode 7, while the table at the top of the document lists the framework as Org mode 9. The readme also recommends the official Org mode documentation for full details.

### What does the OPTIONS line in refcard-org-mode do?

It sets H:4 for heading numbering depth, num:nil to switch numbering off, toc:2 to generate a table of contents limited to two levels, and p:t to place that table of contents in a paragraph. The card documents each of these flags with its own example.

### What licence is refcard-org-mode under?

GPL-3.0, with the licence file committed at the repository root. The document was written by Fabrice Niessen, whose name appears in the author and email header fields.

## Sources

- [fniessen/refcard-org-mode on GitHub](https://github.com/fniessen/refcard-org-mode)
- [Issues](https://github.com/fniessen/refcard-org-mode/issues)
- [License: GPL-3.0](https://github.com/fniessen/refcard-org-mode/blob/master/LICENSE)
- [README](https://github.com/fniessen/refcard-org-mode/blob/master/README.md)

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Hysen Labs editorial analysis, written from the project's own repository and release notes. Cite the canonical page: https://hysenlabs.com/projects/fniessen-refcard-org-mode