╭───────────╴
│ Config
╰───────────╴
Emacs : GNU Emacs 30.0.50 (build 1, x86_64-pc-linux-gnu, GTK+ Version
3.24.33, cairo version 1.16.0) of 2024-08-14
Package: Org mode from git.savannah.gnu.org/srv/git/emacs/org-mode.git
Commit: 499bd92e2, CommitDate: Tue Jul 22 19:59:02 2025 +0200
Current state: emacs -Q
╭───────────╴
│ Subtle bug in org-table-recalculate
╰───────────╴
Sometimes org-table-recalculate does not fully complete its task.
╭───────────╴
│ It happens when:
╰───────────╴
- asking org-table-recalculate NOT to align the table (last parameter
passed as t)
- the formulas refer to a non-existing column (2nd column in the example)
- org-table-formula-create-columns set to t, so that a new column will
be created for the formulas to deposit their results
- there is both a column formula and a single-cell formula
Then the cell for the single-cell formula is not created.
╭────────────╴
│ To reproduce:
╰────────────╴
Here is a table with one column, and formulas for a future 2nd column.
| n |
|---+
| 1 |
| 2 |
| 3 |
#+TBLFM: $2=$1*11::@1$2=eleven
Here is a test function:
#+begin_src elisp
(defun test ()
(interactive)
(let ((org-table-formula-create-columns t))
(org-table-recalculate t t)))
#+end_src
Type M-x test anywhere in the table.
The cell formula @1$2=eleven is ignored.
The bug sometimes appears also by just typing C-u C-c * anywhere in the
table.
╭────────────╴
│ Why?
╰────────────╴
It seems the bug stems from org-table.el line 3084.
The variable column-count gets the value 2, which is wrong. It should be 1.
Why is it wrong?
Because column-count is computed when the point is on a random row of
the table.
It would be right if the point was on the first row, where the
single-cell formula is supposed to land.
Then, through a sophisticated closure, the org-table-goto-field function
thinks it must NOT create a new cell.
Reading the mailing-list, it appears that
org-table-formula-create-columns was put in place on October 11 2014.
╭────────────╴
│ How to fix it?
╰────────────╴
No idea.
╭────────────╴
│ An ert test-bench
╰────────────╴
The following snippet may be added to the test-org-table.el file,
right after test-org-table/field-formula-outside-table
#+begin_src elisp
(ert-deftest test-org-table/field-formula-outside-table-2 ()
"Test `org-table-formula-create-columns' variable."
;; If the variable is non-nil, field formulas and columns formulas
;; can create tables, even when field & column formulas are mixed.
(should
(equal
"
| n | eleven |
|---+--------|
| 1 | 11 |
| 2 | 22 |
| 3 | 33 |
,#+TBLFM: $2=$1*11::@1$2=eleven"
(org-test-with-temp-text "
| n |
|---+
| 1 |
|<point> 2 |
| 3 |
,#+TBLFM: $2=$1*11::@1$2=eleven"
(let ((org-table-formula-create-columns t))
(org-table-recalculate t t)
(org-table-align))
(buffer-string)))))
#+end_src
