How to select a column of a table in emacs org mode - emacs

Question

I can't find my way around copying a column, or a series of them, from a table.
The only solution I found so far is to copy the whole table and then delete the columns I don't need.
I suppose there must be another easier way for this. Maybe I am just too tired to realize how to do it.

Answer 1

I think the easiest way would be to take advantage of emacs rectangles
To create your rectangle, put your cursor at one of the corners of the rectangle you want to create.
Use C-SPC, or whatever you have set-mark-command set to.
Place your cursor at the diagonal corner of your rectangle.
Use C-x r rr to copy the rectangle to the register named r
Use C-x r ir to insert the rectangle that is being held in the register named r.
Following this process will copy and insert the columns that you want. You may need to repeat this process if the columns are not adjacent.
NOTE
I am using a bolded r to denote that this is technically a name of the register, and not some special input.

Answer 2

If you specifically want to copy the column(s) into another org table (or indeed back into the original table), there's support for that.
See C-hf org-table-copy-region RET
It works much like the regular rectangle commands, so it's not a better interface for selecting the column; but the associated paste command is smart about what it does with the content.

Answer 3

I you are planning to use emacs rectangle command you avoid the use of registers by using the command copy-rectangle-as-kill bound C-xrM-w, execute the command after selecting a region this will copy the rectangle (see this for an example of how marking rectangles works). Then you can paste the copied retangle by doing C-xry.
UPDATE
The page org-mode hacks describes a way to copy columns using org-table formulas. You will need to name the table.
Here is an example of using table formulas to copy columns from another table
Suppose you have following table named FOO, it is necessary to name the table for referring it from table formulas.
#+TBLNAME: FOO
| 0 | 2 | 1 |
| 1 | 3 | 2 |
| 2 | 4 | 3 |
You want to copy the columns 1 and 3 from table FOO to column 1 and 3 of the following table (lets call it B)
| | 5 | |
| | 6 | |
| | 7 | |
The following formula will do the trick, you will need to copy the formula below the table B and move cursor on the formula and do C-cC-c
#+TBLFM: $1=remote(FOO,###$1)::$2=remote(FOO,###$3)
The table B will be converted to the following
| 0 | 5 | 1 |
| 1 | 6 | 2 |
| 2 | 7 | 3 |
You can read about the syntax of the org table formulas here, basically $N refers to Nth column, #N refers to Nth row. ## and $# can be used instead of N to refer the row and column where the current value goes. remote(table-name, #N$N) refers to the Nth row and Nth column of the table table-name. :: concats multiple formulas.

Answer 4

I too had trouble using the standard rectangle operations. When moving to the next column, all of all of the rows between the point and the mark were highlighted. When I tried copying columns by formula as described above and in the org mode hacks, org threw errors if the column's values were non-numeric with more than one word.
But a good hint about cutting and pasting revealed that the problem is the initial direction of motion of the cursor. Moving first rightward to the next column, then down highlights the correct region. Standard rectangle operations then work correctly.

Answer 5

The "native" way in org mode is already covered in the answer by user2053036; I just wanted to add that in the simpler context, "to copy a column within a table": Let's say you have this table
| hello | world |
| is | good |
And want to repeat column 2 in column 3.
Steps:
Place the cursor after the bottom right | of the table
Open a new column to the right using keys Alt-Shift-<right>
| hello | world | |
| is | good | |
Add the "row copy from" formula (for example by putting cursor to row 1 column 3 and typing =$1 C-c C-c; or just type the TBLFM below the table and jump to step 4)
| hello | world | hello |
| is | good | |
#+TBLFM: $3=$1
Place the cursor on the TBLFM and type C-c C-c
| hello | world | hello |
| is | good | is |
#+TBLFM: $3=$1
That will copy column 1 to column 3.