Shortcut for inserting environments in `org-mode` - emacs

Question

I'm using org-mode for organizing myself (very useful so far!). However, it is kind of annoying writting
#+begin_comment
...
#+end_comment
each time I'd like to insert an environment.
Question
Is there a shortcut to insert the #+begin_ and #+end_ for a given environment?
In the same way C-c C-o comment RET would insert
\begin{comment}
\end{comment}
in latex-mode.

Answer 1

Org has a facility called "Easy templates": http://orgmode.org/manual/Easy-Templates.html
A template for comment is missing but you can add it with:
(add-to-list 'org-structure-template-alist '("C" "#+begin_comment\n?\n#+end_comment"))
And use it by typing <C followed by TAB.
Alternatively, you could use yasnippet.

Answer 2

Now the corresponding template section is called Structure Template and the insertion sequence is invoked by C-c C-,. I didn't (require 'org-tempo) which is described to support insertion keys like <s TAB.
The comment environment is already defined in org-structure-template-alist. So the comment would be inserted by
C-c C-, C
It's still possible to add a user defined sequence by, for example,
C-c C-, [TAB|RET|SPC] src python :results output :session
delivering
#+begin_src python :results output :session
#+end_src
(emacs 25.2.2, org-mode 9.2)

Answer 3

You could have a look at "org-auctex-keys.el", a minor mode which I created to offer AUCTeX key bindings within Org documents.
In this case, you'd use C-c C-e to insert an environment (prompt to enter the environment name), as what AUCTeX does.
If you're interested, check it out at https://github.com/fniessen/org-auctex-key-bindings.

Answer 4

Not as elegant as the answer of Michael Markert but maybe more expandable.
1) You can select a region and put the block around it or you can just put the block at point.
2) Keyword expansion and history.
3) Keystrokes: C-c b
The command could be further expanded. E.g., for the src block the various switches like -n -r and export to files could be supported.
(defun list-major-modes ()
"Returns list of potential major mode names (without the final -mode).
Note, that this is guess work."
(interactive)
(let (l)
(mapatoms #'(lambda (f) (and
(commandp f)
(string-match "-mode$" (symbol-name f))
;; auto-loaded
(or (and (autoloadp (symbol-function f))
(let ((doc (documentation f)))
(when doc
(and
(let ((docSplit (help-split-fundoc doc f)))
(and docSplit ;; car is argument list
(null (cdr (read (car docSplit)))))) ;; major mode starters have no arguments
(if (string-match "[mM]inor" doc) ;; If the doc contains "minor"...
(string-match "[mM]ajor" doc) ;; it should also contain "major".
t) ;; else we cannot decide therefrom
))))
(null (help-function-arglist f)))
(setq l (cons (substring (symbol-name f) 0 -5) l)))))
(when (called-interactively-p 'any)
(with-current-buffer (get-buffer-create "*Major Modes*")
(clear-buffer-delete)
(let ((standard-output (current-buffer)))
(display-completion-list l)
(display-buffer (current-buffer)))))
l))
(defvar org-insert-block-hist nil
"History for command `org-insert-block'")
(defvar org-insert-block-hist/src:major nil
"History for major mode in org src blocks.")
(defvar org-insert-block-list (append org-protecting-blocks
'("comment" ""))
"List of block types offered as completion for command `org-insert-block'")
;; block_src switches: -n () -r (references) -l "((%s))" (label format) -k (keep labels)
(defvar org-insert-block-list-specials
"Assoc list of Commands for reading additional specification of org-blocks.")
(setq org-insert-block-list-specials
'(("src" . (concat " " (completing-read "Major mode:"
(list-major-modes)
nil nil
(car org-insert-block-hist/src:major)
'(org-insert-block-hist/src:major . 1)
)))))
(defun org-insert-block (bl &optional b e attributes)
"Put region between b and e into org-block of kind bl.
If b or e is nil then put org-block limiters around point.
The string attributes is inserted behind the string #+begin_... "
(interactive
(let ((usereg (use-region-p))
(blKind (completing-read "Input block kind (tab: completion, uparrow: history):"
org-insert-block-list nil nil (car org-insert-block-hist) '(org-insert-block-hist . 1))))
(list
blKind
(when usereg (region-beginning))
(when usereg (region-end))
(let ((spec (assoc blKind org-insert-block-list-specials)))
(when spec (eval (cdr spec)))
))))
(let ((begBlock (concat "\n#+begin_" bl attributes "\n"))
(endBlock (concat "\n#+end_" bl "\n")))
(if (and b e)
(save-restriction
(narrow-to-region b e)
(goto-char (point-min))
(insert begBlock)
(goto-char (point-max))
(insert endBlock)
(indent-region (point-min) (point-max)))
(let ((p (point)))
(insert endBlock)
(goto-char p)
(insert begBlock))
)))
(add-hook 'org-mode-hook '(lambda ()
(local-set-key (kbd "C-c b") 'org-insert-block)))