Power up Anki with Emacs, Org mode, anki-editor and more

Abstract

This article presents a workflow for generating Anki flashcards using Emacs, Org-mode, and the anki-editor package. It argues that this approach offers greater flexibility and customization compared to other methods for generating flashcards, such as Anki’s Import function, Python scripts, and third-party browser plugins. The article demonstrates how to use Org-mode’s outline structure, tags, and export capabilities to create Anki notes, and how to leverage Emacs’s customizability to tailor the workflow to individual preferences. It also explores the use of org-capture for quickly creating flashcards while browsing web articles and how to integrate the workflow with X Window Managers for seamless cross-application note-taking. The article concludes by suggesting further possibilities for using Org-mode with Anki, such as integrating Org Babel for code evaluation, using keyboard macros for bulk card creation, and building an incremental reading system. – AI-generated abstract.