✅ Overview

The Beamer backend exports an org document to a LaTeX presentation built on the beamer document class. It is a dedicated subclass of the standard LaTeX exporter, so all of the LaTeX machinery (citations, tables, source blocks, math fragments, images, links, footnotes) works the same way; the Beamer backend only changes what is genuinely Beamer-specific:

Headlines are dispatched into \section, \begin{frame}, or block environments based on their depth and on BEAMER_env.
Theme directives (#+BEAMER_THEME, #+BEAMER_COLOR_THEME, etc.) translate to \usetheme / \usecolortheme / \usefonttheme / \useinnertheme / \useoutertheme in the preamble.
*bold* becomes \alert{...} by default (Beamer's emphasis macro).
Frames containing verbatim-flavored content (source blocks, examples, \verb) are automatically marked fragile.
Frames get an automatic label=... unless they use allowframebreaks or the user already supplied a label.
Sibling headlines with :BEAMER_col: are auto-wrapped in a \begin{columns}...\end{columns} block.

This page documents the keywords, properties, settings, and commands that the backend understands. The reference for the underlying syntax is the Org Manual: Beamer Export chapter and the Worg Beamer tutorial.

✅ Commands

The backend registers three commands. They appear under "Scimax" in the command palette and through the regular export dispatcher (C-c C-e).

Command	Title	What it does
`scimax.org.exportBeamer`	Scimax: Export to Beamer (LaTeX)	Writes a `.tex` file using the Beamer backend
`scimax.org.exportBeamerPdf`	Scimax: Export to Beamer PDF	Writes `.tex` and compiles it to PDF
`scimax.org.exportBeamerOpen`	Scimax: Export to Beamer PDF and Open	Same as above, then opens the PDF with the system viewer

From the export dispatcher (C-c C-e), the Beamer submenu is at s (slides):

C-c C-e s b — Beamer .tex
C-c C-e s p — Beamer PDF
C-c C-e s o — Beamer PDF and open

✅ Document Keywords

All keywords are case-insensitive; the canonical form is uppercase.

Keyword	Effect
`#+TITLE:`	Title slide (`\frame{\titlepage}`).
`#+SUBTITLE:`	Subtitle on the title slide.
`#+AUTHOR:`	`\author{...}` in the preamble.
`#+DATE:`	`\date{...}` in the preamble (defaults to `\today`).
`#+OPTIONS: H:N`	Set the frame level (depth at which headlines become frames).
`#+OPTIONS: toc:t`	Emit `\tableofcontents` wrapped in its own frame after the title slide.
`#+LATEX_CLASS:`	Override the document class (defaults to `beamer`).
`#+LATEX_CLASS_OPTIONS:`	Class options, e.g. `[presentation,aspectratio=169]`.
`#+LATEX_HEADER:`	Verbatim preamble lines (collected, multiple allowed).
`#+BEAMER_THEME:`	`\usetheme{...}` — accepts `[opts] name` form.
`#+BEAMER_COLOR_THEME:`	`\usecolortheme{...}`.
`#+BEAMER_FONT_THEME:`	`\usefonttheme{...}`.
`#+BEAMER_INNER_THEME:`	`\useinnertheme{...}`.
`#+BEAMER_OUTER_THEME:`	`\useoutertheme{...}`.
`#+BEAMER_HEADER:`	Verbatim preamble lines (collected, multiple allowed).
`#+CITE_EXPORT:`	`bibtex` / `biblatex` override (same semantics as the LaTeX backend).

✅ Headline Properties

Headlines control frame/section/block dispatch through their property drawer. All keys are case-insensitive (the parser uppercases them).

Property	Effect
`:BEAMER_env:`	Environment for this headline. See "Environments" below.
`:BEAMER_act:`	Overlay specification, e.g. `<2->` or `[<2->]`. Emitted as `\begin{frame}<2->` etc.
`:BEAMER_opt:`	Frame/environment options (`fragile`, `allowframebreaks`, `t`, `b`, `plain`, `label=foo`).
`:BEAMER_col:`	Column width, e.g. `0.4`. Implies a column wrapper.
`:BEAMER_ref:`	Reference for `:BEAMER_env: againframe:` (the label of an earlier frame).
`:BEAMER_SUBTITLE:`	Frame subtitle ({...} after the title).

The backend also accepts the equivalent tag-based shortcuts:

:B_<envname>: — same as :BEAMER_env: <envname>:. For example, :B_alertblock:.
:BMCOL: — same as :BEAMER_col: 0.5:.

✅ Environments

Built-in environment names (case-insensitive):

Name	LaTeX environment	Notes
`frame`	`\begin{frame}{title}`	Forces the headline to be a frame at any depth.
`fullframe`	`\begin{frame}{}`	Frame with empty title (full-bleed content).
`columns`	`\begin{columns}`	Wraps children with `:BEAMER_col:` as columns.
`column`	`\begin{column}{width}`	One column inside a `columns` environment.
`block`	`\begin{block}{title}`	Default for headlines deeper than the frame level.
`alertblock`	`\begin{alertblock}{title}`	Highlighted block.
`exampleblock`	`\begin{exampleblock}`	Example-styled block.
`theorem`	`\begin{theorem}`	Math theorem environment.
`definition`	`\begin{definition}`	Math definition environment.
`example`	`\begin{example}`	Math example environment.
`proof`	`\begin{proof}`	Math proof environment.
`verse`	`\begin{verse}`
`quote`	`\begin{quote}`
`quotation`	`\begin{quotation}`
`onlyenv`	`\begin{onlyenv}`
`structureenv`	`\begin{structureenv}`
`beamercolorbox`	`\begin{beamercolorbox}`
`note`	`\note{title body}`	Speaker note attached to the surrounding frame.
`noteNH`	`\note{body}`	Speaker note without a title.
`againframe`	`\againframe{ref}`	Re-runs an earlier frame; needs `:BEAMER_ref:`.
`appendix`	`\appendix` + continue	Marks subsequent headlines as appendix.
`ignoreheading`	(none)	Drops the headline; emits its body inline.

✅ Frame Behavior

Auto-fragile

A frame is automatically promoted to [fragile] when its body contains any verbatim-flavored element: #+BEGIN_SRC, #+BEGIN_EXAMPLE, #+BEGIN_VERBATIM, :fixed-width: drawers, verb/verb* constructs, inline-src blocks, or ~code~ objects. You can still set :BEAMER_opt: fragile: explicitly; it won't be added twice.

Auto-label

Each frame gets label=<id> unless any of the following is true:

The frame uses allowframebreaks (Beamer can't label such frames).
The user already supplied label=<...> in :BEAMER_opt:.

The label is derived from :CUSTOM_ID: → :ID: → a hash of the headline title.

Fragile guard

A literal \begin{frame} sequence in the body would close the surrounding frame prematurely. The backend rewrites it to \begin {frame} (note the space) before emission. Real frames written by the backend are unaffected.

✅ Columns

Two ways to lay out columns:

Explicit

* Two columns
  :PROPERTIES:
  :BEAMER_env: columns
  :BEAMER_opt: T
  :END:

** Left
   :PROPERTIES:
   :BEAMER_col: 0.4
   :END:

   Left-side content.

** Right
   :PROPERTIES:
   :BEAMER_col: 0.6
   :END:

   Right-side content.

Implicit

If a parent has no BEAMER_env: columns: but a run of consecutive sibling headlines all carry :BEAMER_col:, they are auto-wrapped in a \begin{columns}...\end{columns} block. The :BMCOL: tag is treated as :BEAMER_col: 0.5:.

✅ Inline Markup

Org input	Beamer output	Notes
`bold`	`\alert{bold}`	Override with `boldIsAlert=false`.
`/italic/`	`\textit{italic}`	Inherited from LaTeX backend.
`~code~`	`\verb~code~`	Triggers auto-fragile.
`#+BEGIN_SRC ... #+END_SRC`	`\begin{minted}/listings...`	Triggers auto-fragile.
`@@beamer:<2->@@`	`<2->`	Inline overlay snippet.
`#+ATTR_BEAMER: :overlay <+->` on a list	overlay applied to each `\item`
`#+BEGIN_EXPORT beamer`	passthrough verbatim	Backend-specific export block.

✅ Configuration

All settings live under scimax.export.beamer.*:

Setting	Type	Default	Description
`theme`	string	`""`	Default theme; overridden by `#+BEAMER_THEME`.
`colorTheme`	string	`""`	Default color theme.
`fontTheme`	string	`""`	Default font theme.
`innerTheme`	string	`""`	Default inner theme.
`outerTheme`	string	`""`	Default outer theme.
`frameLevel`	number	`1`	Headline depth at which a heading becomes a frame.
`boldIsAlert`	boolean	`true`	`bold` → `\alert{...}` when true.
`aspectRatio`	string	`""`	One of `""`, `43`, `169`, `1610`, `54`, `32`, `141`.
`classOptions`	string	`presentation`	Comma-separated `\documentclass[...]{beamer}` options.
`defaultPreamble`	string	`""`	Extra preamble appended after theme commands.

✅ Example

#+TITLE: Beamer demo
#+AUTHOR: Me
#+OPTIONS: H:2 toc:t
#+BEAMER_THEME: Madrid
#+BEAMER_COLOR_THEME: beaver

* Introduction
** Goals
   - First goal
   - *Second* goal      ; renders as \alert{Second}

** A code frame
   :PROPERTIES:
   :BEAMER_opt: fragile
   :END:

   #+BEGIN_SRC python
   print("hello, beamer")
   #+END_SRC

* Layout
** Side by side
   :PROPERTIES:
   :BEAMER_env: columns
   :BEAMER_opt: T
   :END:
*** Left
    :PROPERTIES:
    :BEAMER_col: 0.5
    :END:

    Left content
*** Right
    :PROPERTIES:
    :BEAMER_col: 0.5
    :END:

    Right content

* Theorem
** Pythagoras
   :PROPERTIES:
   :BEAMER_env: theorem
   :END:

   $a^2 + b^2 = c^2$