References?? (feature idea)

[David Masterson]

I don't see this capability in Org, but maybe I'm missing it.

My use case is that I setup an Org file as my phonebook.  Each child
header (ie. no subheaders) is a person in my phonebook.  I can
categorize them using parent headers.  All information about a person is
stored in PROPERTY drawers (but, you could have information outside the
drawer).

What I'd like to do is include a "reference" to a PROPERTY in the
phonebook entry in other Org files so that phone and address is stored
in the phonebook, but I want the "reference" to become the value of the
PROPERTY when the other Org file is exported.  I could do a link to the
phonebook Org file, but that is a link and not the data.  I'd prefer to
have (say) an exported PDF be standalone and not have references to the
other file that I would also have to export.  One reason is that I might
have "confidential" information in the phonebook.

Does this make sense?  Has it been done?
-- 
David Masterson