MindNode Pro 1.11
User Guide
Introduction
3
Sharing
Preferences
10
11
Requirements
3
Basic Concepts
4
General
11
Mind mapping 4
Style
11
Nodes 4
Shortcuts
11
Connections 4
AirDrop
4
Legend
12
OS X Sharing
5
Node Creation
12
Using MindNode Pro
6
Node Selection
12
Creating Nodes 6
Node Movement
12
Adding Files to Nodes 6
Branch Folding
12
Adding Web Links to Nodes 6
Node Editing
12
Formatting Nodes 6
Inspector
12
Changing the Node Branch Color
7
Navigation
12
Text Formatting
12
Changing the Node Text Color, Size, and
Font
7
Organizing Nodes 7
Connecting Nodes
7
Using the Inspector
8
About Color Styles
8
Sharing
Keyboard Shortcuts
10
Importing
10
Exporting
10
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12
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Table of Contents
MindNode Pro is an elegant, easy-to-use mind mapping application for your Mac that lets you collect and
structure ideas and study and solve problems.
Mind maps can be used for many different tasks, including to-do lists, brainstorming, holiday planning,
research, writing, and project management.
Requirements
In order to run MindNode Pro, you will need a Mac running Mac OS X Mavericks 10.9 or newer.
To view or edit your shared MindNode documents on an iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad, the device must be
running iOS 8.0 or later with a copy of MindNode for iOS installed.
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INTRODUCTION
Introduction
of the nodes that radiates from the central nodes,
that node and all its children--but not the central
node or any of the other nodes that radiate from
the central node--will also be selected.
There are several important concepts in the use of
MindNode Pro. If some or all of these look
familiar, feel free to skip ahead--you can always
come back to this section later.
Mind mapping
Mind mapping is a way of generating,
representing, linking, and organising ideas. It's
especially useful whenever you need to take down
a number of related ideas in a hurry--for example,
when brainstorming, making a quick to-do list or
taking notes for class. Mindmapping allows you to
bring structure to your notes, making it easier to
see the connections between different items and
arrive at novel solutions and new ideas.
Mind maps usually appear as some number of
main topics radiating outward as lines from a
central core idea. These main topics break down
into smaller topics and ideas, which can in turn be
broken out into even smaller concepts as desired.
There's no set limit to how small these branches
can get or how many you can create--if you had
enough time and a large enough workspace, you
could conceivably create a mind map that breaks
the human race down by continent, then by
nations, states, cities, and streets, all the way down
to each individual human being. (We don't
recommend trying it, though.)
Nodes
Each idea or piece of information in a mind map
is referred to as a node. When you perform an
action on a node, all nodes that were created as
"children" of that node are also affected. For
example, when you select the central node, all
other nodes will also be selected. If you select one
MindNode Pro references nodes in several
different ways:
• The main node is the central, highlighted node
from which all other nodes radiate. It is however
possible to have more than one main node (and
more than one main concept) in the same
document, which can be useful for comparing two
big ideas.
• A parent node is a node from which other nodes
descend.
• Sibling nodes are nodes that both descend from
the same parent node.
• A child node is a node that descends from
another node.
Keep in mind that these descriptions are always
relative to a particular node. So a node that
radiates directly from the main node is a child, but
it almost certainly has siblings, and it may very
well have children and be a parent node itself.
Connections
Connections are exactly what they sound like:
links between different nodes. In traditional mind
maps, connections are usually hierarchical. That
is, each node is linked directly only to its parent
and its children. However, MindNode Pro also
allows you to make special connections between
any two nodes to illustrate relationships that aren't
well-represented by the hierarchical view.
AirDrop
AirDrop allows you to send documents using a
Bluetooth connection to compatible devices
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BASIC CONCEPTS
Basic Concepts
wirelessly. To send a document please make sure
that Bluetooth is enabled.
To send a MindNode document via AirDrop to a
different device, click the window item to share a
document. From the share menu choose AirDrop.
Please make sure the receiving end is in receive
mode, and click the device you want to send a
document to.
• To go into receiving mode on iOS devices please
bring the Control Center forward, by sliding
from the bottom upwards.
• To go into receive mode on a Mac please go to
the Finder and open a new window. Now choose
Go → AirDrop from the menu.
OS X Sharing
The Share button available in the menubar also
allows to share a MindNode document in
MindNode format using any of the available
sharing services installed on your desktop. To
share a document in other formats, e.g. PNG or
PDF, please export it first, then go into the
Sharing menu from the Finder. This also allows
you to AirDrop a document, in an exported
format, back to other devices.
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Now that we have the what out of the way, let's
talk about the how.
with a link to that file. For example, if you drop
Example.txt into your mind map, MindNode Pro
will create a new main node called Example. You
can then simply drag this new node onto another
node to make it a child of that node instead of a
main node.
Creating Nodes
Adding Web Links to Nodes
There are several ways to create new nodes in
MindNode Pro. The simplest and easiest way to
create a new node is to click the plus sign that
appears when you hover your mouse over an
existing node. MindNode Pro will automatically
create a new child node. Alternatively, you can
click and drag the plus sign; the new node will be
created wherever you drop it.
MindNode Pro makes adding a web link to a node
easy. Just double-click the node you want to add it
to so you can edit the title of the node, select the
text you want to turn into a link, and then go to
Edit in the menubar and choose "Add Link…" or
press ⌘+K. Paste or type the URL you want to
link to in the "Link destination"" box that appears,
and click "OK".
You can also create a node by pressing a keyboard
shortcut. By default, these shortcuts are 'Tab' for a
new child node, 'Return' for a new sibling node,
and 'Shift + Return' for a new main node (there is
no default keyboard shortcut for a new parent
node). You can set these keyboard shortcuts--more
on this in the Preferences section--and you can
always see what the current shortcuts are (and
create new nodes) by clicking on Node in the
menubar.
To remove a link, double-click the node again-making sure not to click the link itself, since that
will open your web browser to that page--and then
select the text again. Go to Edit in the menubar
and choose "Edit Link…" (which should now
appear in place of "Add Link…") or press ⌘+K
again. When the "Link destination" box appears
again, click the "Remove Link"" button.
Adding Files to Nodes
Finally, you can add and remove links using the
Inspector. To learn more about that, skip ahead to
the Using the Inspector section.
Sometimes you may want to refer to a file on your
computer in your mind map. In MindNode Pro,
you can add a link to a file to a node simply by
dragging and dropping the file from the Finder
onto that node. You can also add files from your
media library (iPhoto, iTunes, and your Movies
folder) by clicking the Media button on the
toolbar and dragging a file from the Media panel.
You can drag a file into your mind map without
connecting it to a node; in that case, MindNode
Pro will create a new main node titled after the file
You can also simply right-click or Control+click
the link once you've selected it and choose
"Remove Link".
Formatting Nodes
You can change several aspects of any given node,
including the color of the branch it's on, the color
and size of the text in the node itself, and the font
used for that node.
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USING MINDNODE PRO
Using MindNode Pro
Changing the Node Branch Color
To change a node's branch color, simply click that
node once, and then click the Colors button in the
toolbar and choose the color you want. Be aware
that that color will also be applied to the branches
that descend from that node.
Changing the Node Text Color, Size, and
Font
There are two ways to change the text color, size,
and font for a node. One is useful if you only want
to change that particular node; the other is useful
if you also want to change all of that node's
children.
If you want to change only one node, double-click
that node and select the text you want to change.
Then click the Fonts button in the toolbar and
make whatever changes you want just as you
would in any other app.
If you want to change the text of one node plus
all its children, click that node once (rather than
double-clicking it) to select it. All of its children
should also be selected automatically. Once those
nodes are selected, simply click the Fonts button
on the toolbar and make whatever changes you
want.
Organizing Nodes
One key to useful mind maps is organisation.
Without the right structure and connections, a
mind map can devolve into a jumble of ideas.
MindNode Pro provides several features to keep
your mind maps well-organised.
Moving Nodes
you realise that a node would be better placed
somewhere else, simply click and drag that node
onto the node that should be its new parent. It will
immediately become a child of that node.
Connecting Nodes
If you have two nodes that aren't hierarchically
related to each other, but which still need to be
connected, MindNode Pro has the answer: just
hold Shift and drag from one node to the other.
You can also click one of them and then click the
Connect button in the toolbar (or press Shift-⌘-L)
or right-click one of them and choose "Create
Connection"". Either way, an arrow or line will
now follow your mouse from that node; click on
another node, and the arrow will connect the two
nodes.
To edit this new connection's appearance, jump
down to Using the Inspector below. To delete one
of these non-hierarchical connections, either click
it and press the Delete key or right-click it and
choose "Delete".
Detaching Nodes
Sometimes you may create a node connected to
your mind map, only to realise that it's not as
strongly related as you thought. When that
happens, you can either drag it to another, more
closely related node to connect it there, or you can
detach it and keep it on your mind map as an
isolated node (at least until you can figure out
where it belongs). To detach a node, simply press
'd' while dragging it. Alternatively, you can click a
node and choose "Detach" from the Node menu
in the menubar, right-click it and choose "Detach"
from the contextual menu, or click it and press
Shift-⌘-D.
MindNode Pro makes it very easy to move nodes
between different sections of your mind map. If
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Folding and Unfolding Nodes
Document
When you want a high level overview of your
mind map without getting into the little details, or
you want to reduce distractions so you can focus
on a particular area of your mind map,
MindNode Pro lets you fold and unfold your
nodes. When you fold a node, all of its children
are hidden; when you unfold it, they return to
their normal location.
The Document tab of the Inspector lets you
change the background color of the document, as
well as metadata like the Author, Title, Keywords,
and Comments.
The easiest way to fold a node is to hold down the
Option key on your keyboard so that the box next
to that node shows several lines instead of a plus
sign, then click that box. Alternatively, you can
click the node you want to fold, then click the Fold
button in the toolbar or go to Node in the
menubar and click "Fold Nodes". Finally, you can
right-click the node and choose "Fold" from the
contextual menu.
To unfold a node again, you can Option-click the
box next to the folded node, click the Unfold
button in the toolbar, go to Node in the menubar
and click "Unfold Nodes", or right-click the node
and choose "Unfold".
Style
The Style tab lets you change the shape of nodes
between the normal Branch shape and a Filled
shape that resembles a main node, which is
particularly useful for highlighting important
nodes. You can also change the appearance of a
node's branch, making it thinner or thicker,
dashed, or differently colored.
Text
The Text tab lets you change the appearance of
node text, including alignment, the width of the
node's text field, and creating web links.
About Color Styles
Smart Layout
A mind map can be a chaotic structure, and
sometimes you find yourself running out of space.
When that happens, you can go to the View menu
and choose Smart Layout, which will figure out
the most efficient way to organise your mind map
and often open up more space for you to use.
Using the Inspector
Like Apple's iWork applications, MindNode Pro
includes an Inspector pane that lets you get the
most out of your mind maps by making quick
changes to different aspects of them.
MindNode comes with various beautiful predefined Color Styles. They can be found in the
Document tab of the Inspector. To change the
style of all nodes select a Color Style from the
menu. On the bottom is also an entry to select a
Custom Style.
The Style tab in the Preferences allows to select a
Default Color Style. This style will be applied to
all new MindNode documents. This is also where
the Custom Style can be customized. Pick your
favorite style of cross-connections, nodes,
branches, and fonts.
Styling goes beyond just having a global style for
your entire document however. As outlined earlier,
every node can have a different color, font, size,
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etc. When dragging to reconnect, a node normally
takes on the style of the parent node. Holding the
Option key disables this function temporarily. In
the General Preferences is a setting to always
inherit style when reconnecting. Note that pasting
nodes also inherits their style. To paste nodes and
re-apply their style based on the parent node,
select Paste and Match Style from the Edit menu
instead.
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MindNode Pro can import from and export to
several other mind map and note-taking formats.
Importing
Nothing tricky here--just go to the File menu and
choose Open (or press ⌘-O), then choose the
Freemind (.mm) or OPML (.opml) file you want to
open. Be aware that some features, like
MindNode Pro's connections, maybe lost when
moving mind maps between different applications.
Exporting
To export a mind map in another format, go to
the File menu and choose "Export…;" (or press
Shift-⌘-E), then choose the file format you want
to export. MindNode Pro supports exporting as a
FreeMind document or OPML file for use with
other mind mapping applications, an RTF, or text
file for use as an outline, or a PDF, PNG, or TIFF
for use as an image or standalone non-editable
document.
Sharing
In addition to exporting mind maps for use with
other applications, you can also keep your mind
maps in sync across all your devices.
When choosing a storage location, ensure you
store your documents in the MindNode container
inside your iCloud Drive folder. This will make
your documents available on you iPad, iPhone or
iPod touch when using MindNode for iOS.
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SHARING
Sharing
Preferences
MindNode Pro lets you customize a number of
features to provide the best mindmapping
experience for you.
General
The General tab includes layout and appearance
preferences, as well as how to handle updates and
what MindNode Pro should do when you launch
it.
Style
The Style tab lets you change the default settings
for new mind maps. If you prefer a darker
background color, thicker branches, different
branch colors. Pick your favorite font for new
main nodes as well as normal nodes here as well.
Shortcuts
The Shortcuts tab allows you to set your own
keyboard shortcuts for creating new nodes and
editing a selected node. You can also determine
whether pressing the Space key should open
Quick Look on the selected node (useful if you use
files in your mind maps) or turn the mouse into
the hand tool so you can grab your mind map and
easily move around within your canvas (useful if
you find yourself moving around inside one
document a lot).
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Legend
⎋
Escape
⇧
Shift
⌃
Control
⌥
Alt/Option
⌘
Command
⇥
Tab
Enter
↵
Arrow Keys
→, ←, ↑, ↓
Node Creation
⇥
New Child Node
Switch Into Edit Mode
⌥↵
Insert New Line
Inspector
⌥⌘I
Toggle Inspector
⌘1
Show Document Inspector
⌘2
Show Style Inspector
⌘3
Show Text Inspector
Navigation
⌘<
Zoom In
⌘>
Zoom Out
Text Formatting
⌘B
Bold
Create New Main Node
⌘I
Italic
⌘U
Node Selection
⌘R
Center Main Node
→, ←, ↑, ↓Select Node in Arrow Direction
⌥⌘→
⌥↵
New Subnode
↵
⇧↵
Node Editing
Cycle Through Main Nodes
⌥⌘←Cycle Through Main Nodes in Reverse
Directions
⌥⌘U
Increase Font Size
⌘–
Decrease Font Size
⌥⌘C
Copy Style
⌥⌘V
Paste Style
⌘ →, ←, ↑, ↓ Move Selected Node 1pt
⇧⌘ →, ←, ↑, ↓ Move Selected Node 10pt
Detach Node
⇧⌘L
Create Cross Connection
Branch Folding
⌥⌘←, ⌥⌘→
Strikethrough
⌘+
Node Movement
⇧⌘D
Underline
Toggle Branch Folding
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PREFERENCES
Keyboard Shortcuts