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Further nodes are created by pressing the Insert key. Use File | New map to create a root node. The program comes with a conventional desktop featuring a large empty space for designing and displaying mind maps ( Figure 3,) with a menu and buttonbar above for access to important functions.įigure 3: Freeplane shows an example mind map at startup.
Win cmaptools install#
You will need to install Freeplane manually in your menu structure.
Win cmaptools software#
Freeplane is desktop-only software you will search in vain for a server or cloud variant. Freeplaneįreeplane, a fork from the FreeMind project, is another cross-platform, Java-based application available for Linux under the GPLv2 license. Fonts appeared clear and without raster effects, and the program reproduced attributes and frames as shown on the screen. You can also save a mind map in JPEG format or as a web page.Ī printed version of the mind map did not exhibit any quality defects in our lab. In addition to various cloud functions and options designed for collaborative work, CmapTools also supports exporting to various formats: You can export a worksheet to PDF, PS, SVG, XTM/XCM, CXL, and IVML. You can add matching links to the content nodes using Edit | Add & Edit Links to Resources and File | Add Web Address.
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Clicking the symbol plays the linked media (external applications handle this task). These extensions then appear as small symbols at the node's edge. The nested node acts like a dedicated node: Arrows pointing to it look like normal nodes ( Figure 2).įigure 2: Nested nodes in CmapTools allow a wide variety of design options.Ī special feature of CmapTools is the ability to attach multimedia content to nodes. You can also add shadows or special fonts, attributes, and font sizes. After selecting the area to represent the container, you can edit the appearance of the group of objects combined in the nested node.įor example, you can highlight the nested node with its own background color and adjust the color of the items inside. If you want to combine related groups in a box to visually highlight them, you can use the nested node function. The Cmap tab lets you colorize the entire view's background and save user-selected sections separately. Additionally, the program offers various backgrounds from templates, which you can access via a symbol chart. CmapTools accesses the fonts built into your operating system but does not support all available font sizes. To label the line, click on the question marks that are automatically inserted in the middle of the line.ĬmapTools offers a dialog in the Format | Styles menu that lets you adapt the graphical appearance. You can connect two nodes using the arrow symbols above the source node and dragging the resulting line to the target node. You define your concept map in the right-hand window by first generating a new node with a double-click in the work area and then populating it with text by double-clicking on the four question marks within the node. The second window also displays the individual projects in a tree view later.įigure 1: CmapTools stands out because of its unusual appearance. One window contains the work project the other is used for controlling and configuring the software ( Figure 1). The CmapTools graphical user interface (GUI) shuns common conventions: It opens with two independent empty windows.
Win cmaptools manual#
Instead, you have to put in some manual work – even if you just want to launch the program from the menu. The wizard creates a user-defined directory and unpacks the program files.īinaries do not automatically end up in the usual /usr/bin or /opt directories. The 180MB package is a bit unconventional: You can call the binary package directly after setting the execution rights ( chmod u+x), and an installation wizard launches. You can also use CmapTools in the cloud, which does not require a dedicated application on the client, just a web browser.ĬmapTools is a Java application and therefore needs a Java Runtime Environment. The website also features a server variant for an on-premises server and an iPad version.
Win cmaptools license#
Its license is proprietary, but the software is free of charge. CmapToolsĬmapTools, developed at the Florida Institute for Human and Machine Cognition, is available for several platforms. I tested five mind map programs to see how their design features compare.
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However, visual clarity depends on the design possibilities offered by the mind-mapping program: Illustrations break up abstract content, and different font attributes emphasize the relevance of individual project steps. Users can view an onscreen tree view to visualize dependencies. To help people understand their decision and thought processes, mind-mapping programs depict process steps graphically. Structuring complex processes is part of the daily grind in many organizations.
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