Mac

for
MindNode
Contents
of
Table
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1  

About MindNode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1  

What is Visual Thinking? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2  

How to Get Started . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3  

Document . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8  

Content . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 

Styling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
 

Outline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
 

Workflow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19  

Quick Entry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
 

Sharing Documents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19  

Automation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 

Printing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
 

Touch Bar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
 

Appendix . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28  

Shortcuts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
 
 Introduction
Introduction
About MindNode
Requirements
In order to run MindNode for Mac, you will need a Mac running macOS Mojave 10.14.4 or
newer. To view or edit your MindNode documents on an iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad, the
device must be running iOS 12.2 or later with a copy of MindNode for iOS installed. </macos>

Backwards compatibility
With MindNode for Mac we introduced a new file format. MindNode will read the older file
format and ask you to upgrade to the new format.

MindNode Plus
Starting with MindNode 7 you can unlock MindNode on iOS and macOS with a cross platform
subscripition called MindNode Plus (Find more inforamtions here.)

Free Editor
MindNode’s free version now allows you basic editing operations like adding nodes, reordering
and folding. All feature that aren’t available in the Free Editor are greyed out and marked with a
PLUS badge. MindNode Plus is available as a monthly or yearly cross platform subscription.
(You can find more informations about MindNode Plus on our website.)

Languages
Supported Languages / Localizations

MindNode 6 is localized in 14 languages:

1. Arabic
2. Chinese - simplified
3. Chinese - traditional
4. Dutch
5. English
6. French
7. German
8. Italian
9. Japanese
10. Korean
11. Portugese

1
 Introduction

12. Russian
13. Spanish
14. Swedish

The language MindNode uses is based on the system language you chose for your device.
Should MindNode not be available in your naitve language it will be in english.

Support
If you have further questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us. You will find further
information in our FAQs.

What is Visual Thinking?

Visual thinking is a collection of tools that allow you to collect, represent, link and organise
thoughts to get a better idea of how they belong together. Mind mapping is one such tool. The
most frequent structure is a central item surrounded by other items that split into more and
more sub-items, similar to the branches in a tree. The depth of the structure is unlimited and
each branch can contain as many sub-items and sub-sub-items as are necessary to represent a
topic. The items are called nodes, with the central item called main node.

Figure 1. Types of information

Types of information to add

The node title is the most basic part of a node. It summarizes a thought in a few words. These
words can be for example keywords, quotes, or questions.

Beyond this most basic building block, nodes can contain images. Images add visual
representation of information and can be screenshots, photos, or graphics, like the Stickers
that are included with MindNode.

To add more detailed information to a node you can add notes. These notes can contain longer
explanations of concepts relevant to the key thought presented in the title of the node, or a list
of thoughts that relate to your keyword.

Both node titles, as well as notes can contain links to online resources. They can be references

2
 Introduction

for resources and sources.

A node might also be a task, if you are planning a project and might contain space to check that
off.

Lastly, if you are using a digital tool like MindNode, you can link a file to your node.

Representing relationships between nodes

There are two types of relationships on a mind map. The first one is the Parent-Child
relationship, the second is the Cross-Connection.

Parent-Child relationships make up the main branch structure of your document. Each child is
a sub thought, or aspect of its parent. The ultimate parent being, of course, the main node. One
parent can have multiple children, though one child will always have just one parent. Siblings of
one parent are united by an overarching theme to the thoughts represented. From the other
side siblings can be seen as riffs off each other related to the parent thought. Sometimes
children contain additional information to a parent. This is especially useful, if the thoughts are
too important to hide in the notes section of the document. A number of children could, for
example, contain several links to examples, or images of examples.

Cross-connections connect thoughts that are not directly related to each other in a hierarchy
of thoughts, but are relevant to each other nonetheless. These might be two action items that
are dependent on each other, or thoughts that would have fit well in either branch of your
document. In real life terms you could say that these nodes should be dating each other.

How to Get Started

There are three stages to brainstorming with MindNode. Where you spend most of your time
will depend on where you are in your creative process. The first step is collecting information
and thoughts you already have. The second step is exploring how these items relate to each
other and what needs to be added or researched. The third step is organising your thoughts and
information into a coherent idea, or project plan.

Of course you will be cycling through the steps again and again. Organising what is there might
show you a lack in a certain area, or realising a relationship will give you new thoughts to add.

At any time it is useful to just create a new main node to note down a thought, without worrying
where it belongs. The beauty of working on a computer is that you can rearrange and reconnect
information where it belongs at a later time, once the connections and structure becomes
clearer to you.

Outcomes
Generally our users use MindNode in a wide variety of situations to solve many problems. At
it’s most abstract, a document is a visual representation of how ideas relate. This can be for a

3
 Introduction

project like a website, or notes for a talk. You can use it to collect information on a topic of
interest, or as a study guide. You can also use it to record the proceedings of a meeting, or to
build an outline that you can then use with another application.

Quick start into MindNode

We will now guide you through creating your very first document.

1. Open MindNode in the Open Panel choose New Document to create your first mind map.
You can also create a new document using the shortcut + , or from the File menu.

Figure 2. Click on the lower left corner

2. The document starts with a first main node, ready for text to be added. Go ahead and add
your first idea. If you are just playing around start with “study guide”. Exit the node by
tapping the canvas. To create other main nodes, hit once, to leave the text editing
mode, and then press + to create a new main node. This will be ready to edit as well.
Go ahead and enter a new idea, for example “exam”.

4
 Introduction

Figure 3. New map in a new document

3. To create a sub-node click on the plus sign on the right of the new main node. You can
enter “multiple choice” here. You can also press to create a sub-node to a main node. If
you want to create a next level node press and then , to create a grandchild.

Figure 4. Adding a sub-node

4. Open the Notes tab by selecting the symbol in the top right corner. . Go ahead and try that
out. Add “fill the square”. As soon as you leave that field a small symbol on the right of a
node will show that there is content in the notes section.
5. Now try adding an image or a file to your node. You can drag it directly from the desktop, or

5
 Introduction

from a Finder window. Or pick one of our Stickers when you click the Sticker button in the
toolbar.

Figure 5. Stickers in MindNode

6. If you want to change the look of your map, open the Theme selection by opening the
Themes sidebar on the right. Choose a theme by scrolling. You can apply it by tapping the
selection.

6
 Introduction

Figure 6. Theme selection

7. One of the most helpful steps in visual thinking is getting to rearrange content. Click and
hold on the first main node. Drag it onto the second main node and let go. It will now
connect as a new child node.
8. To save your document press + , or select Save As from the File menu. We suggest
that you save your file in iCloud Drive, so that it is easily shared to other devices you are
using with the same Apple ID.

Figure 7. Completed map

Now it’s time to create a new document.

7
 Document
Document
Content
Nodes
Nodes are the basic units of information in a document. Branches connect nodes and
represent a hierarchical relationship. Another type of connections are cross-connections and
tags. They show non-hierarchical relationships between nodes.

Basic Actions
To select a node click on it. You can also navigate around the Canvas using the Arrow keys.

To edit the title of a node double click it, or select it and press . When you press again
you leave edit mode. To add a line break, press + .

To create a new child node click on the plus symbol to the right of an existing node. It’s called
the Node Well. Pressing creates a child node for the node you currently have selected.
Pressing + inserts a node between the selected node and its parent. You can also select
this from the context menu when you click on a node. You can use to create a sibling for the
node you currently have selected. Pressing + creates a new main node. You can also
select this from the context menu, when you click on the Canvas.

To delete a node simply press . This deletes all children as well. If you want to remove the
node and reconnect its children to its parent node press + .

Organizing Nodes
Sometimes it is necessary to reorganize nodes into new branches, as more information gets
added to the document. This is the big advantage of digital visualisation tools compared to
paper, it is very easy to do. To connect any node, even main nodes, to a new parent node
clickand drag it onto the new parent node. This will move it and all its children. They will
assume the style of the new parent.

In the Preferencesyou can choose to deactivate this function so the node always keeps its
current style. Deselect Inherit Style. To retain the existing formatting of the node and its
children hold while reconnecting and having the preference set to Inherit Style.

Alternatively, if you want to shift a node up or down a level, you can use the + / to do
so. If you want to shift the order of your nodes, you can simply drag the node to its new place
relative to other existing nodes.

Alternatively you can use the + / to move a node relative to its siblings.

If you want to detach a node to create a new tree, you can select Detach from the Context
menu.

Alternatively use the shortcut + +

8
 Document

Folding and Unfolding Nodes

When your structure gets more and more complex it is often necessary to hide parts of your
map. This is also helpful when you are presenting information from your document.

The shortcut to fold or unfold a branch is + .

When you hold and hover over a node, you will see an arrow with an ellipse that points
toward the node. Clicking it will fold the node. A similar symbol will appear that shows that
there are child nodes hidden under this one.

Adding Content
While a node title often contains the most crucial information as keywords, you will want to add
additional information that adds context, detail, or helps you structure your document.

Figure 8. Different types of content

Links
To add a link to your node either type, or copy and paste an URL, including the http://.
MindNode will recognize the URL and automatically make a link out of it.

If you don’t want MindNode to do so, you can disable Smart links in the Edit menu under
Substituitons.

If you want to hyperlink text, you can select a phrase ofthe node title and select Add link from
the Edit menu. Alternatively you can use the shortcut + .

Notes
Notes can contain long-form text, links to other documents, or unstructured thoughts.

Notes can be added from the Notes tab.

9
 Document

Figure 9. The Inspector

Another way to add notes is to select Show Notes Popover from the Context menu. This will
open a Popover that you can also edit your notes in. To format the text in the notes you can use
the Format menu, or the usual shortcuts. The shortcut + + will also open the Notes
Popover.

In the notes you can also link relevant documents. Open the notes popover and use the Link
button in the right lower corner to add a file. This will now show a preview of the file.

10
 Document

Figure 10. Open note pop-over

Note that the file is not imported into your document. An Alias is added for the file pointing to
it’s location on your hard drive. If you move the file, the link will not work anymore. Files are also
not available to other users that you share a document with, or on your own iOS device.

The exception are images, which are imported into the document. You can choose to treat PDF
files as images as well, by holding when dragging them onto a node.

Images
In MindNode added images are displayed above the node title. Images are stored directly in
the MindNode document. MindNode accepts all formats compatible with your operating
system and imports them as PNGs.

To add an image select a node and the image item in the tool bar. There is one for photos and
one for Stickers. Clicking on Photo opens the system provided Photopicker. Next, drag the
photo you want to add directly onto the node. You can also use Continuity Camera to import
photos and scan documents using your iPhone or iPad. This is a great feature to e.g. attach
pictures of slides when taking notes during a presentation. Open the context menu of the node
you want to add the image to and select Import from iPad or iPhone from the menu. When you
click on Sticker a drop down menu with your Stickers opens. Click the one you want to add. It

11
 Document

will be added directly to your node. You can also search for the right sticker via the search bar.
In the Stickers menu you can select whether to add colored or tinted Stickers. Stickers will be
tinted to match the current node color. To resize an image double click it. Left and right of it will
now be round knobs. Clickingand dragging resizes the image. You can have nodes that only
contain images.

Figure 11. Resizing handles on a sticker

When the Markup extension is activated on your Mac, you can edit images from within your
document. Activate the extension in the System Preferences > Extensions > Actions. To use
Markup in on your image select Edit Image from the Context menu. This will open the image in a
new window. Once you are done click Done and the changes will be added to your document.

Tasks
When planning projects a mind map will often contain both ideas and tasks related to the goal.
To differentiate between node items that require an action and those that do not, MindNode
lets you assign a task to a node. These tasks can be checked off as you complete a task.

12
 Document

Figure 12. Tasks in a document

A node that has two or more children that were assigned tasks, will receive a Progress tracker
that will be marked completed, as you check of the sub-tasks. If you check-off the Progress
tracker of the parent, all child nodes with tasks will also be marked complete. Only child nodes
can have tasks.

To assign a task for a node, go to the Node menu. Any children will automatically become
tasks as well. A parent node can have both task children and non-task children.

Alternatively you can assign a task by using the shortcut + + on a selected node.

Connections
The basic relationship between items in MindNode is hierarchical. To show relationships
between items that are not in a hierarchical relationship you have the option to create
connections.

Figure 13. Two nodes with connection

You can select Create Connection from the Context menu. Then clickthe node you want the
connection to go towards. You can also hold and then drag from one node to another to
create a connection. Or use the toolbar item

To add a label to a connection select Edit Title from the Context menu, or double clickon the the
connection way point.

Regardless of layout selection you can determine the curvature of a connection by grabbing the
waypoint knob in the middle and dragging it. To straighten the connection double clickthe

13
 Document

waypoint.

Should you want a clear look on the hierachical order with less distraction you can also hide all
cross connections. Therefore in the main menu on top of your screen under View click`Hide
Connections`. In the same way you can also reshow them again. If you close a document with
hidden cross connections and reopen it the cross connections will also be shown again.

Visual Tags
Another way to show nonhierarchical relationships are visual tags. They help you categorize
your ideas and add more context to your thoughts. Use tags to prioritize ideas and bring focus
to a related group of ideas that are otherwise not connected.

Figure 14. Visual Tags

Create & Edit

To create visual tags open the Tags sidebar and then tap the + in the upper left corner of the
sidebar. Now add a title to the tag. To change the color of the tag click its color icon. The color
of existing tags can be edited again the same way. To edit the name of an existing tag right click
the tag and select Rename from the context menu. Right click on a tag and from the context
menu select Delete to delete a tag.

Apply
In order to add a tag to a node first select the node and then double click the tag.

Highlight
Using our tag-highlight mode you can focus on selected tags to discover new connections. To
highlight a certain tag click the highlight icon next to it. End the highighting by clicking it again.

14
 Document

Focus Mode
Big mind maps sometime can be distracting. Here is were Focus Mode helps you by fading out
all branches but the one you are working on. It can be entered via the Focus Mode button in the
toolbar or with the shortcut + + . If you want to change the area you are focusing on you
can clickthe faded out node you want to focus on next and select Refocus from the apperaing
menu.

Styling
Canvas
The Canvas includes your entire document. Think of it like you are a painter without the limits to
the base of your painting. You will find the styling options for your Canvas in the Themes
Inspector on the left.

Layout
The most important decision for the readability of your document is certainly the layout. The
arrangement of your information determines how easy it is to comprehend what is there. We
have two branch styles, curved and orthogonal that you can apply to a map. We also have the
option for a layout that is vertical or horizontal. These can be applied individually for each main
node.

Smart Layout

Smart Layout automatically arranges your nodes in a compact, easy to read layout. To have
branches on only one side, or on both sides you can grab and move them across. If you want to
have a balanced document you can choose to Balance Nodes in the Node Menu under
Organise.

Manual Layout

If you want a different node alignment, you can also select Manual Layout.

MindNode will still shift your nodes slightly so they do not overlap each other. If you want
control over this too, you can de-select this in the Preferences, uncheck the option Prevent
node collisions in manual layout.

If you want to take advantage of our Smart Layout algorithm for just one branch of your map,
you can select the parent of that branch and then select Reorganize Nodes from the Organize
menu in the Node menu. Alternatively you can use the shortcut + + .

Themes
To make creating visually appealing mind maps as easy as possible, MindNode provides
themes.

15
 Document

You can find the themes in the Theme panel scroll through the themes and when you find the
one you want to use double click. Theme settings get synchronised via iCloud between
MindNode on macOS and on iOS.

Personal Themes

To create your own themes, create a new document with a main node, six child nodes and one
connection. Set the colors and font to your liking, then select `Add Theme > Extract
Theme`This will save the style and it will now be available in the theme selection, where you
can also choose a new name.

Figure 15. Personal theme layout

You can add existing themes and share your own themes with others. Click the gear icon
underneath the theme for more options.

Background

You can choose to change the background color of your canvas at the bottom of the themes
panel.

Style
Next to the global settings like theme and layout you may want to style individual nodes, or
branches to show their particular significance. You can do this in the Style tab. Changes are
always applied to all selected nodes

The options are to change the node’s width and shape, fill color, and border (including line type,
thickness and color). Per default node width is set to automatic. The nodes adapt to the width
of the node title, with a maximum around 320pt. In the Preferences you can deselect Shrink
node width to fit content, if you prefer to have manual width as your default. For the branch you
can select line type, color and thickness. Per default Auto-Decrease Branch Thickness is
selected. You can deselect this to choose your own branch thickness.

When reconnecting a node you may want it to inherit the style of the new parent. You can set
this as default in the Preferences. To keep a nodes current style intact despite the setting hold

16
 Document

while reconnecting.

For connections you can choose end point styles, both in the origin and at the finish, line style,
thickness and line color. The label will have the same color as the connection.

Outline
When working on a document, it can sometimes be helpful to view the structure in a linear
mode. To do this MindNode has an integrated Outline view. You can toggle the Outline view in
the top left corner of your document window.

Figure 16. Outline View

In your Outline the first level nodes around your main node will be sorted clockwise. Each level
of sub nodes thereafter will be displayed in a top down manner.

Nodes that are folded in your map will be folded in your Outline. This is signified by a minus
sign at the end of the branch.

Tasks and super-tasks are shown to the right of the Outline in their current state of completion.

Notes are signified with the same symbol as in the map. Clickingthe notes symbol opens the
pop over in the map.Stickers are shown in the Outline, attached images will appear as a
symbol. Selecting a node in the Outline will also select that node on your canvas and
automatically refocus your canvas so it is visible.

Settings
You can find the settings at the top of the Outline, next to the Search bar. From the settings of
the Outline you can select to Wrap node titles, to show all of the title in your Outline, and Show
only open tasks if you want to use the Outline as a todo-list.

17
 Document

Search
You can search node titles using the Search bar atop the Outline.

Editing Nodes
You can delete a node by dragging left with two fingers on your trackpad until the Delete button
appears. This will delete just that node. Its children will be reconnected to its parent.

18
 Workflow
Workflow
Quick Entry
On the Mac you can activate the Quick Entry menu bar item in the Preferences. There you can
also record a shortcut, which allows you to directly open QuickEntry at any time.

To start a new document, or take notes, click on the icon. Hit Enter to start a new line with a new
item. This will be indented as a sub-node to the first icon. To remove the indentation hit Enter
again. You can use Tab to indent further.

Use the tool bar items to indent, add tasks, tags and notes. Note: Tags will only be detected as
such on the end of a node title.

When you close Quick Entry your notes are saved.

To create a document click the Create Mind Map button at the bottom. This will create a new
document for you.

image::scaled/Quick Entry_Mac.png[title="Quick Entry"]

Sharing Documents
Most likely MindNode is part of a workflow for you, rather than a one stop destination. That is
why MindNode enables using the information you structured in a mind map in other apps.

Import/Export
MindNode is able to import and export a number of file formats for use within other apps:

Import & Export

• FreeMind (supported by most mind mapping apps)
• OPML (supported by most Outliners and many mind mapping apps)
• CSV (Spreadsheets apps)
• Plain Text (all text editors)
• RTF (most text editors)
• Markdown (Markdown editors)
• TextBundle & TextPack (Learn more)
• Single File MindNode

Import only
• Mindjet MindManager
• iThoughts

19
 Workflow

Export only
• Docx (only supported on macOS)
• PNG
• PDF

Be aware that some features, like MindNode’s connections, may be lost when moving mind
maps between different applications. It is worth noting that OPML files do not retain formatting
of text. In text files (.txt and .rtf) each node level is indented using a Tab.

To import a document in a compatible format simply select the document from the Open dialog
via the File menu. Go to the File menu and choose Open, or press + .

To export a document click on Export To in the file menu, select your preferred file format in the
panel and then click Export.The following panel lets you save your new file as usual.

You can also share the exported file directly to Mail, iMessage, or AirDrop by clicking the Share
button in the bottom left.

Sharing
To share a MindNode file via Mail, iMessage, Reminders or AirDrop to another device, click the
share button in the top right corner of your document window and select your option.

In Mail and Messages a new message will be opened and the file added as an attachment.

AirDrop
AirDrop allows you to wirelessly send documents to compatible devices using a Bluetooth
connection. Please make sure that Bluetooth is enabled.

To send a MindNode document via AirDrop to another device, click the share button. From the
share menu choose AirDrop. Please make sure the receiving end is in receive mode, and select
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.

Tasks
Once you have completed your project planning you might wish to use your tasks as a list.
MindNode offers integration with Reminders for tasks, and sharing to Things and OmniFocus.
You can import and export TaskPaper documents into MindNode.

20
 Workflow

In the Sharing menu you will find the option to export to Reminders. This will create a new list in
the Reminders app. The title of the list will be the name of your Document. When you check
items complete in either Reminders or MindNode, the completion will be synchronized across
both.

To update your list with new tasks you have added, or changed task titles, export the list again.
New items will be added and titles will be updated.

1) Deleting items in Reminders, or in your MindNode document will not

delete the items in the other. Only task completion is synchronized.
Similarly editing task titles will not be synchronized.
NOTE
2) Only tasks will appear in the Reminders list, not their parent nodes. The
branch path will be added as a note to the task above the note imported
from MindNode.

Sharing to Things, OmniFocus and TaskPaper will create a new list for you. These do not,
however, update automatically with changes you make to your MindNode file.

iCloud Drive
If you are using MindNode on multiple devices and want to keep your files up to date on all
devices, use iCloud Drive to sync changes seamlessly. Make sure iCloud Drive is activated in
the System preferences.

When saving a new document make sure to save it in the MindNode folder inside iCloud Drive.
All changes you save will now be saved to iCloud Drive and available on all connected devices.

Automation
Using Apple Script or URL Schemes you can automate certain recurrent tasks and make
MindNode part of a larger workflow. Automation requires advanced knowledge and is only
recommended for power users.

AppleScript
Apple Script allows you to write scripts that batch export document in all supported formats.
We are currently supporting the following export types via Apple Script:

21
 Workflow

- MindNode
- MindNode's Single File Format
- FreeMind
- OPML
- CSV
- TaskPaper
- Markdown
- DocX
- PDF
- PNG

As an example we created a script to take all OPML files from a folder and export them as PDF.

set folderPath to choose folder

set fileExtension to "opml"
tell application "Finder"
  try
  set the fileList to files of folderPath whose name extension is fileExtension
  end try
end tell
tell application "/Applications/MindNode.app"
  repeat with mindNodeFile in fileList
  open (mindNodeFile as alias)
  set mindNodeDocument to document 1
  set fileName to POSIX path of (mindNodeFile as alias)
  set baseName to (characters 1 thru -((count of fileExtension) + 3) of fileName) as
string
  set exportFile to ((baseName & ".pdf") as POSIX file)
  tell mindNodeDocument to export to exportFile as PDF
  close window 1 without saving
  end repeat
end tell

URL Schemes
URL schemes are special formatted URLs that allow to automatically perform actions in

22
 Workflow

MindNode and other apps. All URL Schemes start with mindnode:// followed by an action. If
you don’t provide an action, MindNode is simply launched.

Usage:

mindnode://

Create New Document

Action: newDocument

This action creates a new document in the default storage location. Normally this is the
MindNode iCloud Drive folder. You can change the default storage location in the Settings app
under MindNode.

Usage:

mindnode://newDocument

Open Document
Action: open

Using the open action you can open an existing document. Open supports several parameters
that will help point to the correct document and we recommend you use the feature in
MindNode to automatically create the URL: With a document open, cklick on the share icon in
the upper right corner of the MindNode window and select 'Copy URL Scheme' to copy it to the
clipboard. You can now paste this URL into a text or URL field and triggering it will automatically
open the MindNode file.

Name & Path Parameter:

mindnode://open?name='name'&path='path'
name: Name of the document. If your document name contains spaces, you need to
replace them with %20.
path: This is an optional parameter, which is only needed if the document is in a
subfolder. MindNode trys to find the document in the iCloud Drive folder or the
MindNode "On my iPhone/iPad" folder.

Usage:

23
 Workflow

- mindnode://open?name=todos
- mindnode://open?name=my%20next%20presentation
- mindnode://open?name=notes&path=meetings

URL & Bookmark

mindnode://open?url='url'&bookmark='bookmarkData?'
url: A URL to the document. The URL needs to point to a document in MindNode's
iCloud container. Otherwise the system won't grant permission to access the
document.
bookmark: An optional parameter that is only used when you use the built-in action to
create a "File URL Scheme"

Import Document
Action: import

Imports a document using one of the supported import formats.

Parameters:

mindnode://import?format='format'&name='name?'&content='content?'
Format: A supported export format. See list below
Name: This is an optional parameter. It will be used as the title for the document.
Content: This is an optional parameter. When it's provided it will be importet into the
document. Otherwise we will look on the clipboard for the data.

Import Formats:

24
 Workflow

* CSV (format='csv')
* PlainText (format='txt' or 'text' or 'plaintext')
* RichText (format='rtf' or 'richtext')
* MarkDown (format='markdown' or 'mdown' or 'md')
* OPML (format='opml')
* Freemind (format='freemind')
* TaskPaper (format='taskpaper')

Launch Quick Entry

Action: quickEntry

Launches Quick Entry and adds the provided text as the content.

Parameters:

mindnode://quickEntry?text='text?'&clearExisting='false?'
mindnodequickentry://quickEntry?text='text?'&clearExisting='false?'
text: This is an optional parameter. The text is added to the current Quick Entry
contents.
clearExisting: This is an optional parameter. When set to true, existing Quick Entry
content will be deleted and - if provided - replaced by the content provided in the text
parameter.

Open Preferences
Action: preferences

Open MindNode’s preferences.

Usage:

mindnode://preferences

Printing
In addition to your usual print settings there are a number of options related to printing your
MindNode document. Click Show Details and you will find this in the bottom right quarter of the

25
 Workflow

print dialog. Select MindNode from the drop down menu.

First you can decide to print your document either as a mind map, or as an Outline.

When you are printing a map you can decide to scale your map, or to fit it onto one page. When
selecting the former option your document may be printed on several pages, depending on the
size of your map.

You can also select to print your canvas as is, or to print each main node onto a separate page.

When printing an Outline, you can choose to print your map with, or without, notes. You also
have a choice to unfold all nodes, or to print with the nodes that are currently folded on your
canvas folded in the print out as well.

Below the selection for Map or Outline you can select to print in either Full color, or Grayscale.

Further options include adding the filename and/or a date in the header and a page number at
the bottom. Page numbers are include in the format Page 1 of 10. The filename is included on
the top left of your page and the date on the top right.

Touch Bar
On supported MacBook Pro’s you can also use the Touch Bar to interact with the document.

Bars
The content of the Touch Bar changes based on selection. At the moment we use four different
bars.

1. Canvas
When the canvas is selected you can toggle the sidebars, change the background color and
create a new mind map.

2. Nodes
When a node is selected you can add Tasks, add Notes, toggle folding and create new nodes.

3. Edit Mode
When editing the title of a node, the Touch Bar displays the same controls as when a node is
selected, but both bars can be configured individually.

26
 Workflow

4. Cross Connection
When a cross connection is selected you can add a label or reset the waypoint using the Touch
Bar.

Customize
The Touch Bar is fully customizable. For example you can add buttons to toggle the sidebars on
all bars or change the order of existing buttons. To customize the Touch Bar select View >
Customise Touch Bar… from the main menu.

27
 Appendix
Appendix
Shortcuts
Legend
Escape
Shift
Control
Alt/Option
Command
Enter
Tab
Space
, , , Arrow Keys

Node Creation
Create New Child Node
+ Create New Parent Node
Create New Sibling Node
+ Create New Sibling Node Above Current Node
+ Create New Main Node

Edit Node
+ Edit Node Title
+ Add Link
+ + Open Link
+ + Size to Fit Content
+ + Add/Remove Task
+ + Check/Uncheck Task

Navigation
+ Zoom in
+ Zoom out
+ Zoom to Acutal Size (100%)
+ Zoom to Fit

28
 Appendix

+ Zoom to Selection
+ Go to Main Node
+ + Center Selection
+ + Lock Viewport on External Screen
+ + Scroll Canvas Right
+ + Scroll Canvas Down
+ + Scroll Canvas Left
+ + Scroll Canvas Up

Folding
+ Fold/Unfold Branch

Connections
+ Create Cross Connection
+ + Show Start Node of Cross Connection
+ + Show End Node of Cross Connection
+ + Reset Waypoint of Cross Connection
+ + + Hide All Cross Connections

Focus
+ + Enter/Exit Focus Mode

Node Selection
Move in → Direction
Move in ↓ Direction
Move in ← Direction
Move in ↑ Direction
+ Select Next Node in → Direction
+ Select Next Node in ↓ Direction
+ Select Next Node in ← Direction
+ Select Next Node in ↑ Direction
+ Select All
+ + Deselect All

29
 Appendix

+ + Select All Child Nodes

+ Forward Cycle through Main Nodes
+ Backward Cycle through Main Nodes

Move Node Selection

+ Move 1pt in → Direction
+ Move 1pt in ↓ Direction
+ Move 1pt in ← Direction
+ Move 1pt in ↑ Direction
+ + Move 20pt in → Direction
+ + Move 20pt in ↓ Direction
+ + Move 20pt in ← Direction
+ + Move 20pt in ↑ Direction

Organize Nodes
+ + Reorganize Nodes
+ + Balance Nodes
+ + + Move All Nodes to the Right/Bottom
+ + + Move All Nodes to Left/Top
+ + + Sort Nodes by Task State
+ + + Sort Nodes Alphabetically
+ + Detach Node

Search
+ Find
+ + Find & Replace
+ Find Next
+ + Find Previous

Sidebars, Pickers & Popovers

+ Show/Hide Toolbar
+ Show Sticker Picker
+ + Show Photo Picker

30
 Appendix

+ Show/Hide Style
+ Show/Hide Themes
+ + Show Notes Popover
+ Show/Hide Notes
+ Show/Hide Tags
+ Show/Hide Outline

Edit Mind Map

Delete
+ Delete Single Node
+ Cut
+ Copy
+ + + Copy Single Node
+ + Copy Style
+ Paste
+ + Paste Style
+ + + Paste and Preserve Style
+ Duplicate
+ + + Duplicate Single Node
+ Undo
+ + Redo

Text Formating
+ Toggle Bold
+ Toggle Italic
+ Toggle Underline
+ + Toggle Strikethrough
+ + Increase Font Size
+ + Decrease Font Size
+ + Show Colors
+ Align Left
+ Align Centered
+ Align Right

31
 Appendix

+ + Emoji & Symbols

Document
+ + Show Toolbar
+ Show Spelling & Grammar
+ Check Document Now
+ + Export
+ New
+ Open…
+ Close
+ + Close All Documents
+ + Enter/ Leave Full Screen
+ Minimize
+ + Minimize All
+ Hide App
+ + Hide Other Apps
+ Save
+ + + Save As…
+ + Duplicate
+ Print
+ Quit App
+ + Quit and Keep Windows
+ + Page Setup…
+ + Show Previous Tab
+ Show Next Tab
+ + Show All Tabs
+ Open User Guide
+ Get Support
Show Quick Look
+ Preferences…

Gestures
Touch gestures are features that are almost impossible to discover, but they can be hidden
gems that make interacting with an app much more powerful.

32
 Appendix

The following gestures are available in MindNode 6 for Mac

• Force touch on the canvas to create a new main node (Magic Trackpad 2 only)
• Force touch on a node to bring up the note popover (Magic Trackpad 2 only)
• Press and hover the mouse on the Node Well, it will change to the Folding indicator
• Press and drag a node on an other, the node style will be retained when 'Inherit Style' is
selected in the Preferences
• Press and drag&drop a PDF on a node, the PDF will be imported as an image
• Press and drag from one node to an other to create a cross connection

33
 Appendix

Copyright © 2020 IdeasOnCanvas GmbH. All rights reserved.

MindNode is a trademark of IdeasOnCanvas GmbH.

3D Touch, AirDrop, AirPlay, AirPrint, Apple, the Apple log, Apple Pencil, AppleScript, Apple TV,
Apple Watch, Finder, Handoff, iPad, iPhone, iPod touch, Mac, MacBook Pro, macOS, Multi-
Touch and Touch Bar are trademarks of Apple Inc.

App Store, iCloud, iCloud Drive are service marks of Apple Inc.

IOS is a trademark or registered trademark of Cisco in the U.S. and other countries and is used
under license.

34