1 \documentclass{article}
3 \usepackage[latin1]{inputenc}
7 %\usepackage{longtable}
9 \hypersetup{bookmarks, bookmarksopen,
10 pdftitle={VYM - a tool for visual thinking },
11 pdfauthor={Uwe Drechsel},
13 pdfkeywords={map, tool},
14 pdfpagemode={UseOutlines},
15 bookmarksopenlevel={1},
22 \newcommand{\vym}{{\sc vym }}
23 \newcommand{\ra}{$\longrightarrow$}
24 \newcommand{\la}{$\longleftarrow$}
25 \newcommand{\ua}{$\uparrow$}
26 \newcommand{\da}{$\downarrow$}
27 \newcommand{\key}[1]{[#1]}
31 \includegraphics[width=8cm]{images/vym-logo-new.png}
33 VYM \\ -- \\View Your Mind\\ {\small Version 1.9.0}}
34 \author{\textcopyright Uwe Drechsel }
45 \section{Introduction}
46 \subsection{What is a \vym map?}
47 A \vym map (abbreviated below as {\em map}) is a tree like structure:
49 \includegraphics[width=12cm]{images/example1.png}
51 Such maps can be drawn by hand on a sheet of paper or flip chart and help to
52 structure your thoughts. While a tree like structure like the illustration above can be
53 drawn manually \vym offers much more features to work with such maps.
54 \vym is not just another drawing software application, but a tool to store and modify
55 information in an intuitive way. For example you can reorder parts of
56 the map by pressing a key or add various pieces of information like a complete
57 email by a simple mouse click.
59 Once you have finished collecting and organising your ideas, you can
60 easily generate a variety of outputs including for example a presentation in Open~Office based on a {\em map}.
62 \subsection{Why should I use {\em maps}? Time, Space and your Brain.}
63 \subsubsection*{Space}
64 A {\em map} can concentrate very complex content in a small space such as a
65 piece of paper. It helps to use both sides of your brain: the logical
66 side and also your creative side (e.g. by using pictures, colours and
67 keywords in a map, often called {\em anchors}). It is a technique to help
68 organize the way you think and stimulate your creativity: It can help you by developing, sorting and helping to memorise your ideas.
71 Because you just use keywords and drawings, it is much faster than good
72 old fashioned 'notes'. Your brain memorizes things by associating them with
73 other things -- a {\em map} makes use of those connections and stimulates
77 \subsubsection*{Your Brain}
78 In 1960 Prof. {\sc Roger Sperry} discovered that both hemispheres
79 of the human brain undertake different tasks (of course both of them
80 basically {\em can} do the same):
82 \begin{tabular}{|p{5.5cm}|p{5.5cm}|} \hline
83 Left side & Right side \\ \hline
85 \item verbal speech and writing
87 \item logical thinking
88 \item analysing and details
95 \item visual thinking, day dreams
96 \item intuition and emotion
97 \item overview of things
99 \item art, music, dancing
100 \item non-linear thinking, connecting things
101 \item spatial awareness
102 \end{itemize} \\ \hline
105 In our science oriented western society we have learned to mainly rely on our
106 left side of the brain, the "rational" one. In other cultures, such as the native americans and other "old" cultures, the right
107 side is much more important. {\em Map} are just one way to stimulate the
108 other side and make use of additional resources we all have.
111 \subsection{Where could I use a {\em map}?}
112 Here are some examples, how you can use those {\em maps}
114 \item to prepare articles, papers, books, talks, \ldots
115 \item to sort complex data
116 \item to memorize facts, peoples names, vocabulary, \ldots
117 \item to sort emails, files and bookmarks on your computer
118 \item to moderate conferences
119 \item to brainstorm solutions to problems
120 \item to record the tasks when planning a project
123 \subsection{What you shouldn't do with a {\em map}...}
124 A {\em map} drawn by somebody shows the way that the author thinks. There is
125 no question of right or wrong in the way it is drawn, so there is no way to criticise
126 it. "It is, what it is" ({\sc F.~Lehmann}).The tool will be of considerable use to the author and only very limited use to anyone else.
128 However, when groups share in creating a {\em map} all of the group will benefit from its use. An example of such use is when a Tutor develops a {\em map} with a group of students during instruction. Another group use is when a Project leader gathers a group of specialists to help {\em map} the tasks that will be required to deliver a project.
133 \subsection{Internet Ressources}
134 A good starting point to learn more about Mindmaps in general is Wikipedia:
137 \href{http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mind_map}{http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mind\_map}
139 \href{http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mindmap}{http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mindmap}
145 \section{The Concept of the \vym application}
146 %TODO may add a general introduction here...
147 \subsection{The Mainwindow and its satellites} \label{satellite}
148 \vym comes with several windows, the central one being the {\em
150 More windows, each having a special purpose, can be opened and arranged
151 around the mainwindow\footnote{
152 The advantage of having separate window instead of integrating them
153 in a combined workspace is flexibility in arranging the windows. For
154 example I usually have the {\em noteeditor} "behind" the {\em
155 mapeditor}. On Linux my windowmanager (KDE) allows me to enter text
156 into a small visible corner of the {\em noteeditor} withour clicking
157 the mouse button in it. I just push the mouse around to set the
158 window focus, a concept which is useful also working with
159 \href{http://www.gimp.org}{http://www.gimp.org}.
161 The image below shows the {\em mapeditor}
162 together with the often used {\em noteeditor}:
164 \includegraphics[width=8cm]{images/windows.png}
166 Most of the time you will work in the {\em mapeditor} by just adding new
167 branches, moving around and reordering them. The various ways to do this
168 will be explained in \ref{mapeditor}. You can store additional
169 information e.g. the content of a email easily in a {\em branch}: Just
170 type or copy\&paste it into the {\em noteeditor}. Working with notes is
171 explained in \ref{noteeditor}
173 Here is a list of the available satellite windows:
175 \item Noteeditor (see \ref {noteeditor})
176 \item Historywindow (see \ref{historywindow})
177 \item Branch Property Window (see \ref{propwindow})
181 \subsection{Menus and Context menus}
182 At the top of each window you will find the menubar. The options provided there
183 are similar to those you are probably used to from other applications. Note that
184 many (and even more) options are availabe via {\em context menus}. Those
185 are available if you right-click onto an object in a map (on Mac~OS~X
188 \subsection{Toolbars}
189 The toolbars in the mainwindows give quick access to many functions and
190 also display the state of selected objects in the map. For example a
191 branch may show certain {\em flags}, the corresponding flags are also
194 Note that you can reposition all toolbars by simply grabbing and
195 dragging them with the toolbar handle to a new position. For example you
196 can move the flags-toolbar from its original horizontal position on top
197 of the mapeditor to a vertical position on the right side. Or just
198 insert it again at its original position. Also hiding some of the
199 toolbars is possible by right-clicking on the toolbar handle.
202 The {\em map} itself has always a {\em mapcenter}. The
203 mapcenter has {\em branches} radiating out from the centre just like the trunk of a tree. Each branch in turn may have branches again.
205 \includegraphics[width=10cm]{images/branches.png}
207 We will call a branch directly connected to the mapcenter a {\em
208 mainbranch}, because it determines the position of all its child
211 The mapcenter and the branches all have a {\em heading}. This is the
212 text you see in the mapeditor. Usually it should just be one or a few
213 key words, so that one can easily keep track of the whole map.
216 In the toolbar above the mapeditor you see various symbols.
218 \includegraphics[width=8cm]{images/default-flags.png}
220 These are called {\em flags} and can be used to mark branches in the
221 {\em map}, e.g. if something is important or questionable.
222 There are also more flags set by \vym automatically to show additional
223 information, e.g. when a note is attached to a particular branch.
225 By default some of these flags are set exclusively e.g. when the
226 "thumb-up" flag is set, then the "thumb down" is reset and vice
227 versa. You can change this default behaviour in the settings menu.
229 \section{Mapeditor} \label {mapeditor}
230 \subsection{Start a new map}
231 After \vym is started two windows will open: the {\em mapeditor} and the {\em noteditor}. Usually you will work in both windows, but at the moment we
232 will just need the mapeditor.
234 Select the mapcenter "New map" in the middle of the mapeditor by
235 left-clicking with the mouse. It will be highlighted yellow to show that is
236 selected. There are several ways to add a new branch to the center:
238 \item Using the mouse: Open the context menu by clicking with the
239 right mouse button (CTRL-Click on Mac) onto the
240 mapcenter and choose Add \ra Add branch as child
241 \item Press \key{Ins} or \key{A}
243 A new branch will appear and you will be able to type the heading of the
244 branch. Finish adding the new branch by pressing \key{Enter}.
246 Sometimes it comes in handy to be able to add a new branch above or below the current
249 \item Use \key{Shift-Ins} to add a branch above the selected one or...
250 \item \key{Ctrl-Ins} to add one below.
253 possible to add a branch in such a way, that the current selection
254 becomes the child of the new branch, which is like inserting it {\em
255 before} the selection. This can be done using the context menu.
257 \subsection{Navigate through a map}
258 \subsubsection*{Select branches}
259 To select branches you can use the left button of your mouse or also the
260 arrow keys. Depending on the {\em orientation} of a branch tap
261 \key{\la} or \key{\ra} to move nearer to the mapcenter or deeper
262 down into the branches. Within a set of branches, let's call them a
263 {\em subtree}, you can use \key{\ua} and \key{\da} to go up and down. You can
264 also use \key{Home} and \key{End} to select the first and last branch.
267 \subsubsection*{Panning the view of a map}
268 While adding more and more branches the size of the map may become
269 larger than the mapeditor window. You can use the scrollbars on the
270 right and the bottom of your mapeditor window to scroll the view up or down or left or right. It is easier to just scroll using the left mouse button: Click anywhere on the {\em canvas} itself. Choose an empty space somewhere between the branches. The
271 mouse pointer will change from an arrow to a hand, now move or drag the visible
272 map to show the desired part.
274 If you select branches using the arrow keys, the map will scroll
275 to ensure that the selected branch is always visible.
277 \subsubsection*{Zooming the view of a map}
278 Working with huge maps, the {\em zoom}-function comes in handy: You can
281 \item from the menu: View \ra Zoom in, View \ra Zoom out, View \ra reset Zoom.
282 \item the toolbar buttons
284 \includegraphics[width=3cm]{images/zoom-buttons.png}
287 Clicking the crossed magnifying lens icon will reset the zoomed view to its original size.
290 \subsubsection*{Find Function} \label{findwindow}
291 With huge maps there is the need to have a
292 find function. Choose Edit \ra Find to open the Find Window:
294 \includegraphics[width=6cm]{images/find-window.png}
296 The find function will search for, the text you enter here, in all the branch headings and also in the associated notes. Everytime you press the "Find"-button it will look for the next occurence, which will then be selected automatically. If the search
297 fails, a short message "Nothing found" will appear for a few
298 seconds in the {\em statusbar} on the bottom of the mapeditor.
300 \subsubsection*{Keep the overview -- scroll a part of the map}
301 A very big subtree of a map e.g. a branch with hundreds of child branches would make
302 it very hard to keep an overview over the whole map. You can hide all
303 the children of a branch by {\em scrolling} it -- this function is often called {\em folding}. Think of the whole subtree as painted onto a
304 broadsheet newspaper. You can scroll or fold the paper to a small roll, leaving just
305 the headline visible.
307 To scroll or unscroll a branch and its children,
309 \item press either the \key{Scroll Lock} key or the \key{S}
310 \item press the middle-mouse button or
311 \item choose the scroll icon from the toolbar.
313 If you select parts of a scrolled branch e.g. using the find function or
314 by using the arrow-keys, it will unscroll temporary. This is shown as a
315 scroll with a little hour glass. If the temporary unscrolled part is no
316 longer needed, it will be hidden again automatically. It is also
317 possible to unscroll all branches using "Edit\ra Unscroll all scrolled
320 You can also hide parts of the map while exporting it e.g. to a webpage
321 or a presentation, see \ref{hideexport} for details.
323 \subsection{Modify and move branches}
324 \subsubsection*{Modify the heading}
325 You can edit the heading by selecting the branch and then
327 \item pressing \key{Enter}
328 \item pressing \key{F2}
329 \item double-clicking with left mouse.
331 Just type the new heading (or edit the old one) and press \key{Enter}.
333 \subsubsection*{Move a branch}
334 The easiest way to move a branch is to select it with left-mouse and
335 drag it to the destination while keeping the mouse button pressed.
336 Depending on the branch it will be
338 \item moved to the destination or
339 \item {\em linked} to a new {\em parent} (mapcenter or branch)
341 If you drag the branch over another one or over the mapcenter, you will
342 notice that the link connecting it to the old parent will be changed to
343 lead to the new parent which is now under your mousepointer.
344 If you release the button now, the branch will be relinked.
346 If you release the button in the middle of nowhere, the result will
347 depend on the type of branch you are releasing:
349 \item A mainbranch is directly connected to the mapcenter.
350 It will stay on its new position.
351 \item An ordinary branch will "jump" back to its original position.
353 Thus you can easily rearrange the layout of the mainbranches to avoid
354 overlapping of their subtrees.
355 There is another convenient way to move branches, especially if you want
356 to {\em reorder} a subtree: You can move a branch up or down in a
359 \item pressing \key{\ua} and \key {\da}
360 \item selecting Edit \ra Move branch
361 \item clicking on the toolbar buttons:
363 \includegraphics[width=1.5cm]{images/move-buttons.png}
367 There is yet another way to move branches: If you press \key{Shift} or
368 \key{Ctrl} while moving with the mouse, the branch will be added above
369 or below the one the mouse pointer is over. This can also be used to reorder branches in a map.
371 \subsection{Colours and Images - Using the right side of your brain}
372 \subsubsection*{Change colour of a heading}
373 You can also use colours to add more information to a map, e.g. use
374 red, green and more colours to prioritize tasks. Again you can
376 \item use the menu and choose e.g Format \ra Set Color
377 \item use the toolbar
379 \includegraphics[width=3cm]{images/color-buttons.png}
382 The first button (black in the graphic above) shows the current colour.
383 Clicking on it let's you choose another colour. You can also "pick"
384 another colour by selecting a branch with the desired colour and using the
385 "pick colour" button. Both of the icons showing a palette actually apply
386 the current colour to the selected branch. While the first one just
387 colours the heading of the selection, the last one also colours all the
388 children of the selected branch.
391 A very useful function is the "copy colour" using the mouse: Select the
392 branch which should get the new colour, then press \key{Ctrl} and
393 simultanously click with left-mouse on another branch to copy its colour
394 to the first one. Here the children of the selection also will get the new
395 colour, if you just want to colour the selection itself, additionally
398 \subsubsection*{Use flags}
399 \vym provides various flags. They are usually displayed in the toolbar on top of the
400 mapeditor window. (Note: Like all toolbars you can also move them to the
401 left or the right side of the window or even detach them. Just grab the
402 very left "dotted" part of the toolbar with your left-mouse button.)
404 \includegraphics[width=8cm]{images/default-flags.png}
406 If you have a branch selected, you can set any number of flags by
407 clicking them in the toolbar. The toolbar buttons change their state and
408 always reflect the flags set in the selected branch. So, to remove a flag from a branch, select the branch and then click the highlighted flag on the toolbar.
410 At present \vym uses two kinds of flags: {\em System Flags} and {\em
411 Standard Flags}. The standard flags are those shown in the toolbar.
412 System flags are set by \vym to indicate e.g. that there is additional
413 information in a note (more on this in \ref{noteeditor}). Later versions
414 of \vym may have another kind of flags, which may be edited by the user.
416 \subsubsection*{Images}
417 The easiest way to add an image to a branch is by dragging it e.g. from a
418 webbrowser to the mapeditor while a branch is selected there.
420 You can also add an image to a branch by opening the context menu of the
421 branch. Right click the selected branch, choose "Add Image". A
422 dialog window enables you choose the image to load.
423 \footnote{Supported image types are: PNG, BMP, XBM, XPM and PNM. It may
424 also support JPEG, MNG and GIF, if specially configured during
425 compilation (as done when \vym is part of SUSE LINUX).}
426 While an image is selected in the dialog, a preview of the
427 image is displayed. It is also possible to select multiple images.
429 You can position the image anywhere you want, just drag it with left
430 mouse. To relink it to another branch, press \key{Shift} while moving
431 it. To delete it, press \key{Del}.
433 If you right-click onto an image, a context menu will open which let's
434 you first choose one of several image formats. Then a file dialog opens
437 Hint: This is used to "export" the image, it will be
438 saved anyway in the map itself! You can also cut and
439 copy images, but it is not possible to add objects to an image\footnote{
440 Images are regarded as "extra feature". It would make working with
441 the map much more complex if e.g. images could be linked to images.}
443 The option \lq{\bf Use for export} \rq controls the output of exports
444 e.g. to HTML: If set to no, the image won't appear in the {\em text}
445 part of the output. This is useful for large images or if images are
446 used as a kind of frame e.g. the famous cloud symbol around a part of
447 the map. Those shouldn't appear in the middle of the text.
449 At the moment image support is preliminary: Images will be saved
450 together with all the other data of a map in the {\tt .vym}-file.
451 Later versions will include more functionality like resizing the images,
452 changing its z-value (put it into background) etc.
454 \subsubsection*{Frames}
455 A frame can be added to a branch in the {\em property window} (see
457 Alternatively, you can use use images as frames. Have a look at the demo
458 map {\tt todo.vym} as an example, where the mapcenter is a cloud. You
459 can use an external drawing program like {\tt gimp} to create an image,
460 preferable with an transparency channel, so that you can design frames
461 which don't use a rectangular borderline, just like that cloud.
464 \subsection{Design of map background and connecting links }
465 The design of the background of a map and also of the links connecting
466 various parts of the map can be changed by
468 \item Selecting Format from the menu
469 \item Right clicking on the canvas, which will open a context menu
472 \subsubsection*{Background }
473 The colour is set (and also displayed) as "Set background colour".
474 Alternatevily you can set an background image, though this is not
475 recommended in general. Working on the map becomes slow and the image
476 currently cannot be positioned freely.
478 \subsubsection*{Link colour}
479 Links connecting branches can be coloured in one of two ways:
481 \item use the same colour for the heading and for the branch link line.
482 \item use {\em one} colour for all links and choose different colours for the branch headings text. The default colour for branch link lines is blue.
484 The latter can be set with "Set link colour". Check or uncheck the "Use
485 colour of heading for link" option to toggle between the two designs for
488 \subsubsection*{Link style}
489 \vym offers four different styles for the appearences of links:
496 The "thick" styles only apply to links starting at the mapcenter, link lines for the rest
497 of the map are always painted "thin".
500 \subsection{Links to other documents and webpages}
501 \vym supports two kind of external links:
503 \item Document, which will be opened in an external webbrowser
504 \item \vym map, which will be opened in \vym itself
506 In addition to the external links there also internal ones, leading from one
507 branch in a map to another one. Those are called {\em XLinks} and are explained
508 in section~\ref{xlinks}.
510 \subsubsection*{Webbrowser}
511 Modern Webbrowsers like {\tt konqueror and Firefox} are able to display various
512 types of files, both local or on the internet. To enter the URL of
513 any document, right-click onto a branch to open the contextmenu then choose "Edit URL". Enter the path to your document (or copy and paste it from your browser). Examples for valid paths are:
515 http://www.insilmaril.de/vym/index.html
516 file:/usr/share/doc/packages/vym/doc/vym.pdf
518 If an URL was entered, a little globe will appear in the branch. By
519 clicking on the globe in the toolbar or the context menu an external
521 The browser can be changed in the Settings Menu.}
524 \includegraphics[width=0.5cm]{images/flag-url.png}
526 For more information on working with bookmarks and webbrowsers see
527 section \ref{bookmarks}.
529 In the context menu there is also an option to open all URLs found
530 in the selected subtree of the map. That's useful to simultanously open
531 a collection of URLs in the webbrowser, especially if the browser can
532 open them in tabs (like Konqueror).
535 \subsubsection*{\vym map}
536 To link to to another map right click on a branch and choose "Edit \vym link". A file dialog opens where you can choose the map. A
537 branch with a link is marked with
539 \includegraphics[width=0.5cm]{images/flag-vymlink.png}
541 Clicking this flag beside the branch heading, in the toolbar or in the context menu of a branch will open the map in another tab (see \ref{tabs} for working with
542 multiple maps). To delete an existing link, just right click the branch and select "Delete \vym link".
544 In the context menu there is also an option to open all vymlinks found
545 in the selected subtree of the map. That's useful to simultanously open
546 a collection of related maps.
548 Technical note: Internally \vym uses absolute paths, to avoid opening
549 several tabs containing the same map. When a map is saved, this path is
550 converted to a relative one (e.g. {\tt /home/user/vym.map} might become
551 {\tt ./vym.map}. This makes it fairly easy to use multiple maps on
552 different computers or export them to HTML in future.
554 \subsection{Multiple maps} \label{tabs}
555 You can work on multiple maps at the same time. Each new map is opened
556 in another {\em tab}. The available tabs are shown just above the
557 mapeditor. You can use the normal cut/copy/paste functions to
558 copy data from one map to another.
563 %\subsubsection{Menus}
564 %\subsubsection{Keyboard shortcuts}
569 % Working with tabs (multiple maps)
573 \section{Noteeditor} \label {noteeditor}
574 If you want to attach more text to a branch e.g. a complete email, a
575 cooking recipe, or the whole source code of a software project, you can
578 \includegraphics[width=8cm]{images/noteeditor.png}
580 This editor displays text associated with a branch selected in the mapeditor. The noteeditor
581 shows different background colours depending on whether text is associated with a selected branch.
584 Before you can type or paste text into it, you have
585 to select a branch in the mapeditor. Note that the background colour
586 of the noteeditor indicates its state:
588 \item grey: no text entered yet
589 \item white: some text has been entered
591 In the mapeditor itself, to signal that there is a note with more
592 information for a particular branch, a little "note" flag will appear next
593 to the heading of the branch. This is illustrated in the lower branch on the right hand side:
595 \includegraphics[width=8cm]{images/branches-flags.png}
598 \subsection{Import and export notes}
599 The note is always saved automatically within the \vym map itself.
600 Nevertheless sometimes it is nice to import a note from an external file
601 or write it. In the Note Editor use "File\ra~Import" and "File\ra~Export" to do so.
603 \subsection{Edit and print note}
604 Editing works like in any simple texteditor, including undo and redo
605 functions. You can delete the complete note by clicking the
606 trashcan. Only the note itself is printed by clicking the printer icon.
608 \subsection{RichText: Colours, paragraphs and formatted text}
609 \vym supports formatted text (QT Rich Text) in the noteeditor since
610 version 1.4.7. Colours and text attributes (e.g. italic, bold) can be
611 set with the buttons above the text. The text itself is divided into
612 paragraphs. For each paragraph the format can be set (e.g. centered,
613 right). A paragraph is ended when a \key{Return} is entered. If you just
614 want to begin a new line, press \key{CTRL-Return}.
616 \subsection{Fonts and how to switch them quickly}
617 The noteeditor is designed to be used for simple notes, not really as a full
618 featured word processor. Because of many requests \vym supports
619 formatted text in the noteeditor\footnote{
620 \vym uses the QRichtText format, which is basically a subset of the
621 formatting provided in HTML.}
622 Two default fonts are supported which can be set in the Settings menu.
623 One is a fixed width font, the other has variable width. The fixed font
624 is usually used for emails, source code etc.\ while the variable font is
625 used for simple notes, where one doesn't need fixed character widths.
626 Both fonts can easily switched using the following symbol from the
629 \includegraphics[width=0.5cm]{images/formatfixedfont.png}
631 In the Settings menu both fonts can be set. The default font can also be toggled between the fixed and variable font by selecting or deselecting the "fixed font is default" menu item.
633 Additionally to the default fonts any font installed on your system can
634 be used. Please note, that the chosen font also will be used for HTML
635 exports, so if youy VYM mind map could ever be exported to a web or intranet page you should only use fonts which are available generally.
637 \subsection{Find text}
638 The noteeditor itself has no Find function, use Find in the mapeditor,
639 which will also search all notes (see \ref{findwindow}).
641 \subsection{Paste text into note editor}
642 Often you will paste text into the editor from another application e.g.
643 an email. Normally \vym will generate a new paragraph for each new line.
644 This usually is not what you want, so you can choose from the menu
647 \section{Hello world}
648 This section is about how \vym can interact with other applications.
649 Many applications can now read and write their data using XML, the
650 eXtensible Markup Language. \vym also uses XML to save its maps, see
651 \ref{fileformat} for a more detailed description.
653 So if you make use of another application that understands XML, chances are good that someone
654 could write import/export filters for \vym. Volunteers are always
657 \subsection{Import} \label{import}
659 \subsubsection*{KDE Bookmarks}
660 The integrated bookmark editor in KDE (Konqueror etc.) is somewhat limited, so why not
661 use \vym to maintain the bookmark mess? To create a new map containing
662 your current KDE bookmarks just choose
664 \item File \ra Import\ra KDE Bookmarks
667 \subsubsection*{Mind Manager}
668 \vym has currently a very basic import filter to convert maps created by
669 {\em Mind Manager}\footnote{Mind Manager is a commercial i.e. non free, software application by Mindjet for Windows and the Mac. Both names are registered trademarks by Mindjet. For more information see their website at
670 \href{http://mindjet.com}{http://mindjet.com}} into \vym maps. Notes and
671 pictures are not converted at the moment. You can import files with
673 \item File \ra Import\ra Mind Manager
677 \subsubsection*{Directory structure}
678 \vym can read a directory structure. This is mainly for
679 testing \vym e.g. to easily create huge maps used for benchmarks (yes,
680 there is still room to optimize \vym ;-)
685 \subsection{Export} \label{export}
687 Often you may not want to export the whole map, but just parts of it. For
688 example you may have additional info you want to talk about in a
689 presentation, while those parts should not be visible to the audience.
690 To achieve this you can "hide" parts of the map during exports by
691 setting the "hide in export" flag.
693 \includegraphics[width=0.5cm]{images/flag-hideexport.png}
695 You can toggle this flag in the toolbar or by pressing \key{H}.
696 Note that there is a global option in the settings menu to toggle the
697 use of this flag. By default the flag is enabled.
699 \subsubsection*{Open Office}
700 Open Office beginning with version~2 uses the so called "Open Document Format", which can be written by \vym. The options are
701 currently limited, but it possible to export presentations which can be
702 opened in Open Office Impress. By selecting
704 \item File \ra Export\ra Open Office
706 you get a file dialogue where you can choose the output file and the
709 \includegraphics[width=12cm]{images/export-oo.png}
711 The file types represent various templates, which can be created with
712 some manual work from an existing Open Office document. The structure of
713 \vym map is then inserted into a template.
714 There are some limitations at the moment:
716 \item \vym can't take care of page lengths, so you have to check and
717 probably reedit in Open Office to avoid text running over the end of
719 \item Images and flags are not used at the moment
720 \item Notes are just written as plain text, without RichText
721 \item The full range of templates are not available in all distributions.
723 Some of the templates make use of {\em sections} i.e sections insert the
724 headings of mainbranches as chapters for sections into the presentation.
726 \subsubsection*{Image}
727 \vym supports all image formats which are natively supported by the
729 BMP, JPEG, PBM, PGM, PNG, PPN, XPM, and XBM.
730 For use in websites and for sending images by email PNG is a good
731 recommodation regarding quality and size of the image. \vym uses QTs
732 default options for compressing the images.
734 \subsubsection*{ASCII}
735 Exporting an image as text is somewhat experimental at the moment. Later
736 this will probably be done using stylesheets. So the output may change in
737 future versions of \vym.
739 \subsubsection*{\LaTeX}
740 \vym can generate an input file for \LaTeX. Currently this is considered
741 as experimental, there are no options (yet).
744 \item File \ra Export\ra \LaTeX
746 you will be asked in a file dialog for the name of the output file. This
747 file may then be included in a \LaTeX document using command:
749 \include{inputfile.tex}
752 \subsubsection*{KDE Bookmarks}
753 \vym will overwrite the KDE bookmarks file and then try to notify
754 running Konquerors via DCOP of the changed file. \vym does not create a
757 \item File \ra Export \ra KDE Bookmarks
761 \subsubsection*{XHTML (Webpages)}
763 This is the format to use if you wish to create a webpage. To see an example
764 visit the \vym homepage:
765 \href{http://www.InSilmaril.de/vym}{www.InSilmaril.de/vym}
767 Some explanation on how this works:
768 Before a map is exported as XHTML, it will be first written as XML into a
769 directory (see \ref{xmlexport}). Then the external program {\tt
770 xsltproc}\footnote{On SUSE Linux and some other distributions {\tt xsltproc} is installed by
772 will be called to process the XML file and generate HTML code.
773 A dialog allows the user to set various options:
775 \item {\bf Include image:} If set, \vym will creat an image map at
776 the top of the HTML output. Clicking on a branch in the map will
777 jump to the corresponding section in the output.
779 \item {\bf Colored headings:}
780 If set to yes, \vym will colour the headings in the text part with the
781 same colours used in the \vym map.
782 \item {\bf Show Warnings:}
783 If set to yes, \vym will ask before overwriting data.
784 \item {\bf Show output:}
785 This is useful mainly for debugging. It will show how the processing of
786 the XML file works by calling the external {\tt xsltproc}.
788 Additionally the paths to the CSS and XSL stylesheets can be set. By
789 default on SUSE~Linux they will be in {\tt /usr/share/vym/styles}.
792 \subsubsection*{XML} \label{xmlexport}
793 The map is written into a directory both as an image and as an XML file. The
794 directory is set in a file dialog. If the directory is not empty, you
795 will be warned and offered choices if you are at risk of overwriting existing contents.
797 It is possible to export different maps into the same directory. Each
798 file generated will have the map's name as prefix, e.g. {\tt todo.vym}
799 becomes {\tt todo.xml}, {\tt todo.png}, {\tt todo-image-1.png} and so
800 on. This is useful if, for example, a website comprises several combined maps that have to be stored in the same directory.
802 \subsubsection*{Export a part of a map}
803 Select a branch you want to export together with its children, then open
804 the context menu and choose {\em Save Selection}. This will create a
805 file with the suffix {\tt .vyp}, which is an abbreviation for \lq vym
809 \section{Advanced Editing}
811 \subsection{Properties of an object}
812 For any branch you can open a satellite window (see \ref{satellite}):
813 the {\em property window}:
815 \includegraphics[width=8cm]{images/propwindow.png}
818 %FIXME create screenshot
819 %FIXME explain the tabs
823 \item Link (see \ref{hideunselected})
824 \item Layout (see \ref{incimg})
827 \subsection{Changing the history: Undo and Redo}
828 \vym keeps track of all changes done in a map. The default number of
829 changes which can be undone is~75. The complete history can be seen in
830 the {\em historywindow}:
832 \includegraphics[width=8cm]{images/historywindow.png}
833 \label{historywindow}
835 A single step back be undone or redone with \key{CTRL-Z} or \key{CTRL-Y},
836 or by using the buttons in the toolbar or the {\em historywindow}.
837 Inside the {\em historywindow}, you can click on a line to unwind all
838 actions done until that point in time -- or redo all changes by clicking
841 \subsection{Macros} \label{macros}
842 Macros have been added to \vym in version~1.9.0. Each function key
843 \key{F1} to \key{F12} holds a macro, which is executed on the current
844 selection if the key is pressed. The default macros change the colour of
845 a subtree or set the frame of a branch:
847 \includegraphics[width=8cm]{images/macros.png}
849 Each macro is a \vym script, which is executed when the associated key
850 is pressed. The default location of the scripts can be changed in the
851 Settings menu. More information on using scripts in \vym is found in
852 appendix~\ref{scripts}.
854 \subsection{Bookmarks} \label{bookmarks}
855 \subsubsection*{Open new tabs instead of new windows}
856 If you use konqueror as your browser, \vym will remember the konqueror session which
857 was opened first by \vym. You can also press \key{Ctrl} and click to
858 open the link in a new tab.
860 \vym can also open a new tab in Mozilla or Firefox using the remote
861 command\footnote{\href{http://www.mozilla.org/unix/remote.html}{http://www.mozilla.org/unix/remote.html}}
864 \subsubsection*{Drag and Drop}
865 If you want to keep bookmarks in a map, select a branch where you want
866 to add the bookmark, then simply drag the URL from your browser to the
867 map. Also you could use an existing heading as URL: Right click onto the
868 branch and select "Use heading for URL".
871 \subsubsection*{Directly access bookmark lists of a browser}
872 Please see the sections \ref{import} and \ref{export} about
873 Import and Export filters.
875 \subsubsection*{Special URLs}
876 \vym can turn an existing heading of a branch into an URL. Currently
877 this works for Bugentries in the Novell Bugtracking system: Open the
878 context menu of a branch (usually by right-clicking it) and select
880 \item Create URL to Bugzilla
882 The URL will be build from the number in the heading.
884 \subsection{Associating images with a branch} \label{incimg}
885 The default setting for an image is for it to float "freely". Images can be
886 positioned anywhere on the canvas, but may end up in the same place as other
887 parts of the map obscuring that part of the map.
889 The solution is to insert or include them "into" a branch. This can be done via
890 the property window (see \ref{propwindow}):
892 \item Include images horizontally
893 \item Include images vertically
895 The image is still positioned relative to its parent branch, but the
896 heading and border of the branch frame adapt to the floating image, see below:
898 \includegraphics[width=11cm]{images/includeImages.png}
901 \subsection{Modifier Modes}
902 Modifiers are for example the \key{Shift}- the \key{Ctrl}- ot the \key{Alt}-keys. When
903 pressed while applying mouse actions, they will cause \vym to use
904 a "modified" version of the action which usually would be done.
906 %\key{Ctrl} or \key{Alt}is pressed while releasing the branch, it will be
907 %added above/below the target, not as child of the target.
909 Without a modifier key pressed, the first mouse click on a branch just selects
910 it. For the behaviour of the \key{Ctrl} modifier there are several
911 options, which can be set from the modifier toolbar:
913 \includegraphics[width=3cm]{images/modmodes.png}
915 The default mode is to copy the colour from the clicked branch to the already
916 selected branch. The figure above shows the toolbar with the default modifier
917 selected. The second modifier
918 let's you easily copy a whole branch with a single click. The third
919 modifier lets you create links between branches called {\em xLinks}.
920 They will be explained in the next section \ref{xlinks}.
922 \subsection{Hide links of unselected objects} \label{hidelink}
923 Sometimes it would be useful to position a branch freely, just like a
924 mainbranch or an image. This is possible for all
925 branches, you can use a mainbranch and hide its connecting link to the
926 mapcenter or hide the link between a child branch and its parent. This can be used e.g. for legends or a collection of vymLinks
927 pointing to other maps:
929 \includegraphics[width=9cm]{images/hiddenlink.png}
931 To hide the link between a branch and its parent open the
932 \ref{propwindow} and check "Hide link if object is not selected" on
936 \subsection{XLinks} \label{xlinks}
937 So far all the data in the \vym map has been treelike. Using xLinks you
938 can link one branch to any other, just like attaching a rope between two
939 branches in a real tree. This is especially useful in complex maps,
940 where you want to have crossreferences which can not be displayed on the same
941 visible area of the {\em mapeditor} window. The following example map still fits on one screen, but shows how data can be crosslinked. In the graphics there is a link from a task (prepare a presentation) to general information:
943 \includegraphics[width=12cm]{images/xlink.png}
945 Note that a xLink which points to a branch that is not visible (because
946 it is scrolled), is just shown as a little horizontal arrow. In the
947 screenshot above have a look at the \lq Tuesday\rq\ branch.
949 \subsubsection*{Create a xLink}
950 Choose the link mode from the modifier toolbar (by clicking the toolbar icon or pressing
951 \key{L}). Select the branch, where the xLink should start. Press the
952 modifier key \key{Ctrl} and then click on the selected branch where the
953 link should start and drag the mouse pointer to the branch where the link is to end. (The link is drawn to follow the mouse pointer). When you release the mouse over a branch the xLink becomes permanent.
955 \subsubsection*{Modify or delete a xLink}
956 First select a branch at either end of the xLink. Then open the context
957 menu and select \lq Edit xLink\rq. A submenu contains all the xLinks of
958 the branch (if there are any). They are named like the branches, where
959 they end. Choose one and the xLink dialogue opens, where you can set
960 colour, width and also delete the xLink.
962 \subsubsection*{Follow a xLink}
963 In a complex \vym map it sometimes comes in handy to be able to jump to the other end
964 of a xLink. You can do this by opening the context menu of the branch
965 and clicking on \lq Goto xLink\rq and selecting the xLink you want to
970 \subsection{Adding and removing branches}
971 The context menu of a branch shows some more ways to add and delete data
972 e.g. you can delete a branch while keeping its children. The children become
973 linked to the parent of the previously removed branch.
974 Similar branches can be inserted into existing maps. For keyboard
975 shortcuts also have a look at the context menu.
977 \subsection{Adding a whole map or a part of a map}
978 Select a branch where you want to add a previously saved map ({\tt
979 .vym})or a part of a map ({\tt .vyp}) , then open the context menu and
980 choose {\em Add \ra Add Map (Insert)}. For the import you can choose
981 between {\em Add Map (Insert)} and {\em Add Map (Replace)}: The imported
982 data will be added after the selected branch.
984 \section{\vym on Mac OS X}
985 \subsection{Overview}
986 Basically there are two ways to run \vym on Macs:
987 \subsubsection*{QT Mac Edition:}
988 \vym here provides the well known Mac look and feel. \vym is
989 available as zipped Mac OS X application. It has been compiled and
990 tested in Mac~OS~10.3, but should also work on Tiger. It is using
991 the Mac version of Trolltechs QT library.
993 \vym can also be run using the Linux version, but then menus and
994 handling will also be those of the Linux version e.g. The menu bar
997 \subsection {Contextmenu and special keys}
998 Most Macs unfortunatly just have a single mouse button. In order to show
999 the context menu which usually would be opened with the right mouse
1000 button, you can click while pressing the \key{kommand}-key.
1002 Especially on Laptops some of the keys usually used on PC keyboards seem
1003 to be missing. The QT-Mac Edition of \vym has its own keyboard
1004 shortcuts. To find the shortcuts just have a look at all the menu
1005 entries, the shortcut is visible next to an entry. Toolbar buttons also
1006 may have shortcuts, just position the mouse pointer over a button and
1007 wait for the little help window to appear.
1009 \subsection {Viewing external links}
1010 \vym on Mac uses the system call {\tt /usr/bin/open} to view links.
1011 Mac~OS determines automatically if the link is a pdf or www page and
1012 opens the right browser.
1017 \section{\vym initialisation process and configuration}
1018 \subsection{Configuration file}
1019 On startup \vym will look for a configuration for user specific settings
1020 like window positions, toolbars etc. If this file does not already
1021 exist, it will be created. The file is located in the users home
1022 directory. The exact position depends on the platform:
1025 {\bf Platform} & {\bf Configuration file} \\ \hline
1026 Linux & {\tt $\sim$/.config/InSilmaril/vym.conf } \\
1027 Mac OS X & {\tt /Users/NAME/Library/Preferences/com.insilmaril.vym.plist } \\
1030 The file can be edited manually, or on Mac~OS~X with Property List
1031 Editor (installed with xtools).
1033 \subsection{Path to ressources}
1034 \vym will try to find its ressources (images, stylesheets, filters,
1035 etc.) in the following places:
1037 \item Path given by the environment variable {\tt VYMHOME}.
1038 \item If called with the local option (see \ref{options} below),
1039 \vym will look for its data in the current directory.
1040 \item {\tt /usr/share/vym}
1041 \item {\tt /usr/local/share/vym}
1044 \subsection{Command line options} \label{options}
1045 \vym has the following options:
1047 \begin{tabular}{cccp{8cm}}\\
1048 \bf Option & \bf Comment & \bf Argument & \bf Description \\ \hline
1049 v & version & & Show version and codename of \vym\\
1050 l & local & & Use local paths to stylesheets, translations, icons,
1051 etc. instead of system paths. Useful for testing\\
1052 h & help & & Show help\\
1053 r & run & filename & Run script\\
1054 q & quit & & Quit immediatly after startup. Useful for benchmarks.\\
1057 You can also give several filenames at the commandline to let \vym open
1058 several maps at once.
1061 \section{Scripts} \label{scripts}
1068 \section{Contributing to \vym}
1069 So far I'd say I have written 98\% of the code on my own. No surprise,
1070 that \vym exactly fits my own needs. Nevertheless I would like to
1071 encourage all users of \vym to contribute. Maybe not only with feature
1072 requests, but also with code, new import/export filters, translations
1073 etc. In this appendix I'll try to show how easy it is to expand the
1074 things you can do already with \vym. I really look forward to hear from
1077 \subsection{Getting help}
1079 \subsubsection*{Frequently asked questions}
1080 Please refer to the FAQ available on the \vym website:
1082 \href{http://www.InSilmaril.de/vym/faq.html}{http://www.InSilmaril.de/vym/faq.html}
1085 \subsubsection*{Mailinglists}
1086 There are two mailinglists: {\tt vym-forum} is the \vym users forum to
1087 discuss various questions, while {\tt vym-devel} is intended for people
1088 interested in contributing to \vym. You can view the archives and
1091 \href{https://sourceforge.net/mail/?group_id=127802}{https://sourceforge.net/mail/?group\_id=127802}
1094 \subsubsection*{Contacting the author}\label{author}
1095 Especially for support questions please try the mailinglists first. If
1096 everything else fails you can contact the author Uwe Drechsel at
1098 \href{mailto:vym@InSilmaril.de}{vym@InSilmaril.de}
1103 \subsection{How to report bugs}
1104 Though Sourceforge has its own bugreporting system, I'd rather prefer if
1105 you contact me directly (see \ref{author}) or even better: You can file
1106 a bugreport in Bugzilla, the bugtracking system of openSUSE:
1108 \href{http://en.opensuse.org/Submit_a_bug}{http://en.opensuse.org/Submit\_a\_bug}
1110 I build \vym regulary for openSUSE, so you may report it against a
1111 recent version there, even if you use another Operating System.
1112 Please don't forget to tell me what you are using:
1114 \item the exact steps needed to reproduce the bug
1115 \item the version and build date of \vym (see the Help \ra About
1117 \item hardware and Operating System
1120 \subsection{Compiling from the sources}
1121 \subsubsection{Getting the sources} \label{getsources}
1122 You find the latest version of \vym at the project site:
1124 \href{https://sourceforge.net/projects/vym/}{https://sourceforge.net/projects/vym/}
1126 There you can check them out of the source repository (CVS):\\
1129 cvs -d:pserver:anonymous@cvs.sf.net:/cvsroot/vym checkout code
1132 \subsubsection{The Qt toolkit}
1133 Qt is C++ toolkit for multiplatform GUI and application development. It
1134 provides single-source portability across MS~Windows, Mac~OS~X, Linux
1135 and all major commercial Unix variants. Qt is also available for
1136 embedded devices. Qt is a Trolltech product. For more information see
1138 \href{http://www.trolltech.com/qt/}{www.trolltech.com/qt}
1142 \subsubsection{Compiling \vym }
1143 Make sure you have installed your Qt environment properly, see the Qt
1144 documentation for details. You need to have the Qt command {\tt qmake}
1145 in your {\tt PATH}-environment, then run
1151 The last command {\tt make install} needs root-permissions. Of course it
1152 may be omitted, if you just want to test \vym.
1154 %\subsubsection*{Compiling \vym on Macs}
1157 \subsection{\vym file format} \label{fileformat}
1158 \vym maps usually have the suffix "{\tt .vym}" and represent a
1159 compressed archive of data. If you want to have a
1160 closer look into the data structure map called "mapname.vym",
1161 just uncompress the map manually using
1165 This will create directories named {\tt images} and {\tt flags} in your
1166 current directory and also the map itself, usually named {\tt
1168 The XML structure of \vym is pretty self explaining, just have a look at
1171 This XML file can be loaded directly into \vym, it does not have to be
1172 compressed. If you want to compress all the data yourself, use
1174 zip -r mapname.vym .
1176 to compress all data in your current directory.
1178 \subsection{New features}
1179 There are lots of features which might find their way into \vym.
1180 Together with \vym you should have received a directory with several
1181 maps e.g. on SUSE~LINUX this is
1183 {\tt /usr/share/doc/packages/vym/demos}
1185 where you find the map {\tt todo.vym}. It lists quite a lot of things to
1186 be done in future. If you have more ideas, contact the development team
1188 {\tt vym-devel@lists.sourceforge.net}.
1191 \subsection{New languages support}
1192 In order to add a new language to \vym you need
1193 the sources (see \ref{getsources}) and
1194 an installation of Trolltechs QT. A part of QT are the development
1195 tools, from those tools especially the translation tool "Linguist" is
1198 In some Linux distributions the development tools are in an extra package, e.g. on SUSE LINUX you should have installed:
1205 If you don't have QT in your system, you can get it from
1206 \href{http://www.trolltech.com}{http://www.trolltech.com} Once you
1207 are able to compile vym yourself, you can translate the text in vym
1208 itself by performing the following steps:
1210 \item Let's assume now your encoding is "NEW" instead of for example
1211 "de" for german or "en" for english
1213 \item Copy the file {\tt lang/vym\_en.ts} to l{\tt ang/vym\_NEW.ts} (The code
1214 itself contains the english version.)
1216 \item Add {\tt lang/vym\_NEW.ts} to the TRANSLATIONS section of vym.pro
1218 \item Run Linguist on {\tt vym\_NEW.ts} and do the translation
1220 \item Run {\tt lrelease} to create {\tt vym\_NEW.qm}
1222 \item Do a make install to install the new vym and check your translation
1225 If you feel brave, you can also translate the manual. It is written in
1226 LaTeX, you just have to change the file tex/vym.tex. (Linguist and QT
1227 are not needed, but it is useful to know how to work with LaTeX and esp.
1228 pdflatex to create the PDF.)
1230 Please mail me every translation you have done. I can also give you a
1231 developer access to the project, if you want to provide translations
1234 \subsection{New export/import filters}
1235 \vym supports various kinds of filters. Data can be written directly,
1236 inserted into templates or it can be written as XML data and then
1237 processed by XSL transformations.
1239 Most of the import/export functionality is available in the classes
1240 ImportBase and ExportBase and subclasses. All of them can be found in
1241 {\tt imports.h} and {\tt exports.h}.
1243 \subsubsection*{Direct import/export}
1244 An example for a direct export is the XML export. This method touches
1245 the implementation of nearly every object of \vym, so whenever possible
1246 you should better use a XSL transformation instead.
1248 If you still want to know how it is done, start looking at
1249 {\tt MapEditor::saveToDir} in {\tt mapeditor.cpp}.
1251 \subsubsection*{Templates}
1252 Templates have been introduced to export to opendoc format used e.g. by
1253 Open~Office. While I read the spec ($>$ 500 pages) about the format\footnote{
1254 \href{http://www.oasis-open.org/}{http://www.oasis-open.org/}}\
1255 I had the feeling that I did not want to write the export from scratch.
1256 It would be too complex to adapt the styles to your own wishes, e.g. the
1259 Instead I analyzed existing Open~Office documents. I found out that
1260 there are lots of redundant bits of information in a standard
1261 presentation, for example each list item is contained in its own list.
1262 In the end I came up with the default presentation style, which still
1263 could be simplified, just in case you have free time\ldots
1265 The existing templates are still work in progress, before you spend too
1266 much time developing your own style, please contact me. Basically the
1267 following steps are needed to build your own style:
1269 \item Create an example in Open Office. Use a title, authors name,
1270 page heading etc.\ which you can easily grep for in the output file.
1272 \item Unzip the Open Office document into a directory.
1274 \item The main file is called {\tt content.xml}. All data is in one
1275 single line. You can split the XML tags using the script {\tt
1276 scripts/niceXML}, which is part of the \vym distribution.
1278 \item Copy the output of {\tt niceXML} to {\tt
1279 content-template.xml}.
1281 \item Looking closer you will find lots of unused definitions, for
1282 example of styles. You can delete or simply ignore them.
1284 \item Try to find your title, authors name. \vym will replace the
1285 following strings while exporting:
1287 \begin{tabular}{lp{4cm}}
1288 {\tt <!-- INSERT TITLE -->} & title of map \\
1289 {\tt <!-- INSERT AUTHOR--> } & author \\
1290 {\tt <!-- INSERT COMMENT -->} & comment \\
1291 {\tt <!-- INSERT PAGES-->} & content of map \\
1294 The content itself is generated in a similar way by inserting lists
1295 into {\tt page-template}. Here the following substitutions are made:
1297 \begin{tabular}{lp{7cm}}
1298 {\tt <!-- INSERT PAGE HEADING-->} & heading of a page
1299 (mainbranch or child of mainbranch, depending on the use of
1301 {\tt <!-- INSERT LIST --> } & all childs of the branch above \\
1305 Currently images are exported and notes just will appear as text
1306 without formatting and colours.
1311 \subsubsection*{XSL Transformation}
1312 \vym uses XSL transformations while exporting (e.g. XHTML) and importing
1313 data (e.g. KDE bookmarks). There is a little code needed to provide the
1314 GUI, the rest is done using the {\tt .xsl} stylesheet and calling the
1315 {\tt xsltproc} processor, which is part of libxslt, the XSLT
1316 C library for GNOME.
1322 %\subsubsection{Menus}
1323 %\subsubsection{Keyboard shortcuts}
1324 %Where does vym save its settings? -> ~/.qt/vymrc