NovaMind 5.3 for Mac

We’re very excited to announce the immediate availability of NovaMind 5.3 for Mac.

You can get it either by clicking on the Download button on the NovaMind web site, or if you have NovaMind already installed, it should be available through the update system. If you purchased through the Apple Mac App Store, we have submitted the updated application for approval, and it should be available in a few days.

What’s New?

• A complete rewrite of the entire drawing system for NovaMind.
• Crisper looking topics and text in most circumstances.
• New animation system, which allows animated panning, zooming, collapsing and expanding topics, grouping, ungrouping, expanding, collapsing, focussing on a topic, addition and deletion of topics, moving topics, grafting, layout angle changes etc. All of these actions and many more are now smoothly animated, with some of the animations being simple fade in and out, some being the movement of topics, and some being collapsing into a parent topic or expanding from a parent topic.
• More efficient drawing to improve performance of the program.
• New Enter Full Screen Mode menu item and shortcut.
• Better handling of topic resizing, text editing of topics on the left side of the Mind Map, and related issues.
• Better handling of keeping topics scrolled to be visible when they should be.
• Full support of gradients, shadows, and reflections for printing and export.
• Full translucency support for printing and export, including gradients with translucent colors, and the glassy overlays.
• Inline hyperlinks on topic text are now preserved live (clickable) in PDF exports.
• Completely reworked glassy overlay drawing so it looks good no matter how much you zoom in.
• Completely reworked image export system to give better results and crisper images.
• Added the ability to hold the option key while dragging a color on to a topic to change the line color instead of the fill color.
• Completely reworked printing system to work in with the new display system.
• Improved loading of documents, with animation of topics from the Mind Map title.
• Improved the handling of pasted rich text to extract the structure from paragraph indents where no structure is found from leading spaces. Updated the documentation to explain this in detail.
• Improved handling of addition and removal of Mind Maps in a document.
• Better drawing of shadows and updating of shadows when edited.
• Reduced memory usage, especially when handling images.
• Switched to a better method of drawing gradients.
• Updated text rendering to work better with 10.8.
• Improved handling of movement of link lines when their parent topics are moved.
• Fixed a problem where sometimes if you had an inline image in text it would draw upside down.
• Improved the handling of animation of changes in scale.
• Switched to a new version of the Sparkle update framework.
• Made performance improvements to text editing.
• Fixed a major performance issue which could happen when pasting or grafting a topic which had already been pasted or grafted.
• Fixed a performance issue on selection change when there are resources defined on the Mind Map.
• Improved the creation of theme preview images.
• Improved handling of image and adornment drag and drop.
• Better handling of pinch zoom operations, and animated zooming using the zoom menu and hotkeys.
• Improved handling of color updates and automatic coloring.
• Made the inheritance of topic shapes more efficient in some circumstances.
• Improved the topic resizing when adding or removing elements like task information and checkboxes.
• Improved the drawing of background texture images.
• Numerous other small enhancements throughout the program.

This has been a massive development effort, so we hope you enjoy all the many improvements throughout the application.

NovaMind 5.3 for Mac

We’re very excited to announce that we have just entered public beta testing of the next significant update of NovaMind 5 for Mac.

What’s New?

• A complete rewrite of the entire drawing system for NovaMind.
• Crisper looking topics and text in most circumstances.
• New animation system, which allows animated panning, zooming, collapsing and expanding topics, grouping, ungrouping, expanding, collapsing, focussing on a topic, addition and deletion of topics, moving topics, grafting, layout angle changes etc. All of these actions and many more are now smoothly animated, with some of the animations being simple fade in and out, some being the movement of topics, and some being collapsing into a parent topic or expanding from a parent topic.
• More efficient drawing to improve performance of the program.
• Better handling of topic resizing, text editing of topics on the left side of the Mind Map, and related issues.
• Better handling of keeping topics scrolled to be visible when they should be.
• Full support of gradients, shadows, and reflections for printing and export.
• Full translucency support for printing and export, including gradients with translucent colors, and the glassy overlays.
• Inline hyperlinks on topic text are now preserved live (clickable) in PDF exports.
• Completely reworked glassy overlay drawing so it looks good no matter how much you zoom in.
• Completely reworked image export system to give better results and crisper images.
• Completely reworked printing system to work in with the new display system.
• Improved loading of documents, with animation of topics from the Mind Map title.
• Improved handling of addition and removal of Mind Maps in a document.
• Improved handling of movement of link lines when their parent topics are moved.
• Fixed a problem where sometimes if you had an inline image in text it would draw upside down.
• Made performance improvements to text editing.
• Fixed a major performance issue which could happen when pasting or grafting a topic which had already been pasted or grafted.
• Improved the creation of theme preview images.
• Improved handling of image and adornment drag and drop.
• Better handling of pinch zoom operations, and animated zooming using the zoom menu and hotkeys.
• Improved handling of color updates and automatic coloring.
• Improved the topic resizing when adding or removing elements like task information and checkboxes.
• Improved the drawing of background texture images.
• Numerous other small enhancements throughout the program.

This is a huge update that we have been working towards for a very long time – we spent at least 6 months trying to work through an animation issue with Apple. In the end we had to create our own animation system, but now we have that in place, we can easily utilize it for whatever purposes we need within the application.

How do I get it?

You can download it from here: http://downloads.novamind.com/novamind5/mac/NovaMind530b6.dmg

You must be running MacOS X 10.6 or later to use the new version.

FAQ

Q: I’m scared of beta releases – will I get automatically notified when this is released?
A: Yes, it will be released through the normal update channels. You will not be bothered with notifications about updated beta releases.

Q: Why are you doing this beta thing instead of just releasing the software already?
A: This is a completely new display system using different technologies than what we have used before, as well as a completely new animation system, image export system, and printing system. While we have done our best to test these new features internally, the nature of the changes mean that we need to make sure it runs properly on all hardware variations, and that we haven’t missed any significant bugs before doing a full release. This way, people can decide whether they are interested in working with the beta, or just want to wait for the final release.

Q: When will v5.3.0 final release be ready?
A: When it’s ready We can not predict how long the beta program will take, but we are keen to get it completed ASAP so we can move on to the next set of enhancements.

Q: I purchased NovaMind through the Mac App Store – can I be part of the beta program?
A: When you purchase through the Mac App Store, you do not receive a license key, so if you download NovaMind, it will run in 30 day trial mode, and then as a viewer only.

Q: Will this replace my copy of NovaMind that I already have installed?
A: Yes, if you purchased directly from us (as opposed to from the Mac App Store), and drag it to your applications folder. If you do not want to replace your current copy of NovaMind, you can put it in a different folder. If you purchased from the Mac App Store, the application name is different in your Applications folder, so installing this beta would not replace it.

Q: If I replace my copy of NovaMind, but then find an issue that means that I need to go back to the released version, how do I do that?
A: You would just download the latest release from the NovaMind web site and replace the beta with the one you download.

Q: Can I run both the older released version of NovaMind and the beta version at the same time?
A: No. You can have them both installed at the same time, but if you want to switch between one and the other, please quit one before starting the other. If you don’t do this, NovaMind could get confused about autosave and which documents are open.

Q: What do I do if I find a problem in the beta?
A: Use the normal options – either using the Send Feedback, Report a Defect menu items, or the crash reporter. Please ensure that your email address is correct in the error reporter so we can contact you if we need further information.

Q: How will I know if there is an updated beta available?
A: The normal update checking will show you updates to the beta release when you are running a beta release.

Q: If I am running the beta release, how will I know when the final release of v5.3.0 is available?
A: You will be notified through the normal update mechanism.

Q: I like the cool animations – can I slow them down so I can see them better?
A: Yes, but you will need to use the Terminal application to do so – here are the instructions:

1. Open /Applications/Utilities/Terminal.app
2. Paste in the following command:
   defaults write com.novamind.novamind5 AnimationDuration 3.0
3. Press Return (this will change the animation from the default 0.25s to 3.0s – use a different number if you want…).
4. Quit and restart NovaMind 5.3.

To return NovaMind to the default animation timing:

1. Open /Applications/Utilities/Terminal.app
2. Paste in the following command:
   defaults remove com.novamind.novamind5 AnimationDuration
3. Press Return.
4. Quit and restart NovaMind 5.3.

Q: I’m waiting for feature “X” to be implemented, when will it be available?
A: We do not comment about unreleased features and when they may be available. We are working very hard to improve NovaMind as quickly as possible, and the latest enhancements are a huge step towards our upcoming enhancements that we are working on. They give us a much better framework to work on both now and in the future.

Q: What if I have other questions about the beta?
A: Please send your queries to support@novamind.com

We hope you enjoy the updates we have included in this release of NovaMind.

NovaMind software are pleased to announce the immediate availability of NovaMind 5 in French.

With this release, NovaMind 5 for Mac is now available in English, French, Spanish, and German, and NovaMind 5 for Windows is available in English, French, Spanish, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese and German.

The updated release is available immediately through the download link on the NovaMind web site, or through the normal update mechanism for customers who have purchased through the NovaMind online store (either Windows or Mac), and will be available for Mac App Store customers as soon as it has gone through the Apple approval procedures.

The latest release of NovaMind 5 for Mac has been updated with new editing capabilities, which will make it much faster to create Mind Maps when the content comes from other documents.

These are represented in the new Paste Special menu.

Pasting text into a topic that you are not editing

In the Paste Special menu, there are two options that allow you to replace the title of the topic with text that you are pasting, while not in editing mode for the topic: Paste Text as Topic Title replaces the text on the topic with the text on the clipboard, using the default formatting. This is the recommended method, since you get all the NovaMind formatting from the theme, as well as automatic text colouring. Paste Formatted Text as Topic Title pastes the text as the title of the topic, using the formatting of the text that you are pasting. This is useful if you have specific formatting requirements and want to override the default formatting.

Creating topics by copy and paste of text

In the Paste Special menu, there are four options which allow you to add multiple subtopics at once by pasting text. For all of the options, the general processing is the same: For each line in the text that is being pasted, NovaMind will create a topic. If the text is indented, NovaMind will automatically create it as a subtopic, so you can format text to be multiple topics and multiple levels of subtopics. Text can be indented using spaces or tabs. The options are as follows:

• Paste Text as Subtopics: This creates a new subtopic for each pasted line, and subtopics from there for any indented lines. The text is formatted using the default formatting, so you get the full benefit of the themes, automatic coloring etc.
• Paste Text as Callouts: This creates a new callout for each pasted line, and subtopics from there for any indented lines. The text is formatted using the default formatting, so you get the full benefit of the themes, automatic coloring etc.
• Paste Formatted Text as Subtopics: This is the same as Paste Text as Subtopics, except that the text on the topics is formatted according to the pasted text. This means that you don’t get the benefits of the themes and automatic coloring, but do have text that looks exactly as in your other application where it was copied from.
• Paste Formatted Text as Callouts: This is the same as Paste Text as Callouts, except that the text on the topics is formatted according to the pasted text. This means that you don’t get the benefits of the themes and automatic coloring, but do have text that looks exactly as in your other application where it was copied from.

In addition, recent releases have been progressively refining the editing experience with new and improved capabilities such as:

• Made it so new link lines are selected ready for immediate editing.
• Improved the way selections are handled after paste operations.
• Made the undo and redo of text editing operations maintain topics in editing mode where appropriate.
• Made it possible to add, edit, and remove resources even if there is no topic selected (Platinum edition).
• Made it so that pressing Escape while editing the size of topic parts (e.g. images) returns the selection to the topic.
• Improved the handling of copy and paste of topics with inline images in the text.
• Made it so that if you are editing a topic and paste copied topics or a copied Mind Map, it pastes the Mind Map / topics rather than the text outline.
• Added the ability to use translucent themed colors.
• Updated the color wells so they work out whether to apply a transparency to a previously selected themed color or use a custom color.
• Made the color array automatic coloring mode user interface easier to understand.
• Made it so that if you try to undo while in the middle of an image add operation, it just cancels the add operation.
• Made it possible to copy and paste image filenames on to topics.
• Made it possible to copy and paste image URLs on to topics.
• Made the resource editor so that it saves the current edits when you manually add another resource (Platinum edition).
• Made the resource editor so that it automatically puts you into editing mode on a newly added resource’s name (Platinum edition).
• Added the ability to drag on colors and themed colors to set the fill color of topics.
• Changed topic editing so that when you switch to another application and back again, you are still editing.
• Added the ability to switch to a different Mind Map on initial activation (Pro and Platinum).
• Added the ability to switch to a different Mind Map in a document with a single click even when editing text (Pro and Platinum).
• Added all the paste options including Paste Special options to the Mind Map context menu.
• Made it so dragging on a file and hyperlinking to it uses the file name without the full path as the display name.
• Made it so double or triple clicking on a different topic when you are already editing a topic will select the word/paragraph under the cursor.
• Changed the topic and Mind Map copy operations so that they put rich text on the clipboard for a better paste experience in other applications.
• Added an optional toolbar item for creating link lines, for those who work with them a lot.
• Made the topic being edited retain its editing status when dragging text within the topic.
• Made is so that you can drag a color onto either a line topic or a link line to change the stroke color.
• Improved the behavior of topic insertion when the Mind Map title is selected.
• Updated the default shortcut keys for switching between editing topics and notes in the German localization to be Command+# and Shift+Command+# to work better with German keyboards.
• Made using the resize handles to resize a topic while it is being edited retain editing status, and retain text selection.
• Improved the behavior of grafting and moving topics that are being edited.

The updated release is available immediately through the download link on the NovaMind web site, or through the normal update mechanism for customers who have purchased through the NovaMind online store. For customers who purchased through the Apple Mac App Store, it has been submitted and will be available as soon as it has gone through the Apple approval procedures.

NovaMind software are pleased to announce the immediate availability of NovaMind 5 in German.

With this release, NovaMind 5 for Mac is now available in English, Spanish, and German.

The updated release is available immediately through the download link on the NovaMind web site, or through the normal update mechanism for customers who have purchased through the NovaMind online store, and will be available for Mac App Store customers as soon as it has gone through the Apple approval procedures.

We are pleased to announce the immediate availability of and update of NovaMind 5 for MacOS X 10.5 (Leopard).

We have back-ported most of the enhancements made to the current releases of NovaMind 5 that run on 10.6 (Snow Leopard) and 10.7 (Lion) to run on 10.5. This means that the latest update has over 280 enhancements compared with the previous version.

Note that due to a problem with the updater, if you are running version 5.0.8, the check for updates will not show the new version as being available. Please click the button below to download the new version, and replace the copy you already have installed. Click here to see the details of the update.

NOTE: This is only for people using MacOS X 10.5 (Leopard). If you are using MacOS X 10.6 or later, do not download this release!

End of Life Notice for NovaMind 5 for MacOS X 10.5

Before the initial release of NovaMind 4, we announced that we would not be updating the version that runs on 10.5 beyond the first few releases, and would not be adding any new functionality. We have gone further than that and incorporated some significant improvements, back-porting them to the 10.5 compatible version, but now it is time to put the 10.5 release behind us and concentrate our efforts firmly on newer technologies.

If you are still using NovaMind 5 on 10.5, we will still provide support, but we do not anticipate releasing any further bug fix updates unless there is something significant that needs to be addressed, and we will not be adding any further new functionality to the application. To get the latest updates and new features, you will need to switch to a more modern operating system, preferably Lion.

We are very pleased to announce that NovaMind 5 is now available through Apple’s Mac App Store! The Mac App Store is the a convenient way to buy NovaMind, letting you purchase, download, and install it with just one step, and easily update NovaMind at the same time as you update other apps you’ve purchased from the the store.

But to be clear, the Mac App Store is not the only way to buy our software: we’ll continue to offer direct sales and updates through our own website as well. Through our website, we can offer much more flexible terms and options: trial downloads, upgrade pricing, and discounts for volume, bundle, and educational purchases.

No matter which way you buy our software, you’ll be getting the same product: NovaMind is exactly the same program, no matter whether you purchase it from the Mac App Store, or through the NovaMind online store (except for a few minor changes made to work with the store). We’ll also keep future updates to our apps in sync as closely as possible. Copies of NovaMind you’ve purchased directly through us will continue to update themselves as they always have, while Mac App Store updates will appear on the App Store (after a slight delay due to the App Store’s review process). And either way, you’ll have the same great support from our team here at NovaMind.

Here are links to each of the editions in the Mac App Store:

• NovaMind 5 Platinum
• NovaMind 5 Pro
• NovaMind 5 Express
• NovaMind 5 Free Edition

FAQ:

Here are a few questions you may be wondering about:

• Does this mean that I can run NovaMind on my iPad?
  No, this is still the Mac application – just another way we can provide it to customers. We have not announced an iPad compatible version of NovaMind.
  
  
• Why is it just “NovaMind 5″ when I download it from NovaMind, but on the App Store, it is “NovaMind 5 Express”, “NovaMind 5 Pro”, or “NovaMind 5 Platinum”?
  When you purchase from the NovaMind online store, the license key you enter makes it into the edition you purchased (Express, Pro, or Platinum). The versions on the Mac App Store are already in effect “pre-licensed” to be a certain edition.
  
  
• Why doesn’t the Mac App Store recognize that I’ve already purchased NovaMind?
  The Mac App Store only supports software which you’ve purchased directly from it, but for some other software, you may have noticed that the Mac App Store says that it is already installed (you still don’t get updates through the App Store – it just says it is installed, to help prevent people re-purchasing software they already have). Apple does this by looking at the “bundle identifier” and application version number of the software. Since we have to have different bundle identifiers for the different editions of NovaMind that are in the Mac App Store, copies of NovaMind bought outside the Mac App Store will never be recognized as installed by the Mac App Store.
  
  
• Why are the prices different on the Mac App Store as compared with the NovaMind online store?
  If you are purchasing in USD, you will see that the prices are almost identical (within 99c). Apple sets their pricing in “tiers”, so we chose the closest one for each edition. In other currencies, Apple prices these tiers according to their own methods. We use the exchange rates provided by our payment processor. As the value of currencies fluctuate, and depending when each company updates their exchange rate calculation, the price will vary. Sometimes it might be slightly cheaper on the Mac App Store, and sometimes it may be slightly cheaper on the NovaMind online store. Feel free to buy it from the place that suits you best.
  
  
• Does your money back guarantee apply if I purchase NovaMind from the Mac App Store?
  Apple’s support pages say “If you experience a technical issue with an app, first contact the developer of the app for assistance. Their support contact information can be found on the app’s page in the Mac App Store. If that does not resolve the issue, contact Mac App Store Customer Support.” The word on the street is that it is only under exceptional conditions that Apple would ever provide any refund. However, we take customer satisfaction very seriously, and if you find that NovaMind does not meet your needs, and we have been unable to resolve any issues, we will honor our own guarantee. Note that this means that we never get back the 30% commission that Apple have taken, so please do not treat this as a trial period. If you need to know whether NovaMind does what you need it to do before purchasing, please download our trial from the web site, or the free edition from the App store. If you have used the trial from our web site and then decide to purchase through the Mac App Store, then you can just delete the copy of NovaMind you have downloaded, and go ahead and make your purchase from the Mac App Store.
  
  
• What happens about upgrades?
  As always, minor updates are free, but major, full version updates (e.g. 5.x.x to 6.x.x) are paid upgrades. The Mac App Store has no provision for paid upgrades. This has caused a lot of headaches for developers, and many many emails to Apple saying that we need this capability. It is possible that Apple will heed this outcry from developers, and make provision for paid upgrades. If they do not, we plan to make some provision for people who have purchased through the Mac App Store to upgrade through our own online store. We sincerely hope that Apple will provide upgrade capabilities – and it’s in their best interests to do so, since they get a 30% commission on the upgrade prices, but Apple will do what Apple will do – we will do our best to look after you our customers.
  
  
• How does the licensing compare between the Mac App Store and software purchased directly from NovaMind?
  Software purchased from the Mac App Store is locked to your Apple Id, which you can have in use on multiple computers, so basically it’s locked to your use. Their licensing says “for personal, non-commercial use on any Apple-branded products running Mac OS X that you own or control”. We don’t know what they would do if they caught you using NovaMind for commercial purposes… When you purchase NovaMind from our online store, your license key can be installed on any of your computers so long as NovaMind is only physically in use on one machine at a time, so it’s a per concurrent user license. So, slight differences, but overall the same kind of thing. Oh, and you are allowed to use NovaMind for commercial purposes when you buy your license from us .
  
  
• Can I upgrade to a more advanced edition of NovaMind if I purchase through the Mac App Store?
  If you have a lower edition and want to upgrade to a higher edition (e.g. you have Express and want to upgrade to Platinum), you can not upgrade through the Mac App Store. If you are in this situation, please contact our sales team with proof of purchase, and we can provide a method of upgrading in our online store. Of course, if you do this, you are out of the Apple eco-system. Sorry it has to be this way, but their facilities don’t allow for upgrades either to another product or for major releases.
  
  
• Can I get an educational or crossgrade discount when I purchase through the Mac App Store?
  No, if you are eligible for either of these discounts, you will need to apply for the coupon and purchase through the NovaMind online store.
  
  
• What if I want a license for multiple users?
  The Mac App Store licenses are single user licenses as per the licensing information above. If you want a multi-user license, you will need to purchase it through the NovaMind online store. Volume discounts start at 5 user licenses.
  
  

If you have any questions that are not already asked and answered here, please contact our sales team at sales@novamind.com.

We are delighted to announce the immediate availability of NovaMind 5.2 for Mac. This release brings a wide range of behind the scenes improvements, and some user-visible changes.

The biggest single change is the complete replacement of the data layer of the application with a new one that is designed to be faster, more stable, and easier to maintain. During the course of the development of the new data layer, we have been encouraged to find out how easy it was to track down and correct issues, in comparison to the old framework, where we were often unable to reproduce issues, which made them very difficult to fix.

You can get the new version either by clicking the Download button on the NovaMind web site, or if you already have NovaMind 5 installed, it will automatically be found by the update system. This update is currently only available for NovaMind 5 when running on MacOS X 10.6 and 10.7

Although there are hundreds of improvements throughout the application, here are some of the main new features, improvements, and bug fixes:

• Concurrent document opening on OSX 10.6 and 10.7 – this means that NovaMind can be opening multiple documents at the same time, and present them to you as they each become available, without holding you up from working.
• Native autosave system – we can now work with the system native autosave system without having to use the one we wrote, right back to OSX 10.5. This means that when you drag a file from the title bar, it will be the one you expect, instead of the one we had to hide away in a working folder, and all the operating system level operations for automatically opening autosaved files etc work as they would for other applications.
• Dynamic autosave delay in OSX 10.7, so that the autosave adjusts to how long it took last time automatically.
• Asynchronous file writing in OSX 10.7 – this means that when either you save a file or the autosave system saves a file, it will return control to you as soon as physically possible (in most cases instantaneously), while the program goes on and saves the file in the background.
• Significantly improved error reporting – this means that we are much more likely to be able to find and fix a problem from the very first report.
• Improved performance on the updates of the inspectors.
• Improved performance for all editing operations.
• Improved handling of undo and redo.
• Additional tweaks to work more nicely with some of the new features of Mac OS X 10.7 Lion.

From the change logs, here is a bit more detailed information about some of the changes:

Release 5.2.0 Released: Sat, 14 Jan 2012
	Implemented concurrent opening of multiple documents on 106 and 10.7.
	Dynamic autosave delay in 10.7.
	Implemented asynchronous file saving in 10.7, with almost immediate return to user control.
	Moved to ordered arrays throughout the program instead of trying to manage index attributes.
	Made the inspector update more robust when there is no currently selected Mind Map.
	Changed to a newer API for save and open panel file types.
	Made it so new link lines are initially selected.
	Switched to the operating system supplied autosave mechanism on 10.5 and 10.6.
	Put in better handling of printing errors.
	Updated the layout algorithm so that it is ready for handling FlexiTopics.
	Made the inspector system use a more efficient monitoring and update system.
	Switched to a more robust and quicker method of texture image drawing.
	Implemented an updated boundary lookup system to allow themes to define boundaries.
	Moved to an instant checking of topic node references from topics to avoid pre-save cleanups leaving a dirty document and extra undo action.
	Implemented completely new crash handler.
	Improved error handling throughout the application.
	Added the ability to tell the system that a topic’s text has been changed programmatically.
	Rewrote the entire resource manager.
	Bypassed an attempt at getting a value for key where we know we don’t have a value.
	Improved the handling of resource images.
	Added the ability for themes to have texture images in them.
	Cached loaded themes for instant access the first time.
	Progressively load and display themes the first time they are loaded.
	Improved error reporting on opening and exporting documents.
	Updates the selection more appropriately after paste.
	Updated the default theme.
	Completely rewrote the data layer of the application.
	Replaced the built in themes with better ones.
	Improved the iCal syncing on Lion so that it only happens on user-initiated save operations rather than autosaves.
	Fixed a problem where the resources folder could be created as a file instead of a folder, preventing saving of resources.
	Fixed a problem where outline numbers would not update correctly after a graft operation.
	Fixed a wide range of undo and redo issues.
	Fixed a problem where undoing and redoing shape changes would not update subtopics which inherit from it.
	Fixed a problem with preparing topic node view models for deletion.
	Fixed multiple issues with establishing and removing observations from the topic node view model.
	Fixed various issues with observations on text storage objects.
	Fixed various problems with equality testing.
	Made NovaMind able to open Mind Maps with FlexiTopics in them (displaying them as line topics).
	Fixed a problem where an already saved file did not get updated with the latest unsaved information before export.
	Fixed issues with working with Mac OS X 10.7 Lion versions system.
	Fixed a problem with the font set chooser that would result in an incorrect undo registration.
	Fixed a number of problems with loading and saving files.
	Fixed an issue with cursor setting while dragging adornments.
	Fixed an issue where an unsaved document would not be autosaved on 10.7 before export.
	Fixed a problem where changing themes would leave unused themes in the file.
	Fixed a memory management issue in the drawing system.
	Fixed some issues with grouping, inserting parent topics, and other structural changes, and undoing and redoing these operations.
	Fixed a problem where undoing or redoing insertion of a new Mind Map title would not update the tab properly.
	Fixed a problem reverting to the saved version of a file.
	Fixed some errors that could happen when quitting NovaMind with documents open.
	Refactored to remove the need for a separate tree ordered data object.
	Fixed a problem where the supporting files were not properly removed upon closing the document.
	Fixed some issues caused by unnecessary and incorrect grouping around undo operations.
	Made the text system notice pending topic deletion and remove itself as an observer.
	Fixed an issue that could sometimes happen where inspectors were still observing topics that were deleted.
	Removed the entirety of the old data layer, including cache nodes, atomic store, core data etc..
	Fixed some exception conditions when closing documents.
	Fixed up some selection handling issues and inspector update issues while deleting a map from a document.
	Fixed a crasher bug during colorwell updates when reverting or reloading a document.
	Fixed an issue where a resource could already have its content hash removed before being deregistered.
	Fixed a problem with key processing in the outline view.

We are very happy to announce the immediate availability of NovaMind 5.7. If you have NovaMind installed already, it should come through on the automatic update system, or you can download from the NovaMind web site.

Format Painter

One of the new features is the format painter. This allows you to quickly take the settings from one topic and paste them to another topic, or multiple other topics.

The format painter is on the home tab of the ribbon bar. To use the format painter:

1. Select the topic you want to copy the settings from
2. Click the format painter button
3. Click the topic you would like the formatting pasted to

If you want to copy the formatting of a topic to multiple topics:

1. Select the topic you want to copy the formatting from
2. Double-click the format painter button
3. Click on each of the topics you would like to paste to in turn
4. Click the format painter button again to turn it off

Color Set Editing

In the Pro and Platinum editions of NovaMind, you can create and edit color sets, so that you can change the colors of all the themed colors across the entire Mind Map in a single operation.

In the Map Design tab, you will see the colors option, under which you will see the color sets you have available. The built in color sets are ones that come with NovaMind. At the right side of each row, there is a button to allow you to create a new color set based on that color set. This will open up the color set editor like this:

You can click any of the colors to show the color selector, which allows you to use either a color triangle or RGB sliders to set the color. Once you have finished, save your color set, and you can select it from the colors menu.

Font Set Editing

The mechanism for editing the font sets is the same as for the color sets – just that you are working with fonts instead of colors. Note that the name of the fonts is based on their suggested use in themes – if you are using the theme editor to create or edit themes, we strongly recommend that you use these fonts in the way their name suggests. This will ensure a consistent and understandable experience when changing font sets later.

About The Update

This is a significant free update for NovaMind 5 users, and includes a wide range of new features and updates throughout. Here’s a list of the significant changes:

• New: FlexiTopics enabling more organic looking Mind Maps where text flows on a flexible line.
• New: Ability to set a custom default theme for new Mind Maps.
• New: Format painter to quickly re-use a style from a topic or shape.
• New: New Themes: NovaMind, Draft, Flexible Rainbow and Pinboard.
• New: Themes can now set background style, notes style and boundary styles.
• New: You can set an opacity of themed colors.
• Improved: Reworked built-in themes.
• Improved: Theme thumbnails no longer re-calculate when opening the theme gallery.
• Improved: The layout of topics which have a different layout orientation than their parent is now handled better.
• Improved: Added more keytips on the ribbon.
• Improved: Moved the Background drop down button in Map Design under the Fonts button to save space.
• Improved: When creating a new Mind Map from a topic, the new Mind Map uses the same theme as the source Mind Map.
• Changed: The ‘Default’ theme has been renamed to ‘Basic’.
• Fixed: Thumbnail images of Mind Maps are not saved correctly in file.
• Fixed: Flexible Line may jump while editing when the auto-save is performed.
• Fixed: Shape and color of attached shapes are reset when resetting a Mind Map to a theme.
• Fixed: Fill color is not set when setting a solid fill color via the Format ribbon tab on a topic which uses an advanced gradient.
• Fixed: Cannot see decimal value on outline stroke width slider.
• Fixed: Link line terminator scale settings of selected link lines reset to 20/20 when opening the format shape window.

NovaMind Pro and Platinum specific changes:

• New: Create your own Theme.
• New: Create your own Font Sets.
• New: Create your own Color Sets.
• New: Added support for importing relative hyperlinks from MindManager.
• Fixed: NovaMind 4 import did not import task data and checkboxes.
• Fixed: a rare error when importing iMindMap 5 files.

Platinum:

• Fixed: Exception in walk-through presentation when “auto collapse” is disabled and “visit all topic” is enabled.
• Fixed: In the presentation slide selector some slides show with a brown background color.

To our Mac users: This is not yet available on the Mac and we don’t have an ETA for this on the Mac yet but we will implement this on the Mac as well. Our Mac team has been very busy rewriting most of our data layer to crush some of the instability issues that have been affecting some users on the Mac.

Summary

NovaMind continues to improve, with the addition of a wide range of powerful features to help you to create great looking Mind Maps even more easily. We look forward to hearing your feedback on the new features.

We are very happy to announce the immediate availability of NovaMind 5.7. If you have NovaMind installed already, it should come through on the automatic update system, or you can download from the NovaMind web site.

About Themes

Themes set the overall look and feel of your Mind Maps. They define what types of topics will be added by default at different levels, what fonts and colors will be used, and are the canvas on which you build your Mind Map. Themes allow you to alter the overall look of a Mind Map in a single operation, setting colors, topic shapes, fonts etc, throughout your entire Mind Map, while still honoring any custom settings you have made.

No other Mind Mapping program has anything as powerful as the NovaMind theme system, and now we have made it better by adding new standard themes and a theme editor so that you can create your own themes (available in NovaMind Pro and Platinum).

Examples

Here are some examples created by taking the introductory Mind Map and applying different themes to it:

This uses the NovaMind theme.

This uses the Draft theme, which uses the new FlexiTopics throughout. See the separate blog post about FlexiTopics for more information.

This uses the Business theme, along with a grayscale color set.

This one uses the Corkboard theme.

Note that to get to any of these Mind Maps, there was no editing of the Mind Map itself – just changing the theme. This shows you the power of themes, and what you can do with the new standard themes.

Theme Sharing

In the Map Design tab of the ribbon bar, you can see all the available themes. Beside each of them is a little down arrow, which you can click on to show the available options. One of these options is to export the theme. When you use this option, the theme is saved and can be sent to someone else for them to use.

If you have created a theme which you think would be generally useful for other users, feel free to send it to NovaMind support, and we may be able to share themes with others where appropriate. Please ensure that only non-copyrighted images and generally available fonts are used.

At the right end of the themes gallery on the Map Design tab there is a down arrow with a line above it. Click on this to show all the themes, and the extra options. There you will see the option to import a theme. Select the theme file to import and it will be added to your gallery.

Favorite and Default themes

Themes are normally organized in alphabetical order, and the current theme is highlighted. If you have favorite themes you would like to appear before the other themes, then you can use the popup menu for the theme to mark a theme as a favorite.

When you create a new Mind Map, the default theme is used – you can use the popup menu for a theme to set it as the default. It will then have a checkmark towards the bottom left of the theme image so you can easily see which is the current default theme.

The Theme Editor

If you are using NovaMind Pro or Platinum, you can create your own themes using the theme editor.

You can create a theme either from the current Mind Map, or from an existing theme.

To create a theme from the current Mind Map, go to the Map Design tab and at the right end of the Themes gallery, you will see a down arrow with a line above it. Click it to show the options. You will see an option to create a new theme from the current Mind Map. NovaMind will take the first of each type of relevant attribute it comes to and use that for setting up a theme. You can edit it from there to adjust to the settings you want.

To edit an existing theme, find the theme in the themes gallery and click on the arrow button to the right of it to show the options. Choose the option to edit it.

How to edit the theme

In the theme editor, you have options as follows:

• Theme name: sets the name the theme will be saved as.
• Save…: save the theme you are editing.
• Colors: You can choose an existing color set, edit, or create your own color set.
• Fonts: You can choose an existing font set, edit, or create your own font set.
• Background: Gives access to all the standard background settings, including setting a texture image.
• Font Size: This allows you to easily make the font size bigger or smaller for the entire theme without having to go in to each item individually or selecting multiple items.
• Line Width: As for font size, this allows increasing or decreasing of the line width for all the items on the theme.
• Sub-topics settings: These are pretty self explanatory – the same as for editing a Mind Map.
• Shape settings: Again, these are pretty self explanatory, but please note that the settings for a theme apply to all the topics at that level, or of that type (for callouts or link lines or floating topics), so for instance, when you select a topic and change its shape, all the other topics at that level will change too.

You can also set the fonts and font sizes on the topics, though we recommend that you always stick with theme fonts (create your own font set if you need to), so that the Mind Maps change nicely when the users apply different font sets.

You can also add additional levels of subtopics if you want to set formats for deeper levels, or delete levels if you don’t want to define the theme beyond a certain level (subtopics will just inherit the settings).

If you need to access other tabs to do the editing, you can do so, and then either return to the Theme Editor tab, or click the Close Theme Editor button.

When you are finished editing, you can save your theme. Before you save, you will be able to see a preview Mind Map automatically generated from the theme, so you can double check that it is going to do what you want.

To our Mac users: This is not yet available on the Mac and we don’t have an ETA for this on the Mac yet but we will implement this on the Mac as well. Our Mac team has been very busy rewriting most of our data layer to crush some of the instability issues that have been affecting some users on the Mac.

Summary

NovaMind again brings the most powerful and useful tools to you, with the ability to create and edit your own themes, and share them with others. No other Mind Mapping application provides this power and flexibility. We look forward to hearing how you go with the theme editor.