Tutorial 8 - Link Lines, Multiple Mind Maps and Hyperlinks

Link Lines

Link lines show a secondary association between branches. Seeing as Mind Maps are by definition always hierarchical, it is often useful to have a way of showing other associations, or showing associations between branches and attached shapes in a visual way.

 

In this case, let's make a link between "Should you inform anyone else of your action?" and "Watch for changes in attitudes and relationships".

 

1.Click on the Inset / Shape / Link Line option, and click and drag from the "Should you inform anyone else of your action?" branch to the "Watch for changes in attitudes and relationships" branch. Note that you can also connect to attached shapes if you so desire.

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2.Drag the handles of the Link Line to shape it so that it fits around the end of the branches instead of going over the top.
3.Now we will adjust the appearance of the link line - using the Shape Outline settings, change the line type to the last option - a long dash then two dots.
4.Increase the line weight to make it a bit bolder.
5.Now use the Format Shape link line option to add an arrow at the end of the line.

 

Your branches with the link lines should look something like this:

Step8-2

 

 

Mulitiple Mind Maps

Let's imagine that we want to add another Mind Map recording the results of our fact finding.

 

1.Click on the little + sign beside the Problem Resolution tab to add a blank Mind Map. If you want to use a tempate for your new map, click on the down arrow button to show the options and select a template for your new Mind Map.
2.For the moment we will create a blank Mind Map. Type in the title of this Mind Map as "Fact finding results". Notice that the name on the tab changes as you type in the Mind Map title.
3.Add some other branches with whatever information you like on them - it doesn't matter too much for this tutorial.
4.Now click on the Document View icon Step8-3 in the tab bar. This will show all the Mind Maps in the document, allowing you to select multiple Mind Maps at once and apply the Mind Map settings to them.
5.Control click to select both the Mind Maps

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6.Select a Background Style, say Joker, and see how it changes both Mind Maps.
7.Double-click on one of the Mind Maps to edit it.

 

Hyperlinks

We want to add a hyperlink from the first Mind Map we created to the title of the Fact finding results Mind Map, and another hyperlink to an internet resource.

 

1.Double-click on the "Fact finding results" Mind Map title to select all the text. Press Control+C to copy it all. This is so we get the text absolutely correct, punctuation and all.
2.Click on the Problem Resolution Mind Map tab to select that Mind Map.
3.Click on the Get the Facts branch to select it.
4.Choose the Insert / Hyperlink command. Change the hyperlink type to NovaMind file:

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5.Paste in the title you have copied from the other Map into the "Branch Name" field. We will not select a file because we want it to link within this document to the other Mind Map.
6.Close the panel, and you will see a hyperlink icon has now appeared on the Get the Facts branch.
7.Click on the hyperlink to follow it - you should be taken to the other Mind Map with your title selected.
8.Now we will create a hyperlink to a web site. Let's say that we are involved in police work, and need to use forensic psychology as a tool for getting the facts. So we will create a hyperlink to a Google search for relevant material.
9.Go back to the Problem Resolution Mind Map with the Get the Facts branch selected.
10.Add another hyperlink as before, but this time choose a URL type. In the Link to URL text field, paste the following URL:

http://www.google.com/search?q=forensic+psychology

11.Click the OK button to accept the URL.

 

The branch should now look something like this:

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Note that you can also drag hyperlink URLs directly from your web browser title bar. You can also drag files on to the hyperlinks panel and create file hyperlinks.