Added dialog for HTML export. Grouping in Switchboard shortcuts
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44 \hypersetup{bookmarks, bookmarksopen,
45 pdftitle={VYM - a tool for visual thinking },
46 pdfauthor={Uwe Drechsel},
48 pdfkeywords={map, tool},
49 pdfpagemode={UseOutlines},
50 bookmarksopenlevel={1},
59 \includegraphics[width=8cm]{images/vym-logo-new.png}
61 VYM \\ -- \\View Your Mind\\ {\small Version 1.12.0}}
62 \author{\textcopyright Uwe Drechsel }
74 Many people have sent me their feedback and ideas, and all of that has
75 helped a lot to make \vym better. Thanks to all of you!
77 For this manual I would like to send some special thanks to
80 \item {\em Peter Adamson} for lots of feedback and proofreading of my
81 far from perfect english
82 \item The team of {\em AClibre (Academia y Conocimiento Libre)}
83 in Colombia for their translation of
84 the manual to spanish:
86 \begin{tabular}{|p{7cm}|p{5.5cm}|} \hline
87 Encargado & Actividad \\ \hline
89 \item Vanessa Carolina Guti\'errez Sanchez
90 \item Erika Tatiana Luque Melo
91 \item Jeffrey Steve Borb\'on Sanabria
92 \item John Edisson Ortiz Rom\'an
96 \item Revisi\'on y correcciones varias
97 \item Estructuraci\'on y exporte
98 \item Revisi\'on y correcciones varias
99 \end{itemize} \\ \hline
106 \section{Introduction}
107 \subsection{What is a \vym map?}
108 A \vym map (abbreviated below as {\em map}) is a tree-like structure:
109 \maximage{images/example1.png}
110 Such maps can be drawn by hand on a sheet of paper or flip chart and help to
111 structure your thoughts. While a tree like structure like the illustration above can be
112 drawn manually \vym offers much more features to work with such maps.
113 \vym is not just another drawing software application, but a tool to store and modify
114 information in an intuitive way. For example you can reorder parts of
115 the map by pressing a key or add various pieces of information like a complete
116 email by a simple mouse click.
118 Once you have finished collecting and organising your ideas, you can
119 easily generate a variety of outputs including for example a
120 presentation in Open~Office based on a {\em map}.
122 \hint{You find the map shown above and others by clicking \begin{center}Help \ra Open vym
123 examples\end{center} in the menu bar.}
125 \subsection{Why should I use {\em maps}? Time, Space and your Brain.}
126 \subsubsection*{Space}
127 A {\em map} can concentrate very complex content in a small space such as a
128 piece of paper. It helps to use both sides of your brain: the logical
129 side and also your creative side (e.g. by using pictures, colours and
130 keywords in a map, often called {\em anchors}). It is a technique to help
131 organize the way you think and stimulate your creativity: It can help you by developing, sorting and helping to memorise your ideas.
133 \subsubsection*{Time}
134 Because you just use keywords and drawings, it is much faster than good
135 old fashioned 'notes'. Your brain memorizes things by associating them with
136 other things -- a {\em map} makes use of those connections and stimulates
140 \subsubsection*{Your Brain}
141 In 1960 Prof. {\sc Roger Sperry} discovered that both hemispheres
142 of the human brain undertake different tasks (of course both of them
143 basically {\em can} do the same):
145 \begin{tabular}{|p{5.5cm}|p{5.5cm}|} \hline
146 Left side & Right side \\ \hline
148 \item verbal speech and writing
150 \item logical thinking
151 \item analysing and details
153 \item linear thinking
154 \item concept of time
158 \item visual thinking, day dreams
159 \item intuition and emotion
160 \item overview of things
162 \item art, music, dancing
163 \item non-linear thinking, connecting things
164 \item spatial awareness
165 \end{itemize} \\ \hline
168 In our science oriented western society we have learned to mainly rely on our
169 left side of the brain, the "rational" one. In other cultures, such as the native americans and other "old" cultures, the right
170 side is much more important. {\em Map} are just one way to stimulate the
171 other side and make use of additional resources we all have.
174 \subsection{Where could I use a {\em map}?}
175 Here are some examples, how you can use those {\em maps}
177 \item to prepare articles, papers, books, talks, \ldots
178 \item to sort complex data
179 \item to memorize facts, peoples names, vocabulary, \ldots
180 \item to sort emails, files and bookmarks on your computer
181 \item to moderate conferences
182 \item to brainstorm solutions to problems
183 \item to record the tasks when planning a project
186 \subsection{What you shouldn't do with a {\em map}...}
187 A {\em map} drawn by somebody shows the way that the author thinks. There is
188 no question of right or wrong in the way it is drawn, so there is no way to criticise
189 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.
191 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.
196 \subsection{Internet Ressources}
197 A good starting point to learn more about Mindmaps in general is Wikipedia:
200 \href{http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mind_map}{http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mind\_map}
202 \href{http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mindmap}{http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mindmap}
208 \section{The Concept of the \vym application}
209 %TODO may add a general introduction here...
210 \subsection{The Mainwindow and its satellites} \label{satellite}
211 \vym comes with several windows, the central one being the {\em
213 More windows, each having a special purpose, can be opened and arranged
214 around the mainwindow\footnote{
215 The advantage of having separate window instead of integrating them
216 in a combined workspace is flexibility in arranging the windows. For
217 example I usually have the {\em noteeditor} "behind" the {\em
218 mapeditor}. On Linux my windowmanager (KDE) allows me to enter text
219 into a small visible corner of the {\em noteeditor} withour clicking
220 the mouse button in it. I just push the mouse around to set the
221 window focus, a concept which is useful also working with
222 \href{http://www.gimp.org}{http://www.gimp.org}.
224 The image below shows the {\em mapeditor}
225 together with the often used {\em noteeditor}:
226 \maximage{images/windows.png}
227 Most of the time you will work in the {\em mapeditor} by just adding new
228 branches, moving around and reordering them. The various ways to do this
229 will be explained in \ref{mapeditor}. You can store additional
230 information e.g. the content of a email easily in a {\em branch}: Just
231 type or copy\&paste it into the {\em noteeditor}. Working with notes is
232 explained in \ref{noteeditor}
234 Here is a list of the available satellite windows:
236 \item Noteeditor (see \ref {noteeditor})
237 \item Historywindow (see \ref{historywindow})
238 \item Branch Property Window (see \ref{propwindow})
242 \subsection{Menus and Context menus}
243 At the top of each window you will find the menubar. The options provided there
244 are similar to those you are probably used to from other applications. Note that
245 many (and even more) options are available via {\em context menus}. Those
246 are available if you right-click onto an object in a map (on Mac~OS~X
249 \subsection{Toolbars}
250 The toolbars in the mainwindows give quick access to many functions and
251 also display the state of selected objects in the map. For example a
252 branch may show certain {\em flags}, the corresponding flags are also
255 \hint {You can reposition all toolbars by simply grabbing and
256 dragging them with the toolbar handle to a new position. For example you
257 can move the flags-toolbar from its original horizontal position on top
258 of the mapeditor to a vertical position on the right side. Or just
259 insert it again at its original position. Also hiding some of the
260 toolbars is possible by right-clicking on the toolbar handle.}
263 The {\em map} itself has always a {\em mapcenter}. The
264 mapcenter has {\em branches} radiating out from the centre just like the trunk
265 of a tree. Each branch in turn may have branches again.
266 \maximage{images/branches.png}
267 We will call a branch directly connected to the mapcenter a {\em
268 mainbranch}, because it determines the position of all its child
271 The mapcenter and the branches all have a {\em heading}. This is the
272 text you see in the mapeditor. Usually it should just be one or a few
273 key words, so that one can easily keep track of the whole map.
276 In the toolbar above the mapeditor you see various symbols.
277 \maximage{images/default-flags.png}
278 These are called {\em flags} and can be used to mark branches in the
279 {\em map}, e.g. if something is important or questionable.
280 There are also more flags set by \vym automatically to show additional
281 information, e.g. when a note is attached to a particular branch.
283 By default some of these flags are set exclusively e.g. when the
284 "thumb-up" flag is set, then the "thumb down" is reset and vice
285 versa. You can change this default behaviour in the settings menu (see
288 \section{Mapeditor} \label {mapeditor}
289 \subsection{Start a new map}
290 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
291 will just need the mapeditor.
293 Select the mapcenter "New map" in the middle of the mapeditor by
294 left-clicking with the mouse. It will be highlighted yellow to show that is
295 selected. There are several ways to add a new branch to the center:
297 \item Using the mouse: Open the context menu by clicking with the
298 right mouse button (CTRL-Click on Mac) onto the
299 mapcenter and choose Add \ra Add branch as child
300 \item Press \key{Ins} or \key{A}
302 A new branch will appear and you will be able to type the heading of the
303 branch. Finish adding the new branch by pressing \key{Enter}.
305 Sometimes it comes in handy to be able to add a new branch above or below the current
308 \item Use \key{Shift-A} to add a branch above the selected one or...
309 \item \key{Ctrl-A} to add one below.
312 possible to add a branch in such a way, that the current selection
313 becomes the child of the new branch, which is like inserting it {\em
314 before} the selection. This can be done using the context menu.
316 \hint{To delete a branch press \key{CTRL-X}. If enabled in the Settings
317 menu (see \ref{settings}), you can also use the \key{Del} key.}
319 \subsection{Navigate through a map}
320 \subsubsection*{Select branches}
321 To select branches you can use the left button of your mouse or also the
322 arrow keys. Depending on the {\em orientation} of a branch tap
323 \key{\la} or \key{\ra} to move nearer to the mapcenter or deeper
324 down into the branches. Within a set of branches, let's call them a
325 {\em subtree}, you can use \key{PgUp} and \key{PgDn} to go up and down. You can
326 also use \key{Home} and \key{End} to select the first and last branch.
329 \subsubsection*{Panning the view of a map}
330 While adding more and more branches the size of the map may become
331 larger than the mapeditor window. You can use the scrollbars on the
332 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
333 mouse pointer will change from an arrow to a hand, now move or drag the visible
334 map to show the desired part.
336 If you select branches using the arrow keys, the map will scroll
337 to ensure that the selected branch is always visible.
339 \subsubsection*{Zooming the view of a map}
340 Working with huge maps, the {\em zoom}-function comes in handy: You can
343 \item from the menu: View \ra Zoom in, View \ra Zoom out, View \ra reset Zoom.
344 \item the toolbar buttons
346 \includegraphics[width=3cm]{images/zoom-buttons.png}
349 Clicking the crossed magnifying lens icon will reset the zoomed view to its original size.
352 \subsubsection*{Find Function} \label{findwindow}
353 With huge maps there is the need to have a
354 find function. Choose Edit \ra Find to open the Find Window:
356 \includegraphics[width=6cm]{images/find-window.png}
358 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
359 fails, a short message "Nothing found" will appear for a few
360 seconds in the {\em statusbar} on the bottom of the mapeditor.
362 \subsubsection*{Keep the overview -- scroll a part of the map}
363 A very big subtree of a map e.g. a branch with hundreds of child branches would make
364 it very hard to keep an overview over the whole map. You can hide all
365 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
366 broadsheet newspaper. You can scroll or fold the paper to a small roll, leaving just
367 the headline visible.
369 To scroll or unscroll a branch and its children,
371 \item press the \key{S}
372 \item press the middle-mouse button or
373 \item choose the scroll icon from the toolbar.
375 If you select parts of a scrolled branch e.g. using the find function or
376 by using the arrow-keys, it will unscroll temporary. This is shown as a
377 scroll with a little hour glass. If the temporary unscrolled part is no
378 longer needed, it will be hidden again automatically. It is also
379 possible to unscroll all branches using "Edit\ra Unscroll all scrolled
382 You can also hide parts of the map while exporting it e.g. to a webpage
383 or a presentation, see \ref{hideexport} for details.
385 \subsection{Modify and move branches}
386 \subsubsection*{Modify the heading}
387 You can edit the heading by selecting the branch and then
389 \item pressing \key{Enter}
390 \item pressing \key{F2}
391 \item double-clicking with left mouse.
393 Just type the new heading (or edit the old one) and press \key{Enter}.
395 \subsubsection*{Move a branch}
396 The easiest way to move a branch is to select it with left-mouse and
397 drag it to the destination while keeping the mouse button pressed.
398 Depending on the branch it will be
400 \item moved to the destination or
401 \item {\em linked} to a new {\em parent} (mapcenter or branch)
403 If you drag the branch over another one or over the mapcenter, you will
404 notice that the link connecting it to the old parent will be changed to
405 lead to the new parent which is now under your mousepointer.
406 If you release the button now, the branch will be relinked.
408 If you release the button in the middle of nowhere, the result will
409 depend on the type of branch you are releasing:
411 \item A mainbranch is directly connected to the mapcenter.
412 It will stay on its new position.
413 \item An ordinary branch will "jump" back to its original position.
415 Thus you can easily rearrange the layout of the mainbranches to avoid
416 overlapping of their subtrees.
417 There is another convenient way to move branches, especially if you want
418 to {\em reorder} a subtree: You can move a branch up or down in a
421 \item pressing \key{\ua} and \key {\da}
422 \item selecting Edit \ra Move branch
423 \item clicking on the toolbar buttons:
425 \includegraphics[width=1.5cm]{images/move-buttons.png}
429 There is yet another way to move branches: If you press \key{Shift} or
430 \key{Ctrl} while moving with the mouse, the branch will be added above
431 or below the one the mouse pointer is over. This can also be used to reorder branches in a map.
433 \subsection{Colours and Images - Using the right side of your brain}
434 \subsubsection*{Change colour of a heading}
435 You can also use colours to add more information to a map, e.g. use
436 red, green and more colours to prioritize tasks. Again you can
438 \item use the menu and choose e.g Format \ra Set Color
439 \item use the toolbar
441 \includegraphics[width=3cm]{images/color-buttons.png}
444 The first button (black in the graphic above) shows the current colour.
445 Clicking on it let's you choose another colour. You can also "pick"
446 another colour by selecting a branch with the desired colour and using the
447 "pick colour" button. Both of the icons showing a palette actually apply
448 the current colour to the selected branch. While the first one just
449 colours the heading of the selection, the last one also colours all the
450 children of the selected branch.
453 A very useful function is the "copy colour" using the mouse: Select the
454 branch which should get the new colour, then press \key{Ctrl} and
455 simultanously click with left-mouse on another branch to copy its colour
456 to the first one. Here the children of the selection also will get the new
457 colour, if you just want to colour the selection itself, additionally
460 \subsubsection*{Use flags}
461 \vym provides various flags. They are usually displayed in the toolbar on top of the
462 mapeditor window. (Note: Like all toolbars you can also move them to the
463 left or the right side of the window or even detach them. Just grab the
464 very left "dotted" part of the toolbar with your left-mouse button.)
465 \maximage{images/default-flags.png}
466 If you have a branch selected, you can set any number of flags by
467 clicking them in the toolbar. The toolbar buttons change their state and
468 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.
470 At present \vym uses two kinds of flags: {\em System Flags} and {\em
471 Standard Flags}. The standard flags are those shown in the toolbar.
472 System flags are set by \vym to indicate e.g. that there is additional
473 information in a note (more on this in \ref{noteeditor}). Later versions
474 of \vym may have another kind of flags, which may be edited by the user.
476 \subsubsection*{Images}
477 The easiest way to add an image to a branch is by dragging it e.g. from a
478 webbrowser to the mapeditor while a branch is selected there.
480 You can also add an image to a branch by opening the context menu of the
481 branch. Right click the selected branch, choose "Add Image". A
482 dialog window enables you choose the image to load.
483 \footnote{Supported image types are: PNG, BMP, XBM, XPM and PNM. It may
484 also support JPEG, MNG and GIF, if specially configured during
485 compilation (as done when \vym is part of SUSE LINUX).}
486 While an image is selected in the dialog, a preview of the
487 image is displayed. It is also possible to select multiple images.
489 You can position the image anywhere you want, just drag it with left
490 mouse. To relink it to another branch, press \key{Shift} while moving
491 it. To delete it, press \key{Del}.
493 If you right-click onto an image, a context menu will open which let's
494 you first choose one of several image formats. Then a file dialog opens
497 Hint: This is used to "export" the image, it will be
498 saved anyway in the map itself! You can also cut and
499 copy images, but it is not possible to add objects to an image\footnote{
500 Images are regarded as "extra feature". It would make working with
501 the map much more complex if e.g. images could be linked to images.}
503 The option \lq{\bf Use for export} \rq controls the output of exports
504 e.g. to HTML: If set to no, the image won't appear in the {\em text}
505 part of the output. This is useful for large images or if images are
506 used as a kind of frame e.g. the famous cloud symbol around a part of
507 the map. Those shouldn't appear in the middle of the text.
509 At the moment image support is preliminary: Images will be saved
510 together with all the other data of a map in the {\tt .vym}-file.
511 Later versions will include more functionality like resizing the images,
512 changing its z-value (put it into background) etc.
514 \subsubsection*{Frames}
515 A frame can be added to a branch in the {\em property window} (see
517 Alternatively, you can use use images as frames. Have a look at the demo
518 map {\tt todo.vym} as an example, where the mapcenter is a cloud. You
519 can use an external drawing program like {\tt gimp} to create an image,
520 preferable with an transparency channel, so that you can design frames
521 which don't use a rectangular borderline, just like that cloud.
524 \subsection{Design of map background and connecting links }
525 The design of the background of a map and also of the links connecting
526 various parts of the map can be changed by
528 \item Selecting Format from the menu
529 \item Right clicking on the canvas, which will open a context menu
532 \subsubsection*{Background }
533 The colour is set (and also displayed) as "Set background colour".
534 Alternatevily you can set an background image, though this is not
535 recommended in general. Working on the map becomes slow and the image
536 currently cannot be positioned freely.
538 \subsubsection*{Link colour}
539 Links connecting branches can be coloured in one of two ways:
541 \item use the same colour for the heading and for the branch link line.
542 \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.
544 The latter can be set with "Set link colour". Check or uncheck the "Use
545 colour of heading for link" option to toggle between the two designs for
548 \subsubsection*{Link style}
549 \vym offers four different styles for the appearences of links:
556 The "thick" styles only apply to links starting at the mapcenter, link lines for the rest
557 of the map are always painted "thin".
560 \subsection{Links to other documents and webpages}
561 \vym supports two kind of external links:
563 \item Document, which will be opened in an external webbrowser
564 \item \vym map, which will be opened in \vym itself
566 In addition to the external links there also internal ones, leading from one
567 branch in a map to another one. Those are called {\em XLinks} and are explained
568 in section~\ref{xlinks}.
570 \subsubsection*{Webbrowser}
571 Modern Webbrowsers like {\tt konqueror and Firefox} are able to display various
572 types of files, both local or on the internet. To enter the URL of
573 any document, press \key{U} or right-click onto a branch to open the contextmenu then choose
574 "References\ra Edit URL". If you want to use a file dialog to
575 conveniently choose a local file you can use~\key{U}.
577 After an URL was entered, a little globe will appear in the branch. By
578 clicking on the globe in the toolbar or the context menu an external
580 The browser can be changed in the Settings Menu (see \ref{settings}).}
583 \includegraphics[width=0.5cm]{images/flag-url.png}
585 For more information on working with bookmarks and webbrowsers see
586 section \ref{bookmarks}.
588 In the context menu there is also an option to open all URLs found
589 in the selected subtree of the map. That's useful to simultanously open
590 a collection of URLs in the webbrowser, especially if the browser can
591 open them in tabs (like Konqueror).
594 \subsubsection*{\vym map}
595 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
596 branch with a link is marked with
598 \includegraphics[width=0.5cm]{images/flag-vymlink.png}
600 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
601 multiple maps). To delete an existing link, just right click the branch and select "Delete \vym link".
603 In the context menu there is also an option to open all vymlinks found
604 in the selected subtree of the map. That's useful to simultanously open
605 a collection of related maps.
607 Technical note: Internally \vym uses absolute paths, to avoid opening
608 several tabs containing the same map. When a map is saved, this path is
609 converted to a relative one (e.g. {\tt /home/user/vym.map} might become
610 {\tt ./vym.map}. This makes it fairly easy to use multiple maps on
611 different computers or export them to HTML in future.
613 \subsection{Multiple maps} \label{tabs}
614 You can work on multiple maps at the same time. Each new map is opened
615 in another {\em tab}. The available tabs are shown just above the
616 mapeditor. You can use the normal cut/copy/paste functions to
617 copy data from one map to another.
622 %\subsubsection{Menus}
623 %\subsubsection{Keyboard shortcuts}
628 % Working with tabs (multiple maps)
632 \section{Noteeditor} \label {noteeditor}
633 If you want to attach more text to a branch e.g. a complete email, a
634 cooking recipe, or the whole source code of a software project, you can
636 \maximage{images/noteeditor.png}
637 This editor displays text associated with a branch selected in the mapeditor. The noteeditor
638 shows different background colours depending on whether text is associated with a selected branch.
641 Before you can type or paste text into it, you have
642 to select a branch in the mapeditor. Note that the background colour
643 of the noteeditor indicates its state:
645 \item grey: no text entered yet
646 \item white: some text has been entered
648 In the mapeditor itself, to signal that there is a note with more
649 information for a particular branch, a little "note" flag will appear next
650 to the heading of the branch. This is illustrated in the lower branch on the right hand side:
651 \maximage{images/branches-flags.png}
653 \subsection{Import and export notes}
654 The note is always saved automatically within the \vym map itself.
655 Nevertheless sometimes it is nice to import a note from an external file
656 or write it. In the Note Editor use "File\ra~Import" and "File\ra~Export" to do so.
658 \subsection{Edit and print note}
659 Editing works like in any simple texteditor, including undo and redo
660 functions. You can delete the complete note by clicking the
661 trashcan. Only the note itself is printed by clicking the printer icon.
663 \subsection{RichText: Colours, paragraphs and formatted text}
664 \vym supports formatted text (QT Rich Text) in the noteeditor since
665 version 1.4.7. Colours and text attributes (e.g. italic, bold) can be
666 set with the buttons above the text.
667 %The text itself is divided into
668 %paragraphs. For each paragraph the format can be set (e.g. centered,
669 %right). A paragraph is ended when a \key{Return} is entered. If you just
670 %want to begin a new line, press \key{CTRL-Return}.
672 \subsection{Fonts and how to switch them quickly}
673 The noteeditor is designed to be used for simple notes, not really as a full
674 featured word processor. Because of many requests \vym supports
675 formatted text in the noteeditor\footnote{
676 \vym uses the QRichtText format, which is basically a subset of the
677 formatting provided in HTML.}
678 Two default fonts are supported which can be set in the Settings menu
679 (see \ref{settings}).
680 One is a fixed width font, the other has variable width. The fixed font
681 is usually used for emails, source code etc.\ while the variable font is
682 used for simple notes, where one doesn't need fixed character widths.
683 Both fonts can easily switched using the following symbol from the
686 \includegraphics[width=0.5cm]{images/formatfixedfont.png}
688 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.
690 Additionally to the default fonts any font installed on your system can
691 be used. Please note, that the chosen font also will be used for HTML
692 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.
694 \subsection{Find text}
695 The noteeditor itself has no Find function, use Find in the mapeditor,
696 which will also search all notes (see \ref{findwindow}).
698 \subsection{Paste text into note editor}
699 Often you will paste text into the editor from another application e.g.
700 an email. Normally \vym will generate a new paragraph for each new line.
701 This usually is not what you want, so you can choose from the menu
704 \section{Hello world}
705 This section is about how \vym can interact with other applications.
706 Many applications can now read and write their data using XML, the
707 eXtensible Markup Language. \vym also uses XML to save its maps, see
708 \ref{fileformat} for a more detailed description.
710 So if you make use of another application that understands XML, chances are good that someone
711 could write import/export filters for \vym. Volunteers are always
714 \subsection{Import} \label{import}
716 \subsubsection*{KDE Bookmarks}
717 The integrated bookmark editor in KDE (Konqueror etc.) is somewhat limited, so why not
718 use \vym to maintain the bookmark mess? To create a new map containing
719 your current KDE bookmarks just choose
721 \item File \ra Import\ra KDE Bookmarks
724 \subsubsection*{Mind Manager}
725 \vym has currently a very basic import filter to convert maps created by
726 {\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
727 \href{http://mindjet.com}{http://mindjet.com}} into \vym maps. Notes and
728 pictures are not converted at the moment. You can import files with
730 \item File \ra Import\ra Mind Manager
734 \subsubsection*{Directory structure}
735 \vym can read a directory structure. This is mainly for
736 testing \vym e.g. to easily create huge maps used for benchmarks (yes,
737 there is still room to optimize \vym ;-)
742 \subsection{Export} \label{export}
744 Often you may not want to export the whole map, but just parts of it. For
745 example you may have additional info you want to talk about in a
746 presentation, while those parts should not be visible to the audience.
747 To achieve this you can "hide" parts of the map during exports by
748 setting the "hide in export" flag.
750 \includegraphics[width=0.5cm]{images/flag-hideexport.png}
752 You can toggle this flag in the toolbar or by pressing \key{H}.
753 Note that there is a global option in the settings menu (
754 \ref{settings}) to toggle the use of this flag. By default the flag is
757 \subsubsection*{Open Office}
758 Open Office beginning with version~2 uses the so called "Open Document Format", which can be written by \vym. The options are
759 currently limited, but it possible to export presentations which can be
760 opened in Open Office Impress. By selecting
762 \item File \ra Export\ra Open Office
764 you get a file dialogue where you can choose the output file and the
766 \maximage{images/export-oo.png}
767 The file types represent various templates, which can be created with
768 some manual work from an existing Open Office document. The structure of
769 \vym map is then inserted into a template.
770 There are some limitations at the moment:
772 \item \vym can't take care of page lengths, so you have to check and
773 probably reedit in Open Office to avoid text running over the end of
775 \item Images and flags are not used at the moment
776 \item Notes are just written as plain text, without RichText
777 \item The full range of templates are not available in all distributions.
779 Some of the templates make use of {\em sections} i.e sections insert the
780 headings of mainbranches as chapters for sections into the presentation.
782 \subsubsection*{Image}
783 \vym supports all image formats which are natively supported by the
785 BMP, JPEG, PBM, PGM, PNG, PPN, XPM, and XBM.
786 For use in websites and for sending images by email PNG is a good
787 recommodation regarding quality and size of the image. \vym uses QTs
788 default options for compressing the images.
790 \subsubsection*{ASCII}
791 Exporting an image as text is somewhat experimental at the moment. Later
792 this will probably be done using stylesheets. So the output may change in
793 future versions of \vym.
795 \subsubsection*{\LaTeX}
796 \vym can generate an input file for \LaTeX. Currently this is considered
797 as experimental, there are no options (yet).
800 \item File \ra Export\ra \LaTeX
802 you will be asked in a file dialog for the name of the output file. This
803 file may then be included in a \LaTeX document using command:
805 \include{inputfile.tex}
808 \subsubsection*{KDE Bookmarks}
809 \vym will overwrite the KDE bookmarks file and then try to notify
810 running Konquerors via DCOP of the changed file. \vym does not create a
813 \item File \ra Export \ra KDE Bookmarks
817 \subsubsection*{XHTML (Webpages)}
819 This is the format to use if you wish to create a webpage. To see an example
820 visit the \vym homepage:
821 \href{http://www.InSilmaril.de/vym}{www.InSilmaril.de/vym}
823 Some explanation on how this works:
824 Before a map is exported as XHTML, it will be first written as XML into a
825 directory (see \ref{xmlexport}). Then the external program {\tt
826 xsltproc}\footnote{On SUSE Linux and some other distributions {\tt xsltproc} is installed by
828 will be called to process the XML file and generate HTML code.
829 A dialog allows the user to set various options:
831 \item {\bf Include image:} If set, \vym will creat an image map at
832 the top of the HTML output. Clicking on a branch in the map will
833 jump to the corresponding section in the output.
835 \item {\bf Colored headings:}
836 If set to yes, \vym will colour the headings in the text part with the
837 same colours used in the \vym map.
838 \item {\bf Show Warnings:}
839 If set to yes, \vym will ask before overwriting data.
840 \item {\bf Show output:}
841 This is useful mainly for debugging. It will show how the processing of
842 the XML file works by calling the external {\tt xsltproc}.
844 Additionally the paths to the CSS and XSL stylesheets can be set. By
845 default on SUSE~Linux they will be in {\tt /usr/share/vym/styles}.
848 \subsubsection*{XML} \label{xmlexport}
849 The map is written into a directory both as an image and as an XML file. The
850 directory is set in a file dialog. If the directory is not empty, you
851 will be warned and offered choices if you are at risk of overwriting existing contents.
853 It is possible to export different maps into the same directory. Each
854 file generated will have the map's name as prefix, e.g. {\tt todo.vym}
855 becomes {\tt todo.xml}, {\tt todo.png}, {\tt todo-image-1.png} and so
856 on. This is useful if, for example, a website comprises several combined maps that have to be stored in the same directory.
858 \subsubsection*{Export a part of a map}
859 Select a branch you want to export together with its children, then open
860 the context menu and choose {\em Save Selection}. This will create a
861 file with the suffix {\tt .vyp}, which is an abbreviation for \lq vym
865 \section{Advanced Editing}
867 \subsection{Properties of an object}
868 For any branch you can open a satellite window (see \ref{satellite}):
869 the {\em property window}:
871 \includegraphics[width=8cm]{images/propwindow.png}
874 %FIXME create screenshot
875 %FIXME explain the tabs
879 \item Link (see \ref{hideunselected})
880 \item Layout (see \ref{incimg})
883 \subsection{Changing the history: Undo and Redo}
884 \vym keeps track of all changes done in a map. The default number of
885 changes which can be undone is~75. The complete history can be seen in
886 the {\em historywindow}:
887 \maximage{images/historywindow.png}
888 \label{historywindow}
889 A single step back be undone or redone with \key{CTRL-Z} or \key{CTRL-Y},
890 or by using the buttons in the toolbar or the {\em historywindow}.
891 Inside the {\em historywindow}, you can click on a line to unwind all
892 actions done until that point in time -- or redo all changes by clicking
896 You can "paste from the past": Go back in time by e.g. with
897 \key{CTRL-Z}, then copy to clipboard by pressing \key{CTRL-C}.
899 Now do all actions again, e.g. by \key{CTRL-Y} or clicking on the
900 last action in {\em historywindow}. Now paste from the past with
904 \subsection{Macros} \label{macros}
905 Macros have been added to \vym in version~1.9.0.
906 So far they have a preliminary character, maybe they are going to be
907 replaced by full-featured scripting functionality later (though the
908 commands will be more or less the same).
911 \key{F1} to \key{F12} holds a macro, which is executed on the current
912 selection if the key is pressed. The default macros change the colour of
913 a subtree or set the frame of a branch:
915 \includegraphics[width=8cm]{images/macros.png}
917 Each macro is a \vym script, which is executed when the associated key
918 is pressed. The default location of the scripts can be changed in the
919 Settings menu. More information on using scripts in \vym is found in
921 appendix~\ref{scripts}.
923 \subsection{Bookmarks} \label{bookmarks}
924 \subsubsection*{Open new tabs instead of new windows}
925 If you use konqueror as your browser, \vym will remember the konqueror session which
926 was opened first by \vym. You can also press \key{Ctrl} and click to
927 open the link in a new tab.
929 \vym can also open a new tab in Mozilla or Firefox using the remote
930 command\footnote{\href{http://www.mozilla.org/unix/remote.html}{http://www.mozilla.org/unix/remote.html}}
933 \subsubsection*{Drag and Drop}
934 If you want to keep bookmarks in a map, select a branch where you want
935 to add the bookmark, then simply drag the URL from your browser to the
936 map. Also you could use an existing heading as URL: Right click onto the
937 branch and select "Use heading for URL".
940 \subsubsection*{Directly access bookmark lists of a browser}
941 Please see the sections \ref{import} and \ref{export} about
942 Import and Export filters.
944 \subsubsection*{Special URLs}
945 \vym can turn an existing heading of a branch into an URL. Currently
946 this works for Bugentries in the Novell Bugtracking system: Open the
947 context menu of a branch (usually by right-clicking it) and select
949 \item Create URL to Bugzilla
951 The URL will be build from the number in the heading.
953 \subsection{Associating images with a branch} \label{incimg}
954 The default setting for an image is for it to float "freely". Images can be
955 positioned anywhere on the canvas, but may end up in the same place as other
956 parts of the map obscuring that part of the map.
958 The solution is to insert or include them "into" a branch. This can be done via
959 the property window (see \ref{propwindow}):
961 \item Include images horizontally
962 \item Include images vertically
964 The image is still positioned relative to its parent branch, but the
965 heading and border of the branch frame adapt to the floating image, see below:
966 \maximage{images/includeImages.png}
968 \subsection{Modifier Modes}
969 Modifiers are for example the \key{Shift}- the \key{Ctrl}- ot the \key{Alt}-keys. When
970 pressed while applying mouse actions, they will cause \vym to use
971 a "modified" version of the action which usually would be done.
973 %\key{Ctrl} or \key{Alt}is pressed while releasing the branch, it will be
974 %added above/below the target, not as child of the target.
976 Without a modifier key pressed, the first mouse click on a branch just selects
977 it. For the behaviour of the \key{Ctrl} modifier there are several
978 options, which can be set from the modifier toolbar:
980 \includegraphics[width=3cm]{images/modmodes.png}
982 The default mode is to copy the colour from the clicked branch to the already
983 selected branch. The figure above shows the toolbar with the default modifier
984 selected. The second modifier
985 let's you easily copy a whole branch with a single click. The third
986 modifier lets you create links between branches called {\em xLinks}.
987 They will be explained in the next section \ref{xlinks}.
989 \subsection{Hide links of unselected objects} \label{hidelink}
990 Sometimes it would be useful to position a branch freely, just like a
991 mainbranch or an image. This is possible for all
992 branches, you can use a mainbranch and hide its connecting link to the
993 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
994 pointing to other maps:
996 \includegraphics[width=9cm]{images/hiddenlink.png}
998 To hide the link between a branch and its parent open the
999 \ref{propwindow} and check "Hide link if object is not selected" on
1003 \subsection{XLinks} \label{xlinks}
1004 So far all the data in the \vym map has been treelike. Using xLinks you
1005 can link one branch to any other, just like attaching a rope between two
1006 branches in a real tree. This is especially useful in complex maps,
1007 where you want to have crossreferences which can not be displayed on the same
1008 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:
1009 \maximage{images/xlink.png}
1010 Note that a xLink which points to a branch that is not visible (because
1011 it is scrolled), is just shown as a little horizontal arrow. In the
1012 screenshot above have a look at the \lq Tuesday\rq\ branch.
1014 \subsubsection*{Create a xLink}
1015 Choose the link mode from the modifier toolbar (by clicking the toolbar icon or pressing
1016 \key{L}). Select the branch, where the xLink should start. Press the
1017 modifier key \key{Ctrl} and then click on the selected branch where the
1018 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.
1020 \subsubsection*{Modify or delete a xLink}
1021 First select a branch at either end of the xLink. Then open the context
1022 menu and select \lq Edit xLink\rq. A submenu contains all the xLinks of
1023 the branch (if there are any). They are named like the branches, where
1024 they end. Choose one and the xLink dialogue opens, where you can set
1025 colour, width and also delete the xLink.
1027 \subsubsection*{Follow a xLink}
1028 In a complex \vym map it sometimes comes in handy to be able to jump to the other end
1029 of a xLink. You can do this by opening the context menu of the branch
1030 and clicking on \lq Goto xLink\rq and selecting the xLink you want to
1035 \subsection{Adding and removing branches}
1036 The context menu of a branch shows some more ways to add and delete data
1037 e.g. you can delete a branch while keeping its children. The children become
1038 linked to the parent of the previously removed branch.
1039 Similar branches can be inserted into existing maps. For keyboard
1040 shortcuts also have a look at the context menu.
1042 \subsection{Adding a whole map or a part of a map}
1043 Select a branch where you want to add a previously saved map ({\tt
1044 .vym})or a part of a map ({\tt .vyp}) , then open the context menu and
1045 choose {\em Add \ra Add Map (Insert)}. For the import you can choose
1046 between {\em Add Map (Insert)} and {\em Add Map (Replace)}: The imported
1047 data will be added after the selected branch.
1050 \section{\vym on Mac OS X}
1051 \subsection{Overview}
1052 Basically there are two ways to run \vym on Macs:
1053 \subsubsection*{Qt Mac Edition:}
1054 \vym here provides the well known Mac look and feel. \vym is
1055 available as Mac OS X application package in contained in a disk
1056 image ({\tt vym.dmg}. It has been compiled and tested in
1057 Mac~OS~10.4. This package includes runtime libraries of Qt by
1060 \subsubsection*{X11 version} \vym can also be run using the Linux
1061 version, but then menus and handling will also be those of the Linux
1062 version e.g. The menu bar will look different.
1064 \subsection {Contextmenu and special keys}
1065 Most Macs unfortunatly just have a single mouse button. In order to show
1066 the context menu which usually would be opened with the right mouse
1067 button, you can click while pressing the \key{kommand}-key.
1069 Especially on Laptops some of the keys usually used on PC keyboards seem
1070 to be missing. The QT-Mac Edition of \vym has its own keyboard
1071 shortcuts. To find the shortcuts just have a look at all the menu
1072 entries, the shortcut is visible next to an entry. Toolbar buttons also
1073 may have shortcuts, just position the mouse pointer over a button and
1074 wait for the little help window to appear.
1076 \subsection {Viewing external links}
1077 \vym on Mac uses the system call {\tt /usr/bin/open} to view links.
1078 Mac~OS determines automatically if the link is a pdf or www page and
1079 opens the right browser.
1086 \section{\vym initialisation process and configuration}
1087 \subsection {Settings menu}
1088 The {\em Settings} menu allows to configure \vym to your needs:
1090 \subsubsection*{Set application to open PDF files} Choose a PDF
1091 viewer like {\tt acrobat} or {\tt konqueror} which is installed on
1094 \subsubsection*{Set application to open external links}
1095 Choose your favourite webbrowser here.
1097 \subsubsection*{Set path for macros}
1098 Set the default search path for macros, which will be executed when
1099 you press one of the function keys. Each key corresponds to a file
1100 ({\tt macro-1.vys..macro12.vys}) in the search path.
1102 \subsubsection*{Set number of undo levels}
1103 Sets the number of undo/redo levels. The default setting is
1106 \subsubsection*{Autosave and autosave time}
1107 Automatic saving of modified maps can be toggled on or off. The
1108 autosave time is entered in seconds.
1110 \subsubsection*{Write backup on save}
1111 When saving a map called {\tt example.vym}, \vym will rename the
1112 existing file to {\tt example.vym\~{}} before writing the {\tt
1113 example.vym} itself.
1115 \subsubsection*{Edit branch after adding it}
1116 If set, the heading of a new branch will be edited immediatly after
1119 \subsubsection*{Select branch after adding it}
1120 If set, a new branch will be selected immediatly after adding it.
1121 When you "brainstorm" on a given keyword, you don't want to go
1122 deeper and deeper into details, but keep the focus on the keyword.
1123 So the default setting here is to {\em not} select the freshly added
1126 \subsubsection*{Select existing heading}
1127 If set and you begin to edit the heading of a branch, the heading text in
1128 the dialog will be selected. Usefully to copy\&paste to other
1131 \subsubsection*{Delete key}
1132 If set, the \key{Delete} is enabled to, well, delete objects. This
1133 can be switched off to avoid confusing with the nearby
1134 \key{Insert}-key on PC keyboards.
1136 \subsubsection*{Exclusive flags}
1137 If set, some of the standard flags can only be used exclusively,
1140 \subsubsection*{Use hide flags}
1141 If set, every branch which also has the hide flag set (see
1142 \ref{hideexport}) will be hidden in exports.
1144 \subsection{Configuration file}
1145 On startup \vym will look for a configuration for user specific settings
1146 like window positions, toolbars etc. If this file does not already
1147 exist, it will be created. The file is located in the users home
1148 directory. The exact position depends on the platform:
1151 {\bf Platform} & {\bf Configuration file} \\ \hline
1152 Linux & {\tt $\sim$/.config/InSilmaril/vym.conf } \\
1153 Mac OS X & {\tt /Users/NAME/Library/Preferences/com.insilmaril.vym.plist } \\
1156 The file can be edited manually, or on Mac~OS~X with Property List
1157 Editor (installed with xtools).
1159 \subsection{Path to ressources}
1160 \vym will try to find its ressources (images, stylesheets, filters,
1161 etc.) in the following places:
1163 \item Path given by the environment variable {\tt VYMHOME}.
1164 \item If called with the local option (see \ref{options} below),
1165 \vym will look for its data in the current directory.
1166 \item {\tt /usr/share/vym}
1167 \item {\tt /usr/local/share/vym}
1170 \subsection{Command line options} \label{options}
1171 \vym has the following options:
1173 \begin{tabular}{cccp{8cm}}\\
1174 \bf Option & \bf Comment & \bf Argument & \bf Description \\ \hline
1175 v & version & & Show version and codename of \vym\\
1176 l & local & & Use local paths to stylesheets, translations, icons,
1177 etc. instead of system paths. Useful for testing\\
1178 h & help & & Show help\\
1179 r & run & filename & Load and run script\\
1180 q & quit & & Quit immediatly after startup. Useful for benchmarks.\\
1183 You can also give several filenames at the commandline to let \vym open
1184 several maps at once.
1187 \section{Scripts} \label{scripts} %FIXME
1189 TODO: This section of the \vym manual is not complete yet, sorry.
1191 \subsection{Example scripts}
1192 \subsubsection{Export a set of maps}
1194 \# Simple vym script to export images of various maps simultanously
1197 The script above can be used to export all maps in a directory
1198 automatically. If the script is named {\tt export-image.vys}, call \vym with
1200 \$ vym --quit --run export-image.vys *.vym
1204 \section{Contributing to \vym}
1205 So far I'd say I have written 98\% of the code on my own. No surprise,
1206 that \vym exactly fits my own needs. Nevertheless I would like to
1207 encourage all users of \vym to contribute. Maybe not only with feature
1208 requests, but also with code, new import/export filters, translations
1209 etc. In this appendix I'll try to show how easy it is to expand the
1210 things you can do already with \vym. I really look forward to hear from
1213 \subsection{Getting help}
1215 \subsubsection*{Frequently asked questions}
1216 Please refer to the FAQ available on the \vym website:
1218 \href{http://www.InSilmaril.de/vym/faq.html}{http://www.InSilmaril.de/vym/faq.html}
1221 \subsubsection*{Mailinglists}
1222 There are two mailinglists: {\tt vym-forum} is the \vym users forum to
1223 discuss various questions, while {\tt vym-devel} is intended for people
1224 interested in contributing to \vym. You can view the archives and
1227 \href{https://sourceforge.net/mail/?group_id=127802}{https://sourceforge.net/mail/?group\_id=127802}
1230 \subsubsection*{Contacting the author}\label{author}
1231 Especially for support questions please try the mailinglists first. If
1232 everything else fails you can contact the author Uwe Drechsel at
1234 \href{mailto:vym@InSilmaril.de}{vym@InSilmaril.de}
1239 \subsection{How to report bugs}
1240 Though Sourceforge has its own bugreporting system, I'd rather prefer if
1241 you contact me directly (see \ref{author}) or even better: You can file
1242 a bugreport in Bugzilla, the bugtracking system of openSUSE:
1244 \href{http://en.opensuse.org/Submit_a_bug}{http://en.opensuse.org/Submit\_a\_bug}
1246 I build \vym regulary for openSUSE, so you may report it against a
1247 recent version there, even if you use another Operating System.
1248 Please don't forget to tell me what you are using:
1250 \item the exact steps needed to reproduce the bug
1251 \item the version and build date of \vym (see the Help \ra About
1253 \item hardware and Operating System
1256 \subsection{Compiling from the sources}
1257 \subsubsection{Getting the sources} \label{getsources}
1258 You find the latest version of \vym at the project site:
1260 \href{https://sourceforge.net/projects/vym/}{https://sourceforge.net/projects/vym/}
1262 There you can check them out of the source repository (CVS):\\
1265 cvs -d:pserver:anonymous@cvs.sf.net:/cvsroot/vym checkout code
1268 \subsubsection{The Qt toolkit}
1269 Qt is C++ toolkit for multiplatform GUI and application development. It
1270 provides single-source portability across MS~Windows, Mac~OS~X, Linux
1271 and all major commercial Unix variants. Qt is also available for
1272 embedded devices. Qt is a Trolltech product. For more information see
1274 \href{http://www.trolltech.com/qt/}{www.trolltech.com/qt}
1278 \subsubsection{Compiling \vym }
1279 Make sure you have installed your Qt environment properly, see the Qt
1280 documentation for details. You need to have the Qt command {\tt qmake}
1281 in your {\tt PATH}-environment, then run
1287 The last command {\tt make install} needs root-permissions. Of course it
1288 may be omitted, if you just want to test \vym.
1290 %\subsubsection*{Compiling \vym on Macs}
1293 \subsection{\vym file format} \label{fileformat}
1294 \vym maps usually have the suffix "{\tt .vym}" and represent a
1295 compressed archive of data. If you want to have a
1296 closer look into the data structure map called "mapname.vym",
1297 just uncompress the map manually using
1299 \$ unzip mapname.vym
1301 This will create directories named {\tt images} and {\tt flags} in your
1302 current directory and also the map itself, usually named {\tt
1304 The XML structure of \vym is pretty self explaining, just have a look at
1307 This XML file can be loaded directly into \vym, it does not have to be
1308 compressed. If you want to compress all the data yourself, use
1310 \$ zip -r mapname.vym .
1312 to compress all data in your current directory.
1314 \subsection{New features}
1315 There are lots of features which might find their way into \vym.
1316 Together with \vym you should have received a directory with several
1317 example maps. You find them by clicking Help \ra Open~vym~example~maps.
1318 There you will find the map {\tt vym-projectplan.vym}. It lists quite a
1319 lot of things to be done in future. If you have more ideas, contact the
1320 development team at {\tt vym-devel@lists.sourceforge.net}.
1323 \subsection{New languages support}
1324 In order to add a new language to \vym you need
1325 the sources (see \ref{getsources}) and
1326 an installation of Trolltechs QT. A part of QT are the development
1327 tools, from those tools especially the translation tool "Linguist" is
1330 In some Linux distributions the development tools are in an extra package, e.g. on SUSE LINUX you should have installed:
1333 libqt4-devel-doc.rpm
1334 libqt4-devel-tools.rpm
1336 If you don't have QT in your system, you can get it from
1337 \href{http://www.trolltech.com}{http://www.trolltech.com} Once you
1338 are able to compile vym yourself, you can translate the text in vym
1339 itself by performing the following steps:
1341 \item Let's assume now your encoding is "NEW" instead of for example
1342 "de" for german or "en" for english
1344 \item Copy the file {\tt lang/vym\_en.ts} to l{\tt ang/vym\_NEW.ts} (The code
1345 itself contains the english version.)
1347 \item Add {\tt lang/vym\_NEW.ts} to the TRANSLATIONS section of vym.pro
1349 \item Run Linguist on {\tt vym\_NEW.ts} and do the translation
1351 \item Run {\tt lrelease} to create {\tt vym\_NEW.qm}
1353 \item Do a make install to install the new vym and check your translation
1356 If you feel brave, you can also translate the manual. It is written in
1357 LaTeX, you just have to change the file tex/vym.tex. (Linguist and QT
1358 are not needed, but it is useful to know how to work with LaTeX and esp.
1359 pdflatex to create the PDF.)
1361 Please mail me every translation you have done. I can also give you a
1362 developer access to the project, if you want to provide translations
1365 \subsection{New export/import filters}
1366 \vym supports various kinds of filters. Data can be written directly,
1367 inserted into templates or it can be written as XML data and then
1368 processed by XSL transformations.
1370 Most of the import/export functionality is available in the classes
1371 ImportBase and ExportBase and subclasses. All of them can be found in
1372 {\tt imports.h} and {\tt exports.h}.
1374 \subsubsection*{Direct import/export}
1375 An example for a direct export is the XML export. This method touches
1376 the implementation of nearly every object of \vym, so whenever possible
1377 you should better use a XSL transformation instead.
1379 If you still want to know how it is done, start looking at
1380 {\tt MapEditor::saveToDir} in {\tt mapeditor.cpp}.
1382 \subsubsection*{Templates}
1383 Templates have been introduced to export to opendoc format used e.g. by
1384 Open~Office. While I read the spec ($>$ 500 pages) about the format\footnote{
1385 \href{http://www.oasis-open.org/}{http://www.oasis-open.org/}}\
1386 I had the feeling that I did not want to write the export from scratch.
1387 It would be too complex to adapt the styles to your own wishes, e.g. the
1390 Instead I analyzed existing Open~Office documents. I found out that
1391 there are lots of redundant bits of information in a standard
1392 presentation, for example each list item is contained in its own list.
1393 In the end I came up with the default presentation style, which still
1394 could be simplified, just in case you have free time\ldots
1396 The existing templates are still work in progress, before you spend too
1397 much time developing your own style, please contact me. Basically the
1398 following steps are needed to build your own style:
1400 \item Create an example in Open Office. Use a title, authors name,
1401 page heading etc.\ which you can easily grep for in the output file.
1403 \item Unzip the Open Office document into a directory.
1405 \item The main file is called {\tt content.xml}. All data is in one
1406 single line. You can split the XML tags using the script {\tt
1407 scripts/niceXML}, which is part of the \vym distribution.
1409 \item Copy the output of {\tt niceXML} to {\tt
1410 content-template.xml}.
1412 \item Looking closer you will find lots of unused definitions, for
1413 example of styles. You can delete or simply ignore them.
1415 \item Try to find your title, authors name. \vym will replace the
1416 following strings while exporting:
1418 \begin{tabular}{lp{4cm}}
1419 {\tt <!-- INSERT TITLE -->} & title of map \\
1420 {\tt <!-- INSERT AUTHOR--> } & author \\
1421 {\tt <!-- INSERT COMMENT -->} & comment \\
1422 {\tt <!-- INSERT PAGES-->} & content of map \\
1425 The content itself is generated in a similar way by inserting lists
1426 into {\tt page-template}. Here the following substitutions are made:
1428 \begin{tabular}{lp{7cm}}
1429 {\tt <!-- INSERT PAGE HEADING-->} & heading of a page
1430 (mainbranch or child of mainbranch, depending on the use of
1432 {\tt <!-- INSERT LIST --> } & all children of the branch above \\
1436 Currently images are exported and notes just will appear as text
1437 without formatting and colours.
1442 \subsubsection*{XSL Transformation}
1443 \vym uses XSL transformations while exporting (e.g. XHTML) and importing
1444 data (e.g. KDE bookmarks). There is a little code needed to provide the
1445 GUI, the rest is done using the {\tt .xsl} stylesheet and calling the
1446 {\tt xsltproc} processor, which is part of libxslt, the XSLT
1447 C library for GNOME.
1453 %\subsubsection{Menus}
1454 %\subsubsection{Keyboard shortcuts}
1455 %Where does vym save its settings? -> ~/.qt/vymrc