Getting to grips with MindGenius 2018 - University … Documents...Getting to grips with MindGenius 2018 A mind mapping tool MindMapping is a recognised tool for getting ideas, thoughts

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Getting to grips with

MindGenius 2018

A mind mapping tool

MindMapping is a recognised tool for getting ideas, thoughts

and plans into structured reports, essays etc.

Using visual tools to assist in the process, MindGenius will

allow you to convert your mind maps into Word documents and

PowerPoint presentations.

This document is for version 2018 of the software which is the

version available on all University of Brighton’s Windows

computers. Under the terms of our Mind Genius licence, all

staff and students can also use Mind Genius on their home

computers for free.

MindGenius is a

useful tool for

people with dyslexia,

as well as anyone

who wants a visual

tool for processing

ideas and planning.

Last updated

21st June 2018

https://staff.brighton.ac.uk/is/training

University of Brighton Information Services

Page | 2 Last Update 14th July 2015

Contents

Workshop requirements ................................................................................... 4

System and software ................................................................................ 4

1.1.1 Mind Genius 2018 .............................................................................. 4

1.1.2 Internet access and a web browser .................................................... 4

1.1.3 Microsoft Office .................................................................................. 4

What is MindMapping? ..................................................................................... 5

The 8 Steps to successful Mind Mapping ......................................................... 6

The Screen Layout ........................................................................................... 8

Create a New Map ........................................................................................... 9

Creating a New Mind Map ......................................................................... 9

Saving a Mind Map ................................................................................... 9

Working with MindGenius files on SharePoint My Department .................10

5.3.1 Saving a Mind Map to SharePoint My Department (Staff only) ..........10

5.3.2 Editing a MindGenius file from SharePoint (Staff only) ......................10

Working with MindGenius files on OneDrive for Business ........................11

5.4.1 Saving a Mind Map to OneDrive for Business (Staff only) .................11

5.4.2 Editing a MindGenius file from OneDrive for Business (Staff) ...........11

Editing and Adding Branches ...................................................................12

Moving branches of a map .................................................................................13

Deleting branches of a map .....................................................................14

Editing the appearance of all branches of the same level ................................15

Saving your styles settings as a templates ...............................................16

6.1.1 Creating a Template .........................................................................16

6.1.2 Using a template for a new map: .......................................................16

Editing Branch Properties ........................................................................17

6.2.1 Saving branch formatting as a style ..................................................17

Adding a boundary ...................................................................................18

Adding Pictures ...............................................................................................19

Add a picture from the MindGenius picture gallery ...................................19

Add a picture from your own files .............................................................19

Change the position and size of branch pictures ..................................... 20

Using the Map Explorer .................................................................................. 21

Collapsing and expanding sub-branches ........................................................ 22

Map Layouts ............................................................................................... 22

Adding Notes .............................................................................................. 23

Adding hyperlinks to websites ..................................................................... 24

Attaching documents .................................................................................. 25

Creating Branch Relationships .................................................................... 26

Numbering branches .................................................................................. 27

Categorising the information ....................................................................... 27

Adding the Categories ............................................................................. 27

Renaming or creating your own categories ............................................. 28

16.2.1 To rename a category: ..................................................................... 28

16.2.2 To create a new category: ................................................................ 28

Creating Filters using your Categories..................................................... 29

Create category view ............................................................................... 30

Creating a Category Map ........................................................................ 31

Exporting to Word ....................................................................................... 32

Exporting to PowerPoint ............................................................................. 34

Using other PowerPoint templates with MindGenius: .............................. 35

Managing Tasks and Projects ..................................................................... 36

More information ......................................................................................... 37

Videos and more ..................................................................................... 37

Mind Mapping.......................................................................................... 37

20.2.1 Further Reading: .............................................................................. 37

More Mind Genius ................................................................................... 37


4 Last Update July 2018

Workshop requirements

No files are required for this workshop

Videos to accompany this document can be found at

https://staff.brighton.ac.uk/is/training/Pages/Mind%20Mapping/mindgenius.aspx

System and software

1.1.1 Mind Genius 2018

This document uses MindGenius 2018. MindGenius is not available for Apple Mac.

1.1.1.1 Within the university:

All Windows computers in student pool rooms and teaching rooms have

MindGenius 2018 installed.

Any new university Windows computers have MindGenius 2018 installed.

Most staff Windows computers have MindGenius installed, but some may have an

older version as the upgrade to MindGenius 2018 was not pushed out to

computers automatically.

If you don’t have MindGenius installed on your computer, or you find you have an

old version, all staff can request free installation of this on their university Windows

computer by contacting the Service Desk on 4444.

1.1.1.2 Home installation:

All staff and students can also install Mind Genius 2018 on their home windows

computers for free. For more information:

visit https://staff.brighton.ac.uk/is/computing and click on the Software link in the

right-hand menu

click on the Discounted software for staff or Discounted software for students link

on the page

1.1.1.3 Mind Genius on iOS devices

The Mind Genius app is available for free from the App Store. Whilst the functionality of

the app is minimal, you can use the app to create the structure of a mind map, which

you can then email to yourself to work on further using the desktop app.

1.1.2 Internet access and a web browser

This is required for adding links to the internet to your mind map.

1.1.3 Microsoft Office

This is required for the export to PowerPoint and Word.


https://staff.brighton.ac.uk/is/computing

https://staff.brighton.ac.uk/is/computing/Pages/Available%20software/Staff-home-use-software.aspx

https://staff.brighton.ac.uk/is/computing/Pages/Available%20software/Students-office.aspx

Getting to grips with MindGenius 2018

July 2018 5

What is MindMapping?

Mind mapping (or concept mapping) involves writing down a central idea and thinking

up new and related ideas which radiate out from the centre. By focussing on key ideas

written down in your own words, and then looking for branches out and connections

between the ideas, you are mapping knowledge in a manner which will help you

understand and remember new information.

See MindGenius’ MindGenius' 2-minute video guide to mind mapping for a demo of

what mind-mapping looks like in practice.

https://youtu.be/iL281liQymk



The 8 Steps to successful Mind Mapping


July 2018 7

Mind Maps can be applied to most of life's situations providing clarity of thought and

purpose in whatever needs tackled.

Why Computer-aided mapping?

Both maps above are based on text on the website www.mindgenius.com



The Screen Layout

Before we begin to work with MindGenius it is important to understand the screen

layout.

1 The File tab is where you will find the key functions such as save and print.

2 The ribbon appears at the top of the screen. The icons on the ribbon allow quick

access to functions in MindGenius. Icons are grouped together on tabs.

3 The Map Explorer appears at the left hand side of the Map Editor and is used to

navigate large Maps. The Map Explorer immediately allows you to focus in on an

area of the Map

4 The Notes Editor is displayed below the Map Explorer. It is a text editor allowing

you to add related notes to any selected branch

Note: You can change the location of the Notes editor by clicking on the

button on the Task Pane. This will move the Notes Editor to the bottom of the

screen (as found in PowerPoint).

5 Below the notes editor is the task pane. This is a series of buttons that give you

easy access some features of MindGenius such as Word Cloud and Picture

Gallery. Clicking on an icon in the Task Pane loads the function into the window

above.

6 The Map Editor takes up the largest part of the screen and is where maps are

created and edited

7 The Templates pane appears at the right hand side of the Map Editor and

comprises a template gallery with many pre-defined templates to get you started,

as well as resources to help you use Mind Genius.

2. Ribbon

3. Map

Explorer

4. Notes

editor

5. Task

pane

7. Templates

6. Map editor

1. File tab


July 2018 9

Create a New Map

So let’s get mapping!

Creating a New Mind Map

Open MindGenius from the desktop.

Click on the File tab and click to select New from the menu or click on

New Blank Map in the Templates Pane.

In the dialogue box type the text for the root branch of your map and click OK.

The Root Branch is the first branch in a map; it describes what the map is about.

Exercise A Create a new mind map

1 Create a new map with the title Mind Map Uses.

Saving a Mind Map

Click on the File tab and click to select Save from the menu.

Specify a location to save the map.

Staff can save to OneDrive or MyDepartment so that the map can be worked on

from home or shared with colleagues.

Students working on university computers should save the map to OneDrive or a

memory stick.

Specify a name for the map and Click on Save.

Exercise B Save your map

1 For this exercise, save your map to your desktop.



Working with MindGenius files on SharePoint My Department

5.3.1 Saving a Mind Map to SharePoint My Department (Staff only)

If you have mapped the SharePoint document library to one of your computer’s drives,

you can save your MindGenius file to that document library using the steps above in

5.2. It is best then to open the MindGenius file by opening that drive in Windows

Explorer.

For more information about connecting to SharePoint My Department using a mapped

drive, see the SharePoint Introduction to My Department (Windows PC) document on

staffcentral.

If you have not mapped the Sharepoint document library to one of your computer’s

drives you will need to:

Save the MindGenius file to your computer (eg your desktop)

Navigate to the SharePoint document library using a web browser.

Click on Upload to upload the file from your computer to the SharePoint document

library.

See section 5.4 below for instructions on how to open a MindGenius file from

SharePoint (as it’s not as easy as you would think).

5.3.2 Editing a MindGenius file from SharePoint (Staff only)

MindGenius is not fully compatible with SharePoint. One issue is that if you are

accessing a SharePoint document library using a web browser (as opposed to a

mapped drive) you will be able to edit the MindGenius file but will not be able to save it

back to SharePoint. To avoid this, you should follow the steps below when opening

MindGenius files in SharePoint:

In a web browser, navigate to the SharePoint document library where the

MindGenius file is stored

Click on the Library tab (note that this is

only available if you are on the document

library’s page, it will not be visible if the

document library is being viewed as a

web part on a page)

https://staff.brighton.ac.uk/help/trainingdocs/SharePoint%202010%20-%20Introduction%20to%20MyDepartment%20-%20Windows.pdf


July 2018 11

Click on the Open with Explorer icon.

The document library will open in Windows

Explorer.

Double click on the MindGenius file. You can

then edit the file.

Clicking on File >> Save will save the

updated file back to SharePoint.

Working with MindGenius files on OneDrive for Business

5.4.1 Saving a Mind Map to OneDrive for Business (Staff only)

To work with MindGenius files using OneDrive

for Business, you will need to sync one or more

of your OneDrive for Business folders to your

computer.

Once you have synced at least one folder, you

can then save your MindGenius file to those

folders using the steps above in 5.2, and

selecting OneDrive – University of Brighton as

the location.

For more information about syncing OneDrive for Business to your computer, see the

Set up the OneDrive sync client page on staffcentral.

5.4.2 Editing a MindGenius file from OneDrive for Business (Staff)

If you have synced the OneDrive for Business

folder(s) where your MindGenius files are

stored, you will be able to:

open Windows or File Explorer on your

computer

Click on OneDrive – University of Brighton

Double click on the MindGenius file

https://staff.brighton.ac.uk/is/computing/Office365/Pages/Sync-clients.aspx



Editing and Adding Branches

Double-click on a branch to edit the text.

To add a new branch:

o click once on the parent branch

o type the text for the new branch

o press the Enter key on your keyboard.

To add another new branch at the same level:

o type the text for the new branch

o press the Enter key on your keyboard.

Exercise C Editing and adding branches to your map

Let’s practice that. We’ll edit a branch or two to start off with.

1 Single click on the branch Mind Map Uses and then type Planning and then press

the Enter key on your keyboard.

The new branch has been added to the parent branch Mind Map Uses

2 Use these techniques to build the map as shown below:


July 2018 13

Tips:

When sub branches are added to a branch the icon appears so that you can

collapse and expand sub-branches in larger maps.

The branch is collapsed. This is a useful tool for students using a mind map for

revision as it allows them to hide the sub-branches for a certain topic and test how

much they can recall.

If your map is too big to read on the screen, try zooming out

using the Zoom tool on the toolbar at the bottom right of the screen.

Moving branches of a map

Now that the map is beginning to take shape we need to know how to manipulate it.

To move a branch, drag and drop with your mouse. The

arrows on the screen will indicate which parent branch you are

moving to:

These move a branch to become a sub-branch of the

branch the pointer is over, i.e.in the example on the right it

would become a sub-branch of Pitfalls of a Team. The arrow

direction changes depending on the position of the branch.

In this case the branch will be inserted at the same level as

of the branch the pointer is over but above it.

In this case the branch will be inserted at the same level

as same level as of the branch the pointer is over but below it.

The no-entry sign is displayed dropping the branch will

have no effect and no move will take place.

Exercise D Moving Branches

Let’s practice.

1 Drag the ‘Note Taking Branch over the ‘Memory Recall branch and drop it when

the drop arrow points to the right.

2 Now try putting it back.



Deleting branches of a map

To delete a branch,

click to select the branch and then press the Delete key on the keyboard.

A pop-up window will appear asking you to confirm the deletion. Click on Yes.

Exercise E Deleting branches

1 Delete the Making Pretty Pictures branch from your map.


July 2018 15

Editing the appearance of all branches of the same

level

What if MindGenius’ default colours and shapes used in a map are not working for

you? Simple: you update the styles used in the map.

Unless you specify otherwise, a new map is based on MindGenius’ default template.

From this template the map inherits styles. The styles determine how the map looks.

That is to say, how each branch at each level of the map is displayed in terms of fonts,

branch shapes, connectors, etc. The styles of a map can be edited at any time.

Exercise F Editing the map style

Editing a style saves you time as if you update the formatting for a certain branch level,

the changes will automatically apply to all branches of the same level.

Click on the Format tab.

Click on the Edit Map Style icon to open the Format Styles window.

On the Style Formatting tab

choose the branch level to update.

Format the branch as required

using the icons on the tabs.

Click on OK. This will apply the

changes to the map.

If the changes are not applied to

the map, check that the Style

Assignment tab has the correct

assignments.

Let’s change the look of the Core and the Level 1 Branches:

1 On the Format tab, click on the Edit Map Style icon, then click on the Style

Formatting tab

2 Select Core from the list of levels on the left (this will allow us to change the root

level of the map)

3 Click on the Branch Shape Tab and choose Ellipse from the Shape Style List,

note the sample changing

4 Try changing the font colour for Level 1 to red. Then change the branch fill to be

yellow. Click OK when you have finished.

You can see that editing the style effects as many levels that you have chosen to alter,

at the same time. This can be a good way of quickly applying an appropriate look to a

completed map. We can now use this new style to create a new template.



Saving your styles settings as a templates

So now you know how to alter the style of a map. What if you have created your own

style and want to use it every time you start a new map? What if you find yourself

creating many similar maps? In this case you need to create a template. A template

can contain more than simply an embedded style; it can also contain content.

6.1.1 Creating a Template

To create a template:

Update your styles as above. If you want the

template to open as a new empty map, without any

predefined content, delete all of the branches from

the map too before you save it as a template.

Click on the File tab and choose Save As.

Click on the drop down in the Save as type box and choose MindGenius

Template.

In the Save in box, choose a file location (staff can use MyFiles or use the default

file location, students should save to their M drive or USB stick).

Specify a name for your template in the File Name box. For this example, name

the template mind mapping

Click on Save.

6.1.2 Using a template for a new map:

In the Navigation Pane on the right click on My Templates.

Navigate to find where you saved your template, select the it and click

Open.

5 For this exercise, navigate to and choose the mind_mapping template we

just created.

The map opens, prompting you to re-name the root branch – you can alter the

name core level.

After clicking OK, note that this new map looks identical to the one you

opened earlier but it is a different map.

It is based on the template you created. Using this procedure you can create

templates for commonly used types of maps. Remember there already is a set of

templates included with MindGenius.


July 2018 17

Editing Branch Properties

It is best to format branch appearance by updating the styles as shown in the previous

exercise as this will apply your changes to all branches of the same level in one hit,

thus saving you time. However, sometimes you may want to make one branch stand

out from the others for emphasis. You can do this by editing its properties.

Exercise G Editing the appearance of one branch

This exercise takes you through just some of the things you can do to format a

branch’s appearance:

1 Click once on the branch you want to edit to select it. For this exercise, click once

on the Planning branch.

2 Click on the Format tab on the ribbon at the top of the screen and use the icons to

format the branch.

3 For example, use the Solid Fill option to

change the colour of the Branch to Light

Green.

4 For more formatting options, click on the

icon in the Branch group on the Format tab

(under the Connector Style icon) to open the

Branch Appearance dialogue box.

5 For example, click on the Branch Shape tab

to edit the style of your selected branch

including the Shape Style, Line type/colour

and Fill Colour.

6 Click on the Font tab to edit the appearance of the text within the branch.

7 Click OK to finish editing the branch.

Try editing Font Colour and Font Size and the Shape Style, Fill Colour and Line

Style of the Thinking branch on your map.

6.2.1 Saving branch formatting as a style

If you format a branch and would like to quickly apply that formatting to other branches:

Before clicking on OK to stop editing the branch style, click on the Save as style

button, type a name for this branch style and click OK.

To apply the style to a selected branch:

Click on the branch to select it.

Click on the icon in the Branch group on the

Format tab to open the Branch Appearance dialogue box.

Choose your style from the list in the Existing Styles box and click OK.



Adding a boundary

You can add a boundary to an area of the map for extra emphasis and to group areas

together.

Click once to select the highest branch of the area want to add the boundary to.

On the Format tab, within the Boundary group, use the Style and Fill

options to apply a boundary to the selected branch and all of its sub-branches.

Exercise H Add a boundary

1 Add a boundary to the planning node of your map. That section of your map may

now look something like this:


July 2018 19

Adding Pictures

It is believed that the memory's storing and recalling powers can be enhanced through

the use of pictures for emphasis and association.

In other words adding associated pictures to a branch may help you remember the

information held in that branch. So let’s add some pictures!

Add a picture from the MindGenius picture gallery

Click once on the branch that you want to add

the picture to.

Click on the Picture Gallery icon at the

bottom left of the screen.

Scroll down to find a relevant picture.

Double click on the picture to add it to the

selected branch.

Exercise I Add a picture from the MindGenius picture gallery

1 Click on the Thinking branch of your map

2 Click on the Picture Gallery icon at the bottom left of the screen.

3 Scroll down to find a relevant picture.

4 Double click on the picture to add it to the Thinking branch.

Add a picture from your own files

Click once on the branch that you want to add the picture to.

On the Insert tab click on the Browse for a Picture icon.

Locate the picture file on your computer, click once to select it and then click Open.

Exercise J Add a picture from file

1 Add a picture to the Note Taking branch. Look in the My Pictures folder or library

on your computer and choose a picture file to add.



Change the position and size of branch pictures

Click on the branch containing the picture

Click on the Insert tab

To change the size of the picture use the Size icons and

To change the position of the picture within a branch, use the

Position icon.

To delete an image from a node, click on the Remove icon

Your map may now look something like this:


July 2018 21

Using the Map Explorer

A complicated topic can seem overwhelming. Focusing on one area at a time helps you

to concentrate better and retain information. You can use the Map Explorer on the left

of the screen to display only that topic in the Map Editor window.

Click on a topic in the Map Explorer to select it.

The Map Editor will display only that topic and

the sub-branches associated with that topic.

Click on the top level in the Map Explorer to

show the entire map again.

Exercise K Focusing on a particular area using the Map Explorer

Let’s have a go:

1 In the Map Explorer, click on the to expand the branch list.



Collapsing and expanding sub-branches

You can also collapse the map to only display selected levels. This is a useful

technique when revising a topic or if you do not want to display the lower-level detail of

the map. To do this:

Click anywhere on the blank background of the map to ensure that no branches

are selected.

On the Home tab click on the Display Levels icon

Click to select the level you want to display

The map will only display only the selected

level. denotes that a branch has children.

Click on the symbols in the map to expand

branches and show detail.

Tip: Once expanded, holding down the SHIFT

key and then pressing the right or left arrows on

the keyboard will collapse the children of a

selected branch

To display all levels again, click on the Display Levels icon on the Home tab

Click to select All from the list.

Map Layouts

The standard settings in MindGenius will default to create a mind map that has an

Output tree layout, i.e. the root at the left and the branches to the right, as we have

seen. Sometimes, depending on the use of the map or your personal preferences, this

may not be the best layout.

To change the layout of your map:

On the Home tab, click on the Map Layouts icon.

Select a layout from the gallery of layouts.

For more layouts (including a change in the default order of the position of

branches, click to select More Layouts and click on Map Diagram.

Exercise L Changing the map layout

1 Have a go at changing the layout of your map to see which layout you prefer.


July 2018 23

Adding Notes

When creating a mind map, the text on your branches should be short and sweet:

ideally only one or two key words.

When planning, especially for essays, theses and assignments, you may want to

capture additional text related to specific branches for your topic. These may include:

References for key passages in a book or journal that you want to reference in relation to the topic

Paragraphs of text that you may want to include in a larger document

Notes help you elaborate when presenting a topic

You can add this information to individual branches of your MindGenius map using the

Notes Editor

When exporting to Word, notes will appear as Normal text.

When exporting to PowerPoint, notes will appear as speaker notes.

Click to select the branch you want to add notes to.

In the Task Pane, click on the icon to display the Notes Editor.

Above the notes pane, click on the icon to dock the notes panes below the

map and to make more formatting options become available.

Click inside the Notes Editor and type your notes

Click anywhere on the map. An icon will appear on that branch to indicate that

there are notes associated with the branch. To view the notes you will need to click

on the branch.

Tip: You can copy and paste text into the Notes Editor documents using CTRL+C and

CTRL+V as normal. You can also format the notes using the toolbar above the Notes

Editor.

Exercise M Add notes to your map

1 For this exercise add the following notes to the Lesson Plan sub-branch.

Think about the different learning styles when planning a lesson:

Visual

Kinaesthetic

Auditory



Adding hyperlinks to websites

When planning, especially for essays, theses and assignments, you may want to

capture additional information related to specific branches for your topic. For example,

you may want keep track of any websites you have used when researching a topic.

Hyperlinks can be added to a branch and will appear as clickable links when hovering

over a relevant branch.

Click on the branch that you want to add a link to.

On the Insert tab click on the on the Add Hyperlink icon.

In the dialogue box that opens up type the

details of the website and then click on OK.

You will see an or icon has appeared on the relevant branch, (the icon will

depend on what your default internet browser is).

If you add more than one website address the icon will

change to a paperclip . Hover over this icon with your

mouse to display the web sites you’ve just added. To visit one

of the sites simply click on the title.

Exercise N Add hyperlinks to your map

1 Add the following websites to the Presentations branch on your map:

Business Balls www.businessballs.com/presentation.htm

University of Brighton www.brighton.ac.uk

Remember that it is faster to copy and paste web addresses rather than type them

manually.

http://www.businessballs.com/presentation.htm

http://www.brighton.ac.uk/


July 2018 25

Attaching documents

Sometimes you have other documents that are relevant to your topic. For instance, you

may have written up some lecture notes and stored them elsewhere on your computer.

You can attach files to branches of your map. Clicking on the attachment will open the

file.

Note to staff and researchers: If the file you want to attach is stored on SharePoint,

copy the URL of the SharePoint file and use the Adding Hyperlinks technique above to

add the URL to your map as a hyperlink instead of an attachment.

To add an attachment:

Click on the sub-branch that you want to add a link to.

On the Insert tab, click on the Add Attachment icon.

In the Add Attachments dialogue box, type the description of the file in

the Description box.

Click on the Browse icon.

Locate the document file on your computer and double-click to select it

Click OK.

An icon will appear on your selected branch to indicate that an attachment has been

added. For instance, if you add a Word document, you will see the logo. If you add

multiple attachments to one branch, the icon will change to be a paperclip .

Exercise O Add a link to a document to your mind map.

1 Try adding a word document to the Meeting Minutes.doc as a file attachment to

the Essays branch.

If you can’t find any files on the computer you are using, open a new word document,

save it to your desktop with a memorable file name and then try adding it as an

attachment to your map.



Creating Branch Relationships

In some cases branches of a map may be related to each other but this relationship

cannot be directly shown because they are located in two different places on the map.

If it is important to highlight this relationship in the map then Mental Connections can

be used.

To add a mental connection:

On the Insert tab, click to select the Mental Connection icon

The cursor will change to

Point at the first branch in the connection and hold your left mouse button down.

Without releasing your mouse, drag and drop the cursor to the second branch in

the connection.

Type a label for the connection in the pop-up box and click on OK.

The connection will appear in the map. To change its position, click once on the

Mental Connection’s label and then drag and drop the label to the required place

on the map.

Exercise P Creating a mental connection

Let’s try it:

1 Insert a mental connection between

the Meetings and Note Taking

branches of your map. Call it

Support Staff.

2 Drag and drop the connection’s label

so that it is clearly visible.

Your map should now look something

like this:


July 2018 27

Numbering branches

To add a numbering scheme to the map branches:

Click on the Format tab and click on Numbering.

Categorising the information

MindGenius lets you categorise branches of the map into logical groups. You can then

filter the map on these categories. You can also create a:

Category Map that will change the layout of your map, grouping all branches of

the same category together in a hierarchical map structure.

Category view that will change the layout of your map, grouping all branches of

the same category together in columns.

To some extent this is already done by branch level and position in the map; however,

further categorisation may be required useful in certain situations.

Let’s say, for example, you use MindGenius to organize and prepare for a presentation

within a group. Some of that information may need your input, some the other

members of the group. By creating categories for each member of the group, and

applying them to different branches of the map, you could easily filter to see who is

working on what for the presentation.

Adding the Categories

MindGenius comes with a variety of pre-set categories ready for you to use, as well as

allowing you to create your own categories. First we will use the ones already

available.

Select the branches that you want to apply a category to.

o To select an entire branch and its children,

click and drag with your mouse to draw a

box around the branches that you want to

select.

o To select multiple branches or areas of the map, hold down the CTRL

button on your keyboard whilst you use your mouse to make your

selection.

Click on the Analyze tab and click on the to display

the categories gallery.

Click on a category to select it, or to display all of the available categories, click on

More Categories.



Renaming or creating your own categories

To create your own categories or rename existing categories:

Click on the Analyze tab and click the to display the

categories gallery

Click on Create/Rename Categories

16.2.1 To rename a category:

Click on the category and click on Rename

Type the new name and press ENTER.

To create your own category group:

Click on Create a new category group link at the top of the window

Type the name of the new category group (e.g. days of the week) and press

ENTER.

16.2.2 To create a new category:

Click on the category group to which you want to add the new category

Click on Create a new category

Type the name of the new category and press ENTER.

Click on OK when you have finished and assign the categories to the map as

before.

Exercise Q Categorise your map

Let’s practice that.

1 Rename Category 1 to be Student and Category 2 to be Staff.

2 Hold down your CTRL button and click to select the Dissertations, Meetings and

Exam Revision branches.

3 Assign the Student category to those branches.

4 Assign the Staff Category to the Meetings and Presentations branches in the

map.


July 2018 29

Creating Filters using your Categories

Now we can filter the map based on your categories. This will mean that you can

emphasise the information for the category you have filtered.

Click on the Analyze tab and click on the drop down under the Quick Filter icon.

Click to select the category you want to filter by.

The colours on the map will change. All branches will be grey except those

assigned to the category you have selected.

To only display the branches matching the filter, click on on the

Analyze tab

To remove the filter, click on the Analyze tab and click on

Exercise R Filter your map by category

Let’s try that with our map.

1 Click on the Analyze tab and click on the drop down under the Quick Filter icon

and click to select or the Student category.

2 Click to select

3 Your map will look something

like this:

4 Clear the filter.



Create category view

The category view displays all branches assigned to a category, in columns. You can

then drag and drop branches from one category to another if you need to change the

category assignment.

Click on the Views tab

Click on the Categories icon

The view will change to show all nodes listed by category:

To switch back to map view, click on the icon.


July 2018 31

Creating a Category Map

Another alternative to using the Category view is to create a Category Map. Assigned

categories become parents with qualifying branches as children.

Whilst you may prefer the layout of a category map, the disadvantages over using the

Category View are that:

Category views are within the same MindGenius file and you can switch easily

between map view and category view, with updates happening automatically

Category maps create a new MindGenius file which does not update automatically

if you change your map. You must create a new Category Map if your original map

changes.

To create a category map:

On the Analyze tab, click on the Category Map icon

Click OK in the pop-up window.



Exporting to Word

Mind Maps can be exported to MS Word. Your map forms the structure of the

document.

This is especially useful for people with dyslexia or dyspraxia, who may struggle with

planning documents. You can plan the structure of a report or essay in Mind Genius

and then flesh it out in Word.

The MindGenius branch levels will be converted into different heading levels in Word,

thus providing a skeleton for your report or essay. Rather than being faced with a blank

page and trying to write 2000 words, the task is broken down into manageable chunks

The export works as follows:

Higher level branches are exported as Heading styles*

Notes, links, pictures and lower level branches are exported as Normal style text*

* Don’t know what Word Heading styles or templates are? For more information about using

Word more efficiently see our documentation about working with long documents on our

website: https://staff.brighton.ac.uk/is/training/Pages/Word/longdocs.aspx.

Note: To avoid errors, close the MS Word application before trying to export from

MindGenius to MS Word.

Save your map.

Click on the Export tab on the ribbon and click on the Word icon.

In the Save As dialogue box that appears,

choose the location to save your file to, e.g.:

o staff can save to OneDrive,

o students using university computers

should save to your One Drive (O:) or a

USB stick

Give the file a name and click on Save.

If you want to use your own Word template*,

click on the : icon and browse to find the

template you want to use.

Branches will be converted to Heading styles

in Word. Use the Branches below level drop down to indicate which branch levels

in your map are converted to Heading styles and which are converted to Normal

text.

If you do not want to include an image of the map in your Word document, click to

deselect Insert an Image.

https://staff.brighton.ac.uk/is/training/Pages/Word/longdocs.aspx


July 2018 33

Click on the Include Options tab for more options.

If you have used the map explorer to focus on a

specific area of your map (see Using the Map

Explorer), only the branches displayed in the map

editor will be exported.

If you want to export the entire map, click to select

Entire Map.

Use the checkboxes to specify which elements of your

map you want to export.

Click OK.

Word should now open with your new document, ready for you to expand upon your

initial preparation and research.

If you get an error message saying that the call was rejected by the rejectee, it may be

that you have Word open in another window. Close Word and try to export your map

again.

Each branch of your map will be assigned a heading style according to its level. Using

styles in Word will save you a lot of time when working with long documents, such as

essays, theses and reports, as they allow you to:

Save time formatting long documents

Produce professional-looking documents

Create tables of contents easily

To learn more about styles, see our documentation about working with long documents

on our website: https://staff.brighton.ac.uk/is/training/Pages/Word/longdocs.aspx

https://staff.brighton.ac.uk/is/training/Pages/Word/longdocs.aspx



Exporting to PowerPoint

Mind Maps can be exported to MS PowerPoint. Your map forms the structure of the

presentation.

This is especially useful for people with dyslexia or dyspraxia, who may struggle with

planning. You can plan the structure of the presentation in Mind Genius. The export

works as follows:

The Core node will export as the title slide of the presentation.

An introduction slide is created with the Core as the title and all Level 1 nodes

shown as bullet points.

One slide per Level 1 node is created, with sub-branches appearing as bulleted

text.

Notes are exported as speaker notes.

Note:. To avoid errors, close the MS PowerPoint application before trying to export

from MindGenius to MS PowerPoint.

Save your map and then Click on the Export tab on the ribbon and click

on the PowerPoint icon.

In the Save As dialogue box, choose the location to save your file to, e.g.:

o staff can save to MyFiles,

o students using university computers should save to your One Drive (O:) or a

USB stick

Give the file a name and click on Save.

If you want to use a different PowerPoint template,

click on the icon to select it.

Use the drop down to specify the maximum number

of bullet points per slide.

Specify which levels in your map will be converted to

the titles of slides in your presentation.

With the default setting of Level 1 and Page Break:

o The Core node will export as the title slide of the presentation.

o An introduction slide is created with the Core as the title and all Level 1

nodes shown as bullet points.

o One slide per Level 1 node is created, with sub-branches appearing as

bulleted text.

For larger maps, you may want to change this.

See next

section for

more

information

about using

PowerPoint

templates


July 2018 35

Click on the Include Options tab for more

options.

If you have used the map explorer to focus on a

specific area of your map (see Using the Map

Explorer), only the branches displayed in the

map editor will be exported.

If you want to export the entire map, click to

select Entire Map.

Use the checkboxes to specify which elements

of your map you want to export.

Click OK.

With the default settings:

the root branch has become the title of the slideshow

each level 1 branch has become a slide header

sub-branches have become bulleted points on the slide

notes have become the speaker notes of each slide.

to get rid of the MindGenius branding, click on the Design tab and choose an

alternative design for your presentation.

your slideshow is practically ready!

Using other PowerPoint templates with MindGenius:

Your template should be saved with a .pot extension (97-2003 file type).

Currently templates with the 2007/2010 .potx extension cannot be selected.

The University of Brighton template can be downloaded from

https://staff.brighton.ac.uk/mac/Pages/Home.aspx, but you must then save this in

the older format before using it with MindGenius.

If exporting using the University of Brighton template, after export, the slides will

look like the template has not been applied. You will first need to:

o Click on a slide or slides in the slide sorter (use CTRL + click to select

multiple slides at once).

o On the Home tab, click on the Slide Layout icon.

o Click to choose the template slide layout/style you want to apply.

https://staff.brighton.ac.uk/mac/Pages/Home.aspx



Managing Tasks and Projects

Mind maps are useful tools for planning projects, revision or tasks and Mind Genius

has tools to help you:

Gantt chart view

Tools to assign people, due dates, statuses and priorities to branches, turning

them into tasks

Links to Microsoft Outlook tasks

Export to MS Project

For more information about using Mind Genius for project planning, see the Project

Planning section of our MindGenius page on our website:




July 2018 37

More information

Videos and more

Videos to accompany this document can be found at


Here you will also find more documentation on using MindGenius for:

Revision

Essay planning

Project planning

Mind Mapping

Having explored the functionality of MindGenius the software you may want to delve deeper into

the world of MindMapping.

The internet provides a whole host of information and you may want to visit the following

websites to find out more:

http://www.buzan.com.au

http://www.mindgenius.com

http://www.biggerplate.com/

20.2.1 Further Reading:

Buzan, Tony. Use Your Head.

Rico, Gabriele Lusser. Writing the Natural Way.

More Mind Genius

In addition to these, the help section of Mindgenius is very good. To access this:

Open MindGenius from the desktop.

Click on the Tools tab.

Click to select Help & Resources.


http://www.buzan.com.au/

http://www.mindgenius.com/

http://www.biggerplate.com/