MeisterTip #2 – Multiple Maps

9Dec

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As a mind mapper, chances are you’ve got more than one map in the works at any given time. In this MeisterTip we’ll be focusing on switching between mind maps without having to exit to the main dashboard, as well as viewing multiple maps using browser tabs.

Switching between maps

Whether you’re a power MindMeister user with a great number of maps, or a basic user limited to three maps, swapping between your various maps can be done without ever having to visit your main dashboard.

Most users’ initial reaction is to click on the MindMeister button located at the top left of the map user interface. This will take you back to your map listings and is a good method to get an overview of all your maps, i.e. with whom they’re shared and when they were last modified.

However, there’s a much faster and more efficient way to navigate your mind maps.

From within an active map, just below the navigator, you’ll notice four buttons, one with a drop down indicator.  This is the action we’re after. A click on this button will open up a dropdown that has the titles of your maps pre-populated. From here, simply select the map you’d like to work on and click. Your selected map will now be loaded, and ready for use.

No more swapping back to the main dashboard to find a desired map!

Viewing multiple maps

The occasion might arise when you’ll want to view certain ideas on one mind map, while referencing data within another map. You can use the method above to quickly swap between the two, but what if you want to go back and forth between maps and don’t want to reload them each time?

Thanks to the beauty of tabs, this is easily done. From your main maps listing, right click on the map ‘A’ that you want to view, and select ‘Open in a new tab’ (Note: in some browsers you can also just CTRL-click the map link). This will then open a new tab in your browser window with your selected map read to go. In your main browser window, click on the map you’d like to compare map ‘A’ with, and simply tab between the two.

Obviously this method can be applied as many times as you like, comparing one, two, three, etc. maps side by side within tabs.

In our next installment of the MeisterTips series, we’ll be addressing two of the more advanced features of working with maps:  Our cut/copy/paste feature which maintains all of your node structure, links, images, and parent/child relationships, as well as how to create entirely new maps from mind map nodes.