Mind Mapping Workflow

New mind mapping workflow is added in this Android patch 1.8.0. This workflow is to simplify the creation of mind map. You can create a mind map by choosing the mind map option when creating a new file.

To begin, you start by drawing your central idea shape and then type in the central idea immediately afterward. From the central idea, you can simply draw out branches any way you want either with straight, curve, or multi-step lines.

It is easier to edit branches looks and feels by redrawing the connector line again. For example, drawing a straight line on a curved connector will act as a quick replacement command. You can re-route children node by simply selecting the start point of the connector and drag it to other parent node. Finally, to draw link between existing nodes you can just draw line connecting them.

Here are some additional mind map specific controls

The current implementation is still in beta stage as it is still missing some advance mind mapping features such as auto layout, more styling option, mindmap format, and more. Please help us improve them by sending your suggestions to support@drawexpress.com

PD

IOS is out! Dropbox is next

IOS version 1.0 is approved and released.  It is now available for both iPhone and iPad alike.  We are happy with the first version and we would like to get as much feedback and/or bug reports about it.  There are a couple of features that we are still finishing off to keep all our features in sync across all platforms.  

  1) URL and file linking
  2)  global copy and paste clipboard 

With all three platforms available, our immediate priority is to improve the sharing capability of it.  Right now you can only do so with email, so we have been evaluating some of the cloud platform to make sharing between all devices more seamless.  We have decided to go with Dropbox for our first cloud integration. 

Looking back at our roadmap and the development list, we still have a huge amount of works ahead.  Especially now that we have many platforms to develop on, it is important that we can get as much help from our users as possible to keep us moving forward.  Please feel free to send any feedbacks and suggestions to our support inbox.  Also, your extra ratings and reviews in the app store are extremely important for us.  

Some Helpful Starting Tips!

We are still working on the tutorial so hopefully these tips will help you getting started.

• To Pan the surface, you use two fingers and maintain the same spacing between them. Using the thumb and the index finger seems to be the easiest for me.
• When selecting a shape or a group of shapes, you can delete it by drawing “x” or copy it by drawing “+”. You can draw anywhere on the canvas but don’t draw it bigger than 1/3 of the screen.
• You are likely to draw unwanted lines or unrecognized shapes in red strokes. Simply touch the surface with two fingers will clear those lines. However, you should ignore it and continue to draw over it with a successful shape or action and these unwanted lines will automatically go away. Do NOT Use the “undo button” for these red strokes.
• When drawing connectors, you should try to start in the middle of the first shape and end your connector stroke within the middle of the second shape. Any point within the shape is still ok.
• You can select a boundary box by touching its border only. Likewise, you can double tap on the border for labeling.
• Check out our website tutorial slides for other drawing gestures.