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Mind maps are fantastic tools for mapping the way your brain makes connections. They help you visualize the relative importance of ideas, clarify connections between ideas, think more creatively, and generate new ideas quickly.


Especially in the initial and ideation stages, mind maps can help you unlock the potential of your project.


Zenkit's Mind Map view is a very simple tool that allows you to create mind maps with existing data or create a new collection from scratch. The Mind Map view is closely linked to the Subtask field. Changes you make to the subtask field are reflected directly in the mind map and vice versa.


Creating a mind map view

A mind map view is not created by default when you create a new project, but creating one is as easy as creating any view. Click on the name of your current view in the upper right corner to open the Views menu. Click on "+ New View" and then select "Mind Map".



The center of the mind map contains the name of your project.


Creating tasks in the Mind Map view

If you have already started adding tasks to the hierarchy using the Subtask field, they will be pre-populated in your Mind Map view. To create tasks from scratch in the Mind Map view, hover over the project title in the center of the map and click the "+" icon that appears at the bottom left.



Type the name of the new task and press Enter to save. To add another branch, press the spacebar (this will create a new two and another node of the current layer). To create a 'child' for your new task, press Tab or click the "+" icon that appears on the task when you hover over it.


Advanced adding of existing tasks to the map

Tasks that already exist in your project but have not yet been added to your mind map are displayed in the Unconnected area.



To add a task as a 'child' of another task, drag and drop it onto the task.



Tidying up the mind map

To automatically sort all tasks, click the mind map icon that appears below the titles when you move your mouse over them.



Moving objects on the map

Click and drag a task to move it on the map. Any child or descendant tasks will remain in the same configuration and move along with the task you move. When you move to the opposite side of the parent task, the descendant tasks are switched to the other side.


To move around the mind map, click and drag to a location that is not on a task, such as you would when using Google Maps.

You can also click and drag on the small white box on the navigation pane in the lower-left corner to move around the map faster.



Scrolling with your mouse or trackpad is another option. Use the scroll wheel on your mouse to move up and down or use the 2-finger gesture on your trackpad to move in any direction.


Then you can click "Center" to return to the root task or center your view on the map.



Collapsing branches

Larger mind maps can be a bit cluttered. To hide branches on the map, click the small folder icon to 'collapse' any branches that appear after that task. To show these branches again, simply click on the folder.



Zooming in and out of the mind map

Use the zoom slider in the upper right corner to zoom out and in on the map.



When zoomed out, you will not be able to see task details beyond the name. This happens to keep the mind map clear and concise so you can focus on creating and connecting ideas.


Increase and decrease the task size

To increase or decrease the detail depth of the tasks first, make sure you are fully zoomed into the map (the Mind Map Zoom slider is set on the far right). Click "Mind Map" in the upper right corner to open the view menu. Then click on "Edit" next to "Mind Map".


Use the "Task Size" slider to increase or decrease the task size. You can also choose if and where you want to preview the attached files.


Export mind map as an image

To export your mind map, click the "..." icon in the upper-right corner of the view, and then click "Export"



You will be shown a preview of the map. To download, click "Download" in the upper right corner of the preview.


Removing tasks from the mind map

To remove a task from the map, click the "x" icon in the bottom left corner of the task. This will move the item and all its descendants to the "Unconnected" area.


Archived tasks in the Mind Map view

When you archive a task, it automatically disappears from the Mind Map view. If you restore the task later, it will no longer appear on the mind map and you will have to add it again.