FAQ


INSTALLING SEAVUS DROPMIND™

What are system requirements for installing Seavus Desktop DropMind™?

    Recommended System Requirements:

    Windows:

  • Intel® 1.4 GHz processor or equivalent
  • 256MB of RAM (512MB recommended)
  • 40 MB of available hard disk space (during installation)
  • 1024x768 @16-bit color (1280x800 @24-bit color or higher recommended)

    Mac:

  • Intel processor (Power PC not supported)
  • Mac OS X v10.4.8 or higher (Mac OS X v10.4.11 or higher recommended)
  • 90 MB of available hard disk space (during installation)
  • 1024x768 @16-bit color (1280x800 @24-bit color or higher recommended)

    Linux:

  • Intel® 1.4 GHz processor or equivalent
  • X11 Desktop Environments
  • 80 MB of available hard disk space (during installation)
  • 1024x768 @16-bit color (1280x800 @24-bit color or higher recommended)

What operating systems is Seavus DropMind™ compatible with?

    Seavus DropMind™ is a multi-platform application that can be installed on Windows, Linux and Mac operating systems. Our solution has been tested on the following platforms:

  • Windows: Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7
  • Mac: Mac 10.4.11 and 10.5.5
  • Linux: Ubuntu GNU/Linux
  • For problems encountered on other platforms, please contact our Support Team.

Will I be able to reinstall the software if I reformat or change my computer?

    Yes, you will be able to activate Seavus DropMind™ with the same license key after formatting your system. To reactivate Seavus DropMind™ after reinstalling your system:

  • Install Seavus DropMind™,
  • Start Seavus DropMind™,
  • Product Activation Wizard will appear. Select the "Update Activation Record" option if your hardware has not changed or the "Reactivate Key" if your hardware has changed, and click "Next". Enter the username and password for which Seavus DropMind™ is licensed, and click "Next". A message box confirming the action will be shown.

SEAVUS DROPMIND™ OVERVIEW

What is Seavus Desktop DropMind™ and what does it do?

    Seavus Desktop DropMind™ is a dynamic mind mapping software tool for visual thinking, brainstorming, planning and organizing in real time. Seavus DropMind™ helps map out information and improve memorization, productivity and creativity. It is great for solving problems, improving communication, and making plans quicker and more creatively. With its smooth usability and highly interactive interface, it saves time, energy and effort, and improves every aspect of your work. Seavus DropMind™ allows capturing all important information on a simple, easy-to-use, cross-platform friendly mind map.

Who can use Seavus DropMind™?

    Our mind mapping software tool can be used by people who need a single place to store all of their important information in a creative, unique and visually distinctive way. Seavus DropMind™ can help everyone from students and freelancers to experienced professionals to enhance brainstorming, organize, plan, make decisions, solve problems, improve productivity, and boost their creative thinking.

What is mind mapping?

    Mind mapping is one of the simplest, yet most powerful tools of organizing information, and a technique that allows you to capture the natural flow of ideas. Mind mapping is a popular brainstorming tool and learning technique of arranging ideas and their interconnections visually. It can be used to create graphic linkages between a central concept or issue and other concepts or issues by memorable tree-like diagrams. It allows you to create, capture, organize and communicate highly interactive visual representations of complex ideas, information and data.

What can I use mind maps for?

    Mind maps are great for freely manipulating ideas, knowledge and information. They can hold various types of content and data, and can be rearranged as needed. Mind maps are extremely flexible and can have a variety of uses, such as:

  • Note taking;
  • Brainstorming;
  • Problem solving;
  • Studying and memorization;
  • Planning;
  • Research and consolidating information from multiple sources;
  • Presenting information;
  • Gaining insight on complex subjects;
  • Exercising creativity.

SEAVUS DROPMIND™ USAGE

How do I start a new map?

    To start a new mind map, click "New" in the application button menu or click the "New" icon in the quick access toolrow. You can create a new map by using a default map style and naming the central topic followed by child topics, sibling topics and floating topics; or by using an existing map or a template.

How can I open an already created mind map?

    You can open an existing mind map by clicking on the map file, by clicking "Open" in the application button menu, or by clicking the "Open" icon in the quick access toolrow.

Can I change the interface of the application?

    The application interface can be changed in Seavus DropMind™ Options. You can set the "Windows style", "Color theme', "Library tab Position" and you can also localize DropMind with "Language Support" option. DropMind is available in English, Japanese, French, German and Spanish.

Can I import mind maps created in other Mind Manager software?

    Yes, you can import maps created in MindJet MindManager®, XMind, FreeMind, by clicking "Import" in the application button menu or in the quick access toolbar. Moreover, you can create maps based on Word Outline documents.

Are there any export options?

    All created maps can be exported as:
  • PDF Document,
  • Image,
  • Word Document,
  • Rich Text Document,
  • PowerPoint Presentation and
  • HTML
  • FreeMind map
  • XML Document.

How can I export my map as an outline document?

    You can export your map as Word Outline Document or RTF Outline Document for Word. Also you can import Word documents and you can create maps from them. The following logic is applied for the both processes:

  • Map topics will be converted to Headers, Bullets, Numbering,
  • Name of Word file = Central topic,
  • Headers = Main topics,
  • Subheaders = Subtopics,
  • Text = Note.

How can I save already created map?

    You can save your mind maps by clicking "Save" in the application button menu. Four options are available: Save, Save As, Save as Template and Save All. You can use the Save option you choose the location where to save the map and write in the "File Name" field the name under which you wish the map to be saved. When you click Save As, and the map is already saved, the same procedure exists as saving a completely new map. When you click Save as Template, the saved map can be used as base model for creating new maps. With the Save All option, all currently opened maps are to be saved.

Can I save part of the map?

    You can save part of a map by adding the selected topic in "Map Part", located in the "Insert" tab. By using "Save As" option you can save only this part as .dmmp.dmm format - DropMind™ part file.

Can I print an existing mind map?

    You can print your mind maps by clicking "Print" in the application button menu. Three options are available: Print, Print Preview and Page Setup. You can use the Print option to select the printer, page range and number of copies. The Print Preview option shows how the map will look when printed according to the Print and Page Setup settings. The Page Setup options control the map's orientation, page margins, headers and footers, border and more.

If I have a Web DropMind™ account, can I upload my desktop maps to the Web account?

    From the "Integration" section in the main menu, you can access a set of options enables the integration between the desktop and web version of Seavus DropMind™. From here you can upload maps created in the desktop version to the web version and you can download maps created with the web version to the desktop version. It also enables you to synchronize the desktop Seavus DropMind™ maps with the web version Seavus DropMind™ maps.

I want to send my map via email, can I do that?

    You can send your map as email attachment. Open the main menu and go to the "Send" section. Your map will be sent as attachment to the recipient of your choice via the default email client installed on your PC.

How many topic levels can I add?

    You can add as many topic levels as you want. Seavus DropMind™ does not limit your creativity.
    You can insert sibling topics, subtopics, parent topics, floating topics and key topics. Sibling topic refers to a same level topic. You can add as much sibling topics as you want. You cannot add sibling topic to the Central Topic and to floating topics. By clicking on "Subtopic" button from menu, new child topic of the selected topic is added. By clicking on "Parent Topic" button, a parent topic is put between the selected topic and the previous topic which was connected to the selected topic. Clicking on "Floating Topic" allows you to add a topic in the map that is floating, meaning it has no relationship to topics under the Central Topic. It has the same properties as any other topic, except that a sibling topic cannot be added from floating topic. The key topics are the key points in the map. By marking a topic as a key node, you draw the attention on to the topic. That way you can easily orientate in the map.

Can I add an external relationship?

    Yes, you can add an external relationship and link associated topics by clicking "Relationship" under the "Insert" tab. There is no limitation to the number of external relationships per map. You must select two nodes, one by one, in order to establish an external relationship between them..

What is a callout?

    Callout topic is a descriptive topic that has the same properties as any other topic. It can be added to any topic except the Central one. It is placed above a selected topic. In addition, it can be added to an external relationship when it is placed in the center of the relationship. You can add a callout by selecting the topic to which you want to add a callout and clicking "Callout" under the "Insert" tab.

Can I group related topics and its subtopics?

    You can group related topics and its subtopics by inserting boundaries. Boundaries are used to emphasize the relationship between topics and subtopics with an outline, surrounding an area on a map with your choice of line type and an optional fill color. Moreover, you can add boundaries within boundaries to group related topics and its subtopics within an already existing boundary. You can add boundaries by selecting the topic which subtopics you want to group, and clicking "Boundary" under the "Insert" tab.

What are Notes for?

    Notes are used for adding additional information that further explains the topic. You can add notes by selecting the topic that you want to explain and clicking "Notes" under the "Insert" tab. An icon will appear inside the topic indicating that a note for that topic has been created. You can format the text by font family, font size, text color and highlight color. You can add as much text in notes as you need.

How can I add hyperlinks?

    You can add hyperlink by clicking on the "Hyperlink" button under the "Insert" tab. You can specify the location of the file, folder, URL or e-mail address which you want to insert. After inserting hyperlink, a hyperlink icon is shown inside topics. On mouse over the hyperlink icon a tooltip is shown, displaying the chosen destination. On icon click, the file, URL, folder or e-mail stated in hyperlink is opened.

Can I add attachments to the topics?

    Yes, you can add attachments. The attach option is located in the "Topic Elements" group under the "Insert" tab.

How can I add icons?

    You can add icons to a specific topic by clicking "Icon" under the "Insert" tab. You can add as many icons as you want on a single topic. Icon markers and single icons are available in the Icon Library. Icon markers are changeable icons: when added in node and if clicked, the icon will be changed with the next icon marker in the group. The single icon cannot be changed on click.

What are icons used for?

    Icons are used to increase and clarify communication. Icons help organize mind maps using visual content defined in a dynamically updated legend.

How can I add images?

    When you click on "Image" in the main menu, a drop-down list with two options appears - "Insert image from library" and "Insert image from file." If you click on the "Image" button or choose the "Insert image from library", an image library is opened where you can choose from the provided images. If you choose the "Insert image from file" option, a pop-up box appears asking you to choose the destination from where the image shall be inserted, and automatically adding the inserted image to the image library.

Can I customize topic shapes?

    Yes, you can customize topic shapes. You can choose the predefined topic shape from "Topic Shape" drop-down list under the "Format" tab. The chosen topic shape is applied to the selected topic. Moreover, you can import your own shape by clicking the "Import Shape" and specifying the destination from where the shape shall be inserted.

How do I format topic text?

    Text entered in nodes can be formatted from the menu. You can choose:

  • Font family;
  • Font size;
  • Font color;
  • Font style (B, I, U, abc ); and,
  • Text alignment (centre, left and right).

How do I format topics on my map?

    There is a variety of options to format your topics. You can change the topic shape. By clicking on the "Topic Shape" a drop-down list appears with the available topic shapes. Callout topics have different shapes than normal topics. By clicking on "Shape from Library", the shapes library appears as right menu from where you can choose a topic shape to be applied to the selected topic. By clicking on "Import Shape" you can upload your own topic shape by choosing the destination from where the topic shape shall be uploaded. The supported file type is .svg. Moreover, if you have added icons or images to topic, you can choose the desired placement inside the topic.

Can I format relationships and boundaries on my map?

    You can change relationship's begin and end style by choosing from the available options in the drop-down menu when "Relationship Shape" is clicked. By clicking on the "Format Relationship" option from drop-down menu, a pop-up window appears allowing you to change the relationship format. You can change boundary's outline by choosing from the available options in the drop-down menu when "Boundary Shape" is clicked. By clicking on the "Format Boundary" option from drop-down menu, a pop-up window appears allowing you to change the boundary format. You can change relationships' and boundaries' line style and weight by choosing from the available options in the drop-down menu when "Line" is clicked.

Can I make numbering on my map topics?

    Yes, you can insert numbering on your map topics by using the "Numbering" button located in "Format" menu. You can choose between numbers, letters (lower or upper case) or roman numbers (lower or upper case). The numbering will start from the upper right topic and continue clock-wise. When new topic is added it is automatically numbered. If you want to re-order topics, they will change the numbering accordingly. You can apply numbering to the subtopics as well which will give outline structure to your map. The numbering will start from the topic you`ve selected. If the central topic is selected, numbering will aplly to a whole map, if it is some topic selected, only through its subtopics.

How do I change background to my map?

    You can change background to your mind map under the "Format" tab. Here, you can change:

  • Background color;
  • Background pattern; and,
  • Background format.

How do I change the color of my map?

    You can change the color of the whole map by choosing a color to apply to the whole map from the list. The color is applied by the following rule: central topic has the blue color (always), level one has darker color, level 2 lighter and level 3 the lightest (the other levels have the level 3 color) depending on the map color chosen from the menu. By selecting from the "Formatting" group, from drop-down menu you will be able to choose from predefined colors which will be applied on the whole map.

Are there any predefined map styles?

    Yes, Seavus DropMind™ allows you to choose among predefined map styles. After clicking on "Map Styles" under the "Format" tab, a pop-up window appears showing the styles you can choose from. You can change the style of an already created map, or of a new map.

Can I customize preferred topic styles?

    By using "Topic Style" functionality in "Format" options you can save custom topic style and later apply that style to other selected topics. You can save the topic font, shape and color, alignment, size, margins, and subtopics layout.

What does Pattern serve for?

    By clicking on "Pattern" under the "Format" menu tab, you can choose from predefined background pattern library on the right menu of the application.

What does Outline serve for?

    When you click on the "Outline" button in the "View" tab, a new vertical window will open in the right section of the map. The central topic is the title of the outline, starting from the upper right corner and going clock-wise, the main topics are heading 1 and so on. If there are other maps (central topics) they are shown after the first map, represented with the same logic. The map where the selected topic is, is the first map. Floating topics are written at the end of the outline, as heading 1. The callout topics, are shown one level below the topic where they are callout topics.

What does Details section serve for?

    When you click on the "Details" button you will be able to choose the level of the detail on the map. Level 1 will present only the central topic and the main topics, all the other child topics and sub-topics will be collapsed. You can choose to see level 3 and you can again expand all levels of the topics by clicking on the All levels option from the menu. The detail level depends on what topic or subtopic is selected. By clicking on the "Show Branch Alone" option when a topic is select, the selected topic and all his sub topics are the only one shown on the map. By clicking on the "Show all Branches" option the view is returned to normal and all branches are shown on the map again. On a button click from menu, only the selected topic shall be shown when it is collapsed and all its subtopics are shown when it is expanded. By clicking on "Select Branch" button from menu, the selected topic and all its subtopics are selected. If the selected topic doesn't have subtopics, or if the central topic is selected, this button is disabled.

Are there any topic filtering options in DropMind™?

    Filtering options can be found in "View" menu and it is a convenient way to view only a subset of the topics on a map. With this features you can view/hide the topics that are/aren't currently of our interest. You can filter the topics whether they contain Hyperlinks, Notes, Alerts, Attachments, Icons and Tasks.

Can I create presentations from my maps?

    You can use the presentation group from the Seavus DropMind™ ribbon menu to create presentations from your map by taking snapshots of the selected topics. Afterwards, you can automatically generate snapshots and view a slideshow from the generated snapshots. At the end, you can export your map as PowerPoint Presentation.

How can I find words or phrases inside the map?

    You can find and replace text used inside topics through the "Find" option. To quickly search for every occurrence of a specific word or phrase you can click the "Find" button. A pop-up window for "Find and Replace" will appear.

Which areas of the map are searched with the search option?

    Seavus DropMind™ has Advanced search which is a powerful built in search engine in desktop Seavus DropMind™. With this option you can search trough:

  • the topic text,
  • notes,
  • attachments name,
  • by word,
  • phrase
  • topics that do not include the typed word.
  • Results are listed and easy to find on map.

CUSTOMER SUPPORT

What support is offered for Seavus DropMind™ Software?

    If you can't find what you're looking for in the FAQ section you might want to check:

    Supporting Documents

    Our support department is dedicated to giving each customer the best possible experience through unmatched level of technical expertise and efficiency by professional and courteous representatives.
    Our standard Customer Support Center hours are Mon-Fri., 8:00am - 12:00 Midnight CET.
    You can also fill out Support form or send an email directly to support@dropmind.com.

Who should I contact with questions about Seavus DropMind™?

    Let our Customer Center know your technical issue at support@dropmind.com, and one of our representatives will contact you promptly. For general issues, email customercenter@dropmind.com.

    You may also call the following phone numbers:

    Seavus Group
    Skeppsbron 5
    211 20 Malmoe, Sweden
    Phone: +46 (0) 40-300 940
    Fax: +46 (0) 40-300 941

    Seavus USA, Inc.
    45 W. Parish Dr Andover,
    MA 01810 USA
    Tech Support: 888-573-2887
    (toll free)
    Phone: 770-261-1394

    Seavus Products Limited
    66 Old Bakery Street,
    Valletta
    Malta