Mindmap - Visual Learning & Card Linking

Enhance your Anki learning experience with visual organization. This plugin allows you to create mind maps directly within Anki, link them to your flashcards, and navigate bidirectionally between your visual structures and spaced repetition cards.

⚡ Quick Start Workflow

Follow these steps to create your first linked mind map:

1. Create Map: Go to Tools -> Mind Map -> Mind Map Manager and click New.
2. Link Card: Open the Anki "Add" window or "Browser". Click the MM button in the editor toolbar and select your map.
3. Edit Content: IMPORTANT! Edit the first line of the card's "Front" field. This line directly corresponds to the node's text in the mind map.
4. View Node: Return to the Mind Map editor and press F5 (Refresh). You will see your new node linked automatically.
5. Navigate:
   • In Mind Map: Right-click a node -> "Jump to Card" to open it in the Browser.
   • In Review: Click the Mind Map Badge in the top-right corner to jump instantly to the context node.

Tip: Not all nodes need to be linked to cards. You can freely create unlinked nodes for structure, titles, or brainstorming!

⚠ Important: First Time Sync

CRITICAL STEP FOR NEW USERS

After installing this add-on or using the Active/Inactive feature for the first time, Anki will detect database structure changes (due to the new "MindMap Master" note type).

When Anki asks you to Sync, you MUST choose: "Upload to AnkiWeb".

• This is a one-time requirement.
• Future operations (adding nodes, linking cards) will sync normally and bidirectionally.

🔗 Seamless Card Linking

Designed for simplicity and compatibility with all note types:

• One-Way Initiation: Links are initiated from the Card to the Mind Map using the MM button. This keeps your workflow clean.
• Bidirectional Content Sync:
  • Map to Card: Editing a node updates the first line of the card's Front field.
  • Card to Map: Editing the first line of the card's Front field automatically updates the Mind Map node.

💡 Powerful Editor Features

• Smart Paste: Copy text from anywhere (browser, PDF). Select a node and press Ctrl+V. A new child node containing that text is automatically created and selected.
• Floating Nodes: Double-click on any empty space to create independent "floating nodes". Perfect for brainstorming ideas before organizing them into the main tree.
• Drag & Drop: Easily rearrange nodes or attach floating nodes to the main tree by dragging.
• MathJax Support: Full support for MathJax formulas (inline \(...\) and block \[...\]).
• Undo/Redo: Full history support with Ctrl+Z (Undo) and Ctrl+Y / Ctrl+Shift+Z (Redo).

⚙ Customization

Go to Tools -> Add-ons -> Mind Map -> Config to tailor the experience:

• Line Color: Customize connection lines (e.g., "red", "#4CAF50", or "rgba(139, 92, 246, 0.6)").
• Backgrounds: Add your own images to the backgrounds folder and set them in the config.
• Hotkeys: Remap standard actions like Save (Ctrl+S), Refresh (F5), or Focus Root (Ctrl+R).

💾 Backup & Portable Export

Never lose your data. The built-in Backup & Recovery tool allows you to:

• Export to JSON: Back up all your mind maps safely.
• Offline Viewer: Every export includes a standalone MindMap_Viewer.html. You can open this file in any web browser to view your mind maps on any device, even without Anki installed.

[1.1.0] - 2025-12-07

Added

• Feature to Enable/Disable Floating Nodes in the configuration (enable_floating_nodes).
• New configuration settings for Card Jump Mode:
  • jump_mode: Determines action when clicking the card link badge (Options: "preview" or "browser").
  • preview_mode: Controls content displayed in the preview window (Options: "all" content or just the "front" side).
• Added Read-Only Mode toggle in the Mind Map Editor menu for distraction-free viewing.

Changed

• Optimized Node Movement Logic for smoother interaction and dragging.
• Optimized Node Zoom Logic (e.g., handling zoom in the view provider).
• Refined Scrollbar Styles for a modern, custom appearance.
• Updated various Icons/Visual Indicators within the Mind Map editor interface.

[2.0.0] - 2026-01-25

Added

• Inter-Map Linking: Implemented bi-directional linking between mind maps. Users can now right-click the root node to establish links to other mind map files.
• New Node Relocation Strategy: Added the ability to designate a Boundary as a "Target Zone." New nodes generated from card links will automatically be placed within this specific boundary.
• Node Boundaries: Introduced rectangular boundaries for visual grouping.
  • Select multiple nodes (Shift + Click) and use the context menu or shortcuts to create a boundary.
  • Right-click the boundary border to remove it.
• Summary (Brace) Mode: Added support for creating summary braces for multiple selected nodes.
  • Note: Summary nodes are terminal and cannot support subsequent child nodes.
• Rich Text Formatting: Enabled markdown-style formatting within nodes, including Bold, Italic, Inline Code, and Code Blocks.
• Preview Window Pinning: Added a "Pin" toggle to the preview window to prevent auto-closing.
• Navigation Shortcuts: Added keyboard shortcuts for quickly expanding and collapsing child nodes.

Changed

• Keyboard Navigation: Refined the algorithm for keyboard-based node traversal to improve focus accuracy and user experience.
• Visuals: Optimized visual experience for navigating between nodes using arrow keys.

Fixed

• Resolved inconsistencies and bugs related to the Zoom functionality.

[2.1.0] - 2026-4-26

Added

• Added quick_open_action configuration: Users can now set Ctrl + M to either open the last active mind map (last_mindmap) or the mind map selection interface (manager).

Changed

• Refactoring: Completed a large-scale architectural refactoring of the project.
• Optimization: Significantly improved overall system performance.