Editing the canvas
Outliner keys, the tool dock, cross-links, and the radial menu.
The canvas is where a map is built. The fastest way through it is the keyboard; the dock along the bottom is for what has to be placed by eye.
Tab and Enter grow the map
Select a node and press Tab. A child appears, already selected, with its label open for typing. Enter does the same sideways: a sibling under the same parent. Shift+Tab lifts a node out from under its parent and drops it beside it; a node directly below a root cannot outdent.
The smaller moves:
| Key | What it does |
|---|---|
F2 | Edits the selected node's label, or a selected edge's. |
Ctrl+D | Duplicates the selection (Cmd+D on macOS). |
Delete | Removes it. Backspace does the same. |
Ctrl+0 | Fits the whole map in the pane. |
Escape | Cancels the gesture in flight, then disarms the tool. |
Dragging a node carries its whole subtree, and dragging a frame carries its members.
The tool dock
| Tool | Key | What a press on the canvas does |
|---|---|---|
| Select | V | Selects, drags, and resizes. The resting state. |
| Node | N | Plants a node and opens it for typing. |
| Shape | S | Plants the shape chosen in the picker. |
| Text | T | Plants a loose text label. |
| Connect | C | Draws an edge between two nodes. |
| Frame | F | Sweeps a rectangle to frame what it catches. |
Every tool but Select is one-shot: it does its one thing and hands the map back. The shape tool opens a picker of eight primitives.
Cross-links between branches
Arm connect, press on a node, drag to another, and release. Mnemo draws the edge and returns to Select, and F2 labels it. Dragging between two nodes that are already linked removes that edge instead.
The radial toolkit
Hold Q, flick the pointer in a direction, and let go: the release runs the sector under the pointer. Letting go over the hub calls the gesture off, and Escape closes it. With a node selected the ring offers add child, connect, delete, add sibling, collapse, and edit; with nothing selected, add node, shape, arrange, fit, and add text.
Every key on this page is rebindable in Settings.
Related
- First steps: why cross-links earn the map its keep.
- Node types and styling: what a node holds and how it looks.