XMind allows quickly copying over structure of the mindmap as a tab-indented list starting at the node selected. It can also take a tab-indented.

MindNode, made by our friends IdeasOnCanvas, is a beautiful mind mapping app for Mac, iPad, and iPhone. What’s more, MindNode integrates nicely with Ulysses: You can quickly turn a mind map into a written outline, or – vice versa – turn your notes into a beautiful map. So, if you’re a writer looking for new ways to boost your creativity and sort your thoughts, make sure to check it out.

You’ve probably heard of mind mapping before – it’s a great technique to generate ideas, visualize complex issues, cluster information and organize thoughts. You can use it at work for brainstorming for a new project, for planning a holiday trip or a wedding, or for organizing research for an article or a book. The fields of application are practically endless.

MindNode makes creating mind maps incredibly easy. Once you’ve put down the topic, you can add and specify its aspects in so-called nodes. In next to no time you can create a colorful map that resembles a tree with branches and braces. Other than when mind mapping with pen and paper, you will never run out of space, because your virtual canvas is endless. Also, you can quickly reorganize the map elements via drag & drop, and fold the contents of nodes for a better overview. Everything is readable and looks uncluttered, even pretty. What’s more, you can add a sticker (Mind Node comes with a selection) or a custom image to a node, attach a note, and even assign a checkbox and therefore turn a node into a to-do item.

Uncluttered & Intuitive Design

Men's clothing design app. Mind mapping with MindNode is fun because the app is well designed and intuitive to use. In the center, there’s the canvas for the creation of mind maps. Optionally, you can display sidebars left and right. They allow you to display a hierarchic outline of your map's content, choose a color theme, tweak the formatting of every single node, and edit attached notes.

Customization

Even if you only open up MindNode and start out mind mapping, the result will look pretty: Every new branch gets its own color according to a harmonious theme, nodes automatically rearrange, and the lower you get in the hierarchy, the thinner the branches and braces get. However, you can also individually change the appearance of either your whole map or its elements: You can choose between a number of themes, adjust the background color, define in detail the color and the form of nodes, and so forth. You can choose to let your map grow either horizontally or vertically. If the option Manual Layout is turned on, you can freely arrange your nodes on the map without any restrictions.

Export Mind Maps to Ulysses

Exporting of mind maps also is intuitive and works via the “Export To” command in the file menu. You can export a mind map, among others, as a PDF, image, Freemind or OPML file – or as a Markdown file, which Ulysses can read. For this post, I first collected my thoughts in a mind map, which I later exported to Ulysses and used as an outline for this article. Here is how to do this:

• In MindNode, go to “File” ›”Export To” › “Markdown…” to open the export panel.
• If your mind map contains images and you want to keep them during export, make sure that “Include Images” is checked.
• Click “Export…” and save the file to your disk.
• To open and edit this file with Ulysses, right-click it, select “Open With” and choose Ulysses from the list of available applications.
• Alternatively, you can import the file to Ulysses by dragging it to your library.

MindNode converts your nodes according to their hierarchy level to first, second and third order headings and nested lists. And that’s it – here’s the outline for your writing.

Visualize Written Notes With MindNode

The procedure also works the other way around – you can easily turn your Ulysses notes into a mind map. The precondition is them being hierarchically sorted, that is, as headings and nested lists. Every heading and every list item will become a single node. Standard text will be interpreted as a note and attributed to the preceding node. Proceed as follows:

• In Ulysses, invoke Quick Export and select Text export.
• If the sheet contains images, select TextBundle from the list. If it doesn’t, Markdown also does the job.
• Click the “Open in…” icon and select MindNode from the list of apps. And here you go: Your notes, neatly visualized in a mind map.
• Now you can adjust the appearance of the map according to your taste and needs, and save it to your disk.

MindNode on iOS

MindNode is also available for iPad and iPhone. The app is as powerful as on the Mac – yet, it is still simple and intuitive to use. You can sync MindNode via iCloud Drive, allowing you to resume editing a mind map any time and on any connected device.

To export a mind map from MindNode to Ulysses on iOS, please follow these steps:

• In MindNode, tap the Share button in the toolbar.
• In the “Send to” section, select Markdown as export format.
• If your mind map contains images, toggle 'Include Images'.
• Tap “Send to App…” and select “Copy to Ulysses” from the available options.

This will add a new sheet with your text outline to Ulysses’ inbox.

Exporting Ulysses notes to MindNode on iOS works as follows:

“We are excited to welcome Microsoft Office 365 to the all new Mac App Store in macOS Mojave. Apple and Microsoft have worked together to bring great Office productivity to Mac users from the very beginning. Now, with Office 365 on the Mac App Store, it’s easier than ever to get the latest and best version of Office 365 for Mac, iPad, and iPhone.” —Phil Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing. Microsoft office 2016 for mac. Office for Mac with Office 365, gives you power and flexibility to get things done virtually from anywhere. Find the right Office for you. A free 1-month trial of Office 365 is included with each Microsoft Office 365 in-app purchase. Unmistakably Office, designed for Mac Get started quickly with new, modern versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and unlock additional functionality in OneNote and OneDrive—combining the familiarity of Office and the unique Mac features you.

• In Ulysses’ editor, tap the Share button and switch to Text export.
• Specify Markdown or TextBundle as a file format.
• Back in the exporter, tap the .. icon and select “Open in Another App”
• Select “Copy to MindNode” from the list.

Get MindNode

MindNode comes with a price tag of $39.99 for the Mac app and $14.99 for the iOS app (less if you own earlier MindNode versions). You can download the apps for free on the Mac App Store and the App Store, and try them out for two weeks.

By William Gallagher
Wednesday, April 24, 2019, 11:50 am PT (02:50 pm ET)

The longstanding mind map app MindNode has been updated to add new features to its Mac and iOS versions. Both now feature a Focus mode that concentrates the map on one topic and the iOS edition also lets you select multiple elements to edit or move together.


MindNode 6 is a new update to the mind mapping app which is designed for brainstorming and organizing ideas on iOS ormacOS. The latest version adds to both platforms with a minor but useful new Focus mode and Hide Connections option that helps you concentrate on individual sections or topics in your map. It's a more significant update for iOS, though, where it also adds the ability to select multiple objects at once, plus improves how it works with external monitors.
This isn't as substantial an update as the 2017 move to MindNode 5, but the new tools are strong additions to an excellent app.

Focus mode is a development of MindNode's previous tools for helping you clear away clutter to concentrate on individual elements of your mind map. You've long been able to collapse the map so that, for instance, a giant and complex topic can temporarily be shown as just a single heading.
Now Focus mode lets you take that single heading and all the elements underneath it, but hide everything else on the entire map. The elements nearest wherever you're focusing are kept very faintly visible so that you don't forget where you are, but you can properly concentrate on just this one segment.

Mind maps are meant to start as just an outpouring of ideas as you think of them and then you use tools like MindNode's for organizing these thoughts. You're supposed to end up with a neat map that shows everything in logical sequences —and for the most part, you do. MindNode, however, recognizes that sometimes you just have to mess it all up a bit and draw a line different sections of the map.
The app calls that a connection and new to MindNode 6 on macOS and iOS is a feature called Hide Connections. Tap that and these extra lines disappear.

This, Focus mode and the existing ability to collapse sections of the map are all about helping you see the big picture and zooming in on the details that you need right now.
These all work smoothly on both platforms. The joint iOS version adds more and, at least on the iPhone, the new features can be tricky to get used to. Perhaps the most significant addition is the ability to select multiple objects on your mind map and so move or edit them together. It's very useful, it's one of those features you're surprised you didn't notice was missing before, but like all iOS multi-select tools, it takes practice.
In MindNode 6 for iOS, you tap and hold on any blank part of the map and then, with a second finger, tap on each element you want to select. That works fine every time. However, you're also supposed to be able to hold that first finger down and drag the second over other elements to select them as you go. And we kept triggering the pinch-to-zoom feature instead. Doubtlessly it's our finger trouble, but even with that problem, the ability to tap-to-select multiple objects is a boon.
MindNode 6 really needs a bigger screen than an iPhone when you're creating a map. It's a much more absorbing tool on the iPad and now, with this version, you can also do more with external displays. If your iPad can drive an external monitor, as the USB-C iPad Pros can, you can elect to have different areas of your map on each display. Keep the whole map in view on the iPad and zoom in on a particular area on the external monitor.
MindNode 6 for Mac requires macOS High Sierra or later while the joint iPad and iPhone edition needs iOS 11 or later. Both apps are free downloads from the Mac App Store or iOS App Store and include a two-week free trial of the full software. After that, the free edition remains working as a read-only viewer, but you can upgrade to the full edition for $39.99 on the Mac, $14.99 on iOS.