Use Map Parts

Add a Map Part to your map

1. Do one of the following:
   

   On the Insert tab, in the Branch group, click Map Parts.

   Or

   Click the Task Pane's Map Parts tab.

2. In the Map Parts task pane, navigate to the Map Parts folder you want to use. (The top folder for generic, static Map Parts, or the subfolders for Smart Map Parts or Web Services Map Parts.)  
   Read Hint

   To see the Map Parts as a set of thumbnails, right-click the list background and select Thumbnails View.

3. In the lower pane, click the Map Part that you want to add and drag it onto the map. Use the visual cue to drop the part as a main topic, subtopic or floating topic.
    Read Note

   You can only add map parts to a flowchart as a floating topic. After adding the map part, connect it to the flowchart using a relationship line.  

Map parts in the top-level folder are static, and they become normal map topics and subtopics once they are added to the map. You can use these just as you would use topics that you added from scratch.

Adding a Smart Map Part or Web Services Map Part activates its link (if you have an active Internet connection) , and the Map Part will automatically be populated with information from the data source. Some Map Parts require you to enter information. For example, if you add the Amazon Search Map Part, a dialog displays so you can enter the search details. If you cancel the action, the dialog closes and the Map Part is removed from the map.

You can modify the topics added as a Map Part. If you modify the subtopics of a Smart Map Part or a Web Services Map Part your changes will be lost if it is refreshed.

Create or modify a Static Map Part

You can save part of a map you create as a static Map Part for easy re-use. You can also modify existing Map Parts.

Create a Static Map Part

1. Select the topic(s) that you want to save as Map Parts.  
   Read Hint

   You can select multiple topics to save. Each topic along with its attached subtopics and callouts will be saved as a separate Map Part.

2. To open the Map Parts task pane do one of the following:
   

   On the Insert tab, in the Branch group, click Map Parts.

   Or

   On the Status Bar click the Task Panes button , then click Map Parts.

3. In the top section of the Map Parts task pane, navigate to the Map Parts folder where you want to add the new part.
   Read Hint

   To create a new subfolder, right-click a folder and then click New Folder.

4. Do one of the following:
   

   Drag the topics from the map to the lower preview pane in the Map Parts task pane.

   Or

   At the top of the preview pane, click Add Selected Topic(s).

The new Map Part(s) will appear in the preview pane.

Modify a Static Map Part

In the Map Parts task pane, click on the arrow to the right of the part to show a menu of commands to modify, copy, duplicate, delete and rename the part.

1. To change the content of the part, click Modify.

2. The Map Part opens so you can edit its content.

3. When you are done editing, click Save on the Quick Access Toolbar or click File > Save.
   The Map Part is automatically saved in the proper location on your system.

4. Close the Map Part.

Use Smart Map Parts

MindManager comes with several categories of Smart Map Parts. You can modify Smart Map Parts using commands to modify, copy, duplicate, delete and rename the part. To see the latest content for the part, you can refresh it.

Once you have added a Map Part to your map you can see options for viewing and updating its information in its context menu. Right-click on the part to see these options. The particular options available will depend on the Map Part's function.

File Explorer

These Map Parts create links to files and subfolders within a particular folder on your system.

Add a File Explorer Map Part to a map ▼

Microsoft Excel Linker

The Microsoft Excel Linker Map Parts feature two-way communication between MindManager and Microsoft Excel. This allows you to add data to your map and edit it using either application. See Work with Microsoft Excel for more information.

News Feeds

You can create your own news feed Map Parts to give you the latest headlines from a specific source. The content is updated each time the Map Part is refreshed .

Create your own News Feed Map Parts ▼

Search with Web Services Map Parts

The Web Services Map Parts allow you to search various online sources for information or items. The search results are returned as subtopics of the Map Part topic. Each result contains an item summary (as a topic note) and a link to the item.

You'll also see a group of SharePoint Smart Map Parts listed here. These allow you use a map to aggregate and like to items from SharePoint sites. See Work with SharePoint for more information.

If you attach a Web Services part to an existing topic, the topic's text is automatically used as the search term. You can change this when you are prompted for the search parameters.

Add a Web Services Map Part to your map

1. Open the Map Parts pane by doing one of the following:
   

   Click the Map Parts Task Pane tab.

   Or

   On the ribbon Insert tab, in the Branch group, click Map Parts.

2. In the Map Parts pane, click the Web Services folder.

3. (optional) On the map, select or create a topic with your search term.

4. In the Map Parts pane, click the part to add it to the selected topic, or drag it to a topic on your map.

5. You will be prompted for search parameters.

6. After a short pause, the Web Services part appears on your map, populated with the search results.

You can point to the Notes icon to see a description of each found item, or click its link to go to its web page

If some time has elapsed since your initial search you can refresh the Web Services topic to see the latest available results.  
Read Hint

Change the search parameters

You can update the search parameters for a Web Services topic that you've already added to the map. The new search results will replace the current results.

1. On the Web Services topic right-click its icon .

2. Click the search name (for example "Amazon Search") and enter the new parameters in the dialog.

3. Click OK.

4. The Web Services topic updates automatically with the new results.  
   Read Hint

   To change only the "Look for" term, just change the Web Services topic's text. The search results update automatically.

Edit Web Services topic results

You can add your own subtopics to the Web Services topic or to the search results, and you can also edit the results topics to include your own text. Your additions will be retained when the Web Services topic is refreshed, unless the result topic you modified is removed on refresh.

Refresh Smart Map Parts

Smart Map Parts keep an active link to the original data source, so when the source changes, the Map Part can be updated to reflect the latest state of the external data. You can refresh all Map Parts, or just a single Map Part to see the most recent information. You may also convert a Smart Map Part to a static Map Part.

Refresh all Smart Map Parts

• Right-click the map background, and then click Refresh All Topics.

During the refresh operation, the whole Smart Map Part is deleted and replaced with a new part containing the latest data from the data source. All modifications to the part (e.g. adding of subtopics, changing the text or visual attributes) are lost. The progress bar shows the name of each topic in the map.

Refresh a single Smart Map Part

1. Right-click the Smart Map Part icon on the root topic ( for example, ) .

2. Click Refresh.

Convert a Smart Map part to a static topic

1. Right-click the root topic's Smart Map Part icon.

2. Click Convert to Regular or Disconnect ...

The Map Part is no longer linked to its source and the current data will no longer be refreshed.

Disconnected Microsoft Excel data becomes a Spreadsheet.