When Mindjet bring out its first version of MindManager for the Mac last year ( ) — christened version 6 to keep naming parity with the Windows version — the computer program dropped into the marketplace fully formed and feature - robust . With the elision of Microsoft Office integration ( it offered none ) , MindManager proved to be an fantabulous idea - chromosome mapping app that featured both file - format and feature parity bit with its Windows counterpart . Like many mind - mapping tools , you start with a issue and add limb as you mine your thought . Version 7.0.270 of this brainstorming tool propose several new and helpful feature , include options for exporting your mind map in a number of useful formats .

MindManager offer five major raw features , several smaller new features , and about nine minor sweetening . At the top of the list of major feature is an outline purview , which allow for you to switch between creative thinker - map , optical view , and a standard abstract view . As with the visual creative thinker map , the outline panorama allows you to add new topics and subtopics by press the enter or option - enter cay , and let you rearrange items using the move button or by dragging and dropping your topic to where you desire them to seem in the schema . Additionally , you may now export your mind single-valued function as an OPML ( Outline Processor Markup Language ) file — a received precis - app format — lay down it potential to modify your precis in course of study such as OmniGroup ’s OmniOutliner ( ) and then import it back into MindManager . The only drawback to travel back and forth between mind - chromosome mapping programme is that , when import back into MindManager , your mind map will lose any data format or images you may have added when using MindManager . The program also now leave you to export your map in many more formats , let in RTF , CSS - savvy hypertext markup language , and a hyperlinked HTML - based outline .

Version 7 offer up unexampled and in force printing options , making it possible for you to print large mapping over several pages , add footers and header to your mind maps , and preview your print job . MindManager also now allows you to create custom views of your mind map by creating filter . So , for exemplar , if you want to see only detail that have been assigned to a specific person and that are more than 50 percent ended , you could create a filter to view only that information . Any customs duty filter that you make can then be saved for future use .

MindManager incorporate well with labor - planning software such as AEC Software ’s FastTrack Schedule ( ) and Project Wizards ’ Merlin ( ) . you could assign any particular on your map a beginning and end date , as well as assets , such as employee . Then when you import your map into your project - management software , the timelines you ’ve create in MindManager will be reflected in your schedule . As with documents spell using the OPML format , projects spell back into MindManager from other project management computer software will mislay the particular formatting that you create using MindManager , but all schedule and schedule - pendant information will remain inviolate .

Other fresh features include better funding for AppleScript , better control over how background images display , several new template formats , and an improved image library . The programme also sports a novel timekeeper feature film with optical queues to indicate when a group meeting or preparation academic term has gone into overtime .

My primary complaint about the last version of MindManager was its want of integration with Microsoft Office , a feature film that ’s a major part of the program ’s Windows similitude . That desegregation is still missing from this edition . But according to Mindjet , Microsoft does not publish APIs ( program platform interfaces ) for the Mac edition of Office , making it difficult or impossible to link these two programs . Mindjet order it ’s promising that the next version of Office ( which will use an XML format alike to that used by MindManager ) will bid more options for integration .

Macworld’s buying advice

MindManager 7.0.270 is a top - notch brainstorming cock . It ’s comfortable to employ , incorporate well with many other productiveness program , and lets you export your brain maps in a motley of format . While the program still lacks integration with Microsoft Office applications , this should n’t deter you from using an otherwise splendid program .