how to link pictures to nouns
MindModel gives you the ability to link pictures (and other types of files) to nouns in your model.
The process for linking pictures to nouns is simple if you are familiar with MindModel.
In order to make the description of the process clear, let's first take a look at the end result. Once you understand the end result, you'll understand the steps you need to take to achieve that result.
Let's take a look at a picture that's already linked to a noun, then we'll show you how to link one yourself.
1) Open the AcmeTech.min sample model.
You can use the "File Menu: Open Model" command to open the model.
The AcmeTech.min sample model is located at: C:\Program Files\Sample Models\AcmeTech.min.
2) Find the "pizza" food noun.
First, make sure <all types> is selected in the Noun Type Categories Drop-Down of the Noun Types Window.
Then double-click "foods" in the Noun Types List of the Noun Types Window.
MindModel will fill the Nouns List of the Model Window with all the food nouns in the model.
3) Select the "pizza" food noun in the Nouns List.
MindModel will display a clickable link at the bottom of the Noun Summary Window.
You may have to resize the window to see the link.
The Noun Summary Window will look like this:
4) Click the link at the bottom of the Noun Summary Window.
MindModel will tell your PC to open the pizza picture.
Please don't make fun of the pizza. I made that pizza and am very proud of it.
If the pizza picture was displayed correctly, please skip the next section and go directly to "How to Link Your Own Pictures (or other files) to Nouns".
What should I do if my linked picture did not display correctly?
A quick explanation of how file linking works in MindModel will help us figure out why your pizza picture did not display properly.
We use the phrase "file linking" because you can link any type of file (not just pictures) to a noun in MindModel.
When a user selects a noun in the Nouns List, MindModel displays the noun's summary in the Noun Summary Window (picture above).
MindModel also displays clickable links, if they are appropriate for the selected noun.
There are three types of clickable links:
1) email addresses
2) web sites and web pages
3) files (including pictures)
For this example, let's say the selected noun is the person "Kent Ortiz".
If there is a statement in the model:
person: Kent Ortiz <has the email address> email address: kortiz@nospam.com
then MindModel will display a clickable email link for Kent Ortiz.
Clicking on this email link will open a new email, addressed to kortiz@nospam.com, in whatever email editor your PC is set up to use.
If there is a statement in the model:
person: Kent Ortiz <has the web site> web site: http://www.mindmodel.com
then MindModel will display a clickable link to that web site.
Clicking on this web site link will open a web browser displaying that web site.
If there is a statement in the model:
person: Kent Ortiz <has the file path> file path: C:\Program Files\MindModel\Sample Models\MM Documents\Kent.jpg
then MindModel will display a clickable link to that picture.
Clicking on this picture link will open whatever PC application you have set to view jpeg files. The jpeg viewer will display the Kent.jpg picture.
So if your linked file did not open, there are three possibilities for what went wrong:
1) The file is not there.
2) There is something wrong with the file.
3) There is something wrong with, or some incompatibility between the file and the PC application that is set to open files of that type.
1) How to tell if the file is not there.
Double-click on the "pizza" food noun in the Nouns List.
MindModel will fill the statements list with statements related to "pizza".
One of the statements will look like:
food: pizza <has the file path> file path: ..\MM Documents\pizza.jpg
Model-Relative File Paths
You will notice that the file path noun begins with two periods ("..").
File path nouns that begin with two periods are called "model-relative file paths".
There are two types of file paths: absolute file paths and model-relative file paths.
Absolute file paths specify the complete path from your hard disk to the file, for example:
C:\Program Files\MindModel\Sample Models\MM Documents\pizza.jpg
Model-relative file paths specify a path from the folder that contains the model to the file whose path is being specified.
Model-relative file paths are useful because they allow you to move models from folder to folder (or PC to PC) without breaking file links.
Since model-relative file paths (MRFP's) specify the file's location relative to the model, the file paths will always work as long as the folder containing the file doesn't move in relation to the model.
So, for example, when MindModel is installed, we create a "Sample Models" whose absolute file path is:
C:\Program Files\MindModel\Sample Models
The AcmeTech.min model is located in that folder.
The "Sample Models" folder contains another folder called "MM Documents".
If you move the "Sample Models" folder (along with the "MM Documents" folder) to another PC, or another folder in the same PC, file links (such as the one to the pizza picture) will still work.
So, to find out if the pizza picture is there, check:
C:\Program Files\MindModel\Sample Models\MM Documents
If there is a file called "pizza.jpg" in that folder, the file is there. If not, copy any jpeg file to that folder, name the file "pizza.jpg" and try the examples described in this section again.
2) How to tell if there is something wrong with the file.
Sometimes, linked files will not open because there is something wrong with the file.
To test this condition, rename the pizza picture to "old pizza.jpg".
Then copy another jpeg file to the folder:
C:\Program Files\MindModel\Sample Models\MM Documents
and rename the new file you copied "pizza.jpg".
Try the examples described in this section again.
If the new picture worked and the old one didn't there is either something wrong with the old pizza picture, or the pizza.jpg picture is incompatible with whatever application you have set up to open jpeg pictures on your PC.
3) How to tell if there is something wrong with, or some incompatibility between the file and the PC application that is set to open files of that type.
To check for this possibility, first locate the folder containing the file:
C:\Program Files\MindModel\Sample Models\MM Documents
Double-click the "pizza.jpg" file in that folder.
If the pizza.jpg picture doesn't open, there is something wrong with the picture, something wrong with your jpeg viewer, or some incompatibility between the two.
Either way, you know that the problem is not with the file link.
How to Link Your Own Pictures (or other files) to Nouns
Once you understand how file linking works in MindModel, it's easy to link your own pictures (or files of any type) to a noun.
To do so, all you have to do is add a statement that links the noun to the file.
There are three types of statements that link nouns to file:
(subject) <has the file path> file path:
(subject) <has the web page> web page:
(subject) <has the web site> web site:
(where "subject" stands for a subject noun type, such as "person", "document", etc.)
So, in our example at the top of this section, the statement:
food: pizza <has the file path> file path: ..\MM Documents\pizza.jpg
links the "pizza" food noun to the jpeg picture pizza.jpg.
This statement could have been something like:
person: Adam Leffert <has the file path> file path: C:\My Documents\Pictures\Adam.jpg
When you select the "pizza" noun in the Nouns List, MindModel displays a clickable link to "pizza.jpg" in the Noun Summary Window.
When you select "Adam Leffert" in the Nouns List, MindModel displays a clickable link to "Adam.jpg" in the Noun Summary Window.
This statement could have been something like:
document: Merger Contract <has the file path> C:\My Documents\Documents\contract.doc
When you select "Adam Leffert" in the Nouns List, MindModel displays a clickable link to "contract.doc" in the Noun Summary Window. Clicking the link would open the contract in Microsoft Word.
So how should I add the statement linking the subject noun to the file?
There are a number of ways to add the <has the file path> statement.
1) Use the Add/Edit Statement Wizard to add a statement for the noun.
2) Drag and drop the file to the Model Window.
Once you've completed the drag and drop, selecting the document noun in the Nouns List will give you a clickable link in the Noun Summary Window.
The drag and drop operation also creates a "file path" noun for the file you dropped, so you can drag and drop first, then use the Add/Edit Statement Wizard to link the noun to the file path.
Doing so saves you from having to type in the file path manually.
3) Use any of the following commands to import statements that relate the noun to the file path:
File Menu: Import Statements from a Text File by Column
File Menu: Import Statements from a Text File by Row
File Menu: Import Statements from Excel by Column
File Menu: Import Statements from Excel by Row
Toolbar: Add Statement via Free-Text Form
Toolbar: Add Statements with Macros
4) You can use the command:
File Menu: Import Custom Column View Template from Excel
to create a custom column view template, then use the Custom Column View Window to enter nouns and their file paths.
What else can I do with file linking?
Remember, you can link files, web pages, or web sites of any type to nouns in MindModel using the techniques described in this section.
As long as your PC can open the files when you double-click them in Windows, MindModel will be able to open the files with a clickable link in the Noun Summary Window.
If you're creating a knowledge-base, you can link questions to their answer by adding statements of the type:
question: <has the file path> file path:
Then when you click on the question in the Nouns List, the Noun Summary Window will contain a clickable link for the file that contains the answer.
Once you've linked a document noun to a file path, you can link other statements to that document noun.
For example, you could add statements such as:
document: Merger Contract <has the file path> C:\My Documents\Documents\contract.doc
person: Kent Ortiz <signed> document: Merger Contract
person: Adam Leffert <read> document: Merger Contract
creating a document-management database.
What if I still need help?
As with everything else in MindModel, if you've read the documentation and tried to work it out on your own, and you're still stuck, contact us and we'll be happy to help you.