3.6 - Toolbar - Add Statements via Free-Text Form
This Toolbar icon:
is a shortcut for Add Statements via Free-Text Form.
This command allows you to enter statements into MindModel by pasting text into a dialog.
What is a free-text form, and how do I define one?
For information on creating a free-text form, refer to the section: Templates Menu: Import Free-Text Form from Excel.
An Example
Let's work through an example of using a free-text form.
First, use the "Templates Menu: Export Free-Text Form to Excel" command to export the free-text form named "name and address form" to Excel.
It isn't necessary to export a form to use it, but doing so gives you a good idea of the form's contents.
Let's say we receive an email that looks like this:
<email>
name: Jeremy Moore
office: 555.111.2222
home: 555.222.3333
email: jeremy@nospam.com
These are some comments that are also in the email. Since they don't start with a label, they will be ignored.
</email>
NOTE: The "<email>" and "</email>" tags are not part of the email. They are there to help you see where the email starts and ends. You don't need them to use this command.
Follow these steps to import Jeremy's contact information into MindModel:
1) Open a new model.
Use the "New Model" command in the File Menu.
It's not necessary to use the "New Model" command with "Add Statements via Free-Text Form" but doing so in this example will make it easier to find the information you've added.
2) Choose the "Add Statements via Free-Text Form" icon (pictured above) from the Toolbar.
The Toolbar is the row of icons below the menu bar at the top of the MindModel screen.
MindModel brings up a dialog that looks like this:
You will notice that "name and address form" is selected in the drop-down at the top of the dialog.
3) Copy the text between the "<email></email>" tags below, and paste it into the big entry area at the bottom of the dialog.
<email>
name: Jeremy Moore
office: 555.111.2222
home: 555.222.3333
email: jeremy@nospam.com
These are some comments that are also in the email. Since they don't start with a label, they will be ignored.
</email>
Remember that the tags ("<email></email>") are not necessary for this command. They are just there to show you where the email starts and ends.
4) Click OK.
MindModel processes the text you pasted into the dialog according to the free-text form you chose ("name and address form") and adds the information about Jeremy Moore to your model.
What are some other uses for this command?
You can copy signatures (sections that contain contact information) from emails, and use this command to import the information into MindModel.
You can use a text editor to create notes in a format compatible with this command, then import them into MindModel.
Remember that you can use any statement types with this command. The information doesn't have to be contact information.
What if this still doesn't make sense to me?
If you have any questions about this or any other MindModel feature, feel free to contact us.