Online Documentation

The online documentation can help you find and perform functions in NovaMind with easy to follow steps including screen shots so you know what to look for! NovaMind documentation can be accessed from within the program via Help on the menu, here on the NovaMind website at http://www.nova-mind.com/Documentation or by PDF download (below):

NovaMind Documentation (filesize 1.5MB)
Documentation on customizing your own HTML webpage export (for advanced HTML users only)

Online Tutorials

One great way to learn a new program is to work through the guided tutorials. NovaMind have a number of tutorials starting from the very basics through to the more advanced features in a logical order so they don't "overwhelm" new users. Have a look at the tutorials located at http://www.nova-mind.com/Tutorials

If you can't find what you're looking for:

NovaMind customer support can be contacted by email support@nova-mind.com

FAQ's

Tiger (MacOS X 10.4) Compatibility
NovaMind is compatible withTiger (OS 10.4). Because of the many new features in Tiger your NovaMind files will be saved in a slightly different format - this means that files saved on 10.4 will not open with NovaMind running on 10.3 or 10.2 if you use text formatting features that are not available in 10.3 or earlier. Files created in NovaMind running on 10.2 and 10.3 open fine on 10.4. There will shortly be a new release of NovaMind which will save files in a format that can be opened on both 10.4 and 10.3.

Do you have a version for Windows?
NovaMind are in the process of developing a Windows version and expect it will be ready approximately September 2005. A NovaMind file viewer is expected to be available in early July. If you would like to be kept informed of this project send us an email with your name and email address so we can contact you.

Jaguar (MacOS 10.2) Compatibility
With the official release of OS 10.4 NovaMind is no longer supported to run on Mac Jaguar 10.2 operating system. It is NovaMind policy to develop NovaMind to run and be supported on the current operating system (OS 10.4) and the latest update of the previous major release (OS 10.3). Having said this, we believe that releases up to and including NovaMind 2.4.6 run fine on Jaguar, but release 2.5 will not run on anything earlier than OS X 10.3.9.

What is your policy on supporting older versions of OS X?
NovaMind supports the current release and the latest update of the previous major release of OS X e.g. if the current release was 10.4, NovaMind would support the latest update of 10.3 and 10.4.

Can I create relative paths for my hyperlinks?
Yes, below are a few scenarios showing how to do so.

If you have another file that was called file.txt in the same folder as your Mind Map, you can refer to it as "./file.txt". e.g. with a directory structure

/Users/you/Documents/YourMindMap.nmind /Users/you/Documents/file.txt

If it was in the folder higher by one level in the hierarchy, you would refer to it with "../file.txt" e.g. with a directory structure

/Users/you/Documents/YourMindMap.nmind /Users/you/file.txt

If it was in the folder below by one level in the hierarchy, you would refer to it with "OtherFolder/file.txt" or "./OtherFolder/file.txt" e.g. with a directory structure

/Users/you/Documents/YourMindMap.nmind /Users/you/Documents/OtherFolder/file.txt

You can combine this to refer to any folder relative paths e.g., the structure below would be referred to as "../../OtherFolder/file.txt":

/Users/you/Documents/YourMindMap.nmind /Users/OtherFolder/file.txt

When you move the files to a different computer or different parent folder, for the links to remain valid, you just need to maintain the relative locations of the files e.g. in the second example you could move the files to:

/Users/SomeoneElse/Documents/YourMindMap.nmind /Users/SomeoneElse/file.txt

When exporting to HTML, is there a way of cutting out an intermediate page (e.g. http://www.xxxxxx/novahtml/5-2.html#5-2) so the map links are to final destination URLs?
You would need to do two things, firstly to stop the link opening in a new window, change all the target="bottomFrame" references to target="_self" then secondly, copy the destination link into place in the page with the map on it e.g. replace "5-2.html#5-2" with "http://XXXXXXX.com". This will have the branches open up the hyperlink destination pages instead of the NovaMind generated pages.

How can I reduce memory usage when using NovaMind?
NovaMind can take a large amount of memory to run if you have downloaded all the graphics categories available from the website plus interaction with iPhoto Albums. The reason for this is because NovaMind loads all the thumbnail images into memory so that you can open the graphics library and view them.

Unfortunately there is no way around this when working with a large number of graphics unless if you were to remove some of the graphics libraries and specify which iPhoto albums are required to load instead of all those available.

I don't want NovaMind to load my iPhoto Albums into the Graphics library when it starts up
Within NovaMind preferences you can use the checkbox to turn loading of the iPhoto Albums on or off. When turned on, upon NovaMind startup you will be presented with an option to decide which albums to load - this can be applied to just this session or for NovaMind to load every time.

NovaMind says it can't open my Mind Manager files
To open a Mind Manager file in NovaMind, the file needs to be saved in .xml format from Mind Manager X5 version. To do this within Mind Manager use the "File", "Save As" option, leave the setting "MindManager Maps (*.mmap; *.xml) as is, but when typing the filename change the extension to ".xml" then click "Save". It is not sufficient to change the file extension from mmap to xml in Finder (or Windows Explorer) because it does not change the format the file is saved in.

I am having problems installing the new BPS. I am getting a message that says "You cannot install this software on this disk at the select destination at the installer function". What's wrong?
This is a known issue that occasionally crops up with the Apple package installer. This error occurs in the "Select a Destination" portion of the install. You will see a picture of a hard disk and a red exclamation point above it. Click "Go Back" on the installation window and click "Continue" again. You will then be able to select your hard drive and proceed with the installation.

NovaMind crashes when starting up - why?
There are some possible reasons for this:

  1. The use of some application enhancers such as Ape and IceCoffee can cause problems because they intercept and replace parts of the system NovaMind relies on at run time. From the reports we have had of these problems so far, it appears that only some Ape modules cause problems. Solution: remove your application enhancer and try again.
  2. If you are using a font management program such as Font Suitcase, and have removed a font that you have set in your preferences as a font to use in NovaMind, this can cause problems when NovaMind starts up. Solution: enable all your fonts, start NovaMind, and only choose fonts that you are going to have enabled in the system. NovaMind also expects to be able to find Helvetica and Verdana which come as the default fonts when OS X is installed.

NovaMind crashes randomly after an upgrade
This may well be because of having an older version of NovaMind on your system. In some cases the system will attempt to load the program from one place and the resources from another, causing problems. Solution: delete the old version of NovaMind from your system, and make sure you have emptied your trash, then try again.

I can't unzip the disk image
The NovaMind disk image is zipped using the standard gzip format, and should be able to be unzipped using standard tools like Stuffit Expander. If, however, you still have problems, please visit our alternate download page, where you will find a copy of the NovaMind uncompressed disk image and BPS.

Are v2 documents backwards compatible to v1?
Files created in v2 will not be able to be opened in an earlier version of NovaMind because of the new features.

Are v2.5 and later documents backwards compatible to v2.4 and earlier?
Files created in v2.5 and later are in a completely new format, and can not be opened in an earlier version of NovaMind. Version 2.5 is a free upgrade for all version 2 users, and it is recommended that all users update to the latest versions as they are released.

If I email a request for support, how soon will I get a response? Some places take ages and others don't respond at all!
We take our customer support very seriously and endeavour to respond to support requests ASAP. Depending on time differences around the world, we normally respond within 12 working hours of receiving your email.

Why do I have two copies of each NovaMind Document in my folders?
NovaMind automatically creates a backup copy of each file that is saved, to turn off the automatic backup (so you won't get a second copy) go to the preferences panel in NovaMind and under the "Saving & Printing" tab, deselect the checkbox for "Save Backup Copy".

My disk crashed and I have to reinstall NovaMind, what do I do?
Download the free trial version onto your computer then enter your serial number (which was supplied when you bought NovaMind) into the licence panel of the trial software and it will become a fully-enabled version allowing saving and exporting. If you have also lost the license key in the crash, email sales@scriptmapping.com with your name, business (if applicable) and address details for us to trace your original purchase. If you purchased through a third party reseller, then you should contact them in the first instance.

I have misplaced my NovaMind Software Licence Number!
If you have misplaced your licence number contact NovaMind Sales with your name, business (if applicable) and address details. We will then trace your original purchase record and forward to you your license key. If you purchased through a reseller, you should contact them first to track your purchase and retrieve your key.

Can I upgrade to the latest version and use my Licence Number to enable it?
Minor releases (i.e. 2.4, 2.5 etc) are free upgrades, however, Major releases (e.g. 2.x to 3.x etc) are paid upgrades.

My toolbar won't display, I can edit the properties but when I click "Done" it disappears!
This is a trap a few people have fallen into, at the top right-hand corner of the NovaMind window is a little grey horizontal button for show/hide your toolbar. You will also find this button on other Apple programs.

Can I set NovaMind translation language to something other than my system preferences default?
Yes, if (for example) your system preferences is set to German but you would prefer to use NovaMind in English you can do this. In your finder window locate the NovaMind icon under Applications, right mouse click (or Control click) and select "Get Info". Under the Languages tab remove the ticks from all the language boxes except English. This will keep NovaMind in English no matter what other language is set.

When I export to PowerPoint I can't see the fonts in the notes window!
You will only see this if you turn on the outline format display in PowerPoint.

Even when I turn on the PowerPoint outline format display I can't see the colors of the notes text - why is this?
PowerPoint doesn't display the colors of the notes text when displayed in the normal layout, but does when you print the notes or switch to notes view mode.

If I export to PowerPoint my Japanese text comes out as junk - how do I fix this?
You need to install the Microsoft Language Register by using the Value Pack installer on your Microsoft Office X CD. Drag the application icon for PowerPoint on top of the Microsoft Language Register utility. In the Select the language to enable for pop-up menu, click Japanese.