"The most critical aspect of any project is not just its implementation but the knowledge generated throughout the process. In today's business environment, knowledge is a key asset, and it is crucial to elevate this knowledge from an informal to a formal level to prevent its loss. Additionally, it is essential to minimize the gap between projects and the knowledge produced, with the ideal approach being to integrate formalized knowledge directly within the project artifacts. "

About

It has become increasingly common to encounter projects lacking proper documentation, or to hear phrases like "our documentation is somewhere in Confluence, but it's out of sync." After facing this challenge in several projects, I found it frustrating to work without reliable references. In 2015, I realized that mind mapping could be a useful approach for software documentation. As a result, I created a small plugin for NetBeans IDE, which was my primary tool at the time. This solution enabled me to maintain and organize documentation directly within project files, keeping everything reasonably in sync. In 2016, I developed a similar plugin for IntelliJ IDEA. Later, when some of my non-Java colleagues expressed interest, I created a standalone version of the tool and named it Scia Reto, which means "Knowledge Network" in Esperanto.

Features

Mind maps are a visual tool used to organize information, ideas, or tasks in a hierarchical structure. They help users brainstorm, plan, and understand complex topics by representing them as interconnected nodes branching from a central idea. Mind maps are widely used for project planning, knowledge management, problem-solving, and learning.

This editor enables the creation of mind maps as single-rooted trees. Unlike many other editors, it uses a Markdown-based format, making the files highly compatible with version control systems (VCS), which simplifies collaboration and change tracking. It supports only single-rooted, hierarchical structures, ensuring clear and organized maps. Each node can be enhanced with a title, icons, notes, file links, and cross-references to other topics. The editor provides a rich collection of icons and supports custom images. It allows for exporting in various document formats, enabling seamless integration with other tools, and offers visualization of Kafka Streams topologies. Starting with version 1.4.10, AES-256 encryption is available for password-protected notes, ensuring security for sensitive information.

Format

As mentioned earlier, the editor stores all information in a single human-readable UTF-8 encoded text file. The file structure is compatible with Markdown format, and uses the ".mmd" extension.

Import

The editor supports the import of various formats, allowing them to be converted into a tree-structured mind map:

  • Tab formatted text
  • Mindmup mind map
  • Freemind mind map
  • XMind mind map
  • Coggle mind map
  • Novamind mind map

Export

Mind maps can be exported in the following formats:

  • Freemind mind map
  • Mindmup mind map
  • Markdown text format
  • PNG image
  • SVG image
  • Plain text
  • ORG mode text
  • AscIIdoc text