LifeMap User Manual

Figure 95. LifeMap's Apple Menu.

takes you to the opening screen.

takes you to information about subscribing, copyright, and so on.

hides the main control window, and shows it when it is hidden.

shows and hides a small floating window which displays the name and number of the current card. This feature is useful mostly for concept map files with more than one concept map in the same file.

When Short Help is on, short explanations of buttons and menu items appear when they are clicked on or chosen. This feature is not implemented for all features.

tells you to look at the tutorials in this manual.

tells you to look at the Common Ground version of this manual.

shows how to contact us for technical support.

brings you to a short description of the philosophy behind concept mapping. If you want more information about concept mapping, please check out the Meaningful Learning Research Group's web site at http://www2.ucsc.edu/mlrg/

tells you to look at our web server.

Random tip: Ever wondered how you can easily access the Apple Menu Items folder so that you can put things in it? Just make an alias of the Apple Menu Items folder and then put the alias inside the Apple Menu Items folder.

Figure 96. File Menu.

creates a new file in which you can construct concept maps and vee diagrams.

opens files which can be used with LifeMap. Note: Projects, Files, and Documents refer to the same thing.

closes the project of the topmost window. Note: floating windows do not count as the topmost window, unless there are no regular windows open.

closes the topmost window without closing the entire project.

saves all open projects to disk. Note: LifeMap saves changes every time you move to a new card, and when you quit. LifeMap also has an auto-save feature that can be accessed in the Preferences window (See Edit menu for details).

copies all concepts and links of the current concept map and saves a new file. Use this feature if you want to create a record of what your concept map looked like at various stages of creation.

LifeMap files created with older versions, such as LifeMap 3.8g and LifeMap Lite 1.0 and earlier need to be converted to the new format. If you attempt to open such older files with "Open Existing LifeMap file..." you will get an error message, in which case, cancel, convert the older file, and then open up the converted copy.

prints the entire current card. If the card is larger than one printer page, the printout will be tiled. Use this item to print out concept maps.

allows you to select some text and print it out. The print engine supports a variety of formatting commands. WYSIWIG formatting is ignored.

opens a section of "The Exporter" which makes constructing print jobs with formatting commands easier. (Well, actually, The Exporter isn't being distributed at the moment. It was useful when LifeMap was a module of ECCE!, but it isn't of much use now. So in other words, if it sounds like something you could use, contact us, but otherwise, don't worry about it.)

exports the entire current card to a PICT file. You could use this option to save a copy of a concept map that you would then import into a word processor.

This item saves whatever you have copied to the clipboard as a PICT file.

creates a text file with any text you have selected.

this item exports your concept map as a JPEG file, generates some MacPERL script and an HTML file. It also generates extra instructions which tell you how to modify the text. When you are done, you have files which you can mount on a mac based web server (such as WebStar) to use as a cgi-based clickable web map. The beauty of this item is that it calculates where all your concepts are located, and generates the MacPERL code needed.

this item does the same as the above item, except that the script that tells the web server what to do when someone clicks the web map is generated in the code format needed for use on UNIX servers. We know it works on the server we use. Since the script generated does not require the use of a cgi, you can use it even on servers that do not allow customized cgis due to security reasons.

allows you to decompress Stuffed files from within LifeMap. The Stuffit Engine must be installed for this to work. Well, it should work, but to be honest, we haven't used it in a while. We do most of our compression with Stuffit Deluxe and Magic Menu. Stuffit Deluxe (from Aladdin Systems) is a very useful product, and anyway, these days Netscape and other browsers come with some version of Unstuffit, so this feature may be redundant for you.

does the same job as "Install..." but works on one file at a time and opens the file after it has been UnStuffed.

closes all open windows and quits LifeMap.

Figure 97. Edit Menu.

cuts whatever has been selected and places it on the clipboard. This script identifies what kind of object is being cut, and responds accordingly.

copies whatever has been selected and places it on the clipboard.

pastes whatever is on the clipboard.

selects everything. What is selected depends on what tool is active. For instance, if the text tool is active, all of the text in the currently selected field will be selected. If the concept tool is selected, all concepts, lines and other graphic elements of the current concept map will be selected.

restores the current card to the last version saved to disk. This command is undoable, so use it with caution.

this item just cuts whatever is selected. It makes no attempt to identify what kind of object is being cut. This item is recommended when you are trying to cut a concept and its cluster icon at the same time. Otherwise, you should mostly use "Cut".

LifeMap uses a variety of tools as it types text, draws graphics, and so on. Usually, it will default back to the concept selector tool (the standard upward pointing black arrow). However, sometimes it does not. If you find that you can't select concepts (the tool will probably look like a pointing hand), simply select this item.

this tool sets the cursor to the Browse tool. The Browse tool was the primary tool in the Library section of ECCE!. In contrast, in LifeMap, the concept tool is the primary tool (the standard upward pointing arrow). The main reason you would need to switch to the Browse tool in LifeMap is if you had a concept map with nested concept maps, and wanted to have a menu of nested maps pop-up at the concepts in which they have been nested.

allows you to change the Auto-save frequency (a move is the creation of a new concept, or the redrawing of links), determine when clicking in the Preview window hides or shows that window after it scrolls the concept map, determine whether changes to the Fancy Border offsets (the position of the Fancy Border relative to the concept it is attached to) are automatically permanent, or whether to give you a choice of permanent or temporary, and whether the "Create a Link..." menu item uses the default settings (1 point line with an arrowhead), uses the current LinkMaker settings, or uses Destination Border Sensitive Linking. You can also set whether the opening screen waits for the user's click.

Figure 98. LifeMap Preferences Window

this allows you to set the default size, both angle and length for all arrowheads, except those that have been defined as a custom size. When you change the defaults, the size of already drawn arrowheads will change when they are redrawn. "Fast Arrowheads" draws all arrowheads at the center of their destination concepts. This is a way to speed LifeMap up while editing.

Figure 99: Arrowhead Defaults window

this lets you select when links will be redrawn. "Allow Fudge" means that links will not be redrawn if concepts have been moved a number of pixels less than the number specified, but will be redrawn if concepts have been moved a number of pixels greater than the number specified. You should consider selecting "Allow Fudge" if you find that links are redrawn by accident when you really wanted to open the concept in ConceptMaker. "Fast Arrowheads" speeds up the drawing process. "Redraw all now" selects all concepts and redraws their links.

Figure 100: Redraw Defaults window

allows you to set up a backdrop behind the current mapping window you are working in, so that you can not see the other items that are open in the finder. This feature is mainly for those who do not wish to see the other applications that are in the finder while they are trying to create a concept map. To set a backdrop, chose "Set Backdrop" under the "Edits Menu." You will see a dialog box that asks you which color backdrop you would prefer (Figure 101). Click on either the color black or white.

Figure 101. Backdrop dialog box

The backdrop that you have chosen will now appear.

Figure 102. Concepts Menu

opens ConceptMaker so that you can create a new concept. Note: to edit a concept, double click on the concept you want to edit. Also note that LifeMap treats concepts and linking words as the same kind of object, in contrast to CMAP which treats them as different kinds of objects.

Figure 103: ConceptMaker window

Font popup menus - Select some text in the editing field. Use the menus to set a type style.

Concept Database - brings up a window in which you can choose a concept. The selected concept will replace whatever is currently in the text editing field.

Border Size - controls the horizontal and vertical components of the concept border box.

Fancy Borders buttons - selects a shape for a fancy border.

FB Margins - controls the size of the fancy border relative to the size of the concept. It should be entered in the form Xtopleft,Ytopleft,Xbottomright,Ybottomright. If one number is entered, all four values will use that number, it two numbers are entered, they will be repeated for the bottomright margin. Negative numbers are valid under some circumstances.

Pict button - use this to select a rectangular fancy border, or to go back to the regular rectangle.

Width = Auto - selects whether concepts are created based upon the width of the largest line, or using a fixed width.

Grey Square - allows patterns and colors to be assigned to text, fill, and borders of concepts.

Basic Concept/Basic Linkword - a convenient way to change the settings.

New - creates new concept. If ConceptMaker was opened to edit a concept and New is clicked, a new concept will be created leaving the original concept untouched.

Redraw - Primarily used to redraw concepts after editing. Can also be used to insert one concept's text into another by opening up one concept, manually selecting a different concept, and clicking Redraw.

Whichever of the New or Redraw buttons is shown as the default can be activated by hitting the Enter key (but not the Return Key), but only when the cursor is in the text editing field.

Close me on New - sets whether ConceptMaker will close or stay open after New or Redraw has been clicked.

opens MultiConceptMaker so that you can create several concepts all at once. If you have a large number of concepts you know you will need, and you don't need to give each one a different font etc, this is the fastest way to produce concepts. Has options for whether concepts will be created if they already exist, how to handle returns in concepts, and what format the concepts should be created in. The three options are Basic Concepts, Basic Linkwords, and Case-Sensitive Borders. When Case-Sensitive Borders is selected, if the first character of a line is lower case, that line will become a basic linkword, and otherwise that line will become a basic concept.

Figure 104: MultiConceptMaker window

PropositionMaker can now create new concepts as well as linking words. This feature was developed because we observed that elementary school student participants in the Virtual Canyon project could make concept maps with a series of valid propositions, but they tended to string the propositions together to create larger structures which were invalid. The new capability of PropositionMaker allows students to learn how to create propositions before they worry about creating entire maps.

To save time, you can load a series of propositions into the bottom field, and then use the Create Propositions button to create them all at once. You can type your propositions directly into the bottom field, but you need to ensure that they are written in the form:

---

Origin Concept

LinkWord

Destination Concept

opens the Vee Diagram Maker Dialog Box which allows you to create the basic Vee template and create/delete categories for the Vee diagram.

creates a special concept map topology used to show the multiple meanings that can be attached to a single object.

Figure 105: Y-Diagram Maker window

opens the ConceptSpreader window. Clicking "Spread Concepts" will spread any selected concepts by the horizontal and vertical spread factors. Spread factors can be negative. "Remove Overlap" moves concepts until they do not overlap. You can choose to enlarge the page size if concepts would go off of the current page, or you can let concepts bunch up on the edges of the page.

Figure 106. ConceptSpreader Window.

Select concepts that you want to reposition. Choose this item. When the list is locked, double-clicking a line will allow you to set absolute or relative coordinates for the concept. Relative coordinates are relative to the previous concept in the list. Selecting a line and clicking "Set Anchor Point" will prevent the concept from being moved when concepts are repositioned. Clicking "Set Anchor Point" when an anchored concept is selected will make it free. Select concepts in the map and then click "Add" to add them to the list. Finally, click "Reposition Concepts" to move the concepts to their new positions. ConceptGrouper repositions concepts to the Absolute coordinates when Absolute is hilighted, and to Relative coordinates when the button says Relative.

Figure 107. ConceptGrouper Window.

This feature allows you to resize a number of concepts to the same dimensions. This feature is most useful if you have a number of different sized concepts that you would like to scale to equal sizes. In order to use this feature, select all of the concepts that you would like to scale to size by shift-clicking on each concept. After the concepts have been selected, choose the "Adjust Size of Selected Concepts" listed under the "Concepts" menu. Enter the desired width of the concept box. The numbers entered are in pixels (approximately 72 pixels equals 1 inch.) Click OK. The computer will then ask you for the desired height of the concept box. Enter this number and click "OK". All of the concepts that you had previously selected will now be redrawn according to the specifications you entered.

Concepts can have special properties which are called Draw-Specials. A concept can be an HBAR, or a VBAR. Select one or more concepts. Choose "Assign Draw-Special to Concept..." under the Concepts menu. You will be given a list of available Draw-Special options.

HBAR is short for Horizontal Bar. A concept which has been turned into an HBAR will do two special tricks when it is redrawn. First, all links from that concept will be drawn as vertical straight lines. Second, the width of the concept will automatically adjust so that it starts at the left most link line, and ends at the right most link line.

VBAR is short for Vertical Bar. A concept which has been turned into a VBAR will respond similarly to an HBAR, except that link lines from a VBAR will be horizontal straight lines, and the height of the concept will automatically adjust so that it starts at the top most link line, and ends at the bottom most link line.

To remove a Draw-Special, follow the same procedure as for creating them: select a concept, choose "Assign Draw-Special to Concept...", and then choose "Remove Draw Special" from the list.

Are you the sort of person who just can't fit all of your ideas into a short pithy phrase? Well, this is a feature you might put to good use. You can add scroll bars to concepts, thus allowing a reader of the map to read long tomes (though you have to be in Browse mode for this to work). Simply select one or more concepts, and choose "Add/Remove Scroll Bar from Concept" from the Concepts menu. This is a toggle option, so if a selected concept has a scroll bar, the menu item will remove it, and if it does not have one, it will add one.

allows you to enter in the themes that you wish assign to the concepts in either the Concept Map or the Vee Diagram.

Figure 108. Edit Themes Dialog Box

allows you to assign themes to concepts that have previously been entered.

Figure 109. Assign Theme to Concept

this tool allows you to decide which themes you wish to activate and will also allow you to assign a color to each of the themes you wish to activate.

Figure 110. Activating Themes

Figure 111. Links Menu

creates one link from the concept that was selected first, to the concept that is selected after you choose this item. The kind of link this produces can be controlled from the LifeMap Preferences window.

creates one or more links which all originate from a central concept. To use this item, select two or more concepts. Select "Create Multiple Links...". You will see a dialog box which asks you to designate which concept is the origin concept (the concept from which the new links will originate).

is the same as above, except that the links will all go to one concept.

creates a link between two existing concepts and creates a link word between them. Select two concepts. Choose "Link 2 with LinkWord...". You will see the window below.

Figure 112. The Link 2 with LinkWord window.

Type a link word in the middle field. Select which direction you want the link to go. Click Insert LinkWord and Create Links.

To use this, select an origin concept, or select the line between two concepts. Choose this item. The origin concept will be placed in the first field. A list of concepts to which this concept is linked appears in the Active Links field. To edit a link, double click on it in the Active Links field. Then set the characteristics of the link. Then click "Update". You will see the characteristics update in the Active Links field. To remove a link, option-double-click on it in the Active Links field. To restore a link, option-double-click on it in the Eliminated Links field. To create a new link, select one or more concepts, and then click "Add". Repeat the above steps to update their characteristics. When you are done, click "Redraw". This saves the new link information and redraws the concept map. Until you click "Redraw", you can close the LinkMaker window and none of the links will have been changed.

"Editing Links" provides you with many features for customizing the links you wish to create. To customize a link that has already been created, click on the link you wish to customize and open the "LinkMaker Box" from the Links Menu. (Figures 113 and 114 respectively.)

Figure 113. LinkMaker Box

Figure 114. Links Menu

There are many features that you can use to customize your links. The first feature allows you to remove or add an arrowhead to the linkline. To do this, click on the small circle next to the word "arrow." The picture beneath the word arrow, is an example of the link that you are creating. If your link currently does not have an arrow and you would like to add one to it, also click on the small box next to the word "arrow." You should see an arrow appear on the sample concept line below the word. You can also select the size of the arrowhead that you would like. To do this, select "Set Arrowhead Defaults" under the "Edit" Menu. You can also set individual arrowheads to a custom size and angle with the "Set Angle" button.

There are also a number of features that you can choose pertaining to the linkline. For one, you can choose not to have a linkline at all, by clicking on the small circle next to the word "line." If you choose to have a line and do not have one at the moment, you can also click on the circle next to the word "line." If you choose to have a linkline connecting the concepts, you can also change the width of the line by clicking on either the up or down arrow under the words "line size" or by selecting the size of the line you which in the box underneath "line size." (Actually, you can't not have a linkline. The above means that you can have a straight line or you can have a curved linkline.)

Another feature allows you to change the color and/or the pattern of the linkline. If you would only like to change the color and/or pattern of a particular line, first click on that particular linkline. When it is highlighted, you should see two small boxes at either endpoint of the line. Then proceed with the directions below.

To change the color and/or pattern of the link, click on the multi-colored set of boxes that appear above the world "patterns." You will then be asked if you would like to customize your linkline for a pattern or a color (Figure 115).

Figure 115. Edit Colors and/or Patterns box

If you wish to customize for a particular pattern, click on the word pattern. The pattern box will appear (Figure 116). Click on the square of the pattern that you would like to use and then click on "DONE."

Figure 116. Pattern Box

If you do not wish to add a color, then click on the word "UPDATE" in the LinkMaker box ) and then click on the "REDRAW" oval. The changes you have made should be entered onto the map.

If you wish to change the color of the linkline, click on the color oval when the computer asks you whether you would like to change the color or the pattern. Click on the oval that says "COLOR." The color selection box will appear (Figure 117). Using the color selection box, you can change the color for both white pixels and the black pixels. If the circle next to the words "Black Pixels" is darkened, you can select the colors for the black pixels, by clicking on the color square of your choice. To change the color of the white pixels, click on the small white circle next to the words "White Pixels" and then click on the color square of your choice. You will see the color choices you have made surrounding the word "Done" near the bottom of the box. When you are finished making your selections, click on the word "DONE". Once again, click on the "UPDATE" oval in the LinkMaker Box and then click on "REDRAW" The changes you have made will now be applied to the correct link.

Figure 117. Color Selection Box

Figure 118. Views Menu

opens a scalable window which shows a reduced view of the current concept map. This is useful for getting an overview of a large map. Clicking once in the preview window will scroll the concept map to the point you clicked.

Select a concept. Choose this item. The top field of the Follow All Links window shows you the name or ID of the card, the name of the window, and the name of the project to which the selected concept belongs. The Links field lists all concepts the selected concept is linked to. The Paths field lists all cards, concepts, or documents to which the selected concept contains PathPointers. Clicking on the first field will bring that window to the top. Double-clicking on a line in the Links field will select that concept. Double-clicking on a line in the Paths field will bring the card to which the line points to the top.

Figure 119. Follow All Links Window.

displays an alphabetical list of all of the concepts in the current concept map. Double clicking on a concept in the list will scroll the map to that concept and select it. Clicking on the map name will bring the map to the front of your screen.

Figure 120. List All Concepts Window.

records the positions of the concepts in the current concept map.

Figure 121. Save Position Set Window.

allows you to choose a position set you have saved. When you select one, such as in the window below, the positions of the concepts will be restored to their positions when you saved the position set.

Figure 122. Read Position Set Window.

creates a new concept map in the current (i.e. topmost) concept map. If you create such a new map, you will need to use the card navigation menu items under the "Go" menu to get to and from the multiple concept maps in the same file.

gives the current card of the current LifeMap file a name. This is not strictly necessary, but it is a nice touch, especially if you are constructing nested maps which you intend others to browse.

allows you to change the size of your concept map. Change the measurements in the "Total Page" fields. Then, click "Update Map Size". When you are done, click "Cancel". "Set Defaults" stores the current settings as default values. "Use Defaults" replaces the current values with the stored defaults. If "Show Page Breaks" is hilighted, special divider lines will be drawn at the horizontal and vertical intervals specified in the "Printer Page" fields. Unfortunately, LifeMap has no way of knowing what size paper you are using to print on, but the Page Breaks will show you where one page of the specified size stops and the next begins. This makes it easier to avoid printing half of one concept on one page and half on another. You may need to experiment a little to find the right Printer Page size. Concept maps can be as small as 1 inch by 1 inch, and as large as 34 feet by 34 feet.

Figure 123. Set Map Size Window.

Figure 124. Style Menu

is a menu that allows you to change the font of any concepts you have selected without having to open them up in ConceptMaker. This will change the entire text of the selected concepts to that font. To use concepts with more than one font in each, you must use ConceptMaker. This menu does not automatically resize concepts, so you may have to resize them by hand.

performs the same function as the "Font" menu, but for text sizes.

performs the same function as the "Font" menu, but for text styles.

performs the same function as the "Font" menu, but for text alignment.

performs the same function as the "Font" menu, but for border sizes. The BorderSize menu may also be used with elements other than concepts, such as fancy borders.

Figure 125. Special Menu Window

Select a Fancy Border. Choose this item. A dialog box will appear which will allow you to select a PICT, JPEG, or GIF file. The chosen graphics file will then be inserted into the Fancy Border.

Select a Fancy Border. Choose this item. The Fancy Border will then go into rotate mode. Click and drag on one of the handles to rotate it. You can not rotate fancy borders with pictures in them.

allows you to move a concept, line or other graphic element up or down in the graphic depth order. LifeMap generally places graphic elements where you would want them, but if you want something different, you can use this menu. NOTE: this is a temporary property: it is not saved when the map redraws, so it is usually best to use this feature at the very end of concept map creation.

allow you to attach Quicktime movies to concepts and play them. See the multimedia tutorial for more on these items.

allows you to select concepts, link lines, and other objects and have the computer speak their names in one of three voices. This feature may have real uses, but it was added mostly because we thought it was cool.

Select a concept. Choose this item. PathMaker will open and the selected concept (the Origin Concept in the Figure below) will be placed in the top field. The second field contains the card name or ID, the window name, and the project name in which that concept is located. Clicking on this field brings this window to the top. You have two ways of adding a PathPointer to the list. Clicking "to Old Map" will create a PathPointer for the current card (the one just below the PathMaker window). For instance, if you wanted to create a Pointer to an existing concept map, bring that map to the top, and THEN click "to Old Map". This button also creates PathPointers for non-concept map sections of LifeMap. "to New Map" creates a new concept map, and then creates a PathPointer to it. "to Document" allows you to select a non-LifeMap document and create a PathPointer to it. "Save Updated Paths" stores the list of Active Paths in the selected concept, and removes any Paths in the Eliminated Paths field. It adds a drop shadow to the selected concept so that you know which concepts contain PathPointers. When the Active Paths field is locked, double clicking on a line will take you to that card. When the Active Paths field is unlocked, you can cut, copy, paste, and otherwise edit PathPointers by hand. To move a PathPointer from the Active to the Eliminated Paths field, option-double-click on the line. Option-double-clicking in the Eliminated Paths field will move that PathPointer back to the Active Paths field.

Figure 126. PathMaker Window.

Select some concepts and other map elements. Choose this item. Enter a name for your cluster icon. A new concept will be created with a cluster icon attached. The cluster icon will contain an image (stored in the concept's fancy border) of the map elements that you had selected before choosing this item. See "Vanilla Cut" under the "Edit" menu for considerations regarding cutting concepts and cluster icons at the same time. The cluster icon feature was created based upon suggestions made in Kaveh Farrokh's work on three dimensional concept maps.

select some concepts. Click "Create Nested Map" A new map in the same file will be created with the selected concepts. A new concept will be created in each map marking where the map goes to, along with a pathpointer to that effect stored in the new concept.

can be used to explore what a given concept map will look like if a different concept is placed at the top of the map. Choose this item. In the dialog box that appears, choose the concept you want at the top, and click "Okay".

Figure 127: Hierarchy dialog box

You can position your main concept at the top or bottom of the map, and can have the concepts aligned left or center.

Figure 128: More Hierarchy dialog boxes

This feature can import an Eudora Pro 3.0 Mailbox, store the messages in a database, parse the header and message blocks to figure out who sent the messages and when. It can then create a series of "Constructed Conversation" reports to help people participating in a listserv see the structure of their conversation. One of the reports creates a concept map which can then be used to reference the database and produce subset reports based upon concepts selected.

Figure 129. ConversationMaker window.

This feature was written for CCTD's internal purposes, so if you find you need to use this feature, make sure to contact us so that you can help us finetune it to your needs.

The "Sort Cards Ascending Numeric" and "Insert Message Numbers" items are used with the constructed conversation databases.

opens the ChainMaker window. Any concepts which were selected when this item is chosen will be added to the list. The "New Concept..." button will add a word to the list, marked either as a Concept, LinkWord, or BreakPoint, depending on which radio button is selected. Very Important: the BreakPoints in ChainMaker are NOT the same as the BreakPoints in LinkMaker and BreakPointSetter. ChainMaker BreakPoints are transparent concepts which are used to create non-straight lines. This is an older feature which has been superseded by the LinkMaker BreakPoints, where a single line can be non-straight. The list can be edited by hand by deselecting the "List is Locked" button. You can select additional concepts in your map, and click "Add" to add them to the list. You can produce new concepts for concepts which already exist by adding ",NEW" at the end of a line in the list. When the list is locked, you can change the concept/linkword status of a word by changing the radio buttons and then double-clicking the word in the list. When you are done creating concepts, click "Create Chain". This will create new concepts as needed, and then create a chain of links. All links to a LinkWord will end without an arrowhead. All links to a Concept will end with an arrowhead.

Figure 130. ChainMaker Window.

can be used to convert concept maps to and from the NetData format. Can be used to send and retrieve concept maps in netdata format directly from the World Wide Web. This later feature requires Marionet to work. Marionet can be purchased separately. If you would like to be able to send concept maps directly over the web, please contact us.

opens the file "Concept Database" for editing. The concepts entered in the Concept Database will be accessible from ConceptMaker.

Figure 131: Concept Database editing window

The Puzzler used to be a feature which reminded you how long you had been working at specified intervals. She now waits for you to call her before she comes to ask you a question. The Puzzler started out life as a humorous copy protection system. It is recommended that in order to avoid carpel tunnel syndrome, a repetitive motion injury often contracted by people who type a lot, you take 15 minutes break doing something that rests your hands every two hours or so. Consult your doctor or physical trainer to find out what kind of work pattern is best for you.

These items open a series of activities for use with the Virtual Canyon project. Similar activities could be created for other projects. See the tutorial above for more information.

Figure 132. Go Menu.

This item and the next 4 were primarily useful in the Library section of ECCE!. They are only useful in LifeMap if you have created more than one concept map in the same file. LifeMap operates on the stack of index cards metaphor. If you are familiar with HyperCard, a LifeMap window, like a HyperCard stack, contains a series of cards. Unlike HyperCard, a LifeMap project can contain more than one window. This item takes you to the first card in the topmost window.

takes you to the previous card in the topmost window.

takes you to the next card in the topmost window.

takes you to the last card in the topmost window.

quickly flips through all of the cards in the topmost window until you click the mouse or until it reaches the card you started from.

LifeMap maintains a list of the cards you have visited. This item steps you back through this list.

If you have stepped back through the list of cards visited, you can use this item to step forward through the list.

allows you to do simple text searches through all of the fields of the topmost window. The first time you use this option, you will go to the first instance of the text searched for. To find the next instance, just hit <return>.

allows you to do more complicated searches across more than one project. This produces a list of all occurrences of the text searched for.

doesn't do anything. It is just a title for the remaining items in this menu. The workspace extensions are currently not available. If they sound interesting to you, contact us.

"The Library" opens a project which gives you access to the many (mostly environmental education) information resources which have been developed for ECCE!. "CorrChannel" opens a note organizing tool. "To Do" opens a To Do project. This is a relatively undeveloped section of ECCE!. "EarthPhone" opens an integrated communications program. "Map Navigator" opens a set of county outlines of the lower 48 US states at a scale of 1:Two Million.

Figure 133. Pathway Menu.

PathPointers are text based codes which allow LifeMap to open any card. To use a PathPointer, select the text and choose this item.

inserts a menu which allows you to record a PathPointer for the current card. You can construct PathPointers by hand, but this method is easier.

creates a PathPointer for a document that was not created by LifeMap. For instance, if you wanted to create a PathPointer to a WordPerfect document, you would use this item.

types the most recently created PathPointer into the Message Box. The Message Box is that little floating window that the basic Find command appears in.

is the same as "Paste" from the Edit menu, except that it adds parentheses around the text you are pasting.

changes the name of the current Pathway card, if the Pathway project is open. It also changes the name of this card in the Record/View PathPointer menu.

creates a new card and menu item in the Pathway project.

cuts the current card and menu item in the Pathway project.

exports all of the PathPointers you have saved in the Pathway project to a text file. This text file is formatted in a special way so that you can use the "Import Pathway" item to reformat them into a Pathway project later.

opens the text file created by "Export Pathways" and formats the text as part of the Pathway project.

opens the first card of the pathway project.

is the menu that is inserted as described above. When you select an item in this menu, the PathPointer for the current card is placed at the end of the Pathway card which corresponds the menu item you chose. If you select an item from this menu, it will open that Pathway card without recording a PathPointer. CorrChannel automatically creates an index to each CorrChannel window by creating a PathPointer each time you move to a new card in CorrChannel. Because of this feature, you can't record PathPointer into CorrChannel Autoindex Pathway cards. Instead, if you select a CorrChannel option in this menu, the PathPointer will be placed in a special field on the first card of that CorrChannel project.

Figure 134: Database menu

Please see the Proposition Database Tutorial for a complete description of how to use these features.

Figure 135. Windows Menu.

The primary function of this menu is to show you which windows are open. This menu dynamically adjusts as you open or close windows. Each item shows the name of the window and the name of the project it belongs to. Choosing an item will bring that window to the top.

moves all of the open windows to the center of the screen. This item, and the one below, are included to solve a problem that is very rare, but is very annoying when it happens. Suppose that you are using LifeMap on a computer with a really big screen. You then try to use the same copy of LifeMap on a computer with a smaller screen. If you do this, some of your open windows may be invisible because their last location was a location which exists on the large screen, but does not on the small screen. Choosing this item quickly and easily brings all open windows into view.

restores the topmost window to its default size. Not all windows have default sizes.