Speed Matters!
I’ve been using ‘the ribbon’ interface for well over a year now but sometimes I simply miss the old way of working with MindManager (and Office) menus. The feature that I miss most is the ability to adjust the menus and build toolbars that were custom to my needs.
Now, I rely heavily on the Quick Access Toolbar. The Quick Access Toolbar displays a set of commands independent of the currently displayed Ribbon tab.
You can customize the Quick Access toolbar by adding or removing commands, changing the position of commands, and adding separators between commands. Why go through the trouble? Adding commands give you 1-click access to frequently-used commands, regardless of which ribbon is displayed at the time.
How to Adjust Your Quick Access Toolbar
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Click the arrow at the end of the Quick Access toolbar and select the commands that you want to add or clear those you want to remove. If you don’t see the command you want to add, click "More Commands" to open the Customize Quick Access Toolbar dialog where you can add other commands.
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You can quickly add ribbon commands to the Quick Access Toolbar by right clicking on a command on the ribbon and choose "Add to Quick Access Toolbar".
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To change the toolbar’s position, click the arrow at the end of the Quick Access toolbar, and then click "Show Quick Access Toolbar below the Ribbon".
My Quick Access Toolbar
I use the quick access toolbar to complement the short cut keys that I frequently use. So, what’s in my toolbar?
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Basic file management items like new, open, print preview, save, save as and undo / redo
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Format & view controls like growth direction, format painter, filter, detail, and collapse map
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Topic editing controls like add attachment, task info, draw relationship, icon & text markers, map parts & numbering
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Finally, balance & fit map — I use these less frequently but prefer to have quick access to get to them fast when I need them
How about you? What commands are in your quick access toolbar?
About the Author: Michael Deutch is Mindjet’s Chief Evangelist, content contributor for the Mindjet Blog and the Mindjet Connections newsletter. Get more from Michael on Twitter.
[...] inspired to put this video tutorial together after reading Michael Deutch’s post last week on How to Access Your Most Frequently Used Features in MindManager 8. I know that I use the Quick Access Toolbar all the time and like to have some of my favorite [...]
I keep the QAT to minimal and rather use keyboard short cuts. Once you know the most commonly used ones you can work very smoothly and quickly
Andrew – thanks for the suggestions, I’ll pass them along.
Robin – thanks for sharing
I like the MindManager Ribbon and keep the QAT pretty minimal. Like you mostly file save/print and some view/map management tools.
Mine is here if you want to compare
http://www.flickr.com/photos/robinzblog/3574970436/
I like the MindManager Ribbon and keep the QAT pretty minimal. Like you mostly file save/print and some view/map management tools.
Mine is here if you want to compare
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3662/3574970436_ba1c3a5d78_o.png
Thanks for writing this up Michael. I have been adding tools to the QAT since I started using MindManager 8 and 7. You can also right click on tools under the MindManager button, such as Save All and add them to the QAT. Useful when you take a break. I will pass a link to this blog on to someone I was training this morning.
Two improvements I support are:
1. Different QATs for different situations eg. Desktop/Docked and Ink mode.
2. When you update or repair MindManager the QAT remains as you set it up.
In my view the Ribbon interface works well for new users. What many people miss is the options hidden under those little triangles! And right clicking items on the map will bring out the familiar drop down menus.
David,
Great feedback. IMHO, I feel the ribbon is a step sideways. Not necessarily worse or better than the previous menu. There are aspects I like and others that I dislike. I miss most the ability to create my own menu bar like the old office menus. You can partially accomplish this with the quick access toolbar. The good news is that Mindjet can continue to grow and expand the capabilities of the ribbon. The office ribbons have some other features implemented which, when applied to mapping, may make it a better experience. Things to look forward to… I also hope that one day, I could configure my own set of ribbon tabs (e.g. like the quick access toolbar). I’d much rather organize the UI based on how I map, rather than any preconceived notions about how I like to work and which order I need to see features. But this is the story of software. Take a step forward, learn, course correct and step again. Thanks again for your opinions, they’re always welcome!!!
IMHO the fact that you need to go to the trouble of setting up a quick access toolbar shows how poorly conceived the ribbon interface really is.That’s a criticism of the ribbon rather than being aimed at Mind Manager. However I’ve always felt the ribbon interface in Mind Manager, while looking pretty, does nothing functionally (or usability) for the product at all.