Support for Copying Plain Text Tables into Nodes

theo west

Here’s a feature request draft based on your example:

Feature Request: Support for Copying Plain Text Tables into Nodes

It would be very helpful to have the ability to copy and paste plain text tables (e.g., Markdown-style tables) directly into the mind-mapping software, with the software automatically converting the table into a structured set of nodes. For example, rows in the table could become sibling nodes, and columns could populate as properties or nested nodes.

Example: I often work with tools like ChatGPT, which provide tables in plain text formats that resemble Markdown tables. Currently, if I want to recreate these tables in the mind-mapping software, I have to manually type out each node and structure it, which is time-consuming and frustrating. Allowing the software to recognize these plain text tables and convert them into nodes would significantly improve my workflow, especially when dealing with data-heavy projects or brainstorming sessions.

Proposed Implementation:

• When a user pastes a table formatted in Markdown or CSV style, the software could interpret the rows and columns, creating nodes that match the structure.
• Perhaps a toggle or paste option could allow users to choose how the data is structured (e.g., rows as sibling nodes or rows as properties of a parent node).

This feature would streamline the process of bringing structured data into the mind-mapping software, making it faster and more efficient for users like me who often work with tables.

theo west

Comparison to Spreadsheets:
In a spreadsheet, when you paste plain text tables (like a Markdown table or comma-separated values), the software automatically parses the text into cells, organizing rows and columns seamlessly. This simple process allows users to move data between tools without manually reconstructing the table. Bringing this kind of intuitive parsing into the mind-mapping software would offer a similar, user-friendly experience for managing structured information.

theo west

Building on the concept of using a grid-based system, implementing this for handling copied tables would significantly enhance how structured data is visualized in mind maps. By aligning nodes to precise coordinates and enabling snapping, the mind map would maintain clarity and symmetry, even when importing complex tables.

The key advantage here is the visual consistency and adaptability across devices, much like the precision achieved in osu!'s editor or a spreadsheet. This would eliminate the "jumbled mess" effect and allow users to focus on organizing their ideas without being distracted by misaligned nodes.

Additionally, leveraging grid size options for different table complexities would make this feature versatile, catering to both simple and detailed use cases. Integrating this would align perfectly with the goals of symmetry, organization, and user efficiency.

Here's a feature request of that, that I made a while back: https://community.meister.co/discussion/369/a-grid-different-grid-sizes-coordinates

theo west

Here's an example:

Here's a text formatted table (in this example case, from a chat gpt response):

>Copy text…

>Insert text

First column, first row is the cell 1. Second column 2. Third 3, etc.

Second row, first column is a "list node" under cell 1.

Cell because the node would have a position, like spreadsheets. Thus a coordination system. (with spreadsheet-like functionality in the future)

Beautiful.

Now just imagine you could do if it was just a big spreadsheet. (See these feature request:

https://community.meister.co/discussion/4752/spreadsheet-like-functionality