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The ultimate outliner
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Posted by Dr Andus
Jan 15, 2013 at 11:11 PM
What would be the features and benefits of your ultimate outliner? I’m thinking of “outliner” in the stricter sense as a writing tool, rather than an all-purpose PIM (calendars, addresses and the lot). “Outlining” in this sense though could still span the entire writing process, from brainstorming, note-taking, organising, analysis, to synthesis, outlining, drafting and writing up, perhaps even word processing, if you insist.
Imagine, you have the ears of the world’s foremost outliner developers. What would you tell them? Try to provide an example, if a feature like that already exists.
To kick it off, for me this would be a composite picture of BrainStorm, Natara Bonsai, Outline 4D, ConnectedText, Freeplane, myInfo, possibly with some NoteMap and Maxthink thrown in for good measure.
It would have to be modular like ConnectedText, so that panes can be detached and split across two or more monitors, while their functions continue to be related.
It would have to be flexible like Bonsai, so that one could change it from a single-pane outliner to a 2- or 3-pane outliner.
It would have to be a good list sorter like BrainStorm or Bonsai, with the ability to categorise/label/prioritise each item, and then be able to set up a range of columns easily, like in MLO, with custom-columns, like in myInfo. It should have some quirky shortcut to throw selected items quickly in a “bag”, like on BrainStorm, Maxthink or NoteMap.
It would need to function as a single-pane outliner with inline notes, with all the outline views that Outline 4D currently supports (gradation from skeletal view to full text view with several interim views).
It should be possible to switch between an outline view and a mind map view with a single click.
It would have an improved version of Outline 4D’s “timeline view,” to be able to view the outline in index card form.
Posted by Franz Grieser
Jan 15, 2013 at 11:41 PM
Yes to all the features Dr. Andus listed, plus
- hoisting (drilling down on one section, collapsing the rest)
- a table feature as in Ecco for info such as status, POV (in fiction), todo, etc.
- import/export (Word/LibreOffice DOC/DOCX/ODT incl. styles, RTF, TXT, HTML, OPML, maybe Excel or CSV, Mindmanager/Freemind mindmaps,)
- multiple document windows (MDI)
Posted by Daly de Gagne
Jan 16, 2013 at 12:19 AM
I agree with just about all of the features.
In terms of a program which I think is becoming increasingly elegant and very flexible, I think of Noteliner - http://www.noteliner.org/ .
Here is a brief product description from the Noteliner site: “A project and information management application that is as simple and lightweight as a text editor, with the power of an outliner, the metadata of a to-do list, tables, and Gantt charts!”
Often when I see what people are looking for, or what they want to do, whether here or elsewhere on the web, Noteliner springs to mind.
Daly
Franz Grieser wrote:
Yes to all the features Dr. Andus listed, plus
>
>- hoisting (drilling down on one section, collapsing the rest)
>- a table feature as in Ecco for info such as status, POV (in fiction),
>todo, etc.
>- import/export (Word/LibreOffice DOC/DOCX/ODT incl. styles, RTF, TXT,
>HTML, OPML, maybe Excel or CSV, Mindmanager/Freemind mindmaps,)
>- multiple document windows (MDI)
Posted by Dr Andus
Jan 16, 2013 at 12:30 AM
Franz Grieser wrote:
>- hoisting (drilling down on one section, collapsing the rest)
I’d like Bonsai’s hoisting approach: zoom in and out level-by-level with individual mouse clicks, and turn off (go back to full view) with a single click.
I’d also like Bonsai’s gradual “expand” function level-by-level, using mouse-clicks: Expand Level 1, 2, 3, 4 or All.
I forgot to mention the ability to colour in by hierarchical level easily, like in Bonsai, and esp. Outline 4D.
Posted by shatteredmindofbob
Jan 16, 2013 at 01:28 AM
All I want is Brainstorm but with the ability to edit in “balloon mode” or whatever it was called. Essentially, to be able to turn-off “perma-hoist”