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Nodes (topic boxes)

Make new nodes#

There are several ways to make nodes. You can:

  • Double-click the background, or
  • Press either the Insert or the + key on your keyboard, or
  • Click an existing node, then click this icon on the top toolbar:

New node icon

If you keep clicking the icon, 'child nodes' will be added underneath the current node.

info

To draw an arrow between two nodes, see connectors.

To select multiple nodes on your map, you can click and drag a selection over multiple nodes.

You can select all nodes on your map or layer by:

  1. Selecting one node,
  2. Pressing Ctrl + A / ⌘ + A on your keyboard.

Another way to select all nodes is by right-clicking anywhere on your map, then clicking Select all nodes.

Edit nodes#

To change the title of a node, double-click the node itself.

It will highlight the text, and you'll be able to change the title:

To 'lock in' the changes, click anywhere on the background of your map.

Delete nodes#

To delete nodes, select the node(s), then click the trash icon in the top toolbar.

You can also select the node(s), then press the Delete key on your keyboard.

Move nodes#

Nodes can be moved by clicking them, then dragging them while holding the mouse button down.

There are two ways you can select multiple nodes to drag:

  • Click multiple nodes while holding down the Ctrl / ⌘ key
  • Click anywhere on the background, then drag over the nodes you want.

You can also click any node, then press Ctrl + A / ⌘ + A to select all nodes onscreen.

If you hold down the Ctrl key while dragging, the selected node(s) and their descendants (the nodes they have outbound connectors to) will all move.

If you hold down the Shift key while dragging up / down or left / right, the selected node(s) will be 'locked to' horizontal or vertical lines.

You can also move selected node(s) with the arrow keys on your keyboard.

Aesthetics#

Align nodes#

To align nodes, select two or more nodes.

Then click this icon:

Click an option to align nodes in that way.

The options are:

Colour#

To change the colour, select the node(s) and click this icon:

From here, you can choose any colour from the drop-down list.

Font size#

To change the font size, select the node(s) and click this icon:

From here, you can choose a size from the drop-down list.

Paste as nodes#

You can copy text and paste it directly into your Ako Map. Each bullet point or line will be pasted as an individual node in your Ako Map.

To do this, copy the text, then either:

  • Right-click in your Ako Map and select Paste as nodes, or
  • Click into the Ako Map, then press Ctrl + V / ⌘ + V

Your list will automatically be created in node form.