Frequently Asked Questions
What do I need to run Cayra?
You should have Framework.Net 3.0 installed. You can download it from Microsoft site.
Why Cayra needs Internet connection?
Cayra is regurlarly checking for available updates and downloads them automatically (usually updates' weight is not very big). No private information is being sent during Cayra's connection to the Internet.
Note: It doesn't mean that you necessarily have to be online all the time. So if you're on dial-up it just means that you'll have to check for updates on the web-site and download them manually.
Encountered a problem while using Cayra?
You can report a bug, starting a new topic in the “Bugs and Features” Forum. We’ll do our best to fix it as soon as possible!
I didn't understand how to work with Cayra!
F1/Help file is on its way!
Besides, even though we know people don't usually read this type of help-stuff, "Hello" map that opens with Cayra, can be quite useful in finding out about Cayra's features.
Why objects on the maps move all the time?
It happens because every click on the node puts it into the center of the diagram. Therefore all other nodes are re-positioned to show this node's connections better.
Still, we're also working on stabilizing nodes, so they will only move when some changes/clicks are made.
Cayra gets slow! Can you do something with it?
When your maps contain more than 20 nodes (topics), or when you add images to your maps, Cayra can get slow.
We're constantly working on optimization of graphics and speed of auto-layouting.
Why Cayra shows some elements and doesn't show others?
Well, that's one of main features of the program: Cayra shows only those objects that were selected from the Nodes List or were clicked at.
This thing is that what you see on the screen is always limited by its margins. Other program usually use scrolling when a map is too big to fit on the screen, while Cayra simply shows those objects that fit and hides those that don't.
To control this process you can use plus "+" and minus "-" signs on the nodes' edges. Plus shows nodes connections (and the number that goes after plus, is a number of nodes linked to this one, e.g. "+7" means that this node is connected with 7 other nodes), minus hides it.
Also you can Ctrl+click on the map to select several nodes that you want to stay on the screen, or Ctrl+Click / Shift+Click in the Nodes List (Shift+Up/Down arrows on the keyboard are also available, or Shift+Page Up/Page Downm or Shift+Home/End, although last two will perhaps make the shown map incomprehensible.
Where can I find "Hello" map?
Cayra opens with "Hello" map, which is an analogue of a help file created in Cayra format. Hello.cayra is located in the folder where you have installed Cayra to (C:\Program Files\Intalev\Cayra by default).
Can I copy icon sets that I have created from one map to another?
Yes, you can. To do that, go to the Filters (bottom of the diagram), click on the "Types" drop menu and select "Icon group".
System nodes will be shown on the diagram. Click on your icon set, select it (both parent and children nodes) and press Ctrl+C (or right-click and choose "Copy").
Then without closing this Cayra window, load Cayra once more, there in the second window open the map you would like to add your icons to and paste them there (right-click and "paste" or "Ctrl+V" hot key).
These icon nodes won't be shown, because they're system files, but if you right-click on any node and choose "Icons", you'll see that your icons have been added to the defaul sets.
Got your own question?
Please, don't hesitate to ask your question in the Forums!
What is a mind map?
A mind map consists of a central word or concept, around the central word you draw the 5 to 10 main ideas that relate to that word. You then take each of those child words and again draw the 5 to 10 main ideas that relate to each of those words.In this way a large number of related ideas can quickly be produced with virtually no mental effort. The concept of 'writers block' is hard to understand once you have grasped the use of this simple technique!
What can you do with a mind map
Note taking
As a means of note taking Mind Maps have several advantages over other systems:
- You can place each new idea in the right place, regardless of the order of presentation.
- It encourages the reduction of each concept to a single word.
- The resultant mind map can be 'seen' by the eye and memorized by your visual memory which has been shown to be almost perfect.
Creative Writing & Report Writing
A mind map lets you rapidly produce an almost infinite number of ideas, and at the same time organize them by placing each idea next to what it is related to. This makes a very powerful tool for creative writing or report writing, where it is very important to get down all your ideas first. It is then a trivial matter to read the mind map and write a sentence or paragraph on each 'key word'.
Studying the easy way
Instead of simply reading a book on some topic, next time try using a mind map while you read. Just draw your central word and then begin reading, every time you read some idea that strikes you as important or interesting, just add it onto your mind map in the appropriate place.
When you have finished reading the book you will have a one page Mind Map which summarizes everything of interest in that book. You will probably also have added several things which you thought up yourself during your reading. The act of creating the mind map will have greatly increased how much you absorbed from the book, and if you ever want to review the topic all you need to do is to look at the mind map. If you want to learn the information very solidly then try to redraw the Mind Map from memory a few times. You will find it very easy.
Studying as a group (or family)
A group of people can work together to produce a single mind map by following these steps:
1. Individually draw mind maps on what you already know about the subject.
2. Draw a group mind map combining what you already know.
3. Decide what you need to learn based on this group Mind Map
4. Individually study the material, all covering the same areas for depth of knowledge or all covering different areas for speed as appropriate. Each person completing the mind map by his/her self.
5. Again combine as a group and create a final master group mind map.
Families who have started regular weekend study days as a hobby have benefited tremendously. Children typically go from average or below average to second or third from the top in all subjects and the parents also find themselves excelling at work. One Swedish family was besieged by neighborhood children asking if they could join in the fun!
Giving a Talk
When giving a talk a set of notes in the form of a single mind map has several advantages over other memory aids:
- Brief: Only a single page is needed
- Not reading: As ideas are reduced to single words you will not be 'reading' your speech
- Flexibility: If someone asks a question you can move instantly to the place on your Mind Map which relates to that question and then return to where you were without loosing yourself in a pile of cards or papers.
What can you do with a computer mind map
Computer Mind Maps offer several major advances over the original paper mind map. These advantages should combine to make Mind Mapping as popular as it should be:
- Easy restructuring
You can easily restructure your mind map, moving words and trees of words around in seconds. This makes the computer mind map even better for quickly creating new ideas and ordering ideas into a meaningful structure.
- Highlighting
Using the style system you can instantly highlight different features of a complex mind map. E.g. you might make all the 'expensive' options suddenly appear in bright red or all the 'good' ideas appear in bold underlined type.
- Comments
Being brief and using single words is the key to a good mind map, but sometimes you need to write sentences of explanation for yourself or others. The computer mind map allows you to do this but to keep the extra information hidden until it is needed. This can also be used for learning information, you should be able to recite the 'comment' information without looking at it, when you can do this you have 'learned' the contents of the mind map and only need the key words to bring it back.
- Presentation
In this day and age it is not really acceptable to present your manager with a crayon drawing of your plans. A computer generated mind map gets past this problem by having the same high quality appearance as any other document.
How was it invented
Mind Mapping was invented by Tony Buzan following his research into note taking techniques.
Note taking
Tony Buzan studied the three common techniques for taking notes during a lecture:
- Writing a complete transcript.
- Writing a summary.
- Writing key words only.
Least learned = 1
1. Complete transcript given to student
2. Student writes complete transcript
3. Summary given to student
4. Student writes summary
5. Key words given to student
6. Student writes own key words
Most learned = 6
Visual Memory
Another seemingly unrelated study on memory was also used in the formation of mind maps. In this study by Ralph Haber 2560 photos were shown to subjects. Then subjects were shown 2560 pairs of photos and asked in each case to say which photo had been in the original group of 2560 and which had not. The success rate at this test averaged between 85% and 95% showing that humans have an almost photographic visual memory. In another study where 10,000 vivid pictures were used a success rate of 99% was recorded.
Originality
If two people all draw mini mind maps around the idea 'shoe'. (A mini mind map is a mind map which only goes one level deep, i.e. it only has words which are directly related to the central idea). If each person comes up with seven related words, how many do you think would be duplicates between the two people? Studies have shown that the average is one word in common, and anything above two is very very unusual.
Try this yourself, get a friend to write down the first seven things related to the word "shoe", and do the same yourself, then compare the lists.
Result, Mind Maps
With these results and other research Tony Buzan came up with a new method for taking notes. His new system was based on the idea of making the notes as brief as possible and also as interesting to the eye as possible. The surprising result was that mind maps can be used in many different ways other than just simple note taking.
Mind Mapping FAQ Source: http://members.optusnet.com.au/~charles57/Creative/Mindmap/index.html
For more examples on how mind maps can be used, see Use Cases.