My Journey

mindmaps and graphs

5 min read

my origin story

  • late 1990s in postgrad university

  • Work / Career

    • Tools

      • Mindgenius 2.x onwards
      • Workflowy Outlining
      • MS Word Outline mode
      • Various other tools e.g. SmartArt

    • Uses

      • Requirements for Projects
        • Project Epic / Feature / User Stories
      • Study Notes
      • …
      • Second Brain / PKMS

    • Limitations of tools

      • Inability to link mindmaps together into one big map / knowledge graph
      • Proprietary formats for tools limiting the ability to effectively share

  • Now

  • Combine with Knowledge graphing

Q. Are there obsidian plugins that can integrate with obsidian and present a mindmap based on various criteria e.g. parent/child based on folders, child based on tags?

Based on your experience with mindmapping tools and your current use of Obsidian, here are some plugins and approaches that can help you create mindmaps within your vault:

  1. Excalidraw Plugin

    • Allows you to create freehand diagrams and mindmaps
    • Integrates directly with your notes
    • Can be used to create visual representations of your knowledge structure

  2. Mind Map Plugin

    • Creates interactive mindmaps from your notes
    • Supports hierarchical relationships between notes
    • Can visualize folder structures or tag-based relationships

  3. Canvas Plugin

    • Provides a visual workspace for connecting notes
    • Allows you to create mindmap-like structures
    • Great for visualizing relationships between different notes

  4. Graph View

    • Shows connections between notes as a network graph
    • Can be filtered by tags, folders, or other criteria
    • Provides a different but complementary visualization to traditional mindmaps

Creating Mindmaps Based on Your Criteria

Parent/Child Based on Folders

  • Use the Mind Map Plugin to create a visual representation of your folder hierarchy
  • This will show parent-child relationships based on your folder structure
  • You can customize the appearance to resemble traditional mindmaps

Child Based on Tags

  • Use the Graph View to visualize notes with specific tags
  • This shows relationships between notes that share common tags
  • You can filter by tag to create focused mindmaps
  • The Mind Map Plugin also supports tag-based visualization

Workflow Suggestions

  1. For Project Requirements:

    • Create a main project note with child notes for epics, features, and user stories
    • Use the Mind Map Plugin to visualize this hierarchy
    • Link related notes to create a knowledge graph

  2. For Study Notes:

    • Organize notes in a hierarchical folder structure
    • Use the Canvas Plugin to create visual connections between concepts
    • Create mindmaps of key topics using the Mind Map Plugin

  3. For Second Brain/PKMS:

    • Use tags to categorize notes
    • Visualize relationships using Graph View
    • Create focused mindmaps using specific tags as filters

Limitations and Considerations

  • While these plugins provide mindmap-like functionality, they may not replicate the exact look and feel of dedicated mindmapping software
  • The visualizations are based on your existing note structure and links
  • You may need to adjust your note-taking habits slightly to optimize for these visualizations

Q. I still have a license to Mindgenius which allows import of OPML amongst other formats. What solutions exist to export e.g. folder hierarchy from obsidian and into OPML?

Based on your situation with MindGenius and your Obsidian vault, here are several solutions to export your folder hierarchy and notes to OPML format:

Native Obsidian Solutions

  1. Dataview Plugin with OPML Export

    • Create a Dataview query that captures your folder structure
    • Use the “Export as OPML” option available in some Dataview configurations
    • This will create an OPML file that can be imported into MindGenius

  2. Advanced Tables Plugin

    • Generate a table of your folder structure
    • Export the table to CSV
    • Convert the CSV to OPML using a simple script

Third-Party Tools

  1. Obsidian to OPML Converter Scripts

    • Python scripts that parse your vault and generate OPML
    • Example script structure: 
      import os
import xml.etree.ElementTree as ET
 
def create_opml(vault_path):
    root = ET.Element("opml")
    head = ET.SubElement(root, "head")
    ET.SubElement(head, "title").text = "Obsidian Vault OPML"
    body = ET.SubElement(root, "body")
 
    for root_dir, dirs, files in os.walk(vault_path):
        for file in files:
            if file.endswith(".md"):
                path_parts = os.path.normpath(os.path.join(root_dir, file)).split(os.sep)
                current = body
                for part in path_parts[len(vault_path.split(os.sep)):]:
                    found = False
                    for child in current:
                        if child.tag == "outline" and child.get("text") == part:
                            current = child
                            found = True
                            break
                    if not found:
                        new_outline = ET.SubElement(current, "outline")
                        new_outline.set("text", part)
                        current = new_outline
 
    tree = ET.ElementTree(root)
    tree.write("obsidian_opml.xml", encoding="utf-8", xml_declaration=True)
 
create_opml("/path/to/your/obsidian/vault")

  2. Obsidian Excalidraw Plugin

    • Create mindmaps in Excalidraw
    • Export these mindmaps to OPML format
    • This works well for visual mindmaps rather than folder structures

Manual Process

  1. Create a Table of Contents Note

    • Use Obsidian’s built-in table of contents feature
    • Copy the generated table
    • Paste into an OPML converter tool

  2. Use Pandoc

    • Convert your markdown files to OPML using Pandoc
    • Command example: 
      pandoc -s -o output.opml --from=markdown --to=opml input.md

MindGenius-Specific Solutions

  1. Obsidian to MindGenius Bridge

    • Use a dedicated bridge tool that understands both formats
    • These tools often provide more accurate mapping of your folder structure

  2. Custom Export Script

    • Create a script that:
      • Walks your Obsidian vault directory
      • Creates OPML nodes for each folder
      • Adds note files as child nodes
      • Preserves any hierarchical structure

Implementation Recommendation

For your specific case with MindGenius, I recommend:

  1. Start with the Python script approach as it:

    • Preserves your folder hierarchy
    • Is customizable to your specific needs
    • Can be modified to include note content if needed

  2. If you need a more visual approach:

    • Use the Excalidraw plugin to create mindmaps
    • Export these to OPML
    • Import into MindGenius

  3. For ongoing synchronization:

    • Consider creating a simple script that runs periodically
    • Updates your OPML file when your vault changes
    • This keeps your MindGenius maps current

Would you like me to provide more specific details about any of these approaches, or help you get started with a particular solution?

Graph View