Outline Editing and Indentation¶

1 How to Create a New Node (Card)¶

💡In MarginNote 4, a "node" is essentially a "card". Any operation that adds a card to the mind map can be used to create a new outline node.

1.1 Entering the Outline Editing View¶

Before you start creating nodes, you first need to enter the outline editing view:

Tap the mind map: In your study set, open the mind map view.
Tap the "Outline" button: In the right-hand toolbar of the mind map view, find and tap the Outline button (as shown by the icon below).

Outline 3. Enter the outline editing view: Your mind map will now open the outline panel, showing the hierarchical structure of the cards.

1.2 Creating Nodes¶

1.2.1 Creating Nodes in the Document View¶

💡This is the most common way to create cards, and it is especially well suited to excerpting content from reading material.

Make an excerpt card: Use MarginNote 4's excerpt tools (such as text or rectangle excerpts, etc.) to select the text or image you want to excerpt.
Add to the mind map: Once you finish excerpting, the system automatically adds the excerpted content as a new card to the current study set's mind map, where it appears as a new node in the outline editing view.

1.2.2 Creating Nodes in the Outline Editing View¶

💡In the outline editing view, you can create and manage nodes more directly.

Enter edit mode: In the bottom toolbar of the outline editing view, tap the Edit button.
Create a node with the Enter key:
Select any existing card and move the cursor to the end of the card;
Press the Enter key. A new sibling node will then be created below the current card.

Create a node with the "Add a Card" button:
In Edit mode, scroll to the bottom of the outline.
Tap the "Add a Card" button that appears at the bottom of the page to create a new sibling node at the end.

1.2.3 Creating Nodes in the Mind Map View¶

💡In the regular mind map view, you can also create blank nodes, which will likewise appear in the outline editing view.

Double-click an empty area: Double-click in an empty area of the mind map view to directly create a new mind map node.
Add via the single-click menu:
Single-click in an empty area of the mind map view.
In the pop-up menu, select the New Card option to create a node.

Outline Indent Gesture: Drag to Adjust Levels¶

💡In the outline, MarginNote 4 brings learners a new feature—the Outline Indent Gesture. When enabled, it lets learners change a node's level and position by dragging it directly.

In addition, learners can also adjust the position of mind map nodes using keyboard shortcuts.

Enter the outline editing page: Make sure you are in the outline editing view.
Enable the Outline Indent Gesture: In the bottom toolbar of the outline editing view, tap the Outline Indent Gesture toggle (as shown by the icon below).

Outline Indent Gesture - Drag nodes directly: - Adjust the level: Press and hold a node and drag it right to make it a child of the node above (indent); drag it left to reduce the indent and promote it a level. - Adjust the order: Drag a node up or down to change its order among nodes at the same level.

3 Keyboard Shortcuts for Adjusting Outline Levels¶

💡Besides the drag gesture, you can use keyboard shortcuts to precisely control the level of outline nodes, which is especially efficient for quick edits.

Enter the outline mind map editing page: Make sure you are in the outline editing view.
Enable "Outline Indent Gesture": In the bottom toolbar of the outline editing view, find and tap the Outline Indent Gesture toggle (as shown by the icon below).

Outline Indent Gesture - Select a card and use a keyboard shortcut: - Indent (become a child node): Select the card you want to adjust, then press the Tab key. The card will indent to the right and become a child of the nearest sibling card above it. - Outdent (promote a level): Select the card you want to adjust, then press Shift + Tab. The card will move left and be promoted one level.

💡Note: In edit mode, you can press the shortcut keys directly to adjust the outline level.

4 Splitting & Merging Nodes¶

💡In the Outline, MarginNote 4 gives learners a brand-new way to split nodes: a keyboard shortcut that quickly splits a card's content into a new card.

What is splitting nodes for?

When a card's content is too long and contains several independent knowledge points, splitting the node breaks it into multiple, more focused cards.

This helps you better organize and review individual knowledge points.

Shortcut: Enter

Open the outline editing view: First, tap the Outline button to enter the outline editing view.

Outline - Tap the Edit button: Tap the Edit button in the bottom-right corner to enter edit mode. - Split a card's content: - Move the cursor to where you want to split the card's content (for example, between two knowledge points). - Press the Enter key. Everything after the cursor is automatically cut and turned into a new card, created as a sibling node of the current card. - Merge card content: - Move the cursor to the beginning of the card (that is, the start of the card's content). - Press the Delete key. The card's content is merged onto the end of the previous card.