01 · The Full Collection
All 13 connection styles
Set globally for an entire tab, or per-connection for individual lines. Right-click any node → Connection Style. Right-click any line to change just that one.
Organic Flow
curved
Smooth bezier curves with an animated arrow flowing along the path. The default style — natural, easy on the eyes, works for any map.
Electric Storm
electric
Jagged lightning-bolt paths that flicker and crackle. Bright yellow core with a wide glow halo. High tension, high urgency.
Water Flow
water_flow
Sine wave path with animated traveling sparkle highlights. Gradient from blue to cyan. Relaxed, flowing, continuous movement.
Neon Glow
neon_glow
4-layer pulsing bloom using the node's own color with a white core. The glow breathes in and out continuously. Vivid and electric.
Particle Stream
particle_stream
Dashed dots traveling along a straight path — like molecules in motion. Subtle and systematic. Good for process flows and sequences.
Energy Pulse
energy_pulse
A curved line that breathes in and out — the width and opacity pulse rhythmically. Slightly orange-toned. Great for active connections in a brainstorm.
Fire
fire
Multi-layer flickering flame — orange outer glow, amber mid, bright yellow core. All layers flicker out of phase. Intense urgency, impossible to ignore.
Crystalline
crystalline
Angular, geometric facets with glowing vertex dots that shimmer. Cold, precise, and structural. Perfect for analytical or technical maps.
Hand Drawn
sketchy
A wobbly, organic stroke with 3 animated arrows traveling along the path. Warm and human. Feels like a whiteboard sketch — great for personal journaling.
Tree Branches
organic_branch
S-shaped organic curves with subtle knot dots along the path. Soft green tones. Feels like growth, good for mind maps with a natural or wellness theme.
Neural Network
network
Ultra-thin straight line with small endpoint dots. Minimal, quiet, near-invisible. Best for dense maps with many connections where visual noise must stay low.
Comic Book
bold
Thick colored line over a black outline with a bold bouncing arrow. Cartoon-panel energy. High contrast, graphic, and punchy.
Minimalist
straight
Straight line with a gradient from the source node color to the target. Pulsing arrow at 80% of the path. Clean, direct, distraction-free.
02 · When to Use What
Styles as a visual language
The most powerful use of connection styles isn't random variety — it's consistent mapping of style to meaning. Here's how to build that system.
🚨 Urgency & Blockers
Connections involving urgent tasks, blockers, deadlines, or critical dependencies deserve styles that demand attention. Use these so blockers are impossible to miss at a glance.
🔥 fire
⚡ electric
⚡ energy_pulse
🌿 Reflection & Journaling
Daily journal maps benefit from styles that feel human and unhurried. The lines should recede visually so nodes carry the focus — calm backgrounds for calm thoughts.
✏️ sketchy
💧 water_flow
🌊 curved
💡 Brainstorming
In a brainstorm session, you want the map to feel alive and generative. Use high-energy animated styles that pulse and move — they prime the brain for creative association.
🌟 neon_glow
⚡ energy_pulse
💥 bold
📊 Analysis & Research
Technical analysis maps need structured, legible connections that don't compete with the data. Precision over expression — let the node labels carry the meaning.
💎 crystalline
🧠 network
➡️ straight
🔄 Process Flows
When the map represents steps in a sequence or a workflow, directional styles make the flow self-evident. The arrows carry the "next" meaning without a word.
✨ particle_stream
➡️ straight
🌊 curved
🌱 Wellness & Goals
Maps tracking habits, gratitude, growth, or wellbeing should feel alive but unhurried. Organic and botanical styles reinforce the growth metaphor of the map itself.
🌳 organic_branch
💧 water_flow
✏️ sketchy
Freehand Connections
Draw any shape between nodes
How it works
Draw mode: Hold Shift and drag from one node to another to draw any curved or looping path between them.
Animated arrows: Once drawn, the path gets traveling animated arrows that flow along your exact drawn shape — no straight-line approximation.
Any shape: Loops, spirals, arcs, S-curves — the path is stored as raw coordinate points and replayed exactly.
Per-path color: Uses the source node's color, including glow. Freehand arrows pulse just like structured connection arrows.
Saved persistently: Freehand paths are saved in the daily snapshot alongside regular connections — no extra step needed.
When to use it
Associations: When two thoughts are loosely related but not in a clean parent-child hierarchy, draw a freehand arc between them.
Emphasis: Draw a looping ring around a cluster of nodes to visually group them without restructuring the map hierarchy.
Mood: In a creative or emotional session, freehand paths feel less structured than regular connections — they carry that feeling through to the reader.
Annotation: Draw an arrow pointing to a specific node from a piece of text — like a call-out annotation in a sketchbook.
04 · Node-Level Effects
4 node effects — for urgency, energy, ideas, and time
Connection styles live on the lines. Node effects live on the nodes themselves. They're ambient animations that extend beyond the node boundary and signal its state — emotional, cognitive, or temporal. Right-click any node to set its effect.
〰️
Ripple effect: 'ripple'
3 concentric rings expand outward from the node and fade as they grow. Continuous and calm — like a stone dropped in still water. Broadcasts presence without aggression.
💡 Use for: Important updates, a node that was recently changed, or thoughts that should draw attention without demanding it.
Sparkle effect: 'sparkle'
8 four-pointed stars orbit the node, each twinkling in and out of phase. They rotate slowly while sparkling independently. Active and celebratory without being noisy.
💡 Use for: Breakthrough ideas, completed milestones, exciting discoveries, or any node that deserves celebration or highlight.
❗
Pulse effect: 'pulse'
Multi-layer radial gradient rings that expand and fade rhythmically — 5 stacked glow layers synced to a shared breath. More intense than Ripple. Harder to ignore.
💡 Use for: Urgent items, active blockers, something that needs resolution, or emotional nodes you don't want to miss when scanning the map.
Portal auto on date pins
Two concentric rings orbit the node in opposite directions — automatically applied to any node with date pins attached. It signals a node that exists across time, not just today.
💡 Automatic: applied whenever you add a Date Pin. Indicates the node is linked to another date in your journal timeline — a thread through time.
05 · Setting Them
How to apply styles and effects
01
Change one connection's style
Right-click any node → Connection Style submenu → pick a style. This changes the style of all connections from that node outward to its children. Or right-click directly on a connection line to change just that one link.
Stored as:
"from_id-to_id": "style_name" in the tab's connection_styles dictionary — per date snapshot.02
Change the whole tab's default style
The toolbar dropdown at the top of the app sets the global style for the entire tab. Connections without an individual override inherit this setting. Good for setting the mood of a map before you start filling it in.
03
Set a node effect
Right-click any node → Details & Files → scroll to the Effect section → pick Ripple, Sparkle, or Pulse. Remove it by selecting None. Effects are stored per-node in the snapshot and persist across sessions.
Portal effect doesn't need to be set manually — it activates automatically the moment you add a
Date Pin to any node via Right-click → Add Date Pin.04
Use hotkey chains to set styles instantly
The hotkey chain system supports
set_intensity which works alongside node color to drive the glow. Combine it with a connection style chain that also calls set_color to create a single-key "URGENT" preset — red node + fire connections + pulse effect — all at once.06 · Quick Reference
All styles & effects at a glance
| Name | Code Value | Visual Character | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🌊 Organic Flow | curved | Smooth bezier + arrow | Default, everyday maps |
| 🌳 Tree Branches | organic_branch | S-curve + knot dots | Wellness, growth |
| 💧 Water Flow | water_flow | Sine wave + sparkles | Journaling, reflection |
| ✏️ Hand Drawn | sketchy | Wobbly + 3 arrows | Personal, warm |
| ⚡ Electric Storm | electric | Jagged lightning, flicker | Urgency, blockers |
| 🔥 Fire | fire | Multi-layer flicker | Critical, on-fire tasks |
| ⚡ Energy Pulse | energy_pulse | Breathing width pulse | Brainstorm, active |
| 🌟 Neon Glow | neon_glow | 4-layer bloom, white core | Creative, vivid |
| 💎 Crystalline | crystalline | Angular facets + nodes | Analysis, technical |
| ✨ Particle Stream | particle_stream | Traveling dashes | Process, sequence |
| 🧠 Neural Network | network | Ultra-thin + endpoint dot | Dense maps, minimal |
| 💥 Comic Book | bold | Black outline + bounce arrow | Playful, emphasis |
| ➡️ Minimalist | straight | Gradient line + arrow | Clean, directional |
| Node Effects | |||
| 〰️ Ripple | effect: ripple | 3 expanding rings, calm | Recent changes, attention |
| ✨ Sparkle | effect: sparkle | 8 orbiting star bursts | Ideas, milestones, wins |
| ❗ Pulse | effect: pulse | 5-layer breathing glow | Urgent, active blockers |
| 📌 Portal | auto (date pins) | Dual counter-rotating rings | Cross-date linked nodes |
Per-connection override: Even if the tab is set to Minimalist globally, any individual connection can be set to Fire for a specific urgent link. Per-connection styles always win.
Combine for maximum impact: Fire connection + Pulse node effect + red color + max glow intensity = an unmissable urgent node. Chain all four with a single hotkey.