• Getting Started


    • About This Manual
      Scapple has been designed to be a very simple program to learn and use. This user manual is provided to you as a complete reference of the software. We hope that nobody feels the need to read this manual cover to cover to use the software. Of course, we'd be delighted if you are inclined to do so, but most people want to get down to business with a new program, and the best way you'll find for doing that is in the {{Help//QuickStart Guide}} menu command. This brief two-page cheat-sheet has every...


      • Terms and Conventions
        Whenever the documentation refers to an action that you must take, the visible name for that action will be formatted {{like so}}. Button labels, menu items, and keyboard shortcuts will all be displayed in this fashion.

        Menus will be displayed in a hierarchy using the "" character to separate top-level, sub-menu, and commands. Example: To apply the "Blue Bubble" note style to a selection of notes, invoke the {{Format//Note Style//Apply Note Style//Blue Bubble}} command.

        Keyboa...


        • (Mac keys)

          * {{Cmd-}}: the Command key, or the Apple key, is the one located directly to the left and right of your spacebar.
          * {{Opt-}}: the Option key is also labelled the Alt key on some keyboards, depending on which country you purchased your Mac from. Some laptops only have one Option key on the left side.
          * {{Ctrl-}}: Control is usually located to the left and right of the Option keys on their respective side. Some laptops only have one Control key between the Option key and the Fn key on the left s...

        • (Windows keys)

          * {{Ctrl+}}: Ctrl is usually located to the left and right of the spacebar key.
          * {{Alt+}}: the Alt key is typically on the left side of the keyboard. Some keyboards will having matching key on the right side of the spacebar, others will dedicate the right-side to AltGr, which is used to insert accented letters.
          * {{Shift+}}: the Shift keys are rarely used by themselves in shortcuts but are often used in combination with other modifier keys.

        • Terms & Conventions (Cont'd)

          Using Keyboard Shortcuts
          : When a keyboard shortcut requires a combination of modifier keys, they will be printed together. Example: {{<$custom:Shortcut>}} (which matches {{View//Show Inspector}}) means you should hold down both of these modifier keys together and then tap the {{I}} key on your keyboard. Some shortcuts in Scapple do not require any keyboard modifiers at all. The {{Z}} key, for example, will enable the QuickZoom feature while it is depressed. Naturally, these shortcuts cannot be...


      • Finding Things
        Since this PDF has been birthed within the age of digital documentation, and has yet to make its way to print form, a proper index has never been compiled for it. Despite this, in practice you should have little difficulty in locating the topic you are interested in. Modern PDF reader software features excellent searching capabilities; most things can be discovered merely by searching for the proper names of things---as labelled in menus, buttons or dialogue boxes---in the PDF.

        Alternatively, t...


    • What is Scapple?
      > **scapple** skap'l *vt*. to work or shape... roughly, without smoothing to a finish.
      > ---*The Chambers Dictionary*, 12th Edition

      Scapple is an easy-to-use tool for getting ideas down as quickly as possible and making connections between them. It's the software equivalent of taking a large piece of paper and writing your thoughts and ideas all over it, in no particular order, perhaps clustering related notes and drawing lines and arrows between them as connections become apparent.

      #
      [Idea...

    • Registration & Updates
      If you purchased Scapple from the Mac App Store, you can safely skip this section, as it pertains to the registration and maintenance of the version of Scapple we sell through our own site. Installation, activation and application updates will be handled for you by the Mac App Store application.


      • Installation
        1. Download Scapple from the Literature & Latte website. There is no difference between the trial version and the registered version---you turn the trial version into the regular version by purchasing a serial number and using it to activate the trial version.
        2. When the Scapple DMG (disk image) file finishes downloading, double-click on it in the Finder (if it hasn't opened for you automatically), and drag the Scapple icon into your Applications folder.

        **Important**: Scapple will not be cor...

      • Registration

        You can try out all of the features of Scapple for 30 non-consecutive days without having to pay or register. During that period, Scapple will be fully-functional. After 30 days of use, you will no longer be able to access Scapple unless you register.


        • Purchasing Scapple
          During the trial period, whenever you launch Scapple, you will be reminded of how many trial days you have left and given the option of buying and registering. Clicking on the "Buy Online" button will take you to the Literature & Latte online store, where you can purchase a licence for Scapple. You can also visit the online store at any time by selecting "Purchase Scapple..." from the Help menu.

          When you buy a licence, you will be emailed your unique serial number, which will have the following...

        • Registering Scapple
          After purchasing a licence and receiving your unique serial number, you can register Scapple by clicking on the "Enter License..." button in the "Scapple is unregistered!" box that appears whenever you launch Scapple. Alternatively, you can choose "Register..." from the application (Scapple) menu.

          In the "Serial Number Name" box of the registration window, enter the exact name under which you registered Scapple. Enter your unique serial number in the "Serial Number" box, then click the "Registe...


      • Application Updates
        The second time you ever run Scapple, you will be presented with a panel which asks whether or not Scapple should automatically check for updates. (To use this feature, you must have a connection to the internet.)

        If you click "Check Automatically", then once a day when you launch Scapple, if your computer is connected to the internet, Scapple will do a quick check to see if there is a newer version available and will prompt you to update if one is found. (It is strongly recommended that you al...


    • Registration & Updates


      • Installation
        1. Download Scapple from the Literature & Latte website. There is no difference between the trial version and the registered version---you turn the trial version into the regular version by purchasing a serial number and using it to activate the trial version.
        2. When the Scapple installer (.exe) file finishes downloading, double-click on it in Windows Explorer (if it hasn't opened for you automatically) to start installation. Simply follow the instructions provided for each step of the installe...

      • Registration

        You can try out all of the features of Scapple for 30 non-consecutive days without having to pay or register. During that period, Scapple will be fully-functional. After 30 days of use, you will no longer be able to access Scapple unless you register.


        • Purchasing Scapple
          During the trial period, whenever you launch Scapple, you will be reminded of how many trial days you have left and given the option of buying and registering. Clicking on the "Buy Online" button will take you to the Literature & Latte online store, where you can purchase a licence for Scapple. You can also visit the online store at any time by selecting "Purchase Scapple..." from the Help menu.

          When you buy a licence, you will be emailed your unique serial number, which will have the following...

        • Registering Scapple
          After purchasing a licence and receiving your unique serial number, you can register Scapple by clicking on the "Enter License..." button in the "Scapple is unregistered!" box that appears whenever you launch Scapple. Alternatively, you can choose "Register..." from the MAC:application (Scapple)WIN:Help menu .

          In the "Serial Number Name" box of the registration window, enter the exact name under which you registered Scapple. Enter your unique serial number in the "Serial Number" box, then click...


      • Application Updates
        The second time you ever run Scapple, you will be presented with a panel which asks whether or not Scapple should automatically check for updates. (To use this feature, you must have a connection to the internet.)

        If you click "Check Automatically", then once a month when you launch Scapple, if your computer is connected to the internet, Scapple will do a quick check to see if there is a newer version available and will prompt you to update if one is found. (It is strongly recommended that you ...


    • Learning the Ropes
      There aren't really any difficult concepts to get your head around in Scapple---the most difficult part of using Scapple should be the ideas on which you are working. You organise those ideas using four main elements: *notes*, *connections*, *background shapes* and *stacks*. We'll look at each of those here.


      • Scapple's Main Interface
        Scapple's interface has been designed to be as minimal as possible---for the most part, it's just you and your notes. The provided [screenshot of the interface](#plat-interface) has been numbered and explained, below.



        #
        [The default Scapple window and features]






        [The default Scapple window and features]



        1. The **Scapple board**, or canvas. "Scapple board" is the term used to describe a Scapple document---all of the notes and their connections as laid out on the v...

      • Notes
        You can create and move notes anywhere on a Scapple board. Notes can be anything---a single word used as a title using a large, bold font, or several paragraphs of detailed description. There are no limits to how you arrange them---Scapple boards are entirely freeform.


        • Creating Notes
          To create a new note, do one of the following:

          * Double-click anywhere on the background canvas area to create a new note at the mouse point. By default, the new note will have the placeholder text "New Note" selected, ready for you to type over it with your own text.
          * If any notes are selected, you can hold down modifier keys while double-clicking to create a new notes that are connected to the selected notes. Holding down the MAC:Option ({{Opt-}}) keyWIN:Alt & Shift keys will create a new no...

        • Selecting Notes
          To select notes, do one of the following:

          * Click on a note to select a single note.
          * To select multiple notes, click on each note in turn while holding down the MAC:Shift or CommandWIN:Ctrl key. This also acts like a toggle, and can be used to remove a note from a selection.
          * Use the arrow keys to select or travel to notes around the board. Stacked notes will prefer each other for selection, after that the program will do its best to select the next note in the direction of the arrow key yo...

        • Editing Notes
          To edit a note, do one of the following:

          * Double-click into it.
          * Select the note and hit the Escape key.
          * MAC:ReturnWIN:Enter can be used to start editing, but only if "MAC:ReturnWIN:Enter creates new notes" is disabled in the General MAC:[Preferences][]WIN:[Options][] tab.

          To finish editing a note, do one of the following:

          * Hit the Escape key.
          * Select another note or click elsewhere on the Scapple board.
          * Hit the Enter Not to be confused with the Return key. On a full-sized keyboa...

        • Moving Notes


          • With the Mouse
            Movement is typically done with the mouse, in a manner that will be familiar to anyone who has dragged and dropped files from one location to another in MAC:FinderWIN:Windows Explorer.

            * To move a note, simply click on it, hold down the left mouse button, and drag it to its new location, letting go of the button when you are satisfied with its position.
            * To move several notes, first [select all the notes that you wish to move][Selecting Notes]. Then click on one of the selected notes, keep the...

          • With the Keyboard
            Sometimes small adjustments are easier to make with the arrow keys on the keyboard, especially if you wish to make sure that the note does not stray from its original horizontal or vertical positioning (or axis). By default the arrow keys will select notes around the currently selected note, but if you tap the {{<$custom:Shortcut>}} shortcut, [Movement Mode will be enabled](#movement-mode-indicator). Now the arrow keys will push the selected notes in the direction of that arrow by a small amount...


        • Copying Notes
          To copy notes, select the notes you wish to copy and then do one of the following:

          * Drag the notes to location you wish the copies to appear and hold down the {{MAC:OptionWIN:Ctrl}} key while releasing the mouse button. When the {{MAC:OptionWIN:Ctrl}} key is held down, you will notice that the mouse pointer will have a "+" icon beside it, which indicates that the note will be copied rather than moved.
          * Select {{Edit//Copy}} (MAC:{{Cmd-C}}WIN:{{Ctrl+C}}) then select {{Edit/Paste}} (MAC:{{Cmd-V...

        • Resizing Notes
          To resize a note:

          1. Move the mouse over the left or right edge of the note, until the cursor changes to the resizing handle icon. Images can be resized from any side See [Getting Work Into Scapple][] for information on how to import images. , as can [background shapes][].
          2. Click and drag the mouse left or right to make the note narrower or wider. Text notes will rewrap, automatically getting taller or shorter, to fit the text to the new note width.



          TIPBOX: **Resizing Notes from the M...

        • Deleting Notes
          Deleted notes are removed immediately from the board, but you can always use {{Edit//Undo}} if you make a mistake.

          1. Select the notes you wish to delete.
          2. Use {{Edit//Delete}} or hit the {{Delete}} key on the keyboard.

        • Splitting and Merging Notes
          Sometimes, you may have long notes that you wish to split up into smaller notes, or you may have a bunch of related notes that you wish to merge into one.

          * Single notes can be split into two notes:

          1. Double-click into a note to edit it.
          2. Place the blinking insertion caret at the point in the text where you want to split the note (you can ignore whitespace, all extra spaces and carriage returns will be trimmed from both notes after splitting).
          3. Choose {{Notes//Split}} ({{<$custom:Short...

        • Changing the Appearance of Notes
          You can change the appearance of notes in several ways:

          * Add a coloured border.
          * Change the fill (background) colour of notes.
          * Change the text colour.
          * Make text bigger or smaller.
          * Add bold, italics, underline or strikethrough.
          * Change the overall shape of the note.
          * You can also change the font and background colour used for the Scapple board.

          To change the appearance of notes, select the notes you wish to affect, and then use one of the following methods:

          * Use the "Note Format" se...

        • Aligning Notes
          Notes can be aligned along several different edges or axes:

          1. Select the notes you wish to align. The first note you select will not be moved---other selected notes will be moved to align with the note that was selected first.
          2. Go to the {{Notes//Align//}} sub-menu and then choose from "Left Edges", "Right Edges", "Top Edges" or "Bottom Edges".
          3. Aligning by "Horizontal Centers" will cause the notes to end up in a column, aligned by their horizontal width. Aligning by "Vertical Centers" wil...

        • Arranging Overlapping Notes
          You will most likely wish to avoid having notes arranged on top of each other, as this will often result in text being obscured and thus make things difficult to read. However, there may be occasions where you have a note partially overlapping another and you wish to arrange their front-to-back order, so that the note underneath is brought to the front, or vice versa. This is easy to do.

          Bring a note partially obscured by other notes to the front:

          1. Select the note you wish to bring to the fr...


      • Connections
        When you're throwing ideas around on the page, some notes exist in isolation, while others are connected. In Scapple, you are free to connect your ideas however you like. Making connections is as simple as dragging and dropping one note onto another---meaning any note can be connected to any other note. Notes can be connected by simple dotted lines, or by lines with arrows at one or even both ends.

        Connections in Scapple, unlike those in most diagramming and mind-mapping applications, don't hav...


        • Creating Connections Between Notes
          Two or more notes can be connected with a dotted line:

          1. Drag one note over the top of another note---notice that when you do so, the cursor changes to a curled arrow and the note beneath the pointer becomes darker, to indicate that a connection will be made when you drop.
          2. Release the mouse button to drop the dragged note onto the other. A dotted line will now connect the two notes (the notes will stay in their original positions).

          Alternatively, select the notes you wish to connect and c...

        • Removing Connections
          Connections are removed in the same fashion they are created:

          1. Drag one note over the top of another note to which it is currently connected---notice that when you do so, the cursor changes to the curled arrow and the note beneath the cursor becomes darker, to indicate that the drop operation will affect the connected status.
          2. Release the mouse button to drop the dragged note onto the other. The connection between them will disappear.

          Alternatively, select all of the notes you wish to disc...

        • Changing Connection Types
          To change an existing connection between two notes from a dotted line to an arrow, or vice versa:

          1. Drag one note over the top of another note to which it is currently connected---notice that when you do so, the cursor changes to the curled arrow and the note beneath the cursor becomes darker, to indicate that the drop operation will affect the connected status.
          2. Holding down the {{MAC:OptionWIN:Alt}} key, release the mouse button to drop the dragged note onto the other. If the connection be...

        • Moving Connected Notes
          When two notes are connected, you can move them both together simply by clicking and dragging the connecting line between them. See [Moving Notes][] for more information about moving notes around.

        • Labelling Connection Lines
          At times it can be useful to give your connection lines a label, to help distinguish why two notes are connected together, or explain alternate connections when one note links to several:

          #
          [Labelling connections can bring clarity to your diagrams.]

          1. Select the two notes you wish to have labelled.
          2. Use the {{Notes//Connection Label...}} menu command ({{<$custom:Shortcut>}}), or right-click on either of the selected notes and choose the "Connection Label..." contextual menu command.
          3. Type...


      • Background Shapes
        If you're like me, sometimes you want to draw a big circle around a group of ideas. It's an easy way of associating a group of concepts and treating them---for some purposes---as a single entity. In Scapple, Background Shapes accomplish this form of thinking, without adding a lot of complexity. By and large, a background shape acts like a note---it can be dragged around and selected in the same way, and can have many of the same styles applied.

        #
        [The background shape in the middle encloses fou...


        • Creating Background Shapes
          There are two ways to create shapes. You may already have a collection of ideas you wish to "draw a circle around":

          1. Select the notes you wish to enclose.
          2. Use the {{Notes//New Background Shape Around Selection}} menu command. The new shape will be sized to fully enclose all of the selected notes.

          Sometimes you need to create a topic that you intend to fill with new ideas:

          1. With nothing selected, use the {{Notes//New Background Shape}} menu command.
          2. A new shape will be created in the...

        • Selecting Shapes
          Shapes can be selected in the [same manner as notes][Selecting Notes]. You can click anywhere in the middle of a shape to select it. There is no need to click precisely on the edge.

        • Selecting Contained Notes
          If you need to select all of the notes (and potentially shapes) within a shape:

          * Simply hold down the {{MAC:OptionWIN:Alt}} key and click anywhere within the shape.
          * Use the {{Edit//Select//Overlapping Notes}} {{<$custom:Shortcut>}} menu command.
          * Marquee selection can be used within a shape by holding down the {{MAC:CommandWIN:Shift}} key to temporarily disable selecting the shape itself and dragging it.

          TIPBOX: **How To Select Just the Enclosed Notes**: If you want to select just the encl...

        • Moving Shapes and Notes Together (Magnetic)
          While you could continue to use the ability to select overlapping notes to move shapes around together with the notes they enclose, you might want a more automatic solution. Setting a background shape to be "magnetic", using {{Notes//Magnetic}}, accomplishes this.

          A shape can be set to magnetic whether or not any notes are currently enclosed within it. The setting is a feature of the background shape, not of the notes within it. This means that dragging a magnetic shape beneath a group of notes...

        • Connecting Shapes
          Since dragging notes onto shapes is a fundamental task, the ordinary behaviour of dropping one thing onto another to connect them is disabled. However a *shape* can be dropped onto a note (or another shape) to connect the two. Because of this, if you wish to draw an arrow pointing from a note to a shape, then you must start the drag from the shape and hold down the MAC:{{Option}} and {{Command}}WIN:{{Alt}} and {{Ctrl}} keys together, to draw an inverse arrow.

        • Aligning Notes Within Shapes
          If you'd like to tidy up the notes that are inside of a shape, there are a few menu commands for getting things cleaned up. With the {{Notes//Align//Center Horizontally in Background Shape}} menu command, you can bring the notes together into [a single column along the middle of the shape](#align-notes-horizontally-in-shape). If the note extends over more than one shape then the shape that is at the top of the layering order will be the one it aligns to.

          #
          [Effects of using the "Center Horizon...


      • Stacks
        Notes can be stacked on top of one another to create "lists", [or columns of text](#stacked-notes). When notes are in a stack, changes to the height of one of the stacked notes will cause the notes in the stack below it to be moved up or down automatically. For instance, if you have three notes in a stack and edit the second one, as you add text to the second note (resulting in it getting taller) the note below it will move down; if you remove text so that the second note becomes shorter, the n...


        • Creating a Stack
          To create a stack from existing notes:

          1. Select the notes you wish to arrange into a stack. The first note you select will not move, and subsequent notes will be placed under the first note in order of distance from the first selected note.
          2. Choose {{Notes//Stack}} ({{<$custom:Shortcut>}}). This command is also available from the contextual menu.

          You may optionally at this point wish to use the {{Notes//Make Same Width}} command to tidy up the stack.

        • Creating a New Note in a Stack
          To create a new note in a stack (as well as to create a new stack from scratch):

          1. Select the note in the stack underneath which you wish to create the new note.
          2. Choose {{Notes//New Stacked Note}} ({{<$custom:Shortcut>}}). The new note will be created beneath the selected note and any notes that were previously below the selected note in the stack will be moved down so that they are now beneath the new note.

        • Deleting Notes in a Stack
          To delete notes from a stack, you follow the same procedure as usual for [deleting notes][]:

          1. Select the notes you wish to delete.
          2. Choose {{Edit//Delete}} or hit the {{Delete}} key on the keyboard. Any notes below the deleted notes in the stack will be moved up so as to maintain the stack.

        • Moving Notes Out of a Stack
          To move a note out of a stack, simply drag it to a different location. When moving notes out of the middle of a stack, any notes below them in the stack will automatically be moved up to remove the gap it would otherwise leave behind, much like when deleting a paragraph of text in a text editor.

        • Moving Notes Into a Stack and Reordering Them
          To move an existing note into a stack, simply select the note in the stack that it should appear beneath, then hold down the {{MAC:CommandWIN:Ctrl}} key and select the note(s) you wish to add to the stack. Use the {{Notes//Stack}} menu command to insert the selected notes.

          This trick can also be used to reorder notes within a stack. First, select the note the stacked notes should be moved beneath, and then each note you wish to move. Notes will be placed in order using their distance from the i...

        • Indenting Within a Stack

          If you are using a stack to create a list of items, it may at times be useful to indent portions of the stack. If you try and move or resize these notes normally, the stack will be broken. Instead, use the dedicated indentation feature, which will block indent the *text* of the note without changing its width or position:

          1. Select the notes you wish to indent or outdent.
          2. Press {{Tab}} to indent (or demote) notes by 1cm. Use {{Shift-Tab}} to outdent (or promote) the selected items. Text can...


      • Creating Hyperlinks to Files
        Scapple has the capability of adding hyperlinks to ranges of text within notes, and through that ability the files on your computer are as open to you as targets, as locations on the Web. Links to the Web use the "http" protocol, and this is why they all start with the prefix "http://". Another protocol exists which lets you address files on your computer, using a full path to that file.

        MAC:For many file types, you can simply drag and drop the file you wish to link to int...


  • Reference


    • File Management Essentials
      This is the part where we risk trying teach your grandmother to suck eggs---if you know your way around MAC:a MacWIN:Windows, you can safely skip this section, as it just covers how to create, open and save Scapple documents (or "Scapple boards"). If you're familiar with creating, opening, saving and managing files in other applications such as MAC:TextEditWIN:Notepad, you already know how to do all of this, as Scapple works the same.


      • Creating a New Scapple Document
        Usually you will want to start with a blank Scapple board when embarking on a new project, but sometimes you might want to start your work based on a copy of an existing one.


        • Starting a New Blank Document
          1. In Scapple, choose {{File//New}} ({{<$custom:Shortcut>}}).
          2. A new window containing a blank canvas will appear. Double-click anywhere on the canvas to start adding notes.
          3. When you're done, choose {{File//Save...}} ({{<$custom:Shortcut>}}).

        • Starting a New Document Based on an Existing Document
          On OS X 10.7 and above, Scapple uses the new autosave features built into the operating system. Read more about these features in [Using Autosaved Versions of Your Scapple Boards][]. Briefly:

          1. In Scapple, choose {{File//Open...}}, and then select the file you want to use as a starting point.
          2. Choose {{File//Duplicate}}. On Mac OS 10.8 you will be prompted for a new name which you can type directly into the title bar of the new window. Holding down the Option key will change this menu comman...

        • Starting a New Document Based on an Existing Document
          1. In Scapple, choose {{File//Open}}, and then select the file you want to use as a starting point.
          2. Choose {{File//Save As...}} and choose the file name and location for the new document.


      • Saving a Scapple Document
        MAC:On OS X 10.7 and above, Scapple automatically saves your documents continuously as you work on them, so you don't explicitly need to save your changes unless you want to name or rename a document. It is still always a good idea to save manually from time to time, though, and you will also want to use Save to specify the location on your hard disk you want to keep the file.MAC: Skip to [Using Autosaved Versions of Your Scapple Boards][] to read more about it.


        • Save and Name a New Document
          1. In Scapple, choose {{File//Save...}}.
          2. Name the document, select a location, and then click the {{Save}} button.

        • Save and Rename a Copy of a Document
          On OS X 10.7 and above:

          1. In Scapple, choose {{File//Duplicate}}.
          2. Choose {{File//Save}}.
          3. Name the document, select a location, then click the {{Save}} button.

          On OS X 10.6:

          1. In Scapple, choose {{File//Save As...}}.
          2. Name the document, select a location, then click {{Save}}.


      • Opening Existing Scapple Documents
        Scapple can only open files created with Scapple. You can recognise a Scapple file by its extension---Scapple files end with the extension ".scap"---or by its MAC:Kind, "Scapple Map"WIN:Item Type, "SCAP File". To open an existing document, do one of the following:

        * In Scapple, choose {{File//Open...}}, find and select the document, and then click the {{Open}} button.MAC: (<$mas> If iCloud is available, you can click "iCloud" in the top-left corner to find an iCloud document.)
        * In Scapple, use...

      • Using Autosaved Versions of Your Scapple Boards
        <$lion> Autosave is only available on OS X version 10.7 and above. If you are running OS X 10.6, you can skip this section.

        Scapple automatically saves versions of documents as you work on them. At any time, you can browse through document versions and go back to an older version. You can also explicitly save a version.

        A version is saved automatically every hour, or more frequently when you're making many changes. A version is also saved when you open, save, duplicate, lock, rename, or revert...


        • Browsing, Restoring, Duplicating and Deleting Versions
          1. Use the {{File//Revert To//}} sub-menu. From here you could quickly revert to the way the file was when it was opened (with "Last Opened"), or if it has been saved since then, the last time it was saved (with "Last Saved").
          3. Otherwise, select the {{File//Revert To//Browse All Versions...}} command. The current Scapple board window will be arranged on the left and a stack of windows containing all previous versions will be arranged on the right.
          4. Click the tickmarks along the timeline on t...

        • Explicitly Saving Versions
          * On OS X 10.8 and above, choose {{File//Save}}.
          * On OS X 10.7, choose {{File//Save a Version}}.


      • Moving Scapple Documents
        Scapple documents are saved as regular files to your hard disk. The easiest way of moving them to new locations is to use MAC:the FinderWIN:Windows Explorer to copy, cut, paste or drag and drop your files.


        • (OS X 10.8 stuff)
          If you are running OS X 10.8 and above, you can also move documents using the title bar menu, as follows:

          1. Hold the mouse pointer to the right of the document title at the top of the window so that the arrow appears.
          2. Click on the arrow to bring up the menu.
          3. To move the document elsewhere on your hard drive, select "Move To", choose a location, and then click "Move". (Choose "Other..." from the bottom of the list of locations to open the full Save panel.)

          <$mas> If you purchased Scapple...


      • Finding and Locating Scapple Documents
        If you aren't sure where a particular Scapple file is located on your hard disk, there are a couple of ways of finding it:

        * If you have the file open in Scapple, or can open it via the {{File//Open Recent//}} sub-menu, then you can right-click or Command-click on the document title (or icon) at the top of the window. This will open a menu showing the path to the file on disk in an ascending order of hierarchy, all the way to the volume or disk it is stored on. Choose the second item from the t...

      • Using iCloud
        <$mas> iCloud data-storage is only available to users running OS X 10.8 or above, and who bought Scapple through the Mac App Store. This is a limitation imposed by Apple, not by us---only applications purchased from the App Store (and Apple's own programs, such as TextEdit) are permitted iCloud access.

        If you turn on the Documents & Data service in the "iCloud" System Preferences pane, iCloud-enabled apps can store your documents on the iCloud servers. You can then use Scapple to open and save ...


    • Formatting & Appearance
      Scapple is designed to focus on getting ideas down quickly, so it deliberately avoids providing too many distracting bells and whistles that could turn a planning and thinking session into a making-it-look-pretty session.

      #
      [Just a few of the possibilities available for styling notes.]

      That said, you can change the background colour, default text colour and font of your Scapple boards, and you can apply a number of style options to individual notes, from changing the font appearance (such as a...


      • Changing the Appearance of a Scapple Board
        By default, new Scapple boards use a beige, vellum-coloured background with black text and connectors. Notes will use the Helvetica font and the writing direction runs from left to right.

        All of this can be changed via [The Inspector][]. For all of the instructions in this section, you will want to open the Inspector to the "Document" section:

        1. Open the Inspector by choosing {{View//Show Inspector}} ({{<$custom:Shortcut>}}).
        2. Select the "Document" section in the Inspector.



        #
        [The "...


        • Changing the Background Colour
          To change the background colour of a Scapple board:

          1. Reveal the "Document" section of the Inspector if necessary
          2. Click on the colour well in the "Background Color" section to change the background colour of the Scapple board. Note that this will only affect the current Scapple document---each Scapple board can use a different background colour.
          3. To reset the background colour to the default beige, click on {{Use Default}}.

        • Using a Background Texture
          If you have a background texture you would like to use (such as graph paper, or wood panelling), follow these instructions to apply the texture to your board:

          1. Open the "Document" section of the Inspector.
          2. Click the {{Use Texture...}} button, below the colour selection tool.
          3. Use the file browser to locate and select a suitable background texture.

          #
          [A Scapple board using a leather background texture (no digital sheep were harmed).]

          A background texture will override any chosen colour ...

        • Changing the Default Text Colour
          The default text colour is used by all notes that don't explicitly have a colour assigned to them (you can apply a text colour to individual notes using the "Note Format" section of the Inspector to override the default colour for those notes).

          To change the default text colour for a Scapple board:

          1. Open the "Document" section of the Inspector.
          2. Click on the "Default Color" colour well in the "Text Appearance" section and choose a colour from the colour palette that opens. Note that this w...

        • Changing the Font Used by Notes
          To change the font used by notes in a Scapple board:

          1. Open the "Document" section of the Inspector.
          2. Choose a font from the "Font" drop-down menuWIN: (you can also type in the first few letters of the font name to accelerate selection). Note that this will only affect the current Scapple board---each Scapple board can use a different font. The new font will be applied to each note in the Scapple board (notes cannot use different fonts).

          TIPBOX: **Choosing a Good Font**: Not all fonts suppo...

        • Changing the Writing Direction
          Users who write in a language that runs from right to left instead of from left to right can change this via the Inspector (or the {{Format//Writing Direction}} menu) as follows:

          1. Open the "Document" section of the Inspector.
          2. Choose "Right to Left" under "Writing Direction".

          Note that the writing direction setting affects the way stacks are detected and the way notes get resized, too, changing everything to work from right-to-left, not just typing.

        • Changing the Default Appearance
          If you would rather new Scapple boards use your own preferred appearance settings rather than the default beige background and black text, you can easily set this up via the Inspector as follows:

          1. Open the "Document" section of the Inspector.
          2. Set up the options for background colour, text colour, font and writing direction as you wish them to be set for the current document and all new documents.
          3. Click on the {{Set As Defaults}} button at the bottom of the inspector.

          Whenever you creat...


      • Note and Shape Style Options
        Individual notes (and in some cases, ranges of text within them) as well as background shapes can have their formatting changed in the following ways:

        * You can apply bold, italics, underlining or strikethrough to the text of each note. These options can be applied either to whole notes or to ranges of text within notes.
        * You can change the text size of each note. Text size changes can only be applied to entire notes, not to ranges of text within notes. Since shapes can never hold text, this s...


        • Applying Bold, Italics, Underline and Strikethrough
          Unlike most other note formatting, the four basic font variations and adornments can be applied to entire notes, or only to selections of text within the note itself.


          • Using Boldface
            To apply or remove boldface on a note, do one of the following:

            * To make whole notes appear in bold, select the notes you wish to affect and choose {{Format//Font//Bold}} (or hit MAC:{{Cmd-B}}WIN:{{Ctrl+B}}).

            Alternatively, select the notes you wish to affect, call up the Inspector ({{View//Show Inspector}} or {{<$custom:Shortcut>}}), ensure the "Note Format" section is visible, and click the "B" button under "Text Style".
            * To apply boldface only to certain ranges of text within a note, fir...

          • Using Italics
            To apply or remove italics on a note, do one of the following:

            * To make whole notes appear in italics, select the notes you wish to affect and choose {{Format//Font//Italic}} (or hit MAC:{{Cmd-I}}WIN:{{Ctrl+I}}).

            Alternatively, select the notes you wish to affect and click the "I" button under "Text Style" in the "Note Format" section of the Inspector.
            * To apply italics only to certain ranges of text within a note, first double-click the note to edit it, then select the text you wish to aff...

          • Using Underlining
            To apply or remove underlining on a note, do one of the following:

            * To underline whole notes, select the notes you wish to affect and choose {{Format//Font//Underline}} (or hit {{<$custom:Shortcut>}}).

            Alternatively, select the notes you wish to affect and click the "U" button under "Text Style" in the "Note Format" section of the Inspector.
            * To underline only certain ranges of text within a note, first double-click the note to edit it, then select the text you wish to affect.
            * To remove u...

          • Using Strikethrough
            To apply or remove strikethrough on a note, do one of the following:

            * To strike through whole notes, select the notes you wish to affect and choose {{Format//Font//Strikethrough}} (or hit {{<$custom:Shortcut>}}).

            Alternatively, select the notes you wish to affect and click the struck-through "S" button under "Text Style" in the "Note Format" section of the Inspector.
            * To strike through only certain ranges of text within a note, first double-click the note to edit it, then select the text yo...


        • Changing the Text Size
          To change the text size of selected notes, do one of the following:

          * Select the notes you wish to affect and choose {{Format//Font//Bigger}} ({{<$custom:Shortcut>}}) or {{Format//Font//Smaller}} ({{<$custom:Shortcut>}}).
          * Alternatively, select the notes you wish to affect, call up the Inspector if it is not already visible, then use the slider, text field or stepper under "Font Size" in the "Note Format" section.

          Text size can only be applied to an entire note, so even if you are editing the...

        • Changing the Text Colour of Individual Notes
          TIPBOX: **How Default Note Colours Work**: The following describes how to set the text colour for individual notes. To set the default text colour used by all notes in a document, see [Changing the Default Text Colour][]. The default text colour is used by notes that *don't* have a specific text colour set; or, to put it another way, when you apply a text colour to individual notes, as described below, that overrides the default text colour but setting a default colour will not override individu...

        • Applying Borders to Notes & Shapes
          Both background shapes and notes can have a variety of border styles applied to them individually, or as defaults. To apply a border to notes or shapes, first select the items you wish to affect (notes and shapes can be selected together, if desired), then do one of the following:

          1. Use the {{Format//Border//}} sub-menu to choose a border thickness, or "No Border" to remove an existing border. These options are also available in the contextual (right-click) menu.
          2. Choose a border thickness f...


          • Changing Border Colours

            To apply a colour to the border, first select the items you wish to affect, then do one of the following:

            1. Choose {{Format//Colors//Change Border Color...}} and use the colour palette panel that appears to set the border colour. Note that if any selected notes do not already have a border, a one-pixel border will be assigned to them automatically.
            2. Click on the "Border Color" colour picker in the "Note Format" section of the Inspector and choose a colour from the popover that appears. For ...

          • Changing Border Styles

            #
            [The four available border styles.]

            To change the style of the border, select the items you wish to affect, then do one of the following:

            1. Use the {{Format//Border//}} sub-menu to select from one of the four available options:
            * Rounded (this is the default).
            * Square.
            * Jagged.
            * or Cloud.

            This sub-menu is also available from the right-click contextual menu.
            2. Use the "Style" drop-down menu in the "Note Format" section of the Inspector to select from one of the four options listed...


        • Applying Fill Colour to Notes & Shapes
          As with [text colour][Changing the Text Colour of Individual Notes], background fill can be applied to individual notes and shapes.

          To apply a background fill, first select the items you wish to affect, then do one of the following:

          * Choose {{Format//Colors//Change Fill Color...}} ({{<$custom:Shortcut>}}) This will bring up the colour palette, from which you can choose the new fill colour.
          * Click on the "Fill Color" colour picker in the "Note Format" section of the Inspector. This will call ...

        • Fading Notes
          Individual notes and shapes can be faded to reduce their visual intensity on the board. This is accomplished by blending the text and shape of the note into the background. [As shown](#faded_notes), (a) connections among faded notes will follow suit, while (b) connections that join up with any fully visible note will remain clearly visible.

          #
          [The notes in the middle have been faded.]

          When background shapes are faded, all overlapping items will appear faded as well, making it easy to block out...


      • Note Style Presets
        Style presets provide a simple way to store and reuse multiple appearance settings on notes and shapes. When you create a new document, a few useful defaults will be provided for you. These can be deleted if you wish, or changed to act in a different way. There are a few important things to be aware of:

        * Styles can be best thought of as "macros" or format brushes. They are a set of appearance characteristics that can be applied to selected notes or shapes, and once you do so they are no longer...


        • Using Styles
          To apply styles to notes or shapes:

          1. Select the items you wish to apply the style to using whatever method you prefer.
          2. Use one of the following methods to apply a style to the notes:
          * Use the {{Format//Note Style//Apply Note Style//}} sub-menu to select the style.
          * Right-click on any of the selected notes to bring up the contextual menu with its handy "Apply Style" sub-menu.
          * In the "Note Styles" section of the Inspector, click on the style you wish to apply.
          * Use [an assigned keyb...

        • Deleting Styles
          Styles can be deleted from the {{Format//Note Styles//Delete Note Style//}} sub-menu, or by right-clicking on the style in the "Notes Styles" section of the Inspector, and choosing the "Delete Note Style" command. As mentioned before, this will not impact any notes you've already created. It will only remove the style from the list. If you've used that style before, you can always get it back by selecting a note that used that style in the past, and creating a new style from it.

        • Creating Styles
          Styles are created by selecting the single note or shape you wish to use as a prototype for the appearance, and then using the {{Format//Note Styles//New Note Style from Selection}} menu command, or by dragging the style into the "Note Styles" section of the Inspector (avoiding any existing styles when dropping). This will bring up an [option panel](#plat-new_note_style).



          #
          [The "New Note Style" panel.]






          [The "New Note Style" panel.]



          Name
          : The name that you prov...

        • Updating and Renaming Styles
          Changing the formatting stored in the style, as well as its name are both done in the same way:

          1. Select a note that represents what you would like the style to be changed to (making a new temporary note if necessary).

          Alternatively, if you just wish to rename the style, you should select a note that has identical formatting (again, making a temporary note and applying the style first, if necessary).
          2. Use the {{Format//Note Style//Redefine Notes Style from Selection...}} menu command, or d...

        • Importing Styles
          Styles can be imported from existing Scapple documents. By default, doing so will not update or overwrite any of the existing styles in your document, even if they share the same name. If two styles share a name, they will generate duplicate entries in the menu. See the prior section for renaming styles.

          To import styles from another existing Scapple document:

          1. In the document you wish to import the styles *to*, use the {{Format//Note Style//Import Note Styles...}} menu command.
          2. This will...

        • Adding Keyboard Shortcuts to Styles
          For styles that you use frequently, you may wish to add a keyboard shortcut to them. This can be easily done by right-clicking on the style in the "Note Styles" section of the Inspector and using the "Change Keyboard Shortcut" sub-menu.

          You will also be able to modify or add a shortcut when [updating the style normally][Updating and Renaming Styles]. Use the "Keyboard shortcut" setting at the bottom of the style setup pane.


    • Navigation
      There are several convenient ways of getting around in a Scapple document, which will become more useful once the board grows to be larger than your screen can comfortably display.

      QuickZoom ({{<$custom:Shortcut>}})
      :QuickZoom acts a bit like {{View//Zoom to Fit}}, but only while the "{{<$custom:Shortcut>}}" key is held down. When the key is released, the zoom will snap back to its original level, with the location you are pointing at with your mouse scrolled into view.
      : So long as the key is ...

    • Searching in Scapple
      As your Scapple documents grow larger, finding text you have written will become more important, especially if the board is much larger than the screen can legibly show. The facility for finding text will be familiar to anyone who has used a text editor before. You can use the basic {{Edit//Find//Find...}} ({{<$custom:Shortcut>}}) [panel](#plat-find_panel) to type in the word or phrase you are looking for, step through search results, and make incremental or global replacements.



      #
      [The s...

    • Import, Exporting & Printing
      Scapple makes it easy to bring in existing notes and to export your work for use in other applications or for sharing with other people.


      • Getting Work Into Scapple
        Bringing existing notes and files into Scapple is all done using drag and drop---there is no dedicated "Import" menu.


        • Importing Existing Notes
          Scapple can read the following text file types:

          * .txt
          * .rtfMAC: and .rtfd
          * .doc
          * .docx
          * .odt

          To import text files of these types, simply drag them from the MAC:the FinderWIN:Windows Explorer and drop them onto your Scapple document.

          * If you drop multiple files, they will be added to the document in a stack.
          * If you import a single file, you will be asked if you wish to split it into multiple notes. If you tick the "Split into multiple notes separated by:" option, you can then tell Scap...

        • Importing Images
          Importing images works exactly the same way as importing text files---all you need to do is drag image files from MAC:the FinderWIN:Windows Explorer onto your Scapple document. Their default width will conform to that supplied in the MAC:[preferences][]WIN:[options][]. Images, like shapes, can be resized from any angle, and they will always retain their original aspect ratio.

        • Adding MathType Equations
          If you have MathType (from [Design Science](http://www.dessci.com)), you can easily add equations to Scapple and edit them. If MathType is installed, you will see {{Edit//Insert MathType Equation...}} added to the menu system. Selecting this will launch MathType, allowing you to create an equation. When you close the equation editor window in MathType, the equation will appear in Scapple. You can then double-click on the equation to launch MathType again and edit the equation.

          Both images and e...


      • Getting Work Out of Scapple
        There are several ways to get your work out of Scapple and into other programs. The {{File//Export//}} sub-menu is the most obvious, with the most widely-useful export format perhaps being PDF, but these are far from the only choices.


        • The Order of Things
          Brief discussion on how export will attempt to arrange notes into a linear format.

        • Export Formats
          Scapple can export your work to files, using the formats described in [Available Export Formats][]:

          | Format | Uses |
          | ------ | ---- |
          | PDF | Perhaps the most useful format, since it can be opened almost anywhere, shows the document exactly as it appears in Scapple, and allows you to select and copy the text of notes.
          | PNG | Useful if you want to produce a simple image file from your Scapple document.

          | Plain Text (.txt) | Produces a simple plain text file that can be opened in any text edi...

        • Export Formats
          Scapple can export your work to files, using the formats described in [Available Export Formats][]:

          | Format | Uses |
          | ------ | ---- |
          | PDF | Perhaps the most useful format, since it can be opened almost anywhere, shows the document exactly as it appears in Scapple, and allows you to select and copy the text of notes.
          | PNG | Useful if you want to produce a simple image file from your Scapple document.
          | Plain Text (.txt) | Produces a simple plain text file that can be opened in any text edit...


          • Export Format Options
            When you choose one of the formats available in the {{File//Export}} menu, a Save panel appears, allowing you to choose where on your hard disk the exported file should be saved. Depending on the format you selected, MAC:the Save panel may also contain options that allow you to customise the appearance of the exported file, or to choose what is includedWIN:, will be asked after you select a location to save the exported file.


            • PDF
              {{File//Export//PDF...}} ({{<$custom:Shortcut>}})



              Draw background and use default text color
              : If ticked, the PDF document will look exactly the same as your Scapple document, using the same background and text colour; if deselected, the PDF will not include a background colour (and will thus appear white) and will use black text as the default (although notes that have had their text colour changed specifically will remain in that colour).

              Draw faded notes at full opacity
              : If ticke...

            • PNG
              {{File//Export//PNG...}}



              There are no options available when exporting to the PNG format. The PNG created will be a faithful representation of how your Scapple document looks on-screen. (If you require a higher resolution, it is better to export to PDF.)

            • Plain Text
              {{File//Export//Plain Text (.txt)...}}



              Export selected notes only
              : If ticked, only the notes that are currently selected in your Scapple document will be included in the generated file; otherwise, all notes are included.

              MAC:

              If no extension is provided, use ".txt"
              : If ticked, the ".txt" extension will be appended to the file name, and even if you type a custom file extension, OS X will prompt you to use ".txt" instead. Deselect this if you wish to export using a different file ex...

            • Rich Text Formats
              {{File//Export//Rich Text (.rtf)...}}MAC: and {{File//Export//Rich Text (.rtfd)...}}



              Export selected notes only
              : If ticked, only the notes that are currently selected in your Scapple document will be included in the generated file; otherwise, all notes are included.

              Separator
              : Notes in the exported file will be separated by whatever characters you enter in the "Separator" text field. If you leave the field blank, notes will be separated by an empty line.

            • Plain Text List
              {{File//Export//Plain Text list (.txt)...}}



              Export selected notes only
              : If ticked, only the notes that are currently selected in your Scapple document will be included in the generated file; otherwise, all notes are included.

            • Outline Markup
              {{File//Export//Outline Markup (.opml)...}}



              Export selected notes only
              : If ticked, only the notes that are currently selected in your Scapple document will be included in the generated file; otherwise, all notes are included.

              Create notes field
              : When this option is selected, the full text of each Scapple note will be saved as an OPML "note". The first few characters (fifty, or up to the first line break, whichever is the shortest) will be used for the "heading" of the outline eleme...


          • Exporting images
            If you have dragged images into your Scapple document, you can export them by selecting {{File//Export//Images...}} Ticking "Export selected notes only" in the export panel will cause only the images that are selected in your Scapple document to be exported. Otherwise, all images in the document will be exported. (This option is unavailable if the Scapple document does not contain any images.)


        • Copy and Paste
          Along with dragging files into Scapple and using {{File//Export}} to get your ideas out, you can also use copy and paste to bring notes in and out.

          * Bringing work into Scapple using copy and paste:
          1. Select some text in another program and copy it (MAC:{{Cmd-C}}WIN:{{Ctrl-C}} or {{Edit//Copy}} in most applications).
          2. In Scapple, right-click where you want the text placed and select "Paste" from the contextual menu. (Alternatively, just hit MAC:{{Cmd-V}}WIN:{{Ctrl-V}} or use {{Edit//Paste}...


      • Printing Scapple Boards
        General instructions for printing boards.


        • Print Preview
          How to use the Print Preview feature.


      • Printing Scapple Boards
        General instructions for printing boards.


        • Working with Printed Page Guides
          How to use the Page Guide feature as a preview utility for laying out maps onto printer paper.


      • Transferring Notes Between Scapple Boards
        Transferring notes between different Scapple documents is easy: you can either copy and paste them or drag them across.


        • Using Copy and Paste to Transfer Notes Between Scapple Documents
          1. Select the notes you wish to transfer to another Scapple document.
          2. Select {{Edit//Copy}} or hit MAC:{{Cmd-C}}WIN:{{Ctrl-C}}. (Alternatively, if you wish to remove them from the original document, use {{Edit//Cut}} or MAC:{{Cmd-X}}WIN:{{Ctrl-X}}.)
          3. Open the other Scapple document.
          4. Right-click on the location you would like the notes to appear and select "Paste" from the contextual menu. (Alternatively, use {{Edit//Paste}} or just hit MAC:{{Cmd-V}}WIN:{{Ctrl-V}} to have the notes pasted...

        • Dragging Notes Between Scapple Documents
          1. Select the notes you wish to transfer to another Scapple document.
          2. Ensure the other Scapple document is open alongside the original.
          3. Drag the selected notes from the original across to the other document, releasing the mouse button at the location you wish the notes to be placed.
          4. If you wish to remove the notes from the original document, return to that document and hit the {{Delete}} key.


          TIPBOX: **A Note on Font Sizes**: When transferring notes to another Scapple document, all co...


      • Integration with Scrivener
        As you'd expect, given that Scrivener is our writing software package, it's easy to move notes between Scapple and Scrivener. The general assumption is that Scapple is the place you hash out ideas in their very early stages, and when Scapple's toolset has helped you work out where you want to go, you take those ideas into Scrivener for further development. But it's easy enough to go the other way, too, and bring notes from Scrivener into Scapple so that you can play with them in a more freeform ...


        • Dragging Ideas from Scrivener into Scapple
          A separate note will be created in Scapple for each dragged document. The created notes will contain the titles and synopses of the Scrivener documents that were dragged inMAC:, and if dragging from a freeform corkboard, they will be placed in the same relative positions as the cards in Scrivener. Items can be dragged from the Binder sidebar, Outliner or Corkboard editor views in the order that they appear in Scrivener.


          • Dragging from a Freeform Corkboard
            1. In Scrivener, select the folder containing the notes you want to import in the binder.
            2. Switch to corkboard mode, so that you see the documents as cards on the corkboard.
            3. Switch the corkboard to freeform mode (using the segmented control in the footer bar).
            4. In the freeform corkboard, select the documents you wish to import into Scapple.
            5. Drag the documents from Scrivener's freeform corkboard into your Scapple document.


        • Dragging Notes from Scapple into Scrivener
          1. In Scapple, select the notes you wish to import into Scrivener.
          2. Drag the notes into Scrivener's binderMAC: or Scrivener's freeform corkboard (notes can only be dragged into the corkboard if it is in freeform mode).

          MAC:If notes are dragged into the freeform corkboard, they will maintain the same relative positions they had in Scapple. When dragged into the binder, Scapple will make an educated guess at the best order to use (see [The Order of Things][]). Fortunately, it's very easy to rea...

        • Importing Your Scapple Document into Scrivener as a PDF
          If you just want to reference the network of ideas you have created in Scapple while writing in Scrivener, a good approach is to generate a PDF file and bring that into Scrivener, as follows:

          1. In Scapple, go to {{File//Export//PDF...}} ({{<$custom:Shortcut>}}) and save the PDF file to disk.
          2. Locate the PDF file in MAC:the FinderWIN:Windows Explorer and drag it into Scrivener's binder (remember that you cannot place PDF files into Scrivener's "Draft" folder, though).

          MAC:

          Alternatively:

          1...

        • Importing Your Scapple Document into Scrivener As-Is
          Instead of importing your Scapple document into Scrivener as a static PDF file, you can simply drag the .scap file itself into Scrivener's binder (placing it anywhere except in the Draft folder).MAC: On OS X 10.7 and above, you can then view the Scapple document as a Quick Look preview inside Scrivener (on 10.6 it will appear as a linked file, because the Quick Look preview is not available on systems earlier than 10.7). Then, use the "Open in External Editor" feature of Scrivener to open and e...


    • Tips and Tricks
      Aligning Notes
      Bring notes to front/send to back.
      Quickly Creating New Connected Notes
      (Opt-clicking etc, and using the menu/keyboard shortcuts.)

      Using the preference to have new notes use the selected note style.

      Copying note styles and applying them to other notes.

      Select connections. Keep repeating to select all.
      Opt-cmd-A---select stacked notes

      Enter full screen on Lion and above.

      Prevent Editing

      Double-click on a connection to create a note between the connected notes.

      Hit cmd-return...

    • The Inspector
      The Inspector allows you to customise the appearance of individual notes and background shapes as well as of the document as a whole. It comprises two panes: "New Note" and "Document", which are detailed below. Many of the options available in the Inspector are also available in the Format menu, although the options in the "Document" section appear nowhere else.

      Each section of the Inspector can be collapsed out of the way to clean up the sidebar. Click anywhere within the "Note Format", "Note ...


      • Note Format
        The "Note Format" section provides options for editing the appearance of notes and background shapes.



        #
        [The "Note Format" section of the Inspector.]






        [The "Note Format" section of the Inspector.]



        Text Style
        : Allows you to apply bold, italic, underline or strike-through formatting to the text of a note. If whole notes are selected, the formatting is applied to the entire text. If a range of text is selected within a note while it is being edited, the formatting ...

      • Note Styles
        The "Note Styles" section displays all of the note styles that have been saved into the current document. It can be used to quickly apply a style to selected notes, create new notes with that style, to create, and update existing, styles.

        Each style will be listed in alphabetical order and [will demonstrate the appearance that will be applied to notes using that style](#mac-inspector-style_tab).


        #
        [The "Note Styles" section of the Inspector.]



        Using the style pane is simple, and ...

      • Document
        The "Document" section provides options for determining the general appearance of the document (and for setting the default appearance of new documents).



        #
        [The "Document" section of the Inspector.]






        [The "Document" section of the Inspector.]


        • Background Color
          Clicking on the colour well brings up the colour palette, allowing you to set the background colour of the document. The {{Use Default}} button resets the background to Scapple's default off-white.

          Alternatively, click on {{Choose Texture}} to select an image file from disk to be used as a background texture. Background texture images are tiled (that is, repeated over and over), so you should only use images with repeating patterns. Images selected for use should be small to avoid performance i...

        • Text Appearance Options
          Default Color
          : Clicking on the colour well brings up the colour palette, allowing you to set the default colour of the text in new *and existing* notes. The colour set here will be used by all notes in the document that have not had a text colour set explicitly via the "Note Style" section or Format menu. Clicking on "Clear" will get rid of the default text colour, in which case the default text of notes will be whatever contrasts best with the current document background colour.
          : This setting...


      • Embedded Inspector
        Since the Inspector floats above all other windows (including other software), you may at times find it more convenient to have the Inspector docked into the side of each Scapple board, rather than using the floating shared palette. To do so, set "Embedded Inspector" from the [General options tab][General]. You will need to reload all Scapple documents for this change to take effect.

        As noted, when the Inspector is embedded into a board, its settings will only impact that board, unlike how the ...


  • Appendices


    • Options
      This is just here to generate a title.

    • Preferences
      This is just here to generate a title.

    • Preferences/Options Intro
      Application settings allow you to make global changes to the way the software works. Open the MAC:Preferences panel by selecting the {{Scapple//Preference...}}WIN:Options panel by selecting the {{File//Options...}} menu command.

      The panel has three tabs: "General", "New Notes" and "New Shapes". The "General" tab allows you to determine a variety of application-wide behaviours, while the "New Notes" and "New Shapes" tabs allow you to set up the default appearance and behaviour of new notes and b...


      • General
        Options available in the "General" MAC:PreferencesWIN:Options tab are as follows:



        #
        [The "General" tab.]






        [The "General" tab.]



        MAC:ReturnWIN:Enter ends editing
        : If selected, when editing a note, hitting MAC:ReturnWIN:Enter will cause editing to end and the focus to return to the main Scapple view. If this is not selected, then MAC:ReturnWIN:Enter will add carriage returns to your notes, and you will need to use the Esc or Enter keys to end editing.

        MAC:ReturnWI...

      • New Notes
        The "New Notes" pane determines the default appearance of newly-created notes. After notes have been created, their appearance can be edited using the Inspector or Format menu.



        #
        [The "New Notes" tab.]






        [The "New Notes" tab.]



        Default text
        : Determines the placeholder text that will appear in newly-created notes. This can be left empty if you do not wish new notes to contain placeholder text.

        Default font size
        : Determines the default font size for new notes. (Th...

      • New Shapes
        The "New Shapes" pane determines the default appearance of newly-created background shapes. After background shapes have been created, their appearance can be edited using the Inspector or Format menu.



        #
        [The "New Shapes" tab.]






        [The "New Shapes" tab.]



        Fill Color
        : Determines the default fill colour for new background shapes. (The fill colour of individual background shapes can be changed via the Inspector or Format menu after they are created.)

        Border:
        : Determ...


    • Menus & Keyboard Shortcuts
      This appendix will list most of the available menu commands along with their keyboard shortcuts, a short description of what the command does, and a cross-reference to further documentation on the feature if one is available. It is thus useful as a topical table of contents.


      • Scapple Menu
        The main application menu contains integration tools with other software, application management, information and preferences.


        • About Scapple
          <$title> ({{<$custom:Shortcut>}})
          : Display the credits and version information.

        • ----

        • Preferences
          <$title> ({{<$custom:Shortcut>}})
          : Application preferences allow you to alter aspects of how the software looks and feels. Read [Preferences][] for more information on what can be changed.

        • Registration
          <$title> ({{<$custom:Shortcut>}})
          : <$std> If you are using the demo version of Scapple and decide to purchase it, use this menu command to input the registration serial name and number and activate the software. Read [Registration][] for more information.
          : If the software is already registered, this will show your serial name for reference.

        • Check for Updates...
          <$title> ({{<$custom:Shortcut>}})
          : <$std> The software can be set to check for updates automatically in the ["General" preference tab][General]. If you have disabled this or just wish to check before the next scheduled check, this menu command will force an update check. When updates are available, you will be walked through the automatic update process. Read [Application Updates][] for more information on this topic.

        • ----

        • Services
          <$title> ({{<$custom:Shortcut>}})
          : Services are how different programs on your Mac can communicate with one another. For example, if you have Scrivener installed, and are editing the text of a note, you can send a selection of text to Scrivener via this menu.

        • ----

        • Quit Scapple
          <$title> ({{<$custom:Shortcut>}})
          : Quits the software, closing all windows. On Mac OS X 10.7+, windows will normally be saved automatically as they are closed, and re-opened for you when you start Scapple again. On 10.6, you will be prompted to save any documents with pending changes.

        • Quit and Keep (Close) Windows
          <$title> ({{<$custom:Shortcut>}})
          : <$lion> When holding down the {{Option}} key, this alternate menu command will appear. Whether this displays "Close" or "Keep" windows depends upon your system preferences to reopen projects that were open on quit, thus allowing you to temporarily override the default. This will not change your preference; it only impacts the one time you quit.


      • File Menu
        Contains commands for managing documents (Scapple boards), as well as moving data in and out of them via import, export and printing.MAC: This section will list the all of the available commands on Mac OS X 10.7 or greater, marking those that will not appear on 10.6.


        • New
          <$title> ({{<$custom:Shortcut>}})
          : [Immediately creates a new blank Scapple board to work on][Creating a New Scapple Document]. Your work will begin autosaving immediately to a temporary fileMAC:, on 10.7+, until it is given a name and location to be saved to.

        • Open...
          <$title> ({{<$custom:Shortcut>}})
          : [Open an existing Scapple board from the disk][Opening Existing Scapple Documents]. You can also load documents by double-clicking on them in WIN:Windows Explorer, or by right-clicking on Scapple in the Taskbar to access pinned and recent documentsMAC:the Finder, or dragging them to the Scapple icon.

        • Open Recent//
          <$title> ({{<$custom:Shortcut>}})
          : Select from the previous Scapple documents you have worked on. This is a rotating list, which means that over time older documents may fall off the list. Additionally the list can at times be wiped with system or software updates.MAC: If you are unsure of where a missing document has gone, read [Finding and Locating Scapple Documents][]. The number of items listed in this sub-menu is governed by OS X's global preference, which can be set in the system "General...

        • ----

        • Close
          <$title> ({{<$custom:Shortcut>}})
          : Immediately closes the current Scapple document, automatically saving when doing so. With unsaved documentsMAC:, and on 10.6 in general, you will be prompted to save each board as necessary.MAC: When holding down the {{Option}} key, this menu command will become "Close All". All open documents will be simultaneously closed, though the software will continue running until you quit it.

        • Save...
          <$title> ({{<$custom:Shortcut>}})
          : On Mac OS X 10.7, this menu command will be named, "Save a Version...". This is fundamentally identical to the action that is taken on 10.8+, the label has merely been simplified. Read more about autosave and version features in [Using Autosaved Versions of Your Scapple Boards][].
          : On 10.6, autosave is not available and thus neither is versioning. Saving the board will merely overwrite the old copy on the disk in a standard fashion. Time Machine, if set up pr...

        • Save...
          <$title> ({{<$custom:Shortcut>}})
          : Saving the board will merely overwrite the old copy on the disk in a standard fashion.

        • Duplicate / Save As...
          <$title> ({{<$custom:Shortcut>}})
          : On 10.7+ this will be labelled as "Duplicate". It will create a new copy of the document in a new window which can then be saved to a new file. On 10.8, holding down the {{Option}} key will alternate this command to "Save As...", which will work in the traditional fashion.
          : On 10.6, "Save As..." follows the traditional mechanism for automatically creating a new copy of the document and saving the changes to it. The original document will not receive any of th...

        • Rename...
          <$title> ({{<$custom:Shortcut>}})
          : <$lion> Allows you to rename the document without closing it, changing the name in Finder, and then re-opening it.

        • Move To...
          <$title> ({{<$custom:Shortcut>}})
          : <$lion> A convenience feature to move the document to a new location without closing it, moving it in Finder, and then re-opening it from the new location.

        • Revert To//
          <$title> ({{<$custom:Shortcut>}})
          : <$lion> When the word "Edited" appears after the name of the document in the title bar, this menu will display the last saved version in a sub-menu. Alternatively you can select {{File//Revert To//Browse All Versions...}} to bring up the Mac's autosave version interface.

        • Export//
          <$title> ({{<$custom:Shortcut>}})
          : This sub-menu provides a number of different formats that you can use to export your ideas into a format that is more suitable for working in other programs, or as a graphic file rendering of the map. On account of Scapple's freeform design, the order in which notes appear must at times be guessed at. There is no internal order or hierarchy to make use of. That said, clusters of notes connected together and notes overlapping a background shape together will pr...


          • PDF...
            Included only for shortcut.

          • PNG...
            <$title> ({{<$custom:Shortcut>}})
            :

          • Plain Text (.txt)...
            <$title> ({{<$custom:Shortcut>}})
            :

          • Rich Text (.rtf)...
            <$title> ({{<$custom:Shortcut>}})
            :

          • Rich Text With Attachments (.rtfd)...
            <$title> ({{<$custom:Shortcut>}})
            :

          • Plain Text List (.txt)...
            <$title> ({{<$custom:Shortcut>}})
            :

          • Outline Markup (.opml)...
            <$title> ({{<$custom:Shortcut>}})
            :

          • Images...
            <$title> ({{<$custom:Shortcut>}})
            :


        • ----

        • Prevent Editing
          <$title> ({{<$custom:Shortcut>}})
          : Toggles a lock on the board so that it can no longer be changed.

        • ----

        • Page Setup...
          <$title> ({{<$custom:Shortcut>}})
          : Set up the paper size and page settings for printing to MAC:either PDF files or to paper using a printer. This makes no impact on the size of the board itself, merely how the board will be chopped up into paper sized pieces.

        • Print Preview
          <$title> {{<$custom:Shortcut>}}
          : Displays the preview interface, showing you what will print if you use {{File//Print...}}.

        • Print...
          <$title> ({{<$custom:Shortcut>}})
          : Send the Scapple board to your printerMAC: (you can optionally save as a PDF as well, using the standard Print dialogue). Maps that are larger than a single sheet of paper can either be scaled to fit, or automatically sliced into paper sized chunks, so that they can be taped together. Read more about [Printing Scapple Boards][].

        • ----

        • Options
          <$title> ({{<$custom:Shortcut>}})
          : Application settings allow you to alter aspects of how the software looks and feels. Read [Options][] for more information on what can be changed.

        • ----

        • Exit
          <$title> {{<$custom:Shortcut>}}
          : Quits the software, closing all windows. Documents will normally be saved automatically as they are closed. Untitled document will prompt whether you wish to save any documents them prior to shutting down.


      • Edit Menu
        The "Edit" menu concerns itself primarily with the manipulation of text, but also contains commands for passively working with notes and shapes (e.g. selecting notes, or finding them). For active manipulation of these, the ["Notes" menu is a better bet][Notes Menu].


        • Undo & Redo
          <$title> (MAC:{{Cmd-Z}} / {{Shift-Cmd-Z}}WIN:{{Ctrl+Z}} / {{Ctrl+Y}})
          : Undoes or redoes the changes made to the document in the order they were made. Undo will step backward in the change list, and redo will return forward. If changes are made after undoing, the redo history will be erased. Most actions that can be taken in Scapple can be undone.
          : Editing a note's text enters an isolated state where undo and redo will only act upon the edits made to the text. Once you finish editing, the overa...

        • Cut, Copy and Paste
          <$title> (MAC:{{Cmd-X}} / {{Cmd-C}} / {{Cmd-V}}WIN:{{Ctrl+X}} / {{Ctrl+C}} / {{Ctrl+V}})
          : Cut, copy and paste act fundamentally as they do in other applications.
          : * When working with notes in a Scapple document, all of the notes in the selection will be acted upon. You can use these commands within the same board, or from one board to another.
          * Pasting notes into another text editor will place the text content of the notes, including any inline formatting if the target editor is compatible ...

        • Delete
          <$title> {{<$custom:Shortcut>}}
          : Permanently removes the selected notes or shapes from the board. This action can be undone.

        • ----

        • Arrow Keys Move Notes
          <$title> ({{<$custom:Shortcut>}})
          : Toggle between [Movement Mode][Moving Notes] and selection mode. Movement mode lets you "nudge" notes with the keyboard arrows, while selection mode will attempt to select notes in the direction of the arrow press. Use the Shift key to increase how much distance a note is moved byMAC:, and Shift with Command to increase the speed even further.

        • ----

        • Select All
          <$title> ({{<$custom:Shortcut>}})
          : When editing text, all of the text within the current note will be selected. Otherwise, all of the notes on the entire board will be selected, even if they are not currently visible.

        • Select//
          <$title> ({{<$custom:Shortcut>}})
          : This sub-menu provides a number of convenience methods for selecting notes. Read more about [Selecting Notes][] and [Selecting Shapes][].


          • Notes Stacked Below
            <$title> ({{<$custom:Shortcut>}})
            : Selects the remainder of the notes in the current stack, starting from the selected note down. If multiple notes within the stack are initially highlighted, the entire stack will be selected.

          • Notes Overlapping Selected Shapes
            <$title> ({{<$custom:Shortcut>}})
            : Applicable only when one or more background shapes are selected. All notes overlapping these shapes will be added to the selection. You may also hold down the MAC:{{Option}}WIN:{{Alt}} key and click in the background area of the shape to perform this action.MAC: {{Shift-Opt-click}} allows multiple shapes *and* their overlapping notes to be incrementally added to the selection.

          • Connected Notes
            <$title> ({{<$custom:Shortcut>}})
            : All notes *directly* connected to the currently selected note(s) will be added to the selection. Consequently, chaining this command will allow you to incrementally broaden the selection to those note's connections, and onward.

          • Connected Clusters
            <$title> ({{<$custom:Shortcut>}})
            : Fully selects all notes directly and *indirectly* connected to the currently selected note(s). Thus, note "Alpha" connected to note "Beta" which is in turn connected to note "Gamma" will all be selected if this command is used on any of the notes.


        • Invert Selection
          <$title> {{<$custom:Shortcut>}}
          : Flips the selection state for the entire board. All items that were selected will be removed from the selection, and all items not selected will be added.

        • Deselect
          <$title> ({{<$custom:Shortcut>}})
          : All notes will be deselected. This can also be done by clicking anywhere on the background, but in cases where a background shape is filling the entire view, this command will properly deselect everything for you.

        • ----

        • Insert MathType Equation...
          <$title> {{<$custom:Shortcut>}}
          : Inserts a MathType image equation as a new note in the centre of the current view. If MathType is not properly installed, this menu command will be hidden.

        • Add/Edit Link...
          <$title> ({{<$custom:Shortcut>}})
          : Applicable only when editing the text of a note. While editing text, the menu command will read "Add Link...". You may then copy and paste the URL into the provided dialogue box to add a hyperlink to the selected text.
          : When a link is selected (or even if the cursor is currently within the span of the hyperlink), the menu label will read, "Edit Link...". This will bring up the dialogue box so you can edit the target URL of it.

        • ----

        • Find//
          <$title> ({{<$custom:Shortcut>}})
          : Provides general tools for finding text that has been typed into notes. Read [Searching in Scapple][] for more on using the search features.


          • Find...
            <$title> ({{<$custom:Shortcut>}})
            : Brings up the standard "Find" panel. This will locate text that has been typed into notes, scrolling the view if necessary to locate the note it resides within. Finding text within a note results in being pulled into editing mode, so you can start typing or editing the text immediately.

          • Find Next
            <$title> ({{<$custom:Shortcut>}})
            : Finds the next occurrence of the last text you searched for, using the search parameters you have set up in the Find panel. This can be done via the keyboard shortcut, even when the Find panel is closed.

          • Find Previous
            <$title> ({{<$custom:Shortcut>}})
            : As above, only it will seek backward in the text instead of forward.

          • Use Selection for Find
            <$title> ({{<$custom:Shortcut>}})
            : Use the currently selected text, or the entire contents of the selected note, as your search term. You could then immediately use Find Next/Previous, or load the Find panel and refine the search parameters or supply a replacement text.

          • Jump to Selection
            <$title> ({{<$custom:Shortcut>}})
            : Scrolls the view so that the currently selected text is positioned in the middle of the window (or as close as possible to it). Useful if you want to quickly check another area of the board and then passively return to where you were, without typing or removing the selection.


        • Spelling and Grammar//
          <$title> ({{<$custom:Shortcut>}})
          : Accesses the MAC:standard macOS spell check and grammar systemWIN:spell checker panel (for supported languages).MAC: The contents of this menu are the same as can be seen in any standard Mac program, such as TextEdit or Scrivener.
          : Spell checking must be used in a text editing context only.

        • Substitutions//
          <$title> ({{<$custom:Shortcut>}})
          : MAC:<$lion> Access to substitutions such as smart quotes and other symbols.

        • Transformations//
          <$title> ({{<$custom:Shortcut>}})
          : MAC:<$lion> Access to text utilities for converting text case.

        • Speech//
          <$title> ({{<$custom:Shortcut>}})
          : Access to the text-to-speech synthesis engine supplied by the OS.

        • ----

        • Start Dictation
          <$title> ({{<$custom:Shortcut>}})
          : <$cougar> For computers capable of recording audio and making use of the OS X speech-to-text dictation system, this can be used to speak words aloud and have them turned into editable text.

        • Special Characters...
          <$title> ({{<$custom:Shortcut>}})
          : Loads the MAC:OS X UnicodeWIN:standard Windows character browser. Use this to insert characters that are not found on your keyboard.


      • View Menu
        The "View" menu controls how the current Scapple board is displayed, as well as whether or not the Inspector palette tied to that board is shown.


        • Show (Hide) Inspector
          <$title> ({{<$custom:Shortcut>}})
          : The Inspector sidebar holds useful formatting tools for both selected notes & shapes, as well as for the document itself. This shortcut toggles its visibility on and off. Read more about [the Inspector][].

        • Show (Hide) Footer Bar
          <$title> {{<$custom:Shortcut>}}
          : Toggles the visibility of the Footer Bar, along the bottom of the window. This will be remember for future boards as well. If you turn off the footer bar in an existing board, a newly created board will also have its footer bar disabled. Existing boards will remember what they have been set to.

        • ----

        • Page Guides
          <$title> {{<$custom:Shortcut>}}
          : Toggles the visibility of [printed page guides][Working with Printed Page Guides] on the Scapple board background. Using these guides, you can see where one sheet of paper will end and another will begin, making it easier to avoid situations where notes straddle a page break.

        • ----

        • Actual Size
          <$title> ({{<$custom:Shortcut>}})
          : Reverts the current zoom level of the view to the default level. This can also be done by clicking the {{Reset}} button in the Footer Bar.

        • Zoom To Fit
          <$title> ({{<$custom:Shortcut>}})
          : Adjusts the zoom by increasing or decreasing the magnification so that every note on the map can be seen at once.

        • Zoom In
          <$title> ({{<$custom:Shortcut>}})
          : Incrementally increase the magnification of the board. The slider in the Footer Bar can also be used to adjust the scale of the board visually.

        • Zoom Out
          <$title> ({{<$custom:Shortcut>}})
          : Incrementally decreases the magnification of the board.

        • Zoom To Selection
          <$title> ({{<$custom:Shortcut>}})
          : Works in a fashion similar to {{View//Zoom to Fit}}, save that only those notes that are selected will be fitted into the view.

        • Zoom To Random
          <$title> ({{<$custom:Shortcut>}})
          : Zooms the view to a random note anywhere on the board.

        • ----

        • Enter Full Screen
          <$title> ({{<$custom:Shortcut>}})
          : <$lion> Expands the current window to fill the entire display, pushing aside the menu bar and the system Dock. This places the window on its own "Space" in Apple's Mission Control. Each document must occupy its own Space.

        • QuickZoom
          This is not a menu command, but is here to produce a keyboard shortcut when requested.


      • Notes Menu
        Provides commands for creating, manipulating and organising notes and shapes within the active board, or upon the current selection.


        • New (Stacked) Note
          <$title> ({{<$custom:Shortcut>}})
          : When no notes are selected, this will be labelled, "New Note", and it will create a note roughly in the middle of the current view.
          : If a shape is selected, it will act likewise, but the new note will be placed overlapping the shape.
          : When a note is selected, this command will create a new stacked note beneath the selected one. In cases where the selected note is somewhere in the middle of an existing stack, room will be made for the new note after it, and b...

        • New Background Shape (Around Selection)
          <$title> ({{<$custom:Shortcut>}})
          : When nothing is selected, this command will create a new shape roughly in the middle of the view. If anything is selected (including other shapes), the shape will be pre-sized to fit around the entire selection, and the menu label will read, "New Background Shape Around Selection".

        • New Connected Note//
          <$title> ({{<$custom:Shortcut>}})
          : This sub-menu provides convenience commands for creating new notes pre-connected to the currently selected notes. These commands are directional, and their keyboard shortcuts can be combined with the arrow keys on your keyboard in a logical fashion. Read more about [Connections][].
          : When creating new notes using these commands, they will by default automatically acquire the style of the initially selected note. In the screenshots depicting the results of thes...


          • On Left
            #
            [New connected notes in the four directions.]

            The first group of commands create simple dashed connections [to the new note](#new_note_with_connection):

            * <$title> ({{<$custom:Shortcut>}})

          • On Right
            * <$title> ({{<$custom:Shortcut>}})

          • Above
            * <$title> ({{<$custom:Shortcut>}})

          • Below
            * <$title> ({{<$custom:Shortcut>}})

          • On Left With Arrow

            #
            [New arrowed notes in the four directions.]

            The second group of commands will create an arrowed connection [pointing *to* the new note](#new_note_with_arrow):

            * <$title> ({{<$custom:Shortcut>}})

          • On Right With Arrow
            * <$title> ({{<$custom:Shortcut>}})

          • Above With Arrow
            * <$title> ({{<$custom:Shortcut>}})

          • Below With Arrow
            * <$title> ({{<$custom:Shortcut>}})


        • ----

        • Connect
          <$title> ({{<$custom:Shortcut>}})
          : Connects two or more selected notes and/or shapes together. The item selected first will form the "hub" for the connecting lines, when more than two notes or shapes are selected. If you are looking for a way to connect every selected note with every other selected note, use {{Notes//Connect All}}, below.

        • Connect All
          <$title> {{<$custom:Shortcut>}}
          : Connects each note or shape with every other item in the selection.

        • Connect With Arrow
          <$title> ({{<$custom:Shortcut>}})
          : Connects two or more selected notes and/or shapes together. The item selected first will be the one which points to the subsequently selected items. If you are looking for a way to connect multiple notes back to a single note, it is best to use the mouse to drag a selection of notes onto the target note, with MAC:{{Opt-Cmd-}}WIN:{{Ctrl-Alt}} held down.

        • Remove Arrows
          <$title> ({{<$custom:Shortcut>}})
          : Remove all arrows from the selected notes, reverting them to basic dashed line connections.

        • Disconnect
          <$title> ({{<$custom:Shortcut>}})
          : Completely disconnects all selected notes/shapes among each other, or if only a single item is selected, any lines of connection leading to or from it.

        • -----

        • Connection Label...
          <$title> {{<$custom:Shortcut>}}
          : The two selected notes will have their connecting line annotated with the text you provide in the subsequent dialogue. The notes will be connected with a dotted line if they were not already connected before adding a label. See more in [Labelling Connection Lines].

        • ----

        • Magnetic
          <$title> ({{<$custom:Shortcut>}})
          : Applicable only the background shapes, this will toggle whether or not the shape will magnetically carry overlapping notes with it, [when the shape is moved][magnetic shapes].

        • ----

        • Stack
          <$title> ({{<$custom:Shortcut>}})
          : Applicable to selections of two or more notes. Notes will be stacked in order of distance (in any direction) from the initial selection. When the initial note is already in a stack, the other selected notes will be inserted into the stack beneath that note, moving existing stacked notes down to make space for them.

        • Auto-Fit
          <$title> ({{<$custom:Shortcut>}})
          : When used on a note, the width of the note will be resized to fit the amount of text in the note, so that no lines within it are wrapped.
          : When used on a background shape, the shape will be resized to fit around any overlapping notes and/or shapes.

        • Align//
          <$title> ({{<$custom:Shortcut>}})
          : Provides tools for tidying up the placement of notes amongst the selection.


          • Left Edges



            The first group will move all notes to match the indicated edge of the note selected first:

            * <$title> ({{<$custom:Shortcut>}})

          • Right Edges
            * <$title> ({{<$custom:Shortcut>}})

          • Top Edges
            * <$title> ({{<$custom:Shortcut>}})

          • Bottom Edges
            * <$title> ({{<$custom:Shortcut>}})

          • Horizontal Centers
            The second group will align notes by the centre of the first-selected note, respective to the axis chosen:

            * <$title>: ({{<$custom:Shortcut>}}) draws an imaginary line vertically through the note or shape. The items will be moved horizontally until their respective lines are all matching.

          • Vertical Centers
            * <$title>: ({{<$custom:Shortcut>}}) likewise, although with the imaginary line drawn horizontally through the note or shape.

          • Center in Background Shape
            <$title> ({{<$custom:Shortcut>}})
            : Applicable only to a single selected note that is overlapping a shape. The note will be centred both vertically and horizontally within the shape.

          • Center Horizontally in Background Shape
            These commands align notes relative [to the background shape they overlap][Aligning Notes Within Shapes]:

            * <$title>: moves the selected notes horizontally until they are all aligned in a column within the horizontal centre of the shape they overlap.

          • Center Vertically in Background Shape
            * <$title>: likewise, although by moving notes vertically so that they are all on a line that is in the vertical centre of the shape.


        • Distribute//
          <$title> ({{<$custom:Shortcut>}})
          : Distribute considers the total width or height of the selection, and will move all of the notes in between the two extreme end notes so that the relative space between them is equal. Distribution only works on a single axis. Notes will not be moved vertically, when horizontal distribution is used, and vice versa.
          : In some cases, if the notes all together have more width than the sum would provide for in the total width of the selection, overlapping can occur....


          • Horizontally
            <$title> ({{<$custom:Shortcut>}})
            : Distributes the notes evenly along the horizontal axis. No notes will be displaced up or down on the board.

          • Vertically
            <$title> ({{<$custom:Shortcut>}})
            : Distributes notes evenly along the vertical axis. No notes will be displaced left or right on the board.


        • ----

        • Make Same Width
          <$title> ({{<$custom:Shortcut>}})
          : Adjusts the width of all notes and/or shapes in the selection so that they all have the same width as the first note selected. This will be done without moving the notes on the board.

        • Make Same Height
          <$title> ({{<$custom:Shortcut>}})
          : Adjusts the height of shapes and images (not notes, which cannot be manually resized to be taller than the amount of text they contain) in the same fashion as resizing them by width, above.

        • ----

        • Split
          <$title> ({{<$custom:Shortcut>}})
          : Applicable only when editing text within a note. The note will be split at the point of the cursor and stacked beneath the current note. If text is selected, only the selected text will be split into a new note, removing it from the original.

        • Merge
          <$title> ({{<$custom:Shortcut>}})
          : Operates on two or more notes in a selection. They will be merged together in order of distance from the initially selected note (in any direction), so that all of the text is displayed in a single note.

        • ----

        • Bring Forward (To Front)
          <$title> ({{<$custom:Shortcut>}})
          : When notes or shapes are overlapping one another, this command will bring the selected items to the top. This and the following command will make no impact on connection lines. Connections will *always* be drawn in a predetermined level---no matter where the items they come from are displayed.

        • Send To Back
          <$title> ({{<$custom:Shortcut>}})
          : As above, only the selected items will be pushed to the bottom of the stack.


      • Format Menu
        The "Format" menu is used to set the appearance of notes, the text within them, and shapes. All of the format settings that can be applied to notes can be saved into "Note Styles".


        • Note Style//
          <$title> ({{<$custom:Shortcut>}})
          : Note styles provide a way to save select appearance attributes of a note or shape, and quickly recall them later on selected items on the board. Styles are saved into each document separately. A few presets will be created into new documents as practical examples. Read more about [Note Style Presets][].


          • New Note Style From Selection
            <$title> ({{<$custom:Shortcut>}})
            : Applicable when only a single note or shape has been selected. This will bring up the "New Style" panel, where you can choose what aspects of the selected note will be saved into the style for future use.

          • ----

          • Apply Note Style//
            <$title> ({{<$custom:Shortcut>}})
            : Operates on all selected notes and/or shapes, applying the selected style to them. In some cases, this may mean that not all of the style's instructions will apply to the selection. For example if a style has been set to make shapes magnetic, any *notes* in that selection will ignore that setting. Likewise text formatting will be ignored by shapes.
            : This sub-menu is also accessible via the right-click contextual menu.

          • Delete Note Style//
            <$title> ({{<$custom:Shortcut>}})
            : Remove a selected style from the current document. This will not impact any notes that have had that style applied to them in the past.

          • ----

          • Redefine Note Style From Selection//
            <$title> ({{<$custom:Shortcut>}})
            : Applicable when only a single note or shape is selected. The chosen style will be updated with the selected item's formatting characteristics. As with deleting styles, this will *not* impact notes that have had this style applied to them in the past.

          • ----

          • Copy Note Style
            <$title> ({{<$custom:Shortcut>}})
            : Applicable when only a single note or shape is selected. This command (and its sibling command, below) is useful if you wish to duplicate formatting between notes or shapes, and do not anticipate needing to do so repeatedly (saving a note style might be a better choice, in that case). This command copies *all* applicable formatting attributes.

          • Paste Note Style
            <$title> ({{<$custom:Shortcut>}})
            : Pastes the currently stored formatting characteristics, from the {{Format//Note Style//Copy Note Style}} menu command, to the selected items.

          • ----

          • Import Note Styles...
            <$title> ({{<$custom:Shortcut>}})
            : Batch import all of the styles from another Scapple document on the disk. This will not overwrite any existing styles in the document. So if any styles have the same name, you will see duplicate entries, and may wish to rename them. You can do so by applying the style to a note and then using the {{Format//Note Style//Redefine Note Style From Selection}} sub-menu.


        • ----

        • Font//
          <$title> ({{<$custom:Shortcut>}})
          : The following commands can be used to style notes, or alternatively, selected ranges of text within a note. They each work in a toggle fashion. Read more about [Note and Shape Style Options][].


          • Bold
            * <$title> ({{<$custom:Shortcut>}})

          • Italic
            * <$title> ({{<$custom:Shortcut>}})

          • Underline
            * <$title> ({{<$custom:Shortcut>}})

          • Strikethrough
            * <$title> ({{<$custom:Shortcut>}})

          • ----

          • Bigger
            <$title> ({{<$custom:Shortcut>}})
            : Incrementally increases the text size of the entire note.
            : To set the precise point size of the text, use [The Inspector][].

          • Smaller
            <$title> ({{<$custom:Shortcut>}})
            : Incrementally decreases the text size of the entire note.


        • Alignment//
          <$title> ({{<$custom:Shortcut>}})
          : Alignment impacts the position of text *within* the note's total width. These forms of alignment should be familiar from any word processor. If you are looking to align the notes themselves amongst one another, use the {{Notes//Align//}} sub-menu.
          : If the width of the note is precisely as wide as the text content within it, these commands may not appear to do anything. Experimentally changing the width of the note should prove they have worked.


          • Align Left
            * <$title> ({{<$custom:Shortcut>}})

          • Center
            * <$title> ({{<$custom:Shortcut>}})

          • Justify
            * <$title> ({{<$custom:Shortcut>}})

          • Align Right
            * <$title> ({{<$custom:Shortcut>}})


        • Indents//
          <$title> {{<$custom:Shortcut>}}
          : Indenting adjusts the amount of block padding on the left of the text (or the right, when typing in right-to-left mode) by a fixed amount. Indenting is often useful when forming lists of notes in a stack. The overall width of the note will not be changed by this command, only the formatting of the text within it.


          • Increase Indent Level
            * <$title> {{<$custom:Shortcut>}}

          • Decrease Indent Level
            * <$title> {{<$custom:Shortcut>}}

          • Remove Indents
            * <$title> {{<$custom:Shortcut>}}: Removes all applied indenting from the selected notes.


        • Colors//
          <$title> ({{<$custom:Shortcut>}})
          : The "Colors" sub-menu provides access to the three main characteristics of notes and shapes that can have their colour changed: text (for notes), borders and the background fill.


          • Change Text Color...
            <$title> ({{<$custom:Shortcut>}})
            : Will present the standard system colour palette. Any changes made to the palette will be immediately reflected upon the text of the selected notes. Ranges of text within a note cannot have their colour specifically changed.

          • Clear Text Color
            <$title> ({{<$custom:Shortcut>}})
            : Removes any custom colour settings from the text of the selected notes. They will go back to using the document defaults, as set in the "Document" section of [the Inspector][].

          • ----

          • Change Fill Color...
            <$title> ({{<$custom:Shortcut>}})
            : Applicable to both notes and shapes, the selected background fill colour will change as colours are set using the system colour palette. Fill is the default colour type that will be changed if the palette is called up with the keyboard shortcut.

          • Clear Fill Color
            <$title> ({{<$custom:Shortcut>}})
            : Removes any custom colour settings for the background fill on selected notes or shapes.

          • ----

          • Change Border Color...
            <$title> ({{<$custom:Shortcut>}})
            : Applicable to both notes and shapes, the selected items will have their border colours changed as colours are selected from the standard system colour palette. If items do not already have a border applied, the default one pixel border will be added to the note automatically. This is thus a convenient way to kill two birds with one stone if you wish to apply a custom border colour to a note that does not already have a border.

          • Clear Border Color
            <$title> ({{<$custom:Shortcut>}})
            : Removes any custom colour settings for the border colour on selected notes or shapes.


        • Borders//
          <$title> ({{<$custom:Shortcut>}})
          : Borders can be applied to any note, and shapes by default will have a one pixel black border. Use this sub-menu to adjust the appearance and width of borders. To remove a border, select "No Border" from the {{Format//Borders//}} sub-menu. Read more about [Applying Borders to Notes & Shapes][].
          : The contents of this sub-menu can also be accessed from the right-click contextual menu.


          • Border widths
            <$title>
            : Choose between five different border widths, or remove the border by selected "No Border".

          • Border styles
            <$title>
            : The second half of this sub-menu provides four different styles of border that you can choose from (rounded is the default).


        • ----

        • Writing Direction//
          <$title> ({{<$custom:Shortcut>}})
          : Users who write in a language that runs from right to left instead of from left to right can change this for the document here. This will also impact the auto-resize behaviour of notes (favouring the left side for expansion) and stacks (the right edge will be need to be flush, instead of the left).

        • ----

        • Shadow
          <$title> ({{<$custom:Shortcut>}})
          : Add a simple drop-shadow to the selected notes or shapes.

        • Fade
          <$title> ({{<$custom:Shortcut>}})
          : Fading notes and shapes will reduce their visual impact on the board, by causing them to blend into the background colour or texture. When shapes are faded, any overlapping items will be faded as well, so long as they remain overlapping (they will return to full opacity if dragged out of the faded shape). Read more about [Fading Notes][].


      • Window Menu
        A "window" refers to the standard container that holds the Scapple board, with the MAC:"traffic lights" along the top-left, document title in the middle, and resize handle on the bottom-rightWIN: name and window menu in the top-left and window control buttons on the right. This menu concerns itself with the management of these windows themselves.


        • Minimize
          <$title> ({{<$custom:Shortcut>}})
          : Reduce the active (topmost) window to an icon in the system MAC:DockWIN:Taskbar. Simply click on the icon to restore it, or use its named entry from the lower half of this menu.

        • Maximize
          <$title> {{<$custom:Shortcut>}}
          : Increases the size of the window so that it fills your monitor, without removing the title bar.

        • Full Screen
          <$title> ({{<$custom:Shortcut>}})
          : Expands the current window to fill the entire display, pushing aside the Taskbar and removing the window title and borders.

        • Zoom
          <$title> ({{<$custom:Shortcut>}})
          : Increases the size of the window to fill all available space, excluding any protected areas like the main application menu bar, and the system Dock. If you wish to utilise OS X 10.7+ full screen mode, use {{View//Enter Full Screen}}.

        • Bring All to Front
          <$title> ({{<$custom:Shortcut>}})
          : Pushes all Scapple documents to the top of your desktop window stack, obscuring any open windows from other applications behind them.

        • Open document list
          Below these stock commands, a list of each open Scapple document will be provided so that you can easily switch between documents, even if they are not currently visible.MAC: Documents that have been minimised will have a diamond icon to the left of their names.


      • Help Menu
        Provides access to MAC:your Mac's menu search utility, as well as useful tools and links for learning Scapple, or getting in touch with us.

        MAC:The Help menu is the only menu that can be directly activated from the keyboard. Tap {{Shift-Cmd-/}} to call it up. This will place the cursor in the menu title search field, so you can begin searching immediately.


        • Scapple Manual
          <$title> ({{<$custom:Shortcut>}})
          : A quick link to the PDF that you are likely reading. The version that ships with Scapple will be kept as up to date as possible, but newer revisions might also be available on the web site's [support page](http://www.literatureandlatte.com/support.php).

        • QuickStart Guide
          <$title> {{<$custom:Shortcut>}}
          : A handy two-page reference that can be used to quickly learn the software.

        • ----

        • Support
          <$title> {{<$custom:Shortcut>}}
          : A hyperlink to our web site's support page. Here you can download the latest copy of the PDF in US Letter or A4 (or the Scrivener project used to make it), find contact e-mail addresses, links to our forums and wiki, after-sales support from our vendor, eSellerate, and more.

        • User Forums
          <$title> {{<$custom:Shortcut>}}
          : Hyperlink to the official Literature & Latte forums where you can meet other people around the world using Scapple, share tips, report bugs, request tech support, or have a cup of latte in our off-topic section.

        • Release Notes
          <$title> {{<$custom:Shortcut>}}
          : Hyperlink to the official [release notes](http://www.literatureandlatte.com/scapChangeList.php) web page on the web site.

        • Literature & Latte Home
          <$title> {{<$custom:Shortcut>}}
          : A handy hyperlink to our [home page](http://www.literatureandlatte.com/) which provides easy access to everything else we offer on our web site.

        • Scapple Home

          <$title> {{<$custom:Shortcut>}}
          : Link to the main [Scapple page](http://www.literatureandlatte.com/scapple.php), where you will find useful download links for updates, tutorials, links to share Scapple on Twitter and Facebook, and more.

        • ----

        • Register...
          <$title> ({{<$custom:Shortcut>}})
          : If you are using the demo version of Scapple and decide to purchase it, use this menu command to input the registration serial name and number and activate the software. Read [Registration][] for more information.
          : If the software is already registered, this will show your serial name for reference.

        • Check for Updates...
          <$title> ({{<$custom:Shortcut>}})
          : The software can be set to check for updates automatically in the ["General" preference tab][General]. If you have disabled this or just wish to check before the next scheduled check, this menu command will force an update check. When updates are available, you will be walked through the automatic update process. Read [Application Updates][] for more information on this topic.

        • ----

        • Purchase Scapple...
          <$title> ({{<$custom:Shortcut>}})
          : Ready to upgrade from the demo? Use this link to be taken to our online store. We accept most common forms of payment, and you'll be sent an unlock key shortly after payment has been verified electronically. This command will be removed from any purchased version of Scapple.

        • About Scapple
          <$title> ({{<$custom:Shortcut>}})
          : Display the credits and version information.

        • Keep Up to Date...
          <$title> {{<$custom:Shortcut>}}
          : Presents a form which you can use to submit your e-mail address and name to subscribe to our newsletter. This is a low volume list that we use to send out important updates and news. Please take care to whitelist "litereatureandlatte.com" in your spam filter, prior to submitting this form, as you will be sent a confirmation e-mail which must be responded to before you will be subscribed. You can also click on the Twitter and Facebook buttons to visit our officia...


    • What's New
      * The Inspector is now a docked sidebar in the board itself rather than a floating palette that is shared by all open boards. The individual tabs are now displayed in a stack.
      * Note styles can now be displayed and used from [the Inspector sidebar][Note Styles] as well as all of the methods you've become used to in the past.
      * Keyboard shortcuts can be assigned to frequently used styles. [Redefine the style to add one][Updating and Renaming Styles].
      * [Connector lines can now be labeled][Labelli...

    • Acknowlegements


      **Concept, Interface, Design and Development**
      Keith Blount

      **Documentation**
      Ioa Petra'ka
      Keith Blount

      **PDF Design**
      Ioa Petra'ka

      **QA**
      Ioa Petra'ka

      **Application Icon**
      Janik Baumgartner

      **Additional Images**
      Janik Baumgartner
      Keith Blount

      **Code Contributions and Help**

      * Andreas Mayer - NSBezierPath and table view extensions (http://www.harmless.de/cocoa.html).
      * Andy Matuschak - Scapple uses the superb Spar...

    • Index
      Prints LaTeX code for an index, and also provides some MMD hyperlinks.

    • Legal
      Scapple and this manual are copyright © <$year> by Literature & Latte Ltd. All rights reserved. Literature & Latte are not affiliated with, or endorsed by the following companies and their products or services:

      * Microsoft Office; Word, Excel
      * Adobe Photoshop

      All products above and otherwise mentioned in this text are trademarks of their respective owners.

      Literature & Latte take no responsibility for any text lost through synchronisation. As with all synchronisation processes, you shou...