Node styles

The style defines the appearence of node: colors, shape and font of node, edges and clouds; style can also add icons to node. Each node can be formated accordingly to a style.

Introducing styles

Freeplane provides default styles and user can add his own styles. Since Freeplane release 1.2, styles allow to:

1. change node formats quickly through a new formatting panel (use "View->Formatting panel" to display/hide the panel, screen capture:Media:Formating_Panel.png)
2. change node style by choosing a style among styles list (use the combo "style" in Freeplane's main toolbar, screen capture:Media:Styles_-_Combo.png)
3. define you own styles through a styles editor (use "Styles->Edit styles ...", screen capture:Media:Styles_Editor.png).  

Originally each node has the "default" style. Node can be assigned another appearence with solution 1 or 2 described above. If automatic layout is on, the node is assigned the style corresponding to its level in the map. It's also possible to automaticly format node using Conditional node styles.

Changing style of a node

Changing the style automatically apply, to all selected nodes, the style formats. The node style can be changed:

• by selecting a style name in the toolbar styles list,
• by using menu "Styles->Redefine style": it re-formats the currently selected node with its orignal style.

Managing styles with the styles editor

To manage styles you need first to open the styles editor:

• menu "Styles->Edit styles". Result: a map containing all styles is displayed.

There you can modify all defined styles : either styles provided by default with Freeplane, or add/change your own styles. Note that's its allowed to remove default freeplane's styles.

To add your own style:

• in the styles editor choose the style with the nearest format of the style you want to create, right click on this style, select in the contextual menu "Save as new style...", enter new style name. Result: a new style is added and appears in the user's styles branch.

You can now fully define the style with the formatting panel. Close the style editor. Your new style is available for immediate use in toolbar's style list.

To rename a user style:

• select you style, right click, select in the contextual menu "Save as new style...", enter the new name you want, remove the old style entry.
  

To change the display order of styles in the main toolbar styles list :

• move up / down branchs or styles in the styles editor.
  

Other style features

• Using menu "Styles->copy styles...": copies styles from any mindmap, which can be selected in the file selection dialog, to the current map. It works like an import user's styles from an other map.