Collaboration

The Concept Mapping Tool provides comprehensive real-time collaboration features, allowing multiple users to work on the same map simultaneously with proposal-based workflows, voting, change tracking, and conversation threads.

Real-time Synchronization

All changes are synchronized instantly across all connected users:

• Concept creation and editing
• Relationship creation and editing
• Position changes
• Notes and metadata updates
• Proposal status changes
• Votes and comments

Presence Indicators

When other users are viewing or editing a map, you'll see:

• Avatars: Small avatars showing who is currently viewing the map
• Cursors: Live cursors showing where collaborators are working
• Editing Highlights: Visual indicators showing which elements are being edited

Proposal Mode

Proposal Mode enables structured collaborative workflows where changes go through a review process before being accepted into the map.

Enabling Proposal Mode

To enable Proposal Mode for a map:

1. Open the map you want to enable proposals for
2. Click the "Normal Mode" button in the top header (it will change to "Proposal Mode")
3. Only map owners and managers can toggle Proposal Mode

How Proposal Mode Works

When Proposal Mode is enabled:

• New concepts and relationships are created with a "proposed" status by default
• Status badges appear on concepts and relationships showing their current status:
  • P (yellow) = Proposed
  • A (green) = Accepted
  • R (red) = Rejected
• Voting buttons become available in the concept/relationship toolbars
• Conversation threads can be started on any concept or relationship
• Change log tracks all proposal-related activities

When Proposal Mode is disabled:

• All concepts and relationships are treated as accepted (status data is preserved but ignored)
• Collaboration UI elements are hidden
• The map behaves like a normal collaborative map

Status Badges

Status badges appear on concept nodes and relationship edges when in Proposal Mode:

• Top-left corner: Status badge (P/A/R) indicating proposal status
• Bottom-right corner: Vote sum badge (e.g., +5, -2) showing net votes
• Bottom-left corner: Comment badge with count or "+" to start a conversation

Voting on Proposals

Users with write access can vote on proposals to express their opinion before a decision is made.

How to Vote

1. Select a concept or relationship by clicking on it
2. The Node Toolbar (for concepts) or Edge Toolbar (for relationships) will appear
3. Click the thumbs up (👍) button to vote up, or thumbs down (👎) to vote down
4. Click again to remove your vote, or click the opposite button to change your vote

Vote Display

• Vote sum badges appear on concept nodes and relationship edges showing the net vote count (upvotes minus downvotes)
• Positive vote sums are shown in green with a "+" prefix (e.g., +5)
• Negative vote sums are shown in red (e.g., -2)
• Zero vote sums are shown in neutral colors
• Hover over the badge to see detailed counts (e.g., "Votes: 5 up, 2 down")

Voting Rules

• Only authenticated users with write access can vote
• Each user can have one vote per concept or relationship
• Changing your vote updates your existing vote (doesn't create multiple votes)
• Votes are advisory - only map owners/managers can accept or reject proposals

Accepting and Rejecting Proposals

Map owners and managers can accept or reject proposals to finalize their status.

Accepting a Proposal

1. Select the concept or relationship you want to accept
2. In the toolbar, click the Accept button (checkmark icon)
3. The status will change from "proposed" to "accepted"
4. A change log entry is created recording the acceptance

Rejecting a Proposal

1. Select the concept or relationship you want to reject
2. In the toolbar, click the Reject button (X icon)
3. The status will change from "proposed" to "rejected"
4. A change log entry is created recording the rejection

Reverting Decisions

You can undo accept/reject decisions using the undo feature (Ctrl+Z / Cmd+Z), which will restore the previous status and remove the change log entry.

Change Log & Catch-Up Wizard

The Change Log tracks all significant events in a concept map, and the Catch-Up Wizard helps you review unread changes since your last visit.

Viewing the Change Log

The Change Log records events such as:

• Concept creation, deletion, and updates
• Relationship creation, deletion, and updates
• Status changes (proposed → accepted/rejected)
• Votes added or changed
• Comments added

Catch-Up Wizard

The Catch-Up Wizard provides a guided walkthrough of unread changes:

To open the Catch-Up Wizard:

1. Click the "Catch up" button in the top header
2. A notification badge shows the number of unread changes (e.g., "9+")
3. The wizard opens as a floating, draggable panel

Navigating Changes:

• Use the Previous and Next arrow buttons to move through changes
• Use the slider to jump to a specific change
• Click Play to automatically step through remaining changes
• The wizard shows your position: "Catch Up (1/11)" for unread entries, or "History (5/11)" for entries you've already read

Marking Changes as Read:

• Click "Mark as read" (checkmark) to mark the current change as read and move to the next
• Click "Mark all as read" (double checkmark) to mark all unread changes as read
• Click "Mark and close" to mark the current change as read and close the wizard

Visual Highlighting:

• As you navigate through changes, the related concept or relationship is highlighted with a yellow glow
• The canvas automatically pans and zooms to show the highlighted element (only if it's not already visible)

Change Log Entry Details:

Each entry shows:

• User: Who made the change (avatar and email)
• Timestamp: When the change occurred
• Event Type: What happened (e.g., "Concept Created", "Status Changed")
• Metadata: Additional details about the change (e.g., concept label, new status)

Conversation Comments

Conversation threads allow collaborators to discuss specific concepts or relationships directly on the map.

Starting a Conversation

1. Click the comment icon (speech bubble with "+") on a concept node or relationship edge
2. A conversation panel opens next to the element
3. Type your comment and press Enter to post

Replying to Comments

1. Open the conversation panel for a concept or relationship
2. Click "Reply" on any existing comment
3. Type your reply and press Enter

Viewing Conversations

• Comment badges show the number of comments on each concept/relationship
• Click the badge to open the conversation panel
• The badge highlights when the conversation is open

Comment Features

• Comments are threaded (replies appear nested under the original comment)
• Each comment shows the author's avatar and name
• Comments are timestamped
• You can edit or delete your own comments
• All comments are visible to users with read access to the map

Collaborative Editing

Multiple users can edit simultaneously:

• Different concepts can be edited by different users
• Changes are merged automatically
• Conflicts are resolved using last-write-wins semantics
• In Proposal Mode, edits create proposals that require acceptance

Best Practices

General Collaboration

• Communicate: Use conversation threads or external chat to coordinate
• Avoid Conflicts: If editing the same concept, coordinate edits
• Save Regularly: While auto-save is enabled, be mindful of your work
• Use Perspectives: Create perspectives for focused collaborative sessions

Proposal Mode Workflows

• Review Regularly: Use the Catch-Up Wizard to stay current with changes
• Vote Thoughtfully: Use votes to signal support or concerns before decisions are made
• Comment Context: Add comments to explain your proposals or provide feedback
• Accept Promptly: Review and accept/reject proposals in a timely manner to keep the workflow moving
• Use Status: Leverage status badges to quickly see what needs attention

Sharing

To collaborate, you need to share the map with other users. See the Sharing Guide for details on:

• Sharing maps with specific users
• Setting permission levels (read, write, manage)
• Managing shared access