Sprigwell documentation
Sprigwell adds keyboard-first mind maps to Confluence pages. Every change is saved as a version you can restore, two people can edit at once without overwriting each other, and branches can become Jira work items.
Add a mind map
- Edit a page or blog post and type /Sprigwell, then pick Sprigwell mind map.
- Publish the page. The map is edited right on the published page (no need to open the page editor again).
- Choose Start a mind map (type the central idea), Start with an example, or Import a file or an outline.
Each macro holds its own map, so several maps on one page never interfere.
Edit with the keyboard
| Keys | What it does |
|---|---|
| Tab | New topic under the selected one |
| Enter / Shift + Enter | New topic after / before the selected one |
| F2, Space, or just start typing | Edit the selected topic. Enter saves, Shift + Enter adds a line, Esc cancels, Tab saves and adds a topic under it |
| Arrow keys | Move around the map, following the picture |
| Alt + Up / Down | Move the topic up or down among its siblings |
| Alt + Left / Right, Shift + Tab | Move the topic out one level, or in under the topic above |
| / or Ctrl + . | Collapse or expand the selected branch |
| Alt + 1 to 9, Alt + 0 | Show that many levels, or everything |
| Delete or Backspace | Delete the topic and everything under it (undo brings it back) |
| Ctrl or Cmd + C / X / V | Copy, cut and paste branches. Paste any outline from elsewhere to add it under the selected topic |
| Ctrl or Cmd + Z, Shift + Z | Undo, redo |
| Ctrl or Cmd + F | Search topics, notes and work item keys (Enter jumps to the next match) |
| Ctrl or Cmd + Enter | Open the selected topic's link |
| Home | Go to the central topic |
With the mouse: drag a topic onto another to move it under it, or onto the top or bottom edge of a topic to place it before or after. Drag the background to pan, Ctrl or Cmd + scroll to zoom, double-click a topic to edit it, and click the number badge on a collapsed topic to expand it. Press ? in the toolbar for the full list.
Topic details
Select a topic to open its panel:
- Text and Note (notes show as a small mark on the topic).
- Link: a Confluence page (search by title), a Jira work item (search or type the key; its status shows live), or a web address. Click the link mark on the topic to open it.
- Color (the topic and everything under it follows unless they pick their own) and Icon (priority 1 to 3, done, no, question, warning, idea, star, flag, heart, person, date).
- Side (balanced layout, top-level topics): automatic, left or right of the central topic.
- Collapse, Create work items, Delete.
Layouts
Balanced (branches on both sides), Right (everything grows to the right), Org chart (top-down; a topic whose children are all leaves lists them in a column) and Tree (an indented outline). The layout is saved with the map. People who can only view the page can switch layouts and collapse branches for themselves without changing the map.
Import
Toolbar > Import, then choose a file or paste text:
| Format | What comes over |
|---|---|
| XMind (.xmind, XMind 2020 and later, and XMind 8) | The first sheet: topics, notes, links, markers as icons, colors, folded branches. Lists what it leaves out (other sheets, floating topics, relationship lines, boundaries, summaries) |
| FreeMind and Freeplane (.mm) | Topics (plain and rich text), notes, links, icons, colors, folded branches |
| OPML | Outlines with notes and links |
| Markdown | Headings and nested bullets as topics, paragraphs as notes, links, checkboxes as Done icons |
| Outline text | One topic per line, indented with tabs or spaces; bullets and numbers are removed |
Then Use this map (or Replace this map, which keeps the old one in the history), Add under the selected topic, or Add as a new branch. Files are read in your browser and never uploaded. A map holds up to 5,000 topics.
Copy and download
Toolbar > Copy / download: copy the map as a PNG (for slides and chat), download PNG or SVG (light or dark), copy or download the Markdown outline, or download a plain outline, OPML or FreeMind (.mm) file, which opens in most mind map tools. Collapsed branches are included unless you untick it. Exporting the page to PDF or Word includes the map as a picture and as a full outline with every note and link.
Present
Toolbar > Present reveals the map branch by branch (or topic by topic). Use the arrow keys, Space or the Next button; Full screen where your browser allows it; Esc to leave.
Create Jira work items from a branch
- Select the topic at the top of the branch and click Create work items in its panel.
- Pick a project (only projects where you can create work items are listed).
- Choose the types: the selected topic itself (for example an Epic, optional), the topics under it (for example Task or Story), and their topics (Subtask, or "List them in the description"). Deeper topics are listed in the description of the nearest work item, and notes become descriptions.
- Check the preview and click Create. Up to 50 work items at a time.
Work items are created by you, with your own Jira permissions. Topics that already link to a work item are not created again; if the selected topic links to one, the new work items go under it. Each new work item is linked to its topic. If Jira refuses one (for example a required field), the others are still created and the message says which one and why. Sprigwell needs to be connected to Jira on your site (a site admin does this once in Administration > Apps).
Versions and working together
- Sprigwell saves about a second after you stop, and every save is a new version.
- History lists every version with who saved it and when. Preview any version, Restore it (a restore is a new version, so it can be undone), Name it (named versions are kept forever) or download it as Markdown.
- If someone else saves while you edit, the two saves are merged topic by topic. If you both changed the same topic (its text, note, link, color, icon or place in the map), Sprigwell shows both and asks which to keep before saving.
- Unsaved edits are kept in your browser. If you close the tab before they are saved, reopen the page in the same browser and click Restore them.
- Versions from the last 30 days are all kept; older ones are thinned to one per hour, then one per day after a year (named, restored, imported and copied versions are always kept).
Copies, templates and recovery
- Copying a page, or creating one from a template that has a Sprigwell macro, gives the new page its own copy of the map the first time it opens, if you can see the original.
- Space settings > Sprigwell mind maps lists every map in the space with its history and downloads. Space admins also see maps whose page was deleted or restricted.
Permissions and subscription
People who can edit the page can edit its map. People who can view the page see it read-only and can still move around, collapse, search, present and download. With an inactive subscription every map is read-only and downloads keep working.
Privacy
Sprigwell runs on Atlassian's Forge platform. Maps are stored in your site's Forge SQL database; nothing is sent outside Atlassian. See the privacy policy.