Outliner

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An outliner is a special text editor that allows text to be structured as an outline. Outliners are typically used for computer programming, collecting or organizing ideas, Getting Things Done, or project management. It is generally acknowledged that Doug Engelbart was the first to see the advantages of the expandable-outline user interface paradigm in software.

Contents

[edit] Hierarchy - principle attribute

The principle attribute of outline editors is that they support or enforce the use of a hierarchy in most of their functions (below), not just in the display of information. For example:

  • Editing: Sound parent-child relationships are enforced when the user modifies the document structure. For example:
    • Promoting, demoting, copying, or deleting a parent has the same effect on the children.
    • Every item entry must be within one level of its predecessor, such that each item must be a sibling or child of the preceding item (thus, no item can be a great-grandchild of the preceding item).
  • Viewing: The tool enables the user to affect the display by level. For example:
    • Applying styles by outline level (e.g., bold all 1st level items)
    • Displaying selected levels (e.g., show all 1st and 2nd level items, but none deeper).
  • Search: The tool retrieves all items that contain the query terms plus the ancestors (parent, grandparent...) that give them context.
  • File import / export: Both the content and structure of outlines are conveyed when files are imported or exported (e.g., from and to tab-indented files).

[edit] Intrinsic, Extrinsic outliners

It is possible to distinguish between intrinsic and extrinsic outlines. An intrinsic (or classic) outline is one in which the text itself is organized in an outline format. Content elements are structural, and vice versa. An extrinsic outliner is a product that presents labels, titles, or headings hierarchically in one pane and related text in another pane. Content elements and structural elements are separated in this model. The principle benefits of intrinsic outliners are that editing is simple and thus quick because the user need not manage two panes, and that the user has great flexibility to mix concise headings and verbose text as needed. The principal benefit of extrinisic outliners is that they enforce concise structures (heading labels of few words) that simplify and thus accelerate navigation of the structure.

[edit] Intrinsic programs

The intrinsic outline products include Ecco Pro and CaseSoft's Notemap. All major word processing programs include the ability to create intrinsic outlines.

[edit] Extrinsic programs

Most of the products listed below are extrinsic outliners.

[edit] File formats

[edit] Outliner Software

[edit] Windows-only Software

  • ActionOutline
  • Aibase is a free-form outliner (main pane can contain trees and other object types).
  • AlfaPad - simple outliner
  • Bonsai by Natara is a powerful Windows desktop outliner in its own right--that syncs well with its Palm OS partner. See below.
  • BrainStorm for Windows - still selling, launched November 1983
  • CUEcards - free German outliner for Windows
  • Dynamic List - free web outliner for IE/Windows
  • Ecco Pro - Free Download

    Full-featured day planner with built-in outliner, described here: Ecco Pro

  • Fresh Outline - visually good tree but notes are plain-text only (although you can add defined fields to notes).
  • The Guide - open source, two-pane outliner with rich-text.
  • Idea Cruncher - Minimalist outliner for writing and to-do list management.
  • InfoSelect - freeform database, feature-rich and with a fast incremental search functionality
  • Karteset
  • Keynote - free outliner for Windows (no longer developed)
  • kmAnywhere - Integrated outliner with built-in RTF, HTML, worksheet editors.
  • Literary Machine - offers a basic freeware version, as well as a more robust professional version.
  • Maple - Sturdy, affordable two-pane outliner for Windows.
  • MyInfo - two-pane outliner for Windows.
  • MyLife Organized - Smart outliner with roots in GTD movement. Provides true sychronization with PocketPC devices.
  • ndxCards - Outlining software for organizing ideas, taking notes and writing.
  • MyNotesKeeper - two-pane outliner with tab support for Windows.
  • Neat Notes - two pane outliner, with up to ten additional tabs within each note and a unique "pockets" tool to temporarily store clippings
  • Nelements a 3d outliner tool.
  • NoteMap 2.0 Feature-rich, very powerful outliner marketed primarily to attorneys. Useful to anyone as a stand-alone--or as part of the other attorney's tools made by CaseSoft. A little pricey.
  • NoteTab Imports TXT files. King James Version bible available. Basic version freeware.
  • NeoMem is similar to Explorer.
  • Outliner for Windows
  • PocketThinker
  • Scribble Papers - free German Outliner for Windows
  • TreePad™ feature-rich personal information manager, organizer, database, and word processor--comes in several different versions.
  • Ultra Recall - Outliner with multiple parent items links, configurable item attributes and internal brower
  • WhizFolders Organizer Pro - Uses a different List based approach to outlining the pieces where the pieces can be moved around easily in the list
  • Zoot - a very versatile text manager. Included here because its list of items can be nested.

[edit] Macintosh-only Software

[edit] POSIX (Linux, BSD, *nix)

  • hnb - Hierarchical notebook (ncurses-interface)
  • TuxCards Open source outliner for Linux
  • Riot - ncurses-outliner, using mbox as file-format
  • KJots [1] - Free and simple to use outliner for KDE on Linux. Tree structured, it refers to nodes as 'books' and notes as 'pages'. Book view shows a TOC and view mode for all entries. No word wrap.
  • KnowIt Open source outliner, KDE-based
  • Gjots2 - Python/GTK/GNOME nice outline editor. Data compatible with KJots.
  • Zim - A desktop wiki and outliner

[edit] Software for UIQ SmartPhones

[edit] Cross-platform Software, Multiple Version Software

  • Buzz a Python-based outliner
  • Code Browser a folding and outlining editor for Linux and Windows
  • Inspiration - Visual Outliner for Mac and Windows - Versatile visual outliner now being marketed for business use; also available for Palm OS
  • Leo - free multiplatform outliner
  • ListPro shareware software for Desktop PC with MS Windows / PocketPC / Palm
  • Java outline editor (free software/open source software: BSD License)
  • Microsoft Word in outline mode is probably the most popular outliner (Windows/Mac/Linux under WINE or CodeWeavers)
  • Natara Bonsai - Works/Syncs on Palm and Microsoft Windows. Software can be purchased bundled together or separately.
  • outliner.js Open source CSS+Javascript based basic XOXO outline editor
  • Tcl/Tk outline editor
  • TreeLine - free database outliner in Python
  • TreePad Windows, Mac and Linux versions. Basic version free.
  • TVO: The Vim Outliner - A better Vim outliner
  • VimOutliner - Ultra-fast Outliner using the Vim text editor as its engine. Can be used as a single tree knowledge store. Features include promote/demote, expand/collapse, interoutline linking, executable lines (to link headlines to external programs and therefore non-outline content), checkboxes, color schemes, and many available scripts both on VimOutliner.org and on other sites. Downloadable from VimOutliner.org, or as Debian or Gentoo packages.
  • WikidPad Open source Python based powerful outliner based on the Wiki approach
  • xoxo.py Open source Python library for XOXO outlines
  • ShadowPlan - Outliner for Palm with Desktop for Windows, Macintosh and Linux.

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

[edit] General Information

[edit] Programming or Technical Information

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