Create Terminal Mind Maps

---
name: create-terminal-mind-maps
description: "Create and visualize mind maps in the terminal with branching and export. Use when brainstorming ideas, organizing thoughts, exporting mind map structures."
category: "Productivity"
author: community
version: "2.0.0"
icon: check-square
---

# MindMap

Multi-purpose utility tool for managing structured data entries. Add, list, search, remove, and export data items — all stored locally in a simple log-based format with full history tracking.

## Commands

All commands are invoked via `mindmap <command> [args]`.

| Command | Description |
|---------|-------------|
| `run <args>` | Execute the main function — logs and confirms execution |
| `config` | Show the configuration file path (`$DATA_DIR/config.json`) |
| `status` | Show current status (reports "ready") |
| `init` | Initialize the data directory (creates `$DATA_DIR` if needed) |
| `list` | List all data entries from the data log |
| `add <text>` | Add a new dated entry to the data log |
| `remove <item>` | Remove an entry (logs the removal) |
| `search <term>` | Search the data log for a keyword (case-insensitive via `grep -i`) |
| `export` | Export all data from the data log to stdout |
| `info` | Show version and data directory path |
| `help` | Show the built-in help message |
| `version` | Print version string (`mindmap v2.0.0`) |

## Data Storage

- **Location:** `~/.local/share/mindmap/` (override with `MINDMAP_DIR` environment variable, or `XDG_DATA_HOME`)
- **Data log:** `data.log` — stores all entries added via `add`, one per line, prefixed with `YYYY-MM-DD`
- **History:** `history.log` — every command execution is recorded with a timestamp for auditing
- **Format:** Plain text, one entry per line

## Requirements

- Bash 4+
- Standard Unix utilities (`date`, `grep`, `cat`, `basename`)
- No external dependencies, no API keys, no network access needed

## When to Use

1. **Quick note-taking** — Use `mindmap add` to jot down ideas, tasks, or observations from the terminal without leaving your workflow
2. **Data collection** — Accumulate structured entries over time (e.g. daily logs, observations, measurements) and export them for analysis
3. **Search and retrieval** — Use `mindmap search` to quickly find entries matching a keyword across your entire data log
4. **Automation pipelines** — Integrate `mindmap add` and `mindmap export` into shell scripts or cron jobs for automated data collection and reporting
5. **Lightweight project tracking** — Track items, remove completed ones, and list remaining work — all from the command line without heavyweight tools

## Examples

```bash
# Initialize the data directory
mindmap init

# Add a new entry
mindmap add "Brainstorm: redesign landing page layout"

# Add another entry
mindmap add "TODO: review pull request #42"

# List all entries
mindmap list

# Search for entries containing "redesign"
mindmap search "redesign"

# Export all data to a file
mindmap export > backup.txt

# Check status
mindmap status

# Show version and data path
mindmap info

# Run a custom operation
mindmap run "process weekly report"
```

## Output

All command output goes to stdout. Redirect to save:

```bash
mindmap list > all-entries.txt
mindmap export > export-backup.txt
```

## Configuration

Set the `MINDMAP_DIR` environment variable to change the data directory:

```bash
export MINDMAP_DIR="$HOME/my-mindmap-data"
mindmap init
```

Default location: `~/.local/share/mindmap/`

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