HOWTO: Converting Pocket Mindmap files using XSLT Scripts

 

Pocket Mindmap use a XML file format. You can convert XML files with XSLT scripts to nearly any format including complex ones like PDF. 

For the conversion you need the following three components:

1. The XML input file - in this case a Pocket Mindmap file you have created yourself. Note: Make sure that you have saved the mindmap as “Pocket Mindmap file (*.pmap)”
2. The XSLT Script - in this sample we are using the Script pmap2fm.xslt to convert Pocket Mindmap files to the FreeMind file format. You’ll find the script in our developer area.
3. An XSLT processor - in this case we use nxslt.

 

This tutorial uses a German Windows XP desktop computer and the German sample mindmap „Was ist neu in Pocket Mindmap 1.3.2.pmap“. You can also use the English version (“What’s new in Pocket Mindmap 1.3.2.pmap” available here.

 

 

Please download first nxslt from the URL http://www.xmllab.net/Downloads/tabid/61/Default.aspx. Please use version 1.6.4 (Microsoft .Net Framework 1.1) with the supplied XSLT Scripts (pmap2fm.xslt). You will also need the Microsoft .Net Framework.

 

Extract the downloaded zip file in a new directory. You’ll find nxslt.exe in the subdirectory nxslt-1.6.4\bin.

Start the command prompt from the Start Menu / Programs / Accessories.

 

Change the current directory to the directory of nsxslt.exe:

 

Now invoke the XSLT processor with the Pocket Mindmap file and the XSLT Script. Also supply an output file and write in one line:

nxslt "c:\users\jmk\scripts\Was ist neu in Pocket Mindmap 1.3.2.pmap" c:\users\jmk\scripts\pmap2fm.xslt -o "c:\users\jmk\scripts\Was ist neu in Pocket Mindmap  1.3.2.mm"

 

 

If you open the newly created file in an editor like Notepad it will look like the following:

 

Now you should be able to open the converted file with FreeMind.

 

Note: Not all features from Pocket Mindmap will be transferred to the FreeMind file. For example FreeMind currently does not support floating topics and also only some symbols will be transferred as there is no suitable match.