Cards
Cards are the lifeblood of MasterPlan. They carry information, and represent general individual "things" that you can move freely around the space that is your project. There are a variety of different Card types, and they all serve different purposes.
Cards can be moved freely around the project by left clicking on them and dragging.
To create a Card in MasterPlan, you can do so by clicking on the card type from the Create menu (which is able to be closed and opened at will from the View menu at the top-left corner of the screen). You can also press the key shortcut to create a Card of the desired type.
To edit the properties on cards in MasterPlan, you simply click or double-click directly on the elements of the Card that you'd like to edit. For example, double-clicking on editable text will allow you to edit it, while clicking on buttons will allow you to press them or activate options. Editable text will visually invert when you hover over it, and it will have an underline to indicate it can be changed.
Some buttons only appear around the perimter of selected Cards - the Map and Image Cards fall into this category.
A Card's type can be edited after creation by using the (View > Edit > Set Type) menu. From here, you can select the type for any selected Cards to be changed into. You can also recolor Cards by using the (View > Edit > Set Color) menu.
A single selected Card can be resized by clicking and dragging around its border. When resizing is possible, the cursor will change from an single-headed selection arrow to a double-sided arrow.
Multiple cards can be edited at a single time by holding the "Add to Selection / Multiple Modifier" key, left-shift (by default). When you have the left-shift key held, any operation you perform (like checking a checkbox) or initiate (like editing text) on a card's contents will be applied as applicable on all other selected cards as well.
You can resize multiple Cards at the same time by selecting them, holding Left Shift (by default), and then clicking and dragging.
Stacks are a central feature of MasterPlan. By placing Cards in a vertical column, you create a stack (which will be indicated by a vertical line at the left side of the stack). If any of the Cards are completeable (either Checkbox or Numbered Cards), they will show a number at their top-left corner, indicating their placement.
Moving a Card into and out of a Stack
Cards that are not complete-able can also belong to the Stack, allowing you to use them as indicators and bridges for other, complete-able Cards.
If you indent a Card (move a Card to the right in relation to the Card above it), it will create a hierarchical list, such that the Card above (the parent) depends on the indented Card below (the child), assuming that the parent is a Checkbox Card. This hierarchy will be shown by means of a number at the top-right corner of the parent Card, indicating how many of its children are complete out of the total.
Indenting Cards underneath the "Create a Game" card.
You can also freely move Cards using keyboard shortcuts - by default, this can be done by simply holding Left Control key and using the arrow keys. If you move a Card into another one, they will attempt to swap locations. You can also select Cards in cardinal directions relative to a selected Card by using the arrow keys alone. The Tab and Shift Tab keys are used to cycle through all Cards on the current page.
Cards can be connected via arrows by using the Connect tool (Z, by default). These connections serve visual and technical purposes. These arrows show relationships between two or more Cards, but also allow Cards to be dependant on each other for completion (where one Checkbox card depends on one or more other, distant cards to be considered complete, for example). Links from Timers to other Cards allow them to trigger those other Cards when the Timers elapse.
To form a Connection, hold the Connect key, then drag from one Card to another. An arrow will point from the Card you initially clicked on (the start) to the Card you released the mouse button over (the end). To remove a Link, simply redraw the original link. You can also use the Disconnect All Links shortcut (defaulting to Left Shift + Z) to remove all active connections heading to or from the selected Cards.
You can create bends in the link between Cards by clicking and dragging on the circular node in the center of the link between Cards. You can delete a previously-placed node by double-clicking on it. To move all of the Nodes in a link, simply move both Cards.
When a Checkbox is linked to another complete-able Card (like a Checkbox or Numbered Card) in the above manner, it will change to show its dependency. In the above example, the "First" checkbox is dependent on the completion of its linked child, the "Second" checkbox. Because of this, the "First" Checkbox has a "multi-task" icon (the stacked squares) instead of the checkbox button, and has a numbered completion indicator (the 0/1 at the top-right corner).
For more information about Deadlines, head over to the Deadlines section.
Checkboxes are simple checkboxes (of course). They represent a simple change in Boolean state - either a task is done, or it is not. When a Checkbox card is complete, the card will change color. As you write, the card will expand automatically.
Any Checkbox Cards that are linked to other completable Cards will become parents of those Cards, as can be seen in the screenshot above for linking.
Numbered Cards represent repetitive tasks. For example, you might need to complete a certain number of commissions for a client, or wash a certain number of dishes. For these kinds of tasks, Numbered cards do well. You simply set the maximum number by pressing the + or - buttons, and then increment or decrement the current value on the left by clicking on its set of + and - buttons. Similarly to Checkbox cards, when a Numbered card's current number matches its maximum, it will change color.
Notes represent a block of information, and simply hold text for you to comfortably enter. Like the Checkbox, as you write on the Note, it will expand vertically automatically.
A Sound Card represents a sound file from your computer. If you drag and drop a sound file onto the MasterPlan window, it will become a Sound card in your project. You can edit the path to the Sound file by clicking on the Edit Path button; after this, you can paste in the path to a file on your computer, or even a URL.
If you set a Sound Card's path to a URL, MasterPlan will automatically download the sound file for playback. The file will be stored in the temporary directory of your computer, in this case. If you've copied the URL or path to a sound file, you can easily make a Card out of it by using the External Paste shortcut (which is, by default, Ctrl+Shift+V).
Image Cards allow you to place images within your project. The options to edit an Image appear at the top of the Image Card when it's selected - they are Load File, Edit Path, and Reset Size to 1:1, in that order. When an image is unloaded, it will look like a gray square photograph (as can be seen in the image above).
Similarly to Sounds, you can drag and drop images onto MasterPlan to create an image from their contents. Similarly to Sound Cards, you can set an Image Card's path to a URL to an image online, and MasterPlan will download it for display. You can also use External Paste (Ctrl+Shift+V, by default) to paste the path or URL into an Image Card easily and quickly.
Screenshots (or other image data) can be pasted directly from your clipboard into your project, as well - simply use the External Paste shortcut (Ctrl+Shift+V) to paste the image in directly.
Timers can be used to measure the passage of time within your project. There are currently two kinds of Timer modes - Stopwatch, and Countdown. When in Stopwatch mode, the timer acts as a stopwatch - pressing Play starts it, pressing Pause pauses it (of course), and pressing the reset button resets it.
When in Countdown mode, you can set the maximum amount of time for the timer, and then pressing Play will count up to the time you set. When the timer counts down, you'll get a message indicating the timer has elapsed (and a notification and sound, if you have those settings enabled). If a Timer is linked to other Cards, it will trigger them automatically.
Timers have trigger modes, indicating what the Timer should do when the Timer elapses. The first option is to toggle any connected Cards, the second is to set or enable the Card, while the last is to clear the Card.
What effect the trigger mode has depends on the connected Card type:
| Connected Card type | Trigger Mode: Set | Trigger Mode: Clear |
|---|---|---|
| Checkbox | Fill in check | Clear check |
| Numbered | Max out current value (i.e. set to 100/100) | Clear current value (i.e. set to 0/100) |
| Note | Nothing | Nothing |
| Sound | Start playback | Stop playback |
| Image | Nothing | Nothing |
| Timer | Start timer | Stop timer |
| Map | Nothing | Nothing |
| Subpage | Nothing | Nothing |
The Toggle trigger mode simply alternates between either of the Set or Clear behaviors above.
A map showing an area in the blockout stage
A Map's main feature is to allow the user to generally block out outdoor or indoor spaces for games or other creative endeavors. Maps are always "below" other Cards, allowing you to place other things (like notes or images) on top of them. Coincidentally, a square on the map is 32x32 pixels in size.
When editing the Map, its background will turn transparent and it will appear on top of any elements previously lying on it. This will allow you to draw on the map while being able to see any relevant images or text you've previously placed on the Map.
The map tools
When a Map is selected, a suite of tools will appear at its top - going in order from left-to-right, these are the Arrow, Pencil, Eraser, Bucket, Line, Palette, and Rotate Right and Rotate Left buttons.
The Select tool is the default, and allows you to simply pick up and move the Map without editing it. If you are editing the map and click outside of it, the Map will stop editing and you will be able to pick it up and move it around like any other Card.
The Pencil tool allows you to simply draw cells on the Map. Right clicking will allow you to erase cells, as well.
The Eraser tool allows you to erase cells, much like right-clicking with the Pencil.
The Bucket allows you to flood fill a given area with a color.
The Line tool allows you to draw a line from a starting cell to a desired ending cell. Note that you can also draw a line by holding the quick line shortcut (left shift, by default) and clicking and dragging from one cell to another.
The Palette button will open a menu from which you will be able to select from a variety of colors and patterns. By using different colors and patterns, you can indicate different zones and states on your map (impassible, transport, etc). At the bottom of the menu, you'll also have the option to shift your map entirely over in one of the cardinal directions. Cells shifted in this manner will wrap around the map canvas.
Finally, the Rotate buttons allow you to rotate the Map 90 degrees around in either direction.
A Sub-Page is a Card that represents a sub-page, where you can place more Cards (including other Sub-Pages). Sub-Pages can be moved around at will, and allow you to easily spread a project out across multiple pages, keeping you from cluttering a single "area" with content.
A Sub-Page bears a screenshot of its contents - specifically, the area around the origin point, and will populate once you've visited the sub-page once. If you copy and paste a Sub-Page, the resulting Card will be a duplicate sub-page with the same title, but no contents. To point to or enter a sub-page from elsewhere, use Link Cards (as described below).
(As an aside, it's a known issue that sub-pages don't show their contents when first loading a project.)
A Link Card is a Card that links to something - either another Card in MasterPlan, or a file on your computer. The Link Mode indicator on the Card indicates what mode the Card is in.
In Card Mode, the Link Card will point to a Card that you select. This card can be on the current page, or on a different sub-page. To select the card to link to, click on "Link". The cursor will change to an eyedropper, indicating that MasterPlan is ready to see which Card that you select to link to. After navigating to and clicking on the card that you wish to link to, the link will be formed. If you want to cancel the linking process, you can right click or press the Escape key. When the Link Card is pointing to a valid Card, a checkmark will appear at the bottom-left of the Card, and the Card will change color to be slightly brighter.
Pressing Jump (or pressing Enter, by default) will jump to the linked Card. This allows you to establish shortcuts to hop around your plan more easily (in addiiton to using the Hierarchy menu).
In File Mode, you can use the Link Card to point to a file or program on your computer to run it right from MasterPlan. In this mode, the options present on the Card itself change. "Link" now becomes "Browse" - pressing this option will open a file browser to browse for a file or program on your computer to open or run (by pressing the Run button or the Enter key). You can also press the "Edit Path" button (the button between "Browse and Run") to manually edit the path and point to a specific program or file, as well as type in any arguments you need to pass when running the program.
When linking to files instead of programs, MasterPlan will open the file using whatever the default program is for that file type on your operating system.
A Table is a Card that visualizes a series of tasks or properties in one compact block. By default, a Table is set to visualize its properties as checkboxes (visible on the left-hand table in the screenshot above), but a Table can also be set to visualize as grades (S, A, B, C, D, E, and F), or numbers (0 through 10). To change how a Table is displayed, press the property button at the bottom of the table when it's selected and you'll be able to change the table's display mode from the menu that appears.
To edit the value for a Table, just left click on the cell at an intersection of the Table. Right-clicking will cycle through the possibilities in the opposite direction. For a checkbox, the possible options are an empty cell, a filled cell (indicating the task is complete for that intersection of the column and row), and an X, indicating the task doesn't need to be done.
The total amount of slots completed for a column or row will fill the background of that column or row header text, showing how that category is.
An example illustrating the need for these options would be if you were making animations for characters in a game, and using a Table to keep track of which animations were complete or not. Not every character may need every animation - For example, shopkeepers may not need animations to move or attack, while enemies may not need animations to greet or talk with the player. This being the case, you can put X marks for those unneeded animations. (As an aside, each individual slot in a checkbox table adds time into the time tracking system.)
Tables being visualized as grades and numbers are useful when grading elements on a scale, like stats for characters in an RPG.