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

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

Examples

# 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:

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

Configuration

Set the MINDMAP_DIR environment variable to change the data directory:

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

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