Utilities

This review evaluates a pre-release version of NoteMap, one of CaseSoft’s two new programs in the suite. NoteMap is available for download at www.casesoft.com.

In its present form, NoteMap is an outliner par excellence. Outlines are created in the program’s main window, and all basic functions can be activated without resorting to the mouse or even removing your hands from the keyboard. Pressing the “Enter” key creates the next entry at the same level as the last. Pressing the “Tab” key demotes the entry one level; “shift+Tab” promotes the entry one level, and so on. If you type (or cut and paste) text into the outline, you can demote and promote each entry with the intuitively marked arrow keys. Entries also can be dragged-and-dropped vertically and horizontally.

The outlines can contain a great deal of text. NoteMap has several features to keep the lawyer from becoming overwhelmed.

One feature, called “hoisting,” isolates and allows you to view all of the detail of a particular level entry with one mouse click or a keyboard shortcut. You can hoist within a hoist to isolate exactly what you want to view. When you are done viewing the isolated detail, “dehoisting” the entry returns you to your outline.

Where hoisting allows you to isolate a particular part of your outline, “folding” helps you view the outline as a whole by displaying only the first line of each entry. Moving the mouse pointer over the entry displays only the rest of the text in that entry for as long as the mouse pointer hovers over it.

“Locking” a note prevents that particular note from being edited. Single notes can be locked, or the entire outline can be locked so the people to whom you distribute the outline can’t edit the entire outline.

You can also link a note to an external file. For example, if you outline a deposition or contract (in ASCII or WordPerfect), you can attach the file. If the note refers to a photograph or chart, you can attach the image. Double-clicking the “External File” icon opens the external file. Of course, you can expand and contract outlines, create text in several colors, highlight text in several colors and attach comments.

Outlines can be sent directly to Microsoft Word or WordPerfect. If you employ certain document management programs where you have to go through Word or WordPerfect, this feature may not work. You can, of course, cut and paste the entire outline instead. You can send the outline directly to Microsoft PowerPoint.

NoteMap lets you manage multiple open outlines. A host of new features are planned for later versions of the program, including integration with CaseMap. CaseMap can send data filtered by various criteria to other programs. Transferring notes to NoteMap 1.0 in this manner will be a great timesaver.

Microsoft Windows 95/98/ME/2000,
or Windows NT 4.0 Workstation operating
systems

Price: $99 per user license, quantity discounts and site licenses available.

Reviewed by Steven Schmidt, shareholder, director and president of Business & Technology Law, Albuquerque, N.M.

Aug/Sep '01 Issue

PROS
Easy to use, comprehensive, feature-rich outlining program that helps lawyers organize their thoughts and plan a strategy for winning a case

CONS
Not all of the planned features are implemented, and some will not be implemented until Version 2.

VERDICT
The Rolls-Royce of outliners that eventually will integrate with CaseMap.

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Updated 09/18/01
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