Comapping is built on Adobe Flash Player which is reaching its end of life on December 31st, 2020. We are working on potential migration options, however, rest assumed you can continue using the Desktop Version even after December 31st, 2020.



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FAQs

Saving, Collaboration, and Publishing

1. How do I make sure I won't lose data, even if I lose my internet connection?

    Only if you set your Auto-Recover Settings to 'YES'. Settings are defaulted to 'NO' for new accounts, so be sure to change your settings on your personal computer ASAP.

    How to change your settings:

    1. Log into a new session at comapping.com
    2. In your 'START WITH' dialog box, Click the 'AUTO-RECOVERED...' button. This is where any auto-recovered maps will be stored.
    3. Click the upper right 'SETTINGS' Button and choose the appropriate radio button selection.

    To read more about this and the Comapping Status Indicators, click here. You can also check out the FAQ below, Data safety 2. What if I lose my network connection.

    You can also manually save a backup by clicking 'save as', then importing this map, or your Auto-recovered map, later when you have an internet connection.

    Note: If you lose data from a previously saved map (Green Status Indicator in your upper left), you can click contact us to get a restored/backup map from our server. Please specify the Map name, creator and time of the saved map you want, so we can search and provide you with your backup as soon as possible. There is a handy form in the Advanced Tab --> Feedback --> Restore Map

2. What if I lose my network connection?

If your internet connection slows dramatically or you totally lose your connection, a prolonged yellow or red dot shows up in the top left of your map toolbar. If your Auto-recover Settings are set to 'YES', a recovered backup will be saved to your computer. If your Auto-recover is not set to 'NO', Comapping will try to ask you if you are sure you don't want to change your settings in order to save a backup, but this is risky. We suggest setting your Auto Recover to 'YES', especially on your computer. See the first FAQ above 'Saving Collaboration and Publishing FAQ --> 1. How do I make sure I won't lose data, even if I lose my internet connection?'. To read more about this and the Comapping Status Indicators, click here.

On public computers, setting your Auto-Recovery to 'YES' can be a security risk, which is why we have defaulted this setting to 'NO'. This setting follows the computer your are on, not your account.

Note that you can continue working as long as you want offline. We suggest you manually 'save as' and save a copy to your computer as a safeguard, especially if you have set your Auto-recover settings to 'NO'. When you come back online, you can import your map (.comap file).

When you regain your internet connection, Comapping will try to sync the offline saved version, but this is not always possible, especially if the map has changed too much. So, if you come online while your map is still open, and you still have a red dot in the upper lefthand corner of your map (status indicator), you may need to reopen the map. If you see that your data is lost, log out and log back in again. But before opening a map, you'll see that 'AUTO-RECOVERED' is highlighted in your 'START WITH...' dialog box. Click this to open the auto-recoverd version of your map that is on your computer. This autosaved version is not shared and cannot be saved w/ the same name as your online map.

How to get manually sync your maps after working offline:

  • One option to sync your data is to open this map and your online map at the same time, then copy/paste the information into your online map using the toolbar commands (sometimes shortcuts tend to lose the copy as you go between application. sometime; you might even have to use the toolbar commands a couple of times if you internet connection is having problems).
  • Another option is to save the new map as a new name, but keep in mind that you will have to reshare. The only way to save as the old name is to delete the old file first, but make sure you no longer need it first!

3. Why can’t I save my map?

  • You are currently using a trial mode where saving has been disabled.

4. Can I collaborate with others?

  • Yes you can. First create a map.
  • Click "Share" and type the e-mails of those you want to collaborate with.
  • Notice, you and your friends can work on the same map at the same time!

5. How many people can work on a Comapping at the same time?

Comapping has been designed for up to 20 users working on the same map at the same time. More people working simultaneously on a common map may be possible, but the exact upper limit depends on a number of factors that may vary over time.

6. What can people do with a Comapping once I have shared it with them?

That depends on whether you have shared the map in View only or Edit mode. In view-only mode, your peers can see and browse through the map, but not add or edit information. If you shared the map in Edit mode, they can edit the information if they have a valid Comapping account. If they do not yet have an account, it takes just a few clicks to subscribe for a 6 or 12 month period or they can start with a 30 day free trial membership.

7. How large can I make my Comapping?

Maps can grow to be as large as you need them to be based on what your computer can handle. Maps typically would be extensive before computer processing might diminish. If you plan to work on very large maps, you may need more computer power at some point. If you are in doubt about whether or not the performance is related to your hardware, please do not hesitate to contact our Customer Service team at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .

8. Can I let people see a Comapping, but keep them from changing it?

Yes you can differentiate between collaborators in the Share dialogue box by indicating whether the individual has Editing rights or View Only rights.

9. Can I let some people see and edit a Comapping, while limiting others to just viewing the map?

Yes you can differentiate between collaborators in the Share dialogue box.

10. Can I unshare a Comapping so that people can no longer see it, not even the old shared one?

Yes, you can remove access to a map you've previously shared by clicking on the No Access button next to the e-mail address. Click Save and that e-mail's access to the map will be removed.

11. What program do people need to view my Comappings?

They need an internet browser with Flash 9 or later. Nearly all computers have this pre-installed.

12. Can I hold a presentation with my Comappings?

Absolutely, Click on the "Shortcuts and Presentations" tab and select the parts of the Comapping you want to present. You do need to focus on the part of the map that you want to set as a slide by: clicking on the appropriat area of the map, hit tab to focus on that section, then click on Add Shortcut on the menu bar. You can have individuals vew your presentation on their computer as well by having them click on the Join Presentation buton in their tool bar. In addition, there is also the added feature for you and your participants to edit the part of the Comapping you are presenting during presentation mode.

13. How many Comappings may I have stored on the server?

As many as you'd like.

 

Security & privacy

1. How secure are my maps?

Your documents are stored on a server that meets some of the highest international standards - both in terms of performance and security.

2. Will you respect my privacy?

Absolutely! The safety and privacy of your maps is our top-priority. Please rest assured that we do everything we can to protect your data.

3. Will you send me spam?

No, we will not share your information with any third party entities.

4. Can I get a virus from using Comapping?

No.

 

Data safety

1. I’m worried that I’ll lose my data and maps when they are not stored on my own computer

Your data is very important to us!

In fact, every change you make to a map is immediately sent to the server where it’s saved as quickly as possible to our secure server. As long as you see the green dot in the top right of your map, rest assured that your map is saved. And if you lose your connection, you're still ok (see #2 below)

If you lose your internet connection or if it slows considerably, you're still ok. Read #2 below for more information on how we backup your data for quick retrieval

On the server, we backup all data every hour. Currently, backups are made of all data and kept for 2 months. If you lose any data, e-mail us and we can retrieve your map(s) back 60 days with 1-hour precision!

You can also download a backup of your maps to your own computer. Simply "Export" > "as a Comapping file" in the Basics tab. To restore a locally saved file to the server, use the "Import" feature.

2. What if I lose my network connection?

If your internet connection slows dramatically or you totally lose your connection, a red dot shows up in the top right of your map toolbar. This means a copy of the Comapping has automatically been stored on your computer (after asking your permission in a popup the first time this happens), and you can continue working as long as you want offline.

When you regain your internet connection, Comapping will try to sync the offline saved version, but this is not always possible if the map has changed too much. If you come online while your map is still open, and you still have a red dot in the upper righthand corner of your map, you may need to reopen the map. When re-opening, you'll see that 'Autosave' is highlighted. Click this to open the autosaved version of your map that is on your computer. This autosaved version is not shared and cannot be saved w/ the same name as your online map

  • One option to sync your data is to open this map and your online map at the same time, then copy/paste the information into your online map using the toolbar commands (sometimes shortcuts tend to lose the copy as you go between application. sometime; you might even have to use the toolbar commands a couple of times if you internet connection is having problems).
  • Another option is to save the new map as a new name, but keep in mind that you will have to reshare. The only way to save as the old name is to delete the old file first, but make sure you no longer need it first!

3. Will my maps stay on the server even if I forget to renew my membership?

Yes! The safety of your Comappings is our top-priority. We will keep your maps for as long as you wish up to 3 years after an expired membership.

 

Money/Fees/Costs

1. How much does it cost to show Comapping to my colleagues or classmates?

Nothing! You can freely share maps for others to view. You can even continue editing or building the maps while they are watching. However in order for them to edit your maps, a new user would need to subscribe for either the free 30 day trial membership or for the 6 or 12 month subscription.

2. How much does a subscription cost?

Please refer to our pricing page for individual and group pricing.

3. Are discounts available for multiple licenses?

Yes they are - check our pricing page for details or contact us at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .

4. Can I subscribe longer than six months at a time?

 

Features

1. Can I upload a document to Comapping and then write a link to it on the map?

Yes you can. Simply click on the Advanced Tab, then click on Insert File. Select the file you want to insert and a link will be added to the map that contains the file.

2. Can I insert a picture?

Yes. Go to the Advanced tab and click the Attach file button. When you attach a .jpg, .png or .gif file, a small thumbnail image will appear.

3. How do I insert a hard return inside of an active text block?

Hold shift and hit return/enter.

4. The normal keyboard shortcuts for e.g. cut, copy and paste do not always work?

This is a common problem in web-based applications. For better results when having trouble w/ these shortcut keys, try using the header toolbar buttons or try Right-Clicking a topic. These ways are more reliable. But generally, the old style short cuts work:

  • Cut: Shift + Del
  • Copy: Ctrl + Ins
  • Paste: Shift + Ins

5. Why do you not have the same features as mind mapping programs?

Comapping is all about being easy-to-use and easy-to-share. We therefore carefully prioritize which features that should go into the program as complexity must be kept at a minimum. We also do our best to support clear and clean design of the maps avoiding unnecessary information clutter. However, if you are lacking features that are critical to your use of Comapping, please let us know in the forum or by hitting the 'Feedback' button in the 'Advanced' tab of the application. You can also e-mail us at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .

6. Can I make Comappings when I’m offline?

Yes you can!. We have our new offline version of Comapping which can be downloaded now as a part of Open Beta program. This will allow you to create/edit maps in those instances when an internet connection is not available.

Just visit our download page and try it!

7. Does Comapping work on a Mac?

Yes it does! And on Linux as well. You only need to have Flash installed (we recommend at least version 9).

8. Can I add my own icons?

No, not yet…

9. How do I remove icons?

Right click on the icon and select from the menu options, or click on the same icon again in the toolbar above

10. Why did you make all of these formatting options, but not bold and italic?

Because right now it would increase the bandwidth requirements in a way that is out of proportion with the gains. We will include these additional type fonts when the cost-benefit ratio has improved.

11. Why does Comapping ask me to install Flash?

Comapping uses the Flash version 9 or later plug-in to execute the program. Flash is preinstalled on most modern computers, but in a few cases you are required to upgrade to a newer version. Just click the link and follow the instructions

12. Can I get a local server to run Comapping?

Yes you can! We do have a deployable server installation, so if you are interested, please write us an e-mail at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

13. I get the following message: A script is causing this movie to run slowly…
Why do I get this and what should I do?

This is usually just a temporary problem typically related to a temporary lack of computer power or memory due to other applications competing for your computers resources. Try clicking 'Ignore' and wait a few seconds. If the dialogue box reappears, please try to close other applications before clicking 'Ignore' again. If that solves the problem, you should consider working with fewer applications open. If the problem persists for prolonged periods (e.g. months), you should examine the performance of your computer more closely and consider relevant upgrade to remove performance bottlenecks. Comapping is based on high-performance code and we are constantly pushing the envelope in terms of performance of internet applications. Nevertheless, if you are working on very large maps, you may need more computer power at some point.