Mindmap Generator

Each mind map lives in its own JSON file:

src/content/mindmaps/<slug>.json

The filename (without .json) becomes the URL slug. For example:

• src/content/mindmaps/ci-cd-pipelines.json → /toolbox/mindmaps/ci-cd-pipelines/

The Astro content collection (type: "data") picks up all files automatically — no registration needed. The [slug] dynamic route generates one page per JSON file.

Data Model Reference

MindMapRef

interface MindMapRef {
  /** Target node ID this node references. */
  targetId: string;
  /** Optional label describing the relationship (e.g. "deploys via", "depends on"). */
  label?: string;
}

MindMapNode

interface MindMapNode {
  /** Unique id (kebab-case, e.g. "k8s-pods"). */
  id: string;
  /** Display label shown on the node. */
  label: string;
  /** Optional CSS color for this branch (hex string). */
  color?: string;
  /** Optional detailed notes (plain text, Markdown-friendly). */
  notes?: string;
  /** Optional annotation — a short tag/badge shown on the node (e.g. "key concept", "gotcha", "critical"). */
  annotation?: string;
  /** Cross-branch references to other nodes. Rendered as dashed connector lines. */
  refs?: MindMapRef[];
  /** Child nodes. Leaf nodes omit or use []. */
  children?: MindMapNode[];
}

JSON file schema (validated by Zod in src/content.config.ts)

{
  "title": "Human-readable title",
  "description": "Short description for cards and SEO.",
  "tags": ["lowercase", "tags"],
  "createdAt": "2026-01-01T00:00:00Z",
  "updatedAt": "2026-01-01T00:00:00Z",
  "root": {
    "id": "root",
    "label": "Root Label",
    "notes": "Optional notes on the root.",
    "annotation": "Optional short badge text",
    "refs": [
      { "targetId": "another-node-id", "label": "relationship label" }
    ],
    "children": []
  }
}

Note: The slug field is not included in the JSON — it is derived from the filename by Astro.

Workflow

1. Plan the tree: Outline the hierarchy (root → branches → leaves) before writing JSON. Aim for 2–4 levels of depth.
2. Create the file: Write src/content/mindmaps/<slug>.json following the schema above.
3. Validate: Run pnpm build to confirm no schema or TypeScript errors.
4. Preview: Run pnpm dev and navigate to /toolbox/mindmaps/ to verify the card appears and the detail page renders.

Node Authoring Guidelines

IDs

• Use kebab-case derived from the label (e.g. "terraform-modules").
• Prefix with the parent topic when useful for uniqueness (e.g. "k8s-pods", "helm-charts").
• IDs must be unique across the entire mind map.

Labels

• Keep labels short (1–4 words). Detail goes in notes.
• Use the official product/tool name casing (e.g. "Kubernetes", "Terraform", "gRPC").

Notes

• Write 1–3 sentences of plain text.
• Explain what the concept is and why it matters.
• Include practical context: when to use it, key trade-offs, related tools.
• Avoid markdown formatting — keep it as readable prose.
• Notes are displayed in a panel below the mind map canvas.

Colors

• Assign a color (hex string) to first-level children of the root for branch distinction.
• Use the tool/brand colour when available (e.g. "#326CE5" for Kubernetes blue).
• Deeper nodes inherit colour from their branch; no need to set color on every node.

Annotations

• Short badge labels shown directly on the node (e.g. "key concept", "gotcha", "critical", "best practice").
• Use annotations to highlight the nature/purpose of a node at a glance.
• Keep to 1-2 words. Detail goes in notes.

Cross-Branch References (refs)

• Use refs to connect a node to nodes in other branches (rendered as dashed lines).
• Each ref needs a targetId (must be a valid node ID in the same mind map) and an optional label.
• Labels describe the relationship: "deploys via", "depends on", "alternative to", "complements".
• Use sparingly — too many refs create visual clutter. Focus on the most insightful relationships.

Tree Structure

• Root node: The overarching topic. Always id: "root".
• Level 1: Major subtopics or tools (3–6 recommended).
• Level 2: Categories within each subtopic (2–5 per branch).
• Level 3+: Individual concepts (2–6 per category). Avoid going deeper than level 4.

Example: Adding a New Mind Map

Create src/content/mindmaps/ci-cd-pipelines.json:

{
  "title": "CI/CD Pipelines",
  "description": "Continuous Integration and Delivery concepts, tools, and best practices.",
  "tags": ["devops", "ci-cd", "automation"],
  "createdAt": "2026-03-01T00:00:00Z",
  "updatedAt": "2026-03-01T00:00:00Z",
  "root": {
    "id": "root",
    "label": "CI/CD Pipelines",
    "notes": "Automating build, test, and deployment workflows for faster, safer releases.",
    "children": [
      {
        "id": "ci",
        "label": "Continuous Integration",
        "color": "#2563EB",
        "notes": "Merging code frequently with automated builds and tests.",
        "children": [
          { "id": "ci-build", "label": "Build Automation", "notes": "..." },
          { "id": "ci-testing", "label": "Automated Testing", "notes": "..." }
        ]
      },
      {
        "id": "cd",
        "label": "Continuous Delivery",
        "color": "#16A34A",
        "notes": "Keeping code in a deployable state at all times.",
        "children": [
          { "id": "cd-staging", "label": "Staging Environments", "notes": "..." },
          { "id": "cd-rollbacks", "label": "Rollback Strategies", "notes": "..." }
        ]
      }
    ]
  }
}

This automatically generates:

• A card on /toolbox/mindmaps/
• A detail page at /toolbox/mindmaps/ci-cd-pipelines/
• The same pages under /zh-hant/toolbox/mindmaps/

Quality Checklist

Before finalising a mind map, verify:

• All id values are unique within the mind map
• Every branch node (with children) has at least 2 children
• Root node id is "root"
• First-level children have a color set
• Filename is URL-safe kebab-case (matches intended slug)
• tags are lowercase
• createdAt and updatedAt are valid ISO 8601
• notes are present on all nodes with non-obvious labels
• pnpm build succeeds with 0 errors

Verification

# Type-check and build
pnpm build

# Preview
pnpm dev
# Open http://localhost:4321/toolbox/mindmaps/

File Locations