Feature tutorials

SiYuan Plugin Features: Doc-tree Maps, Block Maps, Doc Cards, Mirror Blocks, and Sub-documents

Inside SiYuan a KMind Zen map is part of the doc tree rather than an attachment: create it like a document, embed it in a page, derive it from a document, or drag SiYuan blocks and documents onto the canvas as cards that stay in sync. All fifteen clips on this page were recorded in SiYuan.

KMind ZenUpdated Sep 20, 20268 min read

SiYuan plugin More tutorials

Key takeaways

Both the doc tree and the dock open a create dialog where you name the map and pick a theme.
Block maps live in the document body; hover the icon or use the context menu to edit.
Block cards and doc cards dragged onto the canvas sync both ways with the original.
Split a long document into nested child documents by heading, and organize the document tree as a map in MOC mode with changes written back to SiYuan.
SiYuan block links and PDF annotations paste straight into the map as clickable link nodes, and typing / or [[ in a node inserts a SiYuan document link.

Doc-tree map

Right-click a document in the doc tree, choose "Insert KMind below document", name the map in the dialog, pick a theme card, and click Create.

The map appears as a document in the tree and opens right away; manage it like any other document from then on.

Animation of creating a KMind Zen map from the SiYuan doc-tree context menu — Document context menu → Insert KMind below → name, theme → Create.

Dock map

Click the KMind icon in the left dock to open the panel, then click New in its header for the same create dialog.

Dock maps stay out of the doc tree — good for quick ideas and drafts you can switch between from the panel.

Animation of creating a KMind Zen map from the SiYuan dock panel — Dock → KMind Zen → New.

Block map inside a document

Type / in an empty paragraph and choose "Insert KMind Zen block map": a preview image appears in the document and its editor opens automatically.

Back in the document the preview is already in place, and it refreshes every time you save in the editor.

Animation of inserting a KMind Zen block map into a SiYuan document from the slash menu — / → Insert KMind Zen block map.

Edit a block map inside a document

Hover the block-map preview and a KMind icon appears in its top-right corner; click it to open the editor.

Alternatively right-click the preview and choose "Edit mindmap" under the Plugin submenu.

Animation of editing a KMind Zen block map from the hover icon and from the context menu in SiYuan — Hover the top-right icon, or right-click → Plugin → Edit mindmap.

Convert a document to a map and use the capsule

Open a normal document and click "Doc Map" next to the breadcrumb: the body renders as a map in place and a capsule appears top-right.

Expand the capsule to switch between the heading outline and the full block tree, create an editable copy, or click "Back to editing" to return. The document itself is not modified.

Animation of converting a SiYuan document to a KMind Zen map and switching structure from the capsule — Doc Map → capsule: heading outline / full block tree → Back to editing.

Split headings into sub-documents

In Outline mode, expand the capsule and click "Split into Docs". A confirmation lists the headings that will be converted; after you confirm, every heading becomes a SiYuan child document in place, and level-3 headings nest under their level-2 parent.

When the split finishes, the document switches to MOC mode, so its body now shows the document tree as a map. Expand the document in the file tree to see the new nested children. The original keeps its document ID and the text above the first heading.

Animation of splitting a long SiYuan document into nested child documents by heading and entering MOC mode — Outline → Split into Docs → confirm → MOC mode; nested child documents appear in the doc tree.

MOC mode: organize the doc tree as a map

Right-click a document that has children in the file tree and choose "Enable / disable MOC mode". The document now renders its sub-document tree as a map: the root is the document itself and each child node is one child document.

Select a node and press Tab: a child document (named "Untitled document" by default) is created in the SiYuan file tree right away. Double-click the node, type a new title and press Enter to rename that document. Reordering and re-parenting by drag are written back too. The SiYuan document tree stays the source of truth.

Animation of enabling MOC mode in the KMind Zen SiYuan plugin and creating a child document from the map — Enable MOC from the context menu → tree map → Tab creates a child document → double-click to rename, synced back.

Drag a block onto the canvas; edits sync both ways

With the map and a document side by side, grab the drag handle to the left of a block and drop it on the canvas to create a block card.

Text typed inside the card syncs back to the document, and edits in the document flow into the card.

Animation of dragging a SiYuan block onto the KMind Zen canvas as a block card and editing it from both sides — Drag the block handle onto the canvas → block card; edits sync both ways.

Drag a document onto the canvas; edits sync both ways

Drag a document from the doc tree onto empty canvas to create a doc card with its title, time, and summary.

"Open right" on the card toolbar edits the original side by side; "Switch to live" makes the card itself editable, with both in sync.

Animation of dragging a SiYuan document onto the KMind Zen canvas as a doc card and editing it from both sides — Drag the document onto the canvas → doc card → Open right / Switch to live.

Paste a SiYuan block link

Put the caret in a block of a SiYuan document and press ⇧⌘H (or use the gutter menu's Copy → Copy block hyperlink) to get a siyuan://blocks/… link. Markdown-style block links work too.

Click an empty spot on the canvas and press ⌘V: a readable link node appears, its text taken from the block itself, and the SiYuan icon on the node jumps back to the block. Paste onto a node that already has text and only the link is appended.

Animation of copying a SiYuan block hyperlink, pasting it onto the canvas as a link node, and pasting onto an existing node to append the link — ⇧⌘H copies the block hyperlink → paste on blank canvas for a link node → paste on an existing node to append the link.

Paste a PDF annotation as a clickable PDF link

In SiYuan's PDF reader, select a passage and pick a highlight color. SiYuan creates the annotation and copies its reference to the clipboard.

Back in the map, press ⌘V. KMind Zen recognizes the PDF annotation: the new node is titled with the highlighted text and carries a PDF icon, and clicking the link reopens the PDF at that annotation.

Animation of copying an annotation from SiYuan's PDF reader and pasting it into a KMind Zen map as a clickable PDF link — Highlight in the PDF reader → annotation copied → paste as a PDF link node → click to jump back.

Mirror block

Right-click empty canvas, choose "Copy KMind mirror block", then paste with ⌘ V in the target document.

The document renders a mirror of the map that always follows the original.

Shortcut: ⌘ V pastes the mirror block

Animation of copying a KMind Zen mirror block and pasting it into a SiYuan document — Canvas context menu → Copy KMind mirror block → paste into the document.

Node sub-document

Right-click a node and choose "Create node sub-document": a document named after the node appears under the map in the doc tree and opens.

The node gains an external-link badge that jumps to the sub-document — ideal for expanding a branch into a long-form page.

Animation of creating a sub-document from a KMind Zen node in SiYuan — Node context menu → Create node sub-document.

Type / in a node to insert a SiYuan document

While editing node text, type / to open the quick menu. Next to the usual items such as formulas there is a "SiYuan docs" group; keep typing to filter documents in the current notebook by title.

Pick a document and the node gets a link to it (siyuan://blocks/…) shown as the document title. Click the link to open that document.

Animation of typing a slash in a node, choosing from the SiYuan docs group, and inserting a document link — Type / → SiYuan docs group → filter by title → insert the document link.

Type [[ in a node to insert a SiYuan document

If you are used to wiki-style links, typing [[ in node text opens the SiYuan document search directly; type part of a title to filter.

Selecting a document inserts the same kind of link as the / menu's SiYuan docs group, just from a more familiar entry point.

Animation of typing double brackets in a node to search SiYuan documents and insert a link — Type [[ → search SiYuan documents → insert the document link.

Related resources

Four ways to create KMind Zen maps in SiYuan

When to use each entry point.

SiYuan plugin install and update

Installation, updates, and common questions.

Canvas basics

The editor gestures are identical inside SiYuan.

FAQ

Do block maps use SiYuan's asset folder?

Yes. The preview image and data package go into assets, and the map data into the plugin's data folder; deleting the block can clean both up.

Does converting a document to a map change the document?

No. It renders the document as a map in the current view only, and a reload returns to the text. For long-term editing, create an editable copy from the capsule.