IHMC CmapTools, also known as CmapLite in its free version, is an application that has been created to allow users to generate all kinds of concept maps with the contents they prefer speedily and straightforwardly. It is a tool that can be useful for professional presentations and for producing links of ideas or keywords if we are studying for an exam.

The ease of use of this program is one of the keys to its success. It would be best if you created a new presentation or concept map by double-clicking on the blank screen, and then you can start editing it as you prefer. This platform will allow you to make all the necessary modifications, adding links and editing or removing them if you consider them unimportant.

The fantastic offer of concept map customization is another aspect that many users of this software will surely learn to appreciate. Indeed, it is a service where we can configure our creations how we want. Some of the aspects that you can modify of your concept maps are the following:

• Fonts
• Colors
• Background images
• Line styles
• Links to web pages

Its developers seem to have considered that some people don't have the same organizational and imaginative capacity as others. Maybe that's why they have added a concept map database, which is attractive. You can find many other people's creations within it, so you can draw on them to make your concept maps much easier to interpret.

Once we have selected or generated a concept map, we can enjoy the main functions provided by this type of application. We can add more elements, remove them when we consider necessary, and edit them as often as we want -although with a limitation that we will analyze later- to relate or synchronize the different fields you have added to your graphic scheme.

At the same time, we believe that this program is an example of how to work in offering help to users from the web. In practically all the functions or tools that it has at our disposal, we will see that they also indicate a series of links where we can find more information or content that are useful, something that is appreciated, especially if we are not very used to the concept maps.

The Search tool is another one that we found interesting, considering that many users will make an innumerable amount of concept maps, and it is likely that they will lose sight of their location quickly. If you are one of them, you should know that by adding a keyword or the name of the concept map in question, this section will filter all your creations until it shows you the ones that match the search.

The History tab is not wrong either, taking into account that we will be able to observe in a list as Details all the changes and new concept maps that we have been creating so as not to forget any of our work. Although some additional information could be added to the Resource in question and the last access date, we believe this is a section that more than one user will consider.

Do you have some concept maps that you have particularly liked or think might be helpful to you again shortly? Then you should know that this program allows you to mark the concept maps you want within a Favorites tab. By accessing this one, you will only see those creations you have marked among the ones you like the most, discarding the others to make the search easier.

How could we criticize this application? In principle, it's an interface. While it is true that being simple helps to make it a relatively lightweight program when generating concept maps, we believe that it is too simplistic and contributes little, both aesthetically and functionally. Finding some of the functions of IHMC CmapTools could take you more time than it should because of this circumstance.

On the other hand, you should know that if you want to make a concept map to support a presentation to your bosses or teachers and impress them from an aesthetic point of view, you should look for another application. IHMC CmapTools is not bad for organizing your ideas to fix knowledge. Still, if you want to produce a visual impact, you will probably find more solutions in applications such as Prezi Desktop than this one.

Finally, regarding the negative elements of this software, we have to point out that this free version of IHMC CmapTools allows you to undo a limited number of steps, so you should be careful when generating your concept maps. This is not too serious an issue, but since it is such a relevant feature, it was not necessary to remove it from the free version of this program.

Beyond that, IHMC CmapTools delivers perfectly what it promises, becoming a simple and fast tool for users who need to generate basic concept maps in large numbers and then have them well organized. The program has no stability problems nor presented us with issues related to lags or screen freezes, so if its features convince you, you should try it.