ArgMAP Help file

Nov 2001

Joe Lau 2001 HKU

The ArgMAP program (up till version 0.9.1) is available for free for non-commercial purposes only. Users use the program at their own risk with no warranty of any kind, expressed or implied.

Installation

The program is distributed as a single executable file. Just execute the downloaded program and follow the on-screen instructions to install ArgMAP on your computer.

Using ArgMAP

1. The interface of the program consists of a drawing area and a menu. The drawing area is for the construction of an argument map. When the program is run the area shows a box marked “conclusion”. This is the “conclusion box”. You can double click the box to enter a statement which is the main claim to be criticized or supported.

2. In addition to the conclusion box you can add “support” or “against” boxes. To add a reason to support a statement, first select the statement to be supported (e.g. the conclusion box) by a single click, then press control-F, or use the menu (Edit->Add Supporting Reason). You can add an “against box” by following the same procedure, but use control-A instead. Example :

3. The middle box with rounded corners is called a “support node” or a “for node”, and the blank box below is a “support box”. You can double click the box to enter a statement that supports the conclusion. Similarly, you can double click an against box to enter a reason that is an objection to the conclusion.

4. If you select a statement S and press control-F twice you will get two “support nodes”. This indicates that there are two independent reasons for supporting S, as follows:

5. However, you can also select S and add only one support box, and then instead of selecting S, select the new “support node” instead and press control-F. This would give you two support boxes under only one single “support node”. The difference is that the single node indicates that the two boxes that come after are not independent, but that they form one single reason supporting S. The same is true of the use of “against nodes”.

6. You can select any box or node and press control-D to delete the selected object and everything that comes after it. When in doubt, save your diagram first before deleting anything as the action cannot be undone.

7. If the argument map becomes too big, use the scroll bars or the zoom out functions.

8. Control-T tidies up the diagram by rearranging the argument map. You can move the nodes around if you want by selecting and dragging an object.

9. You can continue to build up the argument map by adding additional support and against boxes. It is possible to load and save the argument map into a file for later use (under the “File” menu item). Here is an example of a more complicated argument map.