More topic-subtopic relationship flexibility

Hi support staff,

This request centers around mind mapping but can extend to other Xmind features,

Background

Flexibility is a core component of mind mapping. It allows you to associate topics with endless subtlety, creativity, and specificity. This freedom is a central reason mind mapping works for me. It helps me connect ideas in unique, memorable ways and significantly improves recall.

When drawing freehand, you can connect topics to subtopics to your heart's desire: straight line, dotted arrowhead, or even a squiggle. Thankfully, Xmind can already do this using the very flexible relationship feature. However, that feature is NOT designed to link topic to subtopic. To accomplish that visually, you must link two floating topics together.

Problem

If I use exclusively floating topics, I can mindmap with Xmind as freely as on paper. However, this loses all the functionality associated with the topic-subtopic -- or parent-child -- relationships built into Xmind. Within Xmind, it loses the outlining, summary, and boundary features, to name a few. Beyond Xmind, it effectively loses portability to non-Xmind file formats.

Solutions

I have a couple of ideas:

1. Give topic-subtopic relationships the same customization menu as inserted relationships, accessible by an advanced setting. This seems the easiest and lowest-clutter option. Minimal usability testing is needed since it's essentially an existing feature.
   
   
2. Allow CONNECTED floating topics to be set as either parent or child topics. This is far more flexible but would require more UI expansion and likely more usability testing.

Given the gorgeous design of Xmind and the evident relationship between the programmers and designers, I can't imagine this would be a difficult change.

If this was already considered in design meetings and shot down, I would love to know why!! As an enthusiastically chaotic yet organization-reliant mind mapper, this is my only major issue with Xmind.