Skip to main content Link Menu Expand (external link) Document Search Copy Copied
Argumentation.io How-To

Adding Boxes

Argumentation.io maps can contain main contention, reason, objection, other, inference, and group boxes. Inference and group boxes are created automatically when needed.

An argument map demonstrating the principal box types. A blue main contention is at the top. Beneath it are green and red inference boxes. Two green reason boxes share a reason group, two red objection boxes share an objection group, and a grey other box appears in its own group.

Add a reason or objection

  1. Select the box that the new reason or objection will support or challenge.
  2. To add a reason, select Add reason in the toolbar. On Windows, you can instead press Shift+Alt+R; on Mac, press Shift+Option+R.
  3. To add an objection, select Add objection. On Windows, you can instead press Shift+Alt+O; on Mac, press Shift+Option+O.

Argumentation.io adds the appropriate inference and group boxes between the selected box and the new reason or objection. The new box is selected automatically.

Add an other box

Other boxes can represent questions, intermediate responses, labels, or material that is not functioning as a reason or objection.

  1. Select the box beneath which you want to add the other box.
  2. Select Add other in the toolbar. On Windows, you can instead press Shift+Alt+Q; on Mac, press Shift+Option+Q.

Reasons and objections can be added beneath an other box, and other boxes can be added beneath reasons and objections. Other boxes can also be moved and used as co-premises.

Add a co-premise

  1. Select a reason, objection, or other box in a group.
  2. Select Add co-premise in the toolbar. On Windows, you can instead press Shift+Alt+C; on Mac, press Shift+Option+C.

The new co-premise appears in the same group, to the right of the selected box. It has the same type as the selected box. You can write in it, add boxes beneath it, add further co-premises, and move it.

Add another main contention

Select Add main contention in the toolbar. The new main contention begins a separate argument tree and appears to the right of the current rightmost tree.

For more information, see Create Multiple Trees.