Fixing slow scapple projects
Causes of Slow or Sluggish Scapple Project Functioning-
1.File Size-
Scapple can become sluggish if the file size becomes too large. Look in the folder where you keep Scapple saves. Look at the file size. If the project is large and behaving slowly or lags in resizing or dragging objects, then the file size may need to be reduced. You may also notice sluggish typing. The exact size this occurs at will be based on your machine.
File size is less likely the actual number of notes, but rather the number and quality of included images. Replacing the more detailed larger image files with smaller modified compressed ones can reduce your project size. You can often still enlarge a file to a reasonable size without sacrificing quality. Note the background image is tiled for the Scapple background and could add up over time. If this is a concern, then change to a solid color background.
Windows Explorer can easily show file size of Scapple Projects if add this column to the detail view. Or right click on a Scapple Project file and choose properties and under the general tab you will see the file size of the project.
Windows Explorer Window in detail view
Solutions- A. Reduce number, size, and quality of images
B. Split the large project into smaller more manageable ones
2.Border Type-
Lots of Note borders with the cloud or jagged formats can slow Scapple down. These note borders require a lot of computing power to resize/adjust/render when zooming in and out. Try changing to plain square or rounded borders and you should show a significant performance improvement. This eliminated the sluggish behavior of several of my large projects. One of my largest has 1200 notes/pictures and is 23 megabytes in size and functions well. (I have a one year old computer.)
Solution- Eliminate or convert all notes with a jagged or cloud edge to a more generic square or rounded edge.
3.Number of Notes/Connections-
This would be the least likely of the three causes to be a significant factor.
Hopefully, adjusting your project or addressing these issues will solve Scapple preformance problems.