Each Card File, as mentioned, contains both a Corkboard window and an Outline window. Although both of these windows contain the same basic information, their presentation is radically different. The Outline window is a traditional outliner, with a top-to-bottom organization of the cards in the Card File. Note the hierarchical arrangement of the cards in the picture above. Like other outliners, Three By Five's Outline window allows cards to be arranged into parent/child (or topic/subtopic) relationships.
Note the triangle to the left of each card that contains subtopics (the ACT cards in the above example). When the triangle is pointing downward, as in the picture above, that means the card's subtopics are currently showing. To hide a card's subtopics, click once on the triangle. It will then face to the right and the subtopics are hidden from view. This allows you to easily focus in on the cards that you want to work on without being bothered by unrelated cards filling the screen.
Also, note the plus sign to the left of each card's title. To toggle the detail text (from showing to hiding and vice versa), click your mouse once on the plus sign. If the detail text was hidden, it will be shown, and if it was showing, it will be hidden. In the picture above, note that only one card (Major Strasser...) has its detail showing.
Editing the cards in the Outline window is as simple as clicking your mouse in the card you want to edit. The card clicked is placed into editing mode and will operate just like any standard word processor. If text is added or deleted from a card and it changes size, the other cards around it will be automatically shifted to take into account the card's new size.
If you are viewing both the Outline and the Corkboard windows on your screen, you will notice that if you make changes to a card in one window, the change is reflected in the other window. That is because, as mentioned, both windows reflect different views onto the same information.
Adding cards in the Outline Window
New cards can be added into the Outline Window in several ways:
1) From the Outline Menu:
 
Of course, you can use the command key shortcuts shown in the menu above. The position of the new card in the Outline depends on the following conditions:
If a card is being edited, or if there is a highlighted card in the Outline window, the new card is placed directly after that card. If more than one card is highlighted, it is placed after the FIRST highlighted card in the window. If no card is being edited and there is no highlighted card, it is placed at the end of the entire outline.
2) Enter/Shift Enter when editing only
If you are editing a card, then depressing the Enter key adds a new card AFTER the card being edited. If you hold down the shift key while depressing the enter, then the new card is added BEFORE the card being edited. The type of card that is added depends on which card button is selected at the right side of the Outline window, as shown:
 
---Text Card
---Label Card
---Picture Card
---Quicktime Card
---Custom Card
In the picture above, the Text button is currently highlighted, so a Text card would be added.
3) Option-Click
If you hold down the Option key on your keyboard, you will notice that the cursor turns into a big plus sign. To add a card at a particular place, first make sure that the proper button is selected (as shown in the above picture) for the type of card you want to add. If not, click on the proper button type to select it. Then, while holding down the option key, click your mouse in the outline where you want the new card added. The new card will be placed directly above the card clicked, providing you with the ability to adda card exactly where you want to regardless of which card is currently highlighted or being edited.
Note: To delete a card at will, hold down both the option and the shift keys. The cursor turns into a big minus sign. Point to the card that you wish to delete and click the mouse. The card is immediately deleted.
