One of the common challenges molecular modelers encounter is ensuring that their tools work harmoniously together. When working with extensions built for molecular design platforms like SAMSON, compatibility becomes a key concern. Without compatibility, essential features might break, or your model might fail to load. Here’s how SAMSON handles compatibility to ensure a seamless user experience.
How SAMSON Ensures Extension Compatibility
SAMSON implements a carefully designed versioning system based on semantic versioning. At startup, SAMSON verifies that the version of its core platform matches the SDK version used to build each SAMSON Extension. This ensures that extensions only load if they are compatible with SAMSON’s core environment.
Here’s how this works:
- The
majorversion numbers of both SAMSON and the SDK must be identical. A mismatch here means the extension was built for a significantly different platform version and likely won’t work. - The
minorversion number of the SDK must be smaller than or equal to theminorversion of SAMSON. This ensures that extensions don’t rely on newer or unimplemented features.
For Example
Imagine you’re using SAMSON version 1.7.8, and an extension built with SDK version 1.5.2 loads without issue because their major versions match (both are 1), and the SDK’s minor version (5) is less than or equal to SAMSON’s minor version (7). Extensions built with SDK version 1.8.5 would fail to load, as SAMSON’s minor version is smaller than 8.
Automatic Updates to Keep Extensions Up-to-Date
SAMSON goes a step further by automatically updating extensions when new compatible versions become available—provided there’s an active internet connection. For instance, if you have SAMSON version 1.7.8, and a new version of an extension built with SDK version 1.6.4 is released, SAMSON will update your extension during startup. This ensures users always have the latest features and bug fixes for their compatible extensions.
What Happens When Versions Diverge?
Extensions built for SDKs with a different major version, such as a new SDK 2.0.0, will not load if your SAMSON version remains on 1.7.8. To continue using such extensions, users must update their SAMSON platform. By maintaining this compatibility system, SAMSON ensures that users avoid crashes or unexpected behaviors caused by mismatched tools.
Conclusion
In conclusion, SAMSON’s compatibility handling for extensions simplifies the life of molecular modelers by ensuring smooth integration of tools. To get the most out of SAMSON and its extensions, you should enable automatic updates and regularly update your SAMSON platform.
To learn more about SAMSON’s versioning and compatibility system, visit the official documentation page.
SAMSON and all SAMSON Extensions are free for non-commercial use. You can get SAMSON at samson-connect.net.