A collaboration snag familiar to molecular modelers: a colleague needs the latest structure or cloud-job output, but the files are scattered across messages, permissions are unclear, and a link may expose more than intended. A simple sharing plan can make handoffs easier while keeping control of who can view or edit each resource.
SAMSON and SAMSON Connect support sharing documents and cloud jobs, with access settings for individuals and groups. The useful first step is to decide what someone needs to do: find and use a document, download job files, or edit shared details. Then choose the narrowest visibility that supports that task.
Start with a group for recurring collaborators
If you work with the same collaborators across several projects, groups can reduce the need to manage access person by person. You can create public or private groups, invite members by username, full name, or email, and manage memberships if you own the group. Group owners can also set roles and membership end dates.
A practical approach is to make groups reflect real collaboration boundaries—for example, a project team or a set of external reviewers—rather than creating one broad group for everyone. Before sharing a resource with a group, check that its membership matches the intended audience. Remember that group membership can change over time, so review it when a project team changes.
Choose document visibility by the audience
When publishing a document from SAMSON, use Home > Publish, then provide a name and description and select its visibility. The three options have different implications:
- Public: everyone can use the document, while editing still requires access rights.
- Hidden: anyone with the link can use it, while editing still requires access rights.
- Restricted: access rights are required to use or edit it.
In other words, “hidden” is not the same as restricted: a link is enough for someone to use a hidden document. If the work should only be available to named people or a project group, restricted access is the more appropriate choice. For a public resource that others should be able to discover and use, public visibility may make sense. Editing rights remain a separate consideration.
After publishing, you can manage documents from the Documents area in your SAMSON Connect user menu. Owners can change visibility and grant access to users or groups; owners and editors can update document settings. That makes it possible to share broadly for use while limiting who can make changes.
Treat cloud jobs as sensitive until reviewed
Cloud jobs run from SAMSON—including jobs using tools such as AlphaFold, NVIDIA BioNeMo services, or GROMACS—are accessible through SAMSON Connect. Job visibility can be public, hidden, or restricted, and a job is restricted by default. That default is a useful starting point when outputs are not ready for wider access.
Owners can grant access to a user or group. Owners and editors can edit job details, such as the name and notes. You can also open a job to access its files and use the context menu to download them. Before changing visibility or sharing a job, consider whether its files are ready to be shared and who should be able to retrieve them.
A quick handoff checklist
- Identify whether collaborators need to use, download, or edit the resource.
- Choose public, hidden, or restricted visibility accordingly.
- Grant access to the relevant users or group, not a broader audience by default.
- Check group membership and roles, especially when project participants change.
- For cloud jobs, remember that restricted visibility is the default and review it before sharing.
This small check helps prevent two common problems: collaborators being unable to access essential files, and resources being more widely available than intended. For the full instructions on profiles, groups, documents, jobs, and permissions, see the SAMSON collaboration documentation.
Note: SAMSON and all SAMSON Extensions are free for non-commercial use. Get SAMSON.