Notes can be easy to overlook in a molecular model: a reminder may be hidden among other scene elements, or a search may return more than the annotations you meant to inspect. SAMSON’s Node Specification Language (NSL) offers a focused way to describe note nodes using the note attribute space, abbreviated nt. That makes it possible to express a useful criterion directly, instead of relying on memory or scanning a crowded model by eye.
The key detail is scope: the nt attribute space matches only note nodes. The attributes on this page are inherited from the more general node attribute space, but writing them with the nt prefix keeps the query focused on notes. This is useful whenever you want a search expression to talk about annotations specifically, rather than nodes in general.
Start with the question you want to answer
Before writing a query, translate the task into one attribute. Are you looking for notes with a particular name? Notes that are visible? Notes that are hidden? Or notes with a particular selection or visibility flag? The reference page lists these attributes and gives an example expression for each. Starting with one criterion makes it easier to check that the expression says what you intend.
- Check visibility:
nt.vuses the short name forvisible;not nt.vexpresses the opposite condition. - Check hidden status:
nt.his the short form ofhidden, andnot nt.hnegates it. - Check selection status:
nt.selectedtests theselectedattribute. The note reference specifically notes that this inherited attribute does not use the short namesin the note attribute space. - Check flags:
nt.sfrefers toselectionFlag, andnt.vfrefers tovisibilityFlag. The page shows both a bare form and an explicitfalseform, such asnt.vf false. - Check a name:
nt.n "A"is an example using the short namenand a quoted string. The reference also givesnt.n "L*"as an example.
Don’t treat similar labels as interchangeable
The attribute list includes both hidden and visible, as well as visibilityFlag. They are separate attributes in the reference, with separate names and examples. Likewise, selected and selectionFlag are distinct entries. If a query gives an unexpected result, check which attribute you actually intended to test rather than swapping between similarly named properties by guesswork. The page identifies these properties and points to their inherited node definitions for further detail; it does not define them as synonyms.
Short names can make expressions more compact, but clarity matters more than brevity when you are building or sharing a query. For example, nt.v is concise, while nt.visible makes the attribute immediately recognizable to someone reading the expression. The note reference lists v as the short name for visible, and vf for visibilityFlag. For selected, use the full attribute name.
A small, repeatable troubleshooting habit
When a note search does not match your expectation, verify three things: the expression uses the nt space; the attribute is the one you mean to inspect; and any name value is written as a quoted string. Then compare your expression with the documented examples. Keeping the first test to a single attribute also makes it easier to identify which part needs attention. Once that works, you can consult the broader NSL documentation for the language’s general expression rules.
This approach is useful for organizing annotation-heavy models, reviewing which notes meet a particular condition, and making note-related searches easier to repeat. It also gives collaborators a readable description of what you are looking for, rather than leaving the intent implicit in a manual inspection.
For the complete attribute table and inherited-attribute references, see the SAMSON note attributes documentation.
Note: SAMSON and all SAMSON Extensions are free for non-commercial use. Get SAMSON.