You have finished preparing a molecular model, and now you need to share it with a collaborator, move it into another tool, or preserve it in a file format your next step can use. This is where a small but consequential question appears: what should I export, and which exporter should I use?
The answer matters because a file is not just a container. The format you choose affects whether the receiving workflow can read the content you intend to share. SAMSON exporters write content from a document to files; depending on the exporter, that may be a structure format such as PDB or XYZ, or another supported format. SAMSON includes default exporters for common structures and visualizations, and additional exporters can be added through SAMSON Connect.
Start with the receiving workflow
Before looking for an exporter, identify what the next person or application needs. Are you handing off a molecular structure? Is the file intended for a visualization workflow? Do you already know the required format? If a collaborator or downstream tool has specified a format, use that as your starting point rather than choosing a familiar extension by habit.
When the requirement is unclear, ask for the format name and, if relevant, what content the recipient expects to find in the file. This short conversation can prevent a common handoff problem: successfully creating a file that is technically valid but not useful for the next step.
Check support before building your workflow around a format
Use SAMSON’s supported formats list to check which formats SAMSON can import and export. This is the most direct way to confirm whether a format is available for the direction you need. A format appearing in a general list does not by itself answer every workflow question, so check that the specific operation—importing or exporting—is supported.
If the format you need is supported, look for the corresponding exporter when saving document content. If it is not available, SAMSON Connect is the place to explore additional exporters. The documentation also invites users who cannot find an exporter to contact the SAMSON team.
Keep importing and exporting separate in your mental model
It is easy to treat file input and output as two sides of one button. In SAMSON’s documentation, however, they are described as matching but distinct extension families. Importers read files; exporters write document content to files. If you can open a particular format, do not assume from that alone that the same format is available for export. Check the supported-format information for the direction you need.
A practical handoff checklist
- Confirm the goal: decide what content the recipient needs and how they plan to use it.
- Confirm the format: ask for the required file format instead of guessing.
- Verify export support: consult the supported formats reference for export availability.
- Find the right extension: use an available exporter, or check SAMSON Connect for additional exporters.
- Check the handoff: where practical, make sure the recipient can open the file and that it contains the content they expected.
This checklist does not replace format-specific instructions, but it helps catch avoidable mismatches before they disrupt a collaboration or analysis. It also gives teams a shared vocabulary: the requested format, the direction of the workflow, and the exporter responsible for writing the file.
When you need a different exporter
If you are extending SAMSON rather than simply using an exporter, the documentation points to resources for extending SAMSON and for generating SAMSON Extensions. These are useful starting points for exploring extension development. For a concise reference to exporter extensions and related pages, see the SAMSON Exporters documentation.
Note: SAMSON and all SAMSON Extensions are free for non-commercial use. Get SAMSON.