If you’ve ever clicked a button in your molecular modeling process and instantly regretted it, you’re not alone. Trial and error is part of any design process, but in molecular modeling, mistakes can be costly—in time, in effort, and in data. This makes the ability to undo changes not just convenient, but essential.
SAMSON, the integrative platform for molecular design, recognizes this need and offers a solution: the History view. It helps you track every operation you’ve performed on a document and navigate back and forth across different states of your work. Here’s how it works—and why it might become one of your favorite tools in the platform.
Each Document Has a Memory
Within SAMSON, each document maintains its own history, capturing a list of actions you’ve performed. This spans most modeling operations—whether you’re editing, importing, creating atoms, or more.
You can open the History view by navigating to Interface > History from the top menu, or simply use the shortcuts: Ctrl + 3 on Windows/Linux and Cmd + 3 on macOS.
Click to Travel in Time
The History view displays a chronological list of actions specific to the current document. From here, you can interactively move forward and backward through the states. This gives you visual feedback and precise control over your session’s progression. Want to go back five steps? Just click the appropriate history point without worrying about command stacks or complex settings.
Keyboard Shortcuts Still Work
If you prefer using keyboard shortcuts, you can:
- Undo actions using Ctrl + Z (Windows/Linux) or Cmd + Z (macOS)
- Redo actions with Ctrl + Y or Cmd + Y
This makes it easier to tweak a model structure or return to previously tested geometries.
But Be Mindful of Non-Undoable Actions 🧠
Not every operation in SAMSON is undoable. For example, if you perform an action that fundamentally changes the underlying structure in a way that can’t be reversed, that action will break the undo chain. This means you won’t be able to go back beyond that point. A small icon might not warn you, and in certain cases, data loss could occur if you’re unaware of this limitation.
So if you’re about to import a large file, script an external calculation, or delete a major component—check whether the operation is reversible before making changes you might regret.
Why It Matters
In molecular modeling, reproducibility and experimentation are key. Whether you’re adjusting torsion angles, visualizing different protein conformations, or building large molecular systems, being able to reverse—or redo—actions without restarting your work saves time and reduces frustration.
The History view also plays well when you’re collaborating. You can walk a teammate through the evolution of a model, step by step, helping reproduce workflows or identify issues in a shared design process.
Want to get the full picture? You can explore the full documentation for the History view on SAMSON’s website by visiting this page.
SAMSON and all SAMSON Extensions are free for non-commercial use. You can get SAMSON at https://www.samson-connect.net.