When working on molecular models in SAMSON, you may have noticed that only one editor can be active at any time. This might appear limiting at first glance, especially to new users. Yet, it’s actually a design choice that simplifies the workflow and prevents common sources of confusion in molecular editing workflows.
Let’s break down what this means and how it helps you stay productive.
What is an Editor in SAMSON?
Editors in SAMSON are tools that allow you to interact with molecular models through actions like clicking, selecting, and modifying. From generating nanotubes to deforming structures or applying transformations, editors are your primary interface for structural edits in the viewport.
They respond to your mouse and keyboard inputs and define how those inputs affect the model. This includes specialized tools like:
- Creating tubular structures (e.g., nanotubes)
- Deforming molecular geometries while preserving local rigidity
- Selecting parts of molecules using shapes like rectangles
- Applying rigid-body transformations to complete molecular configurations
Why Only One Editor at a Time?
Only one editor can be active at a time to avoid input conflicts. Since editors handle inputs such as clicks, this restriction ensures that a single context is interpreting your mouse movements and keystrokes. Otherwise, multiple tools could react at once, resulting in unpredictable behavior or accidental edits.
This model promotes clarity—when you activate the Nanotube Generator, for instance, you know exactly which tool is listening to your actions. There’s never a question of which edit took priority, which tool was in use, or why something unexpected just appeared in your model.
Note
One and only one editor is active at any time.
How to Switch Editors Efficiently
You can easily select the editor that matches your current task from several locations in the interface:
- Left-hand menu in the viewport: This is your primary access to the list of installed editors.
- Top-left quick-access menu: This shows commands related to the currently active editor.
- “Find everything” search box: Type the name of the editor or its functionality to jump directly to it.
Can I Add More Editors?
Absolutely. SAMSON provides a set of default editors, but users can enhance their toolkit by downloading additional editors from SAMSON Connect. This way, your editor toolkit grows with your project needs—for example, adding specialized editors for fragment assembly or simulations.
Interested in Creating Your Own Editor?
Developers can build custom editors to suit specific modeling workflows. Programming your own editor allows you to automate tasks, integrate custom algorithms, or tailor the user interface to your field of research. For more information, check the documentation on generating SAMSON Extensions.
This single-editor model is part of what keeps SAMSON’s interface clean, responsive, and focused. Whenever you’re unsure where your input is going, just remember–you’re talking to the single active editor. Change it when your task changes.
To learn more about editors in SAMSON, visit the official documentation page: https://documentation.samson-connect.net/users/latest/editors/.
SAMSON and all SAMSON Extensions are free for non-commercial use. You can download SAMSON at https://www.samson-connect.net.