Anyone who has ever worked with molecular modeling software has likely run into this: a file that should open, but doesn’t. Maybe it’s a structure downloaded from a public database. Maybe it’s data from your collaborator’s cryo-EM experiment. Whatever the case, you double-click, wait, and then — nothing happens. 🤔
This often comes down to a fundamental issue: the software you’re using doesn’t know how to read your file. This is why understanding importers in SAMSON, the integrative molecular design platform, can save hours of searching and frustration.
What are importers?
Importers in SAMSON are responsible for reading (or parsing) different types of molecular files. Think of them as translators between your data and the SAMSON platform.
Out-of-the-box, SAMSON comes with support for standard structural formats such as PDB files, among others. But if you work with electron density maps, custom topology formats, or newer experimental data types, you may need more specialized importers.
How SAMSON helps you handle multiple formats
Thankfully, SAMSON takes format flexibility seriously. It provides a basic set of importers by default, but crucially—you can add more. Via SAMSON Connect, the community hub for extensions, you can install additional importers that extend the number of supported formats.
You’ll find a complete list of supported formats here, and this is regularly updated as new extensions are made available by the SAMSON team and the developer community.
What if your format isn’t supported?
If your file type isn’t currently supported via SAMSON’s default importers or in SAMSON Connect, you still have a few options:
- You can contact the SAMSON team directly at contact@samson-connect.net. They welcome suggestions and are open to integrating new importer types.
- If you or your team has programming capabilities, you can develop your own importer. Detailed instructions are provided in the documentation on generating SAMSON Extensions. This is a powerful way to tailor the platform to your research needs.
For developers: build your own
Creating a custom importer might sound intimidating, but SAMSON offers dedicated tools and documentation to make this easier. If you’re familiar with C++ and the plugin architecture, the Extension Generator gives you a solid starting point.
This lets you write your own parsers, so you’re not limited by the formats integrated into SAMSON by default. Whether you’re preparing workflows for specialized file types from simulations, experimental data conversion, or even proprietary formats—creating your own importer makes SAMSON interoperable with your pipeline.
Learn more about how importers work and how to extend them in the official documentation page: https://documentation.samson-connect.net/users/latest/importers/
Note: SAMSON and all SAMSON Extensions are free for non-commercial use. You can download SAMSON at https://www.samson-connect.net.