Collaborating with colleagues on molecular models can be challenging—especially when everyone is working across different platforms, needs specific extensions, or simply wants to provide feedback efficiently. Rather than relying on mailing large files back and forth, wouldn’t it be easier to share your project directly from your modeling platform?
That’s exactly what the Shared Documents feature of SAMSON Connect offers.
What is a Shared Document in SAMSON?
A shared document in SAMSON is any molecular modeling project you’ve made public (or privately shared) via the SAMSON platform. Whether you’re visualizing a protein-ligand complex or preparing a bioinformatics pipeline, these documents serve as containers that can include structures, scripts, workflows, and more.
Why It’s Useful
Here are a few common frustrations that shared documents help resolve:
- Version control hassles. No need to resend updated models or worry about who has the latest version.
- Portable collaboration. Colleagues can access the document directly from SAMSON’s interface, no matter their OS.
- Central access point. All related resources are stored and tracked in one place.
- Instant launch into SAMSON. You can browse available documents and launch them directly into your working environment with a click.
How to Share Documents
To publish or share a document:
- Sign in to SAMSON Connect.
- From the SAMSON interface, navigate to your project file.
- Use the “Share” feature available in the document menu. You’ll be prompted to choose whether to make it public, restrict it to specific users, or link it to a group.
- Once shared, your document becomes accessible via the Shared Documents page on SAMSON Connect.
Managing Your Shared Documents
You remain in control of every document you share. Head to Account > Documents on SAMSON Connect to view, update, delete, or change permissions on your shared content. You can:
- Limit visibility to specific collaborators or groups.
- Track the number of downloads or accesses.
- Revoke access at any time.
This functionality is ideal for research teams, educators sharing exercises, or developers showcasing how their extensions are used in real scenarios.
Sharing with Groups
If you collaborate within a research group, consider creating a Group on SAMSON Connect. Once your group is created, you can share documents, extensions, or computation jobs privately among members, keeping everything tightly integrated and easily accessible.
Final Thoughts
The Shared Documents feature doesn’t just make your workflow faster—it helps ensure that meaningful scientific communication is maintained without friction or redundancy. It saves time, keeps your work organized, and facilitates reproducibility.
To explore more ways to streamline your molecular modeling workflows, visit the SAMSON Connect documentation page.
SAMSON and all SAMSON Extensions are free for non-commercial use. You can download SAMSON at https://www.samson-connect.net.