If you work in molecular modeling, you’ve probably come across this familiar situation: you’ve found a dataset that looks useful, but your modeling tool can’t open it. Navigating through file incompatibility is a common roadblock. Protein Data Bank (PDB)? Easy. But what about electron density maps, or molecular simulation results in odd formats?
That’s where SAMSON’s Importers feature becomes useful. SAMSON, the integrative platform for molecular design, provides a set of importers to handle a broad variety of molecular file formats — and here’s why this matters if you’re juggling files from different sources.
What exactly are Importers?
In SAMSON, Importers are used for reading and understanding the structure of files you want to open. Think of them as translators that parse incoming files into molecular or data objects you can actually work with. Whether you’re dealing with pdb structures, volumetric electron density data, or something more niche, if there’s an importer, there’s hope.
Why you should care
- You save time: No more converting files manually to an intermediary format.
- You reduce errors: Avoid format conversion steps that may strip out important metadata or structural information.
- You enable collaboration: Receive structures from colleagues using different software without worrying about compatibility.
Built-in support and more via SAMSON Connect
SAMSON already includes a range of importers by default. But sometimes you need something more specific. Maybe you’re working with a niche simulation package or new structural biology data format. In that case, you can visit SAMSON Connect, where you’ll find additional importers built by the community and the developers themselves. It functions like a modular plugin center where you can get expandability without bloat.
Worried you won’t find what you’re looking for? You can contact the SAMSON team directly to report a missing format. Their responsiveness is a hidden feature often overlooked in documentation pages.
Want to write your own Importers?
SAMSON is also aimed at developers who want fine control. If you can’t find the parser you need, you might decide to develop it yourself. The platform provides a dedicated Extension Generator and clear guidance for writing customized importers. The process can be quite satisfying for those comfortable with APIs and C++.
Quick glimpse at supported formats
You can find a complete, maintained list of file formats supported by SAMSON here: formats supported by SAMSON.
It’s a good habit to bookmark this page if you constantly handle structural data in your research.
For more details, visit the full Importers documentation page here: https://documentation.samson-connect.net/users/latest/importers/
SAMSON and all SAMSON Extensions are free for non-commercial use. Start exploring your data more seamlessly by downloading SAMSON at https://www.samson-connect.net.