When working with large molecular systems, molecular modelers often deal with a mix of visual representations, simulation results, and annotations that come from various nodes in the system. Many of these are property models: nodes designed to describe properties (e.g., electrostatic potential maps, electron density volumes, interaction energies, etc.).
If you’re analyzing a system with dozens or hundreds of such property models, quickly filtering them based on whether they’re currently visible, selected, or own a material becomes essential. That’s where the Property Model attribute space (pm) in SAMSON’s NSL comes in handy.
Smarter Searching with NSL
The Node Specification Language (NSL) in SAMSON offers an intuitive way to identify and manipulate nodes using filters. For property models specifically, you can narrow your search using visibility, material, and selection-based flags.
Here are the most useful attributes in the propertyModel attribute space (short name pm):
pm.v– is the property model visible?pm.h– is it hidden?pm.sf– does it have the selection flag set?pm.selected– is the property model actively selected?pm.om– does it own its material?pm.hm– does it have material?
This attribute space matches only property model nodes, so using these makes your query more precise when organizing visualizations or cleanup tasks.
Example Use Cases
Let’s say you ran an electrostatic potential calculation and ended up with multiple property models overlaying your molecular system. You now want to:
- Quickly list all visible property models to toggle them off.
- Identify property models you accidentally left selected.
- Find those that still have material data attached.
Here’s how NSL helps:
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pm.v # All visible property models not pm.selected # Not actively selected pm.om # Property models that own material |
By combining conditions, you get even more refined queries:
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pm.v and pm.hm</code> <span style="color:gray"># Visible models that have material</span> pm.sf false</code> <span style="color:gray"># Exclude models marked during selection tasks</span> |
Why it Matters
Efficient selection and filtering in complex systems reduces visual clutter and helps you focus on what matters—whether it’s comparing interaction results, preparing views for reporting, or streamlining your analysis pipeline for simulations.
By mastering these NSL queries, especially in the property model context, you can automate redundant tasks and organize your scene more intuitively. You no longer need to manually sift through the document inspector or scroll sideways trying to locate specific types of data.
Learn more about the propertyModel attribute space in the official documentation: https://documentation.samson-connect.net/users/latest/nsl/propertyModel/
SAMSON and all SAMSON Extensions are free for non-commercial use. You can download SAMSON at https://www.samson-connect.net.