When working on complex molecular modeling tasks, mistakes are inevitable. You might accidentally delete a structure, misplace a functional group, or alter a configuration that took hours to prepare. These small mishaps can significantly impact your productivity—unless you have a way to recover from them quickly.
That’s where SAMSON’s Undo and Redo features become incredibly useful. These tools allow molecular modelers and designers to experiment freely, knowing that any change can be reversed or reapplied in just a few clicks or keystrokes.
Every Document Has a Memory
In SAMSON, each document retains its own history of actions. This ensures that your edits on one document never interfere with work being done in another. The system keeps track of undoable operations so that you can move backward or forward through your design process safely.
Accessing the History View
You can open the History view by navigating to Interface > History or using a keyboard shortcut:
- On Windows and Linux: Ctrl + 3
- On macOS: Cmd + 3
This opens a visual outline of all actions performed on the current document. You can click on any item to revert the document to that point in the timeline.
Keyboard Shortcuts for Efficiency
Undo and redo commands are also accessible from the Edit menu or via standard keyboard shortcuts:
- Undo: Ctrl + Z (Windows/Linux) or Cmd + Z (macOS)
- Redo: Ctrl + Y (Windows/Linux) or Cmd + Y (macOS)
These familiar shortcuts let you correct mistakes instantly without interrupting your workflow.
Exploring Design Alternatives Without Risk
One particularly useful aspect of SAMSON’s history feature is that it allows you to explore different molecular configurations without worrying about losing earlier versions. You can branch off from previous states, test out alternatives, and return if needed. The visual timeline makes it easy to retrace your steps and compare variations.
Things to Keep in Mind
It’s important to note that not all operations in SAMSON are reversible. If you perform an action that is not undoable, it may disrupt the history flow, potentially making it impossible to undo actions made before. SAMSON preserves a safe working environment as much as possible, but being mindful of non-undoable actions (like certain plugin-specific operations) is key to avoiding unexpected behavior.
Conclusion
The Undo and Redo functions might seem like minor features, but they are essential for the kind of trial-and-error work that molecular design often requires. These capabilities in SAMSON give users a safety net that facilitates bold exploration while reducing stress over losing progress. If you’re not using the History view yet, now might be a good time to start.
To learn more about how history works in SAMSON, visit the History documentation page.
SAMSON and all SAMSON Extensions are free for non-commercial use. You can download SAMSON to start exploring your molecular designs more safely today.