Sharing a molecular model should make collaboration easier—not leave colleagues guessing which link to use or who is allowed to work with the document. In SAMSON, you can publish a document to SAMSON Connect and choose its visibility. That choice determines who can use the shared document; editing still depends on access rights.
This distinction matters when you are sending work to a project team, sharing an example more broadly, or providing a link to a particular collaborator. Before publishing, decide who needs to access the document and whether you want access to be open, link-based, or restricted.
Choose visibility for the audience
- Public: Everyone can use the document, but editing requires access rights. Choose this when broad availability is appropriate and you do not want to imply that everyone can edit it.
- Hidden: Anyone with the link can use the document, but editing requires access rights. This is useful when you want to share a direct link without making the document generally discoverable.
- Restricted: Using or editing the document requires access rights. Choose this when access should be limited to people who have been granted permission.
These options are not simply different ways of saying “editable.” In all three cases, visibility and editing rights are separate: a person may be able to use a document without having permission to edit it. If someone needs editing access, plan to manage access rights separately.
Publish from SAMSON
When your document is ready, in SAMSON select Home > Publish. In the dialog, enter a document name and description, then choose the visibility that fits your intended audience. Review the choice before publishing, especially if you are sharing work that should not be accessible to everyone or to anyone with a forwarded link.
Click Publish document. The document is then shared in SAMSON Connect – Documents, and a link is provided in the same window. When you send that link, include a short note about the intended audience and whether recipients should request editing access. That small bit of context can prevent confusion about what a recipient can do.
Get a shared document into SAMSON
To download a document shared in SAMSON Connect – Documents, select Home > Download in SAMSON. This opens the download workflow for shared documents.
Once you have downloaded a document, keep the original sharing link with your project notes. This makes it easier to return to the shared document or point a collaborator to the same source, rather than relying on a file passed around without context.
Keep track of shared work
Your SAMSON Connect account lets you access and manage documents you have shared, as well as documents shared with you. If your collaboration needs change, use the account tools to manage shared documents and access rights. The best visibility setting is the one that matches the real audience—not necessarily the broadest or most restrictive option.
For the detailed workflow and related guidance, see the SAMSON documentation on sharing documents.
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