When analyzing molecular structures, it’s common to quickly measure a distance or an angle and move on. But what happens when you need to revisit those measurements later? If you’re using temporary measurements in SAMSON, there’s a high chance you’re losing track of valuable data without realizing it.
By default, when you click on bonds, atoms, or groups of atoms using the Measure editor in SAMSON, the displayed measurement is temporary. This temporary measurement is always visible regardless of zoom, but it will disappear as soon as you take the next measurement.
Here’s the solution: press Enter after performing a measurement to instantly save it as a label in your document. Doing this not only ensures your measurement is preserved, but it also unlocks a range of additional features.
Why save measurements as labels?
- Persistence: Labels remain in your document and are saved in .sam or .samx files.
- Custom Appearance: Modify font, text color, and line/angle/plane colors using the Inspector.
- Projections: For atomic distances, get additional projections on reference planes if the measurement is saved as a label and viewed in the Inspector.
- Selection and Inspection: Click a label to find out which atoms are involved, and inspect their details quickly.
Below is an example of atom-atom distance projections available only if the measurement was saved as a label. Temporary measurements won’t offer this level of detail:
How to save a measurement label
- Use the Measure editor: click on two, three, or four atoms depending on whether you want to measure distance, angle, or torsion.
- Immediately press Enter to save the measurement as a label.
- Customize the label’s appearance using the Inspector: change font, colors, offset, and more.
This habit becomes especially important when doing batch analysis or presenting your work. Having neatly formatted, saved, and color-coded measurement labels makes your molecular models more interpretable to colleagues, reviewers, and collaborators.
Another helpful tip: you can always reset the color of any measurement label by double-clicking the associated color in the Inspector, or click the X button to remove the text color as shown in the screenshots:
Final thoughts
If you’ve been taking quick measurements without saving them, try pressing Enter next time. It’s a simple keystroke that can save time, reduce confusion, and improve the value of your models.
To learn more about using and customizing measurement labels in SAMSON, see the full documentation page here: https://documentation.samson-connect.net/users/latest/measuring/.
SAMSON and all SAMSON Extensions are free for non-commercial use. You can download SAMSON at https://www.samson-connect.net.