A molecular modeling task can stall for a surprisingly small reason: you know what you need to check, but not which documentation page contains it. Is the question about a node in a document, a visual setting, an import format, or an extension? Searching broadly can lead you through material that is useful—but not useful for this particular question.
The SAMSON References hub is designed for the moment when you already know the feature family and want a focused lookup. Instead of treating the documentation as one long manual, use it as a map: name the thing you are trying to understand, then open the reference family that matches it.
Start with the object or task in front of you
If you are examining how content is organized in a SAMSON document, begin with Documents. That reference covers documents, folders, files, notes, and paths. If your uncertainty is instead about what kind of item you are looking at, go to Node types. The distinction is useful: one route is about the document’s organization, while the other is about the categories of nodes it contains.
For questions about models, choose Models, which brings together structural, visual, interaction, dynamical, and property models. If the issue is specifically how an object appears, check Visual presets or Default color palettes. These references help separate a question about a reusable visualization preset from one about the built-in palettes used for color schemes.
Use the labels to narrow the search
Some common modeling questions point directly to a reference family:
- Looking up effects used in a presentation or movie? Start with Animations.
- Trying to identify camera-related controls or camera nodes? Open Camera.
- Checking which file types can be brought in or written out? Use Supported formats.
- Need to find the relevant extension category? The references for Apps, Editors, Importers, and Exporters cover those extension families.
- Working with expression-based selections or filters? Visit Node Specification Language (NSL).
Other reference families can help when the question is about the application itself rather than a molecular structure. The SAMSON Interface reference is the place to look for menus, panels, workspaces, and shortcuts. Preferences covers user-modifiable settings, while Versioning explains version and compatibility conventions. For sequence-based views of biological structures, see Sequence view. The Path Analyzer page is the targeted reference for its plots and analyses.
When you do not know the right family yet
Not every problem begins with a clear feature name. If you are still deciding how to approach a task, a reference page may be too narrow a starting point. Use Reference and help to choose between FAQs, troubleshooting, and references. If you need basic orientation before looking up a specific control, begin with First look: the interface.
A practical habit is to describe the question in one sentence before opening the documentation: “I need to identify this node category,” “I need to check an export format,” or “I need to find a setting I can change.” Matching that sentence to the reference family can save time and keep you focused on the detail you actually need. For the complete index, visit the SAMSON References hub.
Note: SAMSON and all SAMSON Extensions are free for non-commercial use. Get SAMSON.