When working with complex molecular models, even simple tasks like finding and editing a property of a specific atom can become overwhelming. If you’ve ever spent too much time scrolling through long lists of atomic attributes or lost track of which property affects what, you’re not alone. Molecular modeling often involves working with diverse sets of atoms, bonds, or residues—and managing their properties efficiently can save precious time.
The Inspector tool in SAMSON is designed to give users a centralized way to view and modify the properties of selected nodes. But what many users overlook is a small but powerful feature: the attribute filter.
What is Attribute Filtering?
Attribute filtering lets you narrow down the long list of attributes shown in the Inspector by typing text into a filter field. For example, if you select an atom and type position into the filter, only attributes related to position will be shown. This allows you to quickly identify and focus only on the attributes you care about, saving both time and cognitive effort.
How to Use It Effectively
Start by selecting at least one atom. The Inspector will populate with attribute groups categorized by node types. Now, in the small text input field at the top of the Inspector panel, start typing the name of the attribute—say, position.
Instantly, the Inspector view will be filtered to only show the attribute(s) that match your query.
This is especially useful when working with multiple atoms. You might want to compare or modify the same attribute across several atoms. Filtering avoids the need to manually locate the attribute each time.
Modifying Filtered Attributes
Filtered results are fully interactive. For example, after filtering for position, you can directly edit the atom’s position values in the Inspector. These changes are immediately reflected in the scene.
If multiple atoms are selected and you modify a shared attribute, all selected atoms of that type will be updated accordingly. Check the Relative option to apply changes while preserving their relative positions.
When and Why Should You Use This?
If you often:
- Work with large or complex molecular systems
- Edit or compare specific attributes across nodes
- Feel overwhelmed by long attribute lists
…then attribute filtering can really streamline your workflow.
This small but effective feature brings clarity and focus to your molecular design tasks.
To learn more, visit the Inspector documentation page.
SAMSON and all SAMSON Extensions are free for non-commercial use. You can download SAMSON at https://www.samson-connect.net.