A familiar frustration in molecular modeling: you know what you want to do, but the tool currently responding to your mouse or keyboard is not the one you expected. A click that should select something may instead move around the viewport, or a transform tool may be active when you meant to use another editor. In SAMSON, the first useful question is not just “Where is that tool?” but also “Which editor is active?”
Editors are tools that respond to interaction events, including mouse and keyboard input. They can serve quite different purposes: examples include a nanotube generator, a tool for deforming molecular structures while preserving local rigidity, a rectangle selection tool, and a rigid-body transform tool. Knowing that these are all editors helps explain why one part of the interface may behave differently from another: the active editor determines how your interaction is interpreted.
A quick way to recover when the interface feels unexpected
When an action does not behave as intended, pause and check the active editor before repeating the action. SAMSON has one—and only one—active editor at a time. This simple check can save you from making several attempts with the wrong tool selected.
Look in the editor menu on the left side of the viewport to find and choose an editor. Once an editor is active, its quick-access commands appear in the top-left corner of the viewport. That gives you a practical sequence: identify the task, choose the corresponding editor, check its available quick-access commands, and then interact with the structure.
If you do not remember where an editor is listed, use the Find everything search box at the top of SAMSON. This is especially useful when you know the tool’s name or purpose but do not recall its place in the menu. SAMSON includes editors by default, and additional editors can be added from SAMSON Connect.
Match the task to the editor family
It also helps to separate tasks that may seem similar but are covered by different editor references. If your immediate goal is viewport navigation or selection, consult Moving around. If you want to transform objects—such as moving or aligning them—consult Moving objects. These references narrow the search to the relevant type of interaction instead of treating every editor as interchangeable.
For instance, a rectangle selection tool and a rigid-body transform tool both respond to user input, but they answer different needs. Likewise, a nanotube generator is not a navigation editor. Thinking first about the outcome you want—select, navigate, transform, generate, or deform—makes it easier to find an appropriate tool and reduces guesswork.
A small habit that keeps work moving
Before a sequence of mouse or keyboard actions, take a moment to verify the active editor. If you are unsure which one you need, search for it or browse the left-side editor menu; then use the viewport’s top-left quick-access area to orient yourself. This lightweight check is useful whenever you switch between tasks, return to a project after a break, or find that the interface is responding in an unexpected way.
For more details about what editors are, where to find them, and how they relate to other SAMSON Extensions, see the Editors reference.
Note: SAMSON and all SAMSON Extensions are free for non-commercial use. Get SAMSON.