Why Your SAMSON Extension Might Not Load—and How to Fix It

When working on complex molecular models, nothing is more frustrating than launching your simulation platform only to find out that a crucial extension just won’t load. If you’ve ever experienced this problem while using SAMSON, the integrative platform for molecular design, the issue might not be with your code—it might be about version compatibility.

Understanding Extension Compatibility in SAMSON

SAMSON allows the integration of user-created Extensions via its Software Development Kit (SDK). These Extensions bring additional functionalities—force fields, builders, analysis tools—that many researchers rely on. But not all versions of Extensions are compatible with all versions of SAMSON. This is because of the platform’s strict use of semantic versioning.

The Basics of SAMSON’s SDK Compatibility

When you launch SAMSON, it checks whether each installed Extension is compatible with its current SDK version before loading it. This compatibility is not arbitrary; it follows two explicit rules:

  • The major version number (major) of the SDK used to build the Extension must be equal to the major version number of SAMSON’s SDK.
  • The minor version number (minor) of the SDK used to build the Extension must be less than the minor version number of SAMSON’s SDK.

If one of these conditions isn’t met, the Extension will not load. This protects you from runtime errors that could result from using functions that your SAMSON version doesn’t support yet.

Examples That Clarify Things

Let’s say you’re running SAMSON version 1.7.8. Then:

  • An Extension built with SDK version 1.5.2 will load ✅
  • An Extension built with SDK version 1.7.7 will load ✅
  • An Extension built with SDK version 1.8.5 will not load ❌

Why? Because 1.8.5 has a higher minor version number than what your SAMSON can support (1.7).

What You Can Do

If your Extension isn’t appearing at startup, check these steps:

  1. Make sure the major SDK version matches SAMSON’s.
  2. Ensure the SDK minor version used to build the Extension is less than your SAMSON’s minor version.
  3. Consider updating your SAMSON installation. New versions often increase the minor version number, improving compatibility with more Extensions.
  4. If a newer Extension version is available on SAMSON Connect and it meets compatibility rules, SAMSON will update the Extension automatically at startup—as long as you’re connected to the Internet.

The Takeaway

Versioning might sound like backend housekeeping, but it directly impacts your workflow. Knowing how SAMSON handles compatibility can save you a lot of headaches and ensure your simulations run smoothly with all the features you rely on. You can read the detailed rules and examples in the official SAMSON documentation.

SAMSON and all SAMSON Extensions are free for non-commercial use. You can download SAMSON at https://www.samson-connect.net.

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