If you’re developing or using molecular modeling tools in SAMSON, you may eventually encounter this situation: you launch SAMSON, expecting your favorite extension to appear… but it doesn’t load. No error, just silence. What’s going on?
This is actually a common experience for users and developers working across different SAMSON versions. Understanding extension compatibility through semantic versioning can save you hours of debugging and help you keep your modeling workflows running smoothly.
What’s Behind This?
SAMSON uses semantic versioning to manage compatibility between the platform and the extensions developed with its Software Development Kit (SDK). This versioning system follows the major.minor.patch convention. Here’s what each number means:
- Major: Introduces changes that may break compatibility.
- Minor: Adds functionality but keeps things compatible.
- Patch: Fixes bugs, no compatibility breaks.
This matters because SAMSON only loads extensions if they were built with an SDK version compatible with the currently installed SAMSON version.
So, What’s Considered Compatible?
According to the rules:
- The major version of the SDK must match the major version of SAMSON.
- The minor version of the SDK must be smaller than or equal to the minor version of SAMSON.
For example, if you’re using SAMSON version 1.7.8, then extensions built with SDK versions 1.3.5, 1.5.2, or 1.7.7 will work. However, an extension built with 1.8.5 won’t load—because its minor version exceeds that of SAMSON.
Why This Matters for Molecular Modelers
You’re likely juggling several extensions for tasks ranging from visualization to analysis to simulation. When one fails to load, the problem might appear random—until you realize it’s version-related. This mechanism ensures that you don’t accidentally use features from a newer SDK that your SAMSON version doesn’t support.
If your extension doesn’t load, don’t immediately recompile or dive into logs. First, check:
- That the major version of the SDK used to build the extension matches your SAMSON version.
- The SDK’s minor version is compatible (i.e., lower or equal to SAMSON’s minor version).
Keeping Your Extensions Updated
SAMSON supports automatic extension updates—as long as your version of SAMSON stays compatible. So, even if you’re using an older extension, it can be automatically upgraded during startup when a compatible version is available on SAMSON Connect, as long as you’re online. But once SAMSON reaches a new major version, older installations won’t fetch newer extensions anymore.
One of the simplest ways to ensure everything works smoothly? Keep SAMSON updated. If you’re delaying updates, that could be why your extensions seem to have ‘disappeared’.
Additional Tips
- Don’t confuse the SDK version with the individual extension version. The extension’s internal version doesn’t affect compatibility.
- If you’re developing an extension, tag your release notes clearly so your users can track when compatibility changes.
- As a user, prefer to update SAMSON regularly, rather than chasing compatible extension versions manually.
Learn more about SAMSON’s versioning and compatibility policies in the official documentation.
SAMSON and all SAMSON Extensions are free for non-commercial use. You can download SAMSON at https://www.samson-connect.net.