SimpleSession

SimpleSession allows basic aspects of the state of Chimera during modeling (a "session") to be saved and restored. A session file consists of Python code that reconstitutes the state of Chimera by opening data files and performing other operations. The original input files must still be present to restart a session saved with SimpleSession; if they are not in the same place(s) as when the session was saved, the user will be queried for their locations. If a session includes a structure that has duplicate atom names within the same residue, it will not restore correctly.

Eventually, a more complete session-saving mechanism will be available. Types of information that are saved include:

• molecule models and surface models, their translation/rotation and scale, display and label status, representations, and colors (except for custom surface colors)
• selections (current and saved)
• pseudobonds, including distance monitors
• window size
• clipping plane positions (except sessions saved with Chimera Version 1 Build 1351)
• projection mode (perspective or orthographic)
• center of rotation method
• the status of Volume Viewer, Volume Path Tracer, and Scale Bar
• sequence alignments open in Multalign Viewer and their regions and associations

• VRML models
• any modifications to coordinates (such as from using swapaa, bond rotations, or AddH)
• custom surface colors (such as surface coloring by electrostatic potential done using DelPhiViewer)
• the status of most tools, including the Command Line and Side View

There are other ways to save a session, all of which use the SimpleSession functionality:

• File... Save Session
• File... Save Session As...
• the command save

• specifying session_name.py as input at the time of Chimera startup
• opening session_name.py using File... Open Session... (or File... Open)
• the command

  load session_name
  -OR-
  load session_name.py

• the command

  open session_name.py