Open two session at once

[axel.benchetrit@…]

The following bug report has been submitted:
Platform:        Windows-10-10.0.19044
ChimeraX Version: 1.6.1 (2023-05-09 17:57:07 UTC)
Description
Hi, I tried by all maners to open at least two of my cxs files at the same time to compare them but it always opens only one of them. I wonder how I can fix this.

Log:
UCSF ChimeraX version: 1.6.1 (2023-05-09)  
© 2016-2023 Regents of the University of California. All rights reserved.  

> save "C:/Users/elasserre/Documents/Protein predictions/PCNA heterotrimer
> native.cxs"

——— End of log from Thu Aug 24 11:55:14 2023 ———

Log from Fri Sep 1 14:04:32 2023UCSF ChimeraX version: 1.6.1 (2023-05-09)  
© 2016-2023 Regents of the University of California. All rights reserved.  
How to cite UCSF ChimeraX  

> ui tool show AlphaFold

> alphafold predict
> MFEARLVQGSILKKVLEALKDLITEACWDVSSSGISLQSMDSSHVSLVQLTLRSDGFDSYRCDRNLAMGVNLSSMSKILKCAGNEDIITLRAEDNADALALVFETLNQEKVSDYEMKLMDLDVEQLGIPEQEYSCVVKMPSGEFARICRDLSQIGDAVMISCAKDGVKFSASGELGTGNIKLSQTSNVDKEDEAVTIEMNEPVQLIFALNYLNFFTKATPLSKTVTLSMSADIPLVVEYKIADMGHVKYYLAPKIDEESSAEAAAKEAAAKEAAAKEAAAKAMVSKGEELFTGVVPILVELDGDVNGHKFSVSGEGEGDATYGKLTLKFICTTGKLPVPWPTLVTTLTYGVQCFSRYPDHMKQHDFFKSAMPEGYVQERTIFFKDDGNYKTRAEVKFEGDTLVNRIELKGIDFKEDGNILGHKLEYNYNSHNVYIMADKQKNGIKVNFKIRHNIEDGSVQLADHYQQNTPIGDGPVLLPDNHYLSTQSALSKDPNEKRDHMVLLEFVTAAGITLGMDELYK

Please cite ColabFold: Making protein folding accessible to all. Nature
Methods (2022) if you use these predictions.  
Running AlphaFold prediction  
AlphaFold prediction finished  
Results in C:\Users\elasserre/Downloads/ChimeraX/AlphaFold/prediction_12  

> open
> C:\Users\elasserre/Downloads/ChimeraX/AlphaFold/prediction_12\best_model.pdb

Chain information for best_model.pdb #1  
---  
Chain | Description  
A | No description available  
  

> save "C:/Users/elasserre/Documents/Protein
> predictions/PCNA(A(EAAAK)4A)GFP.cxs"

——— End of log from Fri Sep 1 14:04:32 2023 ———

opened ChimeraX session  
opened ChimeraX session  
opened ChimeraX session  
opened ChimeraX session  

> help help:contact.html




OpenGL version: 3.3.0 - Build 27.20.100.9664
OpenGL renderer: Intel(R) UHD Graphics 620
OpenGL vendor: Intel

Python: 3.9.11
Locale: fr_FR.cp1252
Qt version: PyQt6 6.4.2, Qt 6.4.2
Qt runtime version: 6.4.3
Qt platform: windows

Manufacturer: Dell Inc.
Model: Latitude 3500
OS: Microsoft Windows 10 Professionnel (Build 19044)
Memory: 8,460,812,288
MaxProcessMemory: 137,438,953,344
CPU: 8 Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-8265U CPU @ 1.60GHz
OSLanguage: fr-FR

Installed Packages:
    alabaster: 0.7.13
    appdirs: 1.4.4
    asttokens: 2.2.1
    Babel: 2.12.1
    backcall: 0.2.0
    beautifulsoup4: 4.11.2
    blockdiag: 3.0.0
    build: 0.10.0
    certifi: 2023.5.7
    cftime: 1.6.2
    charset-normalizer: 3.1.0
    ChimeraX-AddCharge: 1.5.9.1
    ChimeraX-AddH: 2.2.5
    ChimeraX-AlignmentAlgorithms: 2.0.1
    ChimeraX-AlignmentHdrs: 3.3.1
    ChimeraX-AlignmentMatrices: 2.1
    ChimeraX-Alignments: 2.9.3
    ChimeraX-AlphaFold: 1.0
    ChimeraX-AltlocExplorer: 1.0.3
    ChimeraX-AmberInfo: 1.0
    ChimeraX-Arrays: 1.1
    ChimeraX-Atomic: 1.43.10
    ChimeraX-AtomicLibrary: 10.0.6
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    ChimeraX-AxesPlanes: 2.3.2
    ChimeraX-BasicActions: 1.1.2
    ChimeraX-BILD: 1.0
    ChimeraX-BlastProtein: 2.1.2
    ChimeraX-BondRot: 2.0.1
    ChimeraX-BugReporter: 1.0.1
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    ChimeraX-ChangeChains: 1.0.2
    ChimeraX-CheckWaters: 1.3.1
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    ChimeraX-Dssp: 2.0
    ChimeraX-EMDB-SFF: 1.0
    ChimeraX-ESMFold: 1.0
    ChimeraX-FileHistory: 1.0.1
    ChimeraX-FunctionKey: 1.0.1
    ChimeraX-Geometry: 1.3
    ChimeraX-gltf: 1.0
    ChimeraX-Graphics: 1.1.1
    ChimeraX-Hbonds: 2.4
    ChimeraX-Help: 1.2.1
    ChimeraX-HKCage: 1.3
    ChimeraX-IHM: 1.1
    ChimeraX-ImageFormats: 1.2
    ChimeraX-IMOD: 1.0
    ChimeraX-IO: 1.0.1
    ChimeraX-ItemsInspection: 1.0.1
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    ChimeraX-MDcrds: 2.6
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    ChimeraX-MLP: 1.1.1
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    ChimeraX-NRRD: 1.0
    ChimeraX-Nucleotides: 2.0.3
    ChimeraX-OpenCommand: 1.10.1
    ChimeraX-PDB: 2.7.2
    ChimeraX-PDBBio: 1.0
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    ChimeraX-PDBMatrices: 1.0
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    ChimeraX-PubChem: 2.1
    ChimeraX-ReadPbonds: 1.0.1
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    ChimeraX-RemoteControl: 1.0
    ChimeraX-RenderByAttr: 1.1
    ChimeraX-RenumberResidues: 1.1
    ChimeraX-ResidueFit: 1.0.1
    ChimeraX-RestServer: 1.1
    ChimeraX-RNALayout: 1.0
    ChimeraX-RotamerLibMgr: 3.0
    ChimeraX-RotamerLibsDunbrack: 2.0
    ChimeraX-RotamerLibsDynameomics: 2.0
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    ChimeraX-SaveCommand: 1.5.1
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    ChimeraX-Test: 1.0
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    ChimeraX-ToolshedUtils: 1.2.1
    ChimeraX-Topography: 1.0
    ChimeraX-Tug: 1.0.1
    ChimeraX-UI: 1.28.4
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    ChimeraX-UnitCell: 1.0.1
    ChimeraX-ViewDockX: 1.2
    ChimeraX-VIPERdb: 1.0
    ChimeraX-Vive: 1.1
    ChimeraX-VolumeMenu: 1.0.1
    ChimeraX-VTK: 1.0
    ChimeraX-WavefrontOBJ: 1.0
    ChimeraX-WebCam: 1.0.2
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    h5py: 3.8.0
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[Eric Pettersen]

Related to #9258

[Tom Goddard]

You are right ChimeraX always closes the previous session when you open a new one. There is not currently a method to open two sessions at the same time in the same ChimeraX. You could open them in two separate running instances of ChimeraX but that may not allow you to compare that as easily.

The reason ChimeraX cannot open two sessions at the same time currently is because the session restores exactly the state that was saved -- all the model id numbers (#1, #2, ...) remain the same. If you open two sessions they very likely use the same model numbers. So the models would need to be renumbered for the second session so they don't collide. Currently ChimeraX does not have any code to renumber the models to avoid the collisions. This has been requested before and we are interested in adding the ability but it has not been done.

This is the same as ticket #9258. I am closing this ticket as a duplicate and adding the email address of this reporter to ticket #9258.