Advanced Scripting Workshop

Part 5: pymolrc: Startup Script

If a file named $HOME/.pymolrc exists, PyMOL will load it on every start. The file is a script in PyMOL command language, or in Python if named .pymolrc.py. For details, see:

https://pymolwiki.org/index.php/Pymolrc

Create a pymolrc script

For this exercise, create a pymolrc script like described on the PyMOLWiki page.

Paste into the script:

# simple test: change background color of PyMOL window
bg blue

If you prefer to use Python instead of PML language:

# simple test: change background color of PyMOL window
cmd.bg_color('blue')

Launch PyMOL. Expected result: Blue background

Add something useful

Add some hotkeys from the previous part to your pymolrc. Example:

# ortho toggle
set_key F1, set orthoscopic
set_key F2, set orthoscopic, off

# "nice" command
alias nice, as cartoon; show sticks, organic; show spheres, inorganic

# "nice" F3 hotkey
set_key F3, nice