Home » Release Notes » 5.1.0

Changes in version 5.1 (Apr 13, 2020)

    New Functionality:

    • Enabled DNA and protein sequence windows to be split to show two views, one above the other.
      (Requested over the years by multiple users)
    • Added support in the Description Panel for various reference types including books, database entries, patents (which can be imported from online databases), theses, web links, and more.
    • Configured /citation qualifier values to link to specific references, which are accessible via tooltips and clickable links in Features view.
    • Added optional page number entries for /citation qualifiers.
    • Enabled enzyme visibility to be adjusted in Enzymes view using check boxes, mirroring the controls used for Features and Primers views.
    • Enabled flexible feature detection with an adjustable similarity threshold when importing features from another file.
    • Added support for exporting aligned sequence trace data using a tab-separated format.
      (Requested by Yves Girerd-Chambaz)
    • Enabled BLAST for multiple selected sequence files in a collection.
      (Requested by Charles Dozois)
    • Added a pre-defined enzyme set for Type IIS enzymes.
    • Enabled import of features or primers from another file, or detection of common features, for multiple selected DNA files in a collection.
      (Requested by Michael Gotrik)
    • Enabled simultaneous flipping of multiple selected DNA sequences in a collection.
    • Added support for linking folders of the same name in different areas of a collection, with "Go to ..." shortcuts for switching between related folders in different areas.
      (Requested by Mily Ron)
    • Enabled the "Make Protein" and "Reverse Translate" commands, when operating within a collection, to save the output files to a linked folder in a different area of the collection.
    • Added support for batch replacement of Description Panel fields for files in a collection.
      (Requested by Samuel Tremblay-Belzile)
    • Added MW markers from Nacalai Tesque.
      (Requested by Tomonori Hoshino)
    • Added MW markers from FroggaBio.
      (Requested by Michael Ostrovski)
    • Added MW markers from Newmarket Scientific.
      (Requested by Sabrina)
    • Added the remaining TrackIt™ MW markers from Thermo Fisher.
      (Requested by Slava Gurevich)
    • Improved feature tooltips when using compact mode in Sequence view.
      (Requested by Bandar)

    Enhancements:

    • Reduced the height of linear maps by enabling items to be superimposed without sacrificing legibility.
      (Requested by Vishal Chaudhari)
    • Changed the defaults to show HF® and FastDigest® information in the Restriction Enzymes dialog, while allowing these defaults to be adjusted.
      (Requested by Silvana Jirka)
    • Enhanced the File > Export cascading menu to enable export of multiple files or a list of files from a collection.
      (Requested by Gurumoorthy Krishnamoorthy)
    • Added support for a color attribute when importing features from GFF3 format.
      (Requested by Matthew Kirk)
    • Added support for specifying the line break characters when exporting to text file formats.
      (Requested by Tim Fallon and Tom Chappell)
    • Enabled long map labels to span two lines in circular Map view.
      (Requested by Chun Cao)
    • Configured Sequence view to retain visibility of the scrolled region when toggling horizontal scrolling.
      (Requested by Kengo Adachi)
    • Enhanced the flexibility of code number display in collection lists.
      (Requested by Tim Nierhaus)
    • Added a keyboard shortcut for "Import UniProt Sequences".
      (Requested by James Wright)
    • Enabled colors in multiple sequence alignments to be copied to the clipboard.
      (Requested by Monir Ejemel)
    • Added support for importing Vector NTI Express Designer databases
      (Requested by Dave Karig)
    • Provided the option to differentiate "A" traces using a striped pattern for users with color vision disabilities.
    • Provided an adjustable similarity threshold for detecting common features.
    • Enabled the "Make Protein", "Reverse Translate", and "New File From Selection" commands to save the output files to the same collection.
    • Allowed the genetic code to be specified when converting a selection in a DNA alignment to a protein alignment.
    • Ensured that when sorting by Code Number or Alias in a collection, any files with blank entries are placed at the end of the list.
    • Converted SnapGene to a 64-bit application on Windows, thereby improving performance and stability.
    • Ensured that scrollbars are shown only when necessary in Map, Sequence, and History views.
    • Improved the wording in the Restriction Enzymes dialog to make it clearer when a supplier offers multiple variants of an enzyme.
    • Changed the License Agreement dialog so that it is no longer modal, and added support for printing or saving this document using keyboard shortcuts.
    • Made various textual, color, and icon enhancements.

    Fixes:

    • Configured the Find control to show bottom strand results when using compact format in Sequence view.
      (Requested by Bandar)
    • Prevented extra line breaks from appearing after export of some qualifier values to GenBank and EMBL formats.
      (Reported by Karen Ross)
    • Ensured that all controls in alignment dialogs can be translated into Japanese or Chinese.
    • Ensured that collection folder names for selected items never appear in List view.
    • Enabled scrolling up using Shift + Spacebar in Sequence view.
    • Fixed paging up and down using Function + Up/Down keys, and scrolling to the start or end of the sequence using Function + Left/Right keys.
    • Ensured that ancestral blunt cutters can be shown in green in History view after import from Vector NTI® or other file formats.
    • Prevented unnecessarily asking to add methylation when specifying "Escherichia coli" as the Source for a Natural DNA sequence.
    • Corrected an error with internal array data when editing trace sequences.
    • Ensured that linearizing or circularizing a DNA sequence populates the Sequence Author field with the default author.
    • Configured Enzymes view to show enzyme sites in red upon mouseover in both the main view and the lower map.
    • Corrected codon frequencies for reverse directional ORFs.
    • Ensured that the Description Panel flows to the bottom of the window when zoom controls are shown.
    • Fixed various issues with importing primers into DNA files in a collection.
    • Ensured that the map label in a circular map never overlaps features.
    • Disable menu File > Export > History when no history exists in sequence file.
    • Fix Blasting selected primer in a collection file.
    • Fix Tools > Blast Selected Protein with a collection file.
    • Ensured that the Previous button in the Find controls is shown in blue only if the Shift key and no other key is pressed.
    • Adjusted the behavior for sequence traces so that mousing over an ambiguous base darkens the curves for multiple bases.
    • Prevented accented characters from being accidentally inserted into a DNA or protein sequence when holding down letter keys on macOS.
    • Improved the foreground color within features while using compact Sequence view.
    • Improved feature pliancy while using compact Sequence view.
    • Fixed an issue in which pressing the Shift key resulted in a button changing color in the "Import Features from a SnapGene File" and "Detect Common Features" dialogs.
    • Improved the look and feel of controls for Enzymes view on Windows.
    • Preserved formatting when creating hyperlinks.
    • Improved horizontal alignment of values shown in the Properties tab for protein sequences.
    • Enabled proper export of /citation qualifier values to GenBank, GenPept, and EMBL formats.
    • Ensured that suppliers remain selected after dragging them in the Enzymes tab of the Preferences dialog.
    • Updated the MW calculation for a full sequence in the DNA Calculations window after 5' phosphates are added or removed.
    • Enabled bottom strand matches to search queries in Sequence view when using compact mode.
    • Ensured that qualifier selections in Features view are cleared when selecting features or transferring focus to the Description Panel.
    • Configured a collection to show and select imported files even when those files are not in the currently chosen category.
    • Fixed an issue that could result in labels for Site features not being shown entirely within a protein sequence window.
    • Improved the horizontal placement of names and connecting lines for site features in Sequence view.
    • Fixed an issue in which selections in Features and Primers views sometimes remained blue after focus was transferred to the Description Panel.
    • Disabled controls for setting the DNA color when using either compact Sequence view or Map view with features on the DNA line.
    • Fixed issues with displaying enzymes that make two double-stranded cuts when a site is near the end of a linear sequence.
    • Improved stability when importing Vector NTI Express Designer enzyme names
      (Reported by Dave Karig)