Quick Start Tutorial
Create your first VERA workflow in 10 minutes. This step-by-step guide will walk you through building and running a simple molecular visualization workflow.
Your First Workflow
Follow these steps to create a simple workflow that loads a molecular structure and displays it in 2D format.
Launch VERA
Start the VERA application from command line or script
- 1Double-click VERA.exe to start the application
- 2Wait for the application to load (may take a few moments)
- 3VERA is free and open source no license key needed
- 4The Recent Projects dialog will appear first
Create Your First Workflow
Start with a new empty workflow canvas
- 1Click 'New Project' in Recent Projects dialog
- 2Or use File → New Workflow (Ctrl+N)
- 3The canvas will be empty and ready
- 4Floating controls appear at bottom center
Add Your First Node
Add nodes from the VERA Toolbox
- 1Find the VERA Toolbox on the right side
- 2Expand 'I/O' category in the toolbox
- 3Click on 'File Input' node to add it
- 4The node appears on the canvas
- 5Drag to reposition or resize the node
Configure the Node
Set node properties and input files
- 1Double-click the File Input node
- 2Properties dialog opens
- 3Browse and select a PDB or SDF file
- 4Click OK to save properties
- 5Node updates to show configured state
Connect Nodes
Create connections between node ports
- 1Add 'Structure Draw 2D' from Visualization category
- 2Click on the output port (right side) of File Input
- 3Drag to input port (left side) of Structure Draw 2D
- 4Connection line shows data flow
- 5Port colors indicate data type compatibility
Run Your Workflow
Execute and view results
- 1Click 'Validate' button (check icon) first
- 2Green animation shows valid workflow
- 3Click 'Run' button (play icon)
- 4Progress bar shows execution status
- 5Nodes turn green when complete
- 6Double-click Image Viewer to see results
- 7Save workflow as .vsw file (Ctrl+S)
Essential Keyboard Shortcuts
Learn these shortcuts to work more efficiently in VERA.
Pro Tips
Helpful tips to make the most of your VERA experience.
Canvas Navigation
Mouse wheel to zoom, middle-click drag to pan. Nodes can be resized by dragging edges. Right-click nodes for context menu.
Workflow Management
Workflows save as .vsw files. Use validation before running to check for errors. Recent projects appear on startup.
Node Connections
Port colors indicate data types: blue (molecules), green (data), yellow (string), purple (file), orange (image).
Performance Tips
Use Vina GPU for large-scale docking. Session temp files are auto-cleaned on exit. Pause/resume workflows as needed.
Ready for More?
Great job completing your first workflow! Now explore the interface in more detail or check out example workflows for inspiration.