Cloud Storage & Sharing

MolViewStories provides multiple ways to save, share, and export your work. You’ll need to login to use cloud storage features.

Saving Your Work

Save as Session (Private)

Private sessions are only accessible to you and stored in your “My Stories” collection. To save a session:

  1. Click “Story → Save Session” in the top menu
  2. Add optional notes about your work
  3. Your session is now stored privately in the cloud

Sessions are perfect for:

  • Work in progress
  • Drafts and experiments
  • Personal archives
  • Content not yet ready to share

My Stories

Access all your saved content by clicking “My Stories” in the top menu. Here you’ll find:

  • Sessions: Your private work (marked with 🔒)
  • Published Stories: Your public stories (marked with 🌐)

From My Stories you can:

  • Open and continue editing
  • Delete old work
  • Manage your storage quota
  • See creation and modification dates

Publishing Stories (Public)

Publishing creates a publicly accessible version of your story with a shareable link.

To publish a story:

  1. Click “Publish” in the top menu
  2. Add a title, description, and tags
  3. Review and confirm
  4. Get your shareable public URL

Published stories are:

  • Accessible to anyone with the link
  • View-only (others cannot edit)
  • Searchable by title and tags
  • Permanently available

When to Publish:

  • Educational content ready to share
  • Presentations and demonstrations
  • Scientific communication
  • Portfolio pieces

Export Options

MolViewStories offers multiple export formats for different use cases:

Download Session (.mvstory)

Complete project file that can be imported back into MolViewStories.

  • Click “Story → Download Session”
  • Includes all scenes, code, assets, and metadata
  • File extension: .mvstory
  • Use cases: Backups, sharing editable versions, transferring between computers

Export as HTML

Standalone web page that works offline without MolViewStories.

  • Click “Story → Export HTML”
  • Self-contained file with embedded viewer
  • No internet required after download
  • Use cases: Presentations, offline viewing, archival

Export MolViewSpec State (.mvsj)

JSON state file that can be opened in the Mol* Viewer.

  • Click “Story → Export MolViewSpec State”
  • Lightweight JSON format
  • Compatible with Mol* Viewer ecosystem
  • Use cases: Integration with other tools, sharing visualizations

Export Self-Hosted Package (.mvsx)

ZIP file containing story data and all required assets.

  • Click “Story → Export Self-Hosted Package”
  • Complete package for self-hosting
  • File extension: .mvsx
  • Use cases: Hosting on your own server, archival with assets

Storage Limits & Quotas

Each user has storage quotas to ensure fair resource allocation:

Limits: - 100 sessions (private saves) - 100 published stories (public shares) - 50 MB maximum per session - Total storage across all sessions and stories

Managing Your Quota: - Check current usage in “My Stories” - Delete old or unused content regularly - Export important work as local files - Use published stories for final versions (they count separately)

Sharing Best Practices

For Different Audiences

  • Students/Learners: Publish stories with clear descriptions and tags
  • Colleagues: Share session files for collaborative editing
  • Presentations: Export as HTML for reliable offline access
  • Publications: Publish stories and include the permanent link

Privacy Considerations

  • Sessions are private by default
  • Publishing makes content publicly accessible
  • There’s no “unpublish” feature (delete and republish instead)
  • Anyone with a published story link can view it

Common Workflows

Development Workflow

  1. Create and edit → Save as Session (private)
  2. Continue iterating on your private session
  3. When ready → Publish (public)
  4. Optional: Export HTML for presentations

Backup Workflow

  1. Regularly download session files locally
  2. Keep important work in both cloud and local storage
  3. Export HTML versions of finished stories

Collaboration Workflow

  1. Create initial story → Save as Session
  2. Download session file
  3. Share .mvstory file with collaborators
  4. They import, edit, and send back
  5. Import their version and merge changes
  6. Publish final version

Teaching Workflow

  1. Create educational content
  2. Publish with descriptive title and tags
  3. Share link with students
  4. Students can view but not edit
  5. Optionally: Export HTML for offline classroom use

Troubleshooting Storage Issues

“Quota exceeded” error: - Delete unused sessions or stories - Export important work locally before deleting - Consider which saves are truly needed

Missing saved work: - Verify you’re logged in with the correct account - Check both Sessions and Published Stories tabs - Give “My Stories” time to load all items

Save/publish failed: - Check your internet connection - Verify file size is under 50 MB - Try exporting locally as a backup - Contact support if problem persists