The CCP4 (Collaborative Computational Project, Number 4) software suite is a collection of programs and associated data and software libraries which can be used for macromolecular structure determination by X-ray crystallography. The suite is designed to be flexible, allowing users a number of methods of achieving their aims. The programs are from a wide variety of sources but are connected by a common infrastructure provided by standard file formats, data objects and graphical interfaces. Structure solution by macromolecular crystallography is becoming increasingly automated and the CCP4 suite includes several automation pipelines. After giving a brief description of the evolution of CCP4 over the last 30 years, an overview of the current suite is given. While detailed descriptions are given in the accompanying articles, here it is shown how the individual programs contribute to a complete software package.

iMOSFLM is a graphical user interface to the diffraction dataintegration program MOSFLM. It is designed to simplify data processing by dividing the process into a series of steps, which are normally carried out sequentially. Each step has its own display pane, allowing control over parameters that influence that step and providing graphical feedback to the user. Suitable values for integration parameters are set automatically, but additional menus provide a detailed level of control for experienced users. The image display and the interfaces to the different tasks (indexing, strategy calculation, cell refinement, integration and history) are described. The most important parameters for each step and the best way of assessing success or failure are discussed.

Processing diffraction data falls naturally into three distinct steps: First, determining an initial estimate of the unit cell and orientation of the crystal; second, obtaining refined values for these parameters; and third, integrating the diffraction images. The basic principles underlying autoindexing, parameter refinement, and spot integration by summation integration and profile fitting are described.

The fast Fourier transform (FFT) autoindexing routines written by the Rossmann group at Purdue University have been incorporated in MOSFLM, providing a rapid and reliable method of indexing oscillation images. This is a procedure which extracts direct-space information about the unit cell from the FFT. The method and its implementation in MOSFLM are discussed.

An overview of autoindexing diffraction images based on one-dimensional fast Fourier transforms is presented. The implementation of the algorithm in the Mosflm/iMosflm program suite is described with a discussion of practical issues that may arise and ways of assessing the success or failure of the procedure. Recent developments allow indexing of images that show multiple lattices, and several examples demonstrate the success of this approach in real cases.

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With modern detectors and synchrotron sources, it is now routine to collect complete data sets in 10–30 min. To make the most efficient use of these resources, it is desirable to automate the collection and processing of the diffraction data, ideally to a level at which multiple data sets can be acquired without any intervention. A scheme is described to allow fully automated data collection and processing. The design is modular, so that it can easily be interfaced with different beamline‐control programs and different data‐processing programs. An expert system provides a communication path between the data‐processing software and the beamline‐control software and takes decisions about the data collection based on project information provided by the user and experimental data provided by the data‐processing program.

Variable temperature NMR spectroscopy studies of lanthanide(III) complexes with 1,4,7,10-tetraazacyclododecane-N,N',N",N'-tetraacetic acid (DOTA) provide evidence of the presence of two isomeric forms in aqueous solution. An NMR study was performed in order to gain structural information on the two isomeric species, using a fitting procedure of calculated to experimental dipolar contributions to the paramagnetic shifts. The two isomers show to have identical macrocyclic ring conformations and differ only in the coordination or orientation of the acetate arms of the ligand, yielding either square prismatic and square anti-prismatic coordination geometries, or octadentate and heptadentate coordinations of the ligand relative to the lanthanide ion. Analysis of the dipolar shifts is consistent with both types of acetate conformational equilibria.