diff --git a/src/colvar/ContactMap.cpp b/src/colvar/ContactMap.cpp
index f39a80bc05ff9006a17b510542f726784354485f..57edf9e410aa88077f0f0bf67ccd0cdbbb8a95fe 100644
--- a/src/colvar/ContactMap.cpp
+++ b/src/colvar/ContactMap.cpp
@@ -39,6 +39,9 @@ The transformed distance can be compared with a reference value in order to calc
 between two contact maps. Each distance can also be weighted for a given value. CONTACTMAP can be used together
 with \ref FUNCPATHMSD to define a path in the contactmap space.
 
+The individual contact map distances related to each contact can be accessed as components
+named `cm.contact-1`, `cm.contact-2`, etc, assuming that the label of the CONTACTMAP is `cm`.
+
 \par Examples
 
 The following example calculates switching functions based on the distances between atoms
diff --git a/src/function/FuncPathMSD.cpp b/src/function/FuncPathMSD.cpp
index 2020c0158b0121548598562d57a4fd744021af2a..c2144d04b0b1ab544195725f00971c4eab7323bd 100644
--- a/src/function/FuncPathMSD.cpp
+++ b/src/function/FuncPathMSD.cpp
@@ -65,7 +65,7 @@ ATOMS1=1,2 REFERENCE1=0.1
 ATOMS2=3,4 REFERENCE2=0.5
 ATOMS3=4,5 REFERENCE3=0.25
 ATOMS4=5,6 REFERENCE4=0.0
-SWITCH=(RATIONAL R_0=1.5)
+SWITCH={RATIONAL R_0=1.5}
 LABEL=c1
 CMDIST
 ... CONTACTMAP
@@ -75,7 +75,7 @@ ATOMS1=1,2 REFERENCE1=0.3
 ATOMS2=3,4 REFERENCE2=0.9
 ATOMS3=4,5 REFERENCE3=0.45
 ATOMS4=5,6 REFERENCE4=0.1
-SWITCH=(RATIONAL R_0=1.5)
+SWITCH={RATIONAL R_0=1.5}
 LABEL=c2
 CMDIST
 ... CONTACTMAP
@@ -85,7 +85,7 @@ ATOMS1=1,2 REFERENCE1=1.0
 ATOMS2=3,4 REFERENCE2=1.0
 ATOMS3=4,5 REFERENCE3=1.0
 ATOMS4=5,6 REFERENCE4=1.0
-SWITCH=(RATIONAL R_0=1.5)
+SWITCH={RATIONAL R_0=1.5}
 LABEL=c3
 CMDIST
 ... CONTACTMAP