This topic describes how to define a new storage system from scratch. Once you have created one, you may copy it to create additional similar storage. Users must have either the Storage Designer or Administrator role to create and edit storage systems and layouts.
To create a new storage system, click Create Storage on the main dashboard, or from the Storage option on the main menu.
To create additional storage, you can start from scratch again or you may copy existing storage.
Under Storage Properties define the following:
Continue to define additional properties if needed and describe the structure of this storage in the Storage Hierarchy section before clicking Finish Creating Storage. You can also return to edit after saving if you need to make changes to the properties later.
Click Advanced Settings to set the following properties for temperature-controlled storage. Click Apply to save any changes.
Click the Storage Hierarchy section to open it. Add the specific Storage Units available to the panel on the right, either by:
The system includes several built-in types (sizes/layouts), of each kind of terminal storage unit. You can customize the available terminal storage unit selections or add new ones by clicking Manage storage unit types. Note that your work in progress creating this storage will be lost if you click away now. Consider saving your work and returning to edit the definition when you have refined the options available.
Add each storage unit, customizing the default short name if you like, and optionally adding a more descriptive label.
Start with the "large" containment in your storage, then drop structure within that container directly on top in the panel to place it "within" the container. Drag to rearrange them to match the physical storage system. For example, in this image there are three shelves, and to describe several racks on one shelf, we drop the first rack directly "on" the shelf. If we put it "next to" the shelf, it would be added as a separate rack at the same level as that shelf instead of "within" it.
Click the icon to collapse the display of any nested units - it will become a you can use to expand the display again. To speed creation of repetitive hierarchies, you can use either:
Continue to add the structures and terminal storage units that will contain your samples. For each terminal storage unit, you also specify the type (size/layout) of the unit.
By default, all the storage units you add will be named in a sequential numbering scheme, including the type of storage unit in this name. You can edit these names in any way will help your users find the correct locations, such as position/color/identifying labels you have applied or calling racks "partitions" if that is how your users refer to them. Unit names must be unique at any given level in the hierarchy. It is good practice to use unique names throughout the storage system to avoid confusion, particularly where there are many similar structures.
The name is indexed making it possible to later search for units by name.
You can include a more verbose descriptive Label for every level of your storage hierarchy. When present, labels will be shown in many places to help users better identify the specific storage unit. Both as additional text in hierarchy listings, and as hover text when viewing storage location 'pathways' throughout the application.
You can add new labels to existing units, or edit labels to update them, either by returning to edit the definition via this interface, or directly edit them in the storage view for the unit using the icon.
The label is indexed making it possible to later search for units by label.
If you click , you can clone a unit that contains other nested units. The entire structure will be cloned at the same level as the parent. This can speed the process of describing a repetitive storage hierarchy.
Continue to add elements and rearrange them to describe your storage. Here, there are three shelves. One of the shelves has 2 bags, another shelf has two racks, each with 2 boxes of different sizes.
As long as you have included some terminal storage units such as bags or boxes, you will see how many samples you can now store in it. If not, you will see the message "This location has no terminal storage units configured", with a quick link to add some.
Instead of adding all your storage units individually, you can click Bulk Add to add many at once, streamlining the above drag and drop/copy process. For example, in this example we're adding a shelf that contains 6 racks, each containing 12 plates.
Click Apply to complete the addition. By default, bulk units are named [unit type] #[number]. No labels are applied. You'll be able to expand and customize the new units just as if they had been added individually.
When you are adding samples to storage, you can easily add a new box, bag, cane, plate or tube rack (i.e. any terminal storage unit) from within the Add Samples interface.
Expand the existing storage hierarchy to find where you want to place the new unit. Click the , then type the name, select the Unit Type, and optionally include a label.
Click Save to add the new storage unit. The samples you are storing will be placed in it as if it had existed already. Continue to Select Positions within the new box.
Learn more about storing samples in this topic:
Once you have added at least one storage system that includes some terminal storage locations, you can proceed to store samples.