The “storage browser” and “manage storage” options in LabCollector help the user to store the location of each record in a precisely defined place. Research labs deal with several samples, chemicals, etc. that they need to store in a specific location with specified temperatures, etc. All this can be done using the storage browser.
You can define the rooms, storage equipment, and boxes/racks/drawers/bags, etc. using the manage lab storage.
Follow these steps to configure the storage for your lab:
1. Setup storage
2. Organize Storage Tree
3. Rules/Tips of organization
1. Setup storage
To configure your storage, go to ADMIN -> STORAGE -> MANAGE STORAGE. *Please read KB how to set up storage.
For example, we have created a equipment (Freezer) in facility (Storage Room).
Note: When facility location is “No facility assigned” the equipment then goes to “Main location” in the storage tree.
To give an example please consider the below image and we have created the drawers, racks, boxes according to the below example.
Like the same way above, you can create different facilities (rooms) and different equipment and racks and boxes inside them.
3. Rules/Tips of organization
Storage browser arranges racks and boxes according to alphabets and name size (number of characters including spaces). Make sure to name the racks, boxes keeping this rule in mind. *NEW: In LabCollector v6.01 automatically replaces spaces with underscore.
If you assign position to your racks then they will be arranged according to the position and not alphabetically or name length. *Box with no position are considered as 0 hence they are assigned first, but according to their name/numerical in the name.
Storage tree takes into account the character length. Small names are arranged first and bigger latter. *Characters counting include spaces, numbers, alphabets and special characters.
Take care not to create boxes inside racks before carefully adding all racks. Because once the boxes are added the racks/drawers cant be deleted.
In the below image the rack with no drawers has a delete button but racks or drawers with boxes have a lock button and cannot be deleted.
*It is possible delete boxes and then delete racks.
Tips/Hints
– It is better to replace the spaces by underscore _ or a dash – sign. Stage_A-Rack_01
*In LabCollector v6.01 automatically replaces spaces with underscore.
– Avoid using special characters in the front of the name of racks or drawers or boxes. For example, *Rack 1.
– If you have 100 racks in your lab then its better to start from Rack 001, as it will keep all your rack/drawers/boxes number in double digits and the length of the characters same throughout.
– First add all the racks to see if they are arranged properly and then add boxes inside racks.