Frequently asked questions¶

No. Item IDs are fixed once the item is created, in the web app and in the API. If an ID is wrong, create a new item with the right ID, move the data across, and delete the old one.

The name, description and most other fields can be changed at any time. See Item IDs and refcodes.

Yes. Names do not need to be unique. Item IDs do: no two items on the same instance can share an ID. Refcodes are unique too, and are assigned by the server.

On the Samples page (or Inventory, or Equipment), tick the item's row and click Delete selected. You will be asked to confirm.

Only the item's creators can delete it. Their managers and administrators can too.

The item and its data blocks are deleted. This cannot be undone from the web app. Any sharing links for it stop working.

Other items are not changed. If another sample lists the deleted item as a constituent, the entry stays in that sample's table, but it no longer leads anywhere. Check the item's relationship graph before you delete it.

The files that were attached are not removed from the server's storage. An administrator can recover them.

Yes. datalab keeps a version history of every item. Each save adds a version. You can look at an earlier version and restore it.

Use a relationship when one item was physically made from another. Use a collection when items belong to the same project, paper or thesis chapter. An item can have both. See Collections.

Each block only lists files with extensions it can read. Check that you chose the right block type, and that the file has the extension your instrument normally gives it. See When a block cannot read your file.

Any. datalab stores every file you attach. Only some file types can be plotted by a data block. The rest can still be downloaded from the item.

Yes. Your administrator sets it. If a file is too big, datalab shows an error with the limit.

Yes. Attach it to each sample in turn. Each item keeps its own copy.

If one measurement covers several samples, you can also attach the file to one item and mention the others in its description with @.

If your group uses Beholder, check these in order:

1. Is the item ID in the file name or folder name? Beholder skips files without one.
2. Is it spelled exactly as in datalab? Item IDs are case-sensitive.
3. Has there been time? With default settings, a new file can take an hour or two.
4. Is the file in a watched folder? Beholder only watches the folders it was set up for.

If all of those look right, ask whoever set up Beholder on that instrument. In the meantime, you can upload the file yourself.

datalab does not save automatically. If you closed the page without pressing Save, the changes were lost. datalab warns you before you leave a page with unsaved changes. Uploaded files are the exception: they are kept as soon as the upload finishes.

By default, an item can be seen by:

• its creators,
• the managers of its creators, such as a group leader,
• members of any group it is shared with,
• anyone who can see a collection it belongs to,
• anyone with a sharing link to it,
• administrators, when they switch on super-user mode.

Anyone who is logged in can see items that have no creators.

See Permissions and groups for the full picture.

Creators, their managers, and administrators. Sharing with a group gives read-only access. To let a colleague edit an item, add them as a creator.

Starting materials and equipment are different. Any active user can edit them, because they are shared lab resources.

It depends whether they have an account on your instance.

• They have an account. Add them as a creator of the item, or share it with a group they belong to. Use the item's Share button.
• They do not have an account. Create a sharing link from the Sharing links & labels tab of the Share dialog. Anyone with the link can view that one item without logging in. Only an administrator can revoke the link, so think before you create one.
• They need a copy to keep. Export the item or collection as an .eln file and send it to them. See Exporting your data.

No. Each instance has its own users. You need a separate account on each one. Your login method, such as ORCID, can be the same.

Click About in the top menu. The Software versions panel shows the version. From a script, the /info endpoint of the API returns the same information.

Almost certainly not. Blocks are installed per instance. Ask your administrator whether it can be added.

Your instance approves new accounts by hand. Ask your administrator to activate your account. Until then, you cannot create or edit items.