Difference between revisions of "Working with rack types"

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(Add a new rack type)
(Edit an existing rack type)
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# On the main rack types page click '''Edit''' next to the rack type you wish to edit.
 
# On the main rack types page click '''Edit''' next to the rack type you wish to edit.
# Once you click '''Edit''' you will be presented with the Edit Rack Type page. From this page you can modify the ID or Name of the rack type.[[image:manage_rack_type_edit_type.jpg|left|frame|'''Edit rack type''']]<br clear="all" />
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# Once you click '''Edit''' you will be presented with the Edit Rack Type page. From this page you can modify the ID, Name, or Expire date of the rack type.[[image:manage_rack_type_edit_type.jpg|left|frame|'''Edit rack type''']]<br clear="all" />
# After making the required changes to the ID and/or Name click '''Update Rack Type'''. If you wish to cancel the modification click '''Cancel'''.
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# After making the required changes to the ID, Name, or Expire date click '''Update Rack Type'''. If you wish to cancel the modification click '''Cancel'''.
  
 
== Special rack types ==
 
== Special rack types ==

Revision as of 20:36, 6 February 2012

In tube.tracker®, specimens are always stored in racks, grids of varying widths and lengths. Since racks will often be uniform while holding the same amount of tubes, tube.tracker® allows you to work with rack types, creating one type of rack that can be used over and over again.

Add a new rack type

  1. To get started working with rack types, click on Rack Types in the left-hand menu under the Maintenance heading. The Manage Rack Types page will appear. From here, you may Add a New Rack Type, Activate an Inactive Rack Type, or Deactivate an Active Rack Type.
    Manage rack types menu

  2. Say, for example, that you often use a rack that holds 72 specimen tubes in a 6x12 array. At the bottom of the Rack Types page, you will see the words Add New Rack Type, followed by fields for the ID, Name, Width, Length, and Expiration of the rack type.
    Add new rack type

  3. Type in a description in these boxes of the desired new rack type and click Add New to add the new rack type.
    1. For this example we are using a rack that holds 72 specimen tubes in a 6x12 array tubes so type in 6 for the width and 12 for the length.
    2. For the ID field enter any collection of letters and numbers you would use to identify that rack. For example, if the rack is your average rack, MED may work. Any choice of ID is fine.
    3. In the Name field type a descriptive name for the rack type. This is the name users will see when they add a new rack to the system, so be sure to make it recognizable. Medium 6x12 for example, can be used to describe a rack with 6 rows and 12 columns.
    4. In the Expire field enter the number of days when a new rack will expire after is has been added with the rack type. If you wish to use the expire date of the container you are adding the rack to, leave this field blank.
  4. Once you have made these choices, click Add New Rack Type. The Rack Types page will be reloaded, and the new rack type will be displayed under the heading labeled Active Racks.
    Mange rack types main screen

Deactivate an active rack type

If a rack type is no longer needed, you may deactivate it so that tube.tracker® users will no longer be able to add new racks of that type. On the Rack Types page, the racks that are currently active are listed under Active Rack Types. Find the rack type you wish to deactivate and click the Deactivate button. This rack type will be moved to the Inactive Rack Types section and can no longer be used for new racks.

Reactivate an inactive rack type

Sometimes, you may wish to reactivate a rack type after it has been deactivated, so that users can use it again. On the Rack Types page, the racks that are currently inactive are listed under Inactive Rack Types. Find the rack type you wish to reactivate and click the Activate button. This rack type will be moved to the Active Rack Types section, and can now be used for new racks once again.

Edit an existing rack type

There may come a time when you will have to edit the ID or Name of a rack type. Either you entered the ID or Name incorrectly when creating the rack type or if you implement the use of a new rack type that is similar to an old one and you wish to revise the Name of the old one to accommodate the use of the new one.
  1. On the main rack types page click Edit next to the rack type you wish to edit.
  2. Once you click Edit you will be presented with the Edit Rack Type page. From this page you can modify the ID, Name, or Expire date of the rack type.
    Edit rack type

  3. After making the required changes to the ID, Name, or Expire date click Update Rack Type. If you wish to cancel the modification click Cancel.

Special rack types

Dimensionless Racks

Dimensionless racks are a special type of rack in tube.tracker. This rack type is a linear rack. This means that there is, technically, no limit to how many specimens can be stored within it. As such, the specimens are not tracked by their X-Y coordinates, but are rather assigned an arbitrary number and associated with the rack. A perfect example of a dimensionless rack would be a bag of full of specimens. The specimens are all thrown into one bag with no logical ordering. The only piece of information they all have in common is that they are held within this one bag, or, dimensionless rack.

To define a dimensionless rack in tube.tracker:

  1. Follow the directions above on how to add a new rack type.
  2. When it comes time to enter the width and height, enter the number 0 into each field. This is the only time zeros can be used when defining the size of a rack type.

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