The Inventory List entry allows you to search your LabArchives Inventory and log the use of items directly within your ELN. When you record usage, the quantity is automatically deducted from Inventory and reflected in the item’s usage history. A link to the ELN entry is also added to the item details page in LabArchives Inventory, providing a direct connection between the item and its associated research data.
To add an Inventory List entry to a page, click the add new entry icon, or the Insert option, and then select Inventory List. A window will appear where you can see all your Inventory items. This will look similar to the Inventory screen, showing all the columns you see when searching directly in Inventory, such as Name, Quantity, and so on.
To search through your Inventory, you can use the search bar for a simple search or click the upside-down triangle to see the advance search features. These search features are similar to the search features in LabArchives Inventory.
Tip: If you use the same reagents or items repeatedly for multiple experiments, create a saved search to quickly retrieve the list to add to the Inventory List entry.
To record usage of an item, click the Use Now button next to the item’s name.
Specify the quantity used then click Save. Check the "Record usage without deducting quantity" box if you want to record usage of this item without deducting a quantity.
After you click save, you’ll notice a check mark next to Use Now. This means usage of this item will be recorded in the entry.
You can record usage of multiple items in the same Inventory List entry. Find another item and click Use Now. All items you’ve selected to use will have a check mark.
Clicking on an item’s name will provide more information on the item.
Once you close out of the Search LabArchives Inventory window, the items you selected to use will be listed in the entry. You will also see a field to provide a name for this Inventory List.
To customize the columns displayed in your Inventory List entry, click the Edit Columns button. In the popup window, check or uncheck the standard fields you want to display and click Save. For new entries, Name and Quantity Used are displayed by default. Each Inventory List entry can display a unique set of columns; customizing the columns in one entry won’t affect other entries in your notebook.
Note: If you duplicate, edit, or delete and Inventory List entry in your LabArchives notebook, the updates will not be reflected in your LabArchives Inventory. For example, an Inventory has 30 units of Bromine (information added in Inventory). A lab member adds an Inventory List entry and records using 5 units. This action changes the count in LabArchives Inventory to 25 units. If the lab member edits the Inventory List entry or deleted the entry (due to user error or did not end up using 5 units), the Inventory item will not automatically change back to 30 units. It will still be 25 units until it is manually edited in LabArchives Inventory.
If you would like to document an item that is not currently in your Inventory, you can manually add an item to the list. Click the Manually add an inventory item to the list button. This will open a window where you can add the information for this item and add it to your Inventory List. Note: Any manually added items will not be added to your Inventory and will only be saved to the Inventory List entry.
Once an item has been marked as used in an Inventory List entry, you will see a Link to that entry on the Item Details page in LabArchives Inventory. This link will be found under the About tab. If the Inventory user has access to this entry, clicking the link will direct them to the entry in LabArchives ELN.