Managing a Freezer Box

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LabArchives Inventory allows storage locations to be configured as Freezer Boxes, providing a structured and highly organized way to manage samples. This feature is especially useful for labs that store materials in grid-based containers such as freezer racks, cryo boxes, or plate formats. Freezer Boxes are fully customizable, supporting up to 50 rows and 50 columns, so you can mirror the exact layout of your physical storage.

A key feature is the visual grid view, which offers a real-time, cell-by-cell representation of stored items. Each cell reflects its current status—occupied or empty—giving members an immediate and accurate overview of inventory distribution. This visualization is available to all Inventory members, regardless of their role, ensuring consistent visibility across the lab.

Note: Creating a Freezer Box through the Locations menu is limited to Inventory members with the role of Lab Manager or those that have Lab Management permissions. To learn how to create freezer boxes and other storage locations, click here. Click here for a review of Inventory roles and permissions. 
Viewing a Freezer Box

To access a Freezer Box that was added to your Inventory Lab's list of Locations, visit the Filters section from the main Inventory page and click Browse Freezer Boxes. Each Freezer Box link opens an interactive layout showing all cells and their current contents.

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You can also access the Freezer Box view from the Location column on the main Inventory page. Click the Browse Freezer Box icon to be taken to the Freezer Box.  

 

Tip: For the best experience on a mobile device, switch to landscape orientation, as the grid may be difficult to view in portrait mode.
Managing Items Within a Freezer Box

The Freezer Box grid is interactive and allows you to manage inventory directly from each cell.

Clicking on an empty cell takes you directly to the Add New Inventory Item screen, where the selected cell is automatically assigned as the storage location, streamlining the process of adding new items.

Clicking on a filled cell opens a window displaying the item name (with a direct link to its page), inventory type, quantity, and any standard fields associated with the item.

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From the window, four selectable actions are available: 

  • Use – Opens the usage window, where you can specify the quantity used, unit of measurement, and the originating cell(s). This functions the same as the Use option on the item page.

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  • Move – Transfers the item to a different cell within the same Freezer Box. Items can only be moved into empty cells, preventing accidental overwrites. 

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    You can also manually drop a item to a different cell. 

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  • Copy – Duplicates the selected item into an empty cell. The new item inherits all existing metadata, and the storage location is automatically assigned based on the selected cell. This behaves similarly to the Duplicate function, with the added benefit of pre-populating the location.

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  • Copy Link – Copies the item’s direct link along with all associated item fields. This allows you to quickly paste structured item information into a Rich Text Entry (with an LabArchives ELN license), or into external documents and spreadsheets for reporting or sharing purposes.
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