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Barcode module

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mlist edited this page Mar 18, 2013 · 5 revisions

##Dymo Printer and Cryo-tags In order to make full use of the barcode printing module you need to acquire a Dymo ® label printer. In our lab we use a Dymo LabelWriter 450 U.S. model. We recommend to use so-called cryo-tags, which are special lab-purpose labels produced and distributed by Diversified Biotech. In contrast to regular Dymo labels they can withstand temperatures between -196°C and +70°C, which makes them suitable for our samples that are mostly stored at -80°C.

##WARNINGS Since these labels do not stem from Dymo, you have to be aware that by using cryo-tags you will loose the warranty on your printer. What is more important is that you have to be careful that you buy the correct model . The cryo-tags will only work with the U.S. model of Dymo printers. If you reside outside the U.S. you can contact DivBio for a local distributor. For installation instructions regarding cryo-tags follow this link.

##SDK We assume that the Dymo software has already been installed on your computer and that you can successfully print labels using said software. In order to use the printer in OLF you have to install the Self-Development-Kit (SDK) from Dymo. This adds support for javascript-based label printing to your computer and allows OLF to recognize and utilize Dymo printers.

##Customize Label Templates OLF makes use of the standard .label XML format offered by Dymo. Suitable (empty) templates for cryo-tags can be downloaded here. Since we utilize the same format, you can easily alter and customize the labels in any way you like as long as you make sure that necessary "place-holders" are included for OLF to write content to. OLF expects to find the following variables embedded in the template:

  • barcodeValue: A <BarcodeObject> where the barcode image will be created. Ideally this would be a QR-code. Every other field is a <TextField>.
  • barcodeText: The barcode is printed as text to make sure that the sample can be identified even if the barcode is unreadable
  • dataOne, dataTwo, and dataThree: These are filled with sample information automatically. Software developers can customize the content here by modifying the toBarcode() method of the respective domain classes.
  • text: This field is used for additional text entered by the user. In CellLineData it is reserved for the passage number.

You can find an example with some more descriptions here.

##Configure Barcode Module in OLF

Before the barcode module can be used, it needs to be configured by an administrator in the front-end. Several things need to be specified:

###Supported Types The barcode module in OLF is designed to be flexible in terms of the supported domain classes. In order to allow OLF to include other types of data than the default types Gene, VectorCombination and CellLineData, some knowledge about domain classes is necessary. The configuration for different domain classes is achieved by creating a corresponding entry under supported types (see screen-shot). The full name of the domain class needs to be known. The short name is usually the actual name of the class (without package description) starting with a small letter. The type letter property should be a unique two letter code, which will be part of the barcode.

Supported types for barcode labels in OLF

###Barcode Sites The barcode site can be used to distinguish the origin of a certain barcode label. For example, it can state in which cell-culture or laboratory a certain label was created. Similar to the supported types option, a two-letter unique identification code has to be chosen. At least one barcode site has to be specified to allow for the creation of barcode labels.

###Barcode Labels Finally, a layout for a barcode needs to be given. An example can be found here. When creating a label you can freely define the type, e.g. QR-Code, a name and the xml code used for creating the label. Just copy and paste the xml code to this field.

###Testing In order to test the barcode module make sure you have activated the barcode add-in (also see Customization) and followed all instructions above. Now you can browse to a supported domain class and create a barcode within the add-in as demonstrated in Barcode-Labels.

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