Experiments in Labsistant are split in two: a template describes a procedure and what it needs, and a scheduled experiment is one actual run of it. Write the template once, run it as often as you like.
The point is that a run pulls its materials from your real inventory, so stock goes down as work happens rather than in a guilty catch-up session on Friday.
Experiments need the Team plan or higher. If Experiments and Schedule are missing from your sidebar, that is why.
Create a template
- Go to Experiments in the sidebar.
- Click Create Experiment. A three-step dialog opens.
Step 1: Basic Info
| Field | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Experiment Name | Yes | |
| Description | No | Describe the protocol. |
| Method | No | Assign it to a method, which is a way of grouping related templates. |
Manage the list of methods from Manage Methods on the Experiments page.
Step 2: Requirements
List what a run of this experiment needs. Search for and select each source in the list; selecting it again removes it. You can add reagents, supplies, and samples, with badges identifying supplies and samples. Enter a quantity and check the unit for each requirement. Next stays unavailable while a quantity is blank.
For samples there is an extra button: Add variable sample. Use it when the procedure needs a sample but the specific one changes between runs. Give each variable a name and quantity. You can choose the actual sample when scheduling the run or later, before pulling it.
Step 3: Review
Check the name, description, method, and required sources, then click Create Experiment.
Schedule a run
From a template:
- Click Schedule Experiment, from the top bar or from the template.
- Choose the Date.
- Optionally choose a Target Zone, if the run happens in a particular storage zone.
- Optionally add Notes for this run.
- If the template has variable samples, optionally choose their actual samples for this run.
- Click Schedule, or Schedule for today & start now to create today’s run and attempt to start it immediately. Check the resulting run and any error shown; scheduling and starting are separate steps.
Scheduled runs appear under Schedule in the sidebar, with a calendar view.
Run statuses
| Status | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Scheduled | Booked for a date, not started. |
| In Progress | Started. |
| Overdue | Its date has passed and it has not started. An in-progress run keeps its In Progress status. |
| Completed | Finished. |
| Cancelled | Called off. |
Start a run
Open a scheduled experiment to review its requirements and where to collect the materials.
The Reagents section shows the requirements and available sources. You can change the source order by strategy:
| Strategy | What it prioritises |
|---|---|
| Expiring Soon | Items expiring soonest, so stock gets used before it lapses. |
| First In, First Out | Oldest inventory records first. |
| Last In, First Out | Newest inventory records first. |
| Personal First | Your own items before other accessible stock. |
| In Zone | Sources in the run’s zone first, with expiry as a secondary sort. |
Without a target zone, the initial order is Expiring Soon. A run with a target zone initially uses In Zone. Sorting does not grant access to stock you cannot use.
Click Start Experiment to begin. Until an experiment is started, it prompts you to start it before you can pull materials.
Pulling materials during a run
Once running, you pull each item as you use it, and your inventory goes down accordingly.
Frozen samples
If you pull from a frozen sample, Labsistant asks what happened to it, with three answers:
- Keep it frozen. You took some out and the sample stays frozen.
- Mark it thawed. Record the pulled amount as thawed under the same name. The rest stays frozen.
- Thaw into a new aliquot. Split the portion into a new, separately named sample.
Answer honestly at the moment it happens. See Samples: collection, thawing and biohazard.
Containment zones
If the run is in a containment zone, the page says so and tells you that reagents in other containment zones are not accessible. Those are the workflow rules configured in Storage; they do not establish physical containment or validate laboratory safety. See Create a storage location.
Complete a run
Click Mark as Complete. You are asked to confirm, with a reminder to make sure all materials have been accounted for.
Account for the materials before confirming. Completion stays unavailable while a known requirement is still short or a variable sample has not been selected. If a progress figure is unknown, check it yourself before completing the run.
Finding templates
The Experiments page has a search box, a filter by method, sorting by name or date, and a Show archived toggle for templates no longer in active use.
What this does not do
Labsistant does not tell you how to run an experiment, does not validate a protocol, and does not check whether the materials you listed are appropriate for it. It tracks what a run consumes and when it happened. The science is yours.
Tying consumption back to the run that caused it is part of what the inventory is for, and it only works if the stock the template draws on is in there to begin with.