Metacontainer Templates

Select the checkbox to view only active metacontainer templates. Set the active/inactive status in the Metacontainer Template Details section of the Metacontainer Templates details page. See "Adding and Editing Metacontainer Templates" below.

Select to add a new metacontainer template to the system. The Metacontainer Templates details page will appear, opening a blank record to create a new metacontainer template. See "Adding and Editing Metacontainer Templates" below.

You can also select Copy on an existing template to add a new template using the existing template's details; see below.

Select to refresh search results in the table list.

To modify the number of items on the page, adjust the value of the field. The system defaults to 10 per page and displays the total number of items based on your search.

Enter the name of the metacontainer template in the field. This field is required.

Enter a description of the metacontainer in the field.

Select to access the ID Generation page to generate an ID for the metacontainer. The ID Type will display as Metacontainer ID. For more information, please navigate to the How To Use Numeric Sequences In ID Generation and How To Use Static Characters In ID Generation pages.

Select to access the Label Printing page. The Label Type will display as Metacontainer. Select inside the Metacontainer search-as-you-type field in the Label Format Test section to define the metacontainer.

Select inside the search-as-you-type field to search for a specific tube/container name. Select the blue Name link, or select the Select checkbox, to add it to the table. Remove the entry by clearing the Select checkbox. The tables display the name and active status of the tube/container type.

Select the option to indicate that the metacontainers have a specific structure/organization to the contents within the metacontainer. This is intended to be useful for racks, shelves, and even multi-well plates.

Leaving the option cleared indicates that there is no structure/organization to contents in the metacontainer. This makes sense for a department, shipping bag, tote, or refrigerator. A maximum number of items is able to be defined, but is not required, as it is also possible to define an unlimited number of contents.

Select either the Circular or Rectangular options to specify how the metacontainer positions are displayed.

Use the Columns, Rows, Maximum Number, and Labels table configuration items to specify how many columns and rows are displayed in the table as well as the layout. Select either None, Numeric, or Alphabetic from the drop-down list to pick the column and row label format. Select the rotating arrows icon to refresh the table and preview the configuration.

Select the Auto-collapse graphic visualization on Metacontainer Inquiry and Sample Transfer Screen checkbox to have the page hide the visualization of the table by default.

Select Specify Load Order to manually specify the load order for the metacontainers.

• Define the load order on positional metacontainers. This speeds up the transferring process by allowing the next empty position in the metacontainer to gain focus after a previous container has been transferred into the prior position. The load order is defined in a pop-up that is displayed after selecting Specify Load Order.

• The load order can be defined manually by entering a numerical value in each position.

• Select an option from the Predefined Pattern drop-down list to create a shortcut by selecting a predefined pattern for the metacontainer types. Select either By Row: Across then Down , By Column: Down then Across , Snake Down , or Snake Across from the drop-down list.

• Select Auto-fill to automatically fill the table with the predefined pattern selected in the drop-down list.

• Select Save to save changes made on the pop-up, or select < Back to List to close the pop-up without making any changes.

Select the option to specify that there are no positions defined on the page. When the option is selected, the two settings appear below.

• Maximum Number of Items ____ : Enter a value in the field to define the number of contents within a metacontainer.
• Unlimited: Select the checkbox to specify that the metacontainer has an unlimited number of contents.

Select to open the Change Log pop-up, which displays all of the changes that have been made for the current metacontainer type.

Select the button to view any alerts and comments added to the metacontainer. If there are no alerts or comments, a "No Alerts & Comments Defined" message will be displayed.

Add: Select to add alerts and/or comments to the script on the Alerts & Comments pop-up. Enter text into the field, or select the ... button to add quick comments on the Quick Comments pop-up.

• Select the checkboxes of the quick comments you'd like to add to the metacontainer.
• Select an option from the Postpend drop-down, either Postpend, Prepend, or Replace.
• From the Separate Comments with drop-down, select either Comma, Semicolon, Colon, Space, or Vertical Bar.
• Select the Save button to save the quick comments, or select the Close Window button to close the window without saving any changes.

Select Save on the Alerts & Comments pop-up to save changes made to the pop-up, or select Cancel to close the pop-up without saving any changes. Select OK on the Alerts & Comments pop-up to save changes made to the page, or select Cancel to close the pop-up without saving any alerts or comments.