ItemTracker Tutorial



ItemTrackerTutorialRef. ItemTracker version 3.6.8The latest version of this document can be obtained from here:Microsoft Word format: PDF format: , you may request that it be emailed to you from support@.Default login details:User Name: adminPassword: safeitemsContents TOC \o "1-3" \h \z \u Contents PAGEREF _Toc509583727 \h 2Configuration of ItemTracker PAGEREF _Toc509583728 \h 51. Setting up your storage location maps PAGEREF _Toc509583729 \h 51.1 Setting up Maps PAGEREF _Toc509583730 \h 51.2 Creating further storage PAGEREF _Toc509583731 \h 101.3 Moving Map Parts PAGEREF _Toc509583732 \h 111.4 Refining the shape of location maps PAGEREF _Toc509583733 \h 131.5 Locking locations PAGEREF _Toc509583734 \h 151.6 Formatting Map Rows and Columns PAGEREF _Toc509583735 \h 161.7 Locking Locations to User Groups PAGEREF _Toc509583736 \h 171.8 Locking locations to User groups when Sample (Item) Types are shared PAGEREF _Toc509583737 \h 231.9 Displaying Item Picture in the Map PAGEREF _Toc509583738 \h 372. Defining Item Types and Properties PAGEREF _Toc509583739 \h 392.1 Field Rules PAGEREF _Toc509583740 \h 432.2 Associating Pictures with ItemTypes PAGEREF _Toc509583741 \h 562.3 Forms PAGEREF _Toc509583742 \h 573. Retiring Item Types and Properties that are no longer needed PAGEREF _Toc509583743 \h 603.1 Retiring Properties PAGEREF _Toc509583744 \h 603.2 Retiring Item Types PAGEREF _Toc509583745 \h 634. Owners PAGEREF _Toc509583746 \h 644.1 Defining owners PAGEREF _Toc509583747 \h 644.2 Adding owners PAGEREF _Toc509583748 \h 664.3 Deleting Owners PAGEREF _Toc509583749 \h 694.4 Changing owner field values PAGEREF _Toc509583750 \h 705. User Administration PAGEREF _Toc509583751 \h 725.1 Creating Groups and Users PAGEREF _Toc509583752 \h 725.2 Creation of User Group Administrators PAGEREF _Toc509583753 \h 775.3 Group History PAGEREF _Toc509583754 \h 785.4 User Logins PAGEREF _Toc509583755 \h 805.5 Setting User Group Privileges PAGEREF _Toc509583756 \h 825.6 Removing Users PAGEREF _Toc509583757 \h 835.7 Summary of the General Principles of User Administration PAGEREF _Toc509583758 \h 865.8 Example: Setting up Group Administrators PAGEREF _Toc509583759 \h 875.9 Active Directory (AD) Introduction PAGEREF _Toc509583760 \h 886. Customising Field Names PAGEREF _Toc509583761 \h 89Use of ItemTracker PAGEREF _Toc509583762 \h 917. Creating Items PAGEREF _Toc509583763 \h 917.1 Creating Items via the Map Window PAGEREF _Toc509583764 \h 917.2 Creating Batches via the Map Window PAGEREF _Toc509583765 \h 957.3 Creating Item(s) from a Parent sample and tracking Ancestry PAGEREF _Toc509583766 \h 968. Changing, Moving and Tracking Items PAGEREF _Toc509583767 \h 1018.1 Moving Items via the Map Window PAGEREF _Toc509583768 \h 1018.2 Changing Items via the Map Window PAGEREF _Toc509583769 \h 1038.3 Viewing Item History via the Map Window PAGEREF _Toc509583770 \h 1058.4 Viewing Lock status via the Map Window PAGEREF _Toc509583771 \h 1058.5 Removing Items via the Map Window PAGEREF _Toc509583772 \h 1079. The Items Window PAGEREF _Toc509583773 \h 1109.1 Creating Items via the Items Window PAGEREF _Toc509583774 \h 1109.2 Changing Items via the Items Window PAGEREF _Toc509583775 \h 1109.3 Using Cut and Paste to place Items in storage PAGEREF _Toc509583776 \h 1119.4 Removing Items via the Items Window PAGEREF _Toc509583777 \h 1139.5 Viewing Deleted Items PAGEREF _Toc509583778 \h 1139.6 Undeleting Deleted Items (and Owners) PAGEREF _Toc509583779 \h 11410. Searching for and Filtering Existing Items PAGEREF _Toc509583780 \h 11710.1 Searching and filtering PAGEREF _Toc509583781 \h 11710.2 Reporting / Profiles PAGEREF _Toc509583782 \h 12511. Lists PAGEREF _Toc509583783 \h 13112. Attaching Documents PAGEREF _Toc509583784 \h 13612.1 Creating a hyperlink from an Item to a Folder PAGEREF _Toc509583785 \h 14012.2 Document Merge PAGEREF _Toc509583786 \h 14113. ItemTracker Barcoding Capabilities PAGEREF _Toc509583787 \h 14813.1 Handle External Barcodes (barcodes created outside ItemTracker) PAGEREF _Toc509583788 \h 14813.2 Scanning Barcodes (Locating samples by scanning) PAGEREF _Toc509583789 \h 14913.3 Storing samples by scanning (Scan and Store) PAGEREF _Toc509583790 \h 15113.4 Create barcode label templates for Items (samples) PAGEREF _Toc509583791 \h 15313.5 Creating barcode label templates for storage parts PAGEREF _Toc509583792 \h 16213.6 Creating barcode label templates for owners PAGEREF _Toc509583793 \h 16313.7 Printing labels from ItemTracker PAGEREF _Toc509583794 \h 16313.8 Barcoding functionality in ItemTracker PAGEREF _Toc509583795 \h 16414. Data Export and Import PAGEREF _Toc509583796 \h 16614.1 Exporting Data PAGEREF _Toc509583797 \h 16614.2 Importing Data PAGEREF _Toc509583798 \h 16814.3 Using Data Import to Update Properties for Existing Items PAGEREF _Toc509583799 \h 17614.4 Using Data Import to Remove Items from Storage PAGEREF _Toc509583800 \h 17714.5 Importing Map Parts PAGEREF _Toc509583801 \h 17914.6 Data Import Error Messages PAGEREF _Toc509583802 \h 18114.7 Data Merge utility PAGEREF _Toc509583803 \h 18215. Change the Identifier / Owner for Items PAGEREF _Toc509583804 \h 18516. Creating Multiple Parent Codes for One Item PAGEREF _Toc509583805 \h 188Option 1 PAGEREF _Toc509583806 \h 188Option 2 PAGEREF _Toc509583807 \h 19117. Creating Multiple Aliquots from One or More Items PAGEREF _Toc509583808 \h 19317.1 Make Aliquots Utility PAGEREF _Toc509583809 \h 19317.2 Alternate method for creating aliquots from one or more Items PAGEREF _Toc509583810 \h 19418. Transferring Items between user groups through an intermediary location and ItemType PAGEREF _Toc509583811 \h 20119. Creating Storage Parts with Auto-numbering and an Associated Storage Label Template PAGEREF _Toc509583812 \h 20420. Auditing PAGEREF _Toc509583813 \h 20620.1.Auditing barcoded sample tubes PAGEREF _Toc509583814 \h 20620.2.Manually auditing sample tubes PAGEREF _Toc509583815 \h 20720.3.Location ‘blind’ auditing PAGEREF _Toc509583816 \h 20820.4.Audits Done PAGEREF _Toc509583817 \h 20920.5.User Auditing PAGEREF _Toc509583818 \h 21020.6.Procedure to audit barcoded samples in the Map using a barcode scanner, including auditing both location and property values and adding comments PAGEREF _Toc509583819 \h 211Appendix A: Example Barcode Label Configurations PAGEREF _Toc509583820 \h 213Brady THT-152-492 PAGEREF _Toc509583821 \h 213Brady THT-163-492 PAGEREF _Toc509583822 \h 216Brady THT-181-492 PAGEREF _Toc509583823 \h 219Brady THT-181-492 PAGEREF _Toc509583824 \h 221Appendix B: Shortcut Keys PAGEREF _Toc509583825 \h 224Configuration of ItemTracker1. Setting up your storage location mapsItemTracker allows you to replicate any storage system using a tree structure, having five levels (plus the locations node) down to where the actual samples are stored. These five levels can be named as you see appropriate e.g. Site 01, Lab 01, Vessel 01, Rack 01, Box 01.1.1 Setting up MapsInitially there is no storage defined within ItemTracker. Generally it is the system administrators who will set up the storage system ready for their users. A single storage container in which items (samples) are kept is represented as a two-dimensional rectangular grid, which can be changed to represent any shape. Each cell in a grid represents a single space in which an item (sample) is stored. Storage locations are set up in the Map windowOn the control centre window, click the Map button. The Map window will then appear.The map window is composed of an (initially) empty storage grid on the right of the window, and a panel on the left of the window with a single tree node called Locations. The storage hierarchy has 5 levels plus the root node with location maps defined at the fifth level.If you have less than 5 levels, for example just 3 levels, you should define dummy layers from the root down for the first 2 levels.First click on the menu Locations > New Part as shown.Once this option has been selected you will be asked to enter the name of the new storage part, e.g. Site 01.To create a new storage part with the name entered, click on the OK button. Otherwise, click on the Cancel button. If you chose to create the new storage part, the map window should be updated to show the new storage part you just created.To add more storage parts repeat this process. ItemTracker has five levels of storage (plus the locations node) with each storage part having as many sub parts as you want. Add 4 more parts with each one under the last (see below).When you create the bottom level part, i.e. the part that stores the actual items, a window asking you to set the number of rows and columns and how to label the grid will appear.Enter the number of rows and columns and then click on the drop-down menu next to Grid Type to select how to label the grid. The following list will appear.Grid LabellingEach of the grid labelling options listed in the drop down list box work as expected setting rows and/or columns to alpha (A-Z) or numeric (0-9) values. The Continuous option sets rows and columns to numbers with cells labelled from 1 to the total number of cells, from left to right, top to bottom. The No Labelling option leaves rows, columns and cells blank.Now add an additional 3 boxes in Rack 1 using the method above. You should end up with this layout when done:Custom LabellingIf your required grid type is not included in the drop-down Grid Type selection then select Custom Labelling from the drop-down list.In this example, a 10x10 container will be created, but with numbering 1 to 10 on the grid row and 0 to 9 on the grid column.Then select ‘OK’.Navigate to “Locations > Set Cell Positions”The Map Labels window appears:Select the ‘Axis Labels’ tabSelect the first column in the Map grid then select the ‘Set Column Label’ button in the Map Labels window:The ‘Enter Label’ window appears:Enter ‘O’ > OK, the Map grid label changes to 0:Repeat this procedure for the remaining columns to produce the following:Save Changes > Do you want to save the changes? > YesNote, by selecting the Row Colour and/or Column Colour buttons in the Map Labels window the grid colours can be changed also in a similar way to the grid numbering described above.1.2 Creating further storageLet’s assume that our Laboratory contains two freezer units so we need to add another identical freezer. Instead of creating each tree part individually, we can use ItemTracker’s copy and paste functionality:First click on Freezer Unit 3 and select Copy Part from the Locations menu. Then click on Laboratory 15 and select Paste Part from the Locations menu.Enter Freezer Unit 4 into the dialog box that appears and click on OK.After a few moments you should see a new freezer in the list. You will see that it contains 1 Rack with 4 Boxes in the Rack. You can repeat this as many times as you like at any level (except Locations) until you have replicated your physical storage system.1.3 Moving Map PartsYou can easily relocate entire sections of the ItemTracker storage tree by cut and pasting. This will move all the Items inside the section of the tree at the same time.Open the Map, Navigate to Control Centre > MapSelect the map part you want to move, for example Rack 1 in Freezer Unit 3. Then right-click and select Cut Part.You will see the section of the tree that you selected has turned grey, showing that it is ready for pasting elsewhere in the tree.Navigate to and select the node to which you want to attach the part – note this must be a node at the next highest level to the part just cut, i.e. in this example Freezer Unit 79 in Laboratory 16.Right-click on the part and select Paste Part.You will be prompted to enter a new name for the part. Note that the Part Name must be unique compared to the other part names under this node.The tree will then update after a short delay. The time taken will depend on how large a section of the tree you are moving and how many Items need to be updated.Note, the history for any Item(s) affected by the move is automatically updated.1.4 Refining the shape of location mapsMaps can be manipulated in several ways to allow you to more closely model your storage set up.? We can create any shape container by deleting (making unavailable) cells in a grid.In the Map window, navigate to Site 01 > Laboratory 15 > Freezer Unit 4 > Rack 1 > Box 01 by double left clicking each node to expand the tree. Click on the Cells button on the toolbar. Select the cells that you want to delete.Then click on Locations > Delete Location.Left click on the Yes button when prompted to delete the selected locations.The cells will change to a different colour. Whilst deleted, the blanked out cells cannot now be used for storing items (samples). You can also Undelete Locations as well. To do this, select Locations > Undelete Location. The following window will appear.After clicking Yes the previous deleted locations will again be available to store Items into.1.5 Locking locationsLocations can be locked, either to a specific user or to a user group. Locking to a user (or group) means only that user (or group) can change the item or location. When a location is locked, only that user (or group) can store items in it. This is useful when a user wants to remove some items from storage temporarily, and wants to keep the locations from being used by another user. Locations can only be locked in the map window. To lock locations, first select the locations that you want to lock. After making your selection, either select the menu option Edit > Editing > Lock or left click the Lock toolbar button.Note that you can only lock locations that are either unlocked or already locked to you or a user group to which you belong. After selecting the lock command, the following window will appear.If you are locking, start by selecting to whom you wish to lock the Location to. In the Lock To drop down box, choose a username or user group that you are a member of. Then, place a tick in the Location(s) checkbox. Finally, to lock your selection, left click the Lock button.Alternatively, if you want to unlock, uncheck the Location(s) checkbox and left click the Unlock button.If you don’t want to lock or unlock, left click the Cancel button. After locking or unlocking, to see your changes more clearly in the map, left click the Clear toolbar button.For an explanation of the meaning of the different colours please refer to the section entitled “Viewing Lock status via the Map Window”. 1.6 Formatting Map Rows and ColumnsWe can give the row or column headings alphanumeric labels. To do this, click on Locations > Define Container.The following window will appear. Select the desired option from the options in the ‘Grid Type’ drop down box. Then left click on the OK button and the container will be updated according to your selection.1.7 Locking Locations to User GroupsLocking locations to User Groups in the MapItemTracker has the ability assign User Group’s access to individual Item Types (or sub-Types) on a Write, Read or No Access basis. In the Map, storage parts can be assigned to a Part Type / Item Type (or sub-Type). In this way a User Group can be given the ability to write, read or have no access to a particular Item Type (or sub-Type) for the items/samples concerned, but also to have the same access rights assigned to storage parts in the Map.In this simple example there are 2 User Groups, each group has their own discrete samples and storage areas. An Administrator configures as follows:User Groups: Immunology User GroupMicrobiology User GroupItemTypes: Immunology SamplesMicrobiology SamplesUser Admin (Types):Immunology User Group:Immunology Samples – Write AccessMicrobiology Samples – No AccessIn Admin > User Admin:Microbiology User Group:Immunology Samples – No AccessMicrobiology Samples – Write AccessIn Admin > User Admin:MapSelect Immunology Lab > Right-click > Set Part TypeSelect Immunology Samples > OK > YesSet all child location parts to type Immunology Samples? > No (but see discussion later)Similarly, Select Microbiology Lab > Right-click > Set Part Type > Select Microbiology Samples > OK > YesSet all child location parts to type Microbiology Samples? > No (but see discussion later)Now, log in as an Immunology User:Navigate Control Centre > MapCan only view Immunology Sample storage area:Create items by selecting grid area > Create:Since this User Group only has access to Immunology samples then this is the only ItemType which can be selected.Samples are created in the grid:Also, in the Items window, the Immunology Samples are the only ItemType retrieved:Now, log in as a Microbiology User:Navigate Control Centre > MapCan only view Microbiology Sample storage area:Create items by selecting grid area > Create:Since this User Group only have access to Microbiology samples then this is the only ItemType which can be selected.Samples are created in the grid:Also, in the Items window, the Microbiology Samples are the only ItemType retrieved:1.8 Locking locations to User groups when Sample (Item) Types are sharedThe previous section, Locking locations to User Groups described how Map locations can be assigned to user groups where each group has its own discrete sample (item) types and storage areas. For example, the Immunology user group has write access to the Immunology Samples ItemType and sub-types but no access to Microbiology samples. This section describes how to configure location parts to be assigned to sample (item) types which can be shared between a number of user groups (i.e. sample (item) types are not discrete to each user group). Note: to configure ItemTracker as below requires admin privileges.The example below should be adapted to your own requirements.In the example below, the ItemType structure is configured so 2 entities are represented; Group1, Group2 etc. represents the user groups and Sample type A, Sample Type B, etc. represents sample types shared by the user groups.Note: The following ItemTypes must be non-Creatable since no samples will be created directly for these types:Group 1Group 2Group 3Group 4Sample TypesNavigate to the Map, select the Map part(s) required > right-click > Set Part Type as in the example below:Navigate to User Admin, select each group in the left-hand pane > Types tab in the right-hand pane then select each type in turn and assign Write, Read or None access.In this example for Group 1 user group, in the right-hand pane Group 1 ItemType is set to write access whereas Group 2, Group 3 and Group 4 ItemTypes are set to None. The sample type access are then given as required, in this example all are write access. Note: the Sample Types ItemType is required to attach any properties applying to all sample ItemTypes, for example, General Property.The screenshot below shows the User Admin Types configuration for Group 2The screenshot below shows the User Admin Types configuration for Group 3The screenshot below shows the User Admin Types configuration for Group 4Note, for Group 4, Sample Type A has been configured as None (i.e. no access).Now,log on as user1 and navigate to the Map, the Map parts are visible as assigned. Select the Map Part assigned to Group 1:All sample types can be created as assigned:For the map part assigned to Sample Type A, only sample Type A can be created:Select the Map Part assigned to Undefined, all sample types can be created:Log on as user2 and select the Map part assigned to Group 2, all sample types can be createdLog on as user4 and select the Map part assigned to Group 4, Sample Types B, C and D can be created (remember no access was given to Sample Type A).Select the Map part assigned to Undefined, Sample Types B, C and D can be created (remember no access was given to Sample Type A).Note, this section has described limiting access on a user group basis in the Map where Item Types are shared between groups, but the configuration above does not limit access on a user group basis in the Items window. For example, if a user group has access to the Items window and Sample Type A, then although samples of Sample Type A may not be visible in the Map because they are located in storage parts assigned to another group, they will be available in the Items window because the group has write access to the Sample Type. If required, it is possible to limit access in the Items window by further configuration utilising sub-ItemTypes which are labelled on a per-group basis.1.9 Displaying Item Picture in the MapThis procedure enables a picture associated with an ItemType to be displayed in the Level 5 Map grid.Note, the procedure detailed in Associating Pictures with ItemTypes must be set up first (Administrator rights will be required), then implement the following procedure:Navigate to “Map > View > Display Settings > Cell Display > Item Picture”.A check will be placed alongside this menu option.Now view the Level 5 Map grid; any item of the associated Item Type will display the picture in the grid, along with any text selected.For example, in the screenshot below a picture of a uniform red colour has been associated with the Item Type ‘Demo Sample Type’. For convenience the Display Text has been changed to show the ItemType as well as ItemID.To clear the picture display in the Map:Navigate to “Map > View > Display Settings > Cell Display > Item Picture”.The Item Picture menu option is now unchecked.2. Defining Item Types and PropertiesCreating ItemTypes and PropertiesAn ItemType is a name applied to a group of items to which the same properties are applicable. When creating an Item in either the Map or Items window, the first field selected is the ItemType and as a result of this selection the applicable fields are displayed.Navigate Control Centre > Admin > ItemTypesWhen creating the first ItemType, select Undefined > right-click > New Type > Enter the new type name > OKFurther ItemTypes can be created by clicking on the relevant node (i.e. Undefined or an ItemType) > right-click > New Type > Enter the new type name > OKProperties are attached to ItemType nodes. If a Property is attached to Undefined then it will apply to all ItemTypes, if it is attached to an ItemType then it will apply to that ItemType only plus any sub-ItemType under the same node.You can attach a property to an ItemType by selecting an ItemType and then right-click > New Property > Enter the new property name > OKAn item type has the letter ‘T’ beside it and is shown in red, whilst an item property has the letter ‘P’ beside it and is shown in blue.Configuring PropertiesNavigate Control Centre > Admin > ItemTypesSelect the Property to be configuredClick on the Configure button, the Configure window opensSelect the Properties tab, then click on the Data Type radio button to specify the Data Type; Text, Yes/No, Date, Document, Number, Time or Hyperlink.Data Type notes:Hyperlink PropertyIf the Hyperlink Data type is chosen then navigate Edit > Edit Allowed base URLs and add/edit/delete as appropriate.This list applies to all properties defined as Data Type = HyperlinkNotes re Creation of hyperlink values:Users will need to be aware of the following:Hyperlink values MUST start with one of the allowed base URLsWhen creating an item with a hyperlink property the full path needs to be enteredIf the path refers to a file, then the file extension should be included e.g. .xlsxNotes re Navigating to Hyperlink:Users will need to be aware of the following:To open the hyperlink, navigate to the item > Select > Change > Property tab > Select the property by left-clicking the property nameDouble-click the Property name (in this example ‘Hyperlink 2’The web page (or file) opens in the appropriate applicationNotes re Changing of Hyperlink values:Users will need to be aware of the following:To open the hyperlink, navigate to the item > Select > Change > Property tab > Select the property by left-clicking the property name Select F2Change the property value as required > OK > Save > CloseComment PropertyThe first time the ItemTypes window is opened, before any ItemTypes or Properties have been created for your specific configuration, there will be one property already set up named ‘Comment’ attached to the ‘Undefined’ ItemType’.The Comment property can be configured in the same way as described above for user-defined properties, however in addition the Comment property is utilised as follows:When an item is removed the value selected (e.g. ‘Removed’ or ‘Removed; to location A’ etc.) is automatically entered into the Comment fieldWhen an item is ‘Marked as deleted’ via the Items window Edit menu the value ‘deleted’ is automatically entered into the Comment fieldThen select the Property Attributes:-Required - means that an allowed value must be entered into this field before a new Item record can be created (or an existing Item changed).Static – a value can be entered when the Item is created but it may not be changed later on.The Calculation tab allows calculations to be set for a field. Please see the Calculations section in Field Rules for examples of calculations.To add a calculation click the ‘Get Calculation’ button, the Add Calculation window appears. Then enter the name of the calculation (which is the property name by default) and the calculation required.The Properties button opens the Properties window which gives the name of the calculation and the user(s). Checking the Public checkbox makes the calculation available to all users and there is also an option to set a password.The New button allows a new calculation to be enteredThe Open button shows the current calculationThe Delete button deletes the selected calculationSelect the Cache tab, this allows cache values (drop-down lists) to be set up. Options are ‘First value is default’, ‘Allow only these values’ and ‘Cache user entered values’.Top / Up / Down / Bottom – change the position of the selected cache value in the list.Add – add a new cache value to the cache listRename – edit the currently selected cache valueDelete – Remove the selected cache valueThere are 4 options for each cache list:-“First value is default” – the value at the top of the list will be automatically selected when creating new Items. “Allow only these values” – this prevents the user from entering anything other than the values in the cache list.“Cache user entered values” – whatever value the user enters is added to a personal cache list and will be displayed along with the values set here.“Share user entered values” – allows users to share user entered values with other users. Although useful, you should define common values in the Configure window to avoid clutter.2.1 Field RulesIntroductionField rules are user-configurable and allow rules to be set in creating and changing property values. Validation rules can be set so that if the value is a number it will only accept a whole number entry for example, or to a certain number of decimal places, or a value between a range of numbers. In addition, fields can be hidden or shown in defined situations, for example, when a certain ItemType is selected in the Create or Change window, or when a particular cache value is entered.NOTE: Field Rules are NOT applied when using data import.The technical background to creating field rules is that they are written for the Sharp Calculation component, but users do not necessarily need a full knowledge of Sharp Calculation functions to set these up, the following examples can be used generically and cover many typical applications.To view the full list of available functions please download the Sharp Calculation manual and navigate to the “Formula Reference > Functions > Built-In Functions” section. The manual is available for download here: ) Field Rules are accessed by navigating Control Centre > Admin > ItemTypes. Note, field rules are set up by ItemTracker Administrators only.2) Select an ItemType, then click on the ‘Field Rules’ button in the bottom right-hand corner of the window.3) The Field Rules window opens. Initially this will contain a number of columns with headers (a brief explanation of each header follows below).Use: When an ItemType is highlighted and the Use field checked, then this field rule applies to this ItemType. In this way a field rule can be switched on or off for each individual ItemType or sub-ItemType.RuleName: This is a description of what the rule is doing to make it easy for the Admin User to recognize the rule.Calculation: This result of this calculation determines if the field rule should be triggered or not.Result Field: This is the field the rule is acting on.MessageType: Options are:InformationQuestionWarningError (Create Only)ValueCalculationCache ListDatabaseSettingMessage: Depends on MessageTypeIf the 'Show All' checkbox in the bottom right-hand corner of the Field Rules window is checked then all field rules are shown irrespective of the ItemType selected.If the 'Show All' checkbox is unchecked then only the field rules applying to the selected ItemType are shown.ExamplesHide ParentCode; for situations where this ItemTracker system field will never be used.RuleNameCalculationResult FieldMessageTypeMessageHide ParentCode1[ParentCode]SettingRowHidden#True#100#1Hide ExtBarCode, for situations where this ItemTracker system field will never be used.RuleNameCalculationResult FieldMessageTypeMessageHide ExtBarCode1[ExtBarCode]SettingRowHidden#True#100#1Create ItemName, for situations where the ItemName is always the same the example below automatically enters the ItemName Master Stock in the Create window when the relevant ItemType(s) is selected.RuleNameCalculationResult FieldMessageTypeMessageCreate ItemName1[ItemName]ValueMaster StockAs an additional step to 3), this rule then hides the ItemName in the Create window.RuleNameCalculationResult FieldMessageTypeMessageHide ItemName1[ItemName]SettingRowHidden#True#100#1Note, the ItemName value will appear in the Items window dataset, unless the ItemName field is unchecked in the Fields tab.Hide Property A; this is used when a property is attached to an ItemType node and there are sub-ItemTypes below the node, some of which need Prop A to be visible and other sub-types require Prop A to be hidden.The rule below is switched on for the ItemType which requires Prop A to be hidden.RuleNameCalculationResult FieldMessageTypeMessageHide Prop A1[Prop A]SettingRowHidden#True#100#1Note: If Prop A is a required field, then for ItemTypes where the field is hidden an error message will be displayed on Create because the field will not contain a value. In this situation another field rule must be written to add a value to the required field for ItemTypes where the property is hidden, e.g.RuleNameCalculationResult FieldMessageTypeMessageSet default value for Prop A1[Prop A]Valuen/aWhen the Create window is opened, Prop A is visible and Prop B and Prop C are hidden. Prop A has two possible values, “Yes” and “No”. When from Prop A, Cache Value “Yes” is entered, show Prop B and Prop C, but if “No” selected then hide Prop B and Prop C.Two rules are required, one defining the conditions to show Prop B and Prop C, and another rule to hide Prop B and Prop C.RuleNameCalculationResult FieldMessageTypeMessage[Prop A]=”Yes” Show[Prop A]==”Yes”[Prop B]I[Prop C]SettingRowHidden#False#100#1[Prop A]=”No” Hide[Prop A]<>”Yes”[Prop B]I[Prop C]SettingRowHidden#True#100#1Note: I is a separator. Click the separator button to insert a separator character.When the Create window is opened, Prop A is visible and Prop B and Prop C are hidden. When from Prop A, Cache Value 1 is entered, show Prop B and Prop C, but if any other Cache Values are selected then Prop B and Prop C are hidden.Two rules are required, one defining the conditions to show Prop B and Prop C, and another rule to hide Prop B and Prop C.RuleNameCalculationResult FieldMessageTypeMessage[Prop A]=”Val 1” Show[Prop A]==”Val 1”[Prop B]I[Prop C]SettingRowHidden#False#100#1[Prop A]<>”Val 1” Hide[Prop A]<>”Val 1”[Prop B]I[Prop C]SettingRowHidden#True#100#1Note: I is a separator. Click the separator button to insert a separator character.When the Create window is opened, Prop A is visible and Prop B and Prop C are hidden. When from Prop A, Cache Value 1 or Cache Value 2 are entered, show Prop B and Prop C, but if any other Cache Values are selected then Prop B and Prop C are hidden.Two rules are required, one defining the conditions to show Prop B and Prop C, and another rule to hide Prop B and Prop C.RuleNameCalculationResult FieldMessageTypeMessage[Prop A]=”Val 1” or “Val 2” Show[Prop A]==”Val 1” OR [Prop A]==”Val 2”[Prop B]I[Prop C]SettingRowHidden#False#100#1[Prop A]≠”Val 1” and “Val 2” Hide[Prop A]<>”Val 1” AND [Prop A]<>”Val 2”[Prop B]I[Prop C]SettingRowHidden#True#100#1Note: I is a separator. Click the separator button to insert a separator character.If “Cache Value 1” is selected from Prop A then automatically enter “Cache Value X” into Prop B.RuleNameCalculationResult FieldMessageTypeMessageFill in Prop B when Prop A is Cache Value 1[Prop A]==”Cache Value 1”[Prop B]ValueCache Value XThe following examples are all validation rules in which all properties must be configured as a number except for the “To force a 24-hour clock entry in the form 00:00” rule which should instead be a text property.RuleNameCalculationResult FieldMessageTypeMessageProp as a whole numberINT([Prop]) <> [Prop]Error (Create Only)Number entered should be a whole noProp between 0 and 300[Prop]<0 OR [Prop] >300Error (Create Only)Only number values between 0 and 300 are allowedProp is a whole number and between 0 and 300INT([Prop]) <> [Prop] OR [Prop]<0 OR [Prop] >300Error (Create Only)Only whole number values between 0 and 300 are allowedProp to 1 dec place(INSTR(1, STR([Prop]), ".") + 1) <> LEN(STR([Prop])) AND LEN(STR([Prop])) >0Error (Create Only)Please ensure number is exactly one decimal placeProp between 0.0 and 99.0[Prop] <0.0 OR [Prop] > 99.0Error (Create Only)Number should be between 0.0 and 99.0Prop to 2 dec places(INSTR(1, STR([Prop]), ".") + 2) <> LEN(STR([Prop])) AND LEN(STR([Prop])) >0Error (Create Only)Please ensure number is exactly two decimal placesTo force a 24-hour clock entry in the form 00:00LEN([Prop]) > 0 AND (LEN([Prop]) <> 5 OR MID([Prop], 3, 1) <> ":" OR VAL(LEFT([Prop], 2)) < 0 OR VAL(LEFT([Prop], 2)) > 23 OR VAL(RIGHT([Prop], 2)) < 0 OR VAL(RIGHT([Prop], 2)) > 59)Error (Create Only)Time should be in the form 00:00 (24 hour clock)Prop3 calculation.Calculation of Prop3 from values of Prop1 and Prop21[Prop3]Calculation((2 * [Prop1])+[Prop2]) / 3Prop3 calculation, to 1 dec place1[Prop3]CalculationROUND(((2 * [Prop1])+[Prop2]) / 3,1)Database field rules are used in conjunction with a bespoke stored procedure / function that ItemTracker technical support has provided to the customer. Parameters are passed to the function and values are returned which can be set into one or more fields. This is an extremely versatile type of field rule.Let us say that we have a database procedure called ifrp_GetAliquotInfo. When the ParentCode is entered for an aliquot / child Item the field rule procedure will take the ItemID of the parent and return fields of information from the parent.RuleNameCalculationResult FieldMessageTypeMessageGet parent data for Aliquot sample[ParentCode]<>””[Prop A]I[Prop B]Databaseifrp_GetAliquotInfoI[ParentCode]It is important to note that field rule procedure must be called with the correct parameter(s) and there must the correct number of result fields (if applicable), e.g. you cannot just add on an extra result field that you want information for as the field rule procedure will not return more fields than it has been programmed to do.Note: I is a separator. Click the separator button to insert a separator character.If you always create the same number of Items you can set the “No. of Item(s)” field to a default value. Note that this will apply to both the Items AND Map windows.RuleNameCalculationResult FieldMessage TypeMessageSet No. of Items in Create Window1[No. of Item(s)]Value1You can create Cache Lists dynamically. For example, when you select a value from one predefined list you may wish to have a different list displayed depending on the value just selected. RuleNameCalculationResult FieldMessage TypeMessageSet Cache List[List 1] = “B”[List 2]Cache ListX|Y|ZNotes:There is no need to setup the second list in the Item Types window. The values are taken from here only.The user may only choose from the values in the cache list. To allow other values to be entered add a new separator at the start of the Message, e.g. |X|Y|ZYou can limit the number of fields a user views for a specific ItemType in the Create or Change windows.In this example User A has access to 3 fields in the Create or Change window of the ItemType ‘Tissue Bank’ whereas User B does not have access to these fields.Create a new property under the appropriate ItemType node named “Extra fields” or whatever property name is applicable to your database configuration. Configure this field as follows:Property tab: Text, Editable, VisibleCache tab: Check ‘Cache user entered values’ onlyIn this example, the fields to be shown to User A but hidden from User B are named EF1, EF2 and EF3.Set up the following 3 field Rules applicable to the appropriate ItemType:RuleNameCalculationResult FieldMessageTypeMessageShow Extra fields[Extra Fields]=="4r5t6y7u" OR LEN([EF1])>0 OR LEN([EF2])>0 OR LEN([EF3])>0[EF1]|[EF2]|[EF3]SettingRow Hidden FalseHide Extra fields[Extra Fields]<>"4r5t6y7u"[EF1]|[EF2]|[EF3]SettingRow Hidden TrueClear Extra fieldsLEN([EF1])>0 OR LEN([EF2])>0 OR LEN([EF3])>0[Extra Fields]ValueNote: “4r5t6y7u” is a code which will trigger the display of the additional fields to be viewed by User A; any code can be used, substitute your own code as required.The first time that you enter the code, you must have disabled the Use checkbox for the rule “Clear Extra Fields” otherwise the code will not be cached. You may toggle the Use checkbox back on afterwards.Now User A signs in and enters the code the first time the ‘Extra Fields’ property is accessed in the Create or Change windows, the fields EF1, EF2 and EF3 are then displayed and values can be entered. Note, as soon as a value is recorded in EF1, EF2 or EF3 the code value is removed from ‘Extra Fields’, therefore on creating or changing an item the code will not be saved in the item properties.The next time User A accesses the ‘Extra Fields’ property, the code will be displayed in the cache and so User A simply has to select the code and enter to display the extra fields.By contrast, User B who is not given the code, will not be able to enter the code as the extra fields value and therefore will not be able to show fields EF1, EF2 and EF3 in the Create/Change windows. User B will also not have the code displayed in the Extra Fields cache.You may wish to adjust the calculation for the rule “Clear Extra Fields” depending on how many extra fields you intend to edit. The above calculation will allow you to edit a maximum of 2 fields before they are hidden again. Below are a couple of alternative calculations that you may wish to consider.Clear Extra fields 2LEN([EF1])>0 AND LEN([EF2])>0 AND LEN([EF3])>0[Extra Fields]ValueClear Extra fields 3(IIF(LEN([EF1])>0, 1, 0) + IIF(LEN([EF2])>0, 1, 0) + IIF(LEN([EF3])>0, 1, 0)) > 2[Extra Fields]ValueClear Extra Fields 2 – this allows you to fill in all of the specified fieldsClear Extra Fields 3 – you can use this calculation to specify a threshold number for when the calculation will triggerSetting background and foreground colours for fields in the Create and Change windowsRuleNameCalculationResult FieldMessage TypeMessageSet a foreground colour1[Prop1]SettingCell Fore Colour#Red#7#255Set a background colour1[Prop2]SettingCell Back Colour#Blue#6#16547843Ensure that Use is checked on for your field rule and the Calculation set for when you want the colour applying to your field.The field(s) entered into the Result Field box will determine which field(s) have the colour applied to them. If you want to apply the field rule to multiple fields, delimit the field list by clicking the Delimiter button. Note that when you change the contents of the field in the Create / Change window the colour will change to cyan. This is correct and you should not attempt to override this behaviour otherwise your data will not be saved.When you edit the Message contents you will be presented with a Field Setting window. Simply select either Cell Fore Colour or Cell Back Colour and then the colour that you want from the second list.Available colours for foreground/background are: Red, Black, Green, White, Yellow, Blue, Brown.Handy TipsAlways test the field rule after creation.Check the ‘Use’ checkbox is correctly set for each ItemType and sub-ItemType in the configurationThe field rule order can be important, field rules operate from the first rule down the listCalculationsTo configure an Autonumber fieldOpen the ItemTypes window, create a new property called Auto1Select ConfigureSelect the Properties tabSelect Number as the Data TypeSelect the Unique checkbox in the Attributes sectionClick on the Calculation tabClick on Get CalculationType the following as the calculation: ISNULL(MAX([Auto1]),0)+1Click OK / Save / Yes / CloseNow close the ItemTypes window and go to create a sample in either the Map or Items window in the normal way. Should you wish the autonumbering to start at 500 simply edit the contents of the Auto1 field to 500 and the next time you create a sample it will be 501.Adding a Prefix or a Suffix to an Autonumber fieldFollow the above procedure for creating an Autonumber fieldNext, you need to create a new field to store your suffixed or prefixed numberOpen the ItemTypes window, create a new property called AutoTxt.Select ConfigureSelect the Properties tabThe Data Type in this case will be text so there is no need to change it.Select the Unique checkbox in the Attributes sectionClick Save / Yes / CloseNext, create a new field rule and use one of the two rule configurations below depending on whether you want a prefix or suffix.RuleNameCalculationResult FieldMessageTypeMessageAdd Prefix[Auto1]>0[AutoTxt]Calculation“ABC” & LTRIM(STR([Auto1]))Add Suffix[Auto1]>0[AutoTxt]CalculationLTRIM(STR([Auto1])) & “CDE”Now close the Field Rules window, saving when prompted.Close the ItemTypes window and go to create a sample in either the Map or Items window in the normal way.To Update Stock Levels- Open the ItemTypes window - Create 3 Number fields called Amount Used, Balance + Previous Balance at the highest level, i.e. so they are linked directly to Undefined - Bring up the Configure window for Amount Used - select the calculation tab - click get calculation - enter the number zero as the calculation - click OK - With the Configure window still open select Balance - select the Properties tab - Check the Static checkbox - With the Configure window still open select Previous Balance - toggle off the Editable and Visible checkboxes - select the Calculation tab - click Get Calculation - enter MIN([Balance]) as the calculation - click on the elipses button next to the Filter On field box - select ItemID - click OK - click OK - click Save - Click Yes - click Close - Right click on a type (create one if there are none) and select Field Rules. It doesn't matter which type as the properties created above apply to all types. - Now we will create 2 field rules - 1 to update the balance and the other will be an error message - first the error message... - Click New - Enter Balance Check Rule 1 as the Name and click OK - Double click on the Calculation cell for the rule and enter ([Previous Balance]-[Amount Used])<0 - Click OK - If you get a warning message about brackets just click Yes - Change MessageType to Warning - Double click on the Message cell - Enter the following: You do not have that much stock remaining- Click OK- Click New - Enter Balance Rule as the Name and click OK - Double click on the Calculation cell for the rule and enter [Amount Used]>0 - Click OK - Double click on the Result Field cell for the rule - click Insert Field - select Properties from the drop-down box at the top - select Balance - Click OK - Click OK - Change MessageType to Calculation - Double click on the Message cell - Enter the following calculation [Previous Balance]-[Amount Used] - Click OK - click Close - click Yes Now you can go to the Item or Map window and change a sample. Simply enter the Amount used and the Balance will update.You must have previously set a positive amount for the Balance field for an Item otherwise you will not have any stock to remove.COUNT CalculationThe following section shows how to configure a calculation so that in the Items window, the total number of samples is shown meeting the search criteria, for example, how many samples have the code 09-132?In this example, the COUNT calculation will be applied to the property named ‘Code’Configure the CalculationIn the Items window, select the fields that will required to be shown in the right-hand dataset after Retrieve as follows:Select the Fields tabSelect the Profile required from the drop-down list in the Fields tab; if no Profiles exists then simply toggle on/off the fields in the left-hand pane as requiredNow add the calculation as follows:Select the Properties node (on the Fields tab) > Right-click > Modify > Add Calculation, the ‘Add Calculation’ window opens Enter the calculation name, for example, ‘Number of samples’ Enter the following calculation in the area below the Calculation name:COUNT([Code])Where ‘Code’ is the field nameClick ‘OK’ > The field ‘Number of samples’ appears under the Properties node in the left-hand pane and when right-click > Show Calculations is checked then the following is shown alongside the field COUNT([Code]) IMPORTANT, if you are using profiles then the currently selected profile now needs to be saved to include the ‘Number of samples’ field (View > Display Settings > Fields Tab > Profiles > Save)Utilising the Count calculationIn the Items window Fields tab select the fields required to be shown in the right-hand dataset as described in section 1.1Click the ‘Clear’ icon to ensure any value left in the filters from a previous search is removedAdd the value you are searching for in the relevant Filter field, for example the value ’09-132’ in the Code fieldSelect the ‘Group’ tab and check the relevant field name, e.g. ‘Code’Click the Retrieve iconA single record is returned in the right-hand dataset including the Field ‘Number of samples’ and showing the value required.Data Import: Useful Excel formulasTo convert Pos to Row and Col:A2 is the Pos to be converted.Row:=IF((A2/9)=(INT(A2/9)), FLOOR(A2/9,1), FLOOR(A2/9,1)+1)Col:=IF(MOD(A2,9)>0, MOD(A2,9), MOD(A2,9)+9)Field rules to add & hide identifier value when an ItemType is selectedMethod 1Requirements:ItemTracker version 3.4.16 and aboveProcedure:Create the Owner in the Owners window if it does not already exist - Control Centre > Owners > New, e.g. ABCAdd 2 field rules...Navigate to Control Centre > Admin > ItemTypesSelect an ItemType > click the Field Rules buttonClick the New buttonUse: Check ON for all applicable ItemType(s)RuleName:Select ABC identifierCalculation:1Result Field:[OwnerID][sep][Identifier]N.B.: instead of typing [sep] click the Separator buttonMessageType:DatabaseMessage:From the Function list select ifrp_GetOwnerID.Click Add and type in the name of the Identifier in double-quotes, e.g. “ABC”Click the New buttonUse: Check on for all applicable ItemType(s)RuleName: Hide identifierCalculation:1Result Field:[Identifier]MessageType:SettingMessage:From Field Settings window select Row Hidden from the upper drop-down and then True from the lower dropdownMethod 2Requirements:Write Access to ItemTracker Program folderAccess to SQL Server Management StudioThe first field rule adds a defined value to the identifier field on Create when a certain ItemType or ItemTypes are selected. In this example the Identifier value ‘ABC’ is automatically entered when the ItemType ‘DEF’ is selected.The second field rule hides the Identifier field from the Create/Change window.Procedure:Create the value in the Owner window (if it doesn’t already exist):Control Centre > Owners > Newe.g. ABCIn SQL Server Management Studio, select the database (e.g. ItemTracker) and run a new query:SELECT * FROM OwnerClick ExecuteReview the list and note the OwnerID value for the value created in 1. Abovee.g. Owner ID = 3Identifier = ABCNavigate to the ItemTracker program folder and open the FieldRuleSettings fileAdd a new line as follows:020,Cell Data,3#ABC,0#ClearImportant note for Windows Vista/7 users: due to operating system functionality, you must first copy the FieldRuleSettings file to a writable location, e.g. your Windows Desktop. Edit the file, save it and then copy it back to the original location.Add 2 field rulesNavigate Control Centre > Admin > ItemTypesSelect an ItemType > click the Field Rules buttonClick the New buttonUse: Check ON for all applicable ItemType(s)RuleName:Select ABC identifierCalculation:[ItemType]==”DEF”Result Field:[Identifier]MessageType:SettingMessage:From Field Settings window select Cell Data from the upper drop-down and then ABC from the lower dropdownClick the New buttonUse: check on for all applicable ItemType(s)RuleName: Hide identifierCalculation:1Result Field:[Identifier]MessageType:SettingMessage:From Field Settings window select Row Hidden from the upper drop-down and then True from the lower dropdownItems Window CalculationsItems window calculations are useful for displaying calculated information based on other fields currently being displayed in the Items window. This information is NOT stored in the database, only the calculation is.Example 1: The following procedure shows how to set up a calculated date difference field using the example properties of 'Date A' and 'Date B':In Control Centre > ItemTypes, the properties 'Date A' and 'Date B' must be configured as Data Type = DateIn the Items window > Fields tab, select the relevant profile; if no profiles exist then set up a profile (see ItemTracker tutorial section 10.2)Ensure the properties 'Date A' and 'Date B' appear in the Fields pane under the 'Properties' node and are both checked Select the 'Properties' node > right-click > Modify > Add calculationEnter Calculation Name (e.g. 'Date A to Date B in yrs calc')Into the main pane enter the following:CASE WHEN ISDATE([Date A])=1 And ISDATE([Date B])=1 THEN round((datediff("d", [Date A], [Date B])/365.0),0) ELSE -11111 ENDNote 1, 'Date A' and 'Date B' are examples, the property names entered must be present in the databaseNote 2, -11111 will display when either of the required field(s) are empty> OK> Now save the profileWhen the profile is shown > Retieve then the calculated field will show the date difference in years, rounded to the nearest yearExample 2: The following procedure shows how to set up a calculated date difference field between the example property of 'Date A' and the current date:In Control Centre > ItemTypes, the property 'Date A' must be configured as Data Type = DateIn the Items window > Fields tab, select the relevant profile; if no profiles exist then set up a profile (see ItemTracker tutorial section 10.2)Ensure the property 'Date A' appears in the Fields pane under the 'Properties' node and is checked Select the 'Properties' node > right-click > Modify > Add calculationEnter Calculation Name (e.g. 'Date A to current date in yrs calc')Into the main pane enter the following:CASE WHEN ISDATE([Date A])=1 THEN round((datediff("d", [Date A], GETDATE())/365.0),0) ELSE -11111 ENDNote 1, 'Date A' is an example, the property name entered must be present in the databaseNote 2, -11111 will display when required field is empty> OK> Now save the profileWhen the profile is shown > Retieve then the calculated field will show the date difference in years, rounded to the nearest year2.2 Associating Pictures with ItemTypesA picture can be associated with an ItemType, this picture replaces the red ‘T’ symbol.Note, Administrator rights are required to implement the following procedure:Navigate to “Control Centre > Admin > ItemTypes”Select the ItemType requiredNavigate to “Edit > Select Picture”.Click Add and then browse to the picture file and select Open. Click OK.Note, as a guide use a 12x12 pixel image.In the ItemTypes window the red ‘T’ symbol is replaced by the picture.For example, in the screen shot below, the red ‘T’ symbol for Demo Sample Type has been replaced by a picture consisting of a uniform red colour:To disassociate the picture from an ItemType:In the ItemTypes window:Select the ItemTypeNavigate to “Edit > Clear Picture”. Click Yes to confirm.The red ‘T’ symbol will replace the pictureNote, the associated picture can be displayed in the Level 5 Map grid in each cell containing an item of the associated ItemType; to set this up follow the procedure Displaying Item Picture in the Map.2.3 FormsForms allow a number of properties to be displayed and edited in a Sub Field Values window. This cuts down on clutter on the main form and allows for better grouping of fields during data entry.Navigate to “Control Centre > Admin > ItemTypes”Create the required property the form will be associated with and navigate Edit > New PropertyName the property, e.g. ‘Form 1’Select the Property ‘Form 1’ then Edit > ConfigureIn the Configure window on the ‘Properties’ tab select ’Form 1’ in the Form dropdown-boxNote, the other tabs (Calculation and Cache) will be greyed-outSelect ‘Save’ and ‘Yes’ to ‘Do you want to save your changes?Add additional properties as required, these will hold the actual data. For each additional property set the form dropdown to ‘Form 1’. In this example we will create the properties ‘Infection A’, ‘Infection B’, ‘Infection C’ and ‘Infection D’ and for each set the cache value to Yes/No.Use of FormsWhen the Create or Change window is opened and the relevant Item Type is selected then in the list of properties ‘Form 1’ will be displayed and in the field alongside [Click to display form] will be shown.When clicked on the Sub Field Values window opens for Form 1 and the individual properties can be edited as normal.Enter the correct values for your properties and then click OK. The Sub Field Values form will close. Note that form cell will turn Cyan.The same procedure can be followed should you wish to setup a form for an Owner. Simply navigate to Control Centre > Admin > Owner Fields. Then follow the procedure as above.3. Retiring Item Types and Properties that are no longer needed3.1 Retiring PropertiesLog into ItemTracker as an administrator and navigate to Control Centre > Admin > ItemTypesCreate a new ItemType (if not already created) attached to the 'Undefined' node named 'Retired Properties'Right-click on the Undefined node and select New Type.Enter the name for your new type, e.g. Retired Properties. Then Click OK.Select the property to be retired, right-click and select "Move'.Then select the ItemType 'Retired Properties', so that the property to be retired is attached to the 'Retired Properties' ItemType.Click OK to confirm the change and then the property will be moved.Next we need to configure the property so that it can no longer be edited. Right-click on the property and select Configure.Uncheck the Editable checkbox and then click on the Save button.Confirm the changes when prompted by clicking Yes.Repeat step c) for all any properties that you wish to retire.If administrator users also create new Items you may wish to hide the retired properties type by unchecking the Creatable checkbox. Simply left-click the type to select it and then uncheck the Creatable option.Close the ItemTypes window and then navigate to Control Centre > Admin > User AdminSelect each Group in turn and in the right-hand pane select Types, then select the 'Retired Properties' ItemType and at the foot of the pane select the 'None' button.You will see the ItemType icon change to a grey letter T with a white background.Select Rights > Save Rights from the top menu.Confirm that you wish to save the user group rights by clicking Yes when prompted.When finished, close the User Admin window.Test that the property is not visible to users.3.2 Retiring Item TypesItemTypes that have Items associated with them cannot be removed from ItemTracker. However you can ensure that nobody creates additional Items by toggling off the Creatable option for that ItemType. Please see step e) above for instructions.If you want to remove an ItemType that you created by mistake or has no associated Items then you can simply delete it.Log into ItemTracker as an administrator and navigate to Control Centre > Admin > ItemTypesSelect the ItemType by left-clicking on it then right-click on the ItemType and select the Delete option.Confirm the deletion when prompted by clicking Yes.4. Owners4.1 Defining ownersItemTracker manages not only your items (samples) but also the owner (source) of the samples. The owner can be where the sample came from or who froze the sample or whom the sample belongs to e.g. patient, researcher etc.To define your owners, select Admin > Owner Fields from the Control Centre window. The Owner Fields window will appear. Next we will create a new field to store information about your owners. Left click on the New button. The following window will appear asking you to enter a name. Enter Project Name as the field name, click on OK. The Owner Fields window will update to show the new field. Now add a second field called Department.ItemTracker also allows you to set the fields to be of a certain data type, e.g. text, document, date etc. You can set whether the field is required, whether its values should be cached or allow only certain values to be entered. To do this, first select the Department field that you created in the Owner Fields window by left clicking on it. Left click on the Configure button. In the window that appears, left click on the Cache tab so the Add button is enabled. After, clicking on the Add button, the following window will appear asking you to enter a value. Enter Haematology and then click on OK. The Configure window will be updated to show the value you entered.Next, left click on the Allow only these values checkbox so that a tick appears.To save your changes, left click on the Save button and this window will appear asking if you want to save your changes. Click on either Yes to confirm the changes. 4.2 Adding ownersOnce you have added the fields for your owners, it is time to create some actual owners. Open the Owners window by clicking on the Owners button on the Control Centre window.To create a new owner, select either the New toolbar button……or from the Edit menu select Editing > NewAfter selecting the new command, the following window will appear.The first field, Identifier, though it can be renamed, is compulsory and must be unique amongst all owners. Type in the unique Identifier for the new owner. Then fill in the details for any other owner fields you have data for. The back colour of fields you fill in will change to cyan. Once you have entered the details, check that they are correct. Then, to create your new item owner, left click on the Save button. If you do not want to create a new owner left click on the Cancel button. To clear the entered details and start again, left click on the Clear button. Some fields require data in a certain format e.g. as a date. If you enter an incorrect value for any field, you will be told. See the figure below:Also, some fields are required. If you attempt to create an owner and have not completed a required field you will be told. Note that only administrators will have the option to ignore the error and continue.If you opted to create a new owner, the owners’ window will update to display the new owner you just created.Repeat this process for every owner you want to create.4.3 Deleting OwnersDeleting an owner also deletes all the associated Items in ItemTracker. If the Items are to be kept then you should follow the instructions in the section “Change the Identifier / Owner for Items”. To delete an Owner, first search for the Owner by entering the Identifier into the Filter tab and then clicking retrieve.Next, you will need to lock the Owner by left-clicking on the Lock button.The result set will then refresh and you will see your username in the LockedTo column.Next, right-click on the Owner and select “Delete > Mark as Deleted” from the menu.Confirm when prompted to do so by clicking the Yes button.The Owner will then be removed from the results unless you have the View Deleted search option enabled.4.4 Changing owner field valuesIn order to change a field value in the Owners window the selected row needs to be locked to a user or group. While these rows are locked, only that user or group will be able to manipulate that data, although anyone with access to that window will be able to view the data. To give others access to that data again the row can be unlocked again by the user or group.To change field values in the Owners window select the row(s) you wish to manipulate. Next, you will need to lock the Owner by left-clicking on the Lock button. The row(s) will now refresh and you will see your username in the LockedTo column.Next, left click the Change icon.The pop-up window then allows you to manipulate the fields, such as these First Name and Last Name columns in our example. Left click Save to save your changes.You will notice that the Identifier row is greyed out and cannot be manipulated from this window. To change the Identifier value you need to lock the desired row as above, then select “Edit > Editing > Change Identifier”.The Enter New Identifier box will allow you to change the identifier as desired, then left click OK to change the value.As it may not be desirable for any user to be able to change Owners Identifier values an administrator can hide the field in the menu for different users and groups (see the section Setting User Group Privileges for more details). Any changes in field values can be viewed by left clicking on the History button with the row selected.The Owner History window will then display changes to that record, with each row representing a change, with the most recent changes at the top.5. User AdministrationIf the ItemTracker Active Directory module has been installed please read the Active Directory (AD) Introduction before configuring users.5.1 Creating Groups and UsersThis section will show you how to create individual user accounts. It will then show how to put those users into user groups so that you can control what each user group (and thereby each user) can do and has access to.Initially there is only a single user defined in ItemTracker – Admin – which has access to every window and menu option. Each person that accesses ItemTracker, called a user, should have their own username and password. We control what actions a user can perform and what information they can see by assigning the users we create to groups. Groups have privileges associated with them, restricting access to e.g. menu options and Item Types.The first step in starting ItemTracker is to enter a username and password. This username and password combination is called a user account. ItemTracker uses this user account information to keep track of actions users perform e.g. when moving or changing item details. In order to control what functionality and information different users can access, we need to create user groups and assign user accounts to the user groups. A user group defines the functionality and capabilities of all the user accounts within that group. There are various areas in which user groups can be limited. This includes item type access, owner field access, menu functionality, auditing, etc.The steps to adding users to ItemTracker are:Create a user group for each of the different combinations of access rights that you want users to have.If you wanted to limit one group so they could only read information i.e. they couldn’t make any changes, and another group which had full access to change things, you would create two user groups. One user group which gave full access rights and one that gave read only access rights. ItemTracker allows you to get very specific in the rights you assign to user groups, so you may want many groups.Create a user account for each user who wants access to ItemTracker, so they can have their own username and password.We then add the user accounts to the user group or groups we want them to be in.A single user account can be in multiple user groups. The user account then gets the maximum rights from the combination of all the groups which that user account is in.For example, if one group allows item creation and another doesn’t then the user account will be able to create items. In this way, what actions an individual can perform are determined by the user groups to which they belong. To gain access to the User Administration window, from the Control Centre window, select the User Admin menu option from the Admin menu.The User Administration window will then open.Select New Group from the Group menu. The following window will appear.Enter a name into the window. Click on the OK button. The group will now appear in the User Admin window. To prevent users of this group accessing the Control Centres Admin menu, select the group you just created. Ensure that the General tab is showing. Then select the window for which you want to limit the menu access from the drop-down list. Place a check in the Set User Access checkbox. Check all checkboxes except for the Admin checkbox (and its children).To save the changes to the user group, select Rights > Save Rights.The following window will appear.Left click on the Yes button to save.We now have to add a new user to the ItemWriter group.The first step is to create the user account. Select Users > New User from the top-menu.Then enter in the user account details and then click OK on the window that appears. Enter the username User and the password password. Remember that passwords are case-sensitive.Select the ItemWriter group by left-clicking on the entry in the left hand pane.Select the menu option Group > Add User.From the dropdown window that appears, select the user you want to add and click the OK button.You should see that the new user account has been successfully added to the user group.To test the new user account:Close the User Administration window by selecting File > Close from the menu.From the Control Centre window, select the menu option Log Off.Once logged off, log in again using the details of the new user.Once logged in you should see that the Admin menu is not visible at all.As you can see it is extremely easy to manipulate the menu options that are available to ordinary users.5.2 Creation of User Group AdministratorsItemTracker allows you to create user group administrators that are configured to have certain rights (e.g. write access for a certain item type) which they can in turn set for the user groups of which they are an administrator.Ensure that you have logged into ItemTracker using the admin account with the password safeitems.To show user administrator groups, go to Admin > User Admin and from the View menu select the Administrators menu option. All the created user administrator groups will be shown. Initially, there will be none.To establish group administrators, you create administrator groups (same as user groups) and then add users that you want to be administrators to these groups. To show user administrator groups, select Admin > User Admin from the Control Centre window.The User Admin window will appear. Select View > Administrators.All the created user admin groups will be shown. Initially there will be none. To establish group administrators, you create administrator groups (same as user groups) and then add users that you want to be administrators to these groups. For each User Administrator group that you create, set the maximum rights that administrators in the group can give to the user groups in which they are an administrator. For example, if you give the ‘Admin Group’ the following item type rights, they will be able to set read rights or no rights (but not write rights) to these item types for groups they are an administrator of.To make a user an administrator of a group, check the User Groups option on the View menu is checked. Then select the User in the Group you want to be an administrator. Then select the Administrator menu option from the Group menu so it is checked.Each time you promote a user to be a group administrator you receive a reminder message. If you have not created a group administrator group then the user will get no additional privileges.Administrator group names are shown in red and non-administrators in black.5.3 Group HistoryThe Group History menu provides access to functionality for showing the history of changes made to user groups and user administrator groups. These changes can either be seen for a specific user groups, or for all user groups.To show User Group History for a selected group, first select the group you want to show the rights for, as shown below:Then, from the User Admin window, select the menu option View > Group History >?Selected Group, as shown below:Alternatively, to view changes for all groups, from the User Admin window select View > Group History > All Groups, as shown below:After selecting to show the history for either all groups or a selected group, the following window will be shown:Each time rights are saved, the new state of the rights are saved. These saved entries are what are shown in the grid in the top half of the window. Each entry shows the group name, type of change, when the change was done and who the changes were made by. The bottom half of the window shows how the new rights for the entry selected in the grid. The type of information shown in the bottom half of the window depends on the type selected in the grid. In the picture above, an Types (ItemTypes) entry is selected. In the window below, an owner fields entry is selected.You can filter the rights displayed by type and/or date. To filter by type, select the type of rights you want to view from the drop down box shown in the top right of the window, as shown below:To filter the displayed rights by date, first decide whether you want to filter from a specific date, to a specific date or between two dates. To filter from a specific date, ensure just the From check box is ticked and select the start date you want to use. To filter to a specific, ensure just the To checkbox is ticked and select the end date you want to use. To filter a range, ensure both check boxes are ticked, and select the start and end dates you want to use.5.4 User LoginsItemTracker provides functionality to see user logins. User logins can be shown for either all users or a selected user & can be filtered to a certain date range.To show user logins for all users, from the User Admin window select View > Login History > All Users.The User Log window will appear showing the history of all Users. Any entry in the window that is not highlighted green means that a login error of some sort has occurred. If you place your mouse pointer over a row information will appear showing what the error colour means.To change the date, click on the downward facing arrow to bring up a calendar. Pick a new date and the results will refresh.To show logins for a selected user, first select the user, and then click on View > Login History > Selection. The User Log window will appear with the login history for the selected user account. 5.5 Setting User Group PrivilegesTo configure the privileges for a group:Navigate to Control Centre > Admin > User Admin; the User Administration (User Groups) window opens.Select the Group for which privileges are to be setSelect the ‘General’ tab in the right-hand window and the ‘Control Centre’ from the drop-down listCheck the box ‘Set User Access’Review the Control Centre Menu options, checking the options you want to group to have access to, and leaving blank the options that will not be available to the GroupSelect Rights > Save Rights from the top menu. Click Yes to confirm.Repeat the process with the remaining list options: Map, Items, Owner, Types, Clipboard, LabelSetup and CustomYou may also choose to enable or disable options for the User Group:Set Log Off Time – check the box to enable and type in the log off time in minutes.Set Item Audit Options:-Audit Users Actions: The users may only change the Item once before it needs auditing.Can Audit Others: Allows users to audit Items that need auditing (see above)Usually both these options would not be enabled for the same user group as it defeats the point of the auditing.Request password before any change action – users will be forced to enter their login credentials before changes are saved.MAP: skip no access storage parts – enable this when users have No Access to some parts of the location tree. This will allow parts that the users do have access to, to display.Allow ExtBarCode Update – after Items have been created, this allows the users to change the ExtBarCode field to a different value. This is enabled by default.Select Rights > Save Rights from the top menu. Click Yes to confirm.Select the ‘Fields’ tab in the right-hand window, this refers to the Owner fields.Owner fields can be added but clicking on the ‘Add’ or ‘Add All’ buttons and then each field, or all fields can be checked. An unchecked field shown in this window indicated the Group has read-only access, a checked field indicates write access.Select the ‘Types’ tab in the right-hand window, the ItemType tree is displayed.Select each ItemType in turn and then click on the ‘None’, ‘Read’ or ‘Write’ buttons as required:‘None’ means the Group has no access to this ItemType and so will not be able to retrieve items of this ItemType in the Items window or view items of this ItemType in the Map. ‘None’ is shown in the window by the ‘T’ adjacent to the associated ItemType being shown in grey type.‘Read’ means the Group has read-only access to this ItemType and so although items of this ItemType can be retrieved in the Items window or viewed in the Map, users in the Group will be unable to change any property values or create/delete. ‘Read’ is shown in the window by the ‘T’ adjacent to the associated ItemType being shown in white type in a grey block surrounded by a red line.‘Write’ means the Group has write access to this ItemType and so items of this ItemType can be retrieved in the Items window or viewed in the Map and users in the Group will be able to create/delete or change property values or. ‘Write’ is shown in the window by the ‘T’ adjacent to the associated ItemType being shown in white type in a red block.Select the Location tab; note this is only relevant if Map Part Details have been set up, in which case the Group can be given ‘None’, ‘Read’ or ‘Write’ access to each Field Name.When the above is complete for the Group, either select another Group or close the window, a window appears ‘Do you want to save the rights for user Group’.Select at least one User from each group and make an administrator, then create the Admin Group in which to add the administrator. Instructions for Creation of User Group Administrators are here.Configure the Admin Group privileges (for instance typical examples are the ability to add new ItemTypes and Properties, to add/delete users and User Groups, to create and delete storage parts).Complete the User Admin for all Groups5.6 Removing UsersWhen a user leaves your organisation it is good practice to disable their account and unlock any associated Items in the system. This is summarised as:Disable the user accountRemove the user from any user groupsIf your organisation has defined the Item owner to be the same as the users name then you will need to change the Owners for the Items and then delete the old Owner.Unlock any Items that are assigned to the user that has leftYou will need to be logged in as an administrator for these steps.Disabling a User AccountFrom the User Administration window select “Users > Accounts” from the top menu.Locate the user in the account list and then left click on the account to select it.Next click on the Lock button. You will see a checkbox appear in the Locked column for that user.Click Close to dismiss the User Accounts window.Removing a User from a User GroupIn the User Administration window, locate the user account within the list of groups and then left-click the user to select the account. Then right click on the user and select Remove User.Confirm when prompted by clicking Yes.The user group entry will refresh showing that the user has been removed from the group.You should repeat this for all groups that the user is a member of.Owner Defined as the same as the UsernameTo change the Identifier for multiple Items please see the section “Change the Identifier / Owner for Items”Once you have done that, you can then delete the Owner.Unlocking Items Locked by a Specific UserIn the User Administration window, select “Users > Unlock” from the top-menu.Check on the option for “If locked by user”. Locate the user in the dropdown list and then click Unlock.Confirm when prompted by click the Yes button.If the action is successful you will see the following message.5.7 Summary of the General Principles of User AdministrationWhen the ItemTracker database is created there is one default User Account which is UN = admin, PW=safeitems. This account has System Administrator status and has write access to all parts of ItemTracker. In the configuration stage, this account is used to set up User Accounts, User Groups and Admin Groups. The UN=admin password can be changed by: Log in as UN = admin, PW=safeitems then navigate Control Centre > File > Change Password. In the ‘Change Password’ window enter the Old Password (safeitems) and then the (new) Password and Confirm Password and click OK.There are 2 types of Groups in User Administration, those viewed in the User Group window (View > User Groups) and those viewed in the Admin Group window (View > Administrators).All User accounts have to appear at least once in a User Group in the User Administration window to acquire privileges to use ItemTracker. A User account appearing in an Admin Group in the Admin window only without appearing in a User Group in the User Group window will not acquire the privileges to use ItemTracker.One or more User Accounts can be made Administrators of their User Group by selecting the User Account and Group > Administrator. This changes the colour of the User account in the User Group from black to red. This also gives this User account the ability to create/amend/delete Users in this User Group.To acquire Group Administrator privileges a User account has to be a member of that Group.A User account can appear in more than one User Group and acquires the maximum privileges of all Groups that account is a member of.Privileges are set by selecting the Group and checking on/off the options on the right hand side of the window.In the User Group view checking the menu options on makes them visible, and off makes them invisible. In the Types view, individual Item Types and sub-Types can be given none, read or write access.In the Admin Group view checking the menu options on gives the Administrator(s) the ability to set these options for their User Group(s).A User Account can be made a System Administrator by an existing System Administrator account navigating to Users > Accounts, selecting the User account and then selecting ‘Is Administrator’. Only System Administrators can view the User Administration > View > Administrators window.If Active Directory support is enabled in ItemTracker then some functionality is disabled. You will not be able to set password properties and also the creation of ItemTracker System Administrators is disabled.5.8 Example: Setting up Group AdministratorsObjectivesIn this exercise an ItemTracker system administrator (UN: SysAdmin) has set up User Groups A, B and C in the User Administration window and now wants to configure the following:Assign a Group Administrator for each groupAllow each Group Administrator to create users / add / delete users to their group(s) onlyAllow each Group Administrator to create / delete types and properties to their types onlyAllow each Group Administrator to give users privileges to create / delete types and properties to their types onlyAllow each Group Administrator to give users privileges to add/remove/amend Map PartsProcedureLog in to ItemTracker as an ItemTracker system administrator e.g. UN: admin / PW: safeitemsIn the User Administration [User Groups] windowIn this example the User names to be assigned Group Administrator privileges are as follows:A admin = Group A administratorB admin = Group B administratorC admin = Group C administratorThe User names above must appear in the relevant User Group to which they will be assigned Group administrator statusSelect the User name in the Group you want to be an administrator. Then select the Administrator menu option from the Group menu so it is checked, the User name text will change from black to red.Note, this example assumes, as is usually the case, that the User Groups will not have access to the Admin > User Administration window, therefore we now need to grant this access as follows (example below for UN: A admin)Create a new group in the User Administration [User Groups] window; Group > New Group > Group A AdminAdd the relevant Group administrator to the group; Select the group then > Add User > Add ‘A admin’With the group selected navigate General tab > Control Centre > check ‘Set User Access’ > ensure Admin > User Admin is checked onRemember that the user acquires the accumulative rights of all the groups the user is a member of, therefore there is no need to grant the same rights as already configured for the User Group A. The User Group A Admin should simply be assigned additional privileges not assigned for User group A.Now, since ‘A admin’ has been assigned access to the User Administration window and is also a Group Administrator ‘A admin’ can add or delete users and change user names and passwords from any groups ‘A Admin’ is a Group Administrator of and can also create new usersHowever, at this point ‘A Admin’ is unable to set access levels/permissions for users in their group(s), to do this a new group needs to be created in the User Administration (Administrators) window as followsLog out from the ‘A admin’ account and then login as an ItemTracker System AdministratorNavigate Control Centre > Admin > User Admin > View > Administrators > the User Administration [Administrators] window opensCreate a new Group: Group > New Group > ‘Group A Administrator’ Add ‘A admin’ to this groupWith the Group selected navigate General tab > Control Centre. Menu options checked allow the ‘A admin’ account to assign permissions to their group(s) in the User Administration windowFor example, to permit ‘A admin’ to allow Group A user group members to be able to create / rename / delete Map parts then navigate General > Map > Locations and check on ‘New Part’, ‘Delete Part’ and ‘Rename Part’For example, to permit ‘A admin’ to allow Group A user group members to be able to add/ amend/ delete ItemTypes and Properties then navigate General > Control Centre > Check on ItemTypes and also general > Types and check on all options and Types > select top node > Write and apply to all children nodesRepeat the above process for Group B (where the Group B administrator is B admin) and for Group C (where the Group C administrator is C admin). Note, since each group is configured separately, this gives the opportunity for the settings to be varied between groups, according to the requirements.5.9 Active Directory (AD) IntroductionIf Active Directory is being used then system privileges are assigned on the basis of whether a user is placed in the ADADMINGROUP or ADUSERGROUP. A user can be placed in only one of these groups.If a user is placed in the ADADMINGROUP then they automatically become an ItemTracker administrator. There is no need to configure ItemTracker administrative privileges in the ItemTracker User Admin window.If a user is placed in the ADUSERGROUP, then the settings in the ItemTracker User Admin window apply.6. Customising Field NamesThere are certain pre-defined fields which exist in ItemTracker e.g. ItemName, Identifier, etc. ItemTracker allows you to rename these fields so that they are more meaningful to you, e.g. ItemName can be renamed to Lab No.To customise these fields, select Admin > Descriptions > Field Names. The following window will then appear.To change a field, either double click the field you want to change or left click the field and select the menu File > Change. In the example above, we are changing the field Owner to Patient. All replacement names should be singular as ItemTracker makes the word plural (by adding an s) wherever it needs to.Once you have entered the value for the selected field, left click on the OK button. Alternatively, to cancel changes to the selected field, left click on the Cancel button.If you chose to change the selected field, the Descriptions window will be updated to show the change you made.Repeat the actions above to rename each of the fields that you want to customise. Once you have made all the changes you want, click on the “x” button in the top right corner.Your changes will then be reflected in the appropriate places throughout ItemTracker. The following window shows the Owners button having been renamed to Patients.Use of ItemTracker7. Creating ItemsOnce item types, locations (maps) and item owners have been set up by your Administrator, items (samples) can be created and stored in the ItemTracker database. Items can be created from either the Map or Items windows. We will start by creating items via the Map window; this method is used when you want to create the samples in storage.7.1 Creating Items via the Map WindowClick the Map button on the Control Centre window.In the Locations tree on the left hand side of the screen navigate to an empty container. Double-click atree part to show the level below. Navigate to “Site 01 > Lab 01 > Vessel 01 > Rack 01 > Box 06”.Start by selecting the map locations you want to create the items in. Hold down the left mouse button and drag to select an area.Then select the Create button from the toolbar.Alternatively, you can select Edit > Editing > Create from the Toolbar.The Create Item window will then appear…Next select the Item Type of the items you want to create from the Item Type dropdown. Alternatively, you can select the Item Type by opening the Select Type window by clicking on the '…' button located beside the Item Type dropdown. See the figure below:Once you have selected an item type, e.g. Demo Sample Type, the window will change as shown below.Press the tab key so that the first cell of the grid is selected. Then enter the number of items you want to create. Initially, the value shown here will be the number of available locations that you selected on the map. As you can create multiple groups of items in one go, you may want to change this value.Next, choose whether the created item or items are put into storage or created out of storage. If you want the created item or items to be put into the storage, i.e. into the selected locations leave this cell with a value of yes, otherwise, using the dropdown that appears, select the ‘No’ value.You can choose whether the created items are locked to you or can be locked and changed by anyone with access to that item type.Next select the Identifier of the item owner. To do this, select the row that says ‘Identifier’. Then click the ‘Select Value’ button at the bottom of the form or press any character key. The select owner window will then appear.Fill in the information for the Owner. If you are searching for an existing Owner you should ONLY type in the Identifier for the Owner.Once you have entered the owner details either left click on the ‘Find’ button or hold down the [Alt] key and press the letter ‘i’.If the entered details were not found and if you have rights to create an item owner, you will be asked whether you want to create an owner with the entered details.Be very careful here, as once created, item owners will always exist within the system, even though they can be marked as deleted. If you do not want to create a new item owner with the details entered, left click on the No button. To create a new item owner with the details entered, left click on the Yes button. The item owner will be created and then selected. If a single item owner matches the details entered,the item owner will be selected. See below.If there is more than one item owner for the details you entered, all matching item owners will be brought back and displayed. Scroll though the item owners returned to find the item owner that you want.Once you have found the correct item owner, left click on it (as shown above). Then left click on the Select button at the bottom of the window.At any stage, to clear what is shown and enter a new filter, left click on the Clear button and start again. Once you have selected (or created) the desired owner the OK button will be enabled. To accept the shown owner either left click on the OK button or hold down the [Alt] key and press the letter ‘O’. To cancel selecting an owner at this time left click on the Cancel button or hold down the [Alt] key and press the letter ‘C’. You will then be returned to the item create window. If you choose to accept the selected owner, the Identifier row will be filled in with the selected owners’ identifier.Next fill in the Item Name. This is what is shown when looking at the item in the map. This can be anything you want.Next fill in the comment field. Like the item name, this can be whatever you want it to be.Then enter any of the properties shown that you have values for. Once you have finished entering all the details for the item or items you want to create, left click on the Create button at the bottom of the ‘Item Create’ window.If you have not filled in some required fields you will be told. If all required information was entered, the items will be created. The items you chose to create in storage will be shown in the selected locations in the map. Those you chose to create out of storage will be created, but will not appear until you search in the Items window for them.7.2 Creating Batches via the Map WindowWith ItemTracker it is possible to create multiple batches of items in one go. This also enables you to create items that are almost identical, but slightly different, easily and quickly, all in one go. In this example we will create 3 batches of items, 4 items to go into storage and 2 items to be kept out of storage.We start by selecting the four locations in the map that we want to use. Then enter the details for the first batch.Then to duplicate this batch, from the Edit menu, select the Copy Batch menu option.You will then be prompted to enter the number of times to copy the batch. Enter the number 2 and then click on the OK Button.The selected batch (the batch we just entered) will be duplicated. We can change any details that are different. Change the Item Name for the second batch to ‘JKJL 779’ and the Custom Value to 25% dilution. For the third batch change the value for ‘Store Item(s)’ to ‘No’. The batches should now appear as below.If we then left click on the create button at the bottom of the item create window, provided all details have been entered correctly, all batches will be created.The items that were created to go into storage will appear in the map as shown. To see the un-stored items, search for them in the items window.7.3 Creating Item(s) from a Parent sample and tracking AncestryItemTracker has functionality to enable items (samples) to have a parent-child relationship, over multiple generations if required. For example, if a sample is split into a number of aliquots, then ItemTracker allows the sample ancestry to be tracked.Items are tracked via the unique ItemID number assigned automatically to every new item.Creation of child sample(s)From the Map or Items windows, Create > Select ItemTypeInto the ‘No. of item(s) field insert the value of items to be created, e.g. 6Into the ‘ParentCode’ field insert the ItemID value of the parent sample. Note, the Parent sample can be selected > Select Value in the Create Item window; this inserts the ItemID value of the selected parent sample into the ParentCode field. Fill in the remaining field values as requiredSelect the Create button > the items are createdViewing Parent-Child RelationshipsSelect the Parent item in the Map or Items windowNavigate View > Item > AncestryThe Item Path window is displayed, showing the Parent sample and all the child samples. For each item the ItemID and ItemName are displayed.In the Item Path window, an item can be selected then select ‘Show in Map’ or ‘Show in Items’ buttons can be selected as required.You can also choose to show the selected Item with parent items / children by clicking ‘Show in Items (with Parents). Creating and viewing multiple generations of items (samples)Following on from the above example, further aliquots can now be created with a 2nd generation item selected as the parentNavigate View > Item > Ancestry to show the Item Path over 3 generationsIn this way ItemTracker will track multiple generations of items (samples)Changing the Parent for item(s), e.g. when the Parent was not selection at creation time or it is incorrect.Select the item(s) in either the Map or the Items windowNavigate Edit > Editing > Change Parent, the Select Parent Item window opens showing ItemID, ParentCode and ItemName. Note, it is not possible to change the ParentCode value from the Change window where field values are normally updated.In the ‘Select Parent Item’ window the new ParentCode ItemID value can be entered directly into the Parent field or the parent item can be selected from either from the Map (From Map button) or from the Items window (From Items button).Having entered the new ParentCode value > OKThe window opens ‘Change Parent Code for selection’>YesThe change can be confirmed by selecting the item(s) > Change. The Change window now shows the new ParentCode valueAlso the History window shows the change in ParentCode value8. Changing, Moving and Tracking ItemsOnce an item has been created, it is possible to change its values and properties. Many different values are likely to change over the lifetime of an item. Every time an item is changed, e.g. a value or property is updated, or the item is moved, a history is kept of the changes. This can be accessed via the Item History functionality of ItemTracker.8.1 Moving Items via the Map WindowOpen the Map window.Navigate to a container with samples in it (e.g. Site 01/Lab 01/Vessel 01/Rack 01/Box 01)In order to move an item around, we use the CUT functionality. The item can be moved either within the same container or to another container. Cutting an item removes the selected item or items from storage (if in storage) and places them on the ItemTracker clipboard. To cut an item or items, first select the items you want to cut. Then select the Cut button from the toolbar.Alternatively select Cut from the Edit menu.The following window will appear.If you click Yes, the map will update to show the selected item(s) having been removed from the map.To put cut items back into storage (paste), first select the empty and available locations, i.e. locations not deleted or locked to others, where you want to paste the items.Then from the toolbar select the Paste button.Alternatively, select Paste from the Edit menu.The clipboard window will be shown.To paste items:1)? Open the Map window2)? Select location(s) you want to paste to3)? Select items on clipboard to pasteLeft click on either the:· Paste button to paste selected items. Paste All button to paste all clipboard items.The items will be removed from the clipboard and the map will be updated showing that the items have now been pasted into the selected locations.Note that if you use the “Paste All” option on the clipboard with multiple Items, the Items will be pasted in ItemID order.8.2 Changing Items via the Map WindowItems can be changed from the Map window. To change items from the Map, first select the items that you want to change.Then lock the selected items by clicking on the Lock button. The window below will then appear. Ensure that the option “Item(s)” is checked on and then click on the Lock button.Then either left click on the Change button on the toolbar…Alternatively, you can select the Change menu option from the Edit menu.The Change window will then be shown.When ‘Update Items after Save’ is checked then the Items window dataset will be updated after Save is clicked, allowing further items to be selected and changed as required before closing the Change window.When ‘Update Map after Save’ is checked then the Items displayed in the container will be updated in the Map after Save is selected, allowing further items to be selected and changed as required before closing the Change window.When ‘Update Items after Close’ is checked then the selected items will have the relevant field values updated in the Items window dataset after Close is selected.The advantage of turning off these options is that it greatly improves the performance of ItemTracker since you are not waiting for data to reload. This is especially useful if you are editing large amounts of data regularly.It has three tabs on it. Owner, Items and Properties. Change the data you want to change and click SAVE to confirm the changes.8.3 Viewing Item History via the Map WindowWhenever an item is changed, a history of that change is kept. This allows users to see how an item has altered over its lifetime. When samples are changed, the date and time, location (computer) and user who made the change are recorded.There are several options available under the History menu option on the Map window.These show history for: The selected itemThe selected location All items within the selected Tree LocationTo see the history of the currently selected item, select the appropriate menu option i.e. For ItemAlternatively, select the appropriate menu option from the drop down list for the History button from on the toolbar.Showing the history for the selected item, it will appear as below:8.4 Viewing Lock status via the Map WindowBoth items and locations can be locked, either to a specific user or to a user group. Locking to a user (or group) means only that user (or a member of a user group) can change the item or location. When a location is locked, only that user (or group) can store items in it. Likewise when an item is locked, only the user or group to whom it is locked can change it.This is useful when a user wants to remove some items from storage temporarily, and wants to keep the locations from being used by another user. Similarly with items, to prevent other users or groups from changing them, a user can lock them to themselves or a user group to which they belong.Location and item locks can be mixed and matched, e.g. you may have the location locked and someone else may have the item locked. It is possible to lock a location while another person has the item in that location already locked and vice versa. See the picture below for some possible locking combinationsWhen you put the mouse over a cell, you will get a tool tip text stating who the item and location is locked to. The number in brackets refers to the cell position and not the ItemID.To lock or unlock an item or items and/or location or locations, first select the item(s) or location(s) you want to lock or unlock. Then either left click on the Lock button on the toolbar…Alternatively, select Lock from the Edit menu. You can also hold down the [Ctrl] key and press the letter ‘L’.The lock window will then be shown.From this window you can choose whether to lock or unlock the selected item(s) and/or the selected location(s) or both. Check the appropriate check boxes depending on whether you want to lock/unlock selected items, selected locations or both. Then, depending on whether you want to lock or unlock, click on either the Unlock or Lock buttons. To abort the locking or unlocking of your selection left click on the Cancel button. If both the current item and current location are locked to other users, both the Items and Locations check boxes will be disabled as shown below.Important information regarding LockingItems and locations can be locked to a specific user so no other user can change those items or locations. For example, locking selected locations prevents another user from creating an item in those selected locations. Locking of an item or items prevents other users from changing or moving them. The map uses different colours to denote whether different items and locations are locked and if locked, whether they are locked to you or another user. The above picture shows three different items, all locked in different ways. Red: If an item is shown in red it means the items are locked to another user. Only that user (or an administrator) can manipulate that item. Black: If an item is shown in black, it means the item is not locked to anyone. Anyone, with sufficient item type rights, is able to lock this item and manipulate it. Blue: If an item is shown in blue, it means the item is locked to you. Only you (or an administrator) are able to move or change the item.Grey: If a location has a grey back ground it means the location is locked to another user. Only that user (or an administrator) can manipulate that location.White: If a location has a white background it means the location is unlocked. All users with access rights to the location are able to manipulate the location.Cyan: If a location has a cyan background, it means the location is locked to you. Only you (or an administrator) can manipulate that location.8.5 Removing Items via the Map WindowSelect the item(s) you want to remove.Choose from the menu item, Edit > Editing > Remove. Alternatively, you can also click the “Remove” button from the toolbar.The “Removed” window will open.Check ‘Mark Removed items as deleted’ checkbox if the items are being used up or destroyed etc.Check the ‘Removed items should be locked to me’ checkbox if you want the items locked to you, for example if you want to work on the samples in the lab and then return them to storage.Check the 'List' checkbox if you want to add the removed samples to a list e.g. somebody’s work list.Note: Lists can be set up from the Items window Edit > List > New List. If you click on the New List, a window will open with the title, “New”. See below.Type 'ABC' in the Name textbox and click OK. The window closes. In the Map window , if you check the 'List' checkbox, the “Removed” window will be displayed like this.The information entered into the text box will appear in the Comment field when OK is selected. The Comment field is an ItemTracker property (see section 2, Defining ItemTypes and Properties) and is defined by an ItemTracker Administrator so that a choice can be made from a drop-down list and/or free text entries. In the following example the value indicates whether the sample has been sent to an external location and identifies which location.Select the value required from the drop-down list > OKThe item is removed from the Map location9. The Items WindowTo bring up the Items window, from the Control Centre window, left click on the Items button. 9.1 Creating Items via the Items WindowYou may wish to create items without putting them into storage – For example when you are expecting a bulk delivery of items for which you wish to prepare.Like the Map window, the Items window also provides functionality to create items. In order to create items from the Items window navigate to the menu item Edit > Editing > CreateWhen you click on Create the following window will appear.Create the items as you have done in the Map window.The newly created items will be listed in the results afterwards.9.2 Changing Items via the Items WindowItems can be changed from the Items window. Search for the Items that you wish to change. See the section on Searching and Filtering.To change items from the Items window, first select the items that you want to change.Then lock the selected items by clicking on the Lock button.Then either left click on the Change button on the toolbar…Alternatively, you can select the Change menu option from the Edit menu.The Change window will then be shown.When ‘Update Items after Save’ is checked then the Items window dataset will be updated after Save is clicked, allowing further items to be selected and changed as required before closing the Change window.When ‘Update Map after Save’ is checked then the Items displayed in the container will be updated in the Map after Save is selected, allowing further items to be selected and changed as required before closing the Change window.When ‘Update Items after Close’ is checked then the selected items will have the relevant field values updated in the Items window dataset after Close is selected.The advantage of turning off these options is that it greatly improves the performance of ItemTracker since you are not waiting for data to reload. This is especially useful if you are editing large amounts of data regularly.It has three tabs on it. Owner, Items and Properties. Change the data you want to change and click SAVE to confirm the changes.9.3 Using Cut and Paste to place Items in storageOpen the Items window. From the Control Centre window, left click on the Items button.Find and select the items you want to storeIf you have added the samples to a list, select the list to which you added themOtherwise, enter search criteria to retrieve the items that you want to storeOnce you’ve selected the samples, put them on the clipboard by selecting:?Edit > Clipboard > CutGo to the map and select the area where you want to put the item(s)Now click on the?Paste?button on the toolbar; the clipboard will appear.Select the specific item(s) you want to store, and click on the paste button.Alternatively, select enough locations for all the samples on the clipboard and then click “Paste All”.9.4 Removing Items via the Items WindowThe items can be removed from the Items window just like we remove items from the Map window. There is an additional way of removing (deleting) items from the Items window. After selecting the item(s) from the window, you can navigate to the menu item Edit > Delete (Mark As) > Mark as Deleted.When clicking on the above menu item, the following window opens. Clicking 'Yes' on this window, will remove the selected item from the window. 9.5 Viewing Deleted ItemsIf you want to view the removed/deleted items, navigate to the menu option View > Search Options. The following window appears.The View Deleted option in the above window, determines whether deleted records are searched and matching ones shown.If the menu option View Deleted is checked, then any deleted records which match the entered filter will be shown, as below.When deleted records are being shown, the first column will be Del, which shows whether each record is deleted or not. If there is a tick in the checkbox for that row (record), the record has been deleted. If there is no tick, the record (item) is not deleted.9.6 Undeleting Deleted Items (and Owners)To undelete an item or items, first select the item or items you want to undelete.If the item on the current row (the row with the black triangle) is deleted, the Undelete menu option will be enabled (and the Delete menu option will be disabled) and vice versa.Next, select the Mark as Undeleted menu option from the Edit menu.Alternatively, you can right click the selected items, and choose Mark as Undeleted from the menu that appears.Click 'Yes' to the following window that appears. The Items window will then be updated to display the selected items having been undeleted, depending on the menu option you selected.Undeleting Deleted OwnersTo mark an owner or owners as not deleted, first select the deleted owners that you want to mark as no longer deleted. Then select the Mark as Undeleted menu option from the Edit menu. You will then be asked whether you want to mark the selected owners as no longer deleted.To undelete the selected owners, either left click on the Yes button or hold down the [Alt] key and press the letter ‘Y’. Alternatively, to not undelete the selected owners, either left click on the No button or hold down the [Alt] key and press the letter ‘N’. If you chose to undelete the selected owners, the owner’s window will be refreshed to show the previously deleted owners now being undeleted.10. Searching for and Filtering Existing ItemsItemTracker provides the ability to search for and display items and owners that have been created. This is done from the Items window. To bring up the Items window, from the Control Centre window, left click on the Items button.10.1 Searching and filteringAn unspecified number of items can be retrieved and displayed in the grid on the right hand side of the items window by clicking on the Retrieve button. However, this may not be practical when there are thousands (or even millions) of items. On the left hand side of the Items window is the filter tab that provides grids where you can enter values to refine the list of items returned.For fields containing text values (e.g. ItemName, Level3Name, Identifier), you can enter part of the value, maybe just the first few letters for example:Into the ItemName field, enter the first few letter of the name of an item you know exists e.g. ‘Test’Then click on the Retrieve button.Any items that have an ItemName beginning with the entered details will be retrieved and displayed. You can put values into as many different fields, on as many different tabs as you want so that only the specific Item(s) that you want are retrieved.There are various operators and wildcards that can be used. For example, <, <=, =, >, >= are all valid. Also, to specify anything that contains specific characters (rather than starting with specific characters) enter a “%” first. This means, entering ‘%est’ will return anything that has ‘est’ in it e.g. Test. Also an underscore “_” will match any single character, e.g. FD018_3 will match FD018-3. If whatever you are searching for includes these wildcard characters you can do an exact search, e.g. =’FD018_3’ which will only match FD018_3 and nothing else.If you enter >’’ it will match any non-null value. Use two single-quotes as the comparison with nothing in-between.You may also combine search terms using logical operators such as OR and AND, e.g. entering ‘>50 AND < 200’ into the ItemID filter parameter box will match all Items with an ItemID greater than 50 and less than 200.ItemTracker makes it easy to retrieve samples of a certain type. Click on the “…” beside the ItemType field and a window showing all the item types you have access to will be shown. Select the item types that you want to see items for and click on the OK button. Then click retrieve to see the matching items.For example, on the Item Tab, you can search items for each and every value of Item Type, Created By, Locked By, ItemID, etc. Type in the values into the form that appears when you click the '…' button. If you search items by giving the value for ItemID as 37, the following window appears. See below.Clicking OK in this window will set the filter accordingly so as to search the item whose ItemID is 37. Click the Retrieve button from the toolbar as shown below: or alternatively, you can select from the menu item Edit > Filter > Retrieve as belowThe Items window will appear as follows:There are several other options available in ItemTracker for performing more advanced retrievals. Have a look under the Tools > Filters menu option and experiment with the Advanced Filter window and Date Filter windows. The Advanced Filter window provides a way of retrieving samples where any property is equal to a certain value.The information in the dataset can be sorted by clicking on the Sort tab and then checking the fields to sort and adjusting the sort order using the Top, Up, Down & Bottom keys as appropriate and then UpdateOnce an item is found, simply select it and click the Map button to go straight to where that item is stored.Date FilterThe Date Filter allows you to quickly search for Items by ChangeDate, InputDate or AuditDate. You can choose from one of five preset date range filters or alternatively specify your own date range to search by.To display the Date Filter select “Tools > Filters > Date” from the Items window menu.The Date Filter window will then display.Select the field that you wish to filter byThen choose from one of the 5 available preset date rangesAlternatively, select your own date range to filter by. You can pick either a starting date, end date or both. There is a handy popup calendar to make picking dates easier. Note that you must click the Filter button after setting your date range(s) whereas the settings above update the results in the Items window automatically.Once you have finished filtering Items by date click on the Close button. The Date Filter window will disappear; the date filter will be cleared but the Items window will not be updated until your next retrieval.Audited FilterThe Audited Filter allows you search for Items that are either audited or that require auditing. This filter is only useful if you have the “Audit Users Actions” option set for a user group otherwise no unaudited Items will be listed in the results.To access the Audited Filter select “Tools > Filters > Audited” from the Items window menu.Click on either the Audited or Unaudited button according to what Items you want to retrieve. Clicking None clears the auditing filter.Once you have finished filtering audited or un-audited items left click on the Close button. The Audit Filter window will disappear; the audit filter will be cleared but the Items window will not be updated until your next retrieval.Advanced FilterCreating filtersThe Advanced Filter allows you to retrieve Items (or Owners in the Owners window) based on conditions that can be anything from a simple comparison to a complicated query with multiple conditions.To launch the Advanced Filter select “Tools > Filters > Advanced” from the Items window menu.The Advanced Filter window will then open.The first line is a complex condition (see below for description). When you click on “any” the following options are shown:Select the option “All” from the list. Next you should decide what additions condition(s) you want to add.Elementary Condition – this allows you to select any property in ItemTracker and compare it to a user entered value.Advanced Elementary Condition – allows you to compare a field or constant to another field or constant. A constant in this case is any user entered plex Condition - which allows you to include or exclude records based on the conditions that are added afterwards.You can add multiple conditions of any type to produce almost any query you want.First we will look at adding an elementary condition. Click the “...” button to the left of “Select records where all of the following apply”. Then click on the “Add a new elementary condition” option.You will then be able to configure your first condition. If you click on the first link after “Records where” you will be shown a list of all the properties in ItemTracker that you can filter against. For this example we will select InputDate.You can then choose what sort of comparison you want to perform on the selected field.Finally, we enter the date to compare against. To run the Advanced Filter, click on the Filter button. The Items window results will refresh using your filter.Now we will narrow the search further by adding an advanced elementary condition. This filter will look for the value “Project 2” in the field ItemName.First click on the first row to select the complex condition and then click on the “...” button to the left of “Select records where all of the following apply”. Then click on the “Add a new advanced elementary condition” option.You will see that the new condition has been added to the query. With this condition we can compare fields against other fields and constants. In this case we wish to make use of the more advanced comparison options that the advanced elementary condition provides.The options marked field or constant can be changed by clicking on them to alter what information we wish to compare.Next we need to specify which field we are comparing by clicking on the “ * ” link next to “field”. Choose your field from the popup list. In this case we will choose ItemName.Tip: You can search all user defined Item properties (those with data type = text) at once by choosing ItemProperty as the field to search.Next choose what sort of comparison you want to perform. This comparison will use the “contains” option.Finally, enter the search term. For this example we will search for occurrences of “Project 2“. Your final query will look like this. Click the Filter button to update the Items windows with the new results.Although the above examples are not complicated, they do show how to quickly build advanced filter queries.Once you have finished filtering left click on the Close button. The Advanced Filter window will disappear; the advanced filter will be cleared but the Items window will not be updated until your next retrieval.Saving your filterTo save your filter choose “File > Save As...” from the advanced filter menu. Enter a friendly name for your filter and click OK. Once saved, the filter will appear in the list on the left hand side of the filter window.Loading a previously saved filterSimply left click on the name of your saved filter query on the left hand side of the window and it will be loaded. Click the Filter button to retrieve matching Items.10.2 Reporting / ProfilesItemTracker tracks a lot of information which is useful at different times, but generally you don’t want to see all of the information all of the time. ItemTracker makes it easy for you to view just the information that you want to see. To toggle different columns on and off simply select the fields tab and click in the square beside the field you want to toggle. If a tick appear beside the field, the field will be shown and vice versa.You can also save any combination of fields as a profile. This enables you to easily switch between different profiles. To save a profile, right click on the fields’ tree and select Field Profiles > Save As.The following window will then appear:Enter a name for the profile and decide whether it should be public (available to all users) or private (available to just you). If you do make it public, you then have a choice of setting a password for it. If you want to restrict who can change the profile to just those that know the password, enter a password (and confirm password). Once the details have been entered, left click on the OK button and the Profile will be created.Once a field profile has been saved, it is available from the field profile drop down. These profiles can then be renamed, changed and deleted by selecting the appropriate menu option available when you right click the fields’ tree and select the profiles menu option.Adding / Removing Fields from a ProfileTo add a new field to your profile, you should first left-click on the section of the tree where you want to add the field to. Then right click on the fields tree and select “Modify > Add Fields”.On the Select Field window that appears you should first select the type of field to add from the dropdown selection box. You can then pick a field by left-clicking on it. Click OK to add the field.You will see the field that you have selected appear in your field profile.You should then save your profile to avoid losing the changes. Right-click on the fields tree and select “Profiles > Save”.Confirm when prompted by clicking Yes.You can delete a field from your profile by first left-clicking on a field to select it. Then right-click and select “Modify > Remove Node”.Confirm when prompted by clicking Yes.You will see the field profile refresh and the selected field will have been removed. Please note that this does NOT delete the actual field from the database – it is still there along with all your data.As with adding a field, you should now save the field profile to avoid losing changes.Adding a Calculated Field to a ProfileThis example will show you how to group data together and display a count of the samples in each data group. In this example we will show the number of samples for each Owner.To add a calculated field to a profile, select the Properties node on the Fields tab. Then right-click on Properties and select “Modify > Add Calculation”.When the Add Calculation window appears, enter “Count” as the calculation name and “COUNT(*)” as the formula. Click OK when done.Next we need to enable grouping for the Identifier field. Select the Group tab and check on the Use checkbox for the Identifier row.Finally, click on the retrieve button to display the results.As with adding a field, you should now save the field profile to avoid losing changes.Resetting the Field ProfileThis will add all available fields into the current field profile. They will also be automatically enabled. To reset the field profile click the Reset button at the bottom of the Fields tab.Confirm when prompted by clicking Yes.You can then modify this profile and either overwrite an existing profile using the save/save as options.11. ListsItemTracker allows users to create lists. List allows users to group similar items (samples). Sometimes it is handy to group items (or owners) together on a list. ItemTracker provides just such functionality, allowing you to use these lists however you want.To create an item list, from the Items window select Edit > List > New List:The following window will appear.Enter the details for the list that you want to create. This includes the name of the list, who the owner is (you or a group that you belong to), whether the list is public or private and if public, whether you want a password for it. The list owner, which is either just you or anyone in the user group that you made the owner of the list, can rename, delete and set the password. If a list is public, then all users can add or remove items, provided they know the password. Private lists are seen only by you or members of the group that is set as the owner of the list. Once you have entered the parameters, left click on the OK button.To show what lists are available to you, right click the tab header and select the List Dropdown menu option. A tick will appear beside the menu option and the list control should show at the top of the filter tab.Place a tick in the List checkbox and the drop down box will be filled with all the lists that you have access to. Show the first list by checking on the checkbox next to the List dropdown. The items on that list, if any, will be retrieved and shown.Next we are going to add some items to the list that we just created. Start by un-checking the List checkbox and retrieving some items. Then select some items and select the menu option Edit > List > Add Selection to List.You will then be asked to select the list you want to add the items to.Once you’ve selected the list, left click the OK button to add the items to the list. If you do not want to add the items to the list, left click the Cancel button. If you selected to add the items to a list and any of the items are not available to be manipulated, for example locked to another user, read-only access or un-audited, the following window will be shown. Where there is a problem, the cell will be coloured red.In the following example we can see that two different errors occurred. For ItemID 11, the Item was locked to another user. For ItemID 15, we can see that the issue was insufficient ItemType access.If any of the items are already in the selected list, you will be shown the following window.Items cannot be added to a list twice, therefore, items that are already in a list, will not be added again. Assuming you chose to continue, if any of the previous windows were shown, you will be told whether the items were added to the selected list, or not.To see an item list, select it just as we did earlier. In a list, you can filter and retrieve samples, just as you would when not viewing a list. You can also remove selected items, mark items as picked or unpicked, and remove picked items. To perform any of these commands, first select the items in the list. Then select the desired command.Whether an item is marked as picked or not is shown in the picked column. This is a column, just the same as any other field, and is shown in the fields’ tree. To show the column, ensure there is a tick in the checkbox beside the Picked node.Provided that you are the owner (or a member of the user group who owns the list, if the list is owned by a user group) you can change the properties of a list. This includes who the owner is and whether the list is public or private. To change the properties, select the Edit > List > List Properties menu option. Adding items from the MapAlthough most of the interaction with lists is done in the Items window, you can also add items to a list from the Map. This is done by selecting the items you want to add as below.Then select the menu option Edit > Add Items to List.Just as adding items (samples) from the items window, you will be asked which list you want to add the items to. If items cannot be added to the list for any reason, you will be shown the same warning messages, as in the Items window.12. Attaching DocumentsItemTracker allows users to attach any document type to an Item or Owner.This section shall cover adding documents to Items.Login to ItemTracker as a user with sufficient rights to add new ItemTypesFirst we must create the document field. From the ItemTracker Control Centre open the ItemTypes window. Select “Admin > ItemTypes” from the top menu.Then select the ItemType that you wish to add the property to, e.g. Demo Sample Type in this case. Right-click on the ItemType and select “New Property” from the displayed menu.Enter the name of the field that you are adding. We will call our field “doc1”. Then click OK.Now click on the button at the bottom of the window marked “Configure”. Then click on the Data Type “Document”.Finally click Close. Then close the ItemType window.Next we need to add a document to an Item. Click on the Items button on the Control Centre.Click the Retrieve button so that you can select an Item to add a document to. Select an Item by left-clicking on it.Then from the top menu of the Items window select “Tools > Documents > Add”.Select the “Other” option and “Cache Document” option on the Attach window. Then click the OK button.You will then be prompted to choose which document field to add a document to. Select the correct field from the drop-down list and then click OK. The Open dialog will appear. Navigate to any document on your local computer or network share, select the document and then click Open.Next click the Retrieve button in the Items window to refresh the results. You will see a tick inside the checkbox displayed for the document field. This means that a document has been attached successfully to the Item.It is possible that if you select a file type supported internally by ItemTracker one of the two internal editors will open. Simply click Save and exit. Ensure that your Item is still selected and then from the top-menu select “Tools > Documents > Show”.The Documents window will then display. To view a document select the entry in the document list and then from the top-menu select “View > Document”. The document will then display with the default windows application.Note: If the local computer does not have a program association with the file type of the attached document nothing will happen.Note: supported image types are:.tif, .bmp, .jpg, .Pcx, .Gif, .tga12.1 Creating a hyperlink from an Item to a FolderThe previous section on attaching documents gives the procedure which allows one file per ItemTracker property (field) to be attached to an item. However it may be required to link an Item (Sample) to a folder which contains potentially multiple files of different file types, e.g. images, spreadsheets, documents. The following describes the procedure for configuring the creation of a hyperlink from an item to a folder and its use.Configuration:Note, you will need to have ItemTracker Admin as well as Windows Administrator privileges to implement the following, if not please contact your Administrator.Navigate to Control Centre > Admin > ItemTypesCreate a property attached to the appropriate node, in this example the property is named ‘Folder’Configure the property ‘Folder’ as per the default, i.e. Data Type = Text, Attributes = Editable, Visible.Close the configure window and save the changesNavigate to the Items window and select the ‘Fields’ tabUnder the ‘Properties’ node, if ‘Folder’ is visible then go to step 10. If ‘Folder’ is not visible then select the ‘Properties’ node and navigate View > Display Settings > Fields tab > Modify > Add FieldsIn the ‘Select Field’ window, click on the drop-down box and select ‘Properties’, then select ‘Folder’ and click on ‘OK’The ‘Folder’ field appears in the Fields tab under the Properties node.Adjust the field order as required and if part of a profile then save the profileNavigate to the ItemTracker Program folder and select the ItemTracker ODBC Data Source fileSelect the file, right-click and select ‘Edit’; the file opens in NotepadAdd the 2 lines similar to the following:WebLinkUrl=C:\Documents and Settings\Desktop\WebLinkField=FolderWhere C:\Documents and Settings\Desktop\ is the path to where the folders will be / are located. If you are using ItemTracker over the local network then you should specify a network path here instead.Where WebLinkField=Folder is the name of the folder created in step 2.Use:To hyperlink an item to a folder: In the Items window, select the item > Change > Properties tab. In the folder field enter the name of the folder specific to this item exactly as it appears in the WebLink url and save the changesTo inspect an item’s folder: In the Items window, retrieve the sample and select it, then navigate Tools > Show Web Link, a window opens showing the contents of the designated folder and individual files may then be opened as required.Notes:If the WebLinkField specified for an Item has no data then ItemTracker will open the root folder specified by WebLinkUrl.You may only specify one WebLinkField in the ItemTracker.dsn file.12.2 Document MergeDocuments can be merged in the Items, Owners and the Map window.Before merging a document in Items and in the Map a property must be set up in ItemTypes with the Document data type as well as a Document template.Setting up a property in ItemTypes with the Document data typeNavigate to “Control Centre > Admin > ItemTypes” (if you don’t have access then contact your administrator)Select the ItemType that the property will apply to then select “Edit > New Property”Enter the property name and then click the OK button, the new property appears in the ItemTypes windowWith the new property selected, select “Edit > Configure”, the Configure window opensSelect the ‘Document’ Data Type and then click on the Close button.Setting up a Document templateNavigate to “Control Centre > Tools > Text Editor”, the Editor window opensSelect “File > New > Text”The following window appearsInto this Document enter standard text as required along with database fields by selecting “Insert > Database Field”. Change the fields shown in the list by selecting from the dropdown menu.When the template is complete select “File > Save As Template”Select the document property created earlier (see ‘Setting up a property in ItemTypes with the Document data type’)The message ‘Successfully saved template for ...’ is displayed.Merging documents in the Items windowBefore merging a document a property must be set up of the Document type as well as a Document template as described above.Navigate to “Control Centre > Items”Select the items to be merged by filtering/retrieving/selecting as requiredNavigate to “Tools > Documents > Add”, the Attach window appearsSelect the Merge option. If you wish to add the merged document to the ItemTracker file cache select the Cache Document option as well. Then click OK.The ‘Select Document’ window appearsNote, if the property created earlier doesn’t appear in the drop-down box then it doesn’t apply to the ItemType for the items selectedClick OK, the Editor window opens showing the Document for each Item selectedThe individual Item Documents can be saved as required. The first time that you save a document you will be prompted to enter a code that will appear in the filename of the document. Enter a code and then click OK.Merging documents in the Map windowBefore merging a document a property must be set up of the Document type as well as a Document template as described above.Navigate to “Control Centre > Map”Select the items to be merged by navigating to the fifth level and selecting Items as requiredNavigate to “Tools > Documents > Merge (Item)”The Attach window appearsWhen merging documents for storage parts, you can choose whether to included deleted and/or historic records. To do this, simply select the Deleted or the Historic menu option. If you select the menu option Group by Item, only the record pertaining to the selected item will be used. If you select the menu option Group by Owner, all records for the owner of the selected sample will be used.Whether Deleted or Historic records are included is dependent on whether the corresponding menu option is checked, or not.? CONTROL Internet.HHCtrl.1 CONTROL Internet.HHCtrl.1 CONTROL Internet.HHCtrl.1 The ‘Select Document window appearsNote, if the property created earlier doesn’t appear in the drop-down box then it doesn’t apply to the ItemType for the items selectedClick OK, the Editor window opens showing the Document for each Item selectedThe individual Item Documents can be saved as requiredMerging documents in the Owners windowBefore merging a document a property must be set up in Owner Fields of the Document type as well as a Document template.Setting up a property in Owner Fields of the Document typeNavigate “Control Centre > Admin > Owner Fields” (if you don’t have access then contact your administrator)The Owner Fields window appears, click the New button.Enter the owner field name and click OK, the new property appears in the Owner Fields window.With the new property selected, click Configure, the Configure window opensSelect the ‘Document’ Data Type and then click Close.Click Close to close the Owner Fields window.Setting up a Document templateNavigate to “Control Centre > Tools > Text Editor”, the Editor window opens.Select “File > New > Text”The following window appearsInto this Document enter standard text as required along with database fields by selecting “Insert > Database Field”.Insert the applicable owner fieldsWhen the template is complete navigate “File > Save As Template”Select the document property created earlier in the Owner Fields window (see ‘Setting up a property in Owner Fields of the Document type’)The message ‘Successfully saved template …..’ is obtainedNavigate to “Control Centre > Owners”Select the owners to be merged by filtering/retrieving/selecting as requiredLock the selected owners by clicking on the Lock iconNavigate to “Tools > Documents > Add”, the Attach window appearsSelect the Merge option. If you wish to add the merged document to the ItemTracker file cache select the Cache Document option as well. Then click OK.The ‘Select letter template’ window appearsNote, if the property created earlier doesn’t appear in the drop-down box then it doesn’t apply to the ItemType for the items selectedClick OK, the Editor window opens showing the Document for each Item selectedThe individual Item Documents can be saved as required13. ItemTracker Barcoding Capabilities13.1 Handle External Barcodes (barcodes created outside ItemTracker)Customer RequirementItemTracker has the ability to track samples (items) which have barcodes that were created outside of ItemTracker. For example, some tubes come with preprinted barcodes on them. Or you may use a separate program to print barcodes and stick them onto the tubes. In whatever way the external barcodes were created, they can be associated with samples that you create in ItemTracker.ItemTracker FunctionalityItemTracker allows you to associate externally created barcodes with samples (items) that you create within ItemTracker. This can be done either when creating items:or later after the items have been created, through data import: See figure below.Note, If ItemType > Unique External Barcodes unchecked, can manually create non-unique ExtBarCodeIf menu option Data Import > Options Update using ExtBarCode unchecked, can import non-unique ExtBarCodeor in the change window. This following shows how to associate an externally created bar-code with an existing item.The Change window can be accessed from either the items or map window. First click the sample you want to associate with the external bar-code. Then, if you are in the map, lock the sample. Next click the Change button either on the toolbar or from the menu bar (Edit > Editing > Change).Select ‘Change’, from the menu, go to Edit-->Editing-->Change. A 'Change' window will open.Select ExtBarCode field as shown belowWith the ExtBarCode field selected, scan in the bar-code (or manually enter it, if you don't have a scanner).Finally, click the “Save” button on the Change window (shown above).13.2 Scanning Barcodes (Locating samples by scanning)Customer RequirementItemTracker has the facility to locate Items in the Map and the Items window via scanning the physical bar-code.ItemTracker FunctionalityOnce a sample is highlighted in the Map or the Items window, then all the associated information (history, properties etc.) can be displayed. There is a range of barcodes that ItemTracker can accept, for example the ItemTracker barcode, ExtBarCode, Storage Part Name and Owner Barcode.Scan and HighlightScan and Highlight is used when you want to scan a barcode that belongs to a sample, storage part or owner. The functionality to perform Scan and Highlight is available from the Items, Owners and Map windows.To use Scan & Highlight functionality, start by bringing up the Scan & Highlight window (F9 short cut key). The left-hand drop-down box has 3 options:HighlightReturnRemoveThis section will cover Highlight:Select Highlight from the left-hand drop-down boxThen ensure the type of barcode you want to scan is selected in the middle drop down, the choices are:ItemTracker Barcode (a pre-defined system barcode which follows a specific format)ExtBarCode (barcode generated outside of ItemTracker)Storage Part Name (is used for when you embed just the storage part name in the barcode)Owner Barcode (is used when you embed the owner identifier in the barcode)This example uses ExtBarCode.Select from the following choices in the right-hand drop-down box:No auditing (the audit date and auditor columns don’t get changed)Audit (No history) (the audit date gets set to the current date and time. No history is added)Audit (Add history) (the AuditDate and Auditor fields are updated and the history of the sample is added)This example selects Audit (No history)Then ensure the cursor is in the text box and scan the external barcodeThe barcode scanner should be configured to automatically add a carriage return after the barcode has been scanned. If it does not, you may have to click the “Enter” button.Once the barcode has been scanned ItemTracker will highlight the sample, owner or storage part.Items can be selected following Scan & Highlight:Follow the Scan & Highlight procedure aboveIf more than one item is scanned then the scanned items will be highlighted with a green background colourSelect Ctrl+Q (or Edit > Selection > Select Highlighted)The scanned items are now selected, indicated by the green cell background changing colour to grey.Various actions can then be performed, for example Change, Remove, Add items to List.Scan and ReturnThe Return option is for when you have removed a sample from storage and then want to scan and return it to storage. As with the procedure for Scan and Highlight on the previous page, start by bringing up the Scan & Highlight window (F9 short cut key). The left-hand drop-down box has 3 options:HighlightReturnRemoveThis section will cover Return:Select Return from the left-hand drop-down boxMake the selections as required from the middle and right-hand drop-down boxThen ensure the cursor is in the text box and scan the barcodeOnce the barcode has been scanned ItemTracker shows the following message:‘Do you want to return the item to its previous shown location’Select Yes > Retrieve > Item is placed in its previous location in the MapOr select No > Scan & Highlight window reappearsScan and RemoveThe Remove option is for when you want to mark an item as deleted.As with the procedure for Scan and Highlight on the previous page, start by bringing up the Scan & Highlight window (F9 short cut key). The left-hand drop-down box has 3 options:HighlightReturnRemoveThis section will cover Remove:Select Remove from the left-hand drop-down boxMake the selections as required from the middle and right-hand drop-down boxThen ensure the cursor is in the text box and scan the barcodeOnce the barcode has been scanned ItemTracker shows the following message: ‘Do you want to remove scanned item from storage?’ If Yes is selected then this marks the item as deleted13.3 Storing samples by scanning (Scan and Store)Customer RequirementSometimes it is desirable put items into storage by selecting a range of storage and then simply scanning the barcode on each item. For example, samples may be arriving in the near future but with all the data already available. Items can therefore be created in ItemTracker, with their details entered, but not assigned to storage. Barcode labels can be pre-printed and then attached to samples as they arrive. The Scan & Store functionality can then be used to easily put them into storage.ItemTracker FunctionalityScan and StoreSelection of locations in the map and using the scan and store functionality allows the storing of multiple samples into storage to be accomplished easily.To use the Scan & Store functionality, select the Scan and Store menu option from the Tools menu. Alternatively, you can press the [F8] function key.After selecting this command, the following window will appear.If you do not know where you want to put the samples, to find sufficient space in which to put the items, left click the Find button.The ‘Find Locations’ window will appear.Enter the Number of samples to find locations for and the location type/search rules if required. Then select First Container; the spaces required are highlighted in the Map grid. If these are not suitable then Next Locations or Next Container can be selected until suitable locations are found. Close the Find Locations window.After finding suitable space in which to store the items, left click on the start button. ItemTracker will then attempt to lock the selected locations to you. If all locations were successfully locked to you, you will see the following message.If some of the locations could not be locked to you, you will be asked whether to continue with just the locations that were locked to you. If none of the locations were locked to you, you will be told. You can then start the process again by finding available locations.If the locations were successfully locked to you, or you chose to continue anyway, scan the barcode of the first item.The barcode will then be read, and the scanned item will then be set into the next available selected location.You can then continue scanning the rest of the items. Each item will be put into the next available location.To clear any entered text; left click on the Clear button.To force the map to be updated, left click on the Refresh button.If there is no automatic carriage return after scanning a barcode, or you are manually entering a barcode, left click on the Enter button.Once finished, click the Close button13.4 Create barcode label templates for Items (samples)Customer RequirementLabels consisting of one or more text and/or barcode elements can easily be created in ItemTracker from either the Map, Item or Owner windows.Note:From Items window you can print Item (sample) labels.From Map window you can print Item (sample) labels OR storage labels.From Owners window you can print owners labels.ItemTracker FunctionalitySelect the sample first item, even if you only want to design labels, you still need to select an item firstPress the [F6] function key to bring up the label design windowAs seen above, there are Label, Text, Bar-codes and Preview tabs on the label design form.PREVIEW TABThe Preview Tab shows you what your label is going to look like. Select the Preview tab after you have selected all the parts that you want to use in your label style. Any label size can be given (as long as printer can handle it)To design a new label, left click on the New label style button. You will then be asked to enter the name of the new label style. Once you have entered the name for the new label style, left click on the OK button.To Rename, click on the Rename button and the following window will appear. Enter the name you wish to change to and click on OK.The window will update to show this change.To delete the Label Style, click on the Delete button. The Delete window will appear.? Click either Yes or No. If you clicked on the Yes button, the Label Style window will show this as being deleted.Once you have finished setting up your label, you should save it by clicking on the Save button on the Preview tab. If you do not, the settings will not be linked together for that label. Click Yes to confirm that you wish to save the label style.LABEL TABThe label tab draws the outline that makes up the different parts in your label. Although not necessary, it can provide a useful guide for aligning text and barcode elements. A label can have one or more parts to it, each either being a circle or square/rectangle.Start by creating a new label part. To do this left click on the New command button beside the drop down box. You will then be asked to enter the name you want to use for the new label part.After you have entered the name that you want to use, left click on the OK button. The label window will then be updated to show the new label part having been created.Next fill in how many labels there are across and down on one page. For a roll of labels, this is how many labels down between each perforation – usually one. Each label is made up of as many sub parts as you want, each being called whatever you want and either rectangle or circle. Note that all dimensions are in centimetres.Next, with a sub part selected, fill in the details for the sub part:Once you have entered the details, click on the Save All button at the bottom of the window to avoid losing everything you have done. You can then preview what you have done by left clicking on the Preview tab. The window should then show as below.TEXT TABA label style is the complete template that defines a label and can include a text part. A text part is a collection of one or more text sub parts. A text sub part is a single line of text and/or database field values.When creating a label style it is best to start by creating the actual label outline. Once you have done this, to create some texts, left click on the Text tab at the top of the window. The Text tab will be shown.Next, left click in the Text check box so that a tick appears in it and the Text tab becomes enabled.Then left click on the New button. You will then be asked to enter the name for the new text part.The Text tab will then be updated to show the new text sub part that you just created.You can select and rename the Default sub part to something more meaningful by selecting the Default sup part and then left clicking on the Rename button.Next type in the format details. Normal text is just typed whilst database field name go in curly brackets.Barcode Printing Format OptionsThere are a number of formatting options available for fields.Limiting text from a fieldLimit the text from Textfield1 to the first 15 characters{Textfield1/L15}Limit the text from Textfield1 to the last 15 characters{Textfield1/R15}Use text from the Textfield1 starting at the 5th character (New as of 3.4.20):{Textfield1/S5}Date FormattingTo print text in a certain date format you can add formatting options afterwards, e.g.{Datefield1/dd MM yyyy}Will display this:20 02 2014List of Date Formatting Options:dd = 20dddd = Thuddddd = ThursdayMM = 02MMM = FebMMMM = Februaryyy = 14yyyy = 2014?Number FormattingYou can also add formatting for numbers if you wish, e.g. for {yournumberfield/0.00}434.54647 -> 434.55434.3 -> 434.30?## -> Whole number rounded up if applicable##.## -> 434.550.000000 -> 434.546740Also, set the font size that you want to use.Then left click on the Show button to check that you have entered valid format details. A message box will appear showing you what the interpreted version of the format details look like.Next enter the Top and Side margins at which you want this text to be positioned. If there is more than one label across or down, and you want this text sub part to be repeated on the page, then enter the horizontal and/or vertical pitch.If you wish to have multiple text labels start again at step 2 and enter different margins at step 8, e.g. to have fields on new lines enter a higher Top Margin but use the same Side Margin.Save the changes you have made by left clicking on the Save All button at the bottom of the window.You can then preview what you have done by left clicking on the Preview button, also at the bottom of the window.BARCODES TABEach label can have one or more barcode parts. A barcode part is a collection of barcode sub parts. Each barcode sub part is a single barcode symbology selected from a range of ones available.Default barcode is Leading digit / ItemIDNote, leading digit:0 = Owner barcode1 = Sample barcode2 = Storage Part BarcodeThe leading digit needs to be present for the Scan & Highlight functionality to workCan add any field to barcode messageStart by left clicking on the Barcode check box so that the tab becomes enabled.Then create a new barcode part by left clicking on the New button.You will then be asked to enter the name of the barcode part that you want to create.Click on OK to proceed, or Cancel if you do not want to go ahead. When you click on OK, the barcode tab window will update to show the new barcode part you created.Then set the top and side margins. (Sometimes the positioning of the barcode on the label can take a bit of patience and playing around to get just right.) Set the horizontal and/or vertical pitch if you want the barcode repeated across and/or down the page. Setting this will only have an effect if the selected label is defined as being more than across and/or down.After you have set these values, left click on the Save All button at the bottom of the window to save your changes.You can then preview what you have done by left clicking on the Preview button, also at the bottom of the window.Once you have finished setting up your label, you should save it by clicking on the Save button on the Preview tab. If you do not, the settings will not be linked together for that label.Important Points when creating further Label Styles:Existing Label, Text and Barcodes parts can be reused if the part parameters have the same values, when creating a new label. However, if the new label style requires new values then create new parts; do not change the value of existing part parameters as this will alter the settings on label(s) already set up.After saving any change in the Label, Text or Barcodes tab by pressing the ‘Save All’ button, always navigate to the preview tab and press the ‘Save’ button to save the Style. The positioning of text and barcode components on the printed label is also influenced by the printer settings, navigate to Printers and Faxes > Printer > Printing Preferences to review and adjust if required.Click here to go to Appendix A, which contains examples of real-world barcode label configurations.Rotating text and/or barcodes by 900 on label templatesIn situations where, for example, labels are supplied with a number of labels across the stock in the portrait format, it may be necessary to rotate text and/or barcodes by 900 in the Barcodes window when designing label templates.Ideally the rotation is achieved by adjusting the printer settings, but there may be cases where the printer driver does not support rotation of text elements.Procedure:Navigate to printing preferences for your printer and ensure the correct stock has been selectedIn ItemTracker, select a sample in the Items or Map window and press the F6 function key which shows the label design window named BarcodesOn the label tab, set up the label as shown earlier in the ‘Label tab’ sectionOn the text tab, ensure that the Text checkbox is unchecked. Press ‘Save All’The following procedure shows how to create text and change its orientation utilising the functionality of the Barcodes tabOn the Barcodes tab ensure that the Barcode checkbox is checked on and then press the ‘New’ button in the Barcode section and enter your barcode nameIn the label parameters section, with ‘Default’ selected, press the ‘rename’ button and enter your first text field name, i.e. Text 1Set the Top Margin and Side Margins as appropriatePress the ‘Properties’ button, the Barcode Format window is displayedIn the Barcode field enter the ItemTracker field name of the text required in curly brackets, i.e. {Identifier}Check the box ‘Barcode Message Only’‘Comment’ – leave blank‘Symbology’ – select ‘Code 128’‘Rotation’ – select 90 Degrees (or 180 Degrees or 270 Degrees depending on the requirement)Foreground colour – select ‘White’; this hides the barcodeBackground colour – select WhiteNarrow Bar Width – select 4; this can be adjusted according to requirementsBar Height – select 40Bar Width Reduction – leave at default setting 0Matrix Module size – leave at default setting 15Quiet zones – uncheckBearer bars – uncheckBarcode text – check; this gives the text displayPress OK > the Barcodes window is displayed > Save All > PreviewCheck the preview and adjust the settings if requiredUse the above procedure to add additional fields if requiredAdd barcodes if required, i.e. 2-D barcodesTest print as required to verify the labels print correctlySelect the Preview tab and press the New buttonEnter your style name > OKExample:13.5 Creating barcode label templates for storage partsNavigate to “Control Centre > Map”Navigate down the Map hierarchy until you select the level for which labels templates are to be created. For example, if you want to print labels for boxes and these are at level 5 then select a box at this level.Navigate to “Tools > Barcoding > Print labels > Storage labels”, the Barcodes window opens (or Press the F7 function key)The procedure can now be followed as per the previous section on creating label templates for samples from the sub-section ‘Preview Tab’, for this example choose an appropriate style name such as ‘Box label style’.Useful field names to remember for the Format details box on the Text tab:Level1Name – the name of the Level 1 storage part in the current path.Level2Name – the name of the Level 2 storage part in the current path.Level3Name – the name of the Level 3 storage part in the current path.Level4Name – the name of the Level 4 storage part in the current path.Level5Name – the name of the Level 5 storage part in the current path.LevelName – this is the name of the current storage part that you are printing a label for.If you wish to print labels for more than one part at a time you can ‘cherry-pick’ the storage parts by enabling the “File > Tree Selection > Select Containers” option. Simply tick the boxes against the relevant storage parts and then press the F7 function key. It is useful to note that you do not have to choose storage parts at the same level, they can be anywhere in the Location tree.13.6 Creating barcode label templates for ownersNavigate to “Control Centre > Owners”Start by first selecting an ownerNavigate “Tools > Print labels”, the Barcodes window opens (or Press the F6 function key)The procedure can now be followed as per the section on creating label templates for samples from the sub-section ‘Preview Tab’.13.7 Printing labels from ItemTrackerCustomer RequirementLabels can be created from the Map, Items or Owners window, after selecting the item for which you want to print a bar code. You must select an item first, even if you just want to design labels.ItemTracker FunctionalityStart by first selecting an item.If you don’t first select an item, you will receive the following message.To print labels from the Map window, select Tools > Barcoding > Print Labels > Sample Labels or Storage Labels.Similarly, to create labels from the Items window, select Tools > Print Labels.To create labels from the Owners window, select Tools > Print labels.The Barcodes window will appear. This window is the same that appears when you select Tools > Print Labels for the Map, Items and Owners windows. See belowNote, ItemTracker can supply the printers, labels and accessories.13.8 Barcoding functionality in ItemTrackerCustomer RequirementThe Scan and Highlight menu option provides functionality to find and highlight a scanned item. To use this function, select Scan and Highlight from the Tools menu. ItemTracker FunctionalityCan positively identify from Map window or Items window:Select F9 Scan & Highlight. After selecting this command, the following window will appear.On middle drop-down list select ‘ItemTracker Barcode’. The ItemTracker Barcode is a pre-defined system barcode which follows a specific format.Scan ItemTracker Barcode. Once you have selected all your options, click on the empty box in the Scan and Highlight window and scan the barcode. In lieu of not having a barcode scanner, simply type a barcode in and press enter. Carry on doing this until you have finished. ItemTracker highlights the sample. You will notice that each sample turns green to show that it has already been scanned.In the Scan & Highlight window, the drop-down in the right-hand window allows you to scan in the following modes:No Auditing - no record is kept of the scanAudit (No History) – a record is kept of the date/Time of the last audit scan in the Items window in the AuditDate field, but previous audit scans are not available in History.Note, the User must have the required Audit privileges.Audit (Add History) - – a record is kept of the date/Time of the last audit scan in the Items window in the AuditDate field, and also previous audit scans are available in History.Note, the User must have the required Audit privileges.14. Data Export and ImportThe export and import functionality that ItemTracker provides is extremely powerful. Data can be easily exported to other applications, e.g. spreadsheet applications, manipulated and then the changes imported back into ItemTracker. This document discusses the functionality that is available in ItemTracker Version 3.0 and later. It can be used at any time, and is extremely useful, saving potentially a large number of keystrokes/time, especially on initial setup and configuration.14.1 Exporting DataData can be exported from the Items window in the following way:Filter and retrieve the records you want to export. Select either all records or just those that you want to export. Select Tools > Export and then choose to export either with or without headers. The four options that could be selected are:Clipboard (no headers)Clipboard (with headers)File (no headers)File (with headers) – Recommended optionN.B. To import data back into ItemTracker you will need column headers.Once you have selected to export the data, it will be placed on the system clipboard (or in a file). You can then open another application, paste in the data and manipulate it as required.If you choose the option Clipboard (no headers), the data will be pasted on the spreadsheet without the column headers. Alternatively, if you choose the option Clipboard (with headers), the data will be pasted on the spreadsheet with the headers for each column. If you choose one of the two File options, “Save As” window will open as below:Choose the destination to save the file and then type in the file name where it says, “File name:” and click on the “Save” button.A message will appear on your screen as the below figure:If you specify the file name as “Sample1.txt”, you will find it created in the specified location.If you open the file you will see the data you have selected from the Items window. See figure below:Similarly, if you selected “File (with headers)” and follow the above steps, after saving a file with name Sample2.txt, the file will appear as below:As you can see the column headers appear against all the columns.If the .txt file is required to be viewed in Excel, then simply open Excel then open the file and save as an excel file if required.14.2 Importing DataImporting Data (Delimited)ItemTracker has extensive data import functionality. This includes being able to import and/or update owners, items and storage parts. This functionality is accessed from the Control Centre by selecting Tools > Data Import.NOTE: Field Rules are NOT applied when using data monly, users have their data in, for example, Microsoft? Excel or another spreadsheet program. From such applications, data can be copied and pasted directly into the input window or saved to file in the tab delimited format.To import un-stored data, the only value that already has to exist in ItemTracker is the ItemType. Therefore, for this example, we will start by creating the ItemType “Blood”.From the Control Centre select Admin > ItemTypes.In the window that appears, create the ItemType Blood.Close the ItemType window and from the Control Centre window select the Tools > Data Import > Delimited menu option.The following window will then appear.In the window that appears, type-in the details for the un-stored items that you want to create. The minimum information required to import new item(s) is Identifier, ItemType and ItemName. In this example, we are going to use the following data:IdentifierItemTypeItemNameExtBarCodePatient 01BloodSample 0100004B65FPatient 01BloodSample 0100004B607Patient 01BloodSample 0100004B62APatient 01BloodSample 0100004B601You can either copy and paste your tab-delimited data into the input text box in the Delimited Data Import Input window. Alternatively, if the data you want to import is in a file, let click the Open button and navigate to the file you want to open. Then select the file and click the Open button.After either pasting the data into the window, or opening it from file, the data import window should look similar to that below.If you have Items in ItemTracker that already have the same ExtBarCode you can choose to create new Items by unchecking the option “Update using ExtBarCode”. Leaving the option checked will mean that ItemTracker will try to locate existing Items with a matching ExtBarCode and update the Items using the data from the Input tab.With the data in the Input window, left click the Analyse button. The Configure tab will be shown with the columns in the input text box having been matched up with those in ItemTracker. If the headings in the file being imported match those in ItemTracker, they will be automatically mapped. However, if some headings in the file don’t map to fields in ItemTracker, (DON’T IMPORT) will be shown in the ItemTracker Fields column. Simply click the downward facing triangle, and select the field that the column in the file should map to, as shown below.At the bottom of the Configure tab are three checkboxes. The first dictates whether the data will be imported for real, or just a test run performed (no data imported). The last two checkboxes dictate what should be done if the location specified for an item (sample) is not found or in use. After ensuring all fields are correctly mapped and the different checkboxes appropriately checked (or un-checked), left click on the Import button.Note that if you did not map all the fields correctly a warning message will be displayed. This is to assist the user in ensuring that no data is accidentally omitted during data import. If you made a mistake, click Cancel, otherwise click OK.The output tab will be shown. If you chose to not perform a test run, you will be shown the following window.You will then be shown a message saying the items (samples) have been successfully imported. If you did choose to perform a test run, then the following message box will be shown.If there were any errors, they will be shown in the grid.If there are any errors, go back and fix the errors and try importing again. Once your data has been imported, close the Data Import window.If you want to, you can view the samples that have been created (or updated) in the Items window.Importing Data (Configured)In this example we are going to create a box in the map, create an ItemType called Blood, create some un-stored samples and then import a configuration file which will put the unstored samples into storage. Start by opening the Map window and creating the following path. Ensure that the container GridType is set to Alpha Rows, Numeric Columns.Although the names at the different levels can be different, the actually bottom level must be exactly as shown. Next we are going to create an ItemType blood. To do this, from the Control Centre, select Admin > ItemTypes.In the window that appears, create the ItemType Blood.Next we are going to create some un-stored samples using the delimited data import window. Open the delimited data import window, and paste the following data into the input window.IdentifierItemTypeItemNameExtBarCodePatient 01BloodSample 0100004B65FPatient 01BloodSample 0200004B607Patient 01BloodSample 0300004B62APatient 01BloodSample 0400004B601Then click analyze and check your mappings are correct. Then perform a test run and if everything is fine, import the samples for real.If you look in the items window, you will see that the imported samples do not have a location. The next part of this tutorial assigns a location to the samples.After you have imported the data above, from the control centre window, select the menu option, Tools-->Data Import-->ConfiguredInto the Input text box, copy and paste the following data:Current User: SupervisorNoPWD~1-25-2001~10-56-33~RACK:EDC00341A1,00004B65F,A2,00004B607,A3,00004B62A,A4,00004B601,The window will then look as shown below.Left click on the configure tab and enter the configuration as shown below:You can save the configuration for future use by left clicking the Save button.Then simply enter the name to use and click OK. If the configuration is successfully saved, you will be shown the following message.With the configuration set up, left click the Import button. You will then be told how many records were successfully imported (hopefully all).Finally, you should look at the contents of your box in the map and check that the items have been moved to the correct location.14.3 Using Data Import to Update Properties for Existing ItemsYou can use data import to update the properties for Items that are already entered into ItemTracker. You must however have either the ItemID or ExtBarCode (External Barcode) for each Item. See the section entitled “Importing Data” for more information on importing delimited data.The simplest method for updating Items in ItemTracker is to update using either the ItemID OR the ExtBarCode.To update using the ItemID field to match Items ensure that the “Update using ExtBarCode” option is?uncheckedTo update using the ExtBarCode ensure that the “Update using ExtBarCode” option is?checkedFor this example we will update two fields for some Items. You may update as many fields as you like at once. Replace Blood Group/Cell Count with the name of your fields.ItemIDExtBarCodeBlood GroupCell CountPT6638O+11.120A+12.035PT9945AB-11.5It is important to note the behaviour of ItemTracker depending on the setting of the “Update using ExtBarCode” option.If the option is enabled then ItemTracker will try to do the following according to the data rows above:Row 1) The Item with ExtBarCode PT6638 will be updated with Blood Group “O+” and Cell Count “11.1”.Row 2) The Item with ItemID 20 will be updated with Blood Group “A+” and Cell Count “12.0”Row 3) ItemTracker will ignore the ItemID and try to find a matching Item with the ExtBarCode PT9945. If no matching Item is found then import will fail stating that the ItemType is missing.If the option is disabled then ItemTracker will try to do the following according to the data rows above:Row 1) Create a new Item – this will fail as the ItemType information is missing.Row 2) The Item with ItemID 20 will be updated with Blood Group “A+” and Cell Count “12.0”Row 3) The Item with ItemID 35 will be updated with Blood Group “AB-“ and Cell Count “11.5”. Also, the ExtBarCode field will have the value “PT9945” added.14.4 Using Data Import to Remove Items from StorageIt is possible to use the data import functionality of ItemTracker to quickly remove thousands of Items from multiple storage locations. It should be noted however that you cannot use Data Import to delete Items See the section entitled “Importing Data” for more information on importing delimited data.When using this procedure you should not include in your file Items which you wish to move from one location to another. If you have mistyped the information for any of those Items then they will also be removed from storage without any warning.To remove Items from storage you need to specify both the ItemID of the Item that you are removing as well as an invalid Level1 storage part (Level1Name). The Level1Name can be anything providing that it is not the name of a valid part in your location tree.Click Analyse to proceed to the next screen. The Configure tab will be selected. Check the option for “If location is not found, import item with no location”.For the purposes of this tutorial we will assume that the data is valid and uncheck the “Perform test Run” option.Finally click on the Import button. The Progress bars will appear while the data is being processed.Eventually you should see the following. If all has gone well, no error messages will be listed.Click OK and close the Data Import window. If you now open the Items window and then search for the Items that you just modified you will see that all the location information has been removed.14.5 Importing Map PartsPlease review section 14.2 Importing Data before proceeding.This section describes how to create both Items and their associated map locations at the same time via data import.Prepare the data in Microsoft? Excel. Remember the following:Each column header must contain the ItemTracker field name, exactly as it is shown in ItemTracker (this is case sensitive)The order is the column headers is not importantThe minimum information required to import new item(s) is Identifier, ItemType and ItemName.One row of the spreadsheet contains all the data for one Item.Add column headers representing the Map locations as follows:Level1NameLevel2NameLevel3NameLevel4NameLevel5NameRowColAnd then add the associated values in the row for each item. Note that Row and Col above represent the location of the Item within the container, not the size of the actual container. You may substitute Row & Col for the Pos column if you wish however you must not use all three columns.The procedure above will add items to existing map locations, but if it is required to create the Map locations then the following additional information is required:Add the following column headings:NumRowsNumColsGridTypeNow for each item enter values for the above, for example, if the container is a 10 x 10 format (i.e. a total of 100 cells then the value for NumRows is 10 and also NumCols is 10.The GridType value is determined from the following table:1: Alpha Rows, Alpha Columns2: Alpha Rows, Numeric Columns3: Numeric Rows, Alpha Columns4: Continuous (Top left to Bottom Right)5: Continuous (Bottom Right to Top left)6: Continuous (Bottom Left to Top Right)7: No Labelling8: Custom labelling9: Alpha Rows, Numeric Columns (Bottom Left to Top Right)Therefore in the above example, if the 10x10 container has continuous numbering (top left to bottom right) then the GridType value is 4.You may also specify the ItemType (Part Type) of each new part that you are creating. Add headers and data for any of Level1Type, Level2Type, Level3Type, Level4Type or Level5Type as applicable, e.g. Level5Type corresponds to the Part Type for the part created in the Level5Name column.A typical example, prior to import follows:Now save the file as a .txt (tab delimited).In ItemTracker navigate to the Control Centre > Tools > Data Import > Delimited option.In the Data Import window select Input tab > Open > Browse and select the .txt file saved earlierClick on the Analyse button (bottom right-hand corner) and check that the ItemTracker fields match the Import File Column Names (if not they can be mapped manually)Check ‘Perform Test Run’ and click on ‘Import’Obtain the message ‘Successfully imported …. Records; if an error message is shown then correct the error (see the Data Import Error Messages section of Tutorial)Select the Configure tab, uncheck ‘Perform Test Run’ and then click on the ‘Import’ button, the data is imported into ItemTracker.14.6 Data Import Error MessagesWhen importing data users may receive one or more error messages which will need to be resolved before their data can be successfully imported.[Field Name] represents the name of your property which has the issue.Import ErrorDescriptionInvalid Number to importOccurs when using the Number to Import field and the value is either invalid or out of range. A whole number between 1 and 30000 must be specified.No IdentifierWhen creating new Items an Identifier (Owner) must be specified.Invalid value for [Field Name]The value that you are trying to import does not match the data type for the field, e.g. importing text into a number field.Item marked as deletedYou may not update Items that have been deleted. To update the Item you must first undelete it.[Field Name] is not editableThe field is not configured to be editable and you may not import values into it.[Field Name] is requiredThe field is configured as required. You must include a value for this field in your import file.[Field Name] is not updatableThe field is configured to be static. This means that you may only enter a value for the field when creating new Items.ItemType not foundThe ItemType specified in your file is incorrect. You should check your data file for spelling mistakes.Insufficient Type AccessThis message appears when the user logged on does not have sufficient privileges to create Items with the specified ItemType. Write access to the ItemType is required.Storage/Item MismatchThe storage locations (container) have been restricted to a certain ItemType (Container Type) and the ItemType of the Item that you are importing does not match this.Invalid LocationThe storage location that you specified is invalid, e.g. the location in the container has been deleted.Missing Grid TypeWhen you use data import to create containers for storing Items (5th Level part) you must specify the Grid Type for the container.The Grid Type should also be a whole number in the range 1 to 8.Missing Path InformationWhen you use data import to create storage parts you must specify lower levels in the location tree, e.g. Level1Name, Level2Name, Level3Name, etc. You would not be able to miss out Level2Name.Also, the number of rows/columns must be a positive whole number.Container Type Not FoundWhen you use data import to create containers for storing Items (5th Level part) you must specify the Container Type for the container.Location not foundOccurs when using the “Find storage for samples” option is enabled on the Storage tab and no storage locations are found.Alternatively, if you use Pos to specify the position of an Item within a container and the container has No Labelling set as the Grid Type.Location in useThe location that has been specified already contains an Item.Location lockedThe location that has been specified is locked to another user.Too many values/tabsThis occurs when the number of data columns in the file does not match up to the number of headers. You should re-open your data file in something like Excel and correct any errors.Cache Only: [Field Name]Happens when the field in question has been set to only allow values in the cache list and then you try to subsequently import a value not listed.Value(s) not uniqueOccurs when you try to import a duplicate value for a unique field. No Access To Container TypeWhen you use data import to create containers for storing Items (5th Level part) you must have write access to the specified Container mas not allowed in numbersCommas should not be included in numbersContainer resize invalidOccurs when resizing a container would result in Items being removed from storage.Owner DeletedOccurs when manipulating Items that belong to a deleted Owner or updating a deleted Owner.Owner locked to another userOccurs when the Owner is locked to another user.Locked to another userThe Item that you are trying to update is locked to another user.ItemType non creatableThe ItemType that you have specified is marked as non creatable in the Item Types window.Map defined is too bigThe maximum size of a container is 10000 locations. Reduce either NumRows or NumCols to comply.Item with given ItemID not foundThe ItemID specified for the Item does not exist yet. You cannot create new Items with a specific ItemID.Row, Col and Pos have all been specified. Ensure data has ONLY Row and Column OR PosTo prevent confusion you can only use one method to specify the location of an Item within a container. Either use Row & Col or alternatively just Pos.Owner is a historic IdentifierThe Identifier specified only exists as Owner history. Since you cannot change Owner history this is reported as an error.Invalid Hyperlink: [Field Name]The address that has been entered does not start with one of the addresses entered in the Allowed Base URLs window.ExtBarCode not updatableThe user group that the user is a member of does not have the “Allow ExtBarCode Update” option enabled.14.7 Data Merge utilityUsing the data merge functionality you can merge the contents of the Items window with data from a text file. The merged data can then be exported to a new text file. It is important to note that using this utility does not change any data in ItemTracker.First open the Items window and then retrieve the Items that you want to merge with your data file. There is no need to select the Items that you want to merge as every record will be included by default. You should also only retrieve fields of information that you want to include in your final merged file. Here I have only included ItemID and ItemName.Select “Tools > Merge File” from the top menu.The Data Merge windows will then appear. Click on the “...” button to select a text file to merge with your data.Navigate to your text file, select it and then click Open.Then you should choose the field that you want to use to link your data together by picking a field in the Mapping Column dropdown box.Once you have chosen a field the data will be merged and displayed in the data grid below.Note that should you choose a mapping column/field that is not shown in the Items window then the following error message will be shown:You should either add the selected column to the Items window results or alternatively pick a different mapping field.At this point you can if you wish alter the Items displayed in the Items window and then update the merged data by clicking Merge.Once you are happy with the merged data you can export it to a tab-delimited text file by clicking the Export button.Navigate to the location that you wish to save the file. Enter the file name and then click Save.15. Change the Identifier / Owner for ItemsItemTracker allows users to change the Owner for existing Items.Login to ItemTracker as a user that has Read / Write for the type of Items that you wish to modify.Then open the Items window.Next you need to retrieve the Items that you wish to change the Owner for. Enter enough information into the filtering tabs so that only the Items that you wish to modify are retrieved. In this case we are going to change the owner for Items with an owner called “McDonald1”.Next select all the Items by selecting “Edit > Select All” from the top menu.You should then see that all your Items have been selected.Next you need to Lock the Items so that you can modify them and also to prevent anyone else from modifying the Items. From the top menu select “Edit > Lock > Lock Selection”.Next click on the Change button.When the Change window appears select the Owner tab by left clicking on it.Unlink the current Owner by clicking on the Clear button. Then enter in the details of the replacement Owner by filling in the Identifier field. In this case we are going to change the Owner to a different existing Owner so we need only enter information into the Identifier field.Once you have entered the details click on the Find button. If an exact match is not found a list of the results will be displayed.Left click on the correct column corresponding to the Owner that you desire and then click the Select button. If your search for an Owner had returned an exact match, e.g. Patel12, you would not see the selection screen above.If you are happy with the new Owner details then click on the Save button.Click on the Yes button to confirm changes. Then click on the Close button to close the Change window once it has finished refreshing.Next confirm that the Owner has been successfully updated by entering details into the filtering tabs. If you filtered for the ItemID’s of the Items then the results will have automatically refreshed and you do not need to do anything further.As we can see the Owner information for the Items has been updated.16. Creating Multiple Parent Codes for One ItemCreation of multiple Parent Codes for one item and subsequent retrieval of informationItemTracker has the ability to track sample ancestry by utilizing the system field ‘ParentCode’. For example, ItemID 502 is created with ItemID 501 entered into ‘ParentCode’, ItemID 503 is created with ItemID 502 as ParentCode and ItemID’s 504 and 505 are created with ItemID 503 as ParentCode. Then Items > View > Related Information (or Ctrl Y) gives the following Item Path window showing the relationship between the items.However, this applies to either a one-to-one Parent-to-Child relationship or a one-to-many Parent-to-Child relationship. This document describes the procedure to manage a many-to-one Parent-to-Child relationship, for example where a mixture of items produces one (or more) new items.Option 1Hide system ParentCode fieldThe first step is to hide the system ParentCode field so there is no confusion with the new Parent Codes to be created in Step 2.Navigate Control Centre > Admin > ItemTypesSelect an ItemTypeClick on the Field Rules button at the foot of the windowClick on ‘New’Enter rule name ‘Hide ParentCode’In Calculation field enter ‘1’ > OKIn Result Field enter [ParentCode] > OKIn the MessageType field enter ‘setting’ from the drop-down listDouble-click in the Message field and select Setting = Row Hidden and Value = True > OKNow click on the ItemTypes you want this rule to apply to in turn and check the ‘Use’ column on the left-hand side of the Field Rules window.Close the Field Rules window and save the changesNow, the ParentCode field will not be visible in the Create window once an ItemType is selected and can be removed from the dataset in the Items window by selecting the ‘Fields’ tab and unchecking ‘ParentCode’Create new Parent Code fieldsNavigate Control Centre > Admin > ItemTypesIf the requirement to create multiple Parent Codes applies to all items, then select ‘Undefined’, if not, select the ItemType this is applicable toCreate new fields, equal in number to the maximum number of possible Parent Codes for one item. For example, if the maximum number is 3 Parents for one item, then create properties named ‘Parent Code 1’ ‘Parent Code 2’ and ‘Parent Code 3’ Create new items with multiple Parent CodesNavigate Items > Create one Item with multiple Parent CodesSetting up a Parent Codes ProfileIf required, set up a Profile to view Parent Codes and any other important information as follows:If Parent Code 1, Parent Code 2 and Parent Code 3 are not visible in the Fields tab, then add them by selecting the ‘Properties’ node > right-click > Modify > Add fieldsIn the Fields tab window, check on only the fields required to be displayed in the right-hand datasetRight-click > Profiles > Save As (for example, Parent Codes Profile)Viewing Parent CodesFor the item created in step 3, filter for the item, select the Parent Code Profile and select Retrieve, the ItemID’s for Parent Codes 1, 2 and 3 are displayed:Setting up Advanced filter to enable viewing of Child ItemsNavigate Items > Tools > Filters > AdvancedConfigure a new query as below and save As Parent Code QueryViewing Child ItemsTo view Child Items, use the Advanced Filter ‘Parent Code Query to search for the required items. For example, to search for Child items for ItemID 101, Enter 101 as a value in the filter tab for Parent Code 1, Parent Code 2 and Parent Code 3In Advanced Filter window select > FilterOption 2This method describes an alternative, simpler procedure to create multiple Parent Codes for one item and does not require the creation of addition properties.This procedure utilises the ItemTracker system field 'ParentCode'Manual creation of new items with multiple ParentCodesIn the Map or Items window > CreateEnter values as required; for the ParentCode field enter the ParentCode values separated by – (minus sign), including the – minus sign at the start and end of the series. For example, to enter three Parent Code values 345, 346 and 347 enter: |345|346|347|When all required values are entered into the Create window > CreateImport creation of new items with multiple ParentCodesSee section 14.2 for full instructions on importing dataThe important point is that on the import file, enter the ParentCode values in the same form as per the Manual Create above, e.g. |345|346|347|Viewing Child itemsIn the Items window, select Fields > profile required (if applicable) then > Clear > Filter tab > Item tabTo retrieve for Child items of, for example, ParentCode = 346, enter %|346|% into the ParentCode field> RetrieveAll child items are displayed in the right-hand datasetNotes:View > Related Information > Ancestry will not show Parent/Child hierarchy when using this methodThe values entered for ParentCode would typically be the ItemID’s, but values are not restricted to ItemID’s – other unique identifiers could be usedWhen filtering/retrieving, where x = unique identifier, always enter the ParentCode filter value in the form %|x|%17. Creating Multiple Aliquots from One or More ItemsCreation of multiple aliquots for an item and subsequent retrievalIf you have ItemTracker version 3.4.9 or above, please follow the instructions for using the “Make Aliquots” utility. Alternatively, please read the instructions for the alternate method here.17.1 Make Aliquots UtilityAs of ItemTracker version 3.4.9, a new utility has been added to quickly create aliquots of multiple Items. This is available from the Items window and can be accessed by selecting “Edit > Make Aliquots” from the top menu.The first step is to retrieve the Items that you wish to make aliquots from. Then select the Items. Ctrl+A selects all listed Items or alternatively you can hold down the Ctrl key and left click any Item you desire.Next select “Edit > Make Aliquots” from the top menu.In the window that appears, enter the number of aliquots that you wish to create for the selected Items. Note: if you wish to create a different number of aliquots for each Item then you will have to repeat these instructions, ensuring that only one Item is selected each time before running the Make Aliquots utility.In this case we will create 3 aliquots from each Item. Enter “3” into the box and click OK.After a short pause, the Items window will then refresh to show the newly created Items. All the Owner and Item information will be exactly the same as the parent Item. The ParentCode for each Item is set to the ItemID of the parent Item to show that it is an aliquot.17.2 Alternate method for creating aliquots from one or more ItemsItemTracker can create aliquots of an item but if you are creating many aliquots of an item it is sometimes better to export the information to a spreadsheet such as Excel and do some simple data manipulation.Open the Items window and select the Fields tab. Uncheck all fields except those that are required to create your aliquots.Alternatively, if this procedure will be regularly repeated, set up and save a Profile (see the section on Reporting for instructions) containing the required fields.Now you need to retrieve the Items that you want to make aliquots from . Select the Filter tab and filter for the Items. Here I have entered the ItemIDs of the Items as I already know them. Click retrieve after entering the filtering information.Now select all the listed Items. From the top menu select “Edit > Select All”.Next, export the data to the windows clipboard. From the top menu select “Tools > Export > Clipboard (with headers)”.Alternatively for larger numbers of items, select “Tools > Export > File with headers”, save the file then open in Excel.Now open your spreadsheet software, e.g. Microsoft Excel in this case. Paste in the copied data. Either click on the Paste button or select “Edit > Paste” from the top-menu for older versions of Microsoft Excel.Select the cell containing the header field name ItemID and rename it to ParentCode as shown below.In this example we will create 3 new aliquots for each item. Copy the data and paste the selection twice at the end of the data, then navigate to Data > Sort and order by ParentCode.Now you need to export the data to a tab-delimited file so that ItemTracker can import it. Select the Save As > Other Formats option in Excel. Alternatively press the F12 function key.Older versions of Microsoft Excel: Select “File > Save As” from the top-menu.Navigate to the folder where you want to save your file. Enter a filename and then click Save. You will receive 2 warning messages as shown below but this is ok. Click Yes/OK as appropriate.Open the Data Import utility so that we can import the aliquots. From the ItemTracker Control Centre select “Tools > Data Import > Delimited” from the top-menu.The data import window will open. Click on the button “Open”.When prompted navigate to the file that you saved from Excel. Select the file and then click Open.The file will load into the import window. Click the Analyse button to proceed.When the Configure tab is displayed check the field mappings and correct them is needed. Ensure that the “Perform Test Run” checkbox is CHECKED and then click on the button marked Import.Once the import has finished the output tab will be selected as well as a popup message stating how many records (new aliquots) were imported.Assuming that no errors were displayed in step 16 please repeat steps 15 through 16 but this time UNCHECK the “Perform test run” box. You should see this message at the end. Note that the message title states imported and not test run.Now open the Items window by either clicking the Items button or selecting “View > Modules > Items” from the top-menu.Enter the ItemIDs of the Items that you made aliquots from into the ParentCode field on the filter and then click Retrieve. You will see all your aliquots displayed.To view all the aliquots for a specific Item (Parent) you must first search for the parents in the Items window. Below I have used the ItemIDs to perform the search.Select an Item from the results and then select “View > Related Information > Ancestry” from the top-menu.The Ancestry (Item Path) window will then open showing the parent and all the aliquots (children).18. Transferring Items between user groups through an intermediary location and ItemTypeThis procedure describes how ItemTracker can be configured to accomplish the following workflow:WorkflowStep 1: User Group A has write access to the ItemType named ‘XYZ Samples’, all other User Groups have no access to XYZ Samples at this point.Step 2: A member of User Group A moves some items of XYZ Samples ItemType from Group A’s storage location to an intermediary location (e.g. pass-through fridge) where Group B have write access (and therefore the items become visible to Group B).Step 3: A member of Group B moves some items of XYZ Samples ItemType from the intermediary location (e.g. pass-through fridge) to their own Group B’s storage location where Group A has no access.Configuration Procedure (Note, requires admin privileges, also this example uses generic descriptions, please use your own data): Navigate to Control Centre > ItemTypesCreate the ItemType ‘XYZ Samples’ if this does not already existWith ‘XYZ Samples’ selected, uncheck the ‘Creatable’ checkboxWith ‘XYZ Samples’ selected right-click > New Type > enter ‘XYZ Samples – Group A’Repeat the above, but enter ‘XYZ Samples – Pass-through’Repeat the above, but enter ‘XYZ Samples – Group B’Note, the Types ‘XYZ Samples – Group A’, ‘XYZ Samples – Pass-through’ and ‘XYZ Samples – Group B’ should all be creatable.Navigate to Control Centre > User AdminSelect the ‘Types’ tab on the right-hand side windowSet the User Group Type access as per the following:XYZ Samples – Group AXYZ Samples – Pass-throughXYZ Samples – Group BGroup AWriteWriteNoneGroup BNoneWriteWriteItemTracker Use ProcedureLog on as a Group A userLocate the samples to be moved in Group A storage area (Note, see also Section on Locking Locations to User Groups)Note: at this point a user in Group B has no access to this box in the Map window, or these samples in the Items window. Select the Box (Box 01 in this example) > right-click > Cut PartNavigate to the intermediary location (Pass though hatch in this example) > PasteNote: this step is only required if the Part Type is not ‘Undefined’: With the Box selected > right-click > Set Part Type > XYZ Samples – Pass-throughSelect the Items in the box > Lock to User > Change > Item tab > ItemType > XYZ Samples – Pass-through > Save > Do you want to save the changes > Yes > CloseWith the items selected, navigate > Lock > ensure the Item(s) box is checked > UnlockLog on as a Group B userNavigate Control Centre > Items > Filter tab > Item tab > ItemType enter ‘XYZ Samples – Pass-through’ > RetrieveItems can now be viewed in the Items window:and can also be viewed in the Map:Select the Box (Box 01 in this example) > right-click > Cut PartNavigate to a Group B storage location > PasteNote: this step is only required if the Part Type is not ‘Undefined’: With the Box selected > right-click > Set Part Type > XYZ Samples – Group BSelect the Items in the box > Lock to User > Change > Item tab > ItemType > XYZ Samples – Group B > Save > Do you want to save the changes > Yes > CloseWith the items selected, navigate > Lock > ensure the Item(s) box is checked > UnlockNow, when a user from Group A logs on they are not able to view the items of ItemType XYZ – Group B in the Map or in the Items window, since they have no access to this ItemType.19. Creating Storage Parts with Auto-numbering and an Associated Storage Label TemplateSet up template part:Navigate Control Centre > Map > Locations > View TemplatesCreate Map parts as shown below, with the Level5 grids as requiredSelect the Map template part from the level required for auto-numbering to be applied > right-click > Select ‘Add Details’Select ‘New’ and enter Detail name ‘BoxNum’Select ‘Configure’ then on the ‘Properties’ tab for ‘Data Type’ select ‘Number’. On the Calculation tab select ‘Get Calculation’ and enter:isnull(max([BoxNum]),0)+1OK > CloseFrom the ‘Map Part Details’ window select ‘Field Rules’ > New > and enter the following:Use: CheckRuleName: BoxNum RuleCalculation: 1Result Field: NameMessageType: CalculationMessage: [BoxNum]Note, if you wish to enter for example a prefix ABC then,Message: “ABC ” & [BoxNum]SaveNavigate Locations > uncheck View TemplatesNow test the ruleNavigate in the Map to level 4 and select the node to which a new box is to be createdRight-click > Add template partThe auto-numbered part name appears in the ‘Name’ fieldSelect ‘Create’This can be repeated to quickly create automatically numbered storage, e.g.To set up a storage label:See procedure in Creating barcode label templates for storage parts sectionNotes:Text tab: Format details are {Level5Name}Barcode format: Bar Code is {Level5Name} if you want the part name to be shown when you scan the box barcode20. AuditingAuditing refers to the process of verifying the accuracy of records. ItemTracker has functionality to carry out auditing and also to retain historical records of audits completed.ItemTracker provides several different types of audits:Auditing barcoded sample tubesManually auditing sample tubesLocation ‘blind’ auditingAudits Done - Historical record of audits carried outUser auditingIn the following sections these are reviewed:Auditing barcoded sample tubesSummaryItemTracker has the facility to positively identify samples in the Map and the Items window via scanning the physical barcode with a barcode scanner.Once a sample is highlighted in the Map or the Items window, then all the associated information (history, properties etc.) can be displayed. There is a range of barcodes that ItemTracker can accept, for example the ItemTracker barcode, ExtBarCode, Storage Part Name and Owner Barcode.Having verified that the property values and location (if applicable) are correct, then the audit can be recorded in ItemTracker by scanning the sample barcode with either Audit (No history) or Audit (Add history) selected from the right-hand drop-down list of the ‘Scan & Highlight’ window.To use Scan & Highlight functionality:Open the Scan & Highlight window (F9 short cut key). Select Highlight from the left-hand drop-down boxEnsure the type of barcode you want to scan is selected in the middle drop down, the choices are:ItemTracker Barcode (a pre-defined system barcode which follows a specific format)ExtBarCode (barcode generated outside of ItemTracker)Storage Part Name (is used for when you embed just the storage part name in the barcode)Owner Barcode (is used when you embed the owner identifier in the barcode)Select from the following choices in the right-hand drop-down box:No auditing (the audit date and auditor columns don’t get changed)Audit (No history) (the audit date gets set to the current date and time. No history is added)Audit (Add history) (the AuditDate and Auditor fields are updated and the history of the sample is added)This example selects Audit (No history)Ensure the cursor is in the text box and scan the external barcodeThe barcode scanner should be configured to automatically add a carriage return after the barcode has been scanned. If it does not, you may have to click the “Enter” button.Once the barcode has been scanned ItemTracker will highlight the sample, owner or storage part.If more than one item is scanned, for example if the items in a Level5 container are being scanned then the scanned items will be highlighted with a green background colourIf, for example, items are scanned in a container in a systematic method, i.e. in order of grid position, then any item not in the expected position will result in a cell being highlighted which is out of sequenceManually auditing sample tubesSummaryFor non-barcoded sample tubes ItemTracker has the facility to search for samples and display all the associated information (history, properties etc.) in the Map or the Items window.Having verified that the property values and location (if applicable) are correct, then the audit can be recorded in ItemTracker by utilising the Audit facility.To use the manual audit functionality:Search for the sample(s) to be audited in the Items window or display the relevant Level5 grid in the MapSelect the sample(s) in the Map or Items window > select the Audit command > The Audit Compare window opensIf a single item is selected, ‘Audit current record’ is checked and ‘Check All’, ‘Prev’ and ‘Next’ buttons are disabledIf the information displayed in the ‘Current’ column is correct select the Audit button > the User Details window opensEnter your User Name and Password > OKThe item record is updated with the Auditor and AuditDate details and the item is now auditedIf multiple items are selected, ‘Audit current record’ is unchecked and ‘Check All’ and ‘Next’ buttons are enabled, allowing selection of multiple items for auditing at onceIf the information displayed in the ‘Current’ column is correct for the first sample select next and review the information for all the samples selected; if correct, select ‘Check All’ > Select only those that are unaudited?’ > No > then select ‘Audit > the User Details window opensNote, if any details are not correct then update the property record using the Change window and/or the location from the Map window and then repeat the audit processEnter your User Name and Password > OKThe Item record is updated with the Auditor and AuditDate details and the samples are now auditedLocation ‘blind’ auditingSummaryIn location auditing individual locations in the Map grid are checked to confirm whether or not the physical sample in that location corresponds to the record in ItemTrackerFunctionality to perform this task is provided in the Map windowThe checking is performed ‘blind’, that is the user is unable to see the information already recorded in ItemTracker, the user performs the physical stock check and enters the audit information into ItemTrackerItemTracker then indicates in real time whether or not the information entered matches the existing record and also retains a record of the audit carried outProcedure to perform Location AuditingSetting up the Auditor Group and Auditor UserLog in as an administrator and navigate Control Centre > Admin > User AdminCreate a new user group named Auditor group by navigating Group > New Group > enter user group name: Auditor Group > OKCreate a new user representing the auditor by navigating Users > New User > enter User Name: Auditor > enter password and confirm password > OK > Obtain message ‘User successfully created’ > OKAdd the user Auditor to the Auditor Group by navigating Select Auditor Group > Group > Add User > Add auditor to the Audit Group > OKWith the Auditor Group highlighted in the left-hand pane, in the right-hand pane select the General tab then ControlCentre from the dropdown > check ‘Set User Access’ > the Control Centre menu options are shownFrom View > Modules, leave Map checked and uncheck Items and OwnersSelect the Fields tab > Add the owner fields the Auditor Group needs access to, leave these fields unchecked in which case read access will be grantedSelect the Types tab and give the Auditor Group read access to the ItemTypes of the containers the group will have access toClose the User Administration window, saving the rights for the Auditor GroupPerforming Location AuditingLog in as the Auditor user created in the section above > the Control Centre opens showing the Map icon onlySelect the Map icon > the Map window opensNavigate View > Display Text > Ensure ItemID is the only field checked > Update > Close windowNavigate to the Level5 container to auditSelect the first cell in the Map grid, then navigate Tools > Auditing > Location Audit > the Audit window opensIn the left-hand pane enter any details known regarding the owner of the item > Find > identify the owner > SelectIn the right-hand pane select the ItemType from the drop-down and then enter the ItemNameEnter all further field values. Note entry of values into fields is not case-sensitive.Select EnterIf details entered are correct then a green tick appears in the lower right corner of the Audit window. Also the back colour of the Map grid will turn greenAlso the Audit Date / time will be shown in the top right-hand cornerIf any details entered are incorrect or missing then a red cross appears in the lower right corner of the Audit window. Also the back colour of the Map grid will turn redThe back cell colouring will be shown whenever the Location Audit window is displayed and will not be shown when the Location Audit window is closedAudits DoneSummaryTo review the Location ‘blind’ audits carried out for a particular containerPerforming Audits DoneTo review the audits carried out for a particular container navigate Tools > Auditing > Audits Done > the Audits Done window opensIn the left-hand pane of the Audits Done window navigate down the Map tree to select the containerThe right-hand pane shows information for Identifier, ItemName, Auditor, AuditDate and Pos for each cell position in the Map grid. The audit information refers to the last audit carried out.When a row is highlighted in the right-hand pane the corresponding cell position is highlighted in the MapIf the Level5 container node is expanded then any user who has carried out audits is shownSelecting the user in the left-hand pane shows each position audited by that user during the last audit; The column named ‘Match’ is checked if the information entered for a specific location was correctTo compare the actual details with the details entered during the audit highlight the item and navigate View > Compare, the Audit Compare window opensWith the Audits Done window open, the Map window is updated to show for the selected user which locations have been audited and whether the entered details matched or not as follows:A cell with a white background: user has not auditedA cell with a red background: user has entered an audit but the details were incorrectA cell with a green background: user has entered an audit with the correct detailsAudit reports can be printed by navigating File > PrintUser AuditingSummaryItemTracker provides functionality to audit individual user’s actionsUser auditing is set on a per-Group basis, all users actions in that group will be audited by a user in a group which can audit othersWhenever a user in a group which requires users actions to be audited makes a change, that item or items become unaudited, a user in a group which can audit others must then confirm the change to return the item or items to an audited stateProcedure to perform User AuditingSetting up User AuditingNote, in this example, the group to be audited will be created and named ‘New User Group’Navigate Control centre > User Admin > Group > New Group > Enter user group name: New User GroupNavigate Group > Add User > (in this example) NewUserAssign admin rights to the group ‘New user group’ as required, ensure that ‘Set Audit Options’ is checked and ‘Audit Users Actions’ is checkedFor the group that can audit others, ensure that ‘Set Audit Options’ is checked and ‘Can Audit Others’ is checkedPerforming User AuditingLog in to ItemTracker as a user requiring auditing, in this example User Name: NewUserNavigate to either the Map window or Items window and select an item to change > the Change window opensChange a value > Save > obtain message ‘Do you want to save your changes’ > YesThe item is now unaudited, in the Items window dataset there is no value in either the Auditor field or the AuditDate fieldIf any user attempts to make further changes to the item the Locked Items window opensBefore any user can make any further changes, the item must be audited as followsSelect the item in the Map or Items window > select the Audit command > The Audit Compare window opensIf a single item is selected, ‘Audit current record’ is checked and ‘Check All’, ‘Prev’ and ‘Next’ buttons are disabledIf multiple items are selected, ‘Audit current record’ is unchecked and ‘Check All’ and ‘Next’ buttons are enabled, allowing selection of multiple items for auditing at onceIf the changes are correct select the Audit button > the User Details window opensA user who has been set up to audit other user’s actions can now enter their User Name and Password > OKThe item record is updated with the Auditor and AuditDate details and the item is now auditedProcedure to audit barcoded samples in the Map using a barcode scanner, including auditing both location and property values and adding commentsNavigate to the Map and select the Level5 box/tray containing the samples to be auditedSelect all the samples in the box/tray > click on the Lock iconLock the items to your User Name or your User Group(s) as appropriate, the display text in the grid will change from black to blue textThe following gives the procedure for each sample:Open the Scan & Highlight windowSelect Highlight from the left drop-down listSelect either ItemTracker barcode or ExtBarCode (whichever is appropriate) from the middle drop-down listSelect No AuditingScan the first sample > the sample is highlighted in the Map gridIf the incorrect Map grid location is highlighted, then the sample can be moved (see the section Moving Items via the Map Window)Leaving the Scan & Highlight window open, select the Change icon > the Change window opensThe Sample information can then be reviewed by clicking on the Owner, Item and Property tabsIf any information needs to be updated, then this can be carried out; also comments can be added in the Comment fieldSelect Save to save any changesThe Change window can be left open whilst further sample barcodes are scannedScan all the samples in the Map grid in this way, reviewing the sample information and update as requiredNote, if a barcode is scanned and the associated sample is not in Map storage then the message ‘Scanned item is not in storage’ will be shown.When the procedure is complete for the Map grid, all scanned samples will be highlighted, select them by navigating Edit > Selection > Select HighlightedWith all the scanned samples selected, click on the Audit icon > the Audit Compare (Audited) window opensUncheck ‘Audit current record’Click on ‘Check All’ > a dialogue box opens ‘Select only those that are unaudited?’ > NoClick on the Audit button > The User Details window opens > Enter your User Name and Password > OKThe scanned samples have now been auditedTo confirm, with the samples still selected, click on the Item icon > the selected samples appear in the Items window, note fields can be added or removed from the dataset by selecting the correct field profile from the fields tab or checking the fields on/off as required (see the section Adding / Removing Fields from a Profile)The Auditor field records the User Name of the Auditor and the AuditDate field records the date and time of the auditThe report can be exported as required (see the section Exporting Data)Appendix A: Example Barcode Label ConfigurationsTo assist you in setting up your barcode label configuration we have provided copies of real world configurations. In some cases the paper size settings for Windows are also shown.Examples are available for the following Brady labels:THT-152-492These are rectangular labels. Format is 2 across and 1 down.THT-163-492Rectangular and circular peel-off labels. Demonstrates barcodes on both peel-off labels.THT-181-492Rectangular and circular peel-off labels.THT-181-492Rectangular and circular peel-off labels. Demonstrates barcodes on both peel-off labels.Brady THT-152-492Brady THT-163-492Brady THT-181-492Brady THT-181-492Appendix B: Shortcut KeysBelow is a list of the shortcut key combinations for the three main windows of ItemTracker.Equivalent Menu OptionShortcutMAPFile > Tree Selection > Use Smart SelectF11File > Print > Print (map)Ctrl+PEdit > Refresh MapF5Edit > Editing > LockCtrl+LEdit > Editing > CreateCtrl+NEdit > Editing > ChangeCtrl+GEdit > Editing > RemoveCtrl+REdit > Clipboard > CutCtrl+XEdit > Clipboard > CopyCtrl+CEdit > Clipboard > PasteCtrl+VEdit > Selection > Select AllCtrl+AEdit > Selection > Select AvailableCtrl+SEdit > Selection > Select HighlightedCtrl+QView > History > For ItemCtrl+HTools > Search > Find LocationsCtrl+FTools > Search > Show MatchesCtrl+WTools > Barcoding > Print Labels > Sample LabelsF6Tools > Barcoding > Print Labels > Storage LabelsF7Tools > Barcoding > Scan and StoreF8Tools > Barcoding > Scan and HighlightF9Locations > Delete LocationCtrl+DLocations > Undelete LocationCtrl+UITEMSFile > Print > Print SelectionCtrl+PEdit > Filter > RetrieveF5Edit > Editing > CreateCtrl+NEdit > Editing > ChangeCtrl+GEdit > Editing > RemoveCtrl+REdit > Clipboard > CutCtrl+XEdit > Clipboard > CopyCtrl+CEdit > Clipboard > PasteCtrl+VEdit > Lock > Lock SelectionCtrl+LEdit > Lock > Unlock SelectionCtrl+UEdit > Select AllCtrl+AView > Related Information > HistoryCtrl+HView > Related Information > OwnersCtrl+OView > Related Information > AncestryCtrl+YView > Display Settings > Hide SelectedCtrl+IView > Display Settings > Merge CellsCtrl+MView > Display Settings > Resize AllCtrl+TTools > Print LabelsF6Tools > Scan and HighlightF9OWNERSFile > Print > Print SelectionCtrl+PEdit > RefreshF5Edit > Lock > Lock SelectionCtrl+LEdit > Lock > Unlock SelectionCtrl+UEdit > Select AllCtrl+ATools > Print LabelsF6Tools > Scan and HighlightF9 ................
................

In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.

Google Online Preview   Download