The basics
Glossary
Every planChecked against the app on
The words on tinysamples’ screens, defined in one place. A protocol is the ordered steps a sample goes through; a step records values; a batch is a box of samples that follows one protocol; logging a step adds an entry to a sample’s history. The rest are below.
In this guide you will learn how to:
- Look up what a word on a screen means
- See the kinds of step and the types of value
- Tell the three batch statuses apart
On this page
Things you make
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Lab | Your workspace. Free and Pro have one user in one lab. Team puts up to 20 users in one shared lab. |
| Project | A line of work. It holds protocols and batches. |
| Protocol | The ordered steps a sample goes through, and what each step records. A protocol is a draft until you publish it. |
| Step | One stage of a protocol, such as Inoculate. A step has a name, an optional colour and instructions, a kind and values. |
| Value | One thing a step records, such as Temperature. A value has a name and a type, and can have a unit. |
| Batch | A box of samples that follows one published protocol. It has a status, a holder and an optional due date. |
| Sample | One tube, plate or specimen you track. It has an ID, such as S-029, and a record. |
| Entry | One line in a sample’s history: its registration, and each step logged on it. An entry can be removed, never edited. |
Things you do
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Register | Add a sample to a batch. Each tap adds one and gives it the next ID. |
| Log | Record that a sample went through a step, with the values you measured. The entry carries a time and your name. |
| Publish | Make a protocol available to batches. A draft is yours to change; a batch can only follow a published protocol. |
Words on the screens
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Draft and Published | The two states of a protocol, shown under its name. |
| Open, Closed and Archived | The three statuses of a batch. Open takes new samples. Closed and Archived take none, but logging continues on the samples already in them. Only the lab owner can change a batch’s status. |
| Holder | Who has a batch now. It is shown at the top of the batch; tap it to change who holds it. |
| Kind | What sort of step it is. Intake: the sample arrives. Process: work done on the sample. Check (pass/fail): passes or fails. Store: put away. Done: nothing more to do. |
| Late after | An optional time allowed for a step, in hours or days. A sample that has been at the step longer than that is flagged late. |
| Required | A value that must be filled in before the step can be logged. |
| Failed this step | A switch on the log sheet for a step that did not pass. |
| Location | Where a sample is, written as it reads on the shelf. A new sample says No location yet; tap Set location on its page. |
Value types
When you add a value to a step you choose what it records:
TextNumberDropdownYes / NoSliderRatingPick anyChecklistYes / No / N/AComputedPhotoAudio noteFileLocationBarcodeParagraphLinkDate & timeDate
Computed is worked out from the other values. A Number can carry a unit such as °C. To use them, build your first protocol.
What to do next
- How tinysamples is organisedHow the pieces of tinysamples fit together: a lab holds projects, a project holds protocols and batches, a batch holds samples, and every step logged becomes an entry in a sample’s history.
- Build your first protocolHow to build a protocol in tinysamples: name it, add a step, add a value for the step to record and publish it so batches can follow it. One step that records one value is enough.
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Still stuck? Email support@tinysamples.com. It goes to Sunayda and Alvee.