The basics
How tinysamples is organised
Every planChecked against the app on
Your lab holds projects. A project holds protocols and batches. A protocol is an ordered list of steps, and each step records values. A batch follows one protocol and holds samples. Each time you log a step on a sample, it adds an entry to that sample’s history.
In this guide you will learn how to:
- See how lab, project, protocol, batch, sample and entry relate
- Know where each one lives in the app
- Understand why the history is a log and not a status
On this page
The pieces, from the top
| Piece | What it is |
|---|---|
| Lab | Your workspace. Its name is at the top left of every screen. |
| Project | One line of work. It holds protocols and batches. |
| Protocol | The ordered steps a sample goes through, and what each step records. It lives in a project, and it is a draft until you publish it. |
| Step and value | A step is one stage of a protocol, such as Inoculate. A value is one thing a step records, such as Temperature. |
| Batch | A box of samples that follows one published protocol. |
| Sample | One tube, plate or specimen, with an ID such as S-029. |
| Entry | One line in a sample’s history: its registration, and each step logged on it. |
How they connect
A protocol lives in a project. A batch follows one published protocol. A sample lives in a batch. A log entry is written on a sample. So the order you build things in is the order above: project, protocol, batch, sample, entry. The quick start follows it, starting with your first project.
Where things are in the app
| Place | What it does |
|---|---|
| Home | Shows your lab at a glance. In the bar at the bottom. |
| Projects | Lists your projects. In the bar at the bottom. |
| Samples | Lists every sample in the lab, found by ID or name. In the bar at the bottom. |
| ? | At the top. Opens short how-to topics inside the app. |
| Your initial | At the top right. Opens Profile: your name, the lab’s name, its members and its plan. |
Why the history is a log
tinysamples records what happened to a sample, when it happened, instead of keeping a status that someone overwrites. That is why an entry can be removed but never edited, and why the history on a sample’s page is its record. The reasoning is in how to keep track of lab samples.
Common questions
- Do I have to use a protocol?
- Yes. A batch follows a published protocol, and a sample lives in a batch. A protocol with one step that records one value is enough.
- What is the difference between a project and a batch?
- A project holds a line of work. A batch is a box of samples inside it, and it follows one protocol.
What to do next
- GlossaryThe words tinysamples uses, in one place: lab, project, protocol, step, value, batch, sample, entry, and the labels you see on the screens.
- Create your first projectHow to create a project in tinysamples: tap +, name it after the work and tap Create project. A project holds the protocols, batches and samples for one line of work.
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Still stuck? Email support@tinysamples.com. It goes to Sunayda and Alvee.