Welcome to the second volume of our 2024 product release notes! We’ve been working hard to bring you performance improvements that add value to your work. Read on to learn about the product enhancements and bug fixes released in February 2024.
Notebook
Benchling Notebook helps users log their experiments, create protocols, and capture results against their samples.
Template discoverability [2024.2.N.1]
Users can now access template collections and types in global search, making it easier to find what you need.
Date entry simplification [2024.2.N.2]
Dates entered in DDMMMYYYY format are automatically converted to the user’s selected date format.
Batched table submission [2024.2.N.3]
Users can now submit structured tables in batches for improved efficiency. A new message displays which batch is currently being submitted.
Molecular Biology
Benchling’s Molecular Biology is a cutting-edge in silico design tool that supports the latest scientific workflows.
Lab Auto runs for modified sequences or oligos [2024.2.MB.1]
Users can now create modified DNA or RNA sequences and oligos that are defined using HELM or custom syntax using Lab Auto. Note that 5' or 3' modifications that are typically pulled into a computed field via UI creation will be stripped away, but will not be pulled into the field when using a Lab Auto run.
Combinatorial cloning tool [2024.2.MB.2]
Users can now more easily and reliably model cloning in Benchling using the combinatorial cloning tool that solves core problems in our existing assembly tools. This includes support for Golden Gate, Gibson, or homology-based assembly at scale with more powerful sequence visualization and customization.
Small Molecule
The molecule entity in Registry helps users model and interact with chemical compounds throughout the platform, enabling users to draw, visualize, store, and search chemical structures.
Molecule canonicalization updated to improve uniqueness validation [2024.2.SM.1]
Molecule entities now have a more stringent validation process based on an update to the algorithm for how canonical SMILES were calculated.
In Vivo
Manage in vivo studies with modern software designed for data capture, collaboration, and insights.
Task management update [2024.2.IV.1]
Users can now visualize all In Vivo study tasks in a shared team calendar and track tasks in a timeline within each study. Creating In Vivo tasks is now more flexible in supporting date ranges for recurring tasks and allowing the user to select multiple study days when scheduling a task.
To enable this feature, contact a Benchling representative.
Registry and Inventory
The Registry and Inventory combine to form an extremely powerful solution for life sciences R&D samples. The Registry can be used to model and log any biological entities while the Inventory provides an interactive digital window into the physical storage system of your lab.
Container placement verification [2024.2.RI.1]
Users can now verify placements by viewing container barcodes when hovering over an item. Previously, there was no clear indication where containers would go in a grid when entering into the move modal.
Bulk concentration updates via api endpoint [2024.2.RI.2]
Users can now update the concentration of containers or wells via bulk API endpoint.
Lookup function to return an inventory item's full location path [2024.2.RI.3]
Users can now look up the full location path for an item’s location in a single column. Previously, users had to add multiple Parent Location fields to get to the full location path.
Enable updating concentration via spreadsheet import [2024.2.RI.4]
Users can now update concentrations via spreadsheet import.
Add missing audit event for Label Printing [2024.2.RI.5]
Users can now view the label used and which printer it was printed from as an audit event.
Renamed 'Sample lot number' name part type [2024.2.RI.6]
Users can now view Sample lot number in container name templates instead of Aliquot lot number.
Add missing audit event for updating label template [2024.2.RI.7]
Users can now view audit events for when the contents of a label template changes. Previously, we only had 'create' audits for label templates.
Turning on ZPL Label Preview is self-serve [2024.2.RI.8]
Users can now enable ZPL label previews on their own, without needing the Engineering team to approve requests.
Benchling Connect
Benchling Connect, formerly Lab Automation, enables seamless integration of Benchling to liquid handlers, plate readers, imaging instruments, and more.
"Archiving output files" action now in a run checks entry permissions
[2024.2.BC.1]
With the folder permissions release, users can now set an entry's permissions to be different from its project's permissions. Any archive output file endpoints/flows now check entry permissions instead of project permissions.
Customers can manually enable and disable individual Connection [2024.2.BC.2]
Users can manually enable and disable individual connections within the Connection metadata view. If the connection is disabled, the instrument connectivity pauses any automated data sync from its source, the "disabled" icon will be shown on the Connection page, and its associated runs and retrieved data models.
Support for Luminex xPONENT [2024.2.BC.3]
Users can now natively process data from Luminex xPONENT xMAP analysis software, using a file-based adapter in Benchling Connect.
To enable this feature, contact a Benchling representative.
Support for Thermo Scientific NanoDrop Eight [2024.2.BC.4]
Users can now natively process data from Thermo Scientific NanoDrop Eight spectrophotometer software, using a file-based adapter in Benchling Connect.
To enable this feature, contact a Benchling representative.
Show blob_Id in the "automationFileTransform.updated.status" event payload when initiating a custom transform defined in the "input file configuration" in a run schema [2024.2.BC.5]
When initiating a custom transform defined in the "input file configuration"in a Run schema, the blobId for the transform reflects the blobId attached to the run's input file processor, instead of displaying null in the event payload (automationFileTransform.updated.status).
Schemas
Schemas are the structural foundation for how your information is categorized in Benchling. They are categories created specifically for your tenant that can represent materials, data, storage methods, and tasks.
Schema field tooltips [2024.2.SCH.1]
Users can now add descriptive text to schema fields that display in tooltips for end users.
Access Management
Access Management is the way customers control who is able to access which resources, and includes things like project permissions, access policies, and admin roles.
Added noindex nofollow metadata to share links to prevent indexing [2024.2.AM.1]
Users can now use share links without search engines crawling and indexing them.
Added `API Key Created` column to the users export [2024.2.AM.2]
With this addition, admins can perform bulk analyses on who has an API key and when it was last updated.
Application Core
To create a seamless Benchling experience, our platform must be consistent, compliant and predictable. The Application Core provides the central capabilities platform to create a smoother user experience.
Creating result link fields [2024.2.AC.1]
Users can now create result link fields to Run and Result schemas using API integrations. These result links can't be added via tables or runs in the Notebook. In the Results tab, Result link fields display as non-interactive plain text IDs. This functionality was previously gated by the Result's application via Capability Management.
To enable this feature, contact a Benchling representative.
Improve storable typing support in notebook lookups [2024.2.AC.2]
Users can now find more storable types in notebook lookups. Previously, this was limited to containers, but now includes all storable types.
Smarter lookup handling for parent storable grid or location column [2024.2.AC.3]
Users can now find only relevant schema types when configuring lookup steps. Previously, the schema type was not considered when configuring lookup steps, meaning unwanted items displayed when building lookup steps.
Configuration migration tool for tenant admins [2024.2.AC.4]
Tenant admins can now facilitate the systematic migration of schemas, templates, and dropdowns with configuration migration. This tool enhances the efficiency and accuracy of transferring configurations between tenants.
This feature is only available to select customers at this time. Contact a Benchling representative to learn more.
Display attributes of an entity when using a group by in search results [2024.2.AC.5]
Users can now group by an entity in a search which displays all of the entity's attributes in the Grouped by header.
Developer Platform
Our developer platform is fundamental to centralizing and standardizing all your R&D data. Benchling’s APIs and Events are built to match the flexibility and speed of modern life science R&D.
Global Apps now display the client secret creation date [2024.2.DP.1]
Knowing when an app client secret was created allows app developers and tenant admins to identify more easily if and when the secret should be rotated. For Global Apps, the creation date of any app secrets is now displayed in the UI.
Added "apiKeyLastChangedAt" field to the /users API [2024.2.DP.2]
With this addition, admins can now leverage the API to automate activities like notifications for API key rotation or identifying what users have API keys.
App Status can now render blobs as chips [2024.2.DP.3]
Users can now view blob links from an App Status message as a chip with additional metadata about the blob.
Oldest Warehouse Login and Number of Warehouse Logins available as a columns in spreadsheet when exporting all users [2024.2.DP.4]
Admins can now view the oldest warehouse login and number of warehouse logins when exporting all users from the Tenant Admin page. This helps admins understand which users potentially have old or out-of-date warehouse login credentials that need to be updated.
Bug Fixes
The following bugs were fixed in the last month:
In Vivo
- Ordering for move to next animal in In Vivo workflow
- The In Vivo integration measurement sync failed after a calculated measurement was deleted
- Treatments were not included when cloning studies
- Cloning a study using custom treatments caused an error
- Performance was impacted when using the study animals table show menu
- Auto save functionality in Assign Identifiers did not save the first row
- Animals removed from a Data table could not be re-added using 'Add rows'
- Dosing export datetime conversion did not return the user's timezone
- Use of the 'Edit Animals' bulk action was prevented due to incorrect validation
Workflows
- "Allow requesters to set assignee on creation blocks" during workflow task creation incorrectly blocked duplicating unassigned tasks
- Support Oligos and RNA sequence in Workflows "Linked type" filter
Insights
- Insights .csv exports were timing out
Access Management
- Multiple Identity Providers were being configured with the same name
- The folder selector could timeout or throw errors when there were a lot of similarly named folders
- Starred folders were not displaying at the top of bulk assembly
- Discontinue unnecessary "section" parameter on Folders API and remove default value