Shift All Containers by One Position in a Box

Issue

Is there an easy way to move tubes around in a nearly full box in Benchling? The goal is to fill an empty spot in the box by shifting each tube one position over, without having to move each tube one at a time.

Environment

Production

Cause

It's not possible through the UI to move a tube to a location that already contains a tube, so the usual 'move container' method is not very effective for shifting all tubes by one position.

Resolution steps

There are two methods to efficiently move tubes in a box:

1. Create a Temporary Box:

   • Step 1: Create a new box.
     • Go to the Inventory tab.
     • Click the Create '+' button in the top right of the sidebar.
     • Select 'Box' -> 'Create Box'.
   • Step 2: Move the tubes to the new box.
     • Navigate to the Contents tab of the original box.
     • Check the checkbox for all the tubes you want to move.
     • In the Bulk Actions menu, select 'Move to Location' (file box with a right arrow).
     • Choose the new box as the location and assign positions for each tube.
   • Step 3: Move the tubes back to the original box.
     • Repeat the process to move the tubes back into the desired positions in the original box.

2. Use the Update Containers Function:

   • Step 1: Create a table with the following columns:
     • Container Barcode of each tube
     • Box ID
     • New position in the box (A1, B1, etc.).
   • Step 2: Use the Update Containers function:
     • Copy your table (including column names).
     • From the Inventory tab, go to Create ('+' button) -> Container -> Update Containers.
     • Select your schema and click next.
     • Under 'Import From', select 'Raw Text', paste in your table, and click next.
     • Confirm your three column types: Barcode, Location Barcode, and Location Position.
     • Ensure 'Delete or Clear Values for Empty Cells' is NOT checked.
     • Click Next to update the container positions.

Optional Tip: To get container barcodes into a table format:

• Add containers to a new worklist:
  • In the Box's page, go to the Contents tab.
  • Select containers or all containers by checking the checkbox next to 'Position'.
  • In the bulk actions menu, click on the 'Add to Worklist' button (three horizontal lines with a plus sign).
• Insert an Inventory Table in a new or existing entry:
  • Click the '+' next to the table's name and choose 'Add from Worklist'.
  • Copy the container barcodes from the table.