Container schemas describe any type of container that directly stores a biological sample. In Benchling, this translates to containers storing entities. Examples of container schemas commonly created include cryovials, Eppendorf tubes, bottles, and wells.
Create a container schema
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Navigate to the Container Schemas tab in Registry Settings.
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Select Create in the top right corner of the page.
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Specify a prefix and a name that will be unique to each container type
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Select Create in the lower left
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Add metadata fields to the container schema by selecting the blue + icon to the right of Container Fields on the container schema.
Configure your containers optimally
In general, the simplest configuration that meets your goals is the best configuration to go with.
We recommend using the fewest number of container schemas that will still be reflective of your physical laboratory storage system. We do not recommend adding other container fields unless you think it will be necessary to achieve your organization's goals. For instance, many customers are successful with just one tube schema without fields as opposed to a different tube schema for each tube type (ex. blue tube, red tube, green tube, etc.). If you desire to track the details of the tube, this is a good application for the container fields.
Benchling will innately track the location of the container as well as the contents (entity) of the container. Container fields such as volume and concentration are included by default in the platform. With this, there is no need to include a specific metadata field for any of these categories.