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Select liquids based on tags

Core elements tutorial 8.2

Updated over 8 months ago

Often different liquids used in experiments fall into groups, for example Samples and Standards or Batch 1 and Batch 2. Being able to refer to a collective group of liquids with a single term to direct that group of liquids to have a specific action applied to them is much more useful than describing the same action over and over for each liquid separately.

Here we use liquid tags to select groups of liquids to perform different actions on, specifically selecting a set of samples for aliquoting and a set of standards for diluting, the premise for most basic assays.

  1. Get started

  2. Select samples by tag

    1. Aliquot the samples

  3. Simulate the workflow

  4. Preview the execution

  5. Check your work

Get started

  1. Read the introduction to this series of tutorials, then complete all of the previous tutorials in the series. For more information, click here.

  2. Create a workflow in the builder. To learn how, click here.

  3. Rename the workflow Core elements tutorial 8.2. To learn how, click here.

  4. Select the device on which you want to run your workflow. To learn how, click here.

Select samples by tag

  1. In the Workflow Builder add two elements to your canvas: 1 x Define Liquids And Plates, 1 x Select.

  2. Connect the Liquids output parameter from your Define Liquids And Plates element into the Liquids input parameter of your Select element.

  3. Define your samples and standards that are intended for aliquoting and diluting respectively in the Define Liquids And Plates element. Here we have used the Table UI to define all of our samples, importantly with the tag Sample, and our standards with the tag Standard along with their stock concentrations.

  4. In the Select element, select the Any option in the Condition parameter.

  5. Specify the tag you want to use to select your samples by choosing the Matches comparison and the value Sample for your tag.

  6. All liquids with the tag Sample associated with them will now be selected when you simulate your workflow and are ready to use in a downstream element. The selection is output in the Selected Liquids parameter.

  7. All remaining liquids can also be used in downstream elements, output in the Unselected Liquids parameter. In this example, all of the liquids that didn’t have the Sample tag (i.e., our standards).

Aliquot the samples

Now you know how to select samples, let’s see how you can use those liquids in downstream liquid handling steps.

  1. In the Workflow Builder add an Aliquot element to your previous workflow (already containing 1 x Define Liquids And Plates and 1 x Select elements).

  2. Connect the Selected Liquids output parameter from your Select element into the Liquids To Aliquot input parameter of your Aliquot element.

  3. Specify aliquot parameter values in the Aliquot element for the aliquot volume, number of replicates and the Layout options for the Aliquot plate.

Simulate the workflow

  1. Check that the device that you selected can follow the instructions that you prepared. To learn how, click here.

Preview the execution

  1. After you simulate the workflow, click View Simulation to open the simulation details.

  2. Open the Preview tab, then click through the steps to check that the instructions that Synthace has generated are correct.

    In this example a single aliquot of each of the samples should be aliquot to the defined Assay Plate.

Check your work:

To see what your finished workflow to this tutorial should look like simply navigate to the Tutorials and search for Tutorial: 8. Select.

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Append two sets of liquids
Select liquids based on concentration
Use unselected liquids
Select liquids based on concentration and normalize to a new plate
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