The Tube Rack Management module is used for managing the specimen tube rack configurations used in laboratory specimen storage facilities. It is used in conjunction with Storage Management, and the Long-term and Short-term storage modules of preLink. Here you can view, add, modify, and delete rack structures according to the laboratories needs.


To view the article on Storage Management, click here. To view the article on Long-term Storage, click here. To view the article on Short-term Storage, click here.


To access this module, navigate to "Administration > General > Miscellaneous > Tube Rack Management", as shown below.




This will bring you to the following screen:



Note: The Example Rack diagram (shown above on the right) depicts how racks are set up according to columns and rows, and also how they are named. This can be referred to when setting up a new rack. 



Search


To quickly search for a rack in the list: 

  • Enter the Name of the rack in the Search field and click on "Search". 
  • Click on "Clear" to quickly clear the Search field.



Add a New Rack


  • Click on "+ Add new record" (below the Search field).


The "Tube Rack Details" options field will appear (outlined below):



  • Enter the Tube Rack Name.
  • Enter the Number of Columns.
  • Enter the Number of Rows.
  • Select the Department from the drop-down list.
  • Click on "Insert" to add the rack to the list, (or click on "Cancel" to cancel and close the options field). 



Edit/delete a Rack


*Please Note* You can edit the name, but you cannot edit the tube rack structure of an existing tube rack. Also, deleting a rack will delete sample storage info for that rack.


  • Click on "Edit" on a rack in the list.



The "Tube Rack Details" options field will appear:



  • Edit the Tube Rack Name. 
  • Click on "Update", (or click on "Cancel" to cancel and close the options field). 


Deleting a Tube Rack:


  • Click on "Delete" in the "Tube Rack Details" options field.
  • Or, click on "Delete" on the Tube Rack in the list (to the right of "Edit").
  • Click on "OK" in the pop-up confirmation box.



Tube Rack Department Management


To manage the departments of the tube racks:

  • Click on the "Manage Storage Departments" link at the top-right of the screen.


The following options will appear on the screen:




Add a New Tube Rack Department:


  • Click on "+ Add new record". The following options field will appear:



  • Enter the Department Name.
  • Enter the number of Days To Keep (numerical digit).
  • Select "Yes" or "No" for whether or not to Store until Rack Is Full. Please take note of the message beneath this option.
  • Click on "Insert" to add the new department to the list, (or click on "Cancel" to cancel and close the options field).



Edit/delete a Tube Rack Department:


  • Click on "Edit" on a department in the list. The following options field will appear:



  • Edit the details, then click on "Update", (or click on "Cancel" to cancel and close the options field). .
  • To delete the department, click on "Delete", and then "OK" in the pop-up confirmation box.