SENAITE.MULTIWELLPLATE is an add-on that provides a set of tools for labs that use multiwell plates in their daily routine analyses. It supports the full pipetting workflow: create plate templates with customizable pipetting and assignment rules, place samples and substances into the correct wells, print pipetting plans, and export layouts to instruments.
Configuring plate templates is the first step in setting up your workflow. This section explains how to tailor plate templates to your routine. All configuration fields are available for any Worksheet Template object after the add-on is installed.
The Plate Template defines a set of rules that describe the plate configuration and specify how analyses are positioned on the plate.
After installing the add-on, go to Setup > Worksheet Templates and click “Add.”
When creating a template, use a clear and descriptive name to help analysts select the correct one. It is recommended to include plate characteristics—such as dimensions or the number of wells—directly in the Worksheet Template title.
An additional tab will then become available, containing all plate-related details.
Navigate to the Multiwell Plate tab and set the “Enable multiwell” checkbox to enabled.
Each worksheet created from this template becomes a “Platable” object, allowing analysts to assign analyses to wells.
Enter the number of rows and columns in the corresponding fields.
Each of the enclosed fields is calculated and passed along with every Analysis object. You can also configure which fields are used as the title and description, as well as which values are used as sorting or grouping keys by analysts.
Each field can be configured as follows:
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“Display mode” — controls where the field value is displayed (title, description, or both).
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“FilterBy” — enables filtering of analyses by this field.
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“SortBy” — allows analyses to be sorted by this field in the Multiwell application.
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“GroupBy” — allows analyses to be grouped by this field.
Here you can define the rules that determine whether analyses can be assigned to a particular well, whether multiple analyses can be assigned to the same well, or whether each analysis must be placed in the next available well.
These rules are evaluated each time you attempt to assign analyses to a well.
By default, a rule is defined that allows analyses to be assigned only to empty wells. You can modify this rule or add your own.
NOTE: the app uses JSON-rules engine for rules evaluation
How it works for analyst
After installing the add-on and configuring the template, laboratory staff can create worksheets using the new “Platable” templates. Simply follow the standard procedure for creating worksheets.
After a worksheet is created, you are redirected to your selected worksheet layout. This add-on provides a modified Classic layout as well as a new Multiwell Plate layout.
The new layout will appear in the layout selection list. When using the Classic layout, a new pipette control is available, which opens the application view.
When you click pipette control it opens the app in a Widget mode
White wells indicate empty and available positions for assigning the selected analyses. Gray wells indicate positions that are restricted by the positioning rules defined in the Worksheet Template. Orange wells indicate non-empty positions that are still eligible for assignment (for example, in self-assignment scenarios).
In full-screen mode, the interface consists of three sections: the Unplated List (analyses not assigned to any well), the Plate View, and the Plate Contents List (analyses with assigned wells).
To assign analyses to the plate, select the desired items from the Unplated List and drag and drop them onto an available well.
To change the position of an assigned analysis, click it on the plate and drag it to an available well.
To remove selected analyses from the plate, click the Remove button or press Backspace.
To select all analyses in any list or on the plate, click “Select All” or press Ctrl (Command) + A. You can also hold Shift and drag to select multiple wells on the plate.
Print template
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