Sample information can be exported from eLabJournal in PDF and Excel format. To export a single sample information as a PDF, open the sample information sheet of the sample to export and click PDF.
Users have two ways to export information for multiple samples as a .csv, .xlsx or .pdf file. This can be done from the Inventory Browser or the Advanced Search tab.
Inventory Browser
Navigate to the Inventory Browser, select multiple samples using the tick boxes, and then click the Export Samples button. The export is subject to the view that is currently selected. Before selecting samples, users can edit the view using the Edit this view pencil. The view must be set before clicking the Export Samples button.
eLabtip: Custom views can be saved using the Save this view button. This allows for quick sample export if the same export is done regularly.
Note: If no samples are selected, users can export a list of an entire sample database; this could be used to keep a local backup.
Within the pop-up window, select the Format dropdown to change between .xlsx, .csv and .pdf. Click Export to generate the selected document.
Advanced Search
Navigate to Advanced Search under the Inventory tab.
Note: If no search criteria are specified, users can export a list of an entire sample database; this could be used to keep a local backup.
Click Search to run the search.
The returned samples are displayed in the search results list. Click Export Results to create a tab-delimited CSV file that can be opened with or imported into Excel.
The generated CSV file can be opened directly in Excel, but depending on the settings in a user's Excel installation, the data may not automatically separate into columns. If that is the case, save the file first to the computer and import the file into Excel. Open Excel and choose in the Data tab the import from text option
Browse to the saved sample export file and select it. Excel will help to import the samples. Choose in the first step the following settings:
File Origin – 65001: Unicode (UTF-8)
Delimiter – --Custom--
Data Type Detection – Based on the First 200 rows
Click Load to complete the import to Excel.
The first columns are the default columns in eLabJournal. The user-created columns appear after the default.
Excel column name |
Description |
SampleID |
Unique number to identify samples |
Barcode |
Sample Barcode |
Sample Type |
Sample Type |
Sample Name |
Sample Name |
Description |
Sample Description |
Notes |
Sample Notes |
Quantity |
Quantity |
Expiration date |
Expiration Date |
Storage Date |
Date the sample is stored in eLabJournal |
Storage Location |
Storage location in text |
Compartment Name |
Compartment name |
Position |
Position as defined for compartment (A1 or 1) |
StorageLayerID |
Unique storage compartment ID |
eLABPosition |
Shows information as is stored in eLabJournal database (e.g A1 = 1) |
Group |
Shows the eLab group where the sample is in |
User |
Current sample owner |
User (email) |
Shows the current users email address |
Created By |
User that originally stored the sample |
Parent |
Parent sample |
Parent SampleID |
Sample ID from the parent sample |
SeriesID |
In case a sample is part of a series it shows the seriesID |
Series Name |
In case a sample is part of a series it shows the Sample Series Name |