RSpace Inventory Hub 🧪

Overview

RSpace Inventory is a sample and inventory management module that integrates fully with RSpace ELN, and is currently available as a production Beta release to Team and Enterprise customers at no extra cost.

Inventory development is ongoing and is directed by user feedback. You can read detailed release notes below, as well as view our open development roadmap or contact us with feedback and questions.

This page contains details on how to access and get started with Inventory Beta, release updates, and information on how to sign up for updates and feedback requests.

Features

A more detailed description of features can be found on our website, or you can watch our ELN - Inventory Integration Demo.

Roadmap

We're developing Inventory openly: you can view our planned features and follow our progress below.

Access Inventory

Inventory Beta is going to be rolled out to RSpace Team and Enterprise customers in the next few weeks after the September 8th launch. You will know right away when Inventory is ready to use as a new tab will be available to you:

Please contact your RSpace System Administrator for information on when your system will be upgraded.

If you wish to check out what Inventory Beta looks like in the meantime, you can try out our test instance, which anyone can sign up to (signup code is inventory2020).

Get started with Inventory

Extensive and user-friendly documentation is available for all Inventory features:

When using Inventory, you can search and browse our documentation and contact us using the Need Help? option in the sidebar.

If you have questions, bug reports, or have trouble accessing Inventory, feel free to email us!

Get Involved

We are developing Inventory with an open approach, and greatly value user feedback as it enables us to align our process with users' actual needs. We'd love to hear from you!

Access the test instance

The test instance enables users who do not yet have access to Inventory, such as prospective customers and Community users, to check out its features. If you are a Team or Enterprise user, Inventory is available to you on your system; please refer to "Access Inventory" section above.

Use the sign-up code: inventory2020 when creating a new user, and you're good to start exploring, whether on a mobile or on a desktop device! The features currently implemented are documented in the roadmap and release summary down below.

Note: if you had previously signed up to the Alpha test instance, your login details will still work.

Release Changelog

We maintain a detailed changelog for Inventory, complete with video overviews and documentation updates. All Inventory videos and release updates can also be found on our YouTube playlist.

Release 1.81 - September 2022

In this release, we focus on enhancing reproducibility & traceability as well as on furthering integration between RSpace ELN and Inventory.

This update adds to the existing ability to create a list of materials associated with a document in RSpace ELN. Now you can view a list of experiments associated with a particular item in Inventory, as well as being able to see all connected items with ease on ELN document pages. In addition, you can also create lists of materials in Inventory, known as ‘baskets’, and we’ve added collapsible sections to the item details panel to make it easier to navigate and use.

We hope that these changes streamline your experience and invite you to let us know what you think!

Overview Video

Features

1. Ability to create lists of items ("baskets").
2. Added Collapsible sections in item details panel.
3. View a list of experiments associated with a particular item.
4. View all connected inventory items on RSpace document page.
5. Generation of an audit trail entry when a sample is associated with an experiment.

Release 1.80 - August 2022

In this release, we continue to improve the recently introduced barcode functionality!

Now you can print out barcodes from within Inventory, helping you to more efficiently organise and label your sample. In addition, save time in your daily workflow by using the new batch-editing functionality, allowing you to manage barcodes for multiple subsamples at the same time!

We hope that these changes improve your experience and invite you to let us know what you think!

Overview Video

Features

1. Ability to print barcodes from within Inventory.
2. Added support for batch-editing of barcodes.
3. Default barcode now encodes for Global URL instead of Global ID.

Release 1.79 - July 2022

In this release, we continue to improve export functionality while delivering new barcode functionality.

Now you can search for, scan barcodes and manage them within Inventory. In addition, you can now opt to export your data into one zip file with multiple CSV files rather than as a combined CSV file!

We hope that these changes streamline your experience and invite you to let us know what you think!!

Overview Video

Features

1. Ability to scan barcodes from inside Inventory UI.
2. Ability to manage barcodes connected to inventory items.
3. Ability to scan 1-d barcodes (and other non-QR formats) with a camera.
4. When exporting, generate a zip file with multiple CSV files, rather than one combined CSV file.

Release 1.78 - May 2022

In this release, we continue to improve the export and import functionality, with a focus on enabling more types of export/import functions.

This includes the ability to directly export containers, list of materials and sample templates into CSV files! In addition, you can now mark selected template fields as mandatory! This update builds on the previous improvements and additions to import and export, and will allow you to seamlessly export all of your data! In addition, we continue to strengthen the integration between the ELN and Inventory modules. We hope that these changes improve your experience and invite you to let us know what you think!

Overview Video

Features

1. Allow Export of Containers (Including option for all content) to CSV. See Export Inventory data to CSV 🧪 for details.
2. Allow Export of List of Materials to CSV (Connected to ELN Document).
3. Allow Export of Sample Templates to CSV.
4. Ability to mark Selected Template Fields as Mandatory.

Release 1.77 - April 2022

In this release we’ve been upgrading the export functionality to make managing your data effortless, now enabling you to export samples and subsamples directly into CSV files. In addition, to improve the CSV import functionality, we have now added the ability to import directly into pre-existing containers and samples. In addition, you can now specify subsample quantity when utilising CSV import.  

That’s not all; you can now search for templates during the sample creation process and create a new sample directly from the selected template. We hope these changes reflect in saved time and effort, as always, please let us know what you think of the latest improvements!

Features

1. Export of Samples and Subsamples to CSV. See Export Inventory data to CSV 🧪 for details.
2. During CSV import, allow importing into pre-existing Containers, and importing of Subsamples into pre-existing Samples.
3. Added the ability to specify Subsample's quantity during the import process.
4. Search for templates using the template search component on the Sample creation screen.
5. Create a new sample directly from a selected template.

Release 1.76 - March 2022

In this release, we focused on improving Import functionality that will make uploading and accessing your samples, containers and subsamples quicker and easier than ever before! As such, we've implemented the ability to batch import containers, samples and subsamples in an integrated process in an effort to save you time.

We've also made improvements to the UI based on user feedback, including changes to make sample storage temperature easier to adjust and set. We hope you benefit from these improvements, and as always, let us know what you think!

Overview Video

Features

1. Batch Import Containers, Samples and Subsamples from CSV files (Import Samples and Containers into Inventory)
2. Imported items now are placed in their own Container on the workbench. This enables imports to be segregated and handled independently of each other. Previously, all imported items were placed directly into the Workbench.
3. Adjustments to Sample Storage Temperature UI: More robust and error-free
4. Numerous incremental improvements and bugfixes, including:
   - Radio / choice field options are now displayed in Template View mode.
   - Searches that are based purely on combinations of filters, without a query term, can now be saved and re-used.
   - A default storage temperature can be set in a Template, so that all samples created from that Template will have that storage temperature set automatically.

Release 1.75 - February 2022

In this release, we focus on improving functionality that will make migration and use of large quantities of data inside of Inventory a seamless activity. As such, we've implemented the ability to batch import containers and specify their hierarchical structure, as well as making improvements to the importing flow in general.

We've also make large improvements to the performance of the system, both in terms of memory usage and speed, when it comes to dealing with large quantities of data such as nested grid containers. We hope you benefit from these improvements, and as always, let us know what you think!

Features

1. Initial support for batch importing containers and container hierarchy from CSV files (Import Samples and Containers into Inventory)
2. Further improvements to the ease of use of import, eg. if a CSV column is named after a default field ("Name"), it is pre-selected to convert to that field; choice and radio fields are better supported
3. Performance/memory enhancements when working with deeply nested grid containers
4. Various UI improvements: preview images in card view can be viewed full-screen, scientific notation is usable in subsample quantities, text in listings is selectable, and more!

Release 1.74 - January 2022

In the first release of 2022, we focused on feature improvements that will make things that little bit easier: batch editing of items means you can quickly update fields such as description, tags, and quantity for a group of items in one go, rather than having to make changes for each individual item. What is more, you can add a suffix to the name when batch editing, so that your items are neatly named using a number, letter, or date suffix!

We've also added the ability to give sample templates a custom word to use instead of "subsamples", to make it clearer what the Inventory entries refer to, and made various other improvements to the system, such as the ability to specify quantities of samples when performing an import. More details below!

Overview video

Features

• Batch editing of items (Edit a Sample or Container)
• Ability to specify a custom name for “subsamples” in a sample template (Create and Use Sample Templates)
• Ability to set sample quantity as part of sample import (Import Samples into Inventory)
• Improved search result refreshing after performing an action
• Various bug and performance improvements

Release 1.73 - December 2021

In this last release of the year, we've added more support for chemistry, by implementing a 2D/3D viewer for chemical file attachments that is available for chemistry files added to the attachments section of an item, or added to an attachment field on a sample. The latter is new: a general "attachments" sample template field that can be used to better organise attachments on samples, whether they're images, PDFs, or chemical files.

We've also made a few improvements to our import feature, as well as a few minor usability updates. We're looking forward to seeing you next year, as we have a whole list of exciting features we'll be working on: you can get a preview on our roadmap!

Features

• Chemical 2D/3D preview for chemical file attachments (Add a File Attachment to an Inventory Item)
• Attachment sample template field, with chemical 2D/3D preview support (Create and Use Sample Templates)
• When importing samples, you can select an existing template to use (Import Samples into Inventory)
• Temperature and sample source fields have sensible default values when importing
• Deleted status shown in card view
• Various bug fixes and improvements to our testing workflow

Release 1.72 - November 2021

This release introduces a complete redesign of the advanced search: we've made it easier to discover and enable search filters by moving them to sit right below the searchbar, and we now display which filters are enabled for your current search to help you quickly understand what you're viewing. We're very happy with this redesign and hope you'll like it too!

We've also continued improving our templating functionality, by adding the ability to remove fields and options, and have also improved some of our interface visuals and communication. Let us know what you think of this release!

Overview video

Features

• Redesign of advanced search (Search Inventory)
• Ability to remove fields from sample templates, and decide whether existing samples keep or lose that field (Create and Use Sample Templates)
• Ability to edit and remove options in sample template radio and choice fields
• Ability to unselect a default radio option in sample templates
• Clarified "Move all to bench" dialog in Lists of Materials, when there are items in containers already on your bench (Using Inventory Lists of Materials in the ELN)
• Improved display of empty fields
• Improved visuals when viewing an empty container
• Improved search loading animation
• Various bug fixes

Release 1.71 - October 2021

In this release, we focus on essential feature updates based on user feedback we received since the launch of Inventory Beta. This includes the ability to quickly create templates from scratch, useful previewing of images and chemical files, and improved performance, among other changes. In the coming months, we'll continue working on core features such as templating, chemistry support and exporting!

Note that Inventory is now part of our normal release cycle, which includes ELN changes, hence why it is part of release 1.71! We'll continue providing detailed release notes for Inventory features here, and you can find out about the ELN updates on our changelog.

Overview video

Features

• Create sample templates from scratch (Create and Use Sample Templates)
• Improved performance for large quantities of content
• View preview and card images in full-screen
• Preview chemical files that are added as file attachments (Add a File Attachment to an Inventory Item)
• Improved visuals when starting on a fresh inventory
• Pointers to documentation in the interface
• Default landing location is now My Bench
• Information on who you are logged in as available in the sidebar
• Various bug fixes

Beta Release - September 8th! 🎉 🎉 🎉

The time has finally come! Our next-gen sample and inventory management system is now available to all new and existing RSpace Team and Enterprise customers at no additional cost.

Inventory Beta is our first production release of the system, meaning it is ready to be used with your real-life samples. We've overhauled this page to include all the latest information on the release, and how to access Inventory Beta on your system. We hope you enjoy using Inventory, and are excited to hear what you think!

Release #8 - September 2021 - Final Pre-Beta Release! 🎉

In this release, we focused on ensuring that Inventory has a polished approach to deleting, searching, and restoring items, and added the ability to add file attachments, the final missing pieces for a usable inventory system. As this is the last release before Inventory moves into Beta and is deployed in production, we've reviewed and improved the performance of the system for a slick experience, as well as made a variety of usability improvements, such as making the owner of an item easily accessible, improving interactions with context actions, and overhauling the grouping of item fields for a more intuitive experience!

There's no video overview for this release, as we direct our focus on preparing for the Beta release! As always, here is a full list of changes:

Features

• Improved deletion flow (Edit a Sample or Container):
  • Ability to restore items from trash
  • Added filters for searching items in trash
• Ability to add file attachments to Inventory items (Add a File Attachment to an Inventory Item)
• Updated icons to more intuitively represent various item types
• Added more sample template examples, including example identifier fields
• Added owner (and parent sample for subsamples) information in the header of all items
• Added badge to select action, to indicate number of selected items
• Added explanation to disabled context actions
• Added informational toasts showing when actions are being processed
• Made item field groupings more consistent
• Improved subsample notes with better UI and HTML rendering
• Enabled finding items by Global ID in search
• Various performance improvements & bug fixes to make system robust for release
• Ability to toggle availability of Inventory through the inventory.available System Administration property, off by default for this initial release (Introduction to configuring RSpace Apps)

Release #7 - August 2021

This release introduces Benches for all users! Benches are a place for storing newly created subsamples and containers, imported subsamples, or anything else that you decide to move into it; for example, you might want to move an item to your Bench if have checked it out from a freezer and are currently working with it, so your colleagues know that this item can be found with you.

We have also made improvements to list view display: you can toggle what data is shown in the second column, if you wish to quickly scan what the value is for your list of items. Also, you can now sort entries by various properties as well, in all view modes!

4 minute overview video

Features

• Benches for you and your colleagues, for storing newly created or imported items, as well as items you are currently working on (Use Benches in Inventory)
• Easily move all the items in a List of Materials to your Bench (Using Inventory Lists of Materials in the ELN)
• Customisable list view column, so you can quickly overview and identify item properties (Search Inventory)
• Sort entries by name, type, global ID, creation or modification date (Search Inventory)
• Updated move dialog that now allows for search, advanced search, view toggling, sorting and easily navigating between benches and containers (Move Samples and Containers)
• Left-hand panel breadcrumbs only appear on mobile view to improve navigation; they are disabled in desktop view as right-hand breadcrumb trail can be used (Navigate Inventory)
• Adjusted pagination options to 5/10/25/100 (or "all" if less than 100) items (Search Inventory)

Release #6 - June 2021

This release introduces our ELN - Inventory Integration! You can now add Lists of Materials to ELN document fields, enabling you to easily associate Inventory items to experiments, as well as update the quantities of items as you use them up from within the ELN. What is more, Lists of Materials are automatically included when printing ELN documents, and can also be printed out on their own!

5 minute overview video

Features

• ELN - Inventory Integration (Using Inventory Lists of Materials in the ELN 🧪):
  • add one or multiple Lists of Materials to ELN document fields
  • Give a custom name and description to a List
  • Search and add/remove items from Inventory to a List
  • Edit the used and remaining inventory quantities of an item (Edit Quantities in Lists of Materials)
  • Include the Lists in the print version of a document
  • Print a List on its own
  • Enable users with view-only permissions to a document to open the Lists in view mode
• Filter items by specific owner, and enable advanced search everywhere: in containers, templates, Inventory Picker (Permissions and Sharing in Inventory)
• Samples can be expanded to easily browse subsamples in tree view
• Made visual container setup flow clearer
• Various bug fixes and loading improvements

Release #5 - May 2021

This release is focused on permissions & sharing! We've implemented the foundations of open lab-type sharing, where members of your LabGroup can view and edit each other's samples. Email us to set up a test LabGroup and check out these features! We have also made improvements to navigation and selection.

Also, did you know that Inventory is being developed with an API-first approach? This means you can already explore the API through our test instance, and all the actions that can be performed through the user interface can also be performed through the API. See Inventory API Introduction for more!

2 minute overview video

Email us to set up a test LabGroup: vaida@researchspace.com

Features

• Permissions and sharing:
  • All Inventory items belonging to LabGroup members are visible to everyone in the LabGroup (Permissions and Sharing in Inventory)
  • Transfer ownership of items to another user (Permissions and Sharing in Inventory)
  • Visual indicator of which items you own (Navigate Inventory)
  • Filter the main search by items you own (Search Inventory)
  • Filter container view by items you own (Select Items in Inventory)
  • Edit lock to prevent users from accidentally modifying the same item simultaneously (Permissions and Sharing in Inventory)
• Breadcrumb trail for the left-hand panel, so it's easier to find your way around (Navigate Inventory)
• In-container search, so you can find relevant items quicker (Select Items in Inventory)
• Select menu with more selection options (Select Items in Inventory)
• Stable permalink for items (Link to a Sample or Container (Global ID))

Release #4 - April 2021

With this release, we bring out a major new feature: sample templates! We have made some general user experience improvements as well, see the video for more details.

What is more, our Inventory roadmap has been overhauled, and now includes detailed information on the exact dates that new releases will come out, as well as a date for the release of Inventory Beta: 8th September!

5 minute overview video

Features

Templates

• Create a template from a sample: reuse its fields, define which fields should have default values
• Edit a template: add new fields, add or remove default values for the fields, add additional radio/choice field options
• Template versions: update all samples to the latest version of a template, view the template version used on a sample, with the ability to update that specific sample to the latest version
• View all samples created from a template
• View and search templates

Detailed templates documentation is at Create and Use Sample Templates.

General

• Replaced the location and type columns by the global ID of the item across the interface, which can be clicked to open, or right-clicked to copy a link to the item (Link to a Sample or Container (Global ID))
• Further improved info popups: added global IDs of items, made more concise for containers (Navigate Inventory)
• Added links to a subsample's sample when viewing a subsample in the right-panel, in info popups, and card view
• Added an open button in the context menu when you click an item in grid or visual container view

We've also made performance improvements for image loading and uploading!

Release #3 - March 2021

In this release, we focused on improving navigation and the interface visuals!

2 minute overview video

Features

• A tree view, for easier navigation when you have a lot of nested items (Toggle Inventory and Container Views)
• A card view, which shows the thumbnail image and more item details (Toggle Inventory and Container Views)
• We added a splash of colour to the right-hand panel, to make different item types easily distinguishable (see video above!)
• Info popups have been reworked include more useful information such as item global ID, owner, quantity for samples and subsamples, and a contents summary for containers (Navigate Inventory)
• You can now specify and toggle the row and column labels for grid containers to be your preferred combination (Customise Axis Labels for Grid Containers)
• Clearer status indicators when creating, editing, or viewing a deleted item

Release #2 - January 2021

2 minute overview video

Features

• Import samples in bulk from a CSV file (Import Samples into Inventory)
• Added info icons that enable easier item previewing and opening items in grid/visual containers (Navigate Inventory)
• Improved moving of items, being able to specify exact location where each item will be placed (Move Samples and Containers)
• Improved visual container locations editing panel (Edit Locations in Visual Containers)
• Grid containers can now contain other containers (Create a Container)
• Selecting items in grid/visual view will select them in list view and vice-versa (Select Items in Inventory)

Other feature and interface improvements based on user feedback include:

• Split subsamples are now named equally (eg. subsample.08.1 and subsample.08.2)
• Improved visual separation of fields and form sections
• changelogracter count is shown for text fields with limited length
• Columns are now sorted in ascending order

Release #1 - November 2020

Features

• Layout, navigation and mobile view (Navigate Inventory)
• Create samples (Create a Sample)
• Create list, grid, and visual containers (Create a Container)
• Add custom fields (Add a Custom Field to a Sample or Container)
• Edit, delete, duplicate and split items (Edit a Sample or Container)
• Move subsamples and containers into containers (Move Samples and Containers, Edit Locations in Visual Containers)
• Search, filter, and save search results (Search Inventory)
• Add notes to subsamples (Add a Note to a Subsample)
• Help Documentation (Get Started with Inventory)

2 minute overview video

Detailed progress video