Importing and Creating Strains
Click “Strains” in the Explorer to open the Strain Library, a repository of strains that have been uploaded or created.
Importing strains can be accomplished by clicking the "Create / Import" button in the Explorer and then select "Import Strains" from the "Strain" menu. You can also import strains from the "Batch Import Strain(s)" button at the bottom of the library.
To create a new strain from scratch, click the "+" button next to "Strains" in the Explorer or you can also click the "Create / Import" button and select "Create Blank Strain" from the "Strain" menu. There are six required fields for strains: Strain Name, Creator, Creator's Email, Principal Investigator, Selection Markers, and Summary. These fields are denoted by asterisks and must be non-blank in order to save the strain. Attach plasmids to the strain by clicking the “Add Plasmid” button which will open a “Plasmid Selection” window with your Sequence Library. Clicking on a sequence in that window selects it to be added to the strain, you can select one or more sequences and attach them by clicking "Save" button. A new button with the name of the attached sequence next to the “Plasmids:” field in the Strain Definition view will appear. To detach a plasmid just click the “x” in the attached plasmid button and it will disappear from the Strain Definition view. Once you have all the data you need click "Save Strain".
Editing a strain
Double-clicking a strain in the Strain Library will open up the Strain Editor tab which features a summary of the strain information as well as three buttons in the top right corner: “Export”, “Edit”, and “Delete”. These buttons allow the user to, respectively, export the strain to a file, edit the strain by bringing up the “Specify Strain Definition” window, or delete the strain. Note that plasmids attached to a strain are not deleted when the strain is deleted.
In the Strain Library you can perform some actions for each strain, this context menu is displayed upon right-clicking on a strain and function as follows:
Open - Opens the strain in a separate tab
Rename - Renames the strain
Delete - Deletes the strain
Duplicate - Makes a copy of the strain
Export - Exports the strain to a zip file
Sharing - Opens sharing options for the strain
Sorting, Searching, and Viewing Options
Click on a column header to sort strains by that feature (note: not all columns are sortable). Sorting is case-insensitive.
Filter strains when searching for them in the library by clicking the “Filter” button next to the search field. By default, the Strain Library filters by strain name, but users can customize the filter field with the resulting drop-down menu.
