As we saw previously a worklist is essentially a CSV or a text file with information (commands consisting of individual lines or records with data and instructions) for the liquid handler machines. Exporting an BioMek worklist from BUILD results in a .csv file following this format:
Source Plate Name, Source Well, Destination Plate Name, Destination Well, Transfer Volume
Transfer volumes are in nL.
Wells are identified through alphanumeric coordinates.
If the source well is a reservoir, label it well A1
BioMek 4000 Software Tutorial (PN A99502AA, October 2012)
‘Inserting a Transfer From File Step for Reaction Setup’ (pages 5-11 to 5-15)
If you use Microsoft Excel to create or edit a CSV file for import, ensure that the standard separator for lists is a comma, and the decimal symbol is a period (i.e. in Windows, under Control Panel > Clock, Language, and Region > Change date, time, or number formats > Formats > Additional Settings > List separator & Decimal symbol). Save your edited table in CSV format before closing Excel.