Overview
Understand Labii's widget system: modular, reusable components that power data entry, visualization, and analysis across your laboratory workflows
Widgets are the fundamental building blocks of Labii's flexible data management system. These modular, reusable components enable you to structure data entry forms, create rich documentation sections, and build interactive dashboards tailored to your laboratory's specific needs. By combining different widgets, you can create customized workflows that adapt to any research scenario—from electronic lab notebooks and sample tracking to inventory management and compliance documentation.
What Are Widgets?
Widgets are specialized interface components that handle specific data types or functions within Labii. Each widget is designed to excel at a particular task, whether that's entering numeric measurements, displaying rich text documentation, visualizing data in charts, or managing file attachments. This modular approach provides several key advantages:
Flexibility: Mix and match widgets to create custom data structures without programming
Consistency: Standardized data entry and display across your organization
Reusability: Configure once, use across multiple tables, projects, and dashboards
Extensibility: Access a growing library of widgets for specialized scientific applications
Widget Types
Labii organizes widgets into three distinct categories based on where and how they're used within the system:
1. Column Widgets
Column widgets define how data is entered, validated, and displayed within table columns. They determine the data type and behavior for each field in your records.
Primary Functions:
Define data types (text, numbers, dates, selections, files, etc.)
Control data entry interfaces and validation rules
Determine how data appears in list views and detail views
Enable data relationships through foreign keys and lookups
Common Examples:
Text: For short text entries like sample names or project titles
Rich Text: For detailed documentation with formatting support
Number: For numeric measurements with units and precision control
Select: For categorical data with predefined options
Foreign Key: For linking records across different tables
File: For attaching documents, images, and other files
Date: For timestamps and date tracking
When to Use: Column widgets are used when designing table structures and defining what data fields your records will contain. Administrators configure column widgets during table setup, and users interact with them when creating or editing records.
2. Section Widgets
Section widgets create content blocks within individual records, providing rich documentation and data visualization capabilities at the record level.
Primary Functions:
Add structured sections to record detail pages
Display data visualizations (charts, graphs, tables)
Embed rich content (images, protocols, analysis results)
Create interactive data entry forms within records
Document experimental procedures and results
Common Examples:
Rich Text Editor: For detailed experimental notes and protocols
Data Visualizer: For creating charts from manually entered data
Chart By Category X: For visualizing record data distributions
Image Viewer: For displaying photographs and microscopy images
Plasmid Editor: For molecular biology sequence documentation
Chemical Structure: For drawing and storing chemical compounds
When to Use: Section widgets are added to individual records to document experiments, display analysis results, or create structured sections within laboratory notebooks. Users add and configure section widgets as they build out their experimental documentation.
3. Dashboard Widgets
Dashboard widgets provide workspace-level views and analytics, aggregating data across multiple projects and records for organization-wide insights.
Primary Functions:
Visualize trends and patterns across projects
Monitor productivity and system usage
Display key performance indicators (KPIs)
Create executive summaries and reports
Track compliance and data quality metrics
Common Examples:
Record Summary: Organization-wide record creation patterns and trends
Chart By Numeric X: Scatter plots and trend analysis from table data
Matrix: Multi-dimensional record counts and metrics
Storage Audit: Data integrity and storage usage monitoring
When to Use: Dashboard widgets are placed on workspace dashboards to provide high-level overviews, executive reporting, and organization-wide analytics. Administrators and managers use these widgets to monitor laboratory operations and make strategic decisions.
How Widgets Work Together
Widgets are designed to integrate seamlessly across different contexts:
Column Widgets store the underlying data in table fields
Section Widgets display and analyze that data within individual records
Dashboard Widgets aggregate and visualize data across all records
Example Workflow:
A Number column widget captures concentration values for samples
A Chart By Numeric X section widget visualizes dose-response curves within an experiment record
A Record Summary dashboard widget tracks overall experimental output across all projects
This multi-layer architecture ensures data is entered once but can be viewed and analyzed at multiple levels, from individual measurements to organization-wide trends.
Widget Categories
Widgets are organized into functional categories to help you find the right tool for your needs:
Column Widget Categories
Basic Data Types: Text, Number, Date, Boolean
Rich Content: Rich Text, File, Image
Structured Data: Select, Foreign Key, JSON
Scientific: Chemical Structure, DNA Sequence, Formula
Specialized: Barcode, Signature, Location
Section Widget Categories
Documentation: Rich Text, Markdown, Protocol Templates
Data Entry: Forms, Tables, Spreadsheets
Visualization: Charts, Graphs, Image Galleries
Scientific Tools: Plasmid Editors, Chemical Drawing, Spectroscopy Viewers
Reports: Data Summaries, Export Tools
Dashboard Widget Categories
Reports: Record Summaries, Analytics, Trends
Monitoring: System Usage, Storage Audits, Compliance Checks
Visualizations: Charts, Matrices, Heat Maps
Getting Started with Widgets
For Users
Column Widgets: Interact with these when creating or editing records—they're the input fields in your forms
Section Widgets: Add these to records by clicking "+ Add Widget" within a record's detail page
Dashboard Widgets: View these on your workspace dashboard; request new ones from administrators
For Administrators
Column Widgets: Configure when designing tables under Admin → Tables → Columns
Section Widgets: Users typically add these themselves, but templates can include default widgets
Dashboard Widgets: Configure under Dashboard → Add Widget to create organization-wide views
Widget Configuration
Most widgets offer configuration options to customize their behavior:
Required vs. Optional: Control whether fields must be filled
Default Values: Pre-populate fields with common values
Validation Rules: Ensure data meets specific criteria
Display Options: Customize how data appears in different views
Permissions: Control who can view or edit widget data
Configuration interfaces vary by widget type, but all follow consistent patterns for ease of use.
Best Practices
Choosing the Right Widget
Match widget capabilities to your data type and workflow requirements
Use specialized scientific widgets when available for domain-specific data
Consider how data will be viewed, analyzed, and exported
Widget Organization
Group related section widgets together for logical documentation flow
Use consistent widget configurations across similar tables for standardization
Create dashboard widgets that answer specific business questions
Performance Considerations
Limit the number of widgets in a single view for optimal page load times
Use filters and queries to narrow data scope for chart and summary widgets
Consider data volume when choosing visualization types
Exploring Widget Documentation
Each widget category has detailed documentation covering:
Specifications and version information
Configuration options and settings
Use cases and examples
Interface descriptions and screenshots
Best practices and tips
Browse the widget documentation in the left navigation to learn more about specific widgets and their capabilities.
Widgets transform Labii from a simple database into a flexible laboratory information management system tailored to your unique research needs. By understanding the three widget types and how they work together, you can design powerful, efficient workflows that enhance scientific productivity and data quality.
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