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Getting Started with LabTrove

LabTrove provides a highly flexible electronic notebook (ELN) and data management system facilitating the capture of information and the use of this information in a collaborative environment. LabTrove provides facilities for users to record their experiments through both manual creation of records and the automatic capture of data from scientific instruments. LabTrove enables users to define their own semantics for their projects to facilitate linking together processes, data, and analysis from experiments. Templates can be created to standardise the format of information and data captured across a team or repeated experiments.

Logging into LabTrove​

When you visit a Trove you may be able to view any open Notebooks that have been created. Any Notebooks that have restricted access are displayed with a padlock icon next to the name of the Notebook. In order to view these Notebooks, to create a new Notebook, or to create and edit a Entry you must be authenticated with the Trove.

Authentication for LabTrove uses one of the following three methods:

  • Local user identities and passwords
  • A central LDAP server
  • OpenID

If the Trove uses local user identities or an LDAP server for authentication you will see Username and Password fields when you click the Login button at the top left of the Trove home page. If the Trove uses OpenID for authentication you will instead see a dialog box asking you to choose your OpenID provider. If the Trove that you want to use uses local user identities or a central LDAP server you will need to contact the administrator of the Trove to get access before you can use it. The administrator will either provide you with a username and password, or enable an account you already have to access the Trove. If the Trove uses OpenID as the authentication method then you can usually log in using your ID and password from a provider of an OpenID account. OpenID is a system which allows a user to use an existing account to login to various websites using the same username and password. Providers of OpenID accounts include OpenID, Google, Yahoo, and WordPress.

Logging into LabTrove with a username and password​

To log into LabTrove with a username and password that is not an from an OpenID account:

  1. Click the Login button at the top left of the Trove home page.
  2. Enter your username in the Username field.
  3. Enter your password in the Password field.
  4. (Optional) Select Remember Me if you want to stay logged into the Trove after you close your browser.
  5. Click > to log in.

Using an OpenID account to log into LabTrove​

To login LabTrove using an OpenID account:

  1. Click the Login button at the top left of the Trove home page.
  2. In the Sign-in or Create New Account window, select the account provider to use to log into LabTrove.

Certain providers might open a new window and ask you to enter your username or user ID and password. Other providers might ask you to enter a username or user ID and then click Sign-in. Follow the instructions given by your chosen service provider. When you have successfully logged into LabTrove your name will be displayed at the top left of the Trove home page.

Finding your way around LabTrove​

Viewing Notebooks and Entries​

When you first visit a Trove you can see a list of the Notebooks that have public access. You might also see Notebooks listed that have a lock icon next to them. These Notebooks require you to log into the Trove before you can see them and access their content. Other Notebooks in the Trove might not be visible at all until you have logged into the Trove. If you are logged in and have created your own Notebook, you can find it on the Trove Dashboard in the Your Blogs box.

To view the content of a Notebook click on the name of the Notebook. Within the Notebook the five most recent Entries are displayed on the first page. The Entries are displayed in chronological order, with the most recent Entry displayed first. You can use the Older posts and Newer posts links to navigate between the Entries in the Notebook. You can also use the links on the navigation menu on the right of the page to locate blogs from particular time periods or about particular subjects.

Click All blogs to return to viewing the list of available Notebooks or click Dashboard to view your Entries. To view an individual Entry and any comments associated with the Entry click on the title of the Entry. You can also click on the Comments button to show the contents of the post and associated comments. You can use the Previous Post and Next Post links to navigate between the Entries in this view. Click the name of the Notebook on the left of the banner on the page to return to viewing the most recent Entries.

Viewing recent activity​

You can choose to subscribe to new content Entries or comments on specific Notebooks. New activity on the Notebooks is displayed on the Trove Dashboard in the Your Subscriptions section.

To subscribe to new activity on a Notebook or to change your subscription settings:

  1. Log-in to LabTrove
  2. Click Dashboard to return to the Trove dashboard page.
  3. In the Your Subscribed Blogs section, click Settings. Your user page is displayed.
  4. To subscribe to Entries and comments from a specific Notebook, ensure the Notebook is selected in the Your Subscription Settings section. You can subscribe to multiple Notebooks.
  5. Click Save to save your settings. When you view the Trove home page the latest Entries and comments in the Notebooks you have subscribed to, are displayed in the Your Subscriptions section.

If you no longer want to receive or see the latest activity on a particular Notebook, you can change your subscription settings and unselect the Notebook.

Viewing information about yourself and other users​

If you are logged into a Trove, you can view information about yourself and your account by clicking on your name in the top left corner of the home page. Recent Entries and comments are listed on this page, together with your subscription settings, and your user information. You can also access your user page by clicking your name on any Entries or comments you have created.

You can view the recent Entries and comments made by other users by viewing their user pages by clicking on their names in any Entries and comments they have created.

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