How to Manage Storage Locations in Labii

Labii offers a powerful yet simple way to document and manage storage through its flexible data structure and specialized widgets.

Properly managing storage locations is essential for effective inventory control, equipment tracking, and sample management. In research labs and biotech environments, knowing where each item is stored and how to retrieve it quickly is critical to maintaining efficiency and accuracy. Labii offers a powerful yet simple way to document and manage storage through its flexible data structure and specialized widgets.

How Labii Manages Storage

Labii takes a modular approach to storage management. A dedicated Storage table captures all storage locations, from -80°C freezers to 96-well plates, while the Storage widget connects these storage locations to records like samples, reagents, or instruments. This structure is easy to configure and scale, making Labii an ideal solution for labs with growing or complex storage needs.

The Storage Table

The Storage table is the foundation for tracking all your storage units. Each record in this table represents a physical container—such as a freezer, shelf, or box. Key configuration options include:

• Storage type: Define whether it’s a room, freezer, box, etc.

• Size configuration: Specify number of rows and columns to reflect physical layout.

• Header orientation: Choose whether to transpose headers depending on storage style.

• Storage pathing: Nest storages to reflect hierarchy—for example:

  • “A1 in Research Lab” → “-80°C Freezer” → “Box B2” → “Well C3”

Labii typically installs the Storage table by default. If not present, you can easily add it by selecting the “Storage” template when creating a new table.

The Storage Column Widget

To assign storage locations to other records—like samples—Labii provides the Storage column widget. Once added to a table:

• Users can select a storage unit from a dropdown.

• A storage map is displayed to click and assign a specific coordinate.

• The full path of the storage is shown (and clickable), making retrieval intuitive.

This widget can be configured to:

• Hide or display the full path

• Show or hide the interactive map

• Link the widget to your designated Storage table

The result: a user-friendly interface that tracks precisely where each item is stored, down to the well of a microplate.

The Storage Map Section Widget

Each storage record in Labii also includes a Storage Map section widget by default. This widget:

• Visually displays the layout of the storage container

• Lists all items currently stored at each coordinate

• Can be customized to show specific information like item name, responsible user, or date stored

This makes it easy to audit and manage the contents of any container.

Real-World Use Case

For teams collecting samples daily and needing to assign storage locations on the fly, Labii’s Sample Management application provides an out-of-the-box solution. It automatically sets up the necessary tables and links samples with the storage table, so you can focus on your work instead of configuring infrastructure.

Conclusion

Labii’s storage management system—powered by the Storage table, Storage widget, and Storage Map—provides unmatched flexibility for tracking any lab item, from antibodies to clinical samples. Whether you’re managing a single freezer or an entire biobank, Labii makes it easy to record and locate everything with precision.

To learn more, schedule a meeting with Labii representatives (https://call.schedule.labii.com) or create an account (https://www.labii.com/signup/) to try it out yourself.