Collections are folders used to organise Objects in the Materials Inventory. Such Objects can be different types of samples and materials (e.g. chemicals, antibodies, batteries, environmental samples).
Collections need to be created inside another folder, called Project, in the Materials inventory.
For example, if we want to create a collection of raw samples, we need to adopt the following steps:
Create an Objecttype called Sample. This can only be done by an Instance admin, from the admin interface, as explained here: New Entity Type Registration
Create a first folder called Samplesinside the Materials folder (Project)
Create a second folder called Raw Samples(Collection)
To create the Project folder:
Click on the Materials folder
Click the + New Project button in the form.
Provide a description, if wanted. This is not mandatory.
Enter the Code. This will be the name of the folder, in this case SAMPLES. Codes only take alphanumeric characters and no spaces.
To register the Collection folder, inside the Project folder:
Click on the Project folder, in this case Samples.
Click the + New button in the main form and choose Collection from the dropdown.
Replace the automatically generated Code with something pertinent to the collection (e.g SAMPLES)
Fill in the Name field (e.g. Raw Samples). Note that by default, the navigation menu on the left shows the name. If the name is not provided, the code is shown.
Select the Default object type from the list of available types. This is the Object for which the Collection is used. In this case, Sample.
