Adding and deleting tasks

Viewing the list of available tasks

The list of available tasks you can use in the protocol are in the Available Tasks area.

 

The tasks that are available depend on a number of factors:

•	Devices. Tasks are associated with devices. Only the tasks associated with the devices in the current device file are displayed.

•	Startup or Cleanup protocol. Some tasks appear only in the Startup or Cleanup protocols. For a description of Startup and Cleanup protocols, see Setting up Startup and Cleanup Protocol processes.

•	Subprocess. Some tasks are grouped in a device subprocess, so you can view the tasks only when you select the subprocess.

Filtering the list of available tasks

You can filter and display a subset of the task icons using one of the following methods:

•	Click a task filter button.

•	Type filtering text.

Using the task filter buttons

To use the filter buttons:

Click one of the following filter buttons below the list of available tasks:

 

 

Item	Task display filter	Description
1	IO Device Handling	Displays tasks that perform signal input and output operations.
2	Plate Handling	Tasks that move labware or might change the labware characteristics without changing its contents. For example, Centrifuge, delid, and Seal are plate-handling tasks.
3	Plate Storage	Tasks that move labware into or out of storage devices such as the Plate Hotel. For example, Downstack and Reorder are plate storage tasks.
4	Liquid Handling	Tasks that perform liquid-handling operations. For example, Aspirate and Dispense are liquid handling tasks.
5	Reading	Tasks that perform microplate-scanning operations. For example, the Read task is a microplate-scanning task using the Perkin Elmer Fusion Reader.
6	Other	Displays scheduling tasks, such as Define Variable, Loop, and Spawn Process.
7	All	Displays all the available tasks.

Typing filtering text

To type filtering text:

1	Click one of the filter buttons. See Using the task filter buttons.

For example, if you want to search all the tasks, click All. However, if you only want to search the liquid-handling tasks, click the Liquid Handling filter button.

2	Type text you want to use to filter the task list in the Enter text to filter on box below the list of available tasks. As you type each character, the Available Tasks list changes to meet the filter requirement.

For example, if you type dil, only the dilution tasks remain in the Available Tasks list.

 

Adding tasks in a protocol

For details on how to use macros to insert a series of tasks, see Using macros to create protocols.

To add a task in a protocol:

1	In the Available Tasks area, double-click a task. Alternatively, drag a task from the Available Tasks area into the Protocol area. The task icon appears in the Protocol area.

In the following example, the Place Plate task is added to the protocol.

 

2	Set the task parameters. For a description of the task parameter, see one of the following:

•	Setting parameters for I/O-handling tasks

•	Setting parameters for microplate-handling tasks

•	Setting parameters for microplate storage tasks

•	Setting parameters for liquid-handling tasks

•	Setting parameters for scheduling tasks

Deleting tasks from a protocol

To delete tasks from a protocol:

1	In the Protocol area, select a task.

2	Press DELETE. A confirmation message dialog box opens.

3	Click Yes to confirm the delete action. The task icon is removed from the protocol.

 

CAUTION Be aware of dependencies between tasks before you delete them. For example, the Tips On (Bravo) task relies on the pipette channel specifications in the Set Head Mode (Bravo) task to determine the number and position of pipette tips to install.

Related information

 

For information about...	See...
I/O-handling tasks	Setting parameters for I/O-handling tasks
Microplate-handling tasks	Setting parameters for microplate-handling tasks
Microplate-storage tasks	Setting parameters for microplate storage tasks
Liquid-handling tasks	Setting parameters for liquid-handling tasks
Scheduling tasks	Setting parameters for scheduling tasks
Using a macro to add a series of tasks	Using macros to create protocols