Barcode module

##Dymo Printer and Cryo-tags In order to make full use of the barcode printing module you need to acquire a Dymo ® label printer. In our lab we use a Dymo LabelWriter 450 U.S. model. We recommend to use so-called cryo-tags, which are special lab-purpose labels produced and distributed by Diversified Biotech. In contrast to regular Dymo labels they can withstand temperatures between -196°C and +70°C, which makes them suitable for our samples that are mostly stored at -80°C.

##WARNINGS Since these labels do not stem from Dymo, you have to be aware that by using cryo-tags you will loose the warranty on your printer. What is more important is that you have to be careful that you buy the correct model . The cryo-tags will only work with the U.S. model of Dymo printers. If you reside outside the U.S. you can contact DivBio for a local distributor. For installation instructions regarding cryo-tags follow this link.

##SDK We assume that the Dymo software has already been installed on your computer and that you can successfully print labels using said software. In order to use the printer in OLF you have to install the Self-Development-Kit (SDK) from Dymo. This adds support for javascript-based label printing to your computer and allows OLF to recognize and utilize Dymo printers.

##Customize Label Templates OLF makes use of the standard .label XML format offered by Dymo. Suitable (empty) templates for cryo-tags can be downloaded here. Since we utilize the same format, you can easily alter and customize the labels in any way you like as long as you make sure that necessary "place-holders" are included for OLF to write content to. OLF expects to find the following variables embedded in the template:

• barcodeValue: A <BarcodeObject> where the barcode image will be created. Ideally this would be a QR-code. Every other field is a <TextField>.
• barcodeText: The barcode is printed as text to make sure that the sample can be identified even if the barcode is unreadable
• dataOne, dataTwo, and dataThree: These are filled with sample information automatically. Software developers can customize the content here by modifying the toBarcode() method of the respective domain classes.
• text: This field is used for additional text entered by the user. In CellLineData it is reserved for the passage number.

You can find an example with some more descriptions here.