After you have created an ELN entry, you can upload any file type that you like as an attachment right into the ELN body.
Insert Attachment(s) to an ELN Entry:
Any file type can be attached to an ELN Entry in any of three ways:
- Drag/Drop the file into the body of the ELN Entry
- Copied from a file system (folder on your computer) and pasted into the ELN Entry
- Uploaded to the ELN by clicking on the Insert Attachment icon and browsing for the file on your computer
How attachment types are handled in the ELN
Images: .png, .img, .jpg files or similar will be rendered within the ELN white-space with the option to set a display size.
Adobe Acrobat PDF files: The first page of the PDF file will be rendered within the ELN white-space. All text within the PDF file will be immediately searchable. See Searching the ELN
- Pro Tip: Since the attached PDF files are searchable, consider using the ELN to manage your scientific journal articles.
Text Files: A file icon will appear in the ELN white-space and users can click to download the file to their local computer. The local computer will need a text editor installed to open the document for viewing or editing.
- All text within the file will be immediately searchable. See Searching the ELN.
Microsoft Office Documents: CDD Vault integrates with Microsoft Office 365 allowing you to view and edit Office documents (Word, Excel and PowerPoint) in Office 365 directly from a CDD ELN entry. A Office file icon will appear in the ELN white-space and users can click to download the file to their local computer, view it in the ELN page, or edit the file in Office for the web.
- Users will need an Office 365 Account in order to edit Office documents.
- See this CDD Knowledgebase article for more information about Office documents in the ELN.
- All text within the Office documents will be immediately searchable. See Searching the ELN.
Excel, SDF and zip files: When xlsx, csv, and SDF files are uploaded to an ELN entry, users will have the option to import the contained data directly into the CDD Vault Activity and Registration system via the Import File Icon. This is a seamless way to register new compounds, biological entities, and protocol data from an ELN entry via the CDD Vault Import Data wizard. Note that multiple files can be attached during a single import, too, by uploading a compressed file (ZIP format). For more information about the ZIP file format, please refer to the following Knowledge Base article: https://support.collaborativedrug.com/hc/en-us/articles/7109670098324-Attaching-Files-in-CDD-Vault#files_data_bulk
- Simply drag-and-drop your file, or use the Insert Attachment icon, to attach your data file into an ELN entry. Now, hover your mouse over this attached file and click the Import File icon.
- This will take you to the CDD Vault Import Data wizard where you can complete your data import process. Importing data from the ELN will create an automated breadcrumb link between the run of protocol data or chemical/biological entity in the Activity and Registration module and the ELN entry from which it was imported.
Chemical and biological entity registration
- Bulk register molecules from xlsx, csv, or SDF files by attaching the files to an ELN entry and clicking the Import File icon which will take you through the CDD Vault Import Data Wizard.
- Once molecules have been registered from the ELN, a link to the ELN entry will automatically be populated at the batch level for that molecule in Activity and Registration.
- The registration process from the ELN via xlsx, csv, or SDF files is the same for biological entities such as plasmids, proteins, and cell lines. Once the entities have been registered from the ELN, a link to the ELN entry will automatically be populated at the batch level for that molecule in Activity and Registration.
Protocol Data import
- Bulk register protocol data from xlsx, csv, or SDF files by attaching the files to an ELN entry and clicking the Import File icon which will take you through the CDD Vault Import Data Wizard.
- Note: In order to import protocol data from the ELN, there must first be a Protocol created in the Activity and Registration module.
- Once a file has been imported from the ELN, the Import file icon will turn into an Explore Imported data icon. This lets you know that the data has been imported from the ELN to the Activity and Registration module and also prevents duplication of data from accidental re-imports.
- By clicking the Explore Imported data icon, you will be taken to the Activity and Registration system where a data table corresponding to that Run of Protocol data will be automatically populated for you (see below).
- When protocol data is imported from the ELN as described above, users can quickly obtain a link to the ELN entry corresponding to the ELN entry from the Activity and Registration search interface. Simply run a search for protocol data, customize your report, and turn on the Run ELN entry. This breadcrumb link is automatically created by CDD Vault after protocol data is imported from the ELN.
- More information on automated links created via entity or protocol data registration from the ELN can be found here: Linking To Other CDD Vault Objects Within an ELN Entry
- Additionally, since .xlsx, .csv, or SDF files are text-based files, all text within the file will be immediately searchable. See Searching the ELN.
PDB Files: Protein Data Bank (PDB) files will render in a 3D Viewer where users can visualize the 3D structure. Users can zoom, rotate and scroll the live object within the 3D Viewer box appearing within the ELN whitespace.
See here for more information on PDB files.
Users can download the PDB file to the local computer using the small arrow button in the upper left corner of the 3D Viewer box.
Additionally, since PDB files are text-based files, all text within the file will be immediately searchable. See Searching the ELN.
Other attachments:
- Any file can be saved in the ELN white-space. A file icon will appear in the ELN white-space and users can click to download the file to their local computer. The local computer will need the appropriate software installed to open the document for viewing or editing.
- This article describes how ChemDraw reaction files are handled within the CDD Vault ELN.