Configuring Sample and Test Barcode Template

Applies to QEST Administrator Console, QESTLab

This page describes how to configure a template to allow the printing of sample and test barcodes as part of the test registration process.

Overview

It is necessary to configure a template in order to allow users to print barcodes that will automatically navigate to test worksheets when scanned. The template will allow:

The labels to be sized appropriately for the label printer(s) being used
The format and content of the labels to be customized

While it is possible to configure multiple templates, all templates will be available to all users. It is often useful to configure one template that includes barcodes for samples as well as tests and a second template that includes barcodes for samples only.

To print barcodes for samples and tests, the Printable Tag class of external documents is used with a pre-configured template defined in Excel.

Labels are printed from QESTLab and, therefore, require a PC to be used to print these labels.

Test and Sample Barcodes

While the templates include barcodes for samples as well as tests, navigation to samples via barcode scanning is not yet supported in the QEST Web App.

The default template includes barcodes for both samples and tests. This allows the user to split a larger sample into the constituents required for various tests assigned to the sample and include a label with each test portion.

Sample labels can be placed with any leftover material after splitting of the sample into test portions is complete.

Label Printers

A label printer will be required at each workstation where labels are to be printed. Spectra QEST does work with any printer vendor partners and can only make general recommendations for such printers. Any printer to be purchased for use in a laboratory should be vetted by the organization in which they are to be used to ensure that they will meet requirements and withstand the laboratory environment. One printer will be required for each workstation that is to print labels, in each laboratory.

A decision on the label printer to be used should be made prior to configuring the barcode template since this choice will affect how the template is to be configured.

A decision will also need to be made for label media, sticky labels are often useful since these can be attached directly on sample containers but card type media that can be placed directly in material is also an option. It is not expected that labels printed for tests and samples will be placed in ovens or other extreme environments (unlike barcode labels on moisture tins which will be placed in ovens).

Zebra ZD200

An entry-level commercial label printer such as the Zebra ZD200 is a reasonable choice for printing test and sample labels in the laboratory.

Configure Excel Template

To print barcodes for samples and tests, the Printable Tag class of external documents is used. Example Excel templates for these worksheets have been attached below to assist in this configuration.

The Excel templates above include macros that appropriately hide and show worksheets in order to show the correct number of barcodes. These macros will need to be able to run on the server that QESTLab is running on in order to generate barcodes correctly.

The templates linked above include an Instructions worksheet which outlines the process for modifying the barcode templates.

The Barcode 001 worksheet (only!) should be modified and printed to the label printer that will be used in laboratories directly from Excel in order to size the label appropriately. Once the Barcode 001 worksheet size is printing as desired, the RebuildBarcodeSheets macro should be run manually to re-generate the other worksheets.

A Note on Barcodes

If the above-linked templates are modified and the barcodes moved around it should be noted that, in order to be able to be read by a scanner, barcodes must begin and end with an asterisk. That is, the format for a valid barcode is:

*Barcode Content*

If these bracketing asterisks are not included, the barcode will not be able to be scanned. To clarify: the asterisks are not considered as part of the barcode or transmitted by the barcode scanner, they are used only to denote the start and end of the actual barcode content.

Once the above has been completed, the template will need to be associated with the Work Order document via the QEST Administrator Console, as described below.

Associating the Template

In order to make a barcode template available for users, it will need to be associated with the Work Order document via the QEST Administrator Console, as described below:

Open QEST Admin Console, navigate to menu bar Tools> Manage External Documents
Add a new external document of Class Printable Tags associated with the Work Order
1. The name of the external document should be chosen such that it is obvious to users what it is for, the examples shown below tend to be good choices
Save the document and close the dialog

After associating the template in the manner described above, the printable tags will be available to print in QESTLab when on a work order.

The newly associated template should be printed with the label printer directly from an example work order in QESTLab at this point to confirm everything is working as expected.

The generated barcodes should also be scanned in the QEST Web App to ensure that they can be recognized.

QEST Platform 5.7 Documentation