I feel like this is a bug - I was trying to self-teach the deck layers feature of a layout and suddenly I can’t select the certain labware at all. The labware of one particular layer is no longer associated with the layer I assigned, and is actually unassigned to all layers. The labware from that layer on are transparent and cannot be selected in any way. If I delete the layer, the ghost labware are deleted as well even though they aren’t recognized as being part of the layer in the layer properties.
Any idea what causes this or if it can be resolved? I can’t seem to replicate the issue or fix the ghost labware that now exist. In the image below, the ghost labware are members of the Plate_PCR layer only (allegedly)
Hi @evwolfson,
From your image I see that your carriers are still opaque and visible. I assume this means you can select them. When you add/snap labware to a template it automatically registers the template as part of that layer, so you can wind up with a carrier that is part of multiple layers: base, Plate_PCR, etc.
Now if you select that carrier and remove it’s link from layers that it was automatically added to you will get what you are observing.
So what happens if you select those carriers that have the null labware snapped to it and add them back to the Plate_PCR layer?
Matt
Adding the carrier back to other layers doesn’t change anything for me - the labware is still “null” after the carrier is added to the layer and labware itself cannot be selected.
I also tried to replicate the issue following your steps and I was able to create more ghost labware, but adding the carrier back did not fix the null labware.
The null labware is still snapped to the carriers, so moving the carriers also moves the null labware. However, hiding layers that the carriers are grouped in results in flying ghost labware. I can still select the sequences on the null labware, I just can’t interact with them in really any other way.
Just for some closure on this thread if anyone else finds themselves in the same situation and the fix that Matt posted doesn’t work:
I ended up deleting the troublesome layer and recreating the labware on the deck. Luckily the associativity of the sequences to the default named labware remained so it was really easy to just delete and recreate the labware!
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Hi @evwolfson,
I am glad you were able to resolve your issue. Deleting and recreating was going to be my next suggestion. The only other alternative would be converting the .lay file into ascii using the config file converter tool in the Hamilton bin folder and knowing exactly what needs to change and where. Unfortunately .lay files read in ascii are gigantic… so often times the route you took is going to be faster.
I don’t know of a .lay file management tool in existence but perhaps it’s time I start looking into making one for situations like this.
Matt
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