How can I send my experiment to a colleague or collaborator?

Data for an LC-MS experiment — which comprises several files on disk — can be archived into a single, compressed file to allow the easy transfer of the experiment between machines. This allows users to view experiments created by different workers at different locations.

Note: after being imported, the original data files are not required for experimental analysis; to save space, these are not included in the archive.

Creating an archive

Archive files can be created from the start-up screen, in the list of Recent experiments.

1. Click on the experiment from which you want to create an archive
2. Click the Options button to display a popup menu (show me)
3. From the menu, select the Copy to archive option and choose a filename to which the archive will be saved.

Archiving an experiment doesn't remove it from the list of recent experiments or change it in any way; it simply creates a compressed copy of the experiment in a single file. That file can then be copied to any new location, or sent to a colleage/coworker.

Opening an archive

Opening an archive is a process similar in concept to extracting files from a compressed folder. That is, when you open an archive, its experiment is decompressed and saved to a folder of your choice. The extracted experiment is then opened as normal and all changes to it are saved to the extracted experiment, not back into the archive.

To open an archive, simply click the Open… button at the bottom left of the start-up screen and select the archive file.