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Events 2023
Nov: CEPLAS PhD Module
Oct: CSCS CEPLAS Start Your ARC
Sept: MibiNet CEPLAS Start Your ARC
July: RPTU Summer School on RDM
July: Data Steward Circle
May: CEPLAS Start Your ARC Series
Frequently Asked Questions
last updated at 2023-08-01
About this guide
In this guide we focus on how to use the ARCitect to create your ARC and structure, store and share your data.
UserAdvanced
ModeTutorial
Before we can start
Please make sure
☑️ The latest version of the ARCitect is installed on your computer
☑️ You have a DataPLANT account
💡 Consider reading about the ARC
Preparation
Before creating your own ARC, invest some time to think about the following questions.
- What is my investigation?
- What is my study?
- Which assay did I perform?
- What is my (raw) dataset?
- What protocols did I use?
💡 It might help to have this info ready in a text file. In particular, try to think about useful names (identifiers) for investigation, study and assay.
Initiate the ARC folder structure
- Start the ARCitect
- Create a New ARC (2)
- Select a location and name for your ARC
Your ARC's name
💡 By default, your ARC's name will be used:
- for the ARC folder on your machine
- to create your ARC in the DataHUB at
https://gitlab.nfdi4plants.de/<YourUserName>/<YourARC>
(see next steps)
- as the identifier for your investigation
💡 Make sure that no ARC exists at https://gitlab.nfdi4plants.de/<YourUserName>/<YourARC>
. Otherwise you will sync to that ARC.
💡 Avoid spaces in your ARC's name
Add details about your investigation
Click on your ARC's name to add details, such as
Add contributors
In the section "People" click "ADD PERSON" to add at least one contributor
Add a study to your ARC
Click "Add Study" in the sidebar and enter an identifier
Add details about your study
Click on your study's name to add details, such as
- general metadata,
- people,
- publications and
- data process information
Add a protocol to your study
Click "Add Protocol" in the sidebar to add a protocol to your study
Adding protocols
You can either
- directly write a new protocol within the ARCitect or
- import an existing one from your computer
Add an assay to your ARC
Click "Add Assay" in the sidebar and enter an identifier
Link your assay to a study
You can either
- link your new assay to an existing study in your ARC or
- create a new one (with the same name as the assay)
Add information about your assay
In the assay panel you can
- link or unlink the assay to studies, and
- define the assay's
- measurement type,
- technology type and
- technology platform.
- add data process information
Add protocols and datasets to your assay
In the file tree you can
- add a dataset and
- protocols associated to that dataset.
💡 Add Dataset allows to import data from any location on your computer into the ARC.
⚠️ Depending on the file size, this may take a while. Test this with a small batch of files first.
Share your ARC
Click Login (1) in the sidebar to login to the DataHUB.
💡 This automatically opens your browser at the DataHUB (https://git.nfdi4plants.org) and asks you to login, if you are not already logged in.
Versions: Connection to the DataHUB
To communicate with the DataHUB, navigate to **Versions** (6)
Connection to the DataHUB
If you are logged in, the versions panel shows
- your DataHUB's Full Name and eMail
- the URL of the current ARC in the DataHUB
https://gitlab.nfdi4plants.de/<YourUserName>/<YourARC>

Upload your ARC to the DataHUB
The versions panel allows you to
- store the local changes to your ARC in form of "commits",
- sync the changes to the DataHUB, and
- check the history of your ARC
To upload your ARC:
- Enter a "commit message" to shortly describe the changes to your ARC
- Click COMMIT to save your changes locally
- Click UPLOAD to upload your ARC to the DataHUB
Check if your ARC is successfully uploaded
- sign in to the DataHUB
- Check your projects
DataPLANT Support
Besides these technical solutions, DataPLANT supports you with community-engaged data stewardship. For further assistance, feel free to reach out via our
helpdesk
or by contacting us
directly
.