Template File Contents

This article describes the metadata, tokens, and special characters that you can include in your custom template files for use with the Template File Generator.

Available from: BaseSpace Clarity LIMS v5.1.x

Metadata

The following table lists and describes the metadata elements that you can include in your template files.

• Unless otherwise specified, metadata elements are optional. In some cases, a metadata element must be used in conjunction with another element. For example, ILLEGAL.CHARACTERS must be used with ILLEGAL.CHARACTER.REPLACEMENTS.

• Unless otherwise specified, metadata elements can appear multiple times in the template. However, if they are paired with values, only the first occurrence is used. The other lines are silently ignored.

• Unless otherwise specified, if a metadata element requires a single value, any additional values are ignored when the file is generated. For example, suppose you include the OUTPUT.TARGET.DIR <path> metadata in your template file and provide more than one value for <path>. The script will process only the first (valid) path value and will ignore all other values.

• Unless "metadata syntax must match exactly" is specified, metadata elements are detected and used even if there is text appended before or after them. For example the following expressions are equivalent:

  LIST.SEPARATOR, COMMA
  This-expression-is-equivalent-LIST.SEPARATOR-to-the-one-above, COMMA

For more information on metadata and how to use metadata elements in your template files, see Metadata in Creating Template Files article.

Tokens

A token is a placeholder variable that is replaced with unique data at run time. You can include tokens in automation command lines, in scripts, and in template files.

For example, suppose you include the INPUT.CONTAINER.NAME token in a template file generated by a step. At run time, this token is replaced with the name of the container that was input to the step.

All tokens included in a template file must appear in the following form: ${TOKEN}, for example - ${INPUT.CONTAINER.NAME}.

Input and Output Tokens

For steps with ResultFile inputs or outputs, refer to the following entries in the Metadata table:

• INCLUDE.INPUT.RESULTFILES

• INCLUDE.OUTPUT.RESULTFILES

Process Tokens

Submitted Sample Tokens

Other Tokens

Special Characters

CSV and template file generation special characters have substitution symbols within templates.