Protocol step block

Build a lab procedure step with timing, hazards and reagents.

The protocol step block is the building block of every lab procedure in Dalea. Each step carries enough metadata to be both human-readable and machine-queryable: how long it takes, what hazards it presents, what reagents and equipment it depends on, and whether someone has run it.

What a step looks like

Click any step's number to "run" it. Dalea logs the operator, the timestamp and any notes added during the run, producing an auditable execution record:

IFN-γ ELISA · Capture protocol0/4 steps complete

Coat plate with capture antibody
Low hazard 8s demo (real procedure: hours)
Coat each well of a 96-well high-binding plate with anti-IFN-γ capture antibody (clone 2G1). Incubate overnight at 4 °C.
PPE: glovesReagents: Anti-IFN-γ capture mAb (100 µL @ 2 µg/mL) · Coating buffer (PBS) (q.s.)
Block non-specific binding
No hazard 6s demo (real procedure: hours)
Wash 3× with PBS-T. Add 200 µL of blocking buffer (PBS + 1% BSA). Incubate 1 h at room temperature.
PPE: glovesReagents: PBS-T (0.05% Tween-20) (300 µL/well × 3) · BSA blocking buffer (200 µL/well)
Add standards and samples
Low hazard 6s demo (real procedure: hours)
Pipette 100 µL of standards (8-point, 2-fold dilution from 4000 pg/mL) and samples in duplicate. Cover, incubate 2 h at room temperature.
PPE: gloves, labcoatReagents: Recombinant IFN-γ standard (see dilution table) · Plasma samples (100 µL/well, duplicate)
Develop with TMB
Medium hazard 6s demo (real procedure: hours)
After detection antibody and HRP-streptavidin binding, add 100 µL TMB substrate. Stop after 15 min with 50 µL 2 N H₂SO₄. Read at OD₄₅₀.
PPE: gloves, goggles, labcoatReagents: TMB substrate (100 µL/well) · Stop solution (2 N H₂SO₄) (50 µL/well)

Click a step number to run it — Dalea logs the timestamp, executor and any notes against the step, creating an auditable run record.

An IFN-γ ELISA capture protocol. Real timings vary; the demo compresses each step to a few seconds.

Anatomy of a step

Step number: Auto-incremented within the parent protocol group.
Title: Short imperative sentence: "Block non-specific binding".
Body: Free-form rich text. Embed equations, links, mentions; reference reagents inline.
Duration: Number + unit (s / min / h / d). Used for total-time roll-up.
Wait time: Optional gap after this step — useful for "incubate overnight" without forcing the operator to babysit.
Status: pending / in-progress / completed / skipped / failed. Persisted with operator + timestamp.
Hazard level: none / low / medium / high. Drives a coloured warning badge.
PPE: Multi-select: gloves, goggles, lab coat, fume-hood, mask.
Reagents: List of references to inventory items or to declared reagent blocks earlier in the document.
Equipment: List of equipment references (e.g. plate reader, centrifuge) with required settings.

Linking reagents

Inside the body of a step, type @ to insert a reference. Dalea auto-completes from:

Reagents declared earlier in the same protocol group
Inventory items in the workspace (with their current lot and expiration)
Objects in any data environment (e.g. a specific antibody clone)

References stay live: if the reagent's lot changes, the step's reference updates.

Running a protocol

When someone opens a document and clicks a step's "run" button, Dalea:

Stamps the operator (your user ID) and the current timestamp.
Optionally prompts for an audit reason in regulated tiers.
Updates the step's status from pending to in-progress.
Starts a wall-clock timer if the step has a duration.
On completion, records the actual elapsed time alongside the planned duration.

Subsequent edits to a completed step are tracked: who modified what, when, and the optional reason. This is what makes Dalea suitable for GLP and 21 CFR Part 11 work.

Example: full ELISA capture protocol

The protocol used in the demo above is intentionally realistic. Here is the relevant fragment of the PK/PD study you'll build in the main tutorial:

ELISA capture, IFN-γ

Coat plate. 100 µL anti-IFN-γ at 2 µg/mL in PBS, overnight 4 °C. Hazard: low.
Block. Wash 3× PBS-T. 200 µL 1% BSA, 1 h RT. Hazard: none.
Standards + samples. 100 µL each, in duplicate, 2 h RT. Hazard: low.
Develop. TMB 100 µL, stop with 50 µL 2 N H₂SO₄. Read OD₄₅₀. Hazard: medium (acid).

Authoring tip

Use protocol groups to wrap your steps. The group block has a title and a version, and rolls up totals (cumulative duration, count by hazard level). It also collapses, which is invaluable on long protocols.

What's next

Data table block

Chart block

Recording results

Connect protocol output to a result table.

Block catalog

Chart block