Introduction
In modern laboratory workflows, manually tracking interconnected data across protocols, experiments, and manifests often leads to inefficiencies and errors. Scispot’s labsheets address this challenge through magic columns— a suite of intelligent, read-only columns designed to automate critical linkages within your lab ecosystem. These specialized columns act as dynamic connectors, eliminating manual updates while providing real-time insights into how samples, protocols, and experimental data interact across the platform.
Magic columns go beyond static spreadsheets by embedding contextual relationships directly into your labsheets. Whether you need to trace a sample’s location in a box manifest, identify which experiments reference specific data points, or audit modification timelines, these columns serve as self-updating breadcrumbs. Their integration with Labspaces, protocols, and manifests transforms raw data into actionable intelligence, ensuring researchers spend less time cross-referencing documents and more time advancing discoveries.
Adding magic columns
There are two ways to add magic columns to your labsheets. The first method is during labsheet creation:
In the column configuration phase of creating your new labsheet, scroll to the bottom of the page.
You will see an "AI recommended magic columns" label, as well as a "Generate columns" button. Click the generate button to see the list of available magic columns.
From the new column options that appear, click the "Add To List" button next to each magic column type that you want to add to your labsheet.
Once the labsheet is configured, click the "Create" button near the bottom-right of the screen to create the labsheet like normal.
The second way to create magic columns is to add them to an existing labsheet, just like you would any other column type:
With your labsheet open, click the "+" (plus icon) button to the right of all your column headers.
Scroll to the bottom of the list of column options until you get to the list of magic columns. Each magic column has a purple star icon next to it.
Click on the magic column type that you want to add, then click the "Add Column" button.
Magic column types
Labspaces:
The "Labspaces" magic column will list the names of any labspace pages that have a given labsheet row embedded in them. For instance, checking out labsheet samples to a protocol page, or embedding labsheet entries through the \labsheet command in an experiment— both use cases would populate the "Labspaces" column with the name of the relevant protocol/experiment.
You can click on any of the listed page titles in the "Labspaces" column, which will open that page in your browser.
Name of Protocol / Name of Experiment:
The "Name of Protocol" and "Name of Experiment" magic columns work very similarly to the "Labspaces" column. While "Labspaces" will list all labspace pages that a labsheet row is embedded in, "Name of Protocol" will only show the names of protocol pages. Likewise, "Name of Experiment" will only show the names of experiment pages where the labsheet entry has been embedded.
Just like with the "Labspaces" column, you can click on the name of a page listed in these magic columns to open it in your browser.
Last Modified At:
The "Last Modified At" is a self-explanatory magic column type. It will show an always up-to-date timestamp of when a given labsheet entry was last modified. Modifications might mean updating other column values or assigning your sample to a location.
Existing Manifest:
The "Existing Manifest" magic column will show the name of the manifest (box or well plate) that holds a given labsheet sample. For instance, after checking out labsheet samples to a box, the "Existing Manifest" column will be populated with the name of the box.
You can click on the listed manifest name in the "Existing Manifest" column to open that manifest in your browser.
Conclusion
Magic columns in Scispot labsheets are powerful tools designed to streamline workflows, enhance traceability, and integrate data across the platform. By automatically linking labsheet entries to relevant labspaces, protocols, experiments, manifests, or timestamps, these columns eliminate manual tracking and ensure real-time accuracy. Whether you need to trace a sample’s location in a manifest, identify its use in experiments, or track modification history, magic columns provide instant, dynamic insights.