• LabKey Server
• Sample Manager
• Biologics LIMS
• Client APIs and Development Notes

LabKey Server

Data and Reporting

• Individual fields in Lists, Datasets, Sample Types, and Data Classes, can be defined to require that every value in that column of that table must be unique. (docs)
• Use a newline separator for options passed to filter expressions like "equals one of", "contains one of", etc. (docs)
• QC Trend Reports offer "cascading" filters so that only valid combinations can be selected by users. (docs)

Samples

• Sample types have additional calculated fields for the total available aliquot count and amount. (docs)
• Naming patterns can now incorporate a sampleCount or rootSampleCount element. (docs)

Assays

• Standard assay designs can be renamed. (docs)
• More easily understand and upload your flow cytometry data in LabKey. (docs | docs)

Panorama

• Panorama is compatible with the Skyline 23.1 file format beginning with version 23.7.3. (learn more)

Security and Authentication

• Administrators can improve security by selecting a new, stronger, entropy-based password rule. New deployments will default to using this recommended security setting. Site administrators of production deployments will now see a warning if they use the "Weak" password option, which will be removed entirely in 24.3. (docs)
• Support for Time-based One-time Password (TOTP) 2 Factor Authentication. (docs)

Administration

• Audit log indexing has been added to improve filtering by container and user. This may result in longer upgrade times for systems with very large audit logs. To determine the upgrade time of a production system, it is best practice to first upgrade a staging server duplicate. Contact your Account Manager for guidance.
• A new role Impersonating Troubleshooter combines the existing troubleshooter role with the ability to impersonate all site roles, including site administrator. (docs)
• The encryption key provided in labkey.xml is now proactively validated at every LabKey Server startup. If LabKey determines that the encryption key has changed then a warning is shown with recommendations. (docs)
• The page for managing short URLs uses a standard grid, making it easier to use and faster to load. (docs)
• Users of the Community Edition will no longer be able to opt out of reporting usage metrics to LabKey. These metrics are used to prioritize improvements to our products and features based on actual usage. (docs)
• Detection of multiple LabKey Server instances connected to the same database has been added. A server that detects an existing instance using its database will fail to start, preventing potential damage to the database and alerting administrators to this unsupported scenario. (docs)
• The server now accepts LabKey SQL and script parameters that are encoded to avoid rejection by web application firewalls. LabKey's web UI and client libraries (Rlabkey, Java remote API, JDBC driver) have been updated to encode these parameters by default. This means the newest versions of these client libraries are incompatible with older servers (23.8 and before), unless setWafEncoding() is called to disable encoding. (learn more below)

Premium Resources

• Premium Resource: Split Large Sample Upload
• Premium Resource: Python Transformation Script: Updated to use a new helper function for transformation scripts.
• Example Code: Add a Container with the Python API

Distribution Changes and Upgrade Notes

• Advance Warning: As of v24.3, LabKey will switch to requiring and shipping with embedded Tomcat 10.1.x. LabKey clients managing their own deployments will need to migrate all server settings during this upgrade; detailed instructions will be provided at release time. (LabKey cloud clients will be migrated to Tomcat 10.1.x in a transparent manner.) This migration is dictated by the javax --> jakarta namespace change.
• RStudio is changing its name to Posit. The LabKey interface will be updated to reflect this rebranding and any necessary changes in a future release. (learn more)

Security Hotfixes

• LabKey Server 23.11.5 includes an important bug fix for a cross-site-scripting (XSS) issue. It was discovered during LabKey's regular internal testing, and ranks as a high severity issue. All deployments should upgrade to a patched version.

Sample Manager

• Moving samples between storage locations now uses the same intuitive interface as adding samples to new locations. (docs)
• Sample grids now include a direct menu option to "Move Samples in Storage". (docs)
• The pattern used to generate new ELN IDs can be selected from several options, which apply on a site-wide basis.
• Assay designs can be renamed. (docs)
• Users can share saved custom grid views with other users. (docs)
• Authorized users no longer need to navigate to the home project to add, edit, and delete data structures including Sample Types, Source Types, Assay Designs, and Storage. Changes can be made from within a subproject, but still apply to the structures in the home project. (docs)
• The interface has changed so that the 'cancel' and 'save' buttons are always visible to the user in the browser. (docs)
• Adding Samples to Storage is easier with preselection of a previously used location, and the ability to select which direction to add new samples: top to bottom or left to right, the default. (docs)
• When Samples or Sources are created manually, any import aliases that exist will be included as parent fields by default, making it easier to set up expected lineage relationships. (docs)
• Grid settings are now persistent when you leave and return to a grid, including which filters, sorts, and paging settings you were using previously. (docs)
• Header menus have been reconfigured to make it easier to find administration, settings, and help functions throughout the application. (docs)
• Panels of details for Sample Types, Sources, Storage, etc. are now collapsed and available via hover, putting the focus on the data grid itself. (docs)
• View all samples of all types from a new dashboard button. (docs)
• When adding samples to storage, users will see more information about the target storage location including a layout preview for boxes or plates. (docs)
• Longer storage location paths will be 'summarized' for clearer display in some parts of the application. (docs)
• Charts, when available, are now rendered above grids instead of within a popup window. (docs)
• Naming patterns can now incorporate a sampleCount or rootSampleCount element. (docs)
• Sources can have lineage relationships, enabling the representation of more use cases. (docs)
• Two new calculated columns provide the "Available" aliquot count and amount, based on the setting of the sample's status. (docs)
• The amount of a sample can be updated easily during discard from storage. (docs)
• Customize the display of date/time values on an application wide basis. (docs)
• The aliquot naming pattern will be shown in the UI when creating or editing a sample type. (docs)
• The allowable box size for storage units has been increased to accommodate common slide boxes with up to 50 rows. (docs)
• Options for saving a custom grid view are clearer. (docs)

Biologics LIMS

• Coming soon: Biologics LIMS will now offer strong support for antibody discovery operations. Learn more at our upcoming webinar. Register here!

• Moving samples between storage locations now uses the same intuitive interface as adding samples to new locations. (docs)
• Sample grids now include a direct menu option to "Move Samples in Storage". (docs)
• The pattern used to generate new ELN IDs can be selected from several options, which apply on a site-wide basis. (docs)
• Standard assay designs can be renamed. (docs)
• Users can share saved custom grid views with other users. docs)
• Authorized users no longer need to navigate to the home project to add, edit, and delete data structures including Sample Types, Registry Source Types, Assay Designs, and Storage. Changes can be made from within a subproject, but still apply to the structures in the home project. (docs)
• The interface has changed so that the 'cancel' and 'save' buttons are always visible to the user in the browser. (docs)
• Update Mixtures and Batch definitions using the Recipe API. (docs | docs)
• Adding Samples to Storage is easier with preselection of a previously used location, and the ability to select which direction to add new samples: top to bottom or left to right, the default. (docs)
• When Samples or Registry Sources are created in a grid, any import aliases that exist will be included as parent fields by default, making it easier to set up expected lineage relationships. (docs)
• Grid settings are now persistent when you leave and return to a grid, including which filters, sorts, and paging settings you were using previously. (docs)
• Header menus have been reconfigured to make it easier to find administration, settings, and help functions throughout the application. (docs)
• Panels of details for Sample Types, Sources, Storage, etc. are now collapsed and available via hover, putting the focus on the data grid itself. (docs)
• Registry Sources, including Molecules, now offer rollup pages showing all Assays and/or Jobs for all Samples descended from that source. (docs)
• Naming patterns can now incorporate a sampleCount or rootSampleCount element. (docs)
• View all samples of all types from a new dashboard button. (docs)
• When adding samples to storage, users will see more information about the target storage location including a layout preview for boxes or plates. (docs)
• Longer storage location paths will be 'summarized' for clearer display in some parts of the application. (docs)
• Charts, when available, are now rendered above grids instead of within a popup window. (docs)
• Naming patterns can now incorporate a sampleCount or rootSampleCount element. (docs)
• Registry Source detail pages show all samples that are 'descended' from that source. (docs)
• Two new calculated columns provide the "Available" aliquot count and amount, based on the setting of the sample's status. (docs)
• The amount of a sample can be updated easily during discard from storage. (docs)
• Customize the display of date/time values on an application wide basis. (docs)
• The aliquot naming pattern will be shown in the UI when creating or editing a sample type. (docs)
• The allowable box size for storage units has been increased to accommodate common slide boxes with up to 50 rows. (docs)
• Options for saving a custom grid view are clearer. (docs)

Client APIs and Development Notes

• Artifactory has deprecated the use of API keys, so Premium Edition developers will need to switch to using an Identity Token instead. (learn more)
• Improvements in the SecurityPolicyManager, including to more consistently pass in a User object, may require external developers with advanced Java modules to make corresponding changes. Contact your Account Manager if you run into issues in your code related to permissions or finding a "SecurableResource" object.
• Additional lineage filtering options previously available in the JavaScript API are now available in the Java, R, and Python APIs. (learn more)
• The server now accepts LabKey SQL and script parameters that are encoded to avoid rejection by web application firewalls. LabKey's web UI and client libraries (Rlabkey, Java remote API, JDBC driver) have been updated to encode these parameters by default. This means the newest versions of these client libraries are incompatible with older servers (23.8 and before), unless setWafEncoding() is called to disable encoding. (Rlabkey notes | Python API notes)
• API Resources