Import Files

This operation loads several files, allowing the user to design the experiment, that is, setting the number of samples, the labels and assigning files to each sample.

This operation follows the workflow of the image bellow.

Import Files Workflow

Usage

You can execute this operation by clicking the button or following the menu File/Import/Import dataset.

First, a dialog will appear allowing you to choose the experiment type (Labeled or Unlabeled).

Import Dataset File Dialog - Step 1

If you choose Labeled, the next dialog will allow you to choose number of labels.

Import Dataset Dialog - Step 2 (Labeled) - Number of labels

If you choose Unlabeled, the next dialog will allow you to choose number of samples.

Import Dataset Dialog - Step 2 (Unabeled) - Number of samples

And, if you have chosen Labeled, a third dialog will allow you introduce the names of the labels and the number of samples per label.

Import Dataset Dialog - Step 3 (Labeled) - Label names and number of samples

Finally, according to your choices, a dialog will appear allowing you to design your experiment.

Import Dataset Main Dialog

In order to design an experiment, you have to:

Select the data type: raw spectra, peak list or aligned peak list.
Add files to your experiment by clicking the button.
Assign files to samples. To do that, you have two alternatives:
- Select one or more files and drag and drop them into the corresponding sample.
- Select one or more files and use the button in order to automatically distribute them to the samples shown on the right side of the dialog. See below for a detailed description of this feature.
Assign names to samples. When the autofill button is used, samples are also named automatically by taking the name of the first file.

When the experiment design is complete, you can load the data by clicking the Load button. This option also allows you to store the experiment design configuration as a Mass-Up Configuration File (.muc) for further uses. The format of this .muc file is explained here.

The autofill button

The button allows you to automatically distribute the selected files to the samples shown on the right side of the dialog. This feature is particularly useful when you need to import large amounts of files and distribute them into different classes and samples, allowing you to save a lot of time.

To illustrate this feature, lets suppose a dataset with:

Two conditions: A and B.
Five samples per class.
Fifty raw data files in .mzML format, shown in the image below.

Ten peak list files added to the dialog.

First, you have to select the twenty five files corresponding to class A and click the button in order to automatically fill the five samples of this class. The autofill function assumes that each sample must have the same number of files so, in this case, five files are assigned to each sample. As you can see in the image, the names of the samples are automatically taken from associated files by removing file extensions.

Five peak list files automatically distributed to class A samples.

And finally, you have to select the twenty five files corresponding to class B and click the button again in order to automatically fill the five samples of this class.