Add Containers and Make Connections
So now we have a pump that we can run clockwise or counterclockwise for an indefinite (continuous) or finite duration. Next, let's add some Containers - simulated vessels - to serve as a source and sink for the pump to transfer liquid from/to.
Why add Containers? You certainly don't need to, and you can script Recipes with only Devices, but Containers (and Connections, which are coming next) can be a helpful visualization tool for recreating a Setup in the lab and for intuiting your Setup in the Sandbox.
Adding a Container follows the same steps as adding a Device. Expand the Setup menu by clicking the Setup Menu Toggle (pump icon) on the left sidebar menu. Click the plus icon to the right of the Containers expansion menu to reveal the Container Library. Select:
> Containers > Bottles > 100 mL Bottle
to add a new 100 mL bottle to the setup. A new Bottle Icon will appear in the Sandbox Widget and a new 100 mL bottle entry will appear in the Containers expansion menu. By default, each container is assigned its type (100 mL bottle, in this case) as its name when it's added to the Setup.
Just like Devices, you can also add a Container from the context (right click) menu in the Sandbox Widget. Right click in the widget, and then select:
Add Component > Container > Bottles > 100 mL bottle
Add two 100 mL bottles using whichever method you prefer. Drag them into a reasonable position below the peristaltic pump Device by clicking the wall of the icon and dragging.
Now, let's make Connections - our digital representation of tubing - between the new bottles and our pump. Connections are added by clicking on Ports, which appear as gray circles. Ports represent a physical tubing connection mechanism, like a port, a barbed fitting, or any other mechanism that joins a length of tubing to a Device or Container.
After each Port click, you'll see a blue notification confirming the Device or Container name and port number that you've selected and confirmation that the new connection has been added. A new connection key entry will appear in the Connections expansion menu, which should read something like U:000. *U indicates that the connection was made by the user (it does not belong to a Device or Container), and the digits 000 are the connection's index.
Unlike Devices and Containers, Connections cannot be renamed.
All right, we have a basic Setup: a pump (peristaltic pump Device), two bottles, and two connections linking the pump and containers. Let's proceed to see how to save this Setup on the Hub, clear the Setup, and then reload our Setup to script a Recipe.