Active Testing & Test Runner

Active Testing turns a protocol into a guided, timed lab session. Instead of reading a static document, you step through the protocol one card at a time, run a countdown timer for each step, mark outcomes, capture notes, and log structured findings with evidence, producing a complete, exportable experiment record. Test runs are available on every plan and consume no AI calls.

Starting a Run

1. Open any protocol and click Run test in the toolbar.
2. A new test run is created and its steps are derived from the protocol's step graph (or its procedure, if it has no graph yet).
3. The runner opens on the first step. Work through the steps in sequence.

The Step View

For each step the runner shows the instructions, expected output, reagents, equipment, temperature, and any critical-step warning. You record an outcome and move on:

• Pass: the step completed with the expected output observed.
• Fail: the step did not meet its criteria.
• Deviation: the step was completed, but not as written; capture what changed in the notes.

A progress indicator tracks how far through the protocol you are, and critical steps are emphasized so a failure there prompts you to pause and investigate before continuing.

Per-Step Timers

Every step exposes a countdown timer pre-filled from the step's duration. The timer plays an audible alarm (via the Web Audio API) when it elapses, and it persists locally so it survives a page reload or an accidental navigation. You can leave the bench and come back without losing the count. An elapsed-vs-expected bar compares your real time on each step against its planned duration so you can spot a run that is drifting off schedule.

Step Tools Panel

Each step has an attached tools panel (keyed per step, so it resets as you navigate) with three bench utilities:

• Timer: the resumable countdown described above, with alarm.
• Unit converter: quick conversions across volume, mass, concentration, temperature, and time.
• Calculator: a safe expression evaluator for on-the-fly dilutions and arithmetic.

Notes

Add free-text notes to any step as you go. Notes are auto-saved as you type; the runner flushes any pending note save before you finish a run so nothing is lost on the last step.

Findings & Evidence

From the run's tools dock you can log a structured finding (an observation, result, or conclusion tied to this run and protocol) and attach evidence such as images, data files, or scans. Evidence uses the same secure upload pipeline as the Files area, stored in a private, access-controlled bucket. Findings and their evidence become part of the permanent experiment record and can be reviewed later from the protocol.

Session Report PDF

When the run is complete, download a session-report PDF that captures the protocol, every step outcome and timestamp, your notes, elapsed times, and the findings you logged. The report is generated server-side with proper page breaks and word wrapping, suitable for attaching to a lab notebook or a compliance record.