📣 Announcements

Thanks to everyone who sent us feedback about our new home page design. As ​@karissayau and ​@rebeccac mentioned in this post, the team has been working on ways to improve way finding in Benchling. To that end, I have a card-sort user study that I hope to have Benchling Scientists fill out to learn more about how users think about organizing their work.It’s short and sweet, about 5-10 minutes long. The Design team is going to use the results to inform how we label and organize statuses of items in the product. It’s entirely online, no need to actually talk to a person, but the Design team does read all the feedback — yes, even the swear words (especially the swear words.)Click to open the study or share this link with your Scientist colleagues https://t.maze.co/572292789

On May 11th***, there will be several new Schema endpoints to interact with at Alpha stability. These endpoints support Create and Update! In addition, we also support applying Fieldsets. Please be on the lookout for the following new API endpoints!CustomEntitySchema AaSequenceSchema DnaOligoSchema DnaSequenceSchema OligoConjugateSchema OligoDuplexSchema RnaOligoSchema RnaSequenceSchema MixtureSchema MoleculeSchema EquipmentSchemaIn the V2, API, this schema information was provided through the /entity-schemas resource. In the V3 API, we broke them out to work alongside the associated endpoint that provides the data from a particular schema type:AaSequence AaSequenceSchema etc***Apologies--we pushed back the dates a few days do to some timeline shifting!

Summary We’re bringing access policies to task schemas, enabling access policies on specific schemas and READ and NONE access policies  Once access policies are enabled on task schemas, you can’t disable them, and we plan to complete this rollout by end of July  If you’re interested in enabling task schema access policies earlier than by end of July, reply in this thread or get in touch with your Benchling representative -------------Today, Benchling users either have ADMIN or CREATE access policies for task schemas.If you're an ORG Admin, you have ADMIN access policies on ALL task schemas If you're an ORG member, you have CREATE access policies on ALL task schemasWe’ve heard from many of you that this is an issue for two reasons. Every member of the organization has CREATE access, and perhaps they shouldn’t The list of all the tasks you can create is EXTRA LONG because everyone has access to create a task for every task schema Once we introduce Task Schema Access Policies we'll introd

Got a workflow, template, analysis, or AI creation you're proud of? Open Notebooks is your spot to show it off with no slides, no stage, just you and your poster (or a quick live demo) chatting with other users over lunch on Day 2.Perfect for:A clever AI-powered workflow or prompt A dashboard or template that saved your team real time Anything you built in Benchling that solved a real problemWe'll give you templates, design help, and a test tenant so it's easy to put together. Interested? FILL OUT THIS FORM 🧬 

Hey everyone,I’m Thomas, an engineer on the warehouse team at Benchling. Thanks for all your feedback on custom views. We've taken it into account--here are some improvements we've made to the feature!You can now use parameters with fixed values in views. For example, if you write SELECT id FROM entity WHERE created_at > {{Date}}, and your parameter Date is set to 2021-01-02, your view will be created with the query: SELECT id FROM entity WHERE created_at > 2021-01-02. Note: Once a view is created, its query is static and will not change. You can create a view from a subset of your insights query (just highlight the desired text). You can also edit the query in the creation form now. Views will now be recreated by the automated warehouse sync process when possible. This means that it should be much less likely for your views to be dropped. If you attempt to delete a custom view (named "A") that another custom view (named "B") depends on, you will now receive an error message say

Multi-Image Viewing now allows multiple images to be uploaded and viewed side by side within notebook entries and documents! Today, images stack vertically, making visual comparison difficult on limited screen space. This slows down interpretation of image-based data such as assay results or before-and-after comparisons.Scientists can now upload or drag-and-drop multiple images within a single entry and view them next to each other to support easier visual inspection and explanation. See a 50 second demo below! 

Hey there! Nominations are open for the Benchtalk 2026 Changemaker Awards recognizing users and admins doing exceptional work with Benchling, from breakthrough research to standout community contributions. Winners are announced live at Benchtalk and featured on the Benchling blog. Winners also get a very cool trophy 🏆Nominations take ~10 minutes: https://www.benchtalk.com/event/boston2026/changemaker-awards.Deadline is August 4 📆

Configuring a flowchart in Benchling used to be uncomfortable. We heard it directly from customers:"It feels like you're doing a lot of the same things twice." "I didn't create my flowchart in Benchling first. That's impossible. I create it outside of Benchling and then I'll recreate it in Benchling."That's not the experience we want users configuring Workflows to experience. So we’ve greatly improved how flowchart workflows are configured. Earlier this year, we ran an early access program with customers to test the new experience. We also gathered feedback from Benchling implementation managers who configure flowcharts on behalf of customers every day. The feedback we received helped shape the improved configuration experience.What changedThe old editor forced you to do a significant amount of pre work before you ever saw a flowchart. You defined allowed transitions, set up data mappings, and built task schemas, all before the flowchart existed. Only then could you assemble everything

Hi Benchling Community! 👋We’re currently exploring a new homepage experience for Benchling, and we’d love to get feedback directly from users who use Benchling day to day.🔎 What we're exploring: How you currently navigate Benchling, and what you'd find most helpful on a new homepage.💬 What's involved: A casual 30-minute conversation where you'll share your experience navigating Benchling, and reactions to early concepts. No prep needed!As a thank you for your time, participants will receive a Benchling Tee after their session 👕✨👉 How to participate: Book a 30-minute timeslot at your convenience using this scheduling link. If these times don't work, feel free to send a message and we'll find a time!We really appreciate your time and insights! Thanks for helping us build a better Benchling 💙🏠

The Benchling Community got a new look–to celebrate, we're hosting a scavenger hunt and sweater giveaway. Here's how to participate:We've hidden some 🪼 emojis around the community. Click through our pages, enjoy our beautiful new designs, and count the number of jellyfish you see.To enter:Respond to this poll with the number of 🪼 you find. Those who find the correct number will be entered to win! Tag at least one person from your company in the comments Add a photo to your profile (if you haven't already)The contest runs through February 6th. We'll announce up to 20 winners on February 9th who will each receive a cozy Benchling sweater. 

There is now a button on the bottom status bar (for entries, worksheets, templates/sub-templates) that opens a modal with information on the notebook and table keyboard shortcuts that we have, including a few new shortcuts to improve table navigation. Here is the complete list of keyboard shortcuts: Notebook Copy: ⌘ + C Cut: ⌘ + X Paste: ⌘ + V Undo: ⌘ + Z Redo: ⌘ + Shift + Z or ⌘ + Y Bold: ⌘ + B Italic: ⌘ + I Underline: ⌘ + U Strikethrough: ⌘ + Shift + X Link:⌘ + K Monospace: ⌘ + Shift + K Symbol: ⌘ + ; Superscript: ⌘ + . Subscript: ⌘ + Shift + . Insert section/day: ⌘ + \ Cycle header style: Ctrl +. ` Switch to next tab: ⌘ + Shift + 0 Switch to previous tab: ⌘ + Shift + 9 Show keyboard shortcuts: ⌘ + ? Table Navigate to the next cell (right): Tab Navigate to the previous cell (left): Shift + Tab Edit cell / (while editing) Move down: Enter Finish edit and move up (while editing): Shift + Enter Edit cell: F2 Cancel editing / Clear selection:

✨ Get early access to improved flowchart configuration! ✨For the past several months, we’ve been working on improving flowchart configuration, and now we want to invite you to try it out, starting in December. If you’re keen on getting early access and sharing your feedback with us, let us know by repling to this post.🙋 Why did we decide to improve flowchart configuration?We’ve heard from many of you—and candidly, from ourselves internally—that configuring a flowchart is tedious. Some examples of what we heard:“There’s so many steps to take, and they’re not at all intuitive” “It feels like you’re doing a lot of the same things twice, like you define the valid transitions, and then you define those all over again in the flowchart template”  “I didn't create my flowchart in Benchling first. That’s impossible. I create it outside of Benchling and then I’ll recreate it in Benchling.” None of this reflects a great experience, nor does it make you want to create a flowchart again. If Workfl

Have a Benchling topic that didn’t make it onto the formal Benchtalk agenda? We’ve got you covered. Open Notebooks is a new way to participate at Benchtalk 2025—a science fair-style poster showcase happening during lunch on Day 2. It's casual, low-lift, and a good way to share the things you’ve built in Benchling that others might find useful (or inspiring).No slides, no stage—just you, a poster or short demo, and the chance to connect with others who geek out over the same stuff.Some reasons to consider it: You’ve built something in Benchling that solved a problem (even a small one) You want to swap ideas with folks working on similar challenges You like the idea of sharing what you’ve done—without a whole formal presentation You want to attend Benchtalk, but your company will only approve travel to conferences you’re presenting at We’ll help with templates, design, or setup if you need it. Just bring your idea.Now that the full agenda is live, if there’s a topic you don’t see o

Hey folks--I’m curious to hear if any of you have been watching Transcribed, our new interview series starring none other than Benchling’s very own CEO extraordinaire, @sajith.So far, he’s interviewed Patrick Hsu, Sara Kenkare-Mitra, John Tsai, and Karen Akinsanya. Next up to be released is Jake Becraft from Strand!If you’ve tuned in, I’d love to hear what’s stood out to you. I’ve watched the first two and loved seeing Saji in his element with industry peers—especially him and Patrick joking about how to make us at Benchling run more like Fung’s famously intense grad lab 😅Sara’s story about Kadcyla nearly being shelved really stuck with me. In a field where experimentation could be infinite but time and resources are not, how do folks make these impossible calls about when to turn back? I’m excited to keep listening and now I can do that while walking the dog or making dinner, thanks to the series being available on all major podcast platforms:🎧 Apple Podcasts🎧 SpotifyLet me know yo

Hi folks! I'm Keith and I'm part of the Technical Solutions Architecture (TSA) team at Benchling. We help our customers to build integrations on top of Benchling using the Developer Platform (Warehouse, API, events, SDK).We've been working on updating our Warehouse docs, and I'm pleased to share that these updates are now live on docs.benchling.com.The two old pages ("Warehouse Tables" and "Warehouse Table Columns") are now replaced by a single Warehouse Tables homepage, with subpages beneath that for different groups of tables (Workflows, Molecular Biology, Notebook etc). This should hopefully make it easier to find the information you're looking for! If you have any bookmarks saved that point to the old pages, we would recommend updating these to the new pages.Happy querying!

Hey folks! I wanted to share a piece of community art we created with the help of our design team, inspired by a real thread in our forums. ✨This particular thread stood out to me because of how many of you jumped in to share creative ways to streamline organizing racks within your inventories. What made it even more special was that the conversation naturally evolved into identifying a product gap—a lack of location hierarchy visualization—and ultimately led to a submitted Idea in our portal.Even though we didn’t land on a perfect workaround, it was still an incredibly valuable moment. You validated each other’s frustrations, collaborated on possible solutions, and sparked a product idea that could make life easier for so many admins and users. That's the magic of community right there.Just a little proud Community Manager moment 💙If there are other threads that give you that warm-and-fuzzy feeling and deserve the community comic treatment, drop them in the comments—I’d love to bring

We’ve taken steps to improve the Notebook experience by increasing table limits and in doing this we have also been able to improve the table display, performance, navigation, and export functionality in the Notebook. Here’s a look at what’s new:  Table limits are increasing from 500 rows to 1,000 rows Rows are added with an Add row button that has a numeric input field Tables have a fixed width and height to keep content structured and readable Table adjust to fit more data while staying easy to navigate, a scroll bar appears when tables exceed a certain height so you can browse without resizing, and you can scroll past tables smoothly without minimizing them Tables exceeding 500 rows will be exported as attached CSV files Large tables will be rendered as collapsed tables with the table name visible when you export an entry as a PDF The updates that are being introduced are currently in limited availability (LA), if you’d like to opt-in to using this feature while it is in LA, please

This holiday season, I’m especially grateful for our incredible product team. Your dedication to the community makes this space dynamic, impactful, and truly special.Thank you for always being so responsive to my messages, indulging my wildest ideas, and serving as amazing advocates for the Benchling product. Your hard work and passion do not go unnoticed.✨No coal for any of you this year—just stockings full of gratitude and cheer!✨Happy holidays from the Benchling Online Community!​@ShawnaWolverton ​@Kyle ​@salil ​@lilyhelfrich ​@madison.fletcher ​@Tori Ehrhardt ​@borisatbenchling ​@ankita_dhar ​@Chandler ​@Christian Arca ​@clare ​@Dane Pieri ​@ElisOl ​@Jesse Coffey ​@pilar_sterne ​@Judi Manley ​@maggie.sheldon ​@bioitnaris ​@nick.floeck ​@tina.arantes ​@rimas ​@James Pycock ​@derek 

Hey folks--just a little update but you now have the ability to subscribe to our events on the Community. You’ll get a handy dandy email whenever we post a new event so you never miss one! Check it out and subscribe today on the events page! 

It’s Security Awareness Month here at Benchling and our security team created some excellent graphics to help us remember security tips!🔒🤐Do our community members have any other security tips they can share?