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tags: Electronic lab books
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# Electronic lab book
## Round-the-table discussion
**Elise**: Writing in a word document which has pros and cons
Maybe start with the template from the electronic labbook?
**Tessa**: ELN Electronic Lab Book (with login)
A system for keeping track of experiments but not the actual code
An important feature is to lock notes
**Rui**: No personal experience from systems.
Has used RMd continuously through his PhD
**Olle**: Writing down code and assumptions in word document
**Anton**: No experience from tracing code or using electronic labbooks
## Features
Locking in stuff in notebook (Tessa)
Automate backup / storage / system for R scripts -> versioning system
**Structure for labbook (work in progress)**:
- Project
- Experiment
- Specific aim of experiment
- Repository
- Scripts
- Indata
- Outdata
- Notes
## Suggestions
- Separate the notebook from the actual code
- Use a dedicated labbook software (in LabArchive; Chalmers system) to keep track of computer science experiments with references to code repository and file (script and data files)
- Use versioning system (git or SVN) to keep track of scripts and their version history
Question: What repository? `git` at github/gitlab or `SVN` at Chalmers server?
Pro for Chalmers: Own control over files
Con for Chalmers: Maybe problematic to have external collaborators?
- Preference of RMd format over .R to keep code readable / understandable
## Resource
Recorded seminar on git / repo / push
SOP on git / repo / push
SOP lab notebook system and integration with git / versioning
## Action list
- Make a computer lab note template
- Invesstigate git vs SVN
- in general
- possibilities at Chalmers
- Possible with external collaborators?