Module: LIMS v1.4.0
Lab Information Management System — sample tracking, test methods, and laboratory operations for BIXCRM
Screen-by-screen guides (each tab explained)
Click a menu item below for step-by-step instructions on that LIMS screen:
- Lab Dashboard
- Laboratories
- Test Categories
- Test Methods
- Sample Types
- Samples
- Work Queue
- QC Review Queue
- Reports & COA
- Integrations
- Settings
How to use in BIXCRM (daily operations)
- Sign in to the admin area with a role that includes LIMS permissions.
- Open Lims (sidebar) or search for LIMS in the admin menu.
- Start on the Dashboard (if available) to see open tasks, pending approvals, and KPIs.
- Review Settings after upgrades — new options may need defaults for your company.
- Create or import master data first; most modules block transactions until masters exist.
- Run the main business flow (create → submit → approve → post/complete) using the screens listed in Admin menu below.
- Use Reports / Analytics screens to reconcile stock, finance, compliance, or SLA metrics.
- For integrations (API, EDI, gateways, tax), confirm credentials in Settings and monitor logs or webhook delivery screens.
- Train staff with role-based access — give approvers approve permissions only, operators create/edit on their area.
- If something fails overnight, check BIXCRM cron ran and open the module log / failed queue screen if present.
Admin menu — where to work
Open the LIMS section in the admin sidebar. Screens your staff may use (depending on role):
- API Keys
- Bulk Import
- Integrations
- Lab Dashboard
- Laboratories
- Lab Samples
- QC Approval
- QC Review Queue
- Reports & COA
- Samples
- Sample Types
- Settings
- Test Categories
- Test Methods
- Test Results
- Webhooks
- Work Queue
Detailed guide — features, workflows, API & FAQ
Feature Summary
| Phase | Features |
|---|---|
| ------- | ---------- |
| 1 | Labs, test categories, sample types, test methods, dashboard |
| 2 | Sample registration, chain of custody, barcodes |
| 3 | Test assignment, work queue, result entry, QC workflow |
| 4 | COA PDF, test reports, client portal, CSV/Excel export |
| 5 | REST API, webhooks, invoice linking, inventory reagents, bulk import, multi-plant |
REST API
Base URL: {site}/lims/lims_api
Auth: Authorization: Bearer {token} or X-LIMS-API-Key: {token}
| Method | Endpoint |
|---|---|
| -------- | ---------- |
| GET | /samples, /samples/{id} |
| POST | /samples |
| GET | /test_methods, /test_methods/{id} |
| GET | /results/{sample_id} |
Manage keys: LIMS → Integrations → API Keys
Webhooks
Events: sample.completed, result.approved
Headers: X-LIMS-Event, X-LIMS-Signature: sha256={hmac}
Manage: LIMS → Integrations → Webhooks
Optional Module Integrations
| Module | Enhancement |
|---|---|
| -------- | ------------- |
| Inventory Management | Reagent consumption per test method |
| Multi-Plant Management | Plant scoping on samples |
| BIXCRM Invoices | Bill sample tests to client |
Permissions
Dashboard, Labs, Categories, Methods, Sample Types, Samples, Results, QC, Reports, Integrations, API Keys, Webhooks, Bulk Import, Settings — see Staff Permissions after activation.
Features
Lab Information Management System — sample tracking, test methods, and laboratory operations for BIXCRM
See README.md in the module folder for the complete feature list.
Permissions
Granular staff capabilities are registered on activation. Assign them under Setup → Staff → Roles for the LIMS capability group.
Typical capabilities include view, create, edit, delete, plus module-specific actions (approve, export, settings, API access).
Cron Jobs
Background tasks (if enabled) run through BIXCRM's main cron. Example crontab (every 5 minutes):
* * * * * php /path/to/bixcrm/index.php cron/index > /dev/null 2>&1
Check module settings for scheduled jobs (alerts, sync, reports, retention).
After activation — configuration checklist
- Go to Setup → Modules and activate LIMS.
- If prompted, click Upgrade Database or reload admin — migrations run automatically.
- Assign permissions under Setup → Staff → Roles.
- Open the module menu and configure settings.
- BIXCRM 3.0+
- PHP 7.4+ (8.1+ recommended)
- MySQL 5.7+ / MariaDB 10.3+ (InnoDB)
- PHP extensions: mysqli, json, mbstring, curl, fileinfo
One-time setup (first time only)
- Setup → Modules → activate LIMS.
- Setup → Staff → Roles → assign LIMS permissions (view, create, edit, delete, approve, export, settings as needed).
- Open LIMS → Settings and complete company defaults, prefixes, integrations, and notification options.
- Create master data (warehouses, products, templates, accounts, routes, etc.) before processing live transactions.
- Enable BIXCRM cron (
php /path/to/bixcrm/index.php cron/index) for sync, retries, alerts, and scheduled jobs. - Optionally enable REST API / webhooks in module settings if you integrate external systems.
BIXCRM Knowledge Base — usage guide generated from module README and documentation.