Start PLR Cookbook

[BioCam]

Hi everyone,

It is time to share code...

One of the most common requests for PyLabRobot is providing code that can be taken by anyone - including AI training 👀 - to accelerate user's development of new automated Protocols (aPs) by building on existing code.

Here I am starting the PyLabRobot "Cookbook":

a curated collection of concise, modular code examples that demonstrate practical solutions to common lab automation challenges. Each recipe is short, focused, and reusable - designed to help you apply specific PyLabRobot features in real-world contexts. Rather than full experimental protocols, these examples aim to inspire, teach, and accelerate your own automation workflows.

Showcase of the new section's interface:

Screen.Recording.2025-10-23.at.21.58.52.mov

[BioCam]

1. New Cookbook recipes can simply be added to the pylabrobot/docs/cookbook/recipes/ directory (I recommend in Jupyter Notebook format).

2. To generate a new recipe card add the following to pylabrobot/docs/cookbook/index.rst:

.. plrcard::
   :header: Move plate to Alpaqua magnet using CORE grippers
   :card_description: Learn about...<br>
    • Resource movement using CORE grippers<br>
    • Resource position check using grippers<br>
    • PLR autocorrection of plate placement onto PlateAdapter/magnet
   :image: _static/cookbook_img/recipe_01_core_move_static.png
   :image_hover: _static/cookbook_img/recipe_01_core_move.gif
   :link: recipes/star_movement_plate_to_alpaqua_core.html
   :tags: ResourceMovement PlateAdapter HamiltonSTAR

and in the same file add the reference:

.. -----------------------------------------
.. Page TOC
.. -----------------------------------------
.. toctree::
   :maxdepth: 2
   :hidden:

   recipes/star_movement_plate_to_alpaqua_core

---

If you want to add new tags:

1. add the tag into the plrcard above
2. add a new line into pylabrobot/docs/_templates/plr_card_grid.html:

<div class="plr-card-filter">
  <div class="plr-tag-buttons plr-filter-menu">
    <div class="plr-filter-btn active" data-tag="All">All</div>
    <div class="plr-filter-btn" data-tag="ResourceMovement">Resource Movement</div>
    <div class="plr-filter-btn" data-tag="PlateAdapter">PlateAdapter</div>
    <div class="plr-filter-btn" data-tag="HamiltonSTAR">Hamilton STAR(let)</div>
  </div>
</div>