Frequently Asked Questions

flyRoom is a web-based stock management platform designed specifically for Drosophila research labs. It replaces spreadsheets with purpose-built tools for tracking stocks, planning crosses, printing labels, and collaborating across institutions.

Any lab that maintains Drosophila stocks — from small groups with a few hundred vials to large facilities with thousands of lines. flyRoom works for PIs, postdocs, PhD students, and lab technicians alike.

No. flyRoom runs entirely in the browser — just go to app.flyroom.net and sign up. The only optional install is the flyprint desktop agent, if you want automatic label printing from a USB-connected printer.

Yes. All data is stored on servers in Germany (EU), transmitted over HTTPS, and fully isolated between labs — no other lab can see your data. Passwords are hashed with bcrypt. You can export your entire lab database at any time from the admin settings. See our Privacy Policy for details.

Each stock records a stock ID, full genotype, optional shortname (a brief phenotype description), origin (repository, internal, or external), notes, and physical location (tray and position). You can also assign an owner (the lab member responsible for maintenance) and control visibility for collaborator sharing.

Trays represent your physical storage containers (racks, boxes, shelves). Each tray supports three position schemes:

• Numeric — simple numbered positions (1, 2, 3…) for racks
• Grid — row-column positions (A1, A2, B1, B2…) for array-style containers
• Custom — user-defined position names for non-standard setups

Each tray also shows the flip status of its stocks at a glance, making it easy to spot which trays need attention.

Yes. You can create colour-coded tags to organise stocks by project, phenotype, experiment, or any other category. The stock list can be filtered by tag, tray, owner, flip status, and free-text search.

Flipping is when you transfer flies to fresh food. flyRoom lets you record each flip with a single click and tracks how long ago each stock was last flipped. Stocks are colour-coded by status:

• OK — recently flipped
• Warning — approaching the maintenance threshold
• Critical — overdue for flipping

The thresholds are configurable per lab (defaults: warning at 21 days, critical at 31 days).

flyRoom sends weekly email digests to lab admins listing all stocks in warning or critical status. This ensures nothing slips through the cracks, even if nobody checks the dashboard for a few days.

Yes. Each printed label includes a QR code. Scanning the QR code takes you directly to the stock page where you can record a flip with a single tap — ideal for use at the bench with a phone or tablet.

flyRoom provides a guided wizard to plan crosses step by step. You select parent stocks (female and male), describe the target genotype, and set expected timelines. The system tracks each cross through its lifecycle: planned, in progress, completed, or failed.

Countdown timers show when crosses are due for flipping (default: 5 days) and virgin collection (default: 12 days), with overdue alerts for missed deadlines.

When completing a cross, you can designate offspring as:

• New stock — permanently added to your stock collection
• Intermediate — used for further breeding in a subsequent cross
• Ephemeral — discarded after screening

flyRoom includes AI-assisted features powered by a large language model. Currently this is used to suggest shortnames (brief phenotype descriptions) from full genotype strings. AI-powered genotype prediction for cross outcomes is planned for a future release. AI features are available on the Pro plan.

You can search and import from all major Drosophila stock centres:

• BDSC (Bloomington Drosophila Stock Center)
• VDRC (Vienna Drosophila Resource Center)
• Kyoto DGRC
• NIG-Fly (National Institute of Genetics, Japan)
• DGRC Indiana
• FlyORF (Zurich)
• TRIP (Harvard)
• Exelixis (Harvard)

The search runs against a local copy of FlyBase data — no data is sent to external servers.

Yes. flyRoom supports bulk import from CSV and Excel files. A column-mapping wizard lets you match your spreadsheet columns to flyRoom fields. The system validates data before import, detects duplicates, and auto-generates stock IDs if needed.

Yes. You can export your stock list to CSV or Excel at any time. Lab admins can also download a full backup of all lab data (stocks, crosses, trays, tags, flip history, and print jobs) as a JSON file.

flyRoom supports two families of thermal label printers:

• Brother QL series (e.g., QL-700 for USB, QL-820NWB for WiFi/Bluetooth) — using DK-22205 continuous labels cut to 25 × 62mm
• Dymo LabelWriter (e.g., LabelWriter 400) — using 11352 address label rolls (25 × 54mm)

Both produce labels with a QR code (or barcode) and stock information including genotype, source, location, and date.

flyprint is a small desktop agent that bridges the web app to your USB-connected label printer. It runs on Linux, Windows, and macOS, pairs with the web app automatically using a one-time code, and polls for print jobs in the background. When you click “Print” in flyRoom, the label appears on your printer within seconds.

For Android tablets, a companion app connects to Brother QL printers over WiFi or Bluetooth.

Yes. If no print agent is online, flyRoom generates a PDF that opens in your browser’s print dialog. You can then print to any connected printer. The agent simply makes the process one-click and automatic.

You choose. QR codes are the default — they link directly to the stock page in flyRoom and can be scanned with any phone camera for instant flip logging. Barcodes (Code128) are also available for labs that prefer a linear format.

Yes. Each lab (tenant) can have multiple users with different roles:

• Admin — full access to all settings, billing, and user management
• Lab Manager — can manage stocks, crosses, and lab settings
• Researcher — can create and edit stocks and crosses

Admins can invite new members by email. The Free plan supports up to 2 users, Lite up to 5, and Pro up to 15.

You can control the visibility of each stock: lab-only (private), organisation-wide, or public (visible on the exchange). Other labs can browse public stocks and request them. Stock requests go through an approval workflow — you decide whether to accept or decline.

Yes. The Free plan includes up to 2 users, 200 stocks, FlyBase import, and label printing — forever, no credit card needed. Every new account also gets a 3-month free trial of all paid features so you can try everything before deciding.

Lite adds more users (5), more stocks (2,000), and community sharing. Pro adds even more capacity (15 users, unlimited stocks), plus AI features and priority support. See the pricing section for full details.

Billing is handled by Paddle, our Merchant of Record. They handle payments, invoicing, VAT/tax, and compliance. Prices are shown in your local currency. We never store your credit card details.

flyRoom works in any modern browser. Our recommended setup is a basic computer running Linux (Ubuntu or Manjaro) with a USB label printer and optionally a barcode scanner.

• Label printer (highly recommended) — enables barcode labels on every vial for fast scanning and tracking
• Barcode scanner (optional) — speeds up stock lookups and flip logging but not strictly required

Supported printers:

• Brother QL-700 (~£40–60) — USB, cheapest option, recommended for desktop setups
• Brother QL-820NWB (~£120–280) — WiFi + Bluetooth, recommended for Android tablet setups
• Dymo LabelWriter 400 (~£80–160) — USB, great Linux/CUPS support

Depending on your printer:

• Brother — DK-22205 (62mm × 30.48m continuous paper roll). The printer auto-cuts each label to 25mm.
• Dymo — 11352 Address Label Rolls (25 × 54mm, pre-cut).

Both are widely available and inexpensive. Third-party compatible rolls work fine.

Yes. flyRoom works well on tablet browsers. Pair it with a Brother QL-820NWB for wireless printing over WiFi or Bluetooth directly from the tablet — no desktop computer needed. The Android flyprint app handles the printer connection.

Email us at support@flyroom.net. Pro plan users get priority support.

Absolutely. flyRoom is actively developed and shaped by feedback from real fly labs. Email your suggestions to support@flyroom.net.