Katalyst: Plate templates accidentally overwritten

Description

• Users modify existing plate templates when they intended to create a new one.
• As a result, standard templates get changed, affecting future experiments.
• There is no obvious revert/undo for template edits.

Solution

• Governance for templates:
  • Restrict who can edit or create plate templates (e.g., only admins or designated power users).
  • Maintain a “master” set of plate templates under stricter control, with separate “user” templates if needed.
• Usage pattern:
  • Instruct users to:
    • Copy an existing template to a new name before making changes, rather than editing the original.
    • Use versioned names (e.g., “96w_Generic_v2”).
• Recovery:
  • If a template is accidentally changed:
    • Restore it from backup if available (DB backup or exported configuration).
    • Or manually re‑create the original version based on documentation or example experiments.
• Documentation:
  • Keep a catalog of official templates (names, layouts, owners) so accidental changes are easier to detect and correct.