Signals Notebook: ID Value in Samples Table Is Changeable and Not Permanently Fixed

Problem

Although the ID column in a Samples Table cannot be edited directly, the ID value can change indirectly when the sample's Name property is modified on the detail page.

Fig. 1: In the Samples Table, you can't edit sample IDs.

Fig. 2: You can edit the Name property on the detail page, which results in changing the ID of the sample.

Solution

This behavior is by design. Internally, a sample's Name value is its ID — so updating the Name is equivalent to updating the ID.

If you do not want IDs to change in the Samples Table, avoid changing the Name value of samples.