bug: opentrons_simulate cannot read custom labware from default app directory

[MarcelRobitaille]

Not so much a bug as a question: Where am I supposed to put custom labware? The GUI wants it in ~/.config/Opentrons/labware/custom_10_tuberack_10x15ml.json but the simulator wants it in ~/.opentrons/labware/v2/custom_definitions/quin/custom_10_tuberack_10x15ml/1.json.

I have read through every piece of documentation I could find on custom labware, but none seem to specify where to actually put the labware files:
https://github.com/Opentrons/opentrons/tree/edge/labware-designer
https://support.opentrons.com/en/articles/3136504-creating-custom-labware-definitions
https://support.opentrons.com/en/articles/3136501-what-is-a-labware-definition
https://support.opentrons.com/en/articles/1820316-creating-custom-labware-definitions-using-python-protocol-apiv1
https://docs.opentrons.com/v2/new_protocol_api.html#module-opentrons.protocol_api.labware
https://support.opentrons.com/en/articles/2687694-get-started-python-api-onboarding-protocol-tutorial

[mcous]

Hi @MarcelRobitaille, thanks for your question. I agree that this is a frustrating part of the Opentrons system. To get you going, though:

• For Protocol Designer protocols, all you need to do is upload the custom labware definitions via Protocol Designer and you are set
• For Python protocols, add them via the Opentrons App (to the default location or whatever location you have selected via the GUI)
• To simulate Python protocols with custom labware, use the -L, --custom-labware-path option of opentrons_simulate and enter the custom labware directory your app is set up to use
  • See opentrons_simulate --help for more details

If you add custom labware to the app, you must upload your Python protocol via the app, too. This is due to a pretty annoying limitation in robot's current protocol upload system. We're replacing this system over the next few releases, but if that limitation is a problem now, I would recommend reaching out via support chat for a different solution (feel free to reference this GH thread so I can fill in the support team).

Keeping this ticket open as a "documentation and experience needs improvement" issue

[MarcelRobitaille]

Thank you for your detailed answer.

I am still getting the same error with -L ~/.config/Opentrons/labware. Is it still looking for ~/.config/Opentrons/labware/namespace/name/version.json? Right now, my ~/.config/Opentrons/labware has no subfolders.

I understand that this is a big project and that good documentation is hard. Maybe for the short term, the simulate command could give some extra info in the error message?
Maybe instead of:

opentrons.protocols.execution.errors.ExceptionInProtocolError: FileNotFoundError [line 23]: Labware "custom_15ml_vial_rack" not found with version 1 in namespace "quin"

something like this:

Could not find "/path/to/where/the/file/is/expected". Maybe you need to use the -L flag?

[MarcelRobitaille]

Still no luck. I have a copy of my labware definition in ~/.config/Opentrons/labware/custom_15ml_vial_rack.json and another in ~/.config/Opentrons/labware/quin/custom_15ml_vial_rack/1.json.

The only error I am getting is the following, suggesting that it is still only looking in ~/.opentrons....
FileNotFoundError: [Errno 2] No such file or directory: '/home/marcel/.opentrons/labware/v2/custom_definitions/quin/custom_15ml_vial_rack/1.json'

[Matt-Zwimpfer]

MLM - not an immediate fix

[GimenezEGT]

Hi, there. I'm having the same problem.

input:
opentrons_simulate.exe Extracao_Bio_Gene_96.py --custom-labware-path C:\Users\enrico.gimenez\AppData\Roaming\Opentrons\labware
output:
FileNotFoundError [line 40]: Labware "CUSTOM LABWARE NAME" not found with version 1 in namespace "separation plate".

Is there any recommendation for this? I need to test it in siilco before running on equipament.

Thank you.

[SyntaxColoring]

Closing:

• The original question of "where do I put custom labware" has been answered, and this is documented in opentrons_simulate --help.
• I'm not sure why that wasn't working for @MarcelRobitaille, but I've just tested it and it appears to be working now. It's been a while, so there definitely might have been a bug that got fixed at some point.
• I suspect it wasn't working for @GimenezEGT because of a mistake in their load_labware() syntax. Their error message says namespace "separation plate", and I suspect "separation plate" was meant to be provided for the label argument, not the namespace argument.