XAct: a program for construction, automated setup and bookkeeping of crystallization experiments

Abstract

XActis a stand-alone application for Microsoft Windows™ 95/98 that, through a spreadsheet-like interface, allows the user to construct crystallization experiments in a highly flexible way. The object-oriented data structure helps to maintain an overview of many experiments and provides reusable stock and tray objects. The program features a hardware interface that enables automatic setup of experiments by use of a Gilson 222 autosampler (Gilson Inc., Wisconsin, USA). Additionally, experimental information can be imported from external spreadsheets and World Wide Web applications.