SnapGene is a user-friendly molecular biology software that enables researchers to plan, visualize, and document their procedures seamlessly. SnapGene (v4.2 and above) integrates with LabArchives, allowing users to export files directly from SnapGene into their LabArchives Notebooks. You can also open and re-save files from within LabArchives, preserving file version history. To learn more about SnapGene, please review the user guide here.
SnapGene and LabArchives supports a wide range of molecular biology file formats for seamless import and export. Below is a list of compatible file types:
| File Extension | Description |
|---|---|
.dna |
SnapGene native DNA file |
.seq |
Generic sequence file |
.xdna |
Vector NTI DNA file |
.clc |
CLC Genomics Workbench file |
.pdw/td |
DNAStar project file |
.cx5 |
Gene Construction Kit 5 file |
.cm5 |
Clone Manager 5 file |
.nucl |
4Peaks nucleotide sequence file |
.gcproj |
Geneious project file |
.cow |
CodonCode Aligner file |
.embl |
EMBL flat file format |
.gcc |
Genome Compiler file |
.fasta / .fa
|
FASTA format (nucleotide or protein) |
.gb / .gbk
|
GenBank file |
.sbd |
Sequencher project file |
.geneious |
Geneious file format |
Connecting and Saving SnapGene Files to LabArchives
To connect your SnapGene account to LabArchives, open SnapGene and go to:
- Windows: Edit → Preferences
- Mac: SnapGene (menu bar) → Preferences
Click the Files tab and then check the box: Enable file exchange with LabArchives.
Log in to LabArchives when prompted, and if using Single Sign-on for authentication, generate a token to use as your temporary password. Ensure the server is set to https://api.labarchives-gov.com.
Save a SnapGene file to LabArchives
After connecting SnapGene to your LabArchives account, open the File menu in the top-left corner of the SnapGene window and select Save to LabArchives. In the Save to LabArchives window, choose a page from your notebook and click Save to upload the file.
Open a file from LabArchives
After connecting SnapGene to your LabArchives account, you can open a SnapGene file saved in LabArchives by going to the File menu in the top-left corner and selecting Open File from LabArchives. In the Open from LabArchives window, navigate to the desired file and click Open to load it into SnapGene.
Viewing SnapGene Files in LabArchives
After a SnapGene or other supporting file type is added to a LabArchives notebook page, LabArchives automatically generates a visual preview of a compatible DNA sequence allowing you to quickly view genetic elements directly from a LabArchives page. For a more detailed view, select to open the document using the LabArchives SnapGene Viewer (the eye icon becomes visible when hovering over the image).
Once opened, the SnapGene Docs Viewer displays an interactive representation of your sequence. You can inspect genetic features, restriction sites, primers, and more.
To view details about a specific element (e.g., gene or primer), hover over the feature in the viewer for instant highlights and metadata.
View the tables below for information on the available controls in the SnapGene Docs Viewer.
Left-Side Menu
| Button | Function |
|---|---|
| Show enzymes | Toggle visibility of all restriction enzyme sites |
| Show features | Show/hide annotated sequence features |
| Show primers | Show/hide primer binding sites |
| Show translations | Toggle protein translation display |
| Show features on DNA line | Display features inline or offset from sequence |
| Show feature labels | Show or hide feature names |
| Show locations | Toggle genomic coordinate display |
| Show horizontal map | Switch between circular and linear views |
Bottom Menu
| Tab | Description |
|---|---|
| Map | Visual map of the sequence and annotations |
| Sequence | View nucleotide sequence with features and enzyme sites inline |
| Enzymes | List of restriction sites, recognition sequences, and number of cuts |
| Features | Table of all annotated features with positions and labels |
| Primers | Primer sequences, positions, and metadata |