---
title: "Annotations"
slug: "annotations"
updated: 2026-09-09T13:58:40Z
published: 2026-09-09T13:58:40Z
canonical: "docs.discngine.com/annotations"
---

> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.discngine.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Annotations

Annotations in Reference Data are attributes that can be added, deleted, or modified for one or more objects across multiple applications. This documentation explains what annotations are and how to manage them in Reference Data.

              
              

You can only add and edit annotations if you have the `Reference Data Administrator` role. Other users can only view the annotations (`Reference Data User`).

## Definitions

- **Annotations**: An annotation is an attribute that can be attached to one or more objects in one or more applications. You can annotate many objects from various applications.
- **Objects**: An object is the target of an annotation. It can be a material (like a plate) or something immaterial (like an assay result). Objects are defined by sub-applications (e.g., `Assay`, `Sample`) in Reference Data by a developer. An object in an application can have several annotations.
- **Types of Annotations**: Each annotation has a type:
  - Text
  - Number
  - Or is based on a **Vocabulary** defined in Reference Data.

## Accessing Annotations

From the Reference Data homepage, select `Annotations` in the side panel.

- This page displays all annotations for all applications.
- You can use the search bar and actions to filter and organize them as needed.

![Annotations home page](https://cdn.document360.io/dde9293e-c107-4b3e-9774-9c9c296ed970/Images/Setting/refdata-annot-home-page.png?sv=2026-02-06&spr=https&st=2026-11-10T20%3A30%3A52Z&se=2026-11-10T21%3A30%3A52Z&sr=c&sp=r&sig=o%2F8miL6%2BOPfpCHYQU3%2BMreQbWzqKyl9RJ1xZN6orVcU%3D)

## Create a New Annotation

From this page, to define a new annotation, click the `New Annotation` button at the top right corner of the annotation page. You will be redirected to a modal dialog where you can enter the following information:

- Name: The name of the annotation.
- Unique code: The code of the annotation. It must be unique across all applications.
- Type: The type of the annotation, which can be Text, Number, or Vocabulary.
- Source of values: If the type is Vocabulary, you must specify the source of values, usually `DNG Reference Data`.
- Controlled Vocabulary: If the type is Vocabulary, you must select the controlled vocabulary from which the values will be taken. See the [Vocabularies guide](/public/docs/vocabularies-overview) for more details on how to create and manage vocabularies.
- Target objects: The objects that can be annotated with this annotation. You can select one or more objects from the list of available objects.
  - For example, you can select `Plate` and `Well` in `Assay` to allow annotating plates and wells using this annotation.

![Create annotation](https://cdn.document360.io/dde9293e-c107-4b3e-9774-9c9c296ed970/Images/Setting/refdata-annot-create.png?sv=2026-02-06&spr=https&st=2026-11-10T20%3A30%3A52Z&se=2026-11-10T21%3A30%3A52Z&sr=c&sp=r&sig=o%2F8miL6%2BOPfpCHYQU3%2BMreQbWzqKyl9RJ1xZN6orVcU%3D)

Finally, click the `Create` button to create the annotation.

## Update an Annotation

To modify the name or target objects of an annotation:

- Click the `Edit` button next to the annotation name in the list of annotations.
- You will be redirected to a modal dialog where you can modify the name, description, and target objects.
- Click `Apply Changes` to save the modifications.

![Edit annotation](https://cdn.document360.io/dde9293e-c107-4b3e-9774-9c9c296ed970/Images/Setting/refdata-annot-edit.png?sv=2026-02-06&spr=https&st=2026-11-10T20%3A30%3A52Z&se=2026-11-10T21%3A30%3A52Z&sr=c&sp=r&sig=o%2F8miL6%2BOPfpCHYQU3%2BMreQbWzqKyl9RJ1xZN6orVcU%3D)

## Hide an Annotation

To delete an annotation, go to the edit panel. Then, remove all associated objects as described above, and click `Apply Changes`.

The annotation will be hidden in the system.

## Example for Assay

In the example above, an annotation `Invalidation Rules` has been created and associated with all the `Assay` objects (`Plate`, `Well`, any data).

Thanks to this action, the Run Designer in `Assay` can now add the `Invalidation Rules` annotation to all objects involved in a run.

In the image below, `Invalidation Rules` is available for them to link to the run. Here, they can add it to the aggregated data.

![Add annotation to Assay](https://cdn.document360.io/dde9293e-c107-4b3e-9774-9c9c296ed970/Images/Setting/refdata-annot-add-assay.png?sv=2026-02-06&spr=https&st=2026-11-10T20%3A30%3A52Z&se=2026-11-10T21%3A30%3A52Z&sr=c&sp=r&sig=o%2F8miL6%2BOPfpCHYQU3%2BMreQbWzqKyl9RJ1xZN6orVcU%3D)

Then, any aggregated data can be annotated with the `Invalidation Rules` annotation, as shown below. As it is a controlled vocabulary, the user can select one of the values defined in the controlled vocabulary and save it.

![Add annotation to Assay - screener](https://cdn.document360.io/dde9293e-c107-4b3e-9774-9c9c296ed970/Images/Setting/refdata-annot-add-assay-screener.png?sv=2026-02-06&spr=https&st=2026-11-10T20%3A30%3A52Z&se=2026-11-10T21%3A30%3A52Z&sr=c&sp=r&sig=o%2F8miL6%2BOPfpCHYQU3%2BMreQbWzqKyl9RJ1xZN6orVcU%3D)

Annotations can be difficult to understand at first, but they are a powerful way to add custom metadata to any object in the applications.

              
              

To learn more about how to use annotations in Assay, see the [Assay documentation](/public/docs/well-validation-design-modes#annotations).