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Getting started

Logging in

Go to your institution's BioShare address and sign in with your email address and password. The login form labels the first field "Email" for that reason — there is no separate username.

If you have never used BioShare before, you do not need to register. When someone shares data with you, an account is created and you are emailed a link along with your initial credentials. If you no longer have them, use the Forgot password? Reset it link on the login page.

Repeated failed logins are throttled

Sign-in attempts are rate limited. If you get the password wrong several times in a row you will be locked out briefly — wait rather than continuing to retry.

The home page

After logging in you land on the list of every share you can see: both shares you own and shares other people have shared with you.

The home page, listing available shares

Choosing columns

The Columns panel above the table controls which fields are displayed. Tick or untick any of Share, Description, Tags, Owner, Users, Groups, Created, Modified, Files and Size. Your choice persists as you move around the table.

Sorting and filtering

  • Sort by clicking a column header. Click it again to reverse the direction.
  • Filter by typing into the box beneath a column header. The table updates as you type, and filters on different columns combine.
  • Show advanced filters opens additional criteria for narrowing the list further.

If a filter matches more results than fit on one page, the table is paginated and the total is shown beneath it.

The sidebar

The sidebar appears on every page once you are logged in.

  • Search shares — start typing a share name and matching shares are suggested.
  • My latest shares — shares you created most recently.
  • Recently shared with me — shares other people have given you access to.

Entries are shown in red with a warning icon when there is a problem with the share, for example when the folder behind it can no longer be found on the server. Hover over the entry to see why.

Finding a specific file

To search inside a share rather than across the share list, open the share and use its Search tab — see Browsing a share.

Where to go next