Management of projects with multiple access and gradient table query?

Question

Hi all 
 
 I have inherited an Agilent system with OpenLab and am not an expert so would be grateful for some support. 
 
 Briefly, I have it setup so all staff can walk up, submit samples as single sample and jobs done! (similar to WalkUp). I have it setup for minimum user interaction with the results path defined as YYYYMMDD from the 'standard fields' available and all is single project - 'Chemistry' 
 
 However, I have been requested to have different samples for different 'projects' stored in different folders and wondered if setting up separate projects would assist with this? But my questions are: 
 
 1) Once connected and launching an instance of an instrument, can you switch between projects? Or, do you need to close the instance for one project, the open a new instance with the other to proceed with a different project? 
 2) Can users submit single samples from different projects and they be added to the same 'queue'?

My second question if I may is about the gradient table in the 'method' section of the pump in 'Acquisition' and using this to equilibrate a column. I wondered if I was to put a gradient in this table, how to I 'run it' to say, equilibrate a column? Is this possible? If not, do I have to create a method to equilibrate a column each time and run that?? 
 
 thank you all 
 
 Mark

Andy Wright · Answer

Hi Mark 
 It isn't possible to switch between projects in Data Acquisition, unfortunately. 
 It is possible to submit samples from separate instances of Data Acquisition to the same run queue. 
 There's no way to put an equilibration step into a method. Just need to run a separate method (non injection/instrument blank) before running each different method. 
 Agilent's Masshunter Walkup software will do this sort of thing, and is designed for easy access to the system for non-expert users. 
 /Andy