SBOL Canvas

SBOL Canvas is the external visual design application for creating, editing, and inspecting genetic constructs with SBOL data and SBOL Visual glyphs.

• You have a validated SBOL design and want to inspect it visually.
• You want to edit or export a genetic design inside Canvas itself.
• You received SeqTrainer's optional SBOL2 RDF/XML .rdf compatibility file.

• You only have SeqTrainer's canonical SBOL3 .nt file for the documented Canvas path.
• You need biological validation of promoter predictions.
• You expect perfect automatic layout without manual inspection.

For the SeqTrainer handoff, prepare the optional SBOL2 RDF/XML compatibility file, often named annotated_sbol2.rdf. Keep the canonical SBOL3 annotated.nt file for machine exchange and validation records.

Import and editing happen inside the separate SBOL Canvas application. Seq Design Buddy does not embed Canvas or upload files to it.

1. 1Download or locate the validated SBOL2 .rdf compatibility file.
2. 2Open SBOL Canvas.
3. 3Use File -> Import in Canvas.
4. 4Select the validated .rdf file.
5. 5Inspect the genetic design and glyphs.
6. 6Check that promoter, source, deposited, and predicted features appear where expected.
7. 7Save or export changes from Canvas itself.

Canvas output depends on what you save or export inside Canvas. Seq Design Buddy does not create a Canvas file. The incoming SeqTrainer compatibility file is .rdf, while the canonical SBOL3 exchange file remains .nt.

• Canvas imports the .rdf file without a blocking import failure.
• The plasmid backbone and feature glyphs are visible enough to inspect.
• Warnings about child components without their own sequences are not always blocking when the parent plasmid contains the full sequence.

• Uploading .nt instead of the .rdf compatibility file can fail for this workflow.
• Canvas may import valid data but still need manual layout cleanup.
• If import fails, re-check the file in SBOL Validator and inspect the source export warnings.

Use Canvas to visually inspect the design and export any final diagram or design file from Canvas itself. Treat the visualization as a design review step, not as biological proof that a predicted promoter works.

The official repository's supported standalone deployment is documented on its final branch. It contains separate frontend and backend setup instructions. Follow its current README rather than copying commands from an older branch.