Fig. 3

IDGenerator graphical user interface. The interface is organized in four compartments in-line with the four workflow steps: (1) Select and sort blocks: The respective blocks can be selected from an available list and then sorted. (2) Specify parameters: Provide a study name (for the directory naming, number or characters, no spaced allowed), a study center name (number or character, no spaced allowed), track name(s) (number or characters, no space allowed, multiple tracks separated by semicolons), the number of subjects for which IDs are requested (per track, in the case of multiple tracks separated by semicolons), random number length (values between 2 and 9), visit name (numbers between 1–9 or characters, not allowed are “i", “e”, “o” or special characters, case sensitive, default visit is 1), and the algorithm to create check digits. (3) Specify the task. When the program is used for the first time in a study, the first task is necessarily task 1 “Create IDs”. (4) Submit entries and generate IDs. After pressing the “START” button, the software will start computing the IDs (duration depending on chosen settings). A progress bar will show the percentage of generated IDs