You can specify an automatic numbering pattern for generating individual record IDs for custom objects. A pattern can consist of a combination of the following elements:
•The date when the project is created
•A sequential number, which differentiates a particular project from the other projects created on the same day
•Any static information, such as a department name or special characters used as format separators
1.Open the Unique ID tab of the appropriate custom object definition. 2.Select the By using automatic numbering option. The Auto Numbering Pattern section appears at the bottom of the screen.
 Auto Numbering Pattern Settings 3.Fill in the appropriate fields as described in the Auto Numbering Pattern Settings table. 4.Select the format for displaying the project hyperlink. 5.Click Save. TeamConnect uses the new auto numbering pattern to assign a number to each new custom object record.
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If you change the auto numbering pattern of an object definition, any existing records keep the previous unique identifier conventions until users update the records, at which point the new auto numbering pattern is used.
Updating the auto numbering pattern does not count as updating the object definition, so record locking is not enforced. However, updating other fields of the object definition causes an optimistic locking error.
The following table describes the auto numbering pattern settings.
Field or control
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Description
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Make Number field read-only
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Select this check-box to make the project number uneditable.
Important: If the number is editable, the user will have the ability to modify the number. These manual changes will take precedence over the automatic pattern.
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Next Sequence Number
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Enter a starting number for the sequential part of the auto numbering pattern. By default it is set to 0 or, if auto numbering has already been enabled, the next number in the sequence.
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Pattern
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Enter a pattern for the number, using any of the following elements:
•Alphanumeric characters •Special characters, such as $, &, *, ~. •Spaces •Dates •Sequence characters (see the buttons below) |
Year
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With the cursor in the Pattern field, click this button to add a two- or four-digit year to the Pattern, for example, \Y\Y.
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Month
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With the cursor in the Pattern field, click this button to add a two-digit month to the Pattern, for example, \M\M.
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Day
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With the cursor in the Pattern field, click this button to add a two-digit day to the Pattern, for example, \D\D.
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Sequence
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With the cursor in the Pattern field, click this button to add a multi-digit sequential number to the Pattern, for example, \S\S\S\S\S\S\S.
It is a good idea to base the number of digits that you include in the sequence on the number of records that are created in a day. For example, if your organization creates 100 claims per day, you might want to consider making the sequence consisting of three digits (\S\S\S).
Important: You must include the sequence part into the Pattern, to make sure that the project number is unique.
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When displaying a CustomObject link, show
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Select the appropriate choice button to specify which format to use when displaying record hyperlinks of the object in other object records. See Project Link Display Format.
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