Using Formula to Create Autonumber

Welcome to the community, @Paul_Dezzutto!

Yes, there is an autonumber field type that you can choose.

Thanks, I don’t think I phrased the question very well. I’ve set up my primary formula with this: ‘EV-’&REPT(‘0’,{Leading Zeros}-LEN({Autonumber}&’’))&{Autonumber}
When a user submits a new record via a form view, the formula does pick up the 'Leading Zeros value. Can I set a static value for the Leading Zero in the formula?

@Paul_Dezzutto

I think the answer here is yes, based on what you are saying and the formula you showed us. I’m not sure what your {Leading Zeros} field is holding, but I assume it’s just a number representing the total length you want the numeric portion of your ID’s to be.

So if you want the numeric portion of your ID’s to always be 5 digits long…

00001
00002
02308
etc...

then you can just replace that reference to {Leading Zeros} with the number 5 – your formula will continue to behave the same way.

Is that what you were asking?

@Paul_Dezzutto

I think the answer here is yes, based on what you are saying and the formula you showed us. I’m not sure what your {Leading Zeros} field is holding, but I assume it’s just a number representing the total length you want the numeric portion of your ID’s to be.

So if you want the numeric portion of your ID’s to always be 5 digits long…

00001
00002
02308
etc...

then you can just replace that reference to {Leading Zeros} with the number 5 – your formula will continue to behave the same way.

Is that what you were asking?

This would be helpful for something I am doing, but obviously I’m missing something.

How are you creating the Autonumber field? That has to be a string and not a number in order to use the LEN formula, right?

Thanks.

Paul

@Paul_Burchfield

The Autonumber field is just that - an Autonumber field. Its value is an integer produced automatically, sequentially, and which cannot be edited.

In @Paul_Dezzutto’s formula, he is able to use the LEN() function on the Autonumber field because he is coercing the integer returned by that field into behaving like a string by concatenating it with an empty string inside the LEN() function.

Here’s his formula:

'EV-' &
REPT(
   '0',
   {Leading Zeros} -
   LEN({Autonumber} & '')
) &
{Autonumber}

Notice that inside the LEN() function he has {Autonumber} & '' – that & '' is concatenating an empty string onto the end of the integer returned by {Autonumber}, and doing that forces that integer into behaving like a string when it gets evaluated by LEN(). So LEN() is ultimately getting the length of the value in the {Autonumber} field if it were a string.

The latest version: ‘EV-’&REPT(‘0’,5-LEN({Autonumber}&’’))&{Autonumber}. The leading zeros will always be 5 digits.