Automatic Project Numbering Using Reference Number

[DaveBr5]

I'm setting up automatic project numbering using the last four digits of the reference number. This is the formula I'm using:

CONCAT("G24_" + TRIM(RIGHT("0000" + STRING({referenceNumber}), 4)))

This works except for one problem, It pulls in the last four characters, of which one is the separating comma: G24_,709

I don't understand why it's adding in the comma when it does not have a comma separator when I view the Reference Number in the project overview.

Reference Number
93709

Is there something I can write into the formula to eliminate the comma so it just gives me the last four digits?

[skyehansen]

I'm not sure why you put the STRING command in there? Why would you not just use

CONCAT("G24_" + TRIM(RIGHT("0000" + {referenceNumber}, 4)))

(also not sure why the 0000 and TRIM were necessary but I left that in since it didn't seem harmful)

[DaveBr5]

Thank you @skyehansen! That worked. I went round and round with that code yesterday. Thanks for the assistance.

[DaveBr5]

@skyehansen - Would there be a way to adjust that formula so that it didn't use the reference number but started at 0001 each year and counted up with every new project created? So, something that would produce a result like G24_0001, G24_0002, etc.?

[skyehansen]

You would need Fusion for this.

[RandyRoberts]

I tried something like this when I first started in WF, not knowing those numbers would duplicate for every 10,000 objects created.

[VicSellers]

Hi @RandyRoberts - Do you know if there is any documentation on the recycling of reference numbers? I can't seem to locate it now, but do recall what you're saying in that they recycle it after a certain number is hit.

[RandyRoberts]

No they don't recycle them at all. If you're only using the last 4 characters and the actual reference number is say 5 characters then the last 4 characters will repeat every 10,000 iterations even after they've iterated into 6, 7, and 8 figures.

Example:

10001

20001

30001

40001

110001

10020001

6594630001

76184359740001

they are still unique numbers but since you're only using the last 4 they are the same.

[JamesMa4]

Hi @RandyRoberts  I'm looking to do something similar and shorten our project numbering digits as much as possible. If we wanted to go from the six digit reference number down to three, it would repeat every 1,000 iterations, correct? And are reference numbers unique to the objects (meaning I'd only have to worry about repeating every 1,000 projects and not 1,000 projects plus tasks and issues)?

Thank you!

[RandyRoberts]

Everything gets a reference number. Every object in Workfront, no matter what it is. That's why all your project reference numbers are not consecutive.

Our ref numbers were fairly short when we first got Workfront,; maybe 4 or 5 characters. After 2 years, they were in the millions. I would not recommend using them for job numbers. If you appended some kind of date marker and maybe a client marker you could minimise potential repeats but then your job numbers would be pretty long.

[JamesMa4]

Ah, thanks Randy. Good to know the reference numbers are shared across objects. We actually use the last 2 digits of the fiscal year in front of our project numbers which will help, but we won't shorten the reference number part too much if at all. 

[AmyHa7]

If everything gets a reference number could this be why when we change an issue into a project, the project has a different reference number? And why would it happen some times but not all times?