Automatic Numbers MOD002838

Access

• Customizer → System Customizer → Automatic Numbers

Information

• In this module, configurations for generating automatic numbers (Ids) are managed. The configurations can also be managed per data table in the Data Dictionary module in which they are created. In contrast to the Data Dictionary module, the Automatic Numbers module, however, does not provide an option for having the automatic number configurations of several or even all data tables displayed at once in order to be able to quickly make necessary changes. Furthermore, the Automatic Numbers module is substantially more performant since not all data items of the data tables are loaded but only DIs for which automatic number generation has been set.

• Automatic IDs
  • Automatic IDs (automatic numbers) are not entered manually but they are generated by the system according to a particular rule.
  • An automatic ID is only created when all foreign key DIs of the record and, if available, all mandatory data fields are filled with valid values.

• Manual IDs
  • are allocated by the user him/herself.

Procedure

• Select the database schema of the DI for which the automatic number is to be edited via the listbox.
• All data tables of the database are displayed with the DIs for which automatic numbers have already been created.
• Edit the required parameters for automatic numbers.
• Save.
• Click on the Restart PLANTA service button so that the changes are applied.
  • Note: If you click on the menu item, all open client connections (sessions) are closed. During restart, new client connections are not possible.

Details

• The counter of the automatic numbering is managed separately for each database schema.
• The structural rules for automatic numbering are managed in the system database.

Example of numbers implying a sequence

• The sequence of note lines, e.g. in project notes
  • Since the PLANTA software is not a word processing system, note lines are stored as records in separate data tables.
  • The Project note data table contains the Notes = DT parameter = Y. The system automatically assigns and manages a count and position ID number for project note lines. This ID is never visible to the user (although it exists as Pos.data item in the Data Dictionary and must, though invisible to the user, be assigned to the modules with project note).
  • If, e.g., lines are inserted, PLANTA automatically updates the ID numbers of all note lines, and hence their sequence, without the user taking note of it.
• Sequence of data field access in a module
  • Only the visible position of the data field in the option modules is relevant for the user. The sequence is changed by moving the data fields.