Reference numbers: prefixes and next numbers

What a reference number sequence is

Every reference RecyclyERP generates for you - inbound orders, collections, quotes, sales orders, purchase orders, lots, items, returns and the rest - comes from a sequence. A sequence is three things:

• a prefix, the letters in front of the number, for example IB
• a counter, the number itself, which goes up by one each time a record is created
• a minimum number of digits, which pads the counter with leading zeros

Prefix IB, counter 67 and 5 digits gives IB00067. The next inbound order after that is IB00068.

You can also add a suffix after the number if you want one, for example /UK to give IB00067/UK. Most sequences do not need one.

Where to find the screen

Two routes, both to the same place:

• Users & Settings > Settings > Reference Numbers & IDs
• The Setup Assistant, under Advanced Configuration: "Configure reference number prefixes and next numbers"

You need to be an administrator to see it. The list shows only the references your business actually uses, so there is nothing on it you should not touch.

Changing a prefix

1. Open the sequence you want to change, for example Inbound Order Reference.
2. Change the Prefix box, for example from IB to JOB-.
3. Check the Preview Next 5 in Sequence box at the top. It updates as you type and shows exactly what the next five references will look like.
4. Press Save.

Records that already exist keep the reference they have. Changing a prefix only affects records created from now on, so an inbound order already numbered IB00067 stays IB00067 for ever. You will have a mix of old and new references, which is normal and is usually what you want - the change is visible in your own records rather than being rewritten out of history.

Moving the next number on, when you come from another system

This is the most common reason to touch this screen. If your old system had reached job number 4,820 and you want RecyclyERP to carry on from there rather than start at 1:

1. Open the sequence.
2. Set Next Number to the number you want the next record to take.
3. Check the preview, then Save.

Leave a gap. If your old system is still running, or you might create a few more records in it while you finish moving over, set the next number well clear of where the old one will finish - 5,000 rather than 4,821. Two systems both handing out 4,821 gives you two records with the same reference, and nothing will warn you at the time.

Only ever move the number forwards. Moving it backwards points the counter at numbers that have already been used, which produces duplicate references.

Putting the date in a reference

Type a placeholder from the legend at the bottom of the sequence screen into the Prefix or the Suffix. The common one is the year:

• a prefix of JOB/%(year)s/ gives JOB/2026/00001
• the legend lists the others - month, day, week of the year and so on

To start the numbering again at 1 each year rather than running on for ever, tick Numbering per Date Range. A table appears with one row per year, each with its own Next Number, and RecyclyERP creates the row for the current year automatically the first time it needs one. When you use date ranges, put %(range_year)s in the prefix rather than %(year)s, so a record dated late in December still shows the year its numbering belongs to.

Two things never to do

• Never move a Next Number backwards. It produces a reference that already exists on another record.
• Never change a Sequence Code, and never ask for a sequence in use to be archived. The code is how RecyclyERP finds the right sequence when it creates a record. If it no longer matches, new records silently stop getting a reference at all. The code is shown on the screen but cannot be edited, and that is deliberate.

The preview is there so you never have to guess

The Preview Next 5 in Sequence box at the top of every sequence shows the next five references as you type, before you save anything. If it does not look like what you expect, do not save. Nothing is used up by looking - the preview never takes a number.

If the preview says Invalid prefix or suffix, a placeholder has been mistyped: check it against the legend at the bottom of the screen. %(yaer)s instead of %(year)s is the usual culprit.

If you are not sure

Reference numbering is easy to change and awkward to undo, because the records created in between keep whatever they were given. If you are moving from another system and are not certain what to set, contact Recycly Support before you save - we would much rather answer a question than renumber your first month of jobs.