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The sequence number is an integer value assigned sequentially per class. For example, two issue classes named Service Request and Enhancement would each have their own series of sequence numbers starting with the initial value set when the class is created in the IssueNet Architect. Once a class has been created, the starting sequence number is made read-only to prevent the starting sequence number from being reset to a value which would generate numbers which duplicated existing records. By allocating a series of sequence numbers per class, users working in different business process can each have a consistent series identification numbers for their issue, task, and other items types which is free of gaps.
There are also instances in which it is useful to have item IDs which are unique across all classes. This type of ID would allow users to search for items by ID regardless of its type. For this type of ID IssueNet provides the Name property and the Name Mask.
The item name is an alphanumeric property which can be auto populated by the name mask set for the class. The name mask can accept both constants and variables. This ability to format the name based on constants and variables enables a range of naming conventions. For example, in out of the box IssueNet solutions, the task name is a combination of the sequence number of the issue the task is linked to plus the sequence number of the task. The name mask is formatted as:
$(WorkflowIssue.SequenceNum).(WorkflowTask.SequenceNum)
This name mask will be resolved when the item is inserted into the database to a name with the form of 212.2112. This name is unique regardless of task type. However, users reporting on specific task types will still have a consistent series of sequence numbers to report on.
This same technique can be applied to other items such as issues. For example, suppose that an organization is using IssueNet to track three different classes of issue:
- Service Request
- Defect
- Enhancement
Each issue will have its own series of sequence numbers. However, the sequence numbers can be made unique through the name mask.
Taking the above three classes as an example, say you wanted to distinguish Service Request issues as distinct from Enhancement and Defect issues. One way to do this would be to prefix a unique code such as SR to the sequence numbers of Service Request issues. To do this, launch the IssueNet Architect and logon to your solution. In the Data Source Explorer, navigate to the Classes | Issue | ServiceRequest node and open the class form for editing. On the General, tab enter the following in the Name Mask field and then update the changes to the database:
SR-$(SequenceNum)
By adding the above value in the Name Mask field, all Service Request issues will now be identified with the prefix SR- such as SR-2112.
After you have amended the name mask for the Service Request issue, you will want to make the Name property visible in the IssueNet Client. To do this, use the Data Source Explorer to navigate to the List View Definitions node and edit the list view definition for Issue to include the Name property.
Once you have made the above changes in the IssueNet Architect, your users will then be able to add the Name column to their user-defined column layout in the IssueNet Client’s Tools | Options |Column Layout option.
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