Formatting Column Table

General
1

Hello,

I would like to understand the best way to implement a unique identifier column in a Backendless table that follows a specific format. For example, I want the identifier to be structured as “year-sequence number” (e.g., 2024-00001).

Thank you for your assistance!

Regards,
Manuel

2

Hello @Manuel_Germano,

You can use Event Handlers (Before Create) for this:

Снимок экрана 2024-10-08 в 18.10.51
Снимок экрана 2024-10-08 в 18.10.511258×986 41.6 KB

which will trigger when a new record is created, and you can generate a unique ID based on, for example, the previous value of an AUTO NUMBER (AUTO INCREMENT) column.

Regards,
Alexander

3

Great!
Thank you @Alexander_Pavelko.
Regards,
Manuel

4

Hello again,

I’ve been exploring the “generated column” feature and have encountered a couple of limitations:

  • Generated columns cannot reference an auto-increment field.
  • Generated columns don’t appear to allow dynamic functions, such as checking the maximum value of a specific column.

Could you confirm if this is indeed the case? I’m considering whether this can be a viable alternative to using event handlers for my use case.

Thank you!

Regards,
Manuel

5

Hello, @Manuel_Germano.

Due to the fact that we have some restrictions on the use of generated column. The only alternative is event handlers.

Regards, Nikita.

6

OK.
Thank you @Nikita_Fedorishchev
Regards,
Manuel