Auto-Numbering Tokens Reference
Document numbering schemes are built from tokens — placeholders that are replaced with actual values when a document is created. This page lists all available tokens and their behaviour.
Token types
| Token type | Description | Example output |
|---|---|---|
| Literal | Fixed text — always appears as typed | DRG- |
| Discipline code | Short code from the document's Discipline field | STR |
| Document type code | Short code from the Document Type field | PLAN |
| Zone code | Short code from the Zone field | ZA |
| Stage code | Short code from the Stage field | CD |
| Programme code | Short code from the Programme field | PKG01 |
| Sequential counter | Auto-incrementing integer with configurable width | 0001 |
| Year | Current 4-digit year at document creation time | 2024 |
| Year (2-digit) | Current 2-digit year | 24 |
| Month | Current 2-digit month (01–12) | 03 |
| Custom field code | Short code from any configured dropdown metadata field | PKG-01 |
Code sources
Code tokens pull their value from the option code defined in the metadata configuration. When you define a metadata field option (e.g. the discipline "Structural"), you also define its code (e.g. STR). This code is what appears in the document number.
Codes must be:
- Unique within their field (no two options in the same field can share a code)
- Short — typically 2–6 characters
- Alphanumeric only — no spaces or special characters
Counter configuration
| Counter option | Description | Default |
|---|---|---|
| Width | Number of digits, zero-padded | 3 (gives 001, 002) |
| Start value | The first number in the sequence | 1 |
| Scope | What resets the counter (see below) | Per combination |
Counter scope
The counter scope determines when the counter resets to 1:
| Scope | Counter resets when... | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Per combination | Each unique combination of variable tokens gets its own counter | STR-PLAN-ZA starts at 0001; MEP-DWGS-ZB starts at 0001 |
| Per project | Single counter shared across all documents in the project | 0001, 0002, 0003 globally |
| Per year | Counter resets to 1 at the start of each calendar year | Combines with Year token |
Example scheme configurations
Standard engineering scheme
Format: [Discipline]-[DocType]-[Zone]-[Counter(4)]
Output:
STR-PLAN-ZA-0001
MEP-DWGS-ZB-0023
ARC-SPEC-ZA-0001
Year-prefixed scheme
Format: [Year]-[Discipline]-[Counter(3)]
Output (in 2024):
2024-STR-001
2024-MEP-002
Counter is per-project, shared across all disciplines.
Package-based scheme
Format: [Programme]-[Discipline]-[DocType]-[Counter(3)]
Output:
PKG01-STR-PLAN-001
PKG02-MEP-DWGS-001
Simple sequential scheme
Format: DRG-[Counter(5)]
Output:
DRG-00001
DRG-00002
DRG-00003
Single counter for all documents in the project.
Separator characters
Use literal tokens for separator characters. Common separators:
| Character | Use |
|---|---|
- | Hyphen (most common) |
/ | Slash |
. | Period |
_ | Underscore |
Example: STR-PLAN-ZA-0001 uses hyphens as separators (four literal - tokens between other tokens).
Configuring tokens
Token configuration is done in Settings → Metadata → Document Numbering by Org Admins or Project Admins. Use the token builder interface to assemble tokens in order, configure counter width and start value, and preview a sample number.
What's next
- Document Numbering — guide to using numbering schemes
- Custom Metadata Fields — configure the option codes used in tokens
- Document Numbering Admin — admin setup and governance