Number ranges
A number range issues the sequential number TRADElube names a record with when it creates one itself. You reach the list through the Settings navigation entry and the Number Ranges button.
Overview / list
The list is fixed at three rows, one per object type, and there is neither New nor Delete. A fourth number range would have no purpose either: TRADElube only issues numbers where a record is created without one of its own.
Two buttons sit above the list, and both require a selected row. Edit opens the number range, Unlock releases a stuck number. More on that below.
The list shows three columns:
| Column | Content |
|---|---|
| Object Type | Product, order or customer. Fixed |
| Format | The rule the number is built by |
| Number | The counter, that is the last number issued. The next one is one higher |
In the list, format and number can only be read. They are changed in the detail view.
An article number comes from the file or from the connected system, TRADElube does not invent one. The counter of the Product row therefore still stands at 0 after a thousand imported articles.
Detail view
Above the section sits the object type the number range belongs to. It cannot be chosen: the three rows of the list are the three number ranges there are.
Common
| Field | Meaning | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Format | The rule for the number | Preset to {number:00000}, which produces 00001, 00002 and so on |
| Number | The counter | The next number issued is one higher. You can raise it to leave a gap |
What the format may contain
Two placeholders in curly braces, each optionally followed by a colon and a format specification:
| Placeholder | Produces | Example |
|---|---|---|
{number} |
The counter | {number:00000} produces 00042, {number} produces 42 |
{date} |
Today's date | {date:yyyy} produces 2026, {date:yyMM} produces 2608 |
Everything else stays exactly as written. RE-{date:yyyy}-{number:0000} therefore produces RE-2026-0042.
{number} has to appear, and the format specification must not cut the number off. TRADElube checks both when saving and otherwise rejects the entry with a message. The second case is the treacherous one: {number:00} is enough for 99 records and fails on the hundredth, which is why the check runs against the next number when saving rather than only in operation.
A changed format only takes effect going forward. Numbers already issued stay as they are. They sit as text on the record and are not recalculated.
Unlock: when a number is stuck
A number is issued in two steps. TRADElube reserves it first and confirms it once the record is really saved. That prevents duplicate numbers where two transfers create an order at the same time: the counter goes up when reserving, not when saving.
Where something breaks off in between, a reservation stays behind and the number range issues no further one. This resolves itself after five minutes. The Unlock button does the same right away and can only be chosen where a reservation is genuinely open. Where it sits grayed out, there is nothing to do.