21st Century Accounting Help - General Ledger

Use Formatted Document Numbers

The Document number formats tab in the System/Company/Preferences window gives you control over the numbering of the various types of transactions you enter into the system (invoices, receipts, deposits, journal entries, and so forth) and the formatting of certain fields on reports. Based on your formatting instructions, the system generates a unique number when you post a batch entry or print a report. ("Number" here means any combination of alphanumeric characters, not just digits.)

The generated number can be up to 20 characters in length, including spaces. Numbering elements called "substitution strings" are provided as tools for setting up the numbers. The substitution strings begin with a percent symbol (%).  A number can consist of any characters you wish, except that it must include at least one substitution string (%N) that will guarantee the generation of a unique number within the document type.

When the system generates a new number for a transaction, a value is substituted for each substitution string in the number format, as follows:

Note:  You can precede %N by an optional fill character followed by an optional width of the substituted number. The following examples show several formats and sample numbers they will generate, where the sequence number is 99:

You can format the numbers the system generates for the following documents:

Customer Invoices.  The system generates invoice numbers for the customer sales invoices you enter in the Sales/Invoices window if you do not enter a customer invoice number during data entry.

General Journal.  The system generates General Journal entry numbers for the GJ entries you make the General Ledger/General Journal window.

Payments. The system generates payment numbers for the payments you enter in Payables/Quick Checks, Create Payments, and Manual Payments windows and for cash and chequecheck payments you enter in the Payables/Vendor Invoices window (when you record a payment to a regular or occasional vendor at the same time you record the purchase).

ChequesChecks.  The system generates chequecheck numbers for the system-printed chequeschecks you enter in Bank Accounts/Disbursements Checks, Payables/Create Payments, and Payables/Quick Checks windows.  You indicate a starting chequecheck number for each bank account, which the system then formats according to your configuration.

Deposits.  The system generates deposit numbers for the deposits you enter in the Bank Accounts/Deposits window if you do not enter a deposit number during data entry.

Receipts. The system generates receipt numbers for the receipts you enter in the Bank Accounts/Deposits window and for cash, check, and credit card payments you enter in the Sales/Invoices window (when you record a regular or occasional customer payment at the same time you record the sale).

Vendor Invoices.  The system generates numbers for the vendor invoices you enter in the Payables/Invoices  and Payables/Quick Checks windows if you do not enter a vendor invoice number during data entry.

Employee Adjustments.  The system generates numbers for the employee adjustments you enter in the Payroll/Employee Adjustments window if you do enter an adjustment number during data entry.

Finance Charges. The system generates finance charge numbers for finance charges you apply to customers in the Sales/Billing Cycles or Sales/Finance Charges window.

Recurring Charges.  The system generates recurring charge numbers for recurring charges you apply to customers in the Sales/Billing Cycles or Sales/Recurring Charges window. 

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