Auto Number Example Zoho CRM | Purchase Orders Module Walkthrough (PO-2026)

Worked Example: Setting Up Auto Number for a Purchase Orders Module

Reading about Auto Number fields in the abstract only goes so far, so this article walks through one concrete example from start to finish: configuring an Auto Number field for a custom Purchase Orders module, so every order gets a reference such as PO-2026-001 without anyone having to type it.

The starting point

Suppose a custom module called Purchase Orders already exists in Zoho CRM, used by the procurement team to track what has been ordered from suppliers. Every purchase order needs a reference number that is easy to quote on emails and paperwork, and that clearly identifies the year it was raised in.

Step by step

  1. Open the module in Modules and Fields. From Setup, go to Customisation, then Modules and Fields, and select Purchase Orders.
  2. Drag the Auto Number field onto the layout. It is pulled in from the panel of available field types, the same way any other field would be added.
  3. Set the prefix. PO- is entered as fixed text, immediately marking the record as a purchase order at a glance.
  4. Add the year as a merge field. Using the # picker, the current year is inserted straight after the prefix, so the reference always reflects the year the order was raised.
  5. Set the starting number. The sequence is set to begin at 001, giving a tidy, evenly padded look from the very first order.
  6. Check the preview. Before saving, the preview shows exactly what the finished value will look like, letting the spacing and hyphenation be adjusted until it reads correctly.

What the preview would show

With a prefix of PO-, a year merge field, and a starting number of 001, the preview would display something like PO-2026-001. The next purchase order created would follow on as PO-2026-002, and so on, with the year portion updating by itself once the calendar rolls over, exactly as it does for any other Auto Number field carrying a date-based merge field.

Applying it to existing purchase orders

If the Purchase Orders module already contained records before the field was added, ticking the option to update existing records means every one of those older orders also receives a number in the same PO-2026-xxx style, rather than only the ones created going forward.

Note: If a purchase order is deleted later on, its number is not reused and the orders around it are not renumbered. A missing number in the sequence simply reflects that a record once existed there, which is expected rather than a problem to fix.
Need help? If you would like us to set up Auto Number fields on your Purchase Orders module or any other custom module, we can configure and test the format with you. Book a discovery call with 1 Cloud Consultants.