Auto Incrementing Field¶

How to add and configure an Auto Incrementing Field in the Notebook Editor.

What This Field Does¶

An Auto Incrementing Field generates sequential string identifiers automatically — such as specimen numbers, context numbers, or catalogue IDs. Each new record receives the next number in the sequence (e.g., 001, 002, 003). The value is auto-generated and cannot be edited by data collectors.

Adding the Field¶

To add this field, open the ADD A FIELD dialog, navigate to the NUMBERS tab, and click the Auto Incrementing Field card. Then click the ADD FIELD button in the lower right.

Adding an Auto Incrementing Field — the NUMBERS tab in the ADD A FIELD dialog

Configuring the Field¶

Click the field’s grey header bar to expand it and see its settings. For an overview of the settings shared by all fields — including Label, Helper Text, Field ID, and the field toolbar — see Field Identity and Field Toolbar.

Give the field a meaningful Label, review the auto-populated Field ID, and add any desired Helper Text.

Auto Incrementing Field configuration in the {{Notebook}} Editor

Auto Incrementing Field-Specific Settings¶

The Auto Incrementing Field provides one configurable setting:

Setting	What It Does
Number of digits in identifier	The number of digits in the generated identifier, with leading zeros for padding (e.g., 5 digits produces “00001”).

Shared Field Options¶

Configure any of the shared field options as needed.

For settings shared across all field types — including Required, Annotation, Uncertainty, Conditions, Copy value to new records, and Display in child records — see Field Options.

Tips¶

The identifier is a padded string, not a number. A 5-digit counter generates “00042”, not 42. This preserves leading zeros in exports and avoids numeric sorting issues in spreadsheets.
Wrap in a Templated String to build meaningful composite identifiers — for example, “SAMPLE-00042-2026” combines the auto- incremented number with a prefix and year.
Ranges are configured per-device in the data collector. Each device is given a non-overlapping range of numbers (e.g., Device A: 1–500, Device B: 501–1000) so identifiers stay unique without network coordination. Data collectors set their own ranges — typically following a protocol defined by the project leader. To configure ranges, open “Settings” in the Fieldmark data collector and use the “Edit auto-incrementers” panel. Each Auto Incrementing Field has its own button, which opens a dialog where you set start and stop values, add new ranges, and update the last used value. If a range is exhausted, a new one can be added on that device.
Plan your numbering scheme before deploying. Once a range is created on a device it cannot be edited — you can only close it and add a replacement. Because Fieldmark is designed for off-line use, no automatic conflict checks are made across devices, so ensure ranges do not overlap when assigning them.