Setting up unique task IDs

A unique task ID is a combination of an alphanumerical prefix string, which you can define, and a number. As each new task is created within a project, the number is incremented by an amount that you can specify.

To set up unique task ID numbering:

On the Project tab, in the Properties group, click the Unique Task IDs dropdown and select Unique ID Numbering.
Enter an alphanumerical string of characters that you want to add as a prefix to each unique task ID in the Prefix code field.

To use a prefix, you must specify it before you create any tasks: once you have started to create tasks, although you can amend the prefix using this dialog, the change is not reflected in the unique task IDs that are assigned to the tasks.
Enter the number that you want to apply as an ID (along with the prefix) to the first task in a chart in the Starting value field.
Enter the minimum number of digits that you want each ID to comprise (excluding the prefix) in the Minimum width field. IDs smaller than this are padded out with zeros to make up the minimum width.
As each new task is created in a view, its unique task ID is incremented on from the previous task in the view by the number you specify in the Increment value field. For example, if you want the IDs to be sequential, enter 1 in the field; if you want the IDs to increment by 10 each time you create a task, enter 10.
When you add a new task in between two existing tasks in a view, rather than taking the next available ID, the new task is given the ID of the task immediately above it in the view, plus the number you specify in the Sub-increment value field. For example, if you enter a task in between two tasks that have IDs of AA100 and AA110 and your sub-increment value is 5, the ID of the new task will be AA105. If the sub-increment value would conflict with an existing ID, the next available fully-incremented ID is assigned to the task instead.
You can disable the assignation of sub-increment values if you wish. If you do this, all tasks are assigned the next fully-incremental ID, regardless of where they are created in a view. To disable sub-incremental values, clear the Enable sub-incrementing on inserted Tasks check box.
From the Uniqueness group, select whether you want the task IDs to be:

Unique throughout the whole project.
Unique within expanded and summary tasks, which might result in the same ID being used for tasks in different charts and summary groups.
Not unique, which might result in the same ID being used for tasks anywhere in the project.

Click OK.

In some circumstances, for example if you are working with a project that has been created by copying a different project then deleting tasks from within it, Asta Powerproject may assign unique task IDs with unexpectedly high values. This is because Asta Powerproject stores the unique task IDs that have been assigned in a cache, which it refers to when necessary to ascertain what the next unique task ID should be. If this happens, you can resolve this problem by clicking Reset Cache on the Unique Task ID Numbering dialog. This clears the cache of unique task IDs.