shesha-ref-numbers

Shesha Reference Number Generation

Generate reference number code for a Shesha/.NET/ABP application based on $ARGUMENTS.

Instructions

• Use SequentialRefNumberGenerator for the vast majority of cases — it handles counting, formatting, and resetting automatically.
• Each SequenceName gets its own independent counter in the database. Choose descriptive, unique names.
• Prefer compound format strings that include dates for readability (e.g. "ORD-{0:yyyy}-{1:0000}" over "ORD-{1:0000}").
• The generator is thread-safe — multiple concurrent calls are guaranteed unique numbers.
• Counters are database-backed and survive application restarts.
• If the user mentions financial year formats, use {FY}, {FY-1}, {FYYYY}, {FYYYY-1} placeholders and confirm the financial year start month.
• Only create a custom generator (implementing IRefNumberGenerator) if sequential numbering genuinely doesn't fit the requirement.

Artifact catalog

#	Artifact	Layer	Template
1	Sequential Ref Number Usage	Application	sequential-generator.md §1
2	Generator Manager Usage	Application	sequential-generator.md §2
3	Custom Generator Class	Application	custom-generator.md §1

Quick reference

Format string placeholders

Placeholder	Output	Description
{0:yyyy}	2026	Full year
{0:yy}	26	Two-digit year
{0:MM}	03	Month (zero-padded)
{0:dd}	07	Day (zero-padded)
{0:yyyy-MM-dd}	2026-03-07	Full date
{1}	42	Plain sequence number
{1:0000}	0042	Padded to 4 digits
{1:00000}	00042	Padded to 5 digits
{FY}	26	Two-digit financial year
{FY-1}	25	Two-digit previous financial year
{FYYYY}	2026	Four-digit financial year
{FYYYY-1}	2025	Four-digit previous financial year

Reset cycles

Cycle	Resets when	Extra settings needed
Never	Never resets	None
Everyday	Start of each day	None
EveryWeek	Specific day each week	ResetDay
EveryMonth	Specific day each month	ResetDayOfMonth
EveryYear	Specific date each year	ResetMonth + ResetDayOfMonth

Key types

Type	Namespace / Location
SequentialRefNumberGenerator	Shesha.Workflow.RefNumberGenerator
SequentialRefNumberGeneratorSettings	Shesha.Workflow.RefNumberGenerator
IRefNumberGenerator	Shesha.Enterprise.Domain.Service.RefNumberGenerator
IRefNumberGeneratorManager	Shesha.Workflow.RefNumberGenerator
RefListSequenceResetCycle	Shesha.Enterprise.Domain.Service.RefNumberGenerator
RefListResetDay	Shesha.Enterprise.Domain.Service.RefNumberGenerator
RefListResetMonth	Shesha.Enterprise.Domain.Service.RefNumberGenerator

Common examples at a glance

Pattern	Format	Output
Simple order	"ORD-{1:0000}"	ORD-0001
Yearly invoice	"INV-{0:yyyy}-{1:0000}"	INV-2026-0001
Financial year case	"CASE-{FY-1}/{FY}-{1:00000}"	CASE-25/26-00001
Daily ticket	"TKT-{0:yyyy-MM-dd}-{1:000}"	TKT-2026-03-07-001
Monthly receipt	"RCT-{0:yyyyMM}-{1:0000}"	RCT-202603-0001
Custom start	"ACC-{1}" (Starting=1000)	ACC-1000

Workflow integration

Reference numbers can be auto-assigned to workflow instances via Process Settings in the Workflow Designer — select a generator and configure its parameters. No code needed when using workflow integration.

Now generate the requested artifact(s) based on: $ARGUMENTS