Generating Unique Sequential Numbers

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated September 23, 2023)
This tip applies to Excel 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003

Sometimes you may need Excel to generate a unique sequential number. For instance, you could be using Excel to create your invoices or statements, and you need an invoice or statement number that hasn't been used before. This, of course, implies that Excel needs to remember the number from one session to the next.

If you need to use Excel in this way, consider downloading the following free template file:

http://www.ozgrid.com/download/InvoiceAutoNumber.zip

Offered by the folks at OzGrid, this is a zipped Excel template that will increment an invoice number every time it is opened. Any workbooks created from the template will have a new invoice number that is unique for that workbook (and will not later change).

ExcelTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Excel training. This tip (1965) applies to Microsoft Excel 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003.

Author Bio

Allen Wyatt

With more than 50 non-fiction books and numerous magazine articles to his credit, Allen Wyatt is an internationally recognized author. He is president of Sharon Parq Associates, a computer and publishing services company. ...

MORE FROM ALLEN

Too Many Formats when Sorting

Sorting is one of the basic operations done in a worksheet. If your sorting won't work and you instead get an error ...

Discover More

Turning Headers On and Off

Normally Excel displays row and column headers in a worksheet. If you prefer, you can turn these navigational aids off ...

Discover More

Pasting a Hyperlink

When you paste information into a document, you can specify that it be inserted as a hyperlink rather than as normal ...

Discover More

Save Time and Supercharge Excel! Automate virtually any routine task and save yourself hours, days, maybe even weeks. Then, learn how to make Excel do things you thought were simply impossible! Mastering advanced Excel macros has never been easier. Check out Excel 2010 VBA and Macros today!

More ExcelTips (menu)

Determining Combinations to Make a Total

If you have a range of cells that contain values, you may wonder which combinations of those cells should be used to meet ...

Discover More

Counting Colors of Cells

Many people use colors of cells as a common method of communicating information in a worksheet. If you need a way to ...

Discover More

Sorting by Fill Color

Sorting data in a worksheet is easy, unless you want to sort by the color used to fill a range of cells. There are ways ...

Discover More
Subscribe

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

View most recent newsletter.

(Your e-mail address is not shared with anyone, ever.)

Comments

If you would like to add an image to your comment (not an avatar, but an image to help in making the point of your comment), include the characters [{fig}] (all 7 characters, in the sequence shown) in your comment text. You’ll be prompted to upload your image when you submit the comment. Maximum image size is 6Mpixels. Images larger than 600px wide or 1000px tall will be reduced. Up to three images may be included in a comment. All images are subject to review. Commenting privileges may be curtailed if inappropriate images are posted.

What is 6 - 0?

There are currently no comments for this tip. (Be the first to leave your comment—just use the simple form above!)

This Site

Got a version of Excel that uses the menu interface (Excel 97, Excel 2000, Excel 2002, or Excel 2003)? This site is for you! If you use a later version of Excel, visit our ExcelTips site focusing on the ribbon interface.

Newest Tips
Subscribe

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

(Your e-mail address is not shared with anyone, ever.)

View the most recent newsletter.

Links and Sharing
OUR COMPANY
OUR PRODUCTS
OUR SITES
 

Copyright © 2024 Sharon Parq Associates, Inc.