HID (Accession Number) Formats
An HID (Human readable ID) is the unique number or sequence of Alphanumeric characters that uniquely identify an individual Item within the Pergamon database. While it is possible to enter these formats manually, keeping track of the last number used externally to Pergamon, a much easier and convenient method is built into the Item Manager dialog itself.
HID Formats can be created via the Lookup Manager that allow the user to specify:
- A set of prefix characters
- A body length (using a series of '0' characters)
- A set of suffix characters
When creating a new Item record, either enter a hash (#) or question mark (?) character rather that your own unique number, then complete the rest of the record. When saving the new record into the database for the first time using the [Update] button, a new and unique number is automatically generated based upon the current database content.
Entering a simple hash or question mark will generate the next available number based upon the first HID Format identified. If several HID formats have been created, perhaps for different types of Item, enter the prefix followed by the hash or question mark character - in this case the specific HID format identified by the prefix will be used as a preference.
