Add an Auto-Numbering Field

1. To create an auto-number field, select the feature class that contains the field you wish to auto-number in the tree on the left-hand side of the Geodatabase Synchronization Setup form.
2. Click the Auto-Numbering tool located at the top of the Geodatabase Synchronization Setup form.  The following dialog will be displayed to allow you to configure the auto-number settings:

   

3. Populate the Field for AutoNumber. This is required.  This field is the field that will contain the new auto-number.  This should be a text field, large enough to support the numbers that will be generated based on your settings in this dialog.
4. Populate the Buffered Number Length. This is optional. If you want the auto-number to contain buffered zeros, enter how many characters you want the entire number to be.  For example, if a buffered length of 5 is entered, and if the auto-number generated is 985, the resulting autonumber that will be populated is 00985.  This may allow for easier number sorting.
5. Indicate the Next Number. This is optional. This field is used to indicate what number the auto-numbering will start at.  If no value is provided, the numbering will start at 1.
6. Include Prefix settings. These are optional.

   Note: The "None" button will be marked by default. If this button remains marked, you will be unable to include a Prefix for this AutoNumber field. If you are not using the Prefix Settings, skip to step 9. If you choose to use Prefix settings, complete the following steps:

7. Mark the "Use a set prefix" button if you would like this AutoNumber field to use a set prefix. Once you mark this button, the Prefix and Separator Character fields will be enabled.
   • Enter a value in the Prefix field. This is required when using this prefix option.
   • Populate the Separator Character. This is optional. This is the character that will be used to separate the polygon label prefix from the autonumber that is generated.  For example, if "-" is entered, and if the feature falls within a polygon "area1", the resulting autonumber will look something like this:  area1-001.
8. Mark the "Use a Polygon Feature Class to Create a Number Prefix" button if you want to create numbers that include a grid, basin, or other polygon prefix.  Once you mark this button, the Polygon Feature Class, Field Name, and Separator Character fields will be enabled.
   • Populate the Polygon Feature Class. This is required when using this prefix option. This must be a feature class of type "polygon". This polygon feature class must exist in the map when editing for this setting to work properly.  Enter the feature class name with no owners or other database name or location qualifiers.
   • Populate the Field Name.  This is required when using this prefix option. This is the field name that contains the polygon label that is to be used in the auto-number.  This may be a grid number, area number, basin number, or some other identifier.  This can be a text field or a numeric field.
   • Populate the Separator Character. This is optional. This is the character that will be used to separate the polygon label prefix from the autonumber that is generated.  For example, if "-" is entered, and if the feature falls within a polygon "area1", the resulting autonumber will look something like this:  area1-001.
9. Click "Create AutoNumber". The following window will appear. If you used a polygon feature class to create a prefix, those prefixes can be included in the grid at the bottom of the screen. For each prefix, you can then include a separate Next Number.

   

10. Click "Close". The auto-number will be added to the Geodatabase Synchronization Setup and can be viewed by selecting the feature class in the tree and clicking the "+" next to the feature class.  A list of the auto-numbers along with spatial relationships will be displayed.