AutoID Heater, generating consecutive numbers
The AutoID Heater enables you to generate a consecutive sequence of numbers automatically. The generation assigns the first record/row according to the Start parameter and increments the initial value for each record/row by the amount of the Step parameter. In the example below, the first record would be assigned 1, the second 2, the third 3, and so on.
Decimal accuracy is set by the Decimals parameter and the Step parameter can also cope with decimal fractions, making it possible to generate some extremely odd looking values. Of course, the AutoID Heater can also count backwards; to do this you simply enter a negative value in the Step parameter.
The output of the AutoID Heater can be used more than once (as many times as you wish). The output value remains the same until the next record is processed.
Effect on
All: The number sequence is generated consecutively according to the processed records/rows of the WRITE Adapter. This is the standard setting.
GroupBy: This option only becomes active if you have already used the GroupBy Heater in your Definition. If this option is selected, the sequence is reset for each group and effectively counts the grouped rows.
GroupOut: This option only becomes active if you have already used the GroupOut Heater in your Definition. If this option is selected, the sequence is reset for each group generated and labels the duplicates serially.
Notes on formatting and numbers of decimal places
If the output is subsequently processed as a string, the numbers generated are converted in accordance with the format configuration of the WRITE Adapter. Including the locale, this determines the symbol used for decimals (point or comma), the number of decimal places, whether the minus sign is a prefix or a suffix, and many other format options.
Please also refer to the general information on the use of Heaters (functions)
Examples
The AutoID Heater is used in the following examples: