# Client Matter — Auto-numbering

Auto-numbering assigns a ClientCode or MatterCode automatically when none is provided in the input. It is activated per code type by setting the corresponding start number in the configuration.

# Configuration properties

All properties live under SharepointCfg (the per-environment configuration).

Property	Type	Description
`ClientCodeStartNumber`	`int?`	Counter seed for client codes. Leave empty (not `0`) to disable auto-numbering for clients.
`ClientCodeNumberFormat`	`string`	Format string for the generated client code (see Format strings).
`ClientCodeNumberNoReset`	`bool`	When `true`, the counter never resets between format prefixes (e.g. never resets per year). Default: `false`.
`MatterCodeStartNumber`	`int?`	Counter seed for matter codes. Leave empty to disable.
`MatterCodeNumberFormat`	`string`	Format string for the generated matter code.
`MatterCodeNumberNoReset`	`bool`	When `true`, the counter never resets. Default: `false`.

# When it runs

Auto-numbering runs in step 6 of the execution flow. It activates for each code independently:

ClientCode is auto-assigned when ClientCodeStartNumber is configured and no ClientCode was supplied in the request.
MatterCode is auto-assigned when MatterCodeStartNumber is configured and no MatterCode was supplied.

If either code is auto-assigned and the request was loaded from a JSON file, the file is overwritten with the assigned values so the source record reflects what was actually used.

# Format strings

The format string controls how the numeric counter is rendered into a code. Several substitutions are applied in order:

# Number placeholder (`#`)

# characters are replaced by the counter value. The number of # characters controls zero-padding:

Format	Counter = 5	Counter = 42
`#`	`5`	`42`
`####`	`0005`	`0042`
`yyyy-####`	`2026-0005`	`2026-0042`

# Year substitution

yyyy is replaced with the 4-digit current year; yy with the 2-digit year. Substitution is case-insensitive.

# Dynamic expressions

The format string is also evaluated as a dynamic name expression against the matter's properties before year substitution runs. This allows codes to embed matter properties, for example:

{MatterType}-#### → TAX-0001
{ClientCode}-#### → 32211-0001

See Dynamic Name for the full expression syntax.

# Counter storage

Each configuration (SharepointCfg.Name) has its own counter store, saved as a JSON file under the service's Numbers/ folder. The file is loaded into memory on first use and written back after every increment. All access is serialized with a process-wide lock, so concurrent requests never receive the same number.

The counter state is a flat dictionary of field → last-issued-number. The key used for a given code depends on the resolved format prefix and the NoReset flag (see Counter reset behaviour below).

# Counter reset behaviour

When the format string contains a variable prefix — such as a year — the counter can either reset when the prefix changes or continue from where it left off. This is controlled by NoReset.

NoReset = false (default): after the format is resolved, the non-# portion of the format (the prefix) is extracted and appended to the counter key. The counter therefore resets to the start number each time the prefix changes.

Example with MatterCodeNumberFormat = "yyyy-####":

Year	Counter key	First issued	Second issued
2025	`MatterCode_2025`	`2025-0001`	`2025-0002`
2026	`MatterCode_2026`	`2026-0001`	`2026-0002`

NoReset = true: the counter key is always just the field name (ClientCode or MatterCode), regardless of the format prefix. The counter never resets.

Example with MatterCodeNumberFormat = "yyyy-####" and NoReset = true:

Year	Counter key	Issued codes
2025	`MatterCode`	`2025-0001`, `2025-0002`, …
2026	`MatterCode`	`2026-0099`, `2026-0100`, … (continues from 2025)

Client Matter — Execution flow — step 6 is where auto-numbering runs in context
Dynamic Name — expression syntax used in format strings