A Stock number is the lasting label for an item or an amount you follow together, called a lot. Use that label for its later notes, moves and production so you can find the whole history. This page helps you prepare labels before a job and check whether a number has already been used.
You can set aside one number or a group of numbers for future entries. This is called a reservation. It keeps the labels organized, while Add Stock or Produce or harvest later records what actually arrived or was produced.
Choose what you are numbering
Begin by choosing the Stock type at the top of Stock numbers. This identifies the form you are preparing labels for, such as a tray or culture vessel. The page finds the prefix saved for that type on Stock types, then suggests numbers that take account of earlier entries and reservations.
When you save a reservation row, keep its Stock type unchanged after you have used any label from it. The reservation needs to remain an accurate reference for the labels already prepared. Reserving a range does not create stock or tell you that the physical items exist yet.
Use a recognizable prefix
A prefix is the short beginning of a stock label. It gives you a recognizable pattern while the numbered part distinguishes individual records. Set it under Set up your farm → Stock types → Stock number prefix. Use 1–12 capital letters, numbers or hyphens, beginning with a letter, and a different prefix for each active Stock type.
The full label places an underscore between the prefix and the number. For example, if your prefix is TR, a label can be TR_0001. Keep changing details such as place and stage in their own fields, so the same number can stay with the stock. Copy the prefix into the reservation as text that stays unchanged, using Values only as described below.
Reserve one number or a range
Choose the Stock type, then enter How many? labels you need. The suggested First number and Last number give the start and end of the range to set aside. The page checks earlier reservations and stock-entry numbers, including entries still being prepared, before making this suggestion.
Copy the suggested prefix and first and last numbers into an empty reservation row. Use Edit → Paste special → Values only so the saved numbers stay the same when the next suggestion changes. Complete Stock type, Reserved by and Reserved on. Read Reservation check and wait for Reserved before making or using the labels.
For one label, First number and Last number are the same. For ten labels starting at 21, save 21 as the first and 30 as the last: both ends count. The complete label uses at least four digits after the prefix. Once saved, use the numbers in your reservation rather than the changing suggestion at the top.
Reserved by
Enter the person or team setting the labels aside, so colleagues know whom to ask about an unused label or planned job. Have one person reserve numbers at a time. This practice sheet does not prevent two people from trying to reserve a range together.
Reserved on
Choose the date you set the labels aside. It identifies the reservation, which may happen before the stock arrives or is produced. For a blank date cell, type @date and choose Date to open the calendar; double-click an existing date to reopen it.
Read Reservation check
Reserved means the row has its required details and does not share numbers with another entered range. If a message reports an overlap or a different Stock type, resolve it before making labels. Two stock records must not use the same number.
The entry pages also check for a number used twice or reserved for another type. If they show a warning, find the mistaken entry or reservation and correct that mistake. Giving the same physical stock another number just to clear the message would leave two histories for one item or lot.
Understand Numbers & usage
Numbers & usage shows the complete labels in the saved range and counts how many have appeared on Add Stock or Produce or harvest. It includes unfinished drafts because a number already typed there needs checking before it is used for another entry.
For example, 2 used of 10 means two reserved labels have been typed into stock entries, including entries still being prepared. It does not say eight more items physically exist. Leave the displayed calculations in place and use Find number for a particular label.
Find a number before using it
Enter the full label in Find number. A label used on a stock-entry page points you to that entry; an unused reserved label shows the Stock type and who reserved it. That can help you distinguish stock already being recorded from labels prepared for future work.
A missing search result does not set the number aside. Save a reservation that says Reserved before making a new label. Capital and lower-case versions count as the same number. If a duplicate is reported, resolve it first: the search can show only the first matching entry, so its result alone cannot tell you which use was mistaken.
Keep labels and earlier reservations
Once a label identifies stock, use the same number for its later notes, movements and production sources. Keep it even after the stock is consumed or archived, and do not give it to a different item. The old history must continue to refer to the original stock.
Retain earlier reservations, including unused or spoiled labels. A prefix change affects future suggestions without renaming old ranges or stock. Keep the register with your backups and archive information, so a label found later still refers to the original item or lot.
This practice page has room for 200 reservation ranges. When your range says Reserved, use the labels you set aside for the actual stock entries. For an arrival, click Add or receive stock → near the top of Stock numbers. It opens the next unused receipt row on Add Stock, leaving earlier entries and unfinished receipts in place. If this arrival already has a draft, finish that original row instead. For new output from stock already recorded, use Produce or harvest.