TTC-variations
TTC stands for Toy Type Category. These cataloguing styles will include the code of their categories (whether numbers or letters), followed by numbers. Codes can be up to 50 characters in length, but we strongly recommend limiting to a maximum of 3 characters if you intend on using a Cataloguing style that includes the category code (excessively long category codes may not work in certain labels).
Numbers are unique within categories (ie A001, B001, and T001 are 3 different items).
When items are deleted, their ID will become available again for new items, but they will still be listed under that ID in any list or report that includes deleted items. When creating a new toy, the ID is automatically created based on the Category selected - a list of "Smallest Available Codes" will be shown at the top of the page to help guide selection.
Moving toys between categories will require changing the ID to have the correct TTC, and can be very difficult to manage (ie you decide item C005 is better off in category G. If there is no G005, you can just update the ID to be G005 when you change the category, but if G005 already exists you will need to find a different ID entirely).
Padded styles
Padding means leading zeros will be added to the number part of the code to make up the total digits required. Numbers in the category code do not count towards the digits required (ie an item with a category code of 11 would still have 001 added to the end to make 11001, or A3 would have A3001).
TTC3
<CategoryCode><3 digit number> ie. A123, FM003, 99039 (where a category has a code of 99)
TTC3 categories have a limit of 999 items - TTC cannot support IDs in the 1000s (so A1000 is invalid).
TTC5*
<CategoryCode><5 digit number> ie A00123, FM00003, 9900039
TTC5 categories have a limit of 99999 items.
*This style is currently under review
Not Padded Styles
Not padded means that items are given the next sequential number, no leading zeroes. Items with this style won't have a consistent length ID (A1 (2 characters), A25 (3 characters), A922 (4 characters) etc) but does have the benefit of shorter ID options, which can be useful if handwriting codes on multiple pieces.
TTC-not-padded
<CategoryCode><next available number> ie A123, FM3, 9939
Numbers do not have leading 0s. Numbers can go as high as required (ie A123456 and beyond).
TTC-not-padded-no-validation
Follows the creation rules of TTC-not-padded but will still allow existing items with non-valid IDs to function as normal. Intended as a transition-phase style - can be risky if used long term (ie will allow A001 and A1 to both exist, or allow toys to be moved to a different category without updating the ID to have the right TTC).
