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Generates a unique, formatted document number based on document type and department, with optional year inclusion and configurable numbering formats.

Purpose

This function creates standardized document identifiers for organizational document management systems. It maintains department-specific counters, supports configurable prefixes and numbering formats, and can optionally include the current year. The function is designed for document tracking systems where unique, human-readable identifiers are needed for different document types (e.g., SOPs, policies) across various departments.

Source Code

def generate_document_number(doc_type: str, department: str) -> str:
    """
    Generate a new document number based on type and department.
    
    Args:
        doc_type: Document type code (e.g., 'SOP')
        department: Department code (e.g., 'QA')
        
    Returns:
        Formatted document number string
    """
    # Get document type info from config if available
    doc_info = DOCUMENT_CONFIG.get(doc_type, {})
    
    # If not found in config, use simple type name
    prefix = doc_info.get('prefix', doc_type)
    
    # Get counter for this department
    if department in DOCUMENT_NUMBERING['department_counters']:
        number = DOCUMENT_NUMBERING['department_counters'][department]
    else:
        # If department not found, initialize counter
        DOCUMENT_NUMBERING['department_counters'][department] = 1
        number = 1
        
    # Update counter for next use
    DOCUMENT_NUMBERING['department_counters'][department] = number + 1
    
    # Get current year if year is used in numbering
    year_part = ''
    if DOCUMENT_NUMBERING.get('use_year_in_numbering', False):
        year = datetime.now().year
        year_part = f'-{year}'
    
    # Use document type specific numbering format if available, otherwise use default
    numbering_format = doc_info.get('numbering_format', 
                                   DOCUMENT_NUMBERING.get('numbering_format', 
                                                        '{prefix}-{dept}{year}-{number:04d}'))
    
    # Format document number
    return numbering_format.format(
        prefix=prefix, 
        dept=department,
        year=year_part, 
        number=number
    )

Parameters

Parameter Details

doc_type: Document type code string (e.g., 'SOP', 'POLICY', 'FORM'). Used to look up configuration in DOCUMENT_CONFIG dictionary for prefix and numbering format. If not found in config, the doc_type itself is used as the prefix.

department: Department code string (e.g., 'QA', 'HR', 'IT'). Used to maintain separate document counters per department. If the department doesn't exist in DOCUMENT_NUMBERING['department_counters'], it will be initialized with counter value 1.

Return Value

Type: str

Returns a formatted string representing the unique document number. The format depends on configuration but typically follows patterns like 'SOP-QA-2024-0001' or 'POLICY-HR-0042'. The exact format is determined by the numbering_format template from DOCUMENT_CONFIG or DOCUMENT_NUMBERING, which uses placeholders for prefix, department, year, and sequential number.

Dependencies

• datetime

Required Imports

from datetime import datetime

Usage Example

# Setup required configuration
DOCUMENT_CONFIG = {
    'SOP': {
        'prefix': 'SOP',
        'numbering_format': '{prefix}-{dept}{year}-{number:04d}'
    },
    'POLICY': {
        'prefix': 'POL',
        'numbering_format': '{prefix}-{dept}-{number:03d}'
    }
}

DOCUMENT_NUMBERING = {
    'department_counters': {
        'QA': 1,
        'HR': 10
    },
    'use_year_in_numbering': True,
    'numbering_format': '{prefix}-{dept}{year}-{number:04d}'
}

from datetime import datetime

# Generate document numbers
doc_num1 = generate_document_number('SOP', 'QA')
print(doc_num1)  # Output: 'SOP-QA-2024-0001'

doc_num2 = generate_document_number('POLICY', 'HR')
print(doc_num2)  # Output: 'POL-HR-0010'

# New department gets initialized
doc_num3 = generate_document_number('SOP', 'IT')
print(doc_num3)  # Output: 'SOP-IT-2024-0001'

Best Practices

• Ensure DOCUMENT_CONFIG and DOCUMENT_NUMBERING dictionaries are properly initialized before calling this function
• The function modifies DOCUMENT_NUMBERING['department_counters'] in place, so consider thread-safety if used in concurrent environments
• Counter values are not persisted automatically - implement persistence mechanism (database, file) if counters need to survive application restarts
• Use consistent department and document type codes across your application to maintain proper counter separation
• The numbering format string should include {number:04d} or similar formatting to ensure consistent zero-padding
• Consider implementing a lock mechanism if this function will be called concurrently to prevent duplicate document numbers
• Validate doc_type and department inputs before calling to ensure they meet your organization's naming conventions

Tags

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