>I need a serial # scheme that works like newid(), But uses Letters as well as numbers. Anyone have some code or know where I can get it.
>Oh i'm using vfp 5
>
> Thanks Kelly

---

Kelly,

The program below should give you some pointers.

* Purpose   Creates next string key from the passed one 
*			using specified set of characters 
*            
*  Param's  
*    1 - Current Key
*    2 - defines the list of allowed characters
*    	BASENN - See DO CASE in the body of the program
*	CUSTOM - the list of character as parameter 3
*            3 - List of characters
*            
*            
*   Return  New Key
*            
*    Note : Routine ignores (doesn't change) the positions 
*				with the characters not in the specified list

PARAMETER pcOldVal, pcOpt, pcCharList

PRIVATE cNewVal, i, cDigits, cLetters, nStrLen, cOldChar, cNewChar

pcOpt = IIF(EMPTY(pcOpt), "BASE10", UPPER(pcOpt))
* Fill out the string 'cCharList' with all characters
cDigits = "0123456789"
cLetters = "ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ"

DO CASE
CASE "CUSTOM" $ pcOpt
	cCharList = pcCharList
CASE "BASE10" $ pcOpt
	* Just Digits
	cCharList = cDigits
CASE "BASE16" $ pcOpt
	* Hex-dec
	cCharList = cDigits + "ABCDEF"
CASE "BASE26L" $ pcOpt
	* Lower case letters
	cCharList = LOWER(cLetters)
CASE "BASE26" $ pcOpt
	* Upper case letters
	cCharList = cLetters
CASE "BASE36L" $ pcOpt
	* Digits + Lower case letters
	cCharList = cDigits + LOWER(cLetters)
CASE "BASE36" $ pcOpt
	* Digits + Upper case letters
	cCharList = cDigits + cLetters
CASE "BASE52" $ pcOpt
	* All letters
	cCharList = cLetters + LOWER(cLetters)
CASE "BASE62" $ pcOpt
	* Digits + All letters
	cCharList = cDigits + cLetters + LOWER(cLetters)
OTHERWISE
	* The same as BASE10
	cCharList = cDigits
ENDCASE	

nStrLen = LEN(cCharList)

cNewVal = pcOldVal

* Scan Val string from the right to the left

FOR i = LEN(cNewVal) TO 1 STEP -1

	cOldChar = SUBSTR(pcOldVal, i, 1)

	IF NOT (cOldChar $ cCharList)
		* Keep it 
		LOOP
	ENDIF
	
	* Get the next character for this position
	cNewChar = GetNextChar( cOldChar )
	
	cNewVal = STUFF(cNewVal, i, 1, cNewChar) 
	IF cNewChar <> LEFT(cCharList,1)		
		* We got next one
		EXIT
	ENDIF
	
ENDFOR

RETURN cNewVal
**********************************************

PROCEDURE GetNextChar	
* Get the next character inthe cCharList or the first one 

PARAM pcOneChar

PRIVATE nPos

nPos = AT(pcOneChar, cCharList)

IF nPos = nStrLen		
	* It's last character
	pcOneChar = LEFT(cCharList,1)
ELSE					
	* Get the next character
	pcOneChar = SUBSTR(cCharList, nPos+1,1)
ENDIF

RETURN pcOneChar