Item ID interpreted as number in scientific e notation

[Rafael_ANEIC-PY]

Hello friends, i’ve had some weird occurences using unique_id(), generally when it generates an all-numbers combination, but today I found a new one !

I got an item with this unique_id() generated ID: 394677E6

The above item was referenced in another table, and it’s ID was saved in an appropiate [Item_ref] column, but it saved the reference as 3.95E+11, which throws the reference off in my app.

The fix is trivial, just change both ID’s, but how can I prevent this from happening again?

[Suvrutt_Gurjar · Accepted solution]

Please check if the column type for UNIQUEID() column in the backend is set to “Automatic” . If so please change it to “Plain Text”. I think with column type as automatic, the UNIQUEID() having “E” is treated as a scientific number.

@Steve recently shared these useful tricks on spreadsheet formatting.

Spreadsheet formatting tips Tips & Tricks 💡

The format of a cell in a spreadsheet used as a data source for an app can affect how AppSheet uses the cell’s content. It is therefore important to take care to choose cell formatting carefully. Automatic format is okay for most data, but can cause problems in some circumstances. The safest cell format you can use for everything is plain text. The downside to formatting the spreadsheet as plain text is the spreadsheet becomes less legible to its human users. Here are my suggestions: Forma…

[Rafael_ANEIC-PY]

Suvrutt_Gurjar:

Please check if the column type for UNIQUEID() column in the backend is set to “Automatic” . If so please change it to “Plain Text”. I think with column type as automatic, the UNIQUEID() having “E” is treated as a scientific number.

Thanks a lot @Suvrutt_Gurjar ! I will check Steve’s post as well.