ENES
Assets & Inventory

Asset tags

Asset tags

An asset tag is the company label you write on a physical sticker — LZ-0001, IT-2026-0042. By default you type each one by hand. lazyit can also assign them automatically from a running number, so every new asset gets a consistent, never-colliding tag. This is the asset tag scheme, configured under Settings → Instance.

The scheme is off until you turn it on. With no scheme, asset creation is unchanged: the asset tag is whatever you type, or nothing. Turning it on is a deliberate setting.

How the scheme builds a tag

A tag is built from three parts:

  • a prefix (optional, for example IT-),
  • a number — a running counter, optionally zero-padded to a fixed width (width 4 → 0042),
  • a suffix (optional, for example -HW).

So a prefix of IT- with width 4 produces IT-0001, IT-0002, and so on. The editor shows a live Next tag preview as you type, so you can see exactly what the next asset will get.

Turning it on

Open Settings → Instance → Asset tag scheme and switch on Auto-assign asset tags. Set the prefix, suffix and number width you want, optionally a Start at number to seed the counter, then Save scheme. Configuring the scheme requires the manage settings permission.

From then on, when you create an asset and leave the Asset tag field blank, lazyit fills in the next tag automatically — the create form even hints the next value in the field. If you do type a tag, your explicit value always wins; the scheme only fills the gap.

The skip-existing rule

An auto-assigned tag is never one that already exists on a live asset. If the counter would land on a tag that’s already taken, lazyit skips ahead to the next free one. For example, if IT-1000, IT-1002 and IT-1005 already exist, the next allocations are IT-1001, IT-1003, IT-1004, IT-1006, and so on. This rule always holds — you can’t end up with two assets sharing a tag.

Numbering is monotonic, not gap-free

The counter only moves forward. It does not back-fill numbers that were skipped, rolled back, or freed when an asset was deactivated, so the sequence may have holes (…0041, 0043, 0044…). This is intentional: guaranteed-consecutive numbering isn’t worth the complexity for a small team, and a missing number is harmless.

Seed suggestion

When you configure the scheme over an existing estate, the editor reads the tags that already match your pattern and suggests a starting number just above the highest one it finds (for example “12 existing tags match — suggested start: 43”). Accept the suggestion so the counter starts above your current range, or set your own.

Tagging assets that already exist

Turning the scheme on does not retroactively tag the assets you already have — it only affects new creates. To tag the existing estate, use Tag existing assets in the scheme settings. This opens a review-then-apply tool:

  • Choose what to tag. Untagged only (the safe default) gives a tag only to assets that have none. Also fix non-conforming additionally re-tags assets whose tag doesn’t match the scheme — this is behind a warning, because it overwrites a label someone set by hand and may have printed. Conforming tags are never changed.
  • Optionally limit to one model, so you tag just a subset.
  • Preview before applying. lazyit lists the assets in scope with their proposed tag, writing nothing yet. Deselect any rows you want to skip.
  • Apply. lazyit assigns the real tags and records each one in the asset’s activity log.

Backfill is forward-only — there is no bulk undo. If a single tag comes out wrong, fix it by editing that one asset.

What’s next