[Feature Request]: Add Unique Identifier Data Type to Databases

[ntexier-belenos]

Description

This document proposes the addition of a dedicated ID property type to the database property presets in AFFiNE. The goal is to provide a standardized, unique identifier for records, improving data integrity, referencing, and future extensibility of database features.

Key Features:

• Read-only values: ID values are not user-editable, ensuring data integrity
• Automatic generation: IDs are generated automatically and sequentially for each new record
• Customizable format: Options for prefix, suffix, and digit padding (e.g., TASK-001, INV-2025-0001)
• One ID column limit: Only one ID column allowed per database to prevent conflicts

Use case

1. Project Management: Track tasks with consistent IDs (TASK-001, TASK-002) for easy referencing in meetings and documentation
2. Invoice Management: Generate sequential invoice numbers (INV-2025-001) following business conventions
3. Content Organization: Assign article IDs (ART-001) for cross-referencing and content management
4. Research Documentation: Number experiments (EXP-001) for systematic data organization
5. Customer Support: Track tickets with unique identifiers (TICKET-001) for efficient case management

Future-proofing: Provides foundation for advanced features like relations between tables

Anything else?

Development started on https://github.com/ntexier-belenos/AFFiNE/tree/dev

ID view in tables:

Settings menu (implementation on going):

Are you willing to submit a PR?

• Yes I'd like to help by submitting a PR!

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Issue Status: 🆕 *Untriaged

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[hwangdev97]

This looks pretty cool, like GitHub's issue IDs.

However, given that each block already has its own unique id, I'm not sure it's worth asking users to manage these IDs manually.

We can discuss this further and see what everyone thinks.

[ntexier-belenos]

Thank you, Hwang, for your reply! I think there might be a misunderstanding: my original request is not about exposing or using the technical block IDs, but about adding a user-friendly, customizable "ID" property to each database entry (row) in AFFiNE tables.

The goal is to have a visible and sequential identifier for each entry, such as "TASK-001" or "INV-2025-0001", which can be automatically generated and displayed in the table. This would make it much easier to reference, organize, and track items—similar to how GitHub issues or invoices are numbered.

If my understanding is correct, the existing block IDs are internal and not suitable for this kind of business or workflow use case. What I’m suggesting is a new property that users can rely on for project management, ticket tracking, invoice numbering, etc.

Please let me know if you need more details or concrete examples of how this could be useful!