This very simple macro adds a number to a document and saves with the file name in the format of "inv1.docx", creating a very simple numbering system for invoices.
Step 1: Create a folder on your hard drive. Create a text file named invoice-number.txt in the folder. To begin with 1, leave the file blank.
To start with a specific number, add this to the text file and save, using one less than the desired number.
[InvoiceNumber]
Invoice=140072
Step 2: Open Word then press Alt+F11 to open the VB Editor.
Step 3: Expand Microsoft Word Documents then double click on ThisDocument. Paste the code below into ThisDocument. Change the file paths as needed.
Sub CreateInvoiceNumber()
Invoice = System.PrivateProfileString("C:\Users\user\Documents\a\" & _
"invoice-number.txt", "InvoiceNumber", "Invoice")
If Invoice = "" Then
Invoice = 1
Else
Invoice = Invoice + 1
End If
System.PrivateProfileString("C:\Users\user\Documents\a\" & _
"invoice-number.txt", "InvoiceNumber", "Invoice") = Invoice
' Insert the number in the document
ActiveDocument.Range.InsertBefore Format(Invoice, "#")
ActiveDocument.SaveAs2 FileName:= _
"C:\Users\user\Documents\a\inv" & Format(Invoice, "#") & ".docx" _
, FileFormat:=wdFormatXMLDocument, LockComments:=False, Password:="", _
AddToRecentFiles:=True, WritePassword:="", ReadOnlyRecommended:=False, _
EmbedTrueTypeFonts:=False, SaveNativePictureFormat:=False, SaveFormsData _
:=False, SaveAsAOCELetter:=False, CompatibilityMode:=14
End Sub
Step 4: Run the macro.
To place the number in a specific position (this macro adds at the very beginning of the page), create a bookmark in the template named Invoice then use this code to insert the number:
ActiveDocument.Bookmarks("Invoice").Range.InsertBefore Format(Invoice, "#")
More Information
Function to Create a serial number (from VBOffice.net)
I've got this to work, sort of. The only problem is that it doesn't overwrite the previous number. So the first invoice has 1, then the next has 21, then the next has 321, then 4321, etc.
If there is an invoice number in the file, it won't replace it, not. But you shouldn't have an invoice # in the file before running the macro, except maybe during testing.
I'm struggling with this. Do I paste the macro into the VBA editor for the invoice-number.txt file, or a new word document? If I try to paste it into the invoice number.txt file, it says it can't save it with a macro. If I try to run it in a new file, I get a runtime error - "Method 'PrivateProfileString' of object 'System' failed. 🙁
The macro code goes into the VBA Editor in Word. Are you using windows or mac?
This goes in a text file:
[InvoiceNumber]
Invoice=140072
THIS IS NOT SIMPLE
Where are you running into problems? It's not hard but once you get it working it should always work. The problem is nothing is built into Word, so you need to use macros.
This works for me all up until I try and change the location of the macro. I'm putting it into a table - so I created a bookmark, and added the code where you specified in a comment to another user. and now I just get the error message command failed 🙁 what am I doing wrong.
It doesn't seem to auto advance for me. It just keeps using the same number without changing the number in the text file.