Setting document numbers & pricing conditions
Under Settings > Finance Documents you set the prefixes for your quote, invoice, delivery note, and credit note numbers, and control how the pricing condition popup is pre-filled for your entire team when adding line items.
Under Settings > Finance Documents you configure two fundamental things for your entire team: the pattern Univents uses to assign your quote, invoice, delivery note, and credit note numbers, and how the pricing condition popup behaves when you add line items. This article is for anyone who creates financial documents in Univents and wants to set up their number ranges or pricing condition defaults once, correctly.
Setting number ranges per document type
Out of the box Univents assigns document numbers without a year and with eight digits, so RE00000001, RE00000002 and so on. Each document type has its own counter: your first invoice is RE00000001 even if you have already written fifty quotes. In the Number ranges section you define a separate prefix for each document type.
- Open Settings > Finance Documents.
- In the Number ranges section you'll see four fields, one per document type.
- Enter your desired prefix in the relevant fields — maximum 12 characters. Leave a field blank to use the default.
- Click Save number ranges.
| Document type | Default prefix | Number out of the box |
|---|---|---|
| Quote | ANG | ANG00000001 |
| Invoice | RE | RE00000001 |
| Delivery note | LS | LS00000001 |
| Credit note | GS | GS00000001 |
If you want a year in the number, fewer digits, or a start at a particular figure, you set that one level down in the Number format section — see the next section.
Changing a prefix later on
The easiest time to set a prefix is right at the start, before the first document of that type exists. After that a peculiarity applies that would otherwise catch you out:
- If you have filled in only the field under Number ranges for that document type, the counter that is already running keeps the prefix it started with. A prefix changed here later will therefore not show up in new numbers.
- If you enter the prefix further down under Number format instead, it takes effect immediately for every further number of that type. That is the route to take if you really want to switch the prefix mid-stream.
The live preview in the Number format section shows you what the next number will look like before you save. Rely on it rather than assuming a prefix takes effect automatically.
Switching a prefix during the year creates a visible break in your number sequence. Documents already issued always keep their number.
Number format per document type
In addition to the simple prefixes, further down the same page there's a Number format section — a finer level of control you configure separately for each document type (quote, invoice, delivery note, credit note). These settings override the simple prefixes above.
| Field | Effect |
|---|---|
| Prefix | same as above, but held separately per fine-grained configuration |
| Separator | the character between prefix, year, and counter, e.g. - |
| Digits (padding) | number of digits in the counter, 1 to 12 (leading zeros are padded) |
| Include year | turns the year on or off in the number |
| Year position | only selectable when "Include year" is on: Year before number or Year after number |
| Yearly reset | off means the counter runs continuously across years; on means the counter restarts at 1 every year |
| Next number (start value) | manually sets the counter, e.g. to continue the numbering of a legacy system — can never be lowered below the current maximum |
A live preview next to each document type's heading shows you instantly what the next number would look like with the current settings.
When a number is assigned
Not every document type gets its number at the same moment — this is deliberate:
| Document type | Number is created |
|---|---|
| Quote | as soon as the draft is created |
| Delivery note | as soon as the draft is created |
| Invoice | only when it is issued, not when the draft is created |
| Credit note | only when it is issued |
An invoice draft therefore has no invoice number yet. Only when you issue it does Univents draw the next number — and it tells you in a dialog beforehand which number that will be. From that moment the number is fixed and can no longer be changed.
You cannot type in or overwrite a document number anywhere. Univents always assigns it; there is deliberately no input field for it.
Gaps in the number sequence
A number may be skipped now and then — 782, then 791, for instance. That happens if you delete a quote draft again or a send is aborted. This is intended and harmless for your bookkeeping: a number once assigned is never issued a second time, not even after the document is deleted. That is exactly what proper accounting practice requires — a reused invoice number would be the real problem, a gap is not.
So if you delete an invoice, its number stays used up. For a correction the credit note is the right route anyway: the original invoice keeps its number, the credit note gets its own from the credit note range, and the corrected invoice receives a new number when it is issued.
Default Tax Rate
Under Default Tax Rate you set the Tax rate (%) used as a fallback for deposit and partial invoices when no product-specific rate is available. The default is 19%; common values are 0, 7, or 19.
Defaults for quotes and invoices
In the Quotes — Defaults section you set what new quotes automatically inherit:
- Default Validity — the Validity (days) new quotes automatically inherit as "Valid for". Overridable per document.
- Default Reminder — days before the due date at which new quotes automatically schedule reminders. Choose via chips (e.g. 1, 3, 7, 14, 30 days before) or enter a custom value.
- Option Deadline Reminder — the Lead time (days) for an internal advance warning to your team before a quote's option deadline (Optionsfrist) expires. 0 = disabled. The reminder is sent to the workspace owner, the assigned project planner, and the quote's clerk.
In the Invoices — Defaults section:
- Default Payment Term — the global Payment term (days) new invoices automatically inherit as their due date. 0 = no default (invoice has no due date unless set per document).
- Default Reminder — same as for quotes, but configured separately for invoices.
Pricing condition popup: a default for the whole team
When you add line items to a quote, Univents can show a popup asking whether pricing condition surcharges should be applied. In the Pricing Condition Defaults section you decide how this popup is pre-filled — the setting applies uniformly to the whole team, not per member.
| Toggle | Effect |
|---|---|
| Apply Pricing Condition (Default) | When adding a line item, "Apply Pricing Condition" is checked by default in the popup. |
| Show Pricing Condition in Description (Default) | Only visible when the first toggle is on. Shows individual surcharges as separate line items in the quote instead of folding them into the price. |
| Skip Popup Automatically | The popup no longer appears at all — the configured defaults are applied directly when you add a line item, with no prompt. |
All three toggles save immediately when switched — there's no separate save button here.
Automatic follow-up documents
In the Automatic follow-up documents section you decide what gets created automatically as a draft when a quote is accepted. All three toggles are off by default — without them, you create follow-up documents yourself, e.g. when working with deposit invoices or per-day delivery notes.
| Toggle | Effect |
|---|---|
| Create invoice draft on acceptance | automatically creates an invoice draft with the accepted quote's line items |
| Create delivery note draft on acceptance | automatically creates a delivery note draft with the accepted quote's line items |
| Create deposit invoice on acceptance | automatically creates a deposit invoice draft over the configured Deposit percentage — at most one per order |
The deposit percentage (default 30%) only appears once the "Create deposit invoice on acceptance" toggle is on.
Finance document display
In the Finance document display section you set default display options for new financial documents (quotes, invoices, delivery notes). Existing documents keep their own settings.
| Toggle | Effect |
|---|---|
| Show VAT column | shows a dedicated column with the VAT rate per line item |
| Repeat table header on each new page | repeats the table header on multi-page PDFs |
| Allow page break inside a table row | allows a table row to span across a page boundary |
| "Total" column: show net instead of gross prices | shows net instead of gross prices in the Total column |
| Send emails with PDF attachment | additionally attaches the PDF to the outgoing email |
| Aggregate packaging line items | consolidates packaging line items on the document |
| Divide quantities by packaging size | converts quantities based on the packaging size |
Each toggle saves immediately when switched.
Frequently asked questions
What happens if I change the number range while documents already exist? Existing documents always keep their old numbers — nothing changes retroactively. For new documents it depends on where you enter the prefix: under Number format it takes effect immediately, under Number ranges only as long as that document type has not assigned a number yet. The counter itself carries on and does not restart; you set a new starting figure under Next number (start value).
Why are numbers missing from my invoice sequence? Because an assigned number is never issued again — not even when the document was deleted. Gaps are intended and unproblematic for your bookkeeping. The reverse case, a number assigned twice, would be the problem, and that is exactly what Univents prevents.
Can I assign or correct a document number by hand? No. Univents assigns every number itself, and once a document is issued the number is immutable. If you are migrating and want to continue your old system's numbering, set Next number (start value) under Number format beforehand — upwards at any time, but Univents will not let the counter fall below the current maximum.
Do I need to save again after every change to the number ranges? Yes. The Number ranges section has its own Save number ranges button, and without clicking it your prefix changes won't take effect. The pricing condition toggles, on the other hand, save automatically when switched.
Can I configure different settings for different document types? For the number prefix, yes — each of the four document types (quote, invoice, delivery note, credit note) has its own field. For the pricing condition defaults, the three toggles apply uniformly to every quote in the workspace.
Does the pricing condition default also affect quotes that already exist? No. The default only controls how the popup is pre-filled when you add new line items from the moment you change it. Line items already added to existing quotes are not adjusted retroactively.
Why does a line item suddenly cost 0.00 €? This can happen when a pricing condition with a fixed discount hits an article that costs less than the discount itself. Univents distinguishes by how broadly the rule is scoped:
- If the rule covers a single product, the price is capped at 0.00 €. That is intentional: it is how you build a "free from quantity X". The line then shows an amber warning in the document editor: "Pricing condition exceeds the price".
- If the rule covers a category or the whole workspace, Univents simply skips it for that article. The line keeps its normal price. Example: the rule "3.00 € off from 60 units" applies to the whole workspace and therefore also hits cutlery at 0.26 € — there it no longer applies, and the cutlery still costs 0.26 €.
If a line still sits at 0.00 €, type the price in by hand — a price you set yourself is never overwritten automatically again.
When does Univents recalculate a line item's price? Whenever you change the quantity or assign a different product to the line. Univents takes the product's current catalogue price and applies the matching pricing conditions to it. If you typed that line's price in yourself, it stays untouched.
Where do I see rules that apply to every product? Under Settings > Financial documents, in the Rules for the entire workspace section. Every pricing rule that is not tied to a single product or category is listed there in one sentence: when it applies and what it does to the price. You can switch each rule off or delete it. This is especially worth checking if you migrated to Univents from another system — rules you never created yourself may have come along.
A rule does not apply at all — why? Its limit is probably missing. Every rule names its condition in the title ("from quantity", "from guest count", "in the period"), but the actual limit lives in a separate field. If that field is empty, the rule stays inactive — it is deliberately NOT applied to everything. Fill in the limit and it works again. In the Rules for the entire workspace list you can spot such rules by the word "Always" where a condition would be.
Creating a pricing rule for an entire category
A pricing rule does not have to be attached to a single product. If you want to add a surcharge to all drinks, for example, create the rule once on the category — it then applies to every product in it, including the ones you add later.
- Open Inventory and switch to the Categories tab.
- Click Edit on the category you want.
- Expand Pricing rules at the bottom of the dialog.
- Use Add pricing rule to create a rule — exactly as you would on a single product.
On the product itself these rules show up in the Rules inherited from category block; you can only change them here on the category.
If several rules match the same line — one on the product, one on the category, one on the workspace — they are all added up. A category rule therefore does not replace a product rule, it comes on top.
Reviewing rules for the entire workspace
A pricing rule can be tied to a single product, to a category, or to the entire workspace. The last kind is the most powerful: it applies to every product that falls into its range — including articles nobody had in mind when the rule was created.
- Open Settings > Financial documents.
- Scroll to the Rules for the entire workspace section.
- Each row describes one rule, e.g. "quantity 60–1000 · 3.00 € cheaper".
- Use the switch on the right to turn a rule off temporarily, or the bin icon to delete it entirely.
Prices that were already written stay unchanged when you switch a rule off or delete it. The rule only affects line items you create afterwards, or whose quantity you change.
Related articles
- Number ranges and pricing conditions only control numbering and popup behavior. How a financial document looks — colors, borders, logo — is set in a layout; see How do I create layouts for financial documents?.
- Save recurring bundles of line items as a finance item template.
- A complete document as a reusable template is covered in Creating & using finance document templates.