Numbering and documents

These settings are not in the Setup menu: they belong to each module. You reach them through the cog next to the module name, in the list seen in the previous chapter.

Do it module by module, quotations first, invoices next, then orders if you use them.

1. The numbering templates: the format of the numbers given to documents.
2. The document templates: the layout of the PDF produced when printing.

Numbering

The first part of the page picks the number format, for example FA2607-0001, made of the year, the month and a counter.

Set it before the first document

Once the first invoice is validated, Dolibarr refuses to change the numbering template. That is a protection, not a limitation.

The reason is legal. In France, invoice numbering must be chronological, continuous and without gaps. Most countries impose a similar rule, with their own requirements on format and retention: check the ones that apply in your country before choosing, with your accountant if needed.

Quotations and orders are less constrained, but keeping consistent formats helps: it is easier to find a document six months later.

Document templates

The second part of the page picks the PDF template used when printing. Templates differ in layout and in the information they display.

Try two or three on a test quotation before making up your mind, it is the quickest way to see the difference. The logo printed at the top is the one uploaded in Company / Organisation.

Showing your bank details

To be paid by transfer, your bank details must appear on your invoices. This happens in two steps, in this order.

First, create the account in Banks | Cash, entry New financial account.

The label is the name you will recognise this account by, for instance "Business current account".

The reference, just above, is a short code you choose yourself: it has nothing to do with an identifier given by your bank. It is mandatory, must be unique, and is used to spot the account in lists, filters and accounting exports, where the full label would be too long. Use the initials of the bank, optionally followed by the type of account, in capitals without spaces or accents: BQ, CB-PRO, CE-CURRENT. With a single account, BQ will do.

The type, the currency and the country are already filled in for a classic bank account in euros.

Further down the same form come the details that will be printed on your invoices:

1. IBAN code, the international number of your account.
2. BIC/SWIFT code, the identifier of your bank.

The bank code, branch code and key fields that follow belong to the older national format. Copy them if your statement mentions them, they are not required to be paid by transfer.

Then ask for it to be displayed in the invoicing module settings, at the option offering payment by transfer to the account. As long as no account exists, Dolibarr shows "no active bank account defined" there, which explains why the option looks unusable on the first visit.

That same account will later be used to record the payments you receive.

The next chapter covers user accounts and their permissions.