autonumber column exceptions based upon a checkbox

KSLOPER

I have an auto number column that I use to assign an employee number to new employees.  From time to time we re-hire a termed employee, in which case we do not need a new number - we would just use the old.  I have included a checkbox if the employee is a rehire.  My questions is - how can I have the auto-number column not assign a number to those employees?  I would like to skip over them and continue numbering with the next new employee.  

 

Mike Wilday

You can't have auto number skip a row. Sorry. Its a system generated column so it's going to be created no matter what. You might be able to do something fancy like create a new column and use a formula =[autonumberrowtitle]@row to duplicate data from the autonumber row... then you could overwrite the formula in the case of a temporary hire... 

Or you could also write a formula to check some unique factor of the rehire... like their email address and see if it is found in the email column already, and if it is, then do a vlookup and populate it with the old number, and if doesn't find their email, then use the autonumber column. 

Just a couple of off-the-cuff ideas.  

Mike Wilday

I just realized you said there was a checkbox for rehire.

After adding the column that duplicates the autonumber, write an IF formula that checks for that checkbox, and if it finds it, then do a vlookup to match a unique identifier for that employee in your sheet and return the previous id number.