# Row ID alternative

**URL:** https://community.glideapps.com/t/row-id-alternative/28445
**Category:** Ask for Help
**Created:** [June 28, 2021, 6:00pm UTC](https://community.glideapps.com/t/row-id-alternative/28445 "2021-06-28T18:00:37Z")
**Posts on this page:** 9
**Page:** 1

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### Author: ![Charliem](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/user_avatar/community.glideapps.com/charliem/32/19185_2.png) [@Charliem](https://community.glideapps.com/u/Charliem)
#### Post date: [June 28, 2021, 6:00pm UTC](https://community.glideapps.com/t/row-id-alternative/28445/1 "2021-06-28T18:00:37Z")

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Is there a way to generate a ID number in glide but not by using Row ID

They can’t be duplicates though

Thanks in advance

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### Author: ![kyleheney](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/user_avatar/community.glideapps.com/kyleheney/32/41173_2.png) [@kyleheney](https://community.glideapps.com/u/kyleheney)
#### Post date: [June 28, 2021, 6:03pm UTC](https://community.glideapps.com/t/row-id-alternative/28445/2 "2021-06-28T18:03:04Z")

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It depends how you’re adding rows — there is a Unique Identifier special value that can be used.

> **[Unique identifier](https://docs.glideapps.com/all/reference/values/special-values/unique-identifier)**
>
> Submit a unique id

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### Author: ![Charliem](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/user_avatar/community.glideapps.com/charliem/32/19185_2.png) [@Charliem](https://community.glideapps.com/u/Charliem)
#### Post date: [June 28, 2021, 6:05pm UTC](https://community.glideapps.com/t/row-id-alternative/28445/3 "2021-06-28T18:05:09Z")

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It would need to be done for every new user.

E.g.  
1902543  
2234654

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### Author: ![kyleheney](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/user_avatar/community.glideapps.com/kyleheney/32/41173_2.png) [@kyleheney](https://community.glideapps.com/u/kyleheney)
#### Post date: [June 28, 2021, 6:10pm UTC](https://community.glideapps.com/t/row-id-alternative/28445/4 "2021-06-28T18:10:39Z")

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To my knowledge, the only way to add a unique identifier to the user profile sheet as soon as someone logs in for the first time would be to use a RowID.

If you can make the process part of your onboarding of new users — for example, if a user is asked to complete a process when they first log in — you could add a unique identifier special value to that process that would get added to that user’s row.

Is there a reason RowID can’t be used?

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### Author: ![Charliem](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/user_avatar/community.glideapps.com/charliem/32/19185_2.png) [@Charliem](https://community.glideapps.com/u/Charliem)
#### Post date: [June 28, 2021, 6:13pm UTC](https://community.glideapps.com/t/row-id-alternative/28445/5 "2021-06-28T18:13:28Z")

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RowID is a really useful code but in this case its to long and it would look better if it was just numbers

I have a idea now thanks for your help

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### Author: ![BlakeWS](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/user_avatar/community.glideapps.com/blakews/32/24377_2.png) [@BlakeWS](https://community.glideapps.com/u/BlakeWS)
#### Post date: [June 28, 2021, 6:15pm UTC](https://community.glideapps.com/t/row-id-alternative/28445/6 "2021-06-28T18:15:59Z")

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Returns a uniformly random integer between two values, inclusive.  
[Google Sheets - RANDBETWEEN](https://support.google.com/docs/answer/3093507)

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### Author: ![Rollo\_Wenlock](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/user_avatar/community.glideapps.com/rollo_wenlock/32/26956_2.png) [@Rollo\_Wenlock](https://community.glideapps.com/u/Rollo_Wenlock)
#### Post date: [July 16, 2021, 7:44am UTC](https://community.glideapps.com/t/row-id-alternative/28445/7 "2021-07-16T07:44:24Z")

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Will this accidentally create double-ups etc?

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### Author: ![Jeff\_Hager](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/user_avatar/community.glideapps.com/jeff_hager/32/43_2.png) [@Jeff\_Hager](https://community.glideapps.com/u/Jeff_Hager)
#### Post date: [July 16, 2021, 8:23am UTC](https://community.glideapps.com/t/row-id-alternative/28445/8 "2021-07-16T08:23:35Z")

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I would think that RANDBETWEEN could always have the potential to return duplicates and would constantly change, unless you are somehow building in logic to save that random value…and even then, it would have to somehow allow multiple users to get a unique random number at the same time

I think the safest bet for a short and unique random number would be some kind of mathematical logic that uses the date and time in combination with a number generated from part of a user’s name and a global number that gets incremented, and combines all of those numbers together. Still not fool proof, but much less likely to run into duplicate ID numbers.

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### Author: ![V88](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/user_avatar/community.glideapps.com/v88/32/90054_2.png) [@V88](https://community.glideapps.com/u/V88)
#### Post date: [July 16, 2021, 8:28am UTC](https://community.glideapps.com/t/row-id-alternative/28445/9 "2021-07-16T08:28:55Z")

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I have previously used Integromat to hold a number and increment for each Login but that does of course require a 3rd party service (if you’re not using it already).
