IDs and numbers are used as classifiers to identify and distinguish various objects within Productive, but they serve different purposes.
What is an ID?
An ID is a unique identifier assigned to each object on the platform, such as a task, project, person etc. It is a system-generated value that serves as a permanent reference to a specific item and it can't be modified or manually assigned.
You can find an ID in the URL or create a view with an ID field where all IDs for each entity will be displayed in one place.
For example, we've found an ID of our "Server-side scripting" task in the URL here:
And here's how we've created a view where all task IDs were displayed (in the Tasks module):
IDs are used for internal processes and backend operations within the platform and are crucial for ensuring data integrity. With that being said, you'll always be able to find an entity by its ID in our search.
What is a Number?
On the other hand, Numbers refer to a distinct attribute associated with an object. Unlike IDs, numbers can be meaningful and have specific contexts within the platform. These are auto-generated and start with the number 1, but you can also define your number scheme for some objects (more on that topic here).
For example, this would be a task number:
And here's an example of a budget number, found in the budget sidebar:
Numbers come in handy when you need to refer to some object, for example to a specific invoice or a task. It provides information regarding the creation order, time, and reference or notes the importance.
In summary, while an ID is a unique identifier used for backend operations and data integrity, a number represents a specific numerical attribute or value associated with an entity in Productive.