When you create a custom object, Salesforce makes you define its Record Name field on the same screen. These are the settings that matter and how to think about each one.
- Open the New Custom Object screen
In Setup, go to Object Manager and click Create, then Custom Object. Salesforce presents the object label, plural label, and a Record Name section in the same form, so the Name decision happens up front.
- Choose the Data Type for the Name
Set Record Name Data Type to Text when users will supply a meaningful title, or Auto Number when the platform should generate a sequence. This choice drives how the object reads everywhere, so match it to how people will identify records.
- Configure the format if Auto Number
Enter a Display Format such as CAS-{0000} and a Starting Number such as 1. The literal text prints on every record and the placeholder is the padded counter. Add date tokens like {YYYY} if you want the year baked into each identifier.
- Save and verify on a test record
Finish the object, then create one record and confirm the Name behaves as expected. For Auto Number, check the first generated value. For Text, confirm the field is required if you intended it to be, so records cannot be saved without a title.
Text for user-entered titles, or Auto Number for a system-generated sequence. This is the core decision and is set when the object is created.
The pattern for generated values, mixing literal characters with a numbered placeholder like INV-{0000}, plus optional date tokens such as {YYYY}{MM}.
The value the counter begins at. When reformatting an existing field, set this above the highest number already in use to avoid duplicate identifiers.
The on-screen label for the Name field, often renamed to something domain specific like Invoice Number or Project Title so users immediately understand it.
- A Text Name on a custom object caps at 80 characters, while standard Account Name allows 255; plan for that if you import long titles.
- Auto Number digit counts are a minimum, not a ceiling: A-{0000} continues at A-10000 after A-9999, so padding only stays uniform up to your planned width.
- When switching a populated field back to Auto Number, set Starting Number higher than the highest existing value or Salesforce will reissue numbers and create duplicates.
- A Text Name is not unique by default, so two records can share the same title; use Auto Number or a separate unique field where uniqueness matters.