# Unique id custom creator - help **URL:** \ **Category:** Rails\ **Created:** [July 28, 2010, 12:54am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/unique-id-custom-creator-help/192305 "2010-07-28T00:54:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 3\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![oliver\_torres](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/o/a9a28c/32.png) [@oliver\_torres](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/oliver_torres)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2010, 12:54am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/unique-id-custom-creator-help/192305/1 "2010-07-28T00:54:02Z")
I have a simple blog app that lets me create an entry with title and a body… real simple. In addition to the id that the database creates by default per each entry I would love to associate an unique id that uses 0123456789 and the 26 letters of the English alphabet. So that means I have 36^7 unique ids right? assuming I want to keep each unique combination no bigger than 7 digits, Why? This is hypothetical. Can anyone help point me into the right direction? the intended result would be 00001, 00002, 00003 etc etc. I was thinking to using a foor loop but a friend said that was a bad idea. A newbie here, I guess i dont have to point that out, anyone that can help me will be great. Thanks Oliver. ---
**Author:** ![oliver\_torres](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/o/a9a28c/32.png) [@oliver\_torres](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/oliver_torres)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2010, 3:56pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/unique-id-custom-creator-help/192305/2 "2010-07-28T15:56:07Z")
Quoting oliver torres [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid): > the intended result would be 00001, 00002, 00003 etc etc. > > I was thinking to using a foor loop but a friend said that was a bad > idea. > A newbie here, I guess i dont have to point that out, anyone that can > help me will be great. > Thanks irb(main):006:0\> 50.to\_s(36) =\> “1e” 50 base 36 = 1\*36 + 14 HTH, Jeffrey ---
**Author:** ![oliver\_torres](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/o/a9a28c/32.png) [@oliver\_torres](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/oliver_torres)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2010, 8:06pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/unique-id-custom-creator-help/192305/3 "2010-07-28T20:06:08Z")
Jeffrey L. Taylor wrote: > Quoting oliver torres [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid): > > > the intended result would be 00001, 00002, 00003 etc etc. > > > > I was thinking to using a foor loop but a friend said that was a bad > > idea. > > A newbie here, I guess i dont have to point that out, anyone that can > > help me will be great. > > Thanks > > irb(main):006:0\> 50.to\_s(36) > =\> “1e” That works really well. If you’d like something more sophisticated, you could implement Doug Crockford’s base-32 algorithm described at [Base 32](http://crockford.com/wrmg/base32.html) . I’ve got some code for that algorithm at [http://groups.google.com/group/techvalleyrb/msg/ac3ce4ae6620268a](http://groups.google.com/group/techvalleyrb/msg/ac3ce4ae6620268a) that I probably should put into a gem… ## Best, Marnen Laibow-Koser [http://www.marnen.org](http://www.marnen.org) removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid