Chateau does not require padded zeros in tag numbers. We have designed it so you do not have to use padded zeros.
In the past, since some users wanted to use letters (such as A-10001) in their tag numbers, the old LDAR databases were restricted to sorting tag numbers alphabetically. When there wasn’t a letter and the database was “trying” to sort only numbers, the sort yielded crazy results: 11 comes before 2 in an alphabetical sort.
So, assuming you were sorting three numbers: 1, 2 and 11…
Alphabetically, these would be sorted as:
| Tag # |
|---|
| 1 |
| 11 |
| 2 |
This is obviously NOT the way you want them sorted, so padded zeroes were required when using the old databases to achieve this result:
| Tag # |
|---|
| 001 |
| 002 |
| 011 |
These padded zeroes were a source of constant confusion, complexity, and difficulty. That is why we designed Chateau with the ability to sort tag numbers, in particular, in an alpha/numeric system.
In this way, without the padded zeros, we can sort the tags in the intuitive and rational order:
| Tag # |
|---|
| 1 |
| 2 |
| 11 |
So…no padded zeros are necessary.