Configure Article Numbers for Knowledge Base Articles

Configure Article Numbers for Knowledge Base Articles

Article numbers are unique identifiers of any article and can be used to locate a specific article without using a title or keyword. Organizations that manage large volumes of articles in the Knowledge Base from internal documentation to customer-facing help content, can use sequential numbers like 100, 200 etc to classify employee documentation and customer documentation respectively. With multiple writers creating and updating articles daily, a reliable identification system is essential for quick reference and cross-team collaboration.

This is also important as relying on titles or URLs could lead to confusion when articles are likely to have similar, closely related, or same keywords in its title, URL, and body.

Current methods of identifying articles
  1. Title: Article titles serve as the primary means of identification. However, if a title is updated, customers may struggle to find the right topic through search, creating confusion in cross-functional communications.
  2. URL: URLs are lengthy and impractical for quick reference in conversations or emails. They also do not update automatically when titles change which can cause mismatches.
  3. Date-appended URLs: Appending dates to URLs to differentiate duplicates makes links even more complicated and challenging to share.
To avoid these issues and make it easier for users, organizations need a reliable, consistent method to identify articles regardless of title changes or duplicates. To accommodate this, Article numbers can be used in the Knowledge Base module.

Availability

Users with the KB Admin permission can enable and configure article numbers for the organization.

Understanding article numbers

The article number is a unique identifier for every article. It functions similarly to ticket IDs in a helpdesk setup. Similar to how a ticket ID provides a reliable reference for a support request regardless of subject line changes, the article number provides a unique reference for an article regardless of its title or other modifications.
 
Each article gets a sequential number upon creation. This consistency improves communication and reduces chances of errors when referencing an article internally or with customers.

Article numbers are assigned at the organization level and follow a single, configurable sequence across all categories.

For example, an organization has three categories - zPad, zWatch, and zPhone.
  1. The first article created in zPad gets article number 1.
  2. If the next article is created in zWatch, it gets article number 2.
  3. If another article is then created in zPad, it gets article number 3.
  4. If the next article is created in zPhone, it gets article number 4.
The numbering continues sequentially across all categories, regardless of which category the article belongs to.

The article number can be accessed from the following places:
  1. Article list view

  2. Article detail page

  3. Search results
  4. Help Center

  5. Suggested articles
  6. Moderation
  7. Recycle bin
  8. Followed articles section 

How does article number help?

  1. Permanent identification: Article numbers remain constant even when titles change. This ensures that article references shared in emails, documents, or conversations remain accurate over time.
  2. Quick search: Users can search for articles by number instead of typing lengthy titles, speeding up navigation and reducing the time spent locating specific content.
  3. Consistent cross-language reference: All translations of an article share the same number. Support teams working across regions can reference articles using a single identifier regardless of language.
  4. Elimination of duplicate confusion: Each article receives a unique number, eliminating confusion caused by duplicate titles. Teams can confidently reference articles without ambiguity.
  5. Improved permalink structure: Article numbers can be included in permalinks based on requirement, creating shorter and more reliable URLs. This reduces the need for date appending and makes links easier to share.

Business scenarios 

Customer support reference in telecommunications

A support representative at a telecommunications company handles a billing inquiry from a customer. The support rep shares the relevant Knowledge Base article number with the customer for future reference. The customer uses this number to quickly locate the article in the help center during follow-up interactions. Even if the article title is updated later, the number remains consistent, allowing the customer to access the same content without confusion.

Internal documentation tracking in software development

A software development team maintains 2,000 technical articles covering APIs, integration guides, and release notes. The team configures article numbers starting with 10000 for the internal ticketing system. Developers reference article numbers in code comments, pull requests, and sprint planning documents. This creates a clear link between documentation and development tasks, improving onboarding and reducing search time.

Multi-language knowledge base in global e-commerce 

A global e-commerce company operates a Knowledge Base in five languages to serve customers from different regions. A support specialist in the French team identifies an article that resolves a common shipping inquiry. The specialist shares the article number with colleagues in the German and Spanish teams. All teams locate the same article in their respective languages using the shared number, ensuring consistent information delivery across regions.
Info
Points to remember
  1. Article numbers are assigned when an article is created, regardless of its status. Even draft articles get assigned a number. Even if the draft article is discarded, that number is skipped and not reused. The next article receives the subsequent number in the sequence.
  2. Articles moved to the recycle bin retain their assigned numbers. If the article is restored, the same number is displayed again.
  3. The deleted article's number is not reused again.
  4. Articles can be searched using their article number in both the KB module and Help center.
  5. All translations of an article share the same article number. If an article exists in English with number 100, its Spanish and French translations also display number 100.
  6. Article numbers cannot be edited once assigned. This ensures consistency and prevents broken references.

Configuring article number 

Admins can define the starting number for their article sequence.
On providing a number, all the articles created get assigned with the number based on the created time. For example, if the article number is provided as 100, the very first article created in the organization gets assigned as 100, and the others get the number such as 101, 102, and 103.
The existing articles are validated and numbers are assigned based on creation date, starting from the oldest article. This process may take a few minutes for organizations with multiple articles.
Notes
Note:
  1. Article numbers are numeric only. Prefixes and alphanumeric combinations are not supported.
  2. A maximum of 9 digits can be added,
  3. Article templates do not carry article numbers.
To enable and configure article number
  1. Navigate to Setup > Knowledge Base module > Manage KB > Access Settings.
  2. Toggle on Article Number.
  3. Provide the starting number in the Next Starting Number field.
  4. Click Enable.

Updating the starting number of the sequence

The starting number can be updated at any point after initial configuration. But the new value must be greater than the highest existing article number. This allows organizations to adjust the numbering sequence for future articles without affecting existing setup.

For example, the recently created article's number is 12. The admin updates the starting number as '100', then the articles created after updating this number will be starting with '101' and not 13.

Note that, the new starting number will apply to the newly created articles after the configuration is saved. However, the existing article numbers will remain unchanged.

On the Edit Article Number page, the displayed number indicates the latest article number assigned. For example, if the number is 123, then 122 article numbers have already been assigned.
 
To update the starting number
  1. Navigate to Setup > Knowledge Base module > Manage KB > Access Settings.
  2. In the Article Number section, click Edit in the Next starting number field.
  3. Provide the new number greater than the highest existing article number.
  4. Click Save.

Permalink structure with article number

The permalink structure can be defined in three ways as per the organization's requirement:
  1. Article title: The URL displays only the article title.
    For example, https://help.zoho.com/portal/en/kb/desk/self-service/knowledge-base/configuring-article-numbers
  2. Article number only: The URL displays only the article number.
    For example, https://help.zoho.com/portal/en/kb/desk/self-service/knowledge-base/100
  3. Article number and title: The URL displays the article number followed by the article title.
    For example, https://help.zoho.com/portal/en/kb/desk/self-service/knowledge-base/100/configuring-article-numbers
Existing URLs automatically redirect to the new permalink structure without any 301 redirection. Links shared via email, indexed by search engines, or embedded in other systems continue to function without interruption.

To configure permalink structure
  1. Navigate to Setup > Knowledge Base module > Manage KB > Access Settings.
  2. In the Permalink structure section, select one of the following:
    1. Default (Article Title)
    2. Use article number in the permalink (Article Number Only)
    3. Include both article number and title in the permalink (Article Number and Title)

  3. Click Save.