Overview

This article explains the setting “Set ID/Code type to be used in Teacher cards” (setting ID: FormatTeacherIdCards), found in Settings > Core Settings > Basic Customization > Card Settings. This setting controls which identifying code or number is printed on Teacher personal cards (for example, staff ID cards used for identification, access, or benefits). It does not affect the visual design of the card itself, only the identification code that appears on it.

What This Setting Does

This setting lets an administrator choose which piece of information about a Teacher (Educator/Instructor/Faculty) is used as the printed identification code on that Teacher’s personal card. Instead of typing a fixed value, the administrator builds a code “format” by picking one or more building blocks from a list, such as:

• Code – the Teacher’s internal reference code
• ID Number – the Teacher’s national ID or personal identification number
• Passport ID – the Teacher’s passport number
• Card ID – a card number automatically generated by the system, which can optionally be padded with leading zeros to a fixed number of digits (for example, 4 digits: 0007)
• External Code – a code coming from an external or third-party system
• Cross Code – a shared identification code used when the same Teacher record is linked across multiple institutions or companies
• Account or Personal Email, Personal Email, or Account Email – one of the Teacher’s registered email addresses

These building blocks can be combined into a single format. For example, an administrator could combine the Code with the Card ID to produce a composite identifier that is printed on the card and can also be used to quickly search for the Teacher’s record in the system.

By default, this setting is left empty. Until an administrator defines a format, no identification code is printed on Teacher cards.

Where It Is Used

This setting is applied wherever Teacher personal cards are generated or printed, for example:

• When a Teacher card is generated or reprinted (physical staff/ID card, or a digital card view).
• When a new Teacher card is automatically created (if automatic card creation is enabled for Teachers).
• In quick-search functionality, where the configured identification code can be used to look up a Teacher’s record.

The setting itself does not design or lay out the card. The visual appearance of the card (background, colors, photo placement, QR code, and other printed fields) is configured separately in the Cards Templates section of Settings. This setting only supplies the identification value that fills in the code/ID area of that template.

Business Logic / Behavior

Based on how this setting works, the following business rules apply:

• If the setting is left empty (the default), no identification code is printed on Teacher cards, and the card-based quick search by code is not available for Teachers.
• The administrator can select more than one building block to create a composite code (for example, an internal Code followed by a Card ID).
• Numeric identifiers such as Card ID can be configured with a minimum number of digits, so shorter numbers are padded with leading zeros (for example, 7 becomes 0007 when a 4-digit format is chosen).
• The identification value shown depends on the underlying Teacher record actually having that information filled in. For example, if “Passport ID” is chosen as the code type but a specific Teacher’s profile does not have a passport number recorded, the system will not be able to produce a code for that Teacher’s card until the missing information is added to their profile.
• When an institution manages the same Teacher across more than one linked company or period (cross-institution or cross-period scenarios), choosing the Cross Code option ensures the same shared identifier is used consistently, rather than a code that is specific to only one period or company.
• This setting works together with card creation settings. If automatic card creation for Teachers is not enabled, and cards are not created manually, there is no card for this setting’s format to apply to.

Assumption (not explicitly documented, inferred from the setting’s design): if the format is changed after cards have already been printed, previously printed cards are not automatically reprinted or updated – the new format will apply the next time each card is generated or reprinted.

Examples

Example 1: Simple internal code

Greenfield International School wants each Teacher’s printed staff card to show the Teacher’s internal staff code. The administrator opens Settings > Core Settings > Basic Customization > Card Settings, opens the “Set ID/Code type to be used in Teacher cards” field, selects “Code” from the list, and saves. The next time a card is printed for a Teacher such as Mr. John Sample, the card shows his internal staff code, for example TCH-01042, as the identification number on the card.

Example 2: Combined code with a padded card number

Bright Horizons Academy wants a more structured identifier: a 4-digit auto-generated card number followed by the Teacher’s internal code. The administrator selects “Card ID” with 4-digit padding, then adds “Code” right after it, producing a format such as [CardID(4)][Code]. For Teacher Ms. Jane Doe, whose internal code is EDU12, the printed card then shows 0034EDU12 as her identification number, which staff at the front desk can also type into the quick search box to find her record instantly.

When to Use

When to Enable / Configure

• When the institution wants a consistent, recognizable identification code printed on Teacher staff cards (for building access, identification, benefits, or attendance purposes).
• When staff should be able to look up a Teacher’s record quickly using the code printed on their card.
• When the institution shares Teacher records across multiple companies or periods and needs a stable Cross Code identifier that does not change between them.

When to Disable / Leave Empty

• When the institution does not print or issue personal cards for Teachers, or manages staff identification through another process.
• When the institution has not yet decided on a card numbering policy and prefers to postpone this configuration until the Card Templates and Teacher records are finalized.

Notes

K-12 versus Higher Education Mode

This setting behaves identically in K-12 mode and in Higher Education mode (the mode controlled by the setting Enable Configuration for Higher Education/Xrisi_parametropoihshs_kolegiou, found in Settings > Higher Education Customization > Higher Education Basic Settings). There is no functional difference in how this setting works between the two modes.

The only difference an institution may notice is terminology: the word “Teacher” shown in this setting’s label can be renamed institution-wide (for example, to “Instructor” or “Faculty”) through a separate terminology/labels configuration. This renaming is independent of both this setting and of the Higher Education mode toggle – enabling Higher Education mode does not automatically rename “Teacher.”

Prerequisites

• A card template must be configured for Teachers under Settings > Cards Templates. This template defines the card’s visual layout (background, photo, QR code, and other fields); without it, no card can be generated regardless of this setting.
• A Teacher card record must exist for each Teacher, either created automatically (see the related setting below) or created manually.
• Whichever piece of information is selected as the code type (for example ID Number or Passport ID) should be filled in on each Teacher’s profile in advance; otherwise the code cannot be generated for that Teacher until the information is added.

Related Settings

• Set ID/Code type to be used in Student cards/FormatStudentIdCards (Settings > Core Settings > Basic Customization > Card Settings) – the equivalent setting for Student cards.
• Set ID/Code type to be used in Employees cards/FormatEmployeeIdCards (Settings > Core Settings > Basic Customization > Card Settings) – the equivalent setting for Employee cards.
• Set ID/Code type to be used in Relatives cards/FormatRelativeIdCards (Settings > Core Settings > Basic Customization > Card Settings) – the equivalent setting for Relative (Parent/Guardian) cards.
• Auto-create Cards upon entity creation for the following entities/AutoCreateCardsUponEntityCreation (Settings > Core Settings > Basic Customization > Card Settings) – determines whether a Teacher card is created automatically as soon as a Teacher record is added.
• Enable Cross Period cards for the following entities/EnableCrossPeriodCardsForEntities (Settings > Core Settings > Basic Customization > Card Settings) – relevant when using the Cross Code option, as it controls whether a Teacher’s card is shared across periods.
• Enable QR code for benefits/EnableQRCodeForCardsBenefits (Settings > Core Settings > Basic Customization > Card Settings) – controls whether a QR code for benefits is added to cards.
• Default expiration date/DefaultCardExpirationDate (Settings > Core Settings > Basic Customization > Card Settings) – controls how long a generated card remains valid.
• Enable Configuration for Higher Education/Xrisi_parametropoihshs_kolegiou (Settings > Higher Education Customization > Higher Education Basic Settings) – switches the system between K-12 and Higher Education mode; does not affect this setting’s behavior.