diff --git a/navalplanner-business/src/main/java/org/navalplanner/business/resources/entities/CriterionType.java b/navalplanner-business/src/main/java/org/navalplanner/business/resources/entities/CriterionType.java
index 2c68da68f..d0e1c3268 100644
--- a/navalplanner-business/src/main/java/org/navalplanner/business/resources/entities/CriterionType.java
+++ b/navalplanner-business/src/main/java/org/navalplanner/business/resources/entities/CriterionType.java
@@ -48,6 +48,9 @@ public class CriterionType extends IntegrationEntity implements
         return create(new CriterionType());
     }
 
+    public static CriterionType create(String code) {
+        return create(new CriterionType(), code);
+    }
 
     public static CriterionType createUnvalidated(String code, String name,
         String description, Boolean allowHierarchy,
@@ -140,6 +143,8 @@ public class CriterionType extends IntegrationEntity implements
 
     private int numCriterions;
 
+    private Boolean generateCode = false;
+
     /**
      * Constructor for hibernate. Do not use!
      */
@@ -469,4 +474,12 @@ public class CriterionType extends IntegrationEntity implements
         return Registry.getCriterionTypeDAO();
     }
 
+    public Boolean getGenerateCode() {
+        return generateCode;
+    }
+
+    public void setGenerateCode(Boolean generateCode) {
+        this.generateCode = generateCode;
+    }
+
 }
diff --git a/navalplanner-business/src/main/resources/org/navalplanner/business/resources/entities/Resources.hbm.xml b/navalplanner-business/src/main/resources/org/navalplanner/business/resources/entities/Resources.hbm.xml
index 676ff1810..7faba6d40 100644
--- a/navalplanner-business/src/main/resources/org/navalplanner/business/resources/entities/Resources.hbm.xml
+++ b/navalplanner-business/src/main/resources/org/navalplanner/business/resources/entities/Resources.hbm.xml
@@ -122,6 +122,7 @@
     <property name="allowSimultaneousCriterionsPerResource"/>
     <property name="allowHierarchy"/>
     <property name="enabled"/>
+    <property name="generateCode" not-null="true" />
     <property name="resource">
       <type name="org.hibernate.type.EnumType">
         <param name="enumClass">org.navalplanner.business.resources.entities.ResourceEnum</param>
diff --git a/navalplanner-webapp/src/main/java/org/navalplanner/web/resources/criterion/CriterionAdminController_V2.java b/navalplanner-webapp/src/main/java/org/navalplanner/web/resources/criterion/CriterionAdminController_V2.java
index 7a7c0212c..4742709e7 100644
--- a/navalplanner-webapp/src/main/java/org/navalplanner/web/resources/criterion/CriterionAdminController_V2.java
+++ b/navalplanner-webapp/src/main/java/org/navalplanner/web/resources/criterion/CriterionAdminController_V2.java
@@ -38,6 +38,8 @@ import org.navalplanner.web.common.MessagesForUser;
 import org.navalplanner.web.common.OnlyOneVisible;
 import org.navalplanner.web.common.Util;
 import org.zkoss.zk.ui.Component;
+import org.zkoss.zk.ui.event.CheckEvent;
+import org.zkoss.zk.ui.event.Event;
 import org.zkoss.zk.ui.util.GenericForwardComposer;
 import org.zkoss.zul.Checkbox;
 import org.zkoss.zul.Combobox;
@@ -334,4 +336,15 @@ public class CriterionAdminController_V2 extends GenericForwardComposer {
         editionTree.doAfterCompose(comp.getFellow(
                 "criterionsTree"));
     }
+
+    public void onCheckGenerateCode(Event e) {
+        CheckEvent ce = (CheckEvent) e;
+        if(ce.isChecked()) {
+            //we have to auto-generate the code for new objects
+            if(((CriterionType)criterionsModel_V2.getCriterionType()).isNewObject()) {
+                ((CriterionType)criterionsModel_V2.getCriterionType()).setCodeAutogenerated();
+                Util.reloadBindings(createComponent);
+            }
+        }
+    }
 }
diff --git a/navalplanner-webapp/src/main/java/org/navalplanner/web/resources/criterion/CriterionsModel_V2.java b/navalplanner-webapp/src/main/java/org/navalplanner/web/resources/criterion/CriterionsModel_V2.java
index 1867e2cee..7fcc6c580 100644
--- a/navalplanner-webapp/src/main/java/org/navalplanner/web/resources/criterion/CriterionsModel_V2.java
+++ b/navalplanner-webapp/src/main/java/org/navalplanner/web/resources/criterion/CriterionsModel_V2.java
@@ -29,6 +29,7 @@ import java.util.List;
 import org.apache.commons.lang.Validate;
 import org.apache.commons.logging.Log;
 import org.apache.commons.logging.LogFactory;
+import org.navalplanner.business.common.daos.IConfigurationDAO;
 import org.navalplanner.business.common.exceptions.InstanceNotFoundException;
 import org.navalplanner.business.common.exceptions.ValidationException;
 import org.navalplanner.business.resources.daos.ICriterionDAO;
@@ -66,6 +67,9 @@ public class CriterionsModel_V2 implements ICriterionsModel_V2 {
     @Autowired
     private IResourceDAO resourceDAO;
 
+    @Autowired
+    private IConfigurationDAO configurationDAO;
+
     private CriterionType criterionType;
 
     private Criterion criterion;
@@ -100,8 +104,16 @@ public class CriterionsModel_V2 implements ICriterionsModel_V2 {
     }
 
     @Override
+    @Transactional(readOnly=true)
     public void prepareForCreate() {
-        this.criterionType = CriterionType.create();
+        boolean generateCode = configurationDAO.getConfiguration().getGenerateCodeForCriterion();
+        if(generateCode) {
+            this.criterionType = CriterionType.create();
+        }
+        else {
+            this.criterionType = CriterionType.create("");
+        }
+        this.criterionType.setGenerateCode(generateCode);
         this.criterionTreeModel = new CriterionTreeModel(criterionType);
     }
 
diff --git a/navalplanner-webapp/src/main/webapp/resources/criterions/_edition-V2.zul b/navalplanner-webapp/src/main/webapp/resources/criterions/_edition-V2.zul
index 6ccf31e47..5c171fe03 100644
--- a/navalplanner-webapp/src/main/webapp/resources/criterions/_edition-V2.zul
+++ b/navalplanner-webapp/src/main/webapp/resources/criterions/_edition-V2.zul
@@ -63,8 +63,14 @@
                         </row>
                         <row>
                             <label value="${i18n:_('Code')}" />
-                            <textbox value="@{controller.criterionType.code}" width="390px"
-                                constraint="no empty:${i18n:_('cannot be null or empty')}" />
+                            <hbox>
+                                <textbox width="250px" value="@{controller.criterionType.code}"
+                                    constraint="no empty:${i18n:_('cannot be null or empty')}"
+                                    disabled="@{controller.criterionType.generateCode}" />
+                                <checkbox id="generateCode" label="${i18n:_('Generate code')}"
+                                    onCheck="controller.onCheckGenerateCode(event)"
+                                    checked="@{controller.criterionType.generateCode}" />
+                            </hbox>
                         </row>
                     </rows>
                 </grid>