This page last changed on Jun 23, 2008 by smaddox.

Macros perform programmatic functions within a page and can be used to generate complex content structures or dynamic content.

Macros allow you to create markup or include dynamic content in a page that may not be possible using Confluence notation. For example, the Attachments macro will list a page's attachments in the page itself, so that readers do not have to visit the Attachments tab.

Including a macro in your page

Generally speaking, a macro is simply a command wrapped inside curly braces {...}.

For instance, the Attachments Macro is written as:

{attachments}

Optional Parameters in Macros

Many macros allow you to include optional parameters that can often be combined to refine or control the macro's output.

With the Attachments Macro, for instance, you have two optional parameters:

  • To specify the file formats of the attachments displayed.
  • To choose whether or not you want old versions of the attachments displayed.

These optional parameters are included within the curly braces, following a colon, like this:

{attachments:patterns=.*jpg}

When specifying more than one parameter within the same macro, use the pipe symbol ('|') to separate one from the other, like this:
{attachments:old=true|patterns=.*jpg}

Case Sensitivity in Macro Parameters

Macro parameters are case sensitive. In most cases, the macro will expect its parameters to be in lower case. Make sure you follow the documentation for the specific macro and match the expected case, otherwise the parameter may be ignored.

For example, this code correctly has the parameter 'patterns' with a lower case 'p' as expected by the Attachments Macro:

{attachments:patterns=.*jpg}

This code will not work, because the parameter 'Patterns' has an upper case 'p', which the Attachments Macro will not recognise:
Invalid macro code:

{attachments:Patterns=.*jpg}

Confluence Macros

Many macros are shipped with Confluence. The macros currently available in Confluence are listed below. For each macro, all the optional parameters are also listed with examples of their usage.

Attachments Macro Displays a list of attachments belonging to the current page.
Blog Posts Macro Lists the most recent news items in the space.
Bookmarks Macro Includes a list of bookmarks on a Confluence page.
Change-History Macro Displays a history of updates made to a page.
Cheese Macro Displays the words "I like cheese!"
Children Display Macro Displays the children and descendants of the current page.
Code Block Macro Displays code in your document with the appropriate syntax highlighting.
Color Text Macro Changes the colour of a block of text.
Column Macro Used with the Section Macro. Defines columns within the page.
Content by Label Macro Renders a list of content associated with specific labels.
Create Space Button Macro Renders a create space button linked to the create space page.
Tasklist Macro Displays a dynamic task list which can be modified in 'view' mode.
Excerpt Macro Allows you to define a part of the page as the page's 'excerpt' which is then used by other macros to summarise a page's content.
Excerpt Include Macro Allows you to display an excerpt from another page within the current page.
Favourite Pages Macro Displays a list of your favourite pages.
Excerpt Include Macro Includes one page's excerpt in another.
Flowchart Macro Displays flowcharts and other diagrams composed of shapes joined by lines.
Gallery Macro Forms a thumbnail gallery of all images attached to a page.
Global Reports Macro Renders a list of links to global reports within a table.
HTML Macro Renders your specified HTML code within the current page.
IM Presence Macro Displays graphically when a contact is online.
Include Page Macro Inserts the contents of the specified page into the current one.
Info Macro Displays a block of text in a blue highlight box.
JIRA Issues Macro Displays a list of JIRA issues in a page.
JIRA Portlet Macro Displays a JIRA dashboard portlet in Confluence.
JUnit Report Macro Display a summary of JUnit test results.
Layout Macros Format a page into columns.
Loremipsum Macro Display a few paragraphs of pseudo-Latin text.
Navmap Macro Renders the list of pages associated with a specified label as a navigable map.
Noformat Macro Displays a block of text in monospace font.
Nolink and nl Macros Prevents the browser from automatically hyperlinking a URL.
Note Macro Displays a block of text in a yellow highlight box.
Panel Macro Displays a block of text within a fully customisable panel.
Recently Updated Content Macro Includes a list of recently changed content.
Recently Used Labels Macro Lists labels most recently used in a specified scope (Global, Space, or Personal)
Related Labels Macro Lists labels frequently appearing on the same pages as the current page's labels.
RSS Feed Macro Displays the contents of an RSS feed.
Search Macro Searches Confluence, and includes the results in the page.
Section Macro Used with the Column Macro to define columns within the page.
Space Details Macro Includes the summary of a Confluence space in the page.
Spacegraph Macro Displays a chart of the pages in a space and their connections.
Spaces List Macro Displays a list of all spaces visible to the user.
Tip Macro Displays a block of text in a green highlight box.
Thumbnail Macro Creates a thumbnail of an inline image.
Userlister Macro Displays a list of Confluence users, from an optional group.
Warning Macro Displays a block of text in a red highlight box.
Welcome Message macro Includes the Confluence site welcome message.

Other macros

Other macros are available as plugins or as user macros, and can be installed by your Confluence administrator.

Customers using Adaptavist macros or plugins might be interested in the Adaptavist's Confluence user guide.

Some examples are:

Writing your own macros

To learn how to write your own macro, or use macros written by other people, read the Confluence Plugin Guide.

RELATED TOPICS

Confluence Notation Guide Overview
Confluence Plugin Guide
Plugin Index
User Macros

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Document generated by Confluence on Jun 24, 2008 18:05