Excerpt vs Synced Block

[Manuel Kroiß]

Hello Confluence users,

Can someone tell me whats the difference between

• /excerpt and /excerptInclude
• /syncedBlock

We are validating the usage of those features and I don't really understand when to use what. What are the advantages/disadvantages of each.

kind regards

Manuel

[Kris Klima _K15t_ · Accepted solution]

Hi @Manuel Kroiß 

The idea is the same, execution a bit different.

For starters, blocs are easy to track both ways (source <> target). They are easier to use, you simply copy past a bloc from the source to the target page. With excerpts, you need to track incoming/outgoing links.

Blocs also work in Jira (Jira - Confluence).

It's easy to turn a piece of content into a reusable bloc.

Managing the use of synced content is easier.

However... Where I found limits was in blocs' compatibility with marketplace macros and apps. Some apps can't process blocs content yet and/or you cannot place them into blocs. Some native Confluence macros might fall short of blocs compatibility too. So do test it.

I would also appreciate a wholsale management - for example, in Content Manager a column with 'synced bloc source' would be nice. In databases, you can display an excerpt that's on the page (only the first one...) but that's something. The last time I checked, there was no such option for blocs.

Hope this helps at least a bit.

https://support.atlassian.com/confluence-cloud/docs/create-and-use-synced-blocks/

[Barbara Szczesniak]

Thank you for the warning about this new feature not yet being compatible with marketplace apps, @Kris Klima _K15t_ 

Even though these new features have not yet been rolled out to my instance, once they are, I will put off using them until they are supported in Scroll Sites.

[Kris Klima _K15t_]

@Barbara Szczesniak - we're investigating the options. I think this goes for all marketplace partners.

As a writer, I'd very much welcome integration with Scroll apps.