Is there a pattern for Staging/UAT of Pages

[Emile Deen]

We develop several products and use Confluence to provide documentation to the public with each product occupying a Space.

However, we don't want the docs (and updates for new versions) to be publicly visible while we work on them.

Does anyone use Confluence with the notion of a Staging area? Are there any patterns in common use?

[SarahA · Accepted solution]

Hallo The Diamond Z

This page in the Confluence docs describes how to manage the life cycle of technical documentation, using core Confluence functionality:

http://confluence.atlassian.com/display/DOC/Managing+the+Life+Cycle+of+your+Technical+Documentation

There are some plugins that provide extended workflow in Confluence:

• Ad hoc Workflows plugin by Comalatech, for adding workflow capabilities to Confluence: <tt>https://plugins.atlassian.com/plugin/details/142</tt>
• Confluence Remote Publishing Plugin by Comalatech, extending the Ad hoc Workflows plugin to publish content from a master Confluence space to a destination space: <tt>https://plugins.atlassian.com/plugin/details/42115</tt>
• Confluence Workflows Utilities Plugin by Comalatech, extending the Ad hoc Workflows plugin with utilities such as a workflow event logger and new comment trigger events: <tt>https://plugins.atlassian.com/plugin/details/38741</tt>
• Live Forms and Workflows for Confluence by Frevvo, for creating input forms and associated workflows: <tt>https://plugins.atlassian.com/plugin/details/8965</tt>

I hope these are useful!

Cheers, Sarah

[Nic Brough -Adaptavist-]

Some places I've worked hide the entire space until it's basically ready, others use space restrictions. A couple use closed spaces with limited acces, and then move the pages when they're ready - often their own personal spaces. Depends on if you need a monolithic, mostly static space to go out, or you can drip-feed the pages out as you work through them.

But, the most common emergent pattern is to do the initial work in a personal space, get a colleague to have a quick read, then publish it and work in public. Most documenters are keen to get something out for the users, even if it's a little rough.