Is there a way to prompt users to enter a comment when publishing or updating a Confluence page?

[Rob Horan]

The default behavior excludes the comment option, and since there is no option to add a comment after a version is published the ability to do so is lost forever (for that page version) if people forget to choose what is effectively a hidden special save option. 

[Brant Schroeder · Accepted solution]

@Rob Horan there is currently no way to do this.  There is a feature request that is pretty old that covers this https://jira.atlassian.com/browse/CONFCLOUD-6373 Looks like it might not happen anytime soon, but you could vote for it in hopes it gets added one day.

[Rob Horan]

I don't want to make comments mandatory - what I'm trying to do is make the field available when publishing or updating.

[Brant Schroeder]

@Rob Horan you could add a new feature request since it is a little different but is not currently available.

[Rob Horan]

Whats the best way to submit a feature request?

[Kristian Klima]

@Rob Horan 

Typically, workflow apps have the feature to add a comment when moving a page to the next workflow stage - with or without actually editing - and you can designate which Confluence version is the 'good' one. 

What I'm saying is that the feature is far from unprecedented in the Confluence realm.

[Rob Horan]

This would require additional apps, and isn't really the main issue. 

In Server and DC the ability to add a comment was RIGHT NEXT to the button.  Now its hidden and you can guarantee that the majority of users, including people that know its there, aren't going to use it, because you need to remember to have to jump through hoops to add a comment.

[Yulia Lenina _AppFox_]

@Rob Horan as @Kristian Klima mentioned, there is no such way of doing it in Confluence natively, but can be solved with the workflow apps. For example, with the Workflows for Confluence app you can incorporate this comment prompt into an approval process, both mandatory and not. Implementing the Workflows app will give you much more opportunities to keep your documents organised, up-to-date and compliant.

[Rob Horan]

Its unfortunate that theres no way to take what used to be easy and make it easy again.  It shouldn't require a paid app to make the comment field appear by default.