Layouts and single column segments

[Laura Campbell _Seibert Group_]

Update!

You can just delete column segments to go back to single wide.

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I've been trying to reproduce some layout practices from Confluence Server on Confluence Cloud, and I'm not finding what I want.

In Confluence Server, I could have several different segments, perhaps the first in 2 equal columns, then the next one column (basically the entire page), and then a third with 3 columns.

If I changed the dimensions/layout of a segment (adding columns, for example), I could always return it to the single wide layout with the full square button.

But I can't seem to find that option with Confluence Cloud. If I create a new segment in 2 columns, I can change to different layouts except for the single wide.

Does the new editing interface in Confluence Cloud prevent you from creating new single wide segments?

For the moment my work around has been just to create a new page in Confluence Cloud since new pages have single wide layouts, but that doesn't help if I want different layouts, including single wide, to be included within one page.

[Diego · Accepted solution]

Hello there, @Laura Campbell _Seibert Group_ !

Looking at our documentation, we can see that it does not give any insight into the new set of layouts that are currently available. Here is our documentation:

• [Confluence Cloud] Add formatting to your page

With the situation above in mind, I could find two reports related to this issue. Even though the reports are related to the main issue, they are not the same thing.

This one tries to tackle the update of our documentation:

• [Confluence Cloud] Documentation doesn't mention new Single Column and Fixed Width page layouts

On the other hand, this one tackles the creation of new layout options for Confluence Cloud editor:

• [Confluence Cloud] Additional options for page layouts

I would recommend you to vote and watch both these reports. Voting helps to increase the visibility of the reports and watching them keeps you up to date with everything!

As a workaround you could remove the layout and use the narrow page view in Confluence.

Let us hear from you, Laura!

[Laura Campbell _Seibert Group_]

@DiegoThanks for sharing the existing issues; I've voted for the first.

Your mentioned workaround would work if I wanted the entire page to have the same layout, but I often use different layouts in different segments. I'll have to watch the issue.

[Diego]

Hello @Laura Campbell _Seibert Group_ !

You are right, the workaround would be applicable if you were o use it in the entirety of the page. Thanks for pointing that out.

Also, thank you very much for taking part in this report and voting for it.

Let us know if you ever need anything else. Come share with the community!

[MI]

I also badly miss section layout for one single column, this can't be too hard! Why give up, what you already had!

[Kimberly Fairchild]

Agree - this seems like really basic functionality and its absence is really frustruating.

[Morten Hattesen]

Hi @Diego, could you please elaborate on how to achieve...

As a workaround you could remove the layout and use the narrow page view in Confluence

... in an existing Confluence Cloud (1000.0.0) document with a two-column layout.

I am unable to find a way to "remove the layout" and/or "use the narrow page view", without resolving to cut/paste'ing the entire column content to a location outside a section, which ruins the page history which believes the entire content has been replaced.

[Blaise]

This answer does not work because formatting specifically around images is easily screwed up. The segments allowed for containers where you can apply individually sectioned areas as to not blow up the rest of the document. The single, full-width "section" is from the older editing platform. The newer layout columns do not provide this option at all but just leave an open page so instead of sectioning off different topics from top to bottom, you're stuck with an overall formatting nightmare.

[Gregory Muir]

What I don't understand is server and cloud are both web interfaces and we had it in server. Why do the two environments look dissimilar? Why are they missing features? 

[Franklin]

Completely agree with the comments above. Single column layout is a necessary feature. Why, after four years from the date this CI was submitted has there been no progress?!

[Todd Inman]

Please give us the functionality back, this reduction in service makes my pages virtually unworkable. 

[Alan Kelly]

I agree. We have countless pages formatted with single page columns and double columns in he same page. Why has this function been lost !!?

[gerrybernardo]

So ridiculous. It's like 1 step forward 2 steps back

[Deleted user]

Agreed, I much prefer the old layouts. We have lost functionality

[Charles Forsyth]

Ditto

[Robert Reininger]

100%.  I just started at a new job and they're using Cloud vs Server, and making new templates is frustrating due to the lost functionality above.  I know I'm a little late to the party here, but frustrated all the same.

[Gregory Muir]

Yeah, just look how long this issue has been outstanding. They don't care. They don't care at all. 

There's explanations as to why the two products look different, server and cloud, they split the code base. But the explanation is still incredibly stupid. We're using a browser to look at the damn sites, it's not like we're talking about native compiled code for Mac vs. PC and getting differences. Why can't you make the cloud look seamlessly like server? Why are you breaking everything? It's your own tool. Foolishness. 

[Shannyn Johnson]

Hi, 

I commented on the ticket, but also adding my thoughts here. In one of the comments this was added "We currently have no plans of introducing a single column layout as that can be achieved by removing all layouts and selecting either fixed or full width page layout." This is not an acceptable substitute for those of us who use multiple layout formats on one page. Hopefully you guys don't phase out the legacy editor without addressing this oversight. 

[Sophie Vintner]

Agreed @Shannyn Johnson  I am really struggling with new layouts - is there no way to now move sections up and down easily?  Or use a variety of layouts on one page?  Big downgrade IMO, any feedback from Confluence on this appreciated.

[Lori Wright]

Wow, loss of cloud layouts - both being able to combine single-column with multi-column and loss of being able to move them - really messes up my pages.

I can no longer develop a page by putting different details within different sections, then moving them up or down to rearrange them. I must now go use an outline editor to define my page, before I create it in cloud confluence. Copy/paste just doesn't work as robustly to reliably move whole sections intact.

I am disappointed. In the middle of a busy week, I have to stop and re-think the templates and site standards we have for our knowldege bases.

[Gregory Muir]

We're getting forced into Cloud and that's the same thing we're seeing. Maddening.

[Tord]

Incomprehensible to me that such a vital feature has been removed. Complex page design relies on the use of both single-column and multi-column features. This has to be implemented ASAP.

Is there a way to use the old editor while we're waiting?

[Chris Stier]

Please give us a single column layout section.  It's very nice to be able to move sections around in a page.. can't really do that with how things are now.  All single column edits are on the main page.  Makes it hard to move things around when needed. 

[Mieszko Poczta]

This is super annoying! 
We lose more and more options!
Even font colors or types of tables?
NEW:

OLD:

Well, if Atlassian is going this road of decreasing functionalities, it is time to let it fly by themselves and choose more complex solutions for the knowledge base.

Can anyone suggest something as a replacement? :P

[Prateek]

need single column! need to insert a full width table with many columns. 

[Brett Fieber]

While it's sort of a hack, I just figured out a way to do this.

Instead of using the Layouts tool, Insert a /table.

Remove all but one cell. Now it's in essence a single column segment which has the width adjustment control on it.. ;)

Hope it helps.

[Thiago Castilho]

Your hack really does the work. Nice! Thanks.

[Blaise]

I usually scoff at people who whine about old features and not adapting but this is seriously ridiculous. The page autoformats paragraph settings and good luck with images and bullets for FAQ's, walkthroughs, and references by having the only way around that is dividing the page into different, specific layouts. This separation made things look professional and clean meant for an enterprise environment. Literally, how can this still be a problem 3 years later??

[Vladimir Vladimirov]

We really need this feature.  We need a single-column page layout too.

[Scott Paden]

We really need this feature.  I have hundreds of users. It is difficult to manage this issue.

[Liv Adams]

Being able to adjust columns or add extra columns would be fantastic. I am wanting to add multiple images in a row across the screen and there is not really an easy way to do this outside of using a table. The table looks clunky for this purpose and it also isn't responsive to the web.

[Mridula Menon (Product Knowledge Enablement)]

I returned to confluence after 5 years and wow... a tool that was such a joy to use has become so frustrating! How can they not have an option for a single column is simply beyond me! I am definitely going to vote!

[Gregory Muir]

They honestly don't seem to care. Look how long this deficiency has been noted and ignored for. 

[Gaurav Rajan]

I need this feature 

[GLO]

The page itself is a single column.  Whatever you want to add as a single column do it outside of the multiple column layout you already have on the page.  You can have a combination of different layouts within the same page.

[Madiha Latafi]

No it's not :/ Without the single column you have a much narrower width

[David Corlette]

For a normal page, at the top next to the breadcrumb path there are two little arrows that allow you to expand the page width.

But this works only for regular pages, not templates ... ANNOYING