What are cards, and how can you use them in Confluence?

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Want to break up your text-heavy Confluence content? Cards could be your solution. They are a great way to create better, more user-friendly, and navigable Confluence pages.

In this guide, we’ll talk through:

• What are cards?

• How to use the Cards macro

• How to create more Advanced Cards

What are cards?

A card is a small, visual container for information that roughly resembles the size and shape of a playing card. They're also often interactive, with links or buttons to click through to view extra information.

Cards are a great way to present navigational information, team profiles, key points, and other related information in an engaging way.

How to create cards with the Cards macro

⚠️ Please note: This feature is in beta and only available with Confluence Cloud Premium and Enterprise. For another solution, scroll down!

1. Click the Edit icon (the pencil) on your Confluence page.

2. Start typing /cards on your page, then click Cards [New] in the dropdown.

3. A sidebar will appear to let you customise your cards. You can set:

• The card size and alignment

• Whether to show/hide the author and when a linked page was last updated

• The title, description, image, and link (if applicable) for each card

While the Cards macro is a quick and easy way to add cards to your pages, it doesn't offer more advanced customisation options or advanced layouts. 

Read on to learn how you can!

How to create Advanced Cards in Confluence

The Advanced Cards macro comes included with Content Formatting Macros for Confluence Cloud, but you may be able to use other apps on the Marketplace instead.

👆 Some of the card layouts you can create with the Advanced Cards macro

Advanced Cards, gives you:

• Better branding - customise your card and text with any colour you like, crop and move card images, or remove images altogether

• More tailored layout options - e.g. up to 5 cards in a row or a single card per row

• Enhanced user experience - drag-and-drop to rearrange cards and preview light/dark mode in just one click

Here’s how to get started:

1. Install Content Formatting Macros (try it free for 30 days).

2. Go to your Confluence page and click the pencil icon in the top-right corner.

3. Start typing “/advanced cards” and select the Advanced Cards macro.

4. In the Advanced Cards editor, customise your cards however you want. The editor shows you an interactive preview on the left and has additional options on the right.

You can choose whether to include an image, how many cards to have in a row, the colour of your card and text, where to link to, and more.

Here are a few tips:

• To customise the overall card configuration (e.g. how many cards you want in a row), click the “All cards” tab.
  
  

• To customise a single card (e.g. change its image), click the “Selected card” tab.

• To add a card, select the “Add card” button in the left preview.

• To delete a card: Hover over a card in the preview and click the trash can icon.

5. Click the “Save" button on the editor, then click the “Publish” button on the top-right of your page to see your new cards in action! 

Whether you use the built-in macro or an app is up to you. If you want to give Advanced Cards a go, you can try it free for 30 days when you install Content Formatting Macros. 

What are your favourite ways to make your Confluence pages more engaging? Let us know in the comments below! 👇