Is there a way to insert a template INTO a page?

[Troy Galle]

I know how to create a template and create pages from that template. My question is: is it possible to insert a section into an existing page and have that section be pre-formatted or populated from a template?

I need have a single Confluence page linked to a Jira issue, but that Confluence page needs to include multiple date-stamped reports about that Jira issue. Each report would have its own section, but all sections would be formatted identically. Currently the solution is copy and paste the sections, but that's not particularly efficient. 

We have tried creating templates for the reports and having them live as child-pages to the main Jira-linked page, but it's messy and makes it difficult to consume the reports. 

I'm currently under the belief that I will need to create a macro to do this, but I would prefer something off-the-shelf if it exists.

[Brandon]

So this is not the solution you want. You want to be able to empower the user, via a button, form, or template element, to be able to create form style content within a confluence page. However, I have a workaround, which may give you the functionality you want, despite the fact that the template creates a new page as a child of the page that you're on.

THE MEETING NOTES EXAMPLE

I have a meeting notes hub. I want to display any meeting note created by any user, during a specific meeting on that meeting.

STEP 1

1. Create a new Template (... ► Create/Edit a Template ► Create New Template) can call it MEETING NOTE.
2. Enter into that Template an Excerpt Macro Box. 
3. Within the Excerpt Macro, enter whatever content you want your NOTE template to have. As these will be entered by users, I suggest something simple. (Please note that you can create as many of these as you want for various sections of the meeting template which you will create next)
4. Click the TAG button near the top center of the page you're editing, and create a new tag called meetingnote
5. Save the template but do NOT promote it.

STEP 2

1. Create a CREATE FROM TEMPLATE macro, and set it to your MEETING NOTE template. 
2. Create a Second Template called MEETING MINUTES.
3. In that Template define all of the elements you would like to have tracked in your meeting.
4. Add a section called NOTES to the template.
5. Underneath that Section Header, add a CONTENT BY LABEL macro.
6. In the settings, make sure you add a filter for 'ANCESTOR is THIS PAGE'.
7. Set the Excerpt to Rich Text.
8. Set the Label to meeting note.
9. Save the Page, and PROMOTE this template.

STEP 3

1. Have the Appropriate person create the meeting using the new template at the appropriate time.
2. As the meeting progresses, ANYONE can click your new button on this meeting and the following will happen:
   
   • A New Page will be created for their note.
   • They will retain the ability to edit this page
   • The note they create will appear under the notes section of the Meeting, and be included because of the tag. 
   • Anyone with higher permissions can ALSO edit the note.

PROS

• This method can replace the display children SITE WIDE, allowing you to only display the child pages with the TAG you want instead of all child pages.
• More verbose searching is available for 'CREATED BY' within a Date Range, and with a TAG to measure participation or gather a specific subset of feedback from a given individual.
• Because it's nested templates, the information being requested will always reflect the AGILE process, because it's always up to date.

CONS

• An extra page is produced as a child of the meeting.

SUMMARY 

Again, I am aware that this is not the solution we have asked for. But it's a solid workaround with some excellent pros available to the user. I've found that this form of nested templates, is an excellent OUT OF THE BOX way to create this functionality without having to pursue plugins in order to make it happen.

[T M]

Thanks for the well explained work around. I still hope that an out of the box "insert template into page" can be added soon. 

[Dirk Brutscher]

Hi,

after reading your usecase, I think this is exactly what I build my Confluence App "Editor Templates" for. You can create you own templates or content parts on Confluence pages. These "Editor Templates" (pages) can then be inserted as editable content right at the cursor position in the Confluence page editor:

[Brandon]

@Stephan Sutter that was an inappropriate plug for your product and in no way helpful. If you’re going to suggest an Addon for assistance to a use case, then please provide a specific explanation on HOW you think it will serve the customer. 

Otherwise it’s just empty advertising and has no place in a help thread or feature request. And it has no place here. 

[Moses Kamai]

Agree with you... there was no 'not like' button

[Brandon]

Ditto, I'm very surprised that there's no way to toggle a Template to save the content on the same page, and within the same section, instead of a new page. Shouldn't I be able to define 'Create on Same Page' in which case it would add the content to the footer of the page? Or define a section in which case it would add it to the bottom of the defined section.

This seems fairly core.

[Diego]

Hello Troy! I believe we have just what you need!
We have two macros for that:

- Excerpt Macro
- Excerpt Include Macro

The excerpt macro works as a "marker" for what you want to include. And the Excerpt Include Macro is used to include the Excerpt somewhere else!
Let us know if this helps your case

[Troy Galle]

Diego, 

Unfortunately the Excerpt Include Macro does not insert the excerpted section into the page in an editable format. 

I may not have described the issue as well as I should have. I need to pull a pre-formatted section into a page and then be able to edit the contents of that section. Basically, I need the functionality of a Template, but without creating a new page. 

The ideal use would be: a user types in a macro name, the macro inserts a formatted chunk of text (and tables if needed), and then the user enters the needed data into that text.

[Tara]

I'm looking for this same functionality. 

[Jure Senčar]

Me too!

[Catherine Schwartz]

I am looking for the same functionality

[snecula]

SAme here.

[Tobias Joder]

Exactly what I'm looking for.

[T M]

Me too. This functionality would be greatly appreciated. 

[Thomas Kritzinger]

I'm looking for the same feature for years now.

It ist absolutely essential for documentation to reuse template like text parts inside an existing documentation.

This could be blueprints or something new like blueprint segments.
In any case, we want to predefine a text or tables, search them in a nice little menu and insert this into an existing documentation here and now.

[Stephan Sutter]

Hi @Thomas Kritzinger 

Maybe our Confluence App Advanced Excerpts could be a solution for your requirement. At the moment it is free of charge and you can find the Advanced Excerpts on the Marketplace.

Regards,
Stephan (PM at EPS Software Engineering AG, the vendor of the Advanced Excerpts)

[Thomas Kritzinger]

@Stephan Sutter: so advanced excerpts acts exactly like blueprint content?

you can fully edit the content like you have copy & paste it?

[eric_windmill]

I also want this feature. Advanced Exceprts looks good, but I don't own / manage my server so I cant just add macros willy nilly. Hopefully It will be added to core functionality

[Stacie Smith]

I am also looking for this feature!  Wondering if there has been any new add ons or features developed to support this use case in the last 2 years.