View access and document manangement

[Barkha Agarwal]

Hi. We have live documents used as SOPS shared across the company.  We get update requests which need to be approved before being implemented.  I want to be able to update the SOP but not have the company view access to the update until it has been approved by a reviewer.  Is there a way to restrict view access to the updated version via the review status or Comala until it is transitioned to approved status ?

[Yulia Lenina _AppFox_]

Hi Barkha, and welcome to the community! As Kristian mentioned earlier, there is a common practice of using different spaces for drafts and approved/ready documents, where you can restrict access to the whole space so that only the right people can edit/view documents. Once a document is approved, it automatically publishes to the other space, where it can be seen by a wider audience.

Not sure which apps you're considering, but you can do all of this (multi-stage approvals, official versioning, cross-space publishing and much more) using our "Workflows for Confluence" app. With this app, you will not need to pay for a cross-space publishing, as it's included in the app.

[Barkha Agarwal]

Thank you for your response Yulia.  This is extremely helpful.  We already have Comala Document Management app so I will look into which app is best suited for cross space publishing.  Are there any training modules or courses available on this topic ?

[Yulia Lenina _AppFox_]

Hi Barkha, happy to help! I am not sure about Comala in particular, but as for best practices of document management and cross-space publishing in general, I don't think there are courses/trainings, as the information is spread across the Internet. I would recommend reading our article "How to Publish Across Confluence Spaces (And Why You Should)".

[Kristian Klima]

HI @Barkha Agarwal and welcome to the Community.

You can apply view restrictions to individual pages but that's kinda cumbersome.

I have a slightly different use-case but I use a two-space approach with Comala tools - Comala Document Approval and Comala Publishing.

Basically, you have one space where you do all the editing, Source space, with limited access. This is where you create and edit all documents.

Then you set up the Comala tools in such a way, that once the page is approved, it's automatically synced to the Target space.

Target space is where your final, approved content is. It's read only and everyone in the company can read it.

This method allows you to keep any number of pages as drafts, outside of the prying eyes of the crowd.

Another method that would work is Breeze app by B1nary. It's a workflow app that allows you to create drafts in a dedicated space with limited access and then sync the content back. It's the reverse of the same two space principle.

[Barkha Agarwal]

Thank you for your response Kristian.  I have been trying (and failing) to achieve this with just the Comala Doc Management app so it good to know what approach I need to take and what additional apps I will need.

[oliver cuesta]

Hi @Barkha Agarwal 

To address business scenarios like yours we have developed Comala Publishing for Confluence Cloud. This app enables you to establish separate draft and published spaces.

By integrating both Comala apps you can publish pages once they receive approval, ensuring that your broader audience only accesses the approved version in the published space.

To provide you with the most precise and customized solution for your specific requirements, I strongly recommend opening a support ticket with us. You can do this by visiting the Appfire's Customer Support Portal: https://appfire.atlassian.net/servicedesk/customer/portal/11. Our team is eager to assist you in detail and offer the best guidance to help you achieve your desired outcome.

Kind regards,

Oliver

Appfire Support

[Adrian Hülsmann - B1NARY]

Hi @Barkha Agarwal

Your use case describes an approval process that can be easily done with Breeze.

Breeze introduces the concept of "working copies," which are page clones that can be modified and — after approval — merged back into the original pages. The result is that an original page stays untouched until the changes of its working copy are approved, thus separating concerns between editing, approval, and publishing of page updates.

If you would like to see how this works, feel free to schedule a personal demo with me or try Breeze for free from the Atlassian Marketplace.

Cheers, and all the best,
Adrian from B1NARY (we are the developers of Breeze)