Automate creation of missing pages

Dan Goyette December 29, 2017

I would appreciate a feature that would search through all Page Link references in a space or on a single page, and automatically create any pages for links that don't yet exist. 

For example, if I Insert Link (ctrl-k), choose Advanced, and type the name of a page that doesn't exist, Confluence will show the link in brown/maroon text, and clicking the link will take me to a Create Page form. Ideally I wouldn't need to create the page manually like that. Instead, the some process would automatically add pages for any missing Links it finds, naming them according to the name provided in the link.

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Nic Brough -Adaptavist-
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December 29, 2017

Interesting idea, but I would hate it. 

I regularly write pages almost as a stream of consciousness, and when my brain goes "oh, I should discuss this somewhere else", I will scribble a page link as a reminder to write that later.

Later, I can go back over it and create the pages I need, and focus on them at that time (or create tasks for other people to write them).  This way, I don't need reminders or tasks to tell me to write more supporting content later.

So, a swipe at an actual answer:

  • That's just my 2d worth of instinctive reaction.  Part of me wants to paraphrase the idea as something that sounds quite dismissive, which is not what I want to do, as it's not meant this way, but I'm not sure how else to do it - "I want to create a set of empty pages with no way to know that they need writing".  I guess I'm asking "Why?".  What's the use for this (other than preventing a page having odd coloured links)?
  • There's no native function for this, but I'm 99% sure ScriptRunner for Confluence could do it (add a button for "create empty pages behind non-existent page links"), and possibly some other add-ons could do it. (Disclosure - I work for Adaptavist.  I still think it's a good answer that I'd have given if I were independent, but I'd prefer not to be seen as biased, and certainly not advertising instead of answering!)
  • Also, you could write an external script that uses REST to scan a page (or set of pages) and poke empty pages into Confluence

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