Confluence Formatting

Confluence Wiki Markup Expertise

This skill provides knowledge for generating documentation in Atlassian Confluence wiki markup format.

Core Syntax

Headings

Use heading markers for document structure:

h1. Main Title
h2. Section Header
h3. Subsection
h4. Minor Section
h5. Detail Level
h6. Smallest Heading

Text Formatting

Apply inline formatting:

• Bold: *bold text*
• Italic: _italic text_
• Strikethrough: -strikethrough-
• Underline: +underline+
• Monospace: {{monospace}}
• Superscript: ^superscript^
• Subscript: ~subscript~

Lists

Create ordered and unordered lists:

* Bullet item
** Nested bullet
*** Deep nested

# Numbered item
## Nested number
### Deep nested

Mixed lists:

# First ordered
#* Bullet under ordered
#* Another bullet
# Second ordered

Links

Format links appropriately:

• External: [Link Text|https://example.com]
• Internal page: [Page Name]
• Anchor: [Link Text|#anchor-name]
• Email: [mailto:email@example.com]

Tables

Structure tabular data:

||Header 1||Header 2||Header 3||
|Cell 1|Cell 2|Cell 3|
|Cell 4|Cell 5|Cell 6|

Essential Macros

Code Block

Display code with syntax highlighting:

{code:language=python|title=Example Code|collapse=false}
def hello_world():
    print("Hello, World!")
{code}

Supported languages: python, java, javascript, typescript, bash, sql, xml, json, yaml, csharp, go, rust

Info Panel

Highlight informational content:

{info:title=Note}
Important information for the reader.
{info}

Warning Panel

Alert readers to cautions:

{warning:title=Caution}
Be careful when performing this action.
{warning}

Note Panel

Add supplementary notes:

{note:title=Remember}
Keep this in mind while proceeding.
{note}

Tip Panel

Provide helpful suggestions:

{tip:title=Pro Tip}
This approach saves time.
{tip}

Expand/Collapse

Create collapsible sections:

{expand:title=Click to expand}
Hidden content that appears when expanded.
{expand}

Table of Contents

Generate automatic TOC:

{toc:printable=true|style=disc|maxLevel=3|indent=20px}

No Format

Preserve whitespace and prevent wiki rendering:

{noformat}
Preformatted text
    with preserved spacing
        and no wiki parsing
{noformat}

Panel

Create bordered content panels:

{panel:title=Panel Title|borderStyle=solid|borderColor=#ccc|bgColor=#f5f5f5}
Panel content here.
{panel}

Document Structure Patterns

API Reference Pattern

Structure API documentation consistently:

h1. API Reference

{toc:maxLevel=2}

h2. Overview

Brief description of the API.

h2. Authentication

{code:language=bash}
curl -H "Authorization: Bearer TOKEN" https://api.example.com
{code}

h2. Endpoints

h3. GET /resource

{info}
Retrieves a list of resources.
{info}

*Parameters:*
||Name||Type||Required||Description||
|limit|integer|No|Maximum results to return|
|offset|integer|No|Starting position|

*Response:*
{code:language=json}
{
  "data": [],
  "total": 0
}
{code}

Architecture Document Pattern

Structure system architecture docs:

h1. System Architecture

{toc}

h2. Overview

Brief system description.

h2. Components

h3. Component Name

*Purpose:* What this component does.

*Dependencies:*
* Dependency 1
* Dependency 2

*Interfaces:*
||Interface||Protocol||Description||
|API|REST|External access|
|Events|Kafka|Async messaging|

h2. Data Flow

{info}
Describe how data moves through the system.
{info}

h2. Deployment

{code:language=yaml|title=Deployment Configuration}
service:
  replicas: 3
  memory: 2Gi
{code}

Getting Started Pattern

Structure onboarding documentation:

h1. Getting Started

{tip}
This guide takes approximately 15 minutes to complete.
{tip}

h2. Prerequisites

* Prerequisite 1
* Prerequisite 2

h2. Installation

{code:language=bash}
npm install package-name
{code}

h2. Quick Start

h3. Step 1: Configure

{code:language=json|title=config.json}
{
  "setting": "value"
}
{code}

h3. Step 2: Initialize

{code:language=javascript}
const client = new Client(config);
{code}

h3. Step 3: Verify

{info}
Run the verification command to confirm setup.
{info}

h2. Next Steps

* [Advanced Configuration]
* [API Reference]
* [Troubleshooting]

Best Practices

Readability

• Use headings to create clear hierarchy
• Keep paragraphs short (3-5 sentences)
• Use lists for sequential steps or related items
• Add whitespace between sections

Code Presentation

• Always specify language for syntax highlighting
• Add titles to code blocks for context
• Use collapse for long code examples
• Include comments in code samples

Visual Hierarchy

• Use panels to highlight important content
• Apply info/warning/tip macros appropriately
• Create tables for structured data
• Use expand macros for optional detail

Navigation

• Include table of contents for long documents
• Use anchor links for cross-references
• Create consistent heading structure
• Link to related pages

Output File Convention

Generate Confluence wiki files with .wiki extension:

• api-reference.wiki
• architecture.wiki
• getting-started.wiki

Files should be plain text containing wiki markup, ready for copy-paste into Confluence page editor (switch to wiki markup mode).