Getting Started with Advanced Search for Confluence

How to access the templates

1. Navigate to the location where you want to place a search box.

2. Tap “Create from template”.

3. Search for “Search” and choose “Advanced Search Portal”.
   

   

4. Pick the “Search with handy filters” or the “Search meeting notes” template. They are specified in detail below ⬇ .

5. The template will be published as a new page.
   If you want to add the search box to an existing page like a space overview, simply copy the entire content and paste it to the other page.

Template a: Search with handy filters

Often, one is completely overwhelmed by the sheer number of results of a Confluence search. We know - we've been there countless times. That's why we set out to craft the most useful search box with the handiest filters for everyday use. We liked the outcome of this search box so much that we are sharing it with you!

Specifications of "Search with handy filters"

• The search field includes pages and blog posts only. No attachments, no comments. Of course, you can customize that by editing the Advanced Search macro.
  

  

• There are several radio buttons and checkboxes to let you filter for the time range and content you have worked on at some point.

• The input field in the middle lets you filter the results within a specific space (or a range of spaces). Handy, right?

• Combine the checkboxes and CQL fields any way you like. What you need to bear in mind: Combining too many boxes might leave you with too few or no results.

Template b: Search Meeting Notes

Meeting notes are among the most common page types in Confluence. We use them every week, so their number is ever-increasing, and finding a specific note can get tricky. Fortunately, they all carry the same label, so the Advanced Search makes it easy to search only among them.
Our template allows you to filter for relevant time ranges, specific spaces, and contributors. Here's what it looks like:

Specifications of "Search Meeting Notes"

• The label = "meeting-notes" filter is already integrated into the search field. It can easily be changed (see below).

• The Advanced Search macro is set to "instant search", meaning that all pages carrying the label "meeting-notes" will be displayed when loading the search page. You can change that by unticking the box "instant search".
  

  

• You may leave all filters (radio buttons, checkboxes, and CQL fields) below the search field for a start. Or get rid of any filters that are not relevant to you - your choice.

Using different labels for this template

Of course, you can also use the template "Search Meeting Notes" and customize it to search for pages carrying any other popular label.

Here's a list of popular labels (from Confluence standard templates)

• meeting-notes

• retrospective

• kb-how-to-article

You may have your very own set of specific labels, stemming from your company's individual templates.

1. Just edit the "Advanced Search" macro and replace "meeting-notes" with any other label(s).
   

   

   

2. Make sure to use another title for the search box (or leave it blank).

3. Save the macro and publish the page.

Here's a short video showing the process:

More documentation

If you need to know more about Advanced Search for Confluence and the different macros, please refer to our documentation:

• Advanced Search Main Page

• Advanced Search Macros