Nesting macros in language macros: Restrictions in Confluence Cloud
The following information applies to the cloud apps Navitabs - Tabs for Confluence and Translations for Confluence.
In a nutshell
⚠️ Confluence Cloud has limitations when nesting built-in and 3rd-party macros in some bitvoodoo macros. Affected macros:
The nesting of macros is possible if they don't have a rich body (prevented by Atlassian; see below)
Gadget macros are not working (e.g., Jira gadget), as Atlassian does not support gadgets inside nested macros.
Background information
Currently, nested rich body macros are not supported in Confluence Cloud. This is a frequently voted-for Atlassian issue; see this ticket. We are watching that issue and will adapt as soon as Atlassian changes anything.
Rich body vs. block macros
Rich body macro: a container in which the page editor can type text or insert page elements.
Examples: Tab&Tab Group, Info, Panel, language macrosBlock macro: a static element that pulls content into the page based on properties set in the macro. The page editor cannot type inside the macro.
Examples: Table of Contents, Children Display, Labels List
What you’ll experience when trying to nest bodied macros is one of the following:
Error message in the preview or on the published page
Strangely formatted content on the published page (see formatting issues in nested macros)
No content at all or incomplete content on the published page (even if the preview worked fine)
New Cloud editor: If you try to insert a macro inside another, it will be placed below the first macro.
Possible workarounds
Use nested macros mindfully: Only use complex nesting if this is absolutely necessary for your use case. Try to reduce the macro complexity whenever possible.
If you are facing difficulties nesting macros, you should use them separately on your pages or spread them over various pages.
If you are using the new Confluence Cloud editor, please use the option Tab Wizard - Create your own tabs with its built-in editor.
Switch to Tab Content Layout (Beta) and try to use your macros there. However, as stated before, nested rich body macros are not currently enabled in Confluence Cloud, so various macro combinations will not work in the macro editor either.
List of Atlassian and 3rd-party macros & whether they work within Navitabs/Translations macros
To help you clarify which macro combinations are possible and which are not, we have created a list of Atlassian macros and popular 3rd-party macros (listed alphabetically).
New Confluence Cloud vs. old (legacy) editor
In the following table, we distinguish between macros used in the old (Legacy) and the new Confluence Cloud editor.
When migrating pages from Server or Data Center to Cloud, all content is transferred to the Legacy Cloud editor. The Legacy editor allows for certain nested rich body macros while the new one does not. However, the Legacy editor might not be supported forever.
Please consult the documentation on the differences before deciding which editor to use in the future.
Macro | Legacy Editor | New Editor | More details |
---|---|---|---|
Tab / Tab Group (Navitabs) | NO | NO |
|
Translations macro | NO |
| |
Anchor | NO | NO | ℹ We recommend avoiding the placement of Anchors or Anchor links within Navitabs, as this can lead to unexpected behavior:
|
Attachments | PARTLY | PARTLY |
|
Blogposts |
| ||
Change History |
| ||
Chart | NO | NO |
|
Cheese |
| Not Available | Atlassian has discontinued this macro, so we cannot guarantee it will still work when nested. |
Child pages (formerly Children Display) |
| ||
Code Snippet |
|
| |
Column | NO | Not Available | While this functionality works rudimentarily, it will soon be deprecated. Therefore, using Sections and Columns inside other macros is not recommended. |
Content by user |
| Not Available | Atlassian has discontinued this macro, so we cannot guarantee it will still work when nested. |
Content report table |
| ||
Contributors |
| ||
Contributors Summary |
| ||
Create from Template | NO | NO | New editor: Macro can be inserted but does not work. Beta layout: Macro will work normally. |
Create Space Button |
| Not available | Atlassian has discontinued this macro, so we cannot guarantee it will still work when nested. It will be rendered, but it is no longer available for selection. |
Decision | Not available |
| |
http://Draw.io diagrams, boards and embeds |
NO (Translations) |
NO (Translations) | Navitabs: All editors can display these macros
Translations: Nothing will be displayed when the diagram macro is placed within a language macro for Legacy and New Editors. Please place the diagram macro outside a language macro. |
Emoticons / Emojis | NO use workaround |
| |
Excerpt | NO | NO | ℹ Please note this macro is different to Include Excerpt (see below).
|
Expand | NO |
| |
Favourite Pages | Not Available |
| Atlassian has discontinued this macro, so we cannot guarantee it will still work when nested. |
Filter by label (formerly Content by label) |
| ||
Gallery |
| ||
Global Reports | Not available | NO | Atlassian has discontinued this macro, so we cannot guarantee it will still work when nested. |
Include Page |
| ||
Info | PARTLY |
| |
Insert Excerpt (formerly Excerpt include) | All Editors: Excerpts will be rendered, but the content might be clipped or displayed with a different style. | ||
iFrame | All Editors: Content will be rendered if the source URL allows a connection. | ||
Inline comment | NO | NO | All Editors: This is a known limitation where inline comments cannot be added. Existing inline comments won’t be displayed in tabs or translations. |
Jira Issues | PARTLY | NO |
|
Jira Chart | |||
Jira Issues Calendar | PARTLY |
| |
Jira Legacy |
| NO |
|
Jira Gadgets (Reports) | NO | Not available | Atlassian has discontinued this macro, so we cannot guarantee it will still work when nested. |
Labels List |
| ||
Live Search | PARTLY | PARTLY |
|
Lorem Ipsum | Not available | Atlassian has discontinued this macro, so we cannot guarantee it will still work when nested. | |
Multimedia | NO | Not available | Atlassian has discontinued this macro, so we cannot guarantee it will still work when nested. Nothing will be rendered. |
Navigation Map | Not available | Atlassian has discontinued this macro, so we cannot guarantee it will still work when nested. | |
No format | Not available | Atlassian has discontinued this macro, so we cannot guarantee it will still work when nested. | |
Note | PARTLY |
| |
Page Index |
| ||
Page Properties | NO |
| |
Page Properties Report |
| ||
Page Tree | NO | NO |
|
Page Tree Search |
| ||
Panel | Not Available | Atlassian has discontinued this macro, so we cannot guarantee it will still work when nested. | |
Popular Labels |
| ||
Profile Picture | All Editors: Clicking a profile picture will create a new page with the respective user profile. | ||
Recent Updates & Rec. Updated Dashboard |
| ||
Related Labels |
|
|
|
Roadmap Planner | PARTLY |
| |
Search Results | NO | Not available | Atlassian has discontinued this macro, so we cannot guarantee it will still work when nested. |
Section | NO | Not available | Atlassian has discontinued this macro. While it works rudimentarily, using sections and columns inside tabs is not recommended, and we cannot guarantee it will still work. |
Space Details | NO | Not available | Atlassian has discontinued this macro, so we cannot guarantee it will still work when nested.
|
Spaces List | PARTLY | NO |
|
Status | PARTLY | PARTLY |
|
Table of Contents | NO | NO |
|
Task report |
| ||
Team Calendars | Not available |
| |
Tip | ℹ Discontinued, Atlassian has discontinued this macro and replaced it with info panel elements. | ||
Trello Board | Not available | Not available | Atlassian has discontinued this macro, so we cannot guarantee it will still work when nested. Legacy editor: Trello boards can only be inserted as links. |
Trello Card | Not available | Atlassian has discontinued this macro, so we cannot guarantee it will still work when nested. Legacy editor: Trello cards can only be inserted as links. | |
User List | All Editors: Works, but the contents might be clipped, and some emails might not show. | ||
User Profile |
| ||
View macros: | NO | NO |
|
Warning | PARTLY |
| |
Widget Connector | PARTLY | Legacy editor: Twitter and YouTube are displayed okay, but others are not. |
If you believe this list is incorrect or incomplete, please contact us.
Resources
Related content
Best Practices when using Translations for Confluence Cloud