Increase number of suggested page statuses

[Koloman Pfeffer]

Hello Cloud-Admins,

In one of our QM-spaces, we use page statuses extensively but keep on running into the limit how many statuses you can predefine.

Currently it is limited to 5 statuses and you can additionally turn on creation of custom statuses by editors. Problem is, that I can't use this with automations, where only the predefined statuses can be accessed so I would really welcome either custom status creation via automations or a way to increase the number of predefined statuses.

Does anyone know a way how to achieve this?

Also I wanted to create a suggestion in the CONFCLOUD-project, but for some reason I can't create anything there, only for Data Center.

One last thing: Please don't suggest a marketplace app unless it's free, since currently I don't have a budget for new apps and couldn't justify a couple of hundred dollars per month for a small feature as this. Additionally I find it quite frustrating, if you are searching for answers and just find pages with ads for single issue marketplace apps.

Thank you!

[Levente Szabo _Midori_]

This limitation of only 5 page statuses can be used globally in Confluence is debilitating for a lot of enterprise content workflows. While offering more customizable page statuses may seem like "a small feature", I think it should be viewed as a part of a comprehensive Confluence content lifecycle management solution. That way it's easier to appreciate

1. more Confluence page statuses
2. custom page statuses
3. automatic page classification
4. automatic actions based on page status updates like sending email notification, archiving or deletion.

I understand that apps are not an option for all, it's still worth exploring your options.

For example, nCino, a financial service provider with 1400 Confluence users, tried to use Automation for Confluence for this use case to save on app costs. They had to abandon it due to limitations of Automation for Confluence, and developing an internal solution would have resulted in even higher expenses..

The conclusion is that A4C is good for some basic tasks, but content lifecycle management is a complex discipline itself, and Atlassian likely doesn't intend to become an expert in this specialized field or tailor Confluence Automation to accommodate every possible CLM requirement.

Purpose-built solutions are the best option if you want full freedom in implementing your Confluence content lifecycle management strategy.

[Koloman Pfeffer]

Hi, thanks for your answer, although I have to emphasize, that external apps are not an option for most users and/or use cases, because they drive up cost for the site quickly.

Additionally it is frustrating for users and/or admins who look for answers for problems, if half the answers are ads for additional apps. As a user, I couldn't decide if an app will be used or not and if I was an admin and wanted an app, I would specifically look for it in the marketplace. So there is very little benefit in those promotional posts for the people who are actually looking for answers.

Please take this as friendly and constructive criticism, not as an attack, but as an admin it makes looking for solutions and exchanging ideas with the community tedious.

[Levente Szabo _Midori_]

Hi Koloman,

I hear you and understand everyone in similar situations where apps are not an option. I always try to select my words carefully, not to be extremely promotional and only post if I truly believe the product we created for this community can add value, even if in theory.

But I beg to differ with the statement that it's always frustrating for users or admins. Folks come here to gather all kinds of information.

Consider @Gary Spross (featured in the story above) who is a fellow admin, and started to look for information in the Community with the specific goal in mind to preferably solve his team's requirement without an app. He even mentioned that he looked for an app (as you suggested you would do) but didn't find anything, so he turned to the community, where he actually ended up finding a solution.

During the conversation with independent experts and app vendors, he learned about the ways to proceed with and without an app, then made a decision. The rest is history.

While I agree that app vendors must act responsibly, adhere to community guidelines, avoid spamming, and maintain respect, I also believe there’s value in showcasing the great work they bring to the table. This community is a unique platform for discovering solutions—whether built-in or custom—and I hope it continues to be a positive space for you and others to benefit from the insights shared by app developers.

[Koloman Pfeffer]

Respectfully: Nobody likes ads and it gets even more frustrating to have to dig through ads to find actual answers. 

And look at this post: I specifically asked for ideas without extra apps and two of the three answers are ads again. And even your second answer is again an ad for your product.

So in my opinion it's not only a case of adhering to community guidelines, but also about respect for the people who are looking for answers.

[Stiltsoft Support]

Hi everyone!

We've been struggling to communicate the page status for Confluence users. The number of native Confluence page statuses is also limited, not to say that we lack the ability to search for pages in a particular status. That's why we introduced Handy Page Status in our Handy Macros for Confluence.
I realize that @Koloman Pfeffer is limited in using the paid app for this request, but my suggestion can help other Community users having the same request. 

I suggest trying out our Handy Macros for Confluence Cloud.

Using Handy Macros, you can:

• Create customizable status sets which are unlimited in their number
• Switch statuses directly in the view mode and view their history
• Use Page Status Report to search for pages in a particular Handy Page Status
• Use status-related CQL for Confluence automation

You can check out our blog post, diving deeper into how Handy Macros can help your Confluence page status management.

As well as this one, talking about Confluence tips and tricks with Handy Macros.

You can try the Handy Macros for Confluence app on the Atlassian Marketplace for free to see if it works for you.

And we will be glad to showcase our app on a quick demo for anyone interested.

[Kristian Klima]

Hi @Koloman Pfeffer 

I just created a custom status 'Holy Carp' and created an automation rule that assigns that status to a page when edited.

[Koloman Pfeffer]

Hi @Kristian Klima

Yes, we use for one particular space multiple automation rules that change the page status in a similar way. But to set a page to a particular status, you always have to create it in the space settings first, where the limit for custom statuses is 5.

We use this for QM documentation, where we show the current status of our approval workflow and I'm currently short of two custom statuses.

[Kristian Klima]

@Koloman Pfeffer 

Sorry, I misread 'Problem is, that I can't use this with automations, where only the predefined statuses'...

So basically you need 7 statuses.

As an idea... could labels help? For example, if there's a Review status, it could have two 'sub-statuses' - Review status + Ready for Review label AND Review status + In Review label.

Labels can be used in automation so you should be able to devise a workflow around that.

(BTW, I was inspired by an workflow app I was testing this week - Breeze by B1nary - which adds a label Draft to a page that's in Draft. BTW, I'm NOT suggesting an app, although it's free for 10 users :) , just pointing to a source of inspiration).

[Koloman Pfeffer]

@Kristian Klima 

No problem, I probably could have explained the challenge a bit more clearly.

Yes, I need 7 statuses and possibly more in the future.

Labels unfortunately don't have the same visibility as a status and can be edited by users too easily, so these are sadly not an option for us.

[Kristian Klima]

@Koloman Pfeffer 

That's true about the labels.

Having said that...

• A shot in the dark idea... what about Live Edit mode? Might be harder to manage but combined with restrictions might just work for some statuses/status transitions...
  
  
• A crazy idea... this would involve an app to sync two spaces but... you could have the first 5 statuses in one space, where you do all the editing and stuff, then sync the content to another space, where you'd have the last two (or five) statuses for the final stages of the process.
  
  This could open up interesting options with permissions... I actually have a mockup setup in which I'm using a page status to sync pages from one space to another (requires Space Sync for Confluence by Ricksoft which is not that expensive)

Sorry for this - I just find your problem rather interesting and worth looking into.

(Other than that, I find Workflows for Confluence by AppFox rather affordable compared to some other workflow apps. I'm not affiliated with AppFox)