Labels from a template do not appear on the page created by the template

[Deleted user]

Hello,

i have a quick question about labels. I have several templates and I wanted to give the user directly 2 labels with which I can filter and display content on other levels. I wanted to make sure that the right labels are on the page when the user creates the page using the template.

Now I have unfortunately noticed that if I add the labels in the template and then create a page over it, the labels do not appear on the newly created page.

Have I done something wrong?

Addition: I just noticed that it works for the first creation through the template. But from the second time not there the labels don't appear anymore. They are then also deleted in the template ?!?! Now I'm really confused.

[Veera · Accepted solution]

@[deleted] 

No, you haven't anything wrong. It's a known bug in Confluence which is being tracked here: CONFCLOUD-38181 

Unfortunately, there is no known workaround as well.

[Deleted user]

Thank you very much for your quick answer. Then I hope for the soon implementation of the solution for this bug.

[Veera]

You are welcome @[deleted] 

[costantinos.fassis]

Please help resolve this.  It is really effecting the roll out of out new docoument process which hinged on labels and page property reports

[Debra Graham]

I've described my problem with adding labels to a template here:  https://community.atlassian.com/t5/Confluence-questions/Problem-in-adding-labels-to-a-template-blueprint/qaq-p/1470054

[Andy Gan]

I encountered the same issue today. However, I noticed the following behaviour:

• Adding a new label into a template, hitting save, and then created a new page with the template, results in labels being created as expected.
• If I then edit that template, and hit save, and then created a new page with the updated template, results in labels NOT being created as expected. 
• If you go back into the updated template, you will notice that the label has disappeared from the template.

However, if you did this instead:

• Adding a label into a template, hitting save, and then created a new page with the template, results in labels being created as expected.
• If I then edit that template, click on labels and verify that the new label is still there, and hit save, and then created a new page with the updated template, results in labels being created as expected. 

So, it seems that Confluence template editor removes all labels from the template, unless you open up the label editor prior to saving the template. 

Hope this helps.

[Mykenna Cepek]

For now (in March 2020), I found a way to get similar "template / generate button / index" behavior with the following workaround approach:

• Completely abandon page Labels and Page Properties for custom templates. (If you are using Blueprints, then stop reading, this doesn't apply to you).
• Your template will just create a page with no "markers" (labels or properties).
• Customize your "index" page (the list of pages generated from the template) to have a "Create from template" macro. Tip: I like to wrap my button in an "Info panel".
• Remove any Page Property Report or Content by Label macros on your index page, and replace them with a simple Child Pages macro. Tip: I like to wrap my list in a one-cell table to frame it.

The attached screenshot shows how my resulting "index" page looks, with sub-pages generated from the template using the button. 

[Mykenna Cepek]

I was going to suggest that "Page Properties" might be a workaround. But nope.

The "Page Properties Report" requires a page label. So even adding a "Page Property" to a template (to report on instead of a label) won't work.

I do want to point out that built-in templates (such as "Retrospective") actually do seem to generate pages with labels. So I'm not quite sure what functionality is missing here from an implementation perspective.

All: please cast a vote for CONFCLOUD-38181 

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ 

If you like writing code, apparently you CAN work around this by creating a Blueprint (rather than just a standalone template). It looks like the Index page that is part of a Blueprint can specify the label used on newly generated pages. From the docs:

"...relies on Confluence labels to be applied to the pages created via blueprints, which is specified by the index-key attribute on the blueprint module."

See: https://developer.atlassian.com/server/confluence/confluence-blueprints
(quote above is from the "Index Pages" section)

[costantinos.fassis]

The issue is that before the new page format you could do the following

• Create labels on a template - so when a page was created using the template the labels on the template were present (this is missing)
• When in edit mode for a page, you could add / edit templates.  Now you have to add / edit labels after publishing a page.  This makes labelling a secondary action rather than one done during the edit process

The first of these is a big deal as our standard project documentation uses a set of defined labels.  Will investigate the blueprints thing, but am unsure I want to "develop" something, especially when it used to exist

[Mykenna Cepek]

If you haven't already, and it is a "big deal" for you, please be sure to vote on this related ticket: CONFCLOUD-38181