Issues  |  Knowledge Base

ALM Works

  • Products|
  • Download|
  • Pricing|
  • Support|
  • Company
ALM Works Business Continuity During the COVID-19 Outbreak
  • Structure
  • Structure helps Atlassian's largest customers track, manage, and visualize progress across Jira projects
    • Try It
  • Structure Overview
  • Atlassian Marketplace
  • Structure.Gantt
  • Add the power of Gantt charts to Jira projects
  • Structure.Gantt Overview
  • Atlassian Marketplace
  • Structure.Pages
  • The Ultimate Jira-Confluence Collaboration Tool
  • Structure.Pages Overview
  • Atlassian Marketplace
  • Structure.Testy
  • Test checklists extension for Structure
  • Structure.Testy Overview
  • Atlassian Marketplace
  • Colors for Jira
  • JQL-based color highlighting for enhanced issue navigation.
  • Client for Jira
  • Now an open source product!
    Interactive desktop client for Jira. Available via open source or as a free product.
  • Structure Version: 6.5.2 Feb 23, 2021
  • Free 30-Day Trial
  • Download Archive
  • Structure.Gantt Version: 2.7.1 Feb 16, 2021
  • Free 30-Day Trial
  • Download Archive
  • Structure.Pages Version: 1.6 Feb 1, 2021
  • Free 30-Day Trial
  • Download Archive
  • Structure.Testy Version: 2.5 Feb 3, 2020
  • Free 30-Day Trial
  • Download Archive
  • Colors for Jira
  • Version: 2.1.1 Sep 25, 2017
  • Free 30-Day Trial
  • Download Archive
  • Client for Jira
  • Version: 3.8.4 Aug 21, 2017
  • Free Version
  • Download Archive
  • Structure
  • Choose your platform:
  • Cloud Pricing
  • Server Pricing
  • Data Center Pricing
  • Structure.Gantt
  • Choose your platform:
  • Cloud Pricing
  • Server Pricing
  • Data Center Pricing
  • Structure.Pages
  • Choose your platform:
  • Server Pricing
  • Data Center Pricing
  • Colors for Jira
  • Choose your platform:
  • Server Pricing
  • Structure
    • Support Request
    • Documentation
    • Suggest an Idea
    • FAQ
    • Training
  • Structure.Gantt
    • Support Request
    • Documentation
    • Quick Start Guide
  • Structure.Pages
    • Support Request
    • Documentation
  • Structure.Testy
    • Support Request
    • Documentation
  • Colors for Jira
  • Support Request
  • Documentation
  • Client for Jira
  • Support Request
  • Documentation
  • FAQ
  • Knowledge Base
  • Contact support by e-mail
  • Support Description & SLA
  • About Us
  • Our Customers
  • Partners & Resellers
  • Contacts
  • Join Our Team!
  • News and Press Releases
  • Press Kit
  • Blog
  • Events
Call sales: +1 617 600 4369
  • info@almworks.com
  • sales@almworks.com
  • ALM Works, Inc.
  • 181 Wells Ave., Suite 204
    Newton, MA 02459
    USA
  • ALM Works Ltd.
  • Times Center, Suite 214
    Kantemirovskaya Str., 2A
    Saint Petersburg
    Russia 197342
  • Company
    • ALM Works Blog
    • Jira Portfolio Plans in Confluence Pages

Jira Portfolio Plans in Confluence Pages

By Robert Leitch on March 10, 2017

Amaze your teams with interactive Portfolio plans in Confluence pages.

This is part three in an ongoing series of posts on Structure integration with Portfolio for Jira.

The structures referred to here are explained in previous posts:

  • Track Portfolio Plans in Real Time with Structure
    (general introduction to Structure-Portfolio integration)
  • Track Multiple Portfolio Plans in Real Time
    (methods for combining multiple Portfolio plans in Structure)

In this post we'll look at embedding those structures (Portfolio plans) into Confluence pages using the Structure gadget, and also look in close detail at how to configure the gadget.

Portfolio Plans in Confluence via Structure Gadget

Structure comes with a Confluence gadget for embedding structures in Confluence pages. It requires some initial setup, so if you haven't already enabled it, please consult the documentation for instructions.

The quickest way to add any macro to Confluence is to type { and then start typing the name of the macro you want to add:

Adding the Structure macro to a Conlfuence page

The Confluence editor is full of shortcuts like this

Select the Structure macro from the list and the macro configurator will appear:

Configuring Structure Gadget in Confluence

If it doesn't look like this, complain to your admin and send them to the setup guide

Now let's configure.

Structure Confluence Gadget Configuration

The options in the left-hand column control the layout of the gadget in the page:

  • Width - width of the gadget on the page, defines the CSS width property.
  • Border - 1px soft gray border. Purely aesthetic, looks better with the border.

We'll set our width to 100% or auto and keep the pretty border.

Now we'll configure the structure itself in the preview pane on the right.

First we select the structure that we want to embed. In this case, I'll select our Multiple Portfolio Plan Overview structure from the previous post.

We need to specify a view (a saved configuration of columns) for our embedded structure. Confluence users browsing the page will not be able to switch between views, but they will be able to add, remove and rearrange columns and revert to the original configured view. Changes they make in this way will not be visible to other users.

I'm going to create a new view by pressing the New View... button. This creates and saves a basic view (with only Summary and Progress columns) which can later be configured via the main Structure interface in Jira.

Configuring Structure Gadget view

Change that view name to something more recognisable

It's best to make the new view public so that everyone will be able to see it (do it now by clicking on the link that says Let everyone use this view) and call it something more imaginative than the generated default name so it will be easier to find and edit later.

Configuring Structure Gadget in Confluence

Almost done already

By additionally specifying a Filter we can limit the results displayed in the structure gadget. This is particularly useful for reports, and especially personalised reports using the currentAssignee() JQL function. In this example we don't need a filter, but if we did we could choose from plain text, JQL, S-JQL or a saved JQL filter.

The Title field only appears on printed pages as a 'placeholder' for your structure. The structure gadget can't be printed (I'd like to say this is out of concern for the environment, but it's more complicated than that), so you could perhaps use this field to inform your viewers why they can't see structure on the page they just printed, or direct them to these instructions on how to print a structure in Jira.

The Visible Rows field controls the maximum height of the gadget (thereby controlling the maximum number of rows visible at once).

When there are fewer rows in the structure the gadget will minimize its height to contain them. As more rows are added, the gadget will grow until it hits this limit, at which point a vertical scroll bar will appear in the gadget itself.

If the gadget has already outgrown the viewport, your viewer will have to contend with two vertical scrollbars in order to view the whole structure, and that won't be fun. I would experiment with values of no more than 20 - this is the maximum that will fit comfortably in most browsers on displays with around 1000px vertical resolution.

Portfolio plan in Confluence on laptop screen

Be considerate of users with smaller displays - this is a 768px screen showing 18 rows

If Allow changes (subject to permissions) is checked, any user who has permission to edit the structure in Jira will be able to edit it in Confluence (everything from editing Jira fields inline to rearranging issues in the hierarchy). If you want your Portfolio plan in Confluence to be read-only, uncheck this.

The Alternative settings when maximized checkbox only applies to the gadget when it's used on a Jira dashboard (yes, you can put your Portfolio plans on Jira dashboard with this too) so we leave it unchecked.

Now save your configuration before inserting the macro, otherwise all these settings will be lost.

And now you have a Portfolio Plan in a Confluence Page:

Portfolio Gadget in Confluence

28 rows at 1200p vertical screen resolution

What you can do with your Portfolio Plan in Confluence

The Confluence gadget features a stripped-down version of the Structure interface. You can edit some of the fields in the gadget.

Drag and drop editing of the hierarchy is fully supported.

Track updates (to hierarchy or field values) in near real time.

Clicking the 'Open' link in the footer of the gadget opens the structure in Jira.

Troubleshooting

Structure gadget doesn't show up in the macro picker - probably need to restart Confluence while the connected Jira instance is up and running.

Arrows for expanding/collapsing branches don't show up - you need to apply the CORS filter in JIRA.

Next: Structure Gadget as a Wallboard (With Bonus Hacks)

Wallboards and dashboards are great for communicating and tracking all manner of important metrics.

While the Structure gadget is fully at home in Confluence pages and on Jira dashboards, it's not entirely compatible with Jira's wallboard mode. But evolution gave us opposable thumbs for a reason.

With just a tiny bit of hacking minor tweaking, I'll show you how you can make stunning full-screen, real-time Portfolio dashboards and be the hero of your team...

Stay tuned for the next instalment: Jira Portfolio Dashboard.

Tags: Portfolio, Confluence, Structure, tracking, real time, overview, integration, Portfolio Confluence Gadget
Tweet
Structure

Hierarchical issues for great project management in Jira

JIRA Client

Desktop client for Jira

Structure plugin on the Atlassian Marketplace
Our Customers
  • logo
  • logo
  • logo
  • logo
Newsletter & Updates
Recent Tweets
Tweets by @almworks
Products
  • Deliver
  • Structure
  • Structure.Gantt
  • Structure.Pages
  • Structure.Testy
  • Colors for Jira
  • Client for Jira
  • Deskzilla
Resources
  • Documentation
  • Marketplace
  • Latest News
  • Blog
  • Support SLA
  • Legal
Company
  • About ALM Works
  • Customers
  • Contacts
  • Join our Team!
Quick Links
  • Customer Portal
  • Partner Portal
  • For Partners & Resellers
  • For Press
Site Map
Call Sales: +1 617 600 4369
info@almworks.com sales@almworks.com
Copyright © 2004-2021 ALM Works, Inc. All Rights Reserved.|Privacy Policy|Terms of Use