User's and Administrator's Guide (v 2.0)

What is the Subspace App?

The plugin provides functionality to organize spaces hierarchically in spaces and sub-spaces. It includes macros to display the space hierarchy on the dashboard or in navigation menus. The relationship between the spaces is rather lose (e.g. no permissions or layouts will be inherited), since the plugins focus is on structuring a wiki and its spaces.

Feature Facts 

  • Structure spaces hierarchically
  • Space navigation bar on every page
    • Also supports external links which are hierarchable as well
  • Dashboard module to show space structure
  • Subspace quicksearch macro to search inside current space and it's subspaces

Screenshots

Configuration of space structures

 


There are two ways to configure the space structure - while administrators can change the structure for all spaces, space administrators are only allowed to create sub-spaces.


Global Administrator space hierarchy view

 


Administrators define the hierarchical structure of (existing) spaces via "Confluence Administration" > "Subspace Configuration". By changing the parent space of a space a hierarchical relationship is defined. Using the spacekey "dashboard" for the parent space will define a space as a top level space.

Space Administrator space hierarchy view


Space administrators create sub-spaces the current space via "Space Admin" > "Create a sub-space"

Space navigation bar 

The common way

You can display the current space structure as a nice navigation bar on each page of your confluence system. It wil be shown directly below the confluence header area. To do this go to your "Confluence Administration" > "Subspace Configuration" and click "Activate" at the entry "Show subspace menu on each page".

It's not working for your custom theme? Integrate it by yourself!

The common way should work for most of the themes you can get for confluence. If not for your theme, just insert the following macro code to your theme template to get it working:



$helper.renderConfluenceMacro("{subspaces:addlink=true|currentSpace=$spaceKey}")



Subspaces breadcrumbs


You can apply the hierarchical space structure to the Confluence breadcrumbs by clicking "Activate" in your "Confluence Administration" > "Subspace Configuration" at the option "Subspaced breadcrumbs"

 

 


Subspace view on Dashboard


Go to your "Confluence Admin" -> "Plugins" -> "Manage Existing" -> "Subspace Plugin" and activate the Module "Subspaces Dashboard Panel (CF 4)". Now you have the Subspace Panel on your Dashboard.
If you want to remove the Confluence original "dashboard space view" you have to deactivate the module "global-entities-panel" which is part of the "Dashboard Macros Plugin" (it is a system plugin).



Macros provided by the Subspace Plugin

 


The subspace plugin is using macros to display the defined space structure inside your Confluence system. The following Macros are available:

  • "subspaces" Macro
  • "subspaces-quicksearch" Macro


"subspaces" Macro


The macro "subspaces" allows to display the space structure with all spaces and subspaces. Several parameters allow to configure the way the structure is displayed. The macro browser is supported.



Parameters
 

ParameterDefaultDescription
style 
(style=menue) 
(style=list) 
(style=plain) 

menueOptional parameter, to define how the space structure is displayed: 
  • menue: horizontal navigation bar with some styling; showing the top level spaces, sub spaces are shown after a mouse-over
  • list: all spaces shown in a list (similar to the space overview that is displayed on the dashboard)
  • plain: pure HTML-list
sort 
(sort=creation) 
(sort=modification) 
(sort=title) 
(sort=mixed) 
creationOptional attribute that allows you to configure how the spaces are sorted. 
  • creation: sort by content creation date
  • title: sort alphabetically by title
  • modification: sort by last modification date
  • mixed: sort spaces in the first/top level by modification date and all sub spaces by title
keynoneOptional parameter to restrict the displayed space structure to a space and its sub-spaces (a subtree in the space hierarchy)
showRoot 
(showRoot=true) 
(showRoot=false)
falseIf the "key" parameter is defined, this parameter defines if the root node of the specified subtree is displayed. By default only the sub-spaces of the given spaces are displayed, but not the given space itself.
addlink 
(addlink=true) 
(addlink=false) 
falseSpecifies whether static links should be shown or not. Those links can be configured via "Confluence Administration"  > "Subspace Configuration"
displayEmptyMessage 
(displayEmptyMessage=true) 
(displayEmptyMessage=false) 
trueSpecifies whether to display a short message that the space structure that should be rendered is empty. Especially useful in combination with the parameter "key". 
  
maxDepth 
(maxDepth=2)
noneSpecifies the depth of the space hierarchy. maxDepth=0 shows no sub-spaces, maxDepth=1 shows the direct sub-spaces of a space.  If no parameter is given all sub-spaces will be shown. 
showSpaceIcons 
(showSpaceIcons=true) 
(showSpaceIcons=false) 
falseOptional parameter to show the space logos at the top level spaces. This parameter works only with the "menue" style.
showHomeButton 
(showHomeButton=true) 
(showHomeButton=false) 
falseOptional parameter to display a link to the dashboard. This parameter works only with the "menue" style.

hideSpaces
(hideSpaces=true)
(hideSpaces=false) 

falseOptional parameter to hide the spaces in "menue" and "plain" style.

Examples

Space navigation bar



Parameter

  • style=menue
  • addlink=true
  • sort=title

Hierarchical space structure



Parameter

  • style=list


"subspaces-quicksearch" Macro


The "subspaces-quicksearch" macro provides a quicksearch field similar to the Confluence default quicksearch field. It provides a quick result dropdown and forwards to an advanced search result page too - but search results are limited to the current space and its subspaces. 


Parameters
 

ParameterDefaultDescription
includeSubspaces
(includeSubspaces=true)
(includeSubspaces=false)
trueThis Parameter defines whether the quicksearch dropdown should include the subspaces in its search or not.
spaceKey The current space.Defines the start spacekey to search into. Use "none" to search over all spaces.

Advanced Searchsite
 


The subspaces advanced search site works like the original confluence search result page. But there is an additional checkbox "include subspaces" at the filter column. If you want to search in a specific space you have the choice to include its subspaces in the search by selecting the checkbox. Furthermore, all spaces at the first hierarchy level will be listed above the spaces selection box. Choosing one of these spaces initiates a search in this space and its subspaces.




Additional Hints
 

  • Subspaces are not useable for personal spaces (e.g. subspaces for personal spaces will not be shown in the navigation)