Create an index space to learn what it is and what it is used for.

Background Information

Index Space

An index space is a Confluence space that stores information in form of documents that are relevant for all other spaces. There is only one index space per Confluence instance. The index space is a tool for information reuse.


An index space allows to specify space properties that are used as defaults for all depending space.

Reusing Categories

The following document types are typically stored in an index space.

Other spaces may add additional documents of these types that are only relevant in their domain. But it is typically easier to add them in one place, especially for small teams.

Space Properties

A space property is a property that is defined at space level. It can be defined via the Display Space Property Macro on space homepages and can be used to control the output (e.g. the Required Space Properties parameter in the Section Macro) or to configure macros (e.g. the Code Block Placeholder Macro). It can be accessed via Display Space Property Macro.

In contrast to the Display Space Property Macro the Display Space Attribute Macro displays space attributes defined by Confluence.

Like document properties, space properties also support controls. There are a number of controls that are only defined for space properties.

Hands-on Steps

Create an new space that will be your index space.

Create an Index Space

  1. The Core Doctypes Add-on provides the index space blueprint.

  2. Choose IDX for the space key of your index.

  3. Have a look at the new index space:

    You can see the organizing doctypes on the left side: 

    These categorizing doctypes are used on all doctypes. The types on the right side are doctype specific, but serve the same purpose: categorizing.

    Each of the document instances of these types list all documents that are categorized by the type. So the index space is helping users to browse your documentation. A type on one document links to the type document, which lists more documents of this type. Users may find related information easily this way. 

    Prior to version 9.0 the index space was based on the Agile Project Space and looked like this.

    The new index space provides homepages to categorizing documents that are relevant to all your spaces.

    The index space was on big space that housed not only the indexing documents (like subjects, categories, and tags), but also worked as a repository for various documents. This could still be a valid approach, especially for small teams. But having separate, dedicated spaces for your glossary, library, and address book usually is not much more work, but has many advantages (for instance access control and search restriction).

    Types

    The box labelled with Index contains references to homepages for the following types

    The Team & Stakeholdes box contains a reference to Roles that are used globally.

    Repositories

    Repositories are defined in the Documentation, Project Library, Team & Stakeholders, and For Authors box:

    • Documentation
      • Tours - group material for readers in a given context
      • FAQs - a corporation-wide FAQ repository
      • Topics - information relevant for all users
      • Glossary - a corporation-wide glossary
    • Project Library
      • Resources - a corporation-wide library
      • Quotes - a corporation-wide repository of inspiring quotes
    • Team & Stakeholders
      • Stakeholders - list of persons with their functions
      • Persons - a corporation-wide address book
      • Organizations - a corporation-wide repository of partner and customer corporations
    • For Authors
      • Modules - a corporation-wide repository of reusable page fragments to be reused with transclusion

Specify a Space Property

The space property Extract Short Description From Metadata Table controls whether a short description is rendered within the properties table of a document or in front of it.

Sample Page with Short Description

First we need to create a page with a short description (for this exercise only):

  1. Create a page with the projectdoc Blank Document Blueprint
  2. Provide a name and a short description, then check the box to send the document to its homepage
  3. Click 'Create' to see the document in the editor
  4. Click 'Save' at the bottom of the page

This is the new document:

Add a Space Property

Now add a property to the space homepage.

  1. Open the homepage of your index space
  2. Click 'Edit' to edit the homepage
  3. Add a property named Extract Short Description From Metadata Table and value true (choose hide as a value for the third column, which is called the property control) to the table within the Document Property Marker Macro at the top of the document

  4. Save the homepage

Finally have a look at the test document you created in the index space in the previous step.

The short description is rendered in front of the properties table. The space property Extract Short Description From Metadata Table controls the rendering of every document in the space (or any space that delegates to this space and does not override this property).

Next Step

Continue with the next step: Create an Attachment Space