Create pages in Confluence where users can add text but not remove existing content
Asked by Maria Sch?ller:

I am currently building a QMS system for medical devices in Confluence.

I want to create a training form to document employee training on specific QMS topics.

I want employees to being able to fill in training information without being able to edit the form itself.

I then want them to being able to create a "copy" of the filled in form which then can be stored in a training record folder.

How can I do this?


Answers:
author: Shawn Doyle - ReleaseTEAM
body: That level of permissions does not exist in Confluence.

Three ways I'd propose.

You could create a restricted page, allow them to copy it, then they can fill in the bits you want them to.

Split the page up into the "do not edits" parts, and have them fill in a 2nd page with the details they need to supply.

Use the excerpt macro to make the restricted bits display from another page, and only put what you want to allow directly on the page.

comments: author: Kristian Klima
body: [@Maria Sch?ller](/t5/user/viewprofilepage/user-id/5542804)

I vote for the [@Shawn Doyle - ReleaseTEAM](/t5/user/viewprofilepage/user-id/815120) 's [Alternative 3](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alternative_3) - using excerpts (or page include).

(Yes, I could not resist to link to that pioneering mockumentary :) )


author: Maria Sch?ller
body: Thank you for your reply! I will look into it and come back with feedback :)

Do you perhaps know if it is possible to add a "free text" item that you can write in without opening the edit page. That could possibly also solve my issue.


author: Maria Sch?ller
body: [@Kristian Klima](/t5/user/viewprofilepage/user-id/5074962) A real comedian ;) I will definitely give that suggestion a go!


author: Shawn Doyle - ReleaseTEAM
body: No, sorry that isn't something you can do in Confluence. There might be a Marketplace addon, but I don't know of one that would provide that.


author: Maria Sch?ller
body: [@Shawn Doyle - ReleaseTEAM](/t5/user/viewprofilepage/user-id/815120)

Ok I will look into that as well :) Compliance for medical device is so tedious


author: Kristian Klima
body: [@Maria Sch?ller](/t5/user/viewprofilepage/user-id/5542804)

* There's an app that allows users to edit tables without opening the Edit mode.  
  You can have a minimalistic table and let users write huge chunks of text in individual cells.
* Databases are editable when embedded on a page using the database macro.  
  Same principle but I only mention this is a technical, not practical option :)
* You can embed a, say, Google Document on a Confluence page using the ifram macro (see [my article for details](https://community.atlassian.com/t5/Confluence-articles/Make-your-Google-Slides-presentation-presentable/ba-p/2716845)). That way, your team would contribute that Google Doc and Confluence would just display the content from that document.


author: Maria Sch?ller
body: Thank you.

What app are you talking about:

* There's an app that allows users to edit tables without opening the Edit mode.  
  You can have a minimalistic table and let users write huge chunks of text in individual cells.


author: Kristian Klima
body: I know it exists but as I have no use for it, that's extent of my knowledge, but a quick search resulted in this:

[https://marketplace.atlassian.com/apps/1217271/inline-table-editing?tab=overview\&hosting=cloud](https://marketplace.atlassian.com/apps/1217271/inline-table-editing?tab=overview&hosting=cloud)

"Boost your Confluence tables: edit them in view mode"


author: marc -Collabello--Phase Locked-
body: There is a new Confluence feature in beta, which allows "live editing" of pages, i.e. similar to Google docs.

We have already tested a version of this feature, however I don't know when the rollout is. I assume it takes another couple of months.

However live edit is somewhat problematic with a controlled page, so you'd need to make sure it's ok with the auditors before enabling this.


author: Anna Mitina _Stiltsoft_
body: Hi [@Maria Sch?ller](/t5/user/viewprofilepage/user-id/5542804)

If I understand you correctly, you want to create a form so that you would be able to track who has done the training and who hasn't.

I agree with previous commenters that what you're looking for might not exist as a Confluence native feature.

One of our add-ons is called [IZI for Confluence - LMS, Training Courses, Quizzes](https://marketplace.atlassian.com/apps/1214110/izi-lms-for-confluence-courses-quizzes-forms?tab=overview&hosting=cloud&utm_source=atl_community&utm_medium=answer&utm_id=1216111&utm_content=Create+pages+in+Confluence+where+users+can+add+text+but+not+remove+existing+content). It would enable you to track the completion of trainings without doing any extra work with the help of our reporting.

Of course each case is different and to be able to understand how our plugin could help with your use case I would need some more information. But this is what I was able to come up with based on the info you shared.

Let me know if you'd like to discuss it further :)

comments: author: Maria Sch?ller
body: Thank you for letting me know. We are trying to limit the amout of add-ins, as they need all to be validated for our QMS system.


author: marc -Collabello--Phase Locked-
body: Hi [@Maria Sch?ller](/t5/user/viewprofilepage/user-id/5542804) ,

If you make a page view only, others can still see the page and add comments. If that is sufficient it is very easy to use.

The comments have one problem: users can edit each others comments.

If you want that users "sign" a document and write a secure comment like "I read and understood this page", you need to use an addon like our [Document Control for Confluence Cloud](https://marketplace.atlassian.com/apps/1217765/document-control-for-confluence-cloud) .

Hope this helps.

comments: author: Maria Sch?ller
body: Thank you! I also thought about comments. Will I be able to retreive a print out of the page with the comments showing?


author: Nicolas Grossi
body: [@Maria Sch?ller](/t5/user/viewprofilepage/user-id/5542804) I see, i do not know if that is currently possible.

Nicolas

comments: author: Maria Sch?ller
body: Thanks for your time anyways.


author: Nicolas Grossi
body: [@Maria Sch?ller](/t5/user/viewprofilepage/user-id/5542804) Welcome! You might take a look at this link: <https://support.atlassian.com/confluence-cloud/docs/add-or-remove-page-restrictions/>

HTH

Nicolas

comments: author: Maria Sch?ller
body: Thank you Nicolas. From what I can see from your link I can only restrict editing to an entire page. I want people to be able to add information to the page but not edit the existing content of the page. I hope this makes sense.


Tags: cloud

confluence-cloud