Atlassian Confluence Plugins and Add-ons
Asked by Umanga Wackista-aratchie:

Dear All,

Greetings!

My requirement is: I want to know good Confluence Plugins and Add-ons in order to do very good Technical Documents with good quality and quick and easy way. Can you please send me the list of Plugins and Add-ons for my requirement?

Thanks.

Best Regards,

Buddhini.


Answers:
author: Daniel Ebers
body: Hi Buddhini,

welcome to the Atlassian Community!

For recommendations of specific Apps it is quite tricky as this will depend on how your team works - basically: what works for you best. An App that works for one team does not necessarily mean it works good for another, as well.

What you always could do is to start small, then grow. This also saves some money on Apps (otherwise you would to subscribe of a bunch upfront).

For technical documents Confluence suits very well!

Please also see:

* Develop technical documentation in Confluence  
  <https://confluence.atlassian.com/doc/develop-technical-documentation-in-confluence-226166494.html>

Please let Community know in case of specific questions. I am sure somebody will then reply with a more exact recommendation.

Regards,  
Daniel

comments: author: Umanga Wackista-aratchie
body: Hi Daniel,

Thank you very much for the prompt reply.

How can we draw mind maps and UML diagrams and other diagrams in Confluence instead of using Draw.io? How can we do copy format feature? How can we merge the table cells etc.

Few plugins and add-ons which I thought we can use are:

* GoEdit
* Scroll PDF Exporter
* Giffy Diagrams
* Content Formatting Macros
* Table Filter and Charts
* Numbered Headings
* Lucidchart Diagrams OnPrem
* Source Editor
* Markdown Extensions
* Duplicate Page Titles
* Lango: Language and translation manager
* Smart Attachments for Confluence
* Team Files: Office 365 \& Google Docs
* ConfiForms - Data Forms \& Workflows

There are many plugins and add-ons so it takes more time to identify good plugins and add-ons among those. Hence I thought I will raise my question over here.

Please give your valuable thoughts on this this.

Thanks.

<br />

Best Regards,  
Buddhini.


author: Daniel Ebers
body: Those are very valid question. At least I can say that for merging cells no App is needed. For any other requirements I would refer to other users that are experienced in drawing UML diagrams.  
From a very general view each App might have it pros and cons. The good news is: you can test each of it for a limited timeframe if it suits your needs (probably best on a non-production environment).  

Like stated earlier it might make sense not to start with the whole list of Apps.  
I know, each of it is powerful and will enhance your instance a lot but it also needs works to understand how it works and how it needs to be configured. This is something that could keep you (along with the team) busy for many days - at least when there are many.

I would start with the points that matters most to you - what you drives the most. Some "nice to have" things I would postpone and evaluate later on.


author: Umanga Wackista-aratchie
body: Thank you so much for your valuable comments.

I am sorry, my question for merge the table cells is for Draw.io. How can we use our own colour themes in the tables and if we want to have more diagrams with the tables then we have to use Draw.io likewise if we can get the basic features in Visio and Microsoft word in Confluence then it would be great. Then we can do Technical Documents with good quality and quick and easy way.

Please give your valuable thoughts on this.


author: Daniel Ebers
body: I see - hopefully an user with experience on Draw.io will chime in.


author: Umanga Wackista-aratchie
body: Is there a possibility to get basic features of Visio, Mind mapping tools and Microsoft word in Confluence then we do not have to depend on 3rd party plugins and Add-ons and we can do Technical Documents with good quality and quick and easy way.


author: Umanga Wackista-aratchie
body: Can you please send me the plugins and add-ons in order to create different Technical Document templates?


author: Daniel Ebers
body: Apps for Confluence you can find in Atlassian Marketplace:  
<https://marketplace.atlassian.com/>

Which one suits best you could test for your team using a trial.


author: Umanga Wackista-aratchie
body: It takes time to try all since there are many apps, can you please suggest me few?


author: Daniel Ebers
body: I would make no sense as every use case is individual and what works for one team does not mean it would for another. It is far to individual than one could say "install X and all would be fine".  

It just makes no sense in that case - considering that there are dependencies and you are not just looking for "give me a program where I could write letters - I even take an old typewriter" but a highly complex solution for writing technical documentation.

To get started - I would even try without any Apps to be honest. Look what is missing, then test a specific App - starting by looking at the videos and webinars an App vendor provides. If it doesn't ask: why?

* What do other teams use?
* What do other companies use? Seek exchange with colleagues.

There is just no turnkey solution that could be recommended.

I hope this helps to understand.


author: Umanga Wackista-aratchie
body: Thank you very much for the prompt reply. We use Atlassian Confluence but only the basic features plus Draw.io, so we are looking some apps similar to features of Microsoft Office etc. in order to make our Technical documents with good quality and quick and easy way. Do you know similar plugins?


author: Matt Reiner [K15t]
body: Hi [@Umanga Wackista-aratchie](/t5/user/viewprofilepage/user-id/4205579)

We have a list of some helpful apps to try [here](https://www.k15t.com/rock-the-docs/why-documentation-in-confluence#WhyDocumentationinConfluence?-ExtendItwithApps). I'm not a Draw.io pro user, but maybe [@Boris Jockov _draw_io_](/t5/user/viewprofilepage/user-id/853350) can help.

There's also Gliffy, which is another diagramming tool. I've lightly used both, and I like them both. For Draw.io, I recently [participated in a panel](https://stccny.org/2020/10/12/tips-for-graphically-challenged-writers/) where I showed how to use your own color scheme and style for diagrams, but it looks like you have to pay to access it. Here's an [article to have a look at](https://drawio-app.com/shape-styles/).