Adding Instructional Text onto a New template using new style editor
Asked by Lucy Jiwa:

I'm trying to add Instructional text to my new templates, but can't see how to do it. I've searched the Confluence documentation and Community Questions, but all I can find are references to opening the Template, clicking on Page Layout, and then selecting Add Instructional Text.

I don't see these options when I create or Edit a template.

I believe I'm using the new style editor (because my screen looks different to screen shots I've seen on other questions). I've attached a screen shot.![image.png](/t5/image/serverpage/image-id/47015i3353FA0CD16621CD/image-size/large?v=v2&px=999 "image.png")

Any help or direction much appreciated!


Answers:
author: Lucy Jiwa
body: Ah - I think what I actually need to use is 'Placeholder Text', which is accessible from the 'Insert /' menu in the top bar when creating / editing a Template.

Presumably this is a rename of the Instructional text in the earlier editor which is why I couldn't find any reference to it.

Hope this is helpful to someone else.

![image.png](https://community.atlassian.com/t5/image/serverpage/image-id/47123iF482063A49F1CCEB/image-size/large?v=v2&px=999 "image.png")

comments: author: Kote Khutsishvili
body: I can't see the option


author: Sergej Glavan
body: Worked for me.


author: Morten Rougne
body: Can't see this either.


author: Morten Rougne
body: Ok. Found it.

So this only appears in Create New Template. And not in "Create New Page". Which makes sense really. I would like to see though an option in create new page for "make template from page".


author: Martin Huggett
body: I've got this placeholder text but it doesn't work how I expected it to when actually creating the page from the template I created.

I try and overtype but it's just not working like the "out-of-the-box" templates.

Anyone got any ideas?

Thanks


author: Pete Woolley
body: I've also found the text doesn't get replaced/selected as expected and you have to click several times to type into it when creating a new page from the template. Anyone else having this issue?


author: Mark Stramaglia
body: I'm having the same issue as well.


author: Chad Carrier
body: One of my co-workers was complaining about this, too, a few days ago. Seems to not be an isolated case.


author: Mark Stramaglia
body: I opened a support ticket, and the analyst said it is a documented bug:

<https://jira.atlassian.com/browse/CONFCLOUD-67333>

The bug is currently marked as low priority, but I'm trying to get its priority bumped up a little bit since it isn't a minor issue for us with our reliance on templates for critical change management and IT asset tracking forms. The instructional text in those templates is important in terms of prompting users to provide correct information when filling out the forms.

I've been told that Atlassian tends to prioritize bug fixes based on the number of support incidents received on the same issue (versus votes on the Bug ticket or community posts). If others are experiencing this bug and haven't filed a ticket with Atlassian Support, it might be helpful to do so to create additional visibility.


author: Chad Carrier
body: I'm hoping to get my company to adopt Confluence, and my VP of Engineering mentioned this bug (in a negative light, obviously) when doing his first investigations of the system. Thanks for your tip, Mark---I'll try submitting my own request rather than upvoting the bug you filed.


author: Dena Sekel
body: I've found that it works only if you hit the "enter' key. No tabbing/clicking out of the cell, or it doesn't save the placeholder text you're trying to enter.


author: Henk Smets
body: thank you for the image, In the Dutch localisation this is so horribly translated (something like "location description"). The image made it clear, thank you.


author: Carol Defibaugh
body: [@Dena Sekel](/t5/user/viewprofilepage/user-id/2811400) Thank you! You answered the problem I was having!


author: Katie Minks
body: At least currently Any text you put in the place holder text macro won't populate when you go to create a page from your template using the create page template macro.


author: Brannon Fay
body: Thank you! Not obvious compared to the previous method. It floats on top while editing and it doesn't look like it can be edited once you hit enter to commit it to the template. Odd change in what was working well. At least what you shared shows how to get this new 'feature' working. Thanks again!


author: Gabriela Koleva
body: Does anyone know if I can use this or similar option in **Jira Software**instead of Confluence?


author: Markus
body: Any idea how to pre-fill a date (in the title) and users, like used on built-in meeting notes template? Has this also been renamed, or forgotten?

comments: author: Peter Dunham
body: +1 on same question


author: Sergej Glavan
body: +1


author: Matt Lovett
body: Only available for blueprints and you cant create your own blueprints on Confluence Cloud.


author: Chad Carrier
body: \<facepalm\>


author: Katie Minks
body: If you use the create page from template macro, you can put @currentDate in the title section and the current date will appear at the beginning of the title for the new page that would be created. That's one place you can do that without having to create a new blueprint.


author: Matt Bush
body: This is not working when using the [Confluence Cloud](https://support.atlassian.com/confluence-cloud/docs/what-is-confluence-cloud/) version. Getting the "Placeholder Text" into a template is clumsy and requires multiple clicks. That name/style is not as meaningful/clear as "Instructional Text" btw. Once you get it in (edit experience is horrible!) I generated page containing the "Placeholder" text parts doesn't show them instead those areas are blank.

I have been using Atlassian products now for 6 years. I have noticed that Confluence has had only marginal improvements over that time.

Providing documentation, procedures, policies, forms, how-tos, guides are essential activities for most businesses. Confluence could be a major part of those activities. More and more I am finding the Atlassian products are not being maintained and are being left behind by other products ? I see that many of the bugs get left non-actioned for multiple years.

I had personally evangelised Atlassian Jira + Confluence into my current company and I am now regretting that.

I think Google Docs used with Adobe PDF Forms might be a better way to go.


Tags: cloud

confluence-cloud

instructional-text