Labels

Overview

As a Confluence user, you will be familiar with the concept of labels as a method of folksonomy, but they can also be integrated with your workflows in order to

Automatically apply workflows
Enable or disable workflow functions
Add or remove labels in response to Events
Perform Actions when labels are added or removed
Make labels "sticky", which prevents their removal
Ensure compliance with content labelling policy

Automatic workflow application

To use this feature, the workflow must be added and enabled in the space document management dashboard (the workflow is applied in space mode).

Use the label and, optionally, invertlabel parameters of the workflow macro to specify which labels the workflow should or should not be applied to.

{workflow:name=Apply by label|label=test,testing}
  {state:Test works}
  {state}
{workflow}

In this example, the workflow, when applied in space mode, will automatically be assigned to any content with the label test and/or testing.

If you added the invertlabel=true parameter, it would be automatically applied to any content that does not have either of the labels test or testing.

In the space document management dashboard, you can use the workflow builder visual editor to add one or label content filters to a space workflow.

This workflow will be applied automatically to any content with the label hr_kpi and/or hr_obj.

Check the Invert labels option to automatically apply to any content that does not have either of the labels hr_kpi or hr_obj.

Label filters added to a workflow are displayed in the workflow listing in the document management dashboard.

The Human Resources Team kpi and objectives workflow will be applied to documents in the space that have either the hr_kpi or the hr_obj label added.

When using content labels to apply workflows across space content, all enabled workflows in the space must use a content label filter otherwise an enabled workflow in the space without a content label filter will take priority and be applied.

Enable or disable workflow features

Any macro which supports conditions can be disabled or deactivated by the haslabel condition.

For example, you can disable state selection or reviews if labels are missing:

{workflow:name=Disable review}
   {state:First}
      {state-selection:states=Second|haslabel=first}
   {state}
   {state:Second|approved=Third}
      {approval:Review|haslabel=!second}
   {state}
   {state:Third}
   {state}
{workflow}

In this example:

Transition from First to Second state requires the content be labelled "first"
The review in the Second state will be disabled if the content is labelled "second"

Macros which support conditions:

Conditions for an approval and the state selection transition can be added using the workflow builder visual editor.

Select transition condition

One or more conditions can be included when adding a select transition for a state in the workflow builder visual editor.

For a workflow with an Initial state with a select transition to the Review state:

With an haslabel condition requiring the label review on the page, the select transition is not active on the page in the Initial state workflow popup if the label review has not been added to the page.

Adding the label review to the page meets the select transition condition and the workflow popup displays the select transition option.

A condition cannot be added to an existing select transition in a workflow in the workflow builder visual editor. You must either remove the select transition and then add again with the required condition or add the condition using the markup editor. Adding the condition in the markup editor updates the select transition in the workflow builder visual editor.

Approval condition

One or more conditions can be added to an approval in the workflow builder visual editor.

The added haslabel condition for the label review has the Invert option checked. The Review approval in the Review state is only active on the page in the workflow popup if the label review is not on the page.

Both the Approved and Rejected buttons are disabled in the workflow popup.

Removing the label from the page enables the Approved and Rejected buttons for the approval.

Adding and removing labels

You can use Events to Trigger the Actions which can add or remove labels.

{workflow:name=Add or remove label}
   {state:First}
   {state}
   {state:Second}
   {state}
   {trigger:statechanged|state=First}
      {set-label:First}
      {remove-label:Second}
   {trigger}
   {trigger:statechanged|state=Second}
      {set-label:Second}
      {remove-label:First}
   {trigger}
{workflow}

In this example:

Entering the First state will add "first" and remove "second" labels
Entering the Second state will add "second" and remove "first" labels

Note: The label changes will take effect as soon as you transition between the states, but you'll need to refresh the page to update the on-screen list of labels for that page.

Action macros:

Page:

remove-label macro — Remove a label from the content
Page:

send-slack-user macro — Sends a Slack message to a specified user.

This feature is an integration with the Appfire Docs+.
Page:

set-label macro — Add a label to the content
Page:

workflow-reporter macro

Trigger actions when labels change

When labels are added or removed from a page, the labeladded or labelremoved Events are sent. Triggers listening for those events can determine which label was added or removed via the @label@, @addedlabel@ or @removedlabel@ Event references.

Value references

You can access extensive information about content labels by accessing the Label Supplier via a Supplier Reference (requires ServiceRocket Reporting for Confluence app).

Sticky labels

You can prevent labels from being removed (but admins can still remove them) by using the stickylabels parameter on the workflow macro.

One or more “sticky labels” can be added for a workflow using the workflow builder visual editor.

Content labelling compliance

In situations where business or regulatory compliance mandates a content labelling policy, you can enforce that via the workflow.

Our existing customers use the workflow-instructions macro to convey content labelling policy to content producers at the point of initial content creation.

Workflow instructions can be added to a workflow using the Workflow Instructions option in Page Layout in workflow builder visual editor.

Macros

Page:

approval macro — Add content-focus reviews to states
Page:

remove-label macro — Remove a label from the content
Page:

send-slack-user macro — Sends a Slack message to a specified user.

This feature is an integration with the Appfire Docs+.
Page:

set-label macro — Add a label to the content
Page:

state-selection macro — Specify direct state transitions
Page:

trigger macro — Trigger actions when events are fired
Page:

workflow macro — Defines a workflow template
Page:

workflow-reporter macro

Events

Label changes will generate Events, which can be used to Trigger Actions:

labeladded
labelremoved

Value references

Information about labels can be obtained from Value References:

Examples

Page:

Selecting a workflow using content labels
Page:

Space mode workflow application

Overview

Automatic workflow application

Enable or disable workflow features

Adding and removing labels

Trigger actions when labels change

Value references

Sticky labels

Content labelling compliance

Macros

Events

Value references

Examples

See also