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CDM DC | How to apply a Comala workflow by default to multiple Confluence spaces

CDM DC | How to apply a Comala workflow by default to multiple Confluence spaces

Summary

This page covers how to use space category workflows in Comala Document Management to:

  • Apply a single global workflow across multiple spaces at once

  • Keep all those spaces automatically in sync when the global workflow changes

  • Seamlessly include new spaces that share the same space category

For more details, refer:

Environment

  • App: Comala Document Management

  • Platform: Confluence Data Center

Goal

You want a workflow that is:

  • Active by default across all spaces of a certain type (for example, documentation, KB, or team), and

  • Managed centrally at the global level, rather than configured space by space.

This is achieved by linking a global workflow to one or more space categories.

Step 1 – Configure the global workflow and its space category

  1. As a Confluence administrator,
    Go to General configuration → Comala Document Management → Global Workflow templates.

  2. Create or edit the global workflow you want to standardize.

  3. In the Global Workflow Templates dashboard, do the following:

    • Add one or more space categories that should use this workflow
      (for example: documentation, knowledge bases, teams).

This marks the workflow as a space category workflow for those categories.

For more details, refer: Space Category workflows

Step 2 – Link existing spaces by category

  1. You need to set the category (label) to each space through the Space tools section:

    image-20260305-123635.png
    image-20260305-123850.png

  2. You must now link the spaces with the global workflow. In the Global Workflow Templates dashboard, locate your workflow.

  3. Ensure at least one space category is listed for it (from Step 1).

  4. Open the workflow’s action menu and select Link workflow…

  5. A list of spaces that have the configured category and are not yet linked to this workflow
    will be displayed.

  6. Click Confirm to link the workflow to all listed spaces.

What happens:

  • The workflow is added as a global scope space category workflow in each space.

  • It is automatically active and appears as the first workflow in the space’s workflows dashboard.

  • It is controlled from the global template (not editable in the space).

You can see how many spaces are linked in the Linked column and click it to view the list: Space Category workflows

Step 3 – Include new spaces

To ensure new spaces also use this workflow, they must have the same space category.

You can do this in either way (or both):

Option A – Apply the category after creating a space

  1. A user creates a new space as usual.

  2. A space administrator:

    • Edits the space details and adds the required space category.

  3. A global administrator can periodically use Link workflow… again for this workflow:

    • Any new spaces with that category that are not yet linked will be listed and can be confirmed.

Option B – Use Confluence space templates/blueprints

Use Confluence space templates that already include a category, for example:

  • Knowledge base space → knowledge-bases

  • Team space → teams

  • Documentation space → documentation

Atlassian docs: https://confluence.atlassian.com/doc/create-a-space-from-a-template-829076185.html

If your global workflow is configured with one of these categories, spaces created from the corresponding blueprint can be batch‑linked using Link workflow… as they appear.

Behavior and notes

  • The space category workflow:

    • Is automatically active and may override other workflows in the space (unless limited by labels in the template).

    • Is managed only at global level; changes in the global workflow template apply to all linked spaces.

  • A space administrator can remove the space category workflow from a space, but cannot disable it without removing it.

  • The Linked count includes:

    • Spaces linked using space categories, and

    • Any spaces where the global workflow was manually added as a global scope workflow.

For more details, refer: Space Category workflows