How-to article template

Overview

Writing a how-to article is a great way to share your expertise with other people.  Empower your team and customers to do just about anything with this easy-to-follow template.

This how-to template will help you structure your article with pre-defined sections that consist of the introduction, step-by-step instructions, including additional notes.  Plus, you can link related resources to provide further help to your readers. 

How to use the How-to article template

Step 1 - Write an introduction

At the beginning of any how-to article, open with a brief introduction that lets the reader know what the article is about.

Write the introduction in the Scaffolding Forms and Templates Text Data macro.

Step 2 - Provide step-by-step instructions

Write one step for each action the user needs to take. No matter how simple a step may seem, it's important to include each step in the process to ensure success.

Add the steps in the Scaffolding Forms and Templates Repeating Data macro.

Step 3 - Add notes

Add additional tips, cautions, or advice in the notes section. For instance, you might suggest alternative steps or list common mistakes to avoid.

You can even use text treatments, such as bolded text, to call attention to especially important information.

Step 4 - Link resources

Include additional resources or citations you referred to in your article in the text-data field. It's always a good idea to be able to go back to your article and check your sources.

Ingredients

Apps

Scaffolding Forms & Templates

Hosting platform

Server, Data Center

Code

You can copy and paste this code into the Confluence Source Editor:

<ac:layout> <ac:layout-section ac:type="two_right_sidebar"> <ac:layout-cell> <h1 class="auto-cursor-target">Introduction</h1> <ac:structured-macro ac:macro-id="e33b2835-dd7b-425c-b9ad-f9c93b7a5838" ac:name="hidden-data" ac:schema-version="1"> <ac:parameter ac:name="whenNotEmpty">Introduction</ac:parameter> <ac:parameter ac:name="atlassian-macro-output-type">INLINE</ac:parameter> <ac:rich-text-body> <p> <span style="color: rgb(165,173,186);"> <em>Write an introduction that summarises your article in this <a href="https://docs.servicerocket.com/scaffolding/macro-reference/text-data">Text Data</a> macro.</em> </span> </p> </ac:rich-text-body> </ac:structured-macro> <ac:structured-macro ac:macro-id="6c81ab13-f115-4e4f-b637-948a8b4bc551" ac:name="text-data" ac:schema-version="1"> <ac:parameter ac:name="name">Introduction</ac:parameter> <ac:parameter ac:name="atlassian-macro-output-type">INLINE</ac:parameter> <ac:rich-text-body> <p> <br/> </p> </ac:rich-text-body> </ac:structured-macro> </ac:layout-cell> <ac:layout-cell> <ac:structured-macro ac:macro-id="e6130ed0-3486-4947-96a0-c2d46526ce1c" ac:name="info" ac:schema-version="1"> <ac:parameter ac:name="title">Can't find what you need?</ac:parameter> <ac:rich-text-body> <p>Send us an e-mail at <a href="mailto:apps.support@servicerocket.com">apps.support@servicerocket.com</a> for assistance.</p> </ac:rich-text-body> </ac:structured-macro> </ac:layout-cell> </ac:layout-section> <ac:layout-section ac:type="two_right_sidebar"> <ac:layout-cell> <p> <br/> </p> </ac:layout-cell> <ac:layout-cell> <p> <br/> </p> </ac:layout-cell> </ac:layout-section> <ac:layout-section ac:type="two_right_sidebar"> <ac:layout-cell> <h1>Instructions </h1> <ac:structured-macro ac:macro-id="56ef68e6-f2b6-4f78-bc36-0c3a8c467771" ac:name="hidden-data" ac:schema-version="1"> <ac:parameter ac:name="whenNotEmpty">Instructions</ac:parameter> <ac:parameter ac:name="atlassian-macro-output-type">INLINE</ac:parameter> <ac:rich-text-body> <p> <span style="color: rgb(165,173,186);"> <em>Create a step by step guide. Write one step for each action the user needs to take in this <a href="https://docs.servicerocket.com/scaffolding/macro-reference/repeating-data">Repeating Data</a> macro.</em> </span> </p> </ac:rich-text-body> </ac:structured-macro> <ac:structured-macro ac:macro-id="9589599b-348e-4ccd-a953-bd8f433ffb54" ac:name="repeating-data" ac:schema-version="1"> <ac:parameter ac:name="name">Instructions</ac:parameter> <ac:rich-text-body> <p> <br/> </p> <ul> <li> <ac:structured-macro ac:macro-id="6fc1b08b-bff1-44e2-8a3b-382332493385" ac:name="text-data" ac:schema-version="1"> <ac:parameter ac:name="name">Instruction</ac:parameter> <ac:parameter ac:name="atlassian-macro-output-type">INLINE</ac:parameter> <ac:rich-text-body> <p> <br/> </p> </ac:rich-text-body> </ac:structured-macro> </li> </ul> </ac:rich-text-body> </ac:structured-macro> </ac:layout-cell> <ac:layout-cell> <p> <br/> </p> </ac:layout-cell> </ac:layout-section> <ac:layout-section ac:type="two_right_sidebar"> <ac:layout-cell> <p> <br/> </p> </ac:layout-cell> <ac:layout-cell> <p> <br/> </p> </ac:layout-cell> </ac:layout-section> <ac:layout-section ac:type="two_right_sidebar"> <ac:layout-cell> <ac:structured-macro ac:macro-id="ada4b27c-8e6b-4b7e-a38b-2f7b4d55ccea" ac:name="panel" ac:schema-version="1"> <ac:parameter ac:name="borderColor">#AED6F1</ac:parameter> <ac:parameter ac:name="borderWidth">1</ac:parameter> <ac:parameter ac:name="titleBGColor">#AED6F1</ac:parameter> <ac:parameter ac:name="title">Notes</ac:parameter> <ac:rich-text-body> <ac:structured-macro ac:macro-id="cfb603a5-1c4f-4642-8e8d-ce8ce9bf50a4" ac:name="hidden-data" ac:schema-version="1"> <ac:parameter ac:name="whenNotEmpty">Notes</ac:parameter> <ac:parameter ac:name="atlassian-macro-output-type">INLINE</ac:parameter> <ac:rich-text-body> <p> <span style="color: rgb(165,173,186);"> <em>Add notes for cautions, tips or advice in this <a href="https://docs.servicerocket.com/scaffolding/macro-reference/repeating-data">Text Data</a> macro.</em> </span> </p> </ac:rich-text-body> </ac:structured-macro> <ac:structured-macro ac:macro-id="da0d807c-5859-4e40-8b69-b432f5b48fb1" ac:name="text-data" ac:schema-version="1"> <ac:parameter ac:name="name">Notes</ac:parameter> <ac:parameter ac:name="atlassian-macro-output-type">INLINE</ac:parameter> <ac:rich-text-body> <p> <br/> </p> </ac:rich-text-body> </ac:structured-macro> </ac:rich-text-body> </ac:structured-macro> <h1>Resources</h1> <ac:structured-macro ac:macro-id="ac00dc4c-c7d3-475e-870b-f40ff4ce41e5" ac:name="hidden-data" ac:schema-version="1"> <ac:parameter ac:name="whenNotEmpty">Resources</ac:parameter> <ac:parameter ac:name="atlassian-macro-output-type">INLINE</ac:parameter> <ac:rich-text-body> <p> <span style="color: rgb(165,173,186);"> <em>Include additional resources or citations you used in your article in this <a href="https://docs.servicerocket.com/scaffolding/macro-reference/text-data">Text Data</a> macro.</em> </span> </p> </ac:rich-text-body> </ac:structured-macro> <ac:structured-macro ac:macro-id="06552cf2-4331-4415-95c1-d7b98d2c16cf" ac:name="text-data" ac:schema-version="1"> <ac:parameter ac:name="name">Resources</ac:parameter> <ac:parameter ac:name="atlassian-macro-output-type">INLINE</ac:parameter> <ac:rich-text-body> <p> <br/> </p> </ac:rich-text-body> </ac:structured-macro> </ac:layout-cell> <ac:layout-cell> <p> <br/> </p> </ac:layout-cell> </ac:layout-section> </ac:layout>