Accessing and changing macro parameters
Macro parameters let you customise a Diary to your own needs. To change them, click the Diary macro on the page and choose the configuration button. A panel opens with every parameter in it; your changes take effect when you publish the page.
📷 Screenshot: config-panel-full.png — the configuration panel open, scrolled or stitched so that all ten parameters are visible in one image. This is the reference image for the whole page, so favour completeness over cropping.
Parameters are per macro, not per space or per site. Two diaries on the same page can be configured completely differently. Changing a parameter never rewrites your entries, so it is always safe to experiment.
At a glance
|
Parameter |
Options |
Default |
|---|---|---|
|
Order Of Entries |
Newest Entry First, Oldest Entry First |
Newest Entry First |
|
Diary style |
Simple, Bubble |
Simple |
|
Position Of Editor |
Top, Bottom, Hidden |
Top |
|
Show Diary Title |
On, off |
Off |
|
Diary Title |
Any text |
Empty |
|
Display Time In Entries |
On, off |
On |
|
Time Format |
24-hour (14:30), 12-hour (2:30 PM) |
24-hour |
|
Template For New Entries |
No template, or any page template |
No template |
|
Hide welcome message |
On, off |
Off |
|
Entries per page |
All, 10, 25, 50 |
All |
List of parameters
Order Of Entries
Decides in which order the Diary displays its entries. There are two options:
-
Newest Entry First (default)
Goes best with Position Of Editor: Top. Reads like a changelog. -
Oldest Entry First
Goes best with Position Of Editor: Bottom. Reads like a journal.
Diary style
The look of the diary. Two styles to choose from:
-
Simple (default)
Compact, with a line ruled between entries. -
Bubble
Each entry in a rounded box beside its author's avatar and name.
See Diary Styles: Simple and Bubble for what each one looks like.
Position Of Editor
Where the prompt for a new entry appears. Three options:
-
Top (default)
Goes best with Order Of Entries: Newest Entry First. -
Bottom
Goes best with Order Of Entries: Oldest Entry First. -
Hidden
If you do not want people adding new entries to this diary, choose this to remove the editor entirely. Existing entries stay readable, and anyone with page edit permission can still edit or delete them.
Show Diary Title
Whether a heading is shown above the diary. Off by default. Switch it on and set Diary Title to the words you want.
Diary Title
The heading text. It is only shown when Show Diary Title is on and this field is not empty.
📷 Screenshot: param-diary-title.png — a diary with Show Diary Title on and a title set, cropped tightly around the heading and the first entry so it is clear where the title appears.
Display Time In Entries
Whether each entry shows the time as well as the date. On by default. Switch it off for a diary where the day is all that matters.
Time Format
How the time is written, when it is shown:
-
24-hour (default) —
14:30 -
12-hour —
2:30 PM
📷 Screenshot: param-time-format.png — the same entry header three times, stacked or side by side: with 24-hour time, with 12-hour time, and with Display Time In Entries switched off. The Data Center docs did exactly this and it reads very well.
There is no equivalent parameter for the date format. Diary writes each entry's date in the reader's own language and conventions, so the same diary reads naturally for everyone looking at it.
Template For New Entries
A Confluence page template that each new entry starts from, so every entry follows the same shape. The dropdown lists your space's page templates first, then the site-wide ones prefixed Global. Choose no template (the default) to start from a blank editor.
A template is reduced to what the entry editor can hold rather than copied in whole — see Templates for New Entries before you rely on it.
Hide welcome message
An empty diary shows a short message inviting the first entry. Switch this on to suppress it — useful for a diary that is deliberately empty most of the time.
📷 Screenshot: param-welcome-message.png — an empty diary with the welcome message showing, so readers know what this parameter suppresses. Optional.
Entries per page
Caps how many entries are shown at once, with a More button to reveal the next batch. Choose All (default), 10, 25, or 50. See Pagination and the More Button.
Two differences from Data Center
If you configured diaries on Data Center, two things about this panel will look different:
-
All fields are always shown. The Data Center macro browser hid Time Format until Display Time In Entries was ticked, and Diary Title until Show Diary Title was. A Forge configuration panel cannot hide a field conditionally, so both are always visible — a field whose switch is off simply has no effect.
-
There is no description under each field. Data Center printed a sentence of help beneath every parameter. A Forge panel has no component that can render one, which is why this page exists.