Simple Buttons

Simple Buttons

On this page:


Introduction

Buttons are a vital way to create more intuitive interactions for your users. They communicate to your users that there is an action that can be taken, or that something can be clicked.

With the Simple Button Macro you can replace your plain (boring) links with more visually appealing buttons that create easy to spot call to actions for users.

Buttons can be placed anywhere on the page, and can be styled in a variety of ways, and can link to other Confluence Pages, Confluence Spaces, or any other website on the internet.

Although hyperlinks can be created through the standard Confluence interface, buttons provide stronger visual integration with the application as a whole and can be used to create pages that feel like part of Confluence itself.

Β 

Example Buttons

Here you can see just a few examples of the different ways you can configure a button.

button examples

Β 

How to Insert the Button Macro

To add the Simple Button macro to a Confluence page, use the macro insert menu "+" from editor toolbar and select the Simple Button.

video of insert macro from toolbar


Alternatively, type '/' in the editor to trigger the macro insert suggestions and type 'scm button'.

video of insert macro via slash

Β 

Configuring the Button Macro

Before the button macro is inserted into the cursor position on the page, it will automatically trigger the configuration dialog first, allowing you to customize the button.

Β 

Templates Tab

The first screen you'll see in the configuration dialog is the Template screen, where you'll find a collection of pre-made button templates. These should give you a quick starting point for various different button visuals.

Selecting one of the templates will apply the settings for that template, with the results visible in the preview area in the middle.

video of selecting between different templates

Β 

Content Tab

To customize the content of the button, like text and icon, navigate to the Content tab.

screenshot of the content tab

The Content tab gives you easy access to the things you want to edit the most: the button text and icon. You can enter new text, change the color of the button text, as well as pick an icon and its color.

note:

Not All Icons Support Colors

The icon picker has a wide array of icons to choose from, but only the "Atlassian icons" in the last tab of the icon picker support picking a color. The remaining icons are exactly as they are, and selecting a color won't change them.

Β 

Advanced Config Tab

If you want to further customize your button, navigate to the Advanced Config tab, where you can change virtually everything about the button.

screenshot of the advanced config tab

The Advanced Config screen is split into multiple groups, each of which has its own settings drawer. Click one of the fields to open a drawer and change the relevant settings.

Β 

Button Visuals

The button visuals drawer allows you to change the visual settings of the button.

video of opening a settings drawer and button visuals

Most of the settings are pretty self-explanatory.

Visual Setting

Description

Visual Setting

Description

Background Color

Allows you to change the background color of the button using the color swatch.

Shape

Changes the shape of the button from rectangle to pill to rounded corners, etc.

Button Size

Select the size of the button from the available presets.

note:
Only XL buttons support a second line of text.

Border

Allows changing the border color, style, and thickness.

tip!
You can also disable the border by clicking on the toggle icon.

Border Type

Select whether the button should be regular or inset.

Regular border wraps the button background around it’s area, while inset border extends the border area horizontally and button background outward with a small padding.

button-regular-border.png

Color

This is the color of the button border. Use the color swatch to change the color to your liking.

Thickness

Change the thickness of the border using the size controls.

Β 

Button Primary Text

The button Primary Text drawer allows you to change the main text of the button.

screenshot of button primary text drawer

Setting

Description

Setting

Description

Button Primary Text

Allows setting the actual primary button text.

You can only enter a single line of text. Buttons texts do not support line breaks.

tip!
To create a multi-line button, use an XL button and set the Secondary Button Text. You can also disable the primary text, in which case you would end up with a button that is only an icon.

Color

Allows changing the color of the text using the color swatch.

Text Alignment

Allows you to change whether text inside the button is left, center, or right aligned.

Β 

Button Secondary Text

The Button Secondary Text drawer allows you to change the second line of text for the button.

screenshot of button secondary text drawer

The settings here are the same as the Primary Button Text above.

TIP!

To Fit the Secondary Text in the Button

The secondary text option requires a button size of XL, as those are the only buttons to accommodate the second row of text. For all other button sizes, the second row of text will be disabled.

Β 

Button Icon

The button Icon drawer allows you to change the icon used for the button.

screenshot of button icon drawer

You can enable/disable the icon using the toggle switch.

Setting

Description

Setting

Description

Icon Type

Select which icon you want to use. You can navigate between different icon sets, or use the search function to find icons.

Color

Pick the color you want for your icon using the color swatch.

note:
Only the "Atlassian icons" in the last tab of the icon picker support picking a color.

The remaining icons are exactly as they are, and selecting a color won't change them.

Icon Position

Change whether the icon shows to the left or the right of the button text.

Icon Size

Change the size of the icon to suit your needs using the size controls.

Β 

Effects

The Effects drawer allow you to apply mouse-over effects to the button.

screenshot of button effects drawer

Setting

Description

Setting

Description

Button Highlight

Enable this to add a highlight effect around the button itself. This will be visible when hovering the mouse over the button.

Use the color swatch to select the color for the button highlight.

Text Highlight

Enable this to add a highlight effect to the text of the button. This will be visible when hovering the mouse over the button.

Use the color swatch to select the color for the text highlight.

Β 

Target Link Settings

The Target Link drawer allows you to pick the target that should be opened whenever the button is clicked.

screenshot of target link drawer

The target link can be any url on the internet. Simply enter it into the link field in the Link tab and click apply.

Alternatively, you can select an existing Confluence Page from the Page tab, or a Confluence Space from the Space tab.

video about navigating between tabs and selecting something

Β 

How to Edit or Resize the Button Macro

To edit a button in a page, hover over the button macro, and then click on the macro handle to reveal the macro configuration toolbar. Finally, click the edit icon on the toolbar the appears.

This will launch the Configuration dialog, with the Advanced Config tab active.

video of editing a button to launch config dialog

question:

Can I resize a button?

Third party macros do not get the same level of integration into the editor as regular Confluence Macros. This means, we can't provide you with an easy resize button like other Confluence macros.

You can still resize a button however, by editing the button configuration, and selecting a different size in the Button Visuals Drawer

Β 

Compatibility with Other Macros

The Simple Button macro is compatible with most built-in Confluence macros that allow you to place other content inside of it.

This means, you can put a button into a Columns/Layout macro, or a standard Panel, or bulleted list, etc.

Β 

Β