How to Report in Confluence with the Jira Issues Macro

One of the most powerful integrations in the Atlassian ecosystem is the native link between Jira and Confluence. For users working in both tools, the transition can be seamless if you do it right, but clunky if you don't. 

Now, what if I told you there was just one Confluence macro you could start using today that will immediately make reporting in Confluence easier and help you (and your team) keep track of your work? The Jira Issues macro is the go-to when reporting in Confluence.

Here are some tips to get your team to live their Atlassian life-to-the-fullest.

Insert an issue count for a Jira filter

Let's start small. Insert a link to Jira with the number of issues returned from a Jira Query Language (JQL) query.

This is useful to pull up basic metrics for a high-level overview. The macro becomes a link to the filter, so if you want to review the issues in-depth, you can quickly hop over to Jira's issue navigator. The table below is an example of how our marketing team tracks employee blog post submissions.

To insert an issue count:

1. Insert the Jira Macro
   1. Select the  in the top menu bar and select Jira Issue/Filter, OR
   2. Type { on your Confluence page, search and select Jira
2. Enter in your JQL query
   1. To input an existing filter, type "filter = "Filter name", OR
   2. Type in the JQL directly
   3. Be sure to click on the Magnifying glass to execute the query
3. Select 'Display Options' at the bottom of the dialog box to expand the options.
4. Select 'Total issue count'
5. Click Insert, and Voila!

Insert a single issue into Confluence

This macro can also link to a single Jira issue to a Confluence page. That means not only can you see what issues are important (and what status they're in) in your documentation, but you can also see who's talking about the issue when you're in Jira.

Take, for example, this blog post. My progress is tracked on a Jira issue, linked to this very page in Confluence. Below you can see how it looks on the Confluence page I'm writing in. 

If I click on that link, I'll move over to Jira where I can see all of pages in which the issue has been mentioned under Issue Links. Right off the bat, I can see that the issue has been mentioned on this page as well as another tracking Blog Content. 

To insert one issue:

1. Insert the Jira Macro and enter in your query (steps 1 and 2 above)
2. Select one issue from the list
   If you know exactly which issue, you can simply type the Issue Key into the search bar and hit enter. 
3. Expand the Display Options and select 'Single Issue'
4. Select 'Insert'

Use the Jira macro to insert a list of issues in a page in Confluence

Remember that filter you entered in above? You can insert that filter into your page, too. Filters inserted with this macro are dynamic - that is, as the issues are updated in Jira, the Confluence page will reflect the most up-to-date information. You can customize which columns appear in the macro just like you can in Jira. To head into Jira, you can select the individual issues, or click on the total number at the bottom ('2 issues') to pull up the query in Jira.

To insert a filter:

1. Insert the Jira Macro and enter in your query (steps 1 and 2 above)
2. Expand the Display options and select 'Table' 
3. Edit the maximum issues and columns to display.
4. Select 'Insert' to add to the page!

Create a Jira Issue from a Confluence page

If your issues don't exist in Jira yet, don't worry. This macro can create new issues in Jira if inspiration hits while you're editing a Confluence page. The issue will be created and you won't even have to leave the page. 

Additionally, you can also create issues from Confluence while viewing a page - simply highlight some text and then click on the Jira icon that appears.

1. Insert the Jira Issue Macro
2. Select 'Create New Issue' on the left panel
3. Complete the form
4. Select 'Insert'

This one macro can solve many of your reporting needs in Confluence. What's more, you can provide context around the data instead of just straight data. The Jira Macro is a great way to keep team members informed without navigating from Confluence to Jira and back again. 

Do you have any questions about how you and your team can best utilize your Jira and Confluence tools for maximum benefit? Find out how Praecipio can help by visiting our Atlassian Hosting page or by contacting us directly.

Want some more Jira tips? Check out Our Guide to Import Linked Issues in Jira from CSV.