Confluence pages are stored internally in a simple content-formatting language called Wiki Markup, based on Textile.

The Wiki Markup Editor allows you to edit Confluence pages directly in wiki markup language. This has the advantage of being faster than the Rich Text Editor for some formatting tasks.

A quick notation guide, Notation Help, appears beside the edit screen when you choose the Wiki Markup edit tab. You can then click the full notation guide link in the help window to view the full Notation Guide. This shows you the entire list of formatting and other complex operations that Confluence's notation permits, along with the markup detailing how to perform them.

Try it now

Because wiki markup is designed to be simple to learn, the quickest way to learn wiki markup is to edit an existing page, switch to the wiki markup editor and experiment.

Below are some links to more information on wiki markup editing:
Full Notation Guide
Working with Headings
Working with Text Effects
Working with Text Breaks
Working with Links
Working with Anchors
Working with Images
Working with Lists
Working with Tables
Working with Macros
Confluence Emoticons

What does the Notation Guide contain and why is it not part of the Confluence User Guide?

The Confluence Notation Guide is included as part of the Confluence code and is dynamically generated when you view it. Its contents depend upon:

  • the macro plugins available in the Confluence installation
  • the documentation included by the plugin developer for the installed version of the plugin.

If you view the Full Notation Guide from the Atlassian Confluence site, you will see the information for the macro plugins currently installed on this site. If you view the Full Notation Guide from your own Confluence instance, you will see information for the macro plugins installed on your site.

The plugin developer writes the help file and includes it in the macro code.

Examples of Markup

Here's a short example of some typical markup:

What you type

What you get 

h4. Confluence Markup

Ideally, the markup should be _readable_ and even *clearly understandable* when you are
editing it. Inserting formatting should require few keystrokes, and little thought.

After all, we want people to be concentrating on the words, not on where the angle-brackets
should go.

* Kinds of Markup
** Text Effects
** Headings
** Text Breaks
** Links
** Other



Confluence Markup


Ideally, the markup should be readable and even clearly understandable when you are
editing it. Inserting formatting should require few keystrokes, and little thought.

After all, we want people to be concentrating on the words, not on where the angle-brackets
should go.

  • Kinds of Markup
    • Text Effects
    • Headings
    • Text Breaks
    • Links
    • Other

Here, in comparison, is how that would look if you had to edit the page in HTML: 

<h4>Confluence Markup</h4>
<p>Ideally, the markup should be <em>readable</em> and even <strong>clearly understandable</strong>
when you are editing it. Inserting formatting should require few keystrokes, and little thought</p>
<p>After all, we want people to be concentrating on the words, not on where the angle-brackets should
go.</p>
<ul>
   <li>Kinds of Markup
     <ul>
      <li>Text Effects</li>
      <li>Headings</li>
      <li>Text Breaks</li>
      <li>Links</li>
      <li>Other</li>
     </ul>
   </li>
</ul>



RELATED TOPICS

Full Notation Guide
Rich Text Editor Overview
Writing Confluence pages
Creating a New Page
Working with Macros

Take me back to Confluence User's Guide

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