Tables in Confluence: Header Rows, Numbered Rows and Colours
Make a Confluence table easy to scan in a minute: keep the header row, add a header column and numbered rows, and give the header a soft background colour. Shown on a project glossary.
Step by step
Why format
- Format tables. A plain table is hard to scan. Four quick changes make it easier to read: a header row, a header column, row numbers and a little colour. Here they are applied to a project glossary.
Table options
- Edit. Click Edit to open the page in the editor.
- Table toolbar. Click any cell in the table. A table toolbar appears under the table. In that toolbar, open Table options.
- Header row. Header row is already on. It makes the top row stand out, so readers know what each column holds. Keep it on.
- Header column. Turn on Header column. Now the terms in the left column stand out too. This suits a glossary, or any table where each row has a name.
- Numbered rows. Open Table options again and turn on Numbered rows. A number column appears on the left, so in a review people can say "row 3" instead of reading the whole line out.
- Colour. Now add a little colour. Click the top cell of the Term column, open the small arrow in the corner of that cell and pick Background color. Choose a soft colour, like light blue. Dark colours make the text hard to read.
Share it
- Update. Click Update to publish the changes, so everyone who opens the page sees the new table.
- Easy to scan. The table now has a header row, a header column, row numbers and a coloured header cell. It took about a minute, and the table is much easier to scan.
Recap
- Header, numbers, colour. To recap: click a cell and open Table options. Keep the header row, and add a header column and numbered rows. Then give a header cell a soft background colour and click Update.
Common mistakes
- Turning off the header row. Without it, the top row looks like data and readers have to guess what each column means. Keep Header row on in Table options for every table.
- Typing row numbers by hand. Typed numbers go out of order as soon as someone adds or removes a row. Turn on Numbered rows in Table options and let Confluence number the rows for you.
- Picking a dark background colour. Dark fills make the text hard to read on screen and when printed. Choose a soft shade like light blue, and colour only the header cells.
- Leaving the editor without clicking Update. Your formatting doesn't appear on the published page until you click Update. Check the page after you publish to make sure the changes are there.
When a business analyst uses this
In a project glossary or requirements table that you go through in a stakeholder workshop, numbered rows let people say "row 7 needs changing", and a header column makes each term or requirement name easy to find. The review moves faster and the table is ready for sign-off.
Questions people ask
How do you format a table in Confluence?
Edit the page, click any cell and open Table options in the toolbar under the table. From there you can turn on Header row, Header column and Numbered rows, and use the arrow in a cell to pick a Background color.
How do you edit a table in Confluence?
Click Edit on the page, then click any cell in the table. A table toolbar appears under it with Table options. When you have finished, click Update to publish your changes.
