Mastering the Confluence Page Properties Report for Multiple Rows
If you’ve ever tried to build a central dashboard in Confluence to track projects, tasks, or team goals, you’ve likely encountered the Page Properties and Page Properties Report macros.
Commonly, users expect a one-to-one relationship: one page equals one row in a report. However, there are many scenarios where you need a single Confluence page to output multiple rows to a report. Whether you are tracking multiple action items on one meeting note or listing several software requirements on a single specs page, here is how you master the "multiple rows" setup. The Fundamentals: How the Macros Talk to Each Other
To understand how to get multiple rows, you first have to understand the standard "handshake" between these two macros:
Page Properties Macro: Placed on an individual page. It contains a table with your data (metadata).
Labels: You must add a specific label (e.g., project-2024) to the page so the report knows where to look.
Page Properties Report Macro: Placed on a "Master" or "Summary" page. It scans the space for that specific label and pulls the table data into a consolidated view. How to Generate Multiple Rows from One Page
By default, the Page Properties Report looks for the first Page Properties macro it finds on a page and turns it into one row. To get multiple rows, you have two primary methods:
Method 1: Multiple Page Properties Macros (The Cleanest Way)
Confluence allows you to place multiple Page Properties macros on a single page. If you have three separate Page Properties macros on "Page A," the Page Properties Report will display three distinct rows for "Page A."
When to use: When you have distinct items (like three different sub-projects) on one page that each need their own status, owner, and due date.
Pro Tip: Give each macro a unique "ID" in the macro settings if you want to report on them separately, though usually, the report will simply stack them. Method 2: The Multi-Row Table (The Legacy Way)
You can technically put a multi-row table inside a single Page Properties macro. However, be warned: The Page Properties Report macro often struggles with this. It is designed to read the first column as a "Header" and the second column as "Value."
If you use a multi-row table, the report will often try to cram all that data into a single cell or fail to parse it correctly. If you need a true "database" feel with many rows, Method 1 is significantly more reliable. Common Issues and How to Fix Them 1. Rows Aren't Appearing
Check your Labels: Ensure the page with the data has the exact label the Report macro is filtering for.
Check Macro Visibility: Ensure the Page Properties macro isn't set to "Hidden" in its settings if you are trying to debug. 2. Duplicate Data
If you see the same row twice, check if you accidentally duplicated the Page Properties macro or if you have two different labels on the page that both match the Report’s filter. 3. Column Headers Don't Match
For the Report to work, the Column Headers (the left-hand column in your Page Properties table) must match the "Columns to show" setting in your Report macro exactly. If your table says "Due Date" and your report looks for "Deadline," the row will be empty. Leveling Up: Using "Page Properties ID"
If you have a page that tracks both "Risks" and "Decisions," you might want two different reports on your dashboard.
On your content page, give the Risks macro the ID risk-data and the Decisions macro the ID decision-data.
In your Page Properties Report settings, specify the ID you want to pull.
This prevents your "Risk Report" from being cluttered with "Decision" rows, even though they live on the same page.
To get multiple rows in a Confluence Page Properties report from a single page, the most effective method is to use multiple Page Properties macros on that page. Each macro represents one row in your final report. confluence page properties report multiple rows
By mastering this, you can transform Confluence from a simple wiki into a powerful project management tool that keeps your team organized without jumping between dozens of tiny pages.
Do you have a specific use case for these reports, or are you having trouble getting a specific column to show up?
Here’s a useful, real-world story about solving a tricky documentation problem in Confluence.
Title: The Case of the Missing Requirements
Characters:
The Situation:
Alex’s team was developing “Project Chimera,” a complex integration involving 15 microservices. Each service had a Confluence page detailing its API contracts, environment variables, and test cases. On every page, Alex used a Page Properties macro to store key metadata:
| Property | Value | |----------|-------| | Service Name | auth-gateway | | Owner | Platform Team | | Criticality | High | | Last API Review | 2025-02-10 |
The problem? Auditors and Jordan (QA) needed a single view of all services with their properties—without clicking into 15 pages. Alex knew about the Page Properties Report macro, which pulls property tables from multiple pages into one master table.
But here’s the catch: The report usually shows one row per page (each page’s properties in one row). Jordan needed multiple rows per page because some services had multiple critical environment variables, each requiring its own row for test tracking.
The Confusion:
Jordan tried to add multiple property rows inside a single page’s Page Properties macro, but the report still collapsed them into one row.
Example inside one page:
| Property | Value | |----------|-------| | Service Name | auth-gateway | | Env Var | AUTH_HOST | | Env Var | AUTH_PORT | | Env Var | AUTH_TIMEOUT |
The report showed:
| Service Name | Env Var | |--------------|---------| | auth-gateway | AUTH_HOST, AUTH_PORT, AUTH_TIMEOUT |
Not multiple rows. Unacceptable for test case mapping.
The Eureka Moment (How to achieve multiple rows per page):
Alex realized: The Page Properties Report treats each page as one row by default, merging all properties into that row. To get multiple rows from one page, you must split each data item into its own separate page – or use a different approach.
But creating 45 pages (3 env vars × 15 services) was overkill. Instead, Alex found a cleaner method:
But that’s still heavy. So Alex built a simpler trick:
The “Multi-Row” Workaround:
Service Parent = auth-gatewayVariable Name = AUTH_HOST (or PORT, TIMEOUT)Variable Value = actual valueSpace and optionally Label filters. It will show one row per child page – achieving multiple rows logically grouped by service.But that’s still manual. For true elegance, Alex scripted a small automation (using Confluence API + Python) to generate those child pages from a spreadsheet.
The Solution in Practice:
Instead of fighting Confluence, Alex presented to Jordan:
“We cannot force one page to produce multiple rows in a Page Properties Report. The macro was built for page-level aggregates. To get multiple rows, each row must be its own page.”
They agreed on a hybrid approach:
For the audit requirement, Jordan used Confluence SQL (via the official SQL for Confluence add-on) to query page properties across all pages and output true multiple rows per source page. Example query:
SELECT p.title AS service, cp.var_name, cp.var_value
FROM pages p, child_properties cp
WHERE p.id = cp.page_id AND cp.property_set = 'env-vars'
That produced:
| service | var_name | var_value | |---------------|--------------|----------------| | auth-gateway | AUTH_HOST | localhost | | auth-gateway | AUTH_PORT | 8080 | | auth-gateway | AUTH_TIMEOUT | 30s |
The Outcome:
Key Takeaway for the Reader:
If you need multiple rows from the same Confluence page in a Page Properties Report, you can’t. The macro’s design is page-centric. Workarounds:
The Moral:
Confluence’s Page Properties Report is great for page-level summaries. For true row-level granularity, either design your page hierarchy around rows or bring in external tools. Alex’s team chose the API route and never looked back.
In Confluence, the Page Properties Report macro is natively designed to display only one row per page. If a single Page Properties macro contains a table with multiple rows, the report will typically only display the first one.
To display multiple rows in a report from a single source page, you can use these official methods and common community workarounds: Official Methods
Multiple Page Properties Macros: You can place several Page Properties macros on one page. If they have different header names, the report may display them in one row; however, if they share common headers, the report will split them into multiple rows for that same page.
Use Unique IDs: Assign a unique Page Properties ID to each macro on your source page. In your Page Properties Report, you can then specify which specific IDs to include, or leave it blank to report on all of them as separate entries.
To display multiple rows in a Page Properties Report, you must have multiple Page Properties macros on the source page(s) or multiple pages with the same label.
By default, the report lists each page as a single row. If you need a single page to contribute multiple rows to a report, follow these steps: 1. Use Multiple Page Properties Macros
Insert multiple macros: On your source page, add multiple Page Properties macros.
Unique IDs (Optional): If you want to pull only specific rows into different reports, give each macro a unique Property ID in the macro settings.
Standard Table: Inside each macro, insert a two-column table where the left column is the "Header" (key) and the right is the "Value" (data). 2. Configure the Report Macro
Match Labels: Ensure the Page Properties Report macro is configured to look for the specific Label applied to your source pages. Mastering the Confluence Page Properties Report for Multiple
Show All: If you have multiple Page Properties macros on one page, the report will automatically create a separate row for each macro instance found on that page. 3. Alternative: Table Excerpt (For complex tables)
If you are trying to report on rows from a standard large table rather than key-value pairs, the native Page Properties macro is limited. Instead, you can use the Table Excerpt and Table Excerpt Include macros from third-party apps like StiltSoft to sync and filter specific table rows across pages. Best Practices
Consistent Headers: Use the exact same column headers in every Page Properties macro to ensure the report columns align correctly.
Hidden Macros: If you don't want the data tables visible on the source page, check the Hidden box in the Page Properties macro settings.
Page Labels: Remember that the report only finds pages that have the correct Label applied at the page level. Page Properties Report Macro | Confluence Data Center 10.2
Troubleshooting Confluence: How to Get Multiple Rows in a Page Properties Report
Confluence's Page Properties Report is a powerful tool for building automated dashboards and project summaries. However, many users run into a common roadblock: the macro is designed to display only one row per page.
If you are trying to report on multiple sets of data from a single page, you've likely noticed that the standard report only pulls the first row or aggregates everything into one messy entry. The Limitation: Why it Defaults to One Row
By design, the Page Properties macro captures "key-value" pairs intended to summarize a specific page (e.g., Status: Active, Owner: Sarah). When the Page Properties Report runs, it looks for pages with a specific label and creates one row for each page it finds.
If you put multiple rows in your source table inside the macro, Confluence typically ignores everything after the first row or merges them into a single cell.
Strategy 1: Use Multiple Macros with Unique IDs (Standard Workaround)
If you need to display multiple rows from one page, you can insert several Page Properties macros on that same source page.
Page Properties Report Not Showing All - Atlassian Community
Page Properties Report macro is natively designed to roll up key-value pairs from multiple pages, showing one row per source page
. If you need to display multiple rows from a single page in your report, you have three primary options: Atlassian Community 1. The Multi-Macro Workaround (Native) You can place multiple Page Properties macros
on a single page. If they share the same table headers and page label, they will appear as separate rows in your report. Atlassian Documentation Page Properties Macro for each row you want to report. Ensure each macro contains a table with a Header Column on the left and data on the right. Assign a unique
to each macro in its settings if you need to filter specific ones. Label the page and use that label in your Page Properties Report Macro Atlassian Documentation 2. Nested Table "Trick" (Visual Only)
If you want the report to technically stay as one row but display a full list of items: Confluence page properties and page properties report.
For organizations heavily reliant on this functionality, the native Confluence macros often fall short. This is one of the primary drivers for add-ons like Aura or Table Filter and Charts.
These plugins often extend the functionality of tables, allowing for dynamic aggregation where a single page can spawn multiple rows in a summary report, bypassing the limitations of the native Page Properties macro logic.
On each page that should become a row in the report:
project-task).✅ Each labeled page = one row in the final report. Title: The Case of the Missing Requirements Characters:
Confluence is a powerful collaboration tool, but one of its most underutilized features for structured data management is the Page Properties and Page Properties Report macro combination. When used correctly, these macros allow you to build a dynamic database of information—displayed as a clean table with multiple rows—without needing a third-party add-on like Table Filter or (in many cases) Comala Databases.
This article explains how to set up a "master-detail" system where child pages feed data into a single, sortable report on a parent page.