Diagram collections

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Diagrams live on the pages they illustrate, which means the diagrams for one service, one project or one audit end up scattered across a space. A collection gathers them in one place so you can find them again, without moving, copying or changing anything.

A diagram can be in as many collections as make sense, and taking it out of one leaves the diagram exactly as it was.

#Where collections live

Open the Capable Diagrams catalogue. In the sidebar, Collections sits between Diagrams on pages and Templates, with two rows under it.

Row

What it holds

Space collections

Collections created in this space. They are only listed in this space.

Global collections

Collections shared across every space. A global collection can hold diagrams from any space.

Select either row before choosing a collection and it explains what collections are and what you can do there.

#Using collections

1
Create a collection
2
Add diagrams
3
Browse it

On Space collections or Global collections, select Create collection and give it a name. You can rename or delete a collection later from its menu, the same way as a template folder.

✓
Create a collection
2
Add diagrams
3
Browse it

There are three ways to put a diagram in a collection. Use whichever is closest to hand.

Way

How

Drag it

In Diagrams on pages, drag a diagram, or a selection of diagrams, onto a collection in the sidebar. You can also drag from one collection onto another.

Right-click it

Right-click a diagram, open Collections and tick the collection. Untick it to take the diagram out again.

Its Details panel

Open the diagram. In the Details panel, find the Collections row, select Add to collection and pick one. Select a collection's tag in that row to remove the diagram from it.

✓
Create a collection
✓
Add diagrams
3
Browse it

Select the collection in the sidebar to see its diagrams. Each one is still the same diagram on its own page, with its own comments and history. While you are inside a collection, right-click a diagram and choose Remove from this collection to take it out.

#What a collection does and does not change

When you

What happens

Add a diagram to a collection

The diagram is tagged. It stays on its page, and no new version of the diagram is created.

Add it to a second collection

Fine. A diagram can be in up to 32 collections.

Remove it from a collection

Only the tag goes. The diagram, its page and its history are untouched.

Delete a collection

The collection goes to the trash. No diagram is deleted, and restoring the collection brings its members back with it.

#Who can do what

Action

Who

Create, rename or delete a collection

People who can create content in the space, or in the global space for a global collection.

Add or remove a diagram

People who can edit the page the diagram is on. You do not need any permission on the collection itself.

See what is in a collection

Everyone who can see the collection, but each person only sees diagrams on pages they can read. Counts follow the same rule, so two people can see different numbers.

#A few things that catch people out

  • New additions can take a moment to appear after a reload, while Confluence's search index catches up. The diagram's own Details panel always shows its collections straight away. See Collection membership delay.

  • Dragging and the right-click menu work on grid tiles. In list and table views, open the diagram and use its Details panel.

  • A diagram can belong to collections in several spaces. Its Details panel shows all of them by name, but only offers to add it to this space's collections and the global ones.

  • Unavailable collection in the Details panel means the collection was deleted. It still counts towards the 32, so remove it if you need the room.

  • Collections are not carried over when you move from the standalone Capable Diagrams app to the Capable suite.

Gathered in one place, still on the page they belong to.