---
title: "Ideation documentation (Server & DC)"
canonical: "https://support.covectors.io/space/CAD/544702612/Ideation%20documentation%20(Server%20%26%20DC)"
format: markdown
---
Ideation for Confluence makes brainstorming and crowdsourcing both easy and fun. Your teams will be able to suggest, share, and vote for ideas as well as participate in challenges within one centralized location. This has the potential to drive innovation, engage your workforce, and enhance overall business performance.

For more information about the differences between Cloud, Server, and DC as well as the migration path, make sure to refer to the last part of the documentation (by clicking here).

## Whats new in Ideation for Confluence DC

The latest release 6.5.0 of the ideation app comes with a much requested feature related to custom fields. 

Our users are now able to display custom fields values set on each idea within the **List view** of our **Ideation List Macro**. 

You just need to add Custom Fields ids within the macro parameters dedicated for this purpose as displayed below:

![image-20240801-164252.png](media://bac7332c-5db0-4a01-b9b6-594fd2a673eb)

 Once configured, information is displayed in the list view of each idea as new column:

![image-20240801-164626.png](media://fcd99604-0133-4bc9-940e-d89fc90f2914)

:info: Custom Field IDs can be viewed within the dedicated configuration view of our Ideation App. To access this view you need to access Space Tools > Ideation > Custom Fields tab, you can see there the listing of Custom Fields available for the current space. You can check there for the CF’s ID if not known. 

The new Ideation release on the data center comes with a key new addition in terms of configuration.

:warning: Please note changes will not be reflected in Timeline as a matter of coherent harmonious listing

## Change Ideation index page to a new page in space

For this new release, we responded to several customer requests regarding the management of the index page. As our tool has been designed to set ideas and/or challenges to be child pages to page called “Ideation”. This page is created automatically once the first idea is created and is stored in our system as the default index page for all Ideation content. 

Several customers has requested to be able to design the Ideation hierarchy based on page they create in space. To configure this page follow the below steps: 

1. Navigate to **Ideation **under **Space Tools** menu
2. Go to **Index page configuration**

![image-20240228-102043.png](media://3bab3096-490d-43e1-9bcd-e1526a6a8dfa)

You can select here the new page to be set as index 

:warning: Please note ideas or pages created as child pages of existing ideas - either in challenges or normal ideas -  can not be set to be index page. 

You have also an option to be move the currently existing ideas, challenges and challenge ideas under the new page. 

##  Several XSS vulnerabilities fixes 

- Creation of Ideation Custom fields
- Preview of Ideation Custom fields

# Create an idea 

Your journey with the ideation app starts by, of course, creating your first idea. For this, you have to go through the following steps:

- Select “Create” from the Confluence top menu
- Choose “Idea” within the dialog box

  Add the relevant information about your idea (the title, description, topics and participants). You can also restrict modifications by checking the box at the bottom of the dialog box.

![image](media://eef0d4e9-edc6-4edf-9a4e-a1d6c50e15fc)


- Click “Create”.

**And that’s it… You have just created your first idea!**

#   
Idea page

Each typical idea page contains a host of macros designed to help you effectively manage the ideation process.


![image](media://5fdfe27c-55c8-4b5a-9f2a-2423116ee28b)

Idea information: This macro includes the idea’s title and description. contains all the information about a specific idea including the statuts, number of votes, views and comments. Additionally, users with editing rights can change the idea statuts along with a feedback detailing the change.

![image](media://b263e077-d178-48b0-853c-1acb81cfb9fb)

1. Idea status: Visualize the idea status along with the number of votes, views and comments.
2. Idea transition details: Grasp an overview of the path that a given idea would follow. The number of steps and transitions are determined by designated admins (More on that later)
3. Metadata: List of metadata associated with a given idea. This macro is automatically added to ideas created after installing version 5.X but can be added manually for previously created ideas.

> ⚠️ Idea metadata can be updated after being initially added to the idea. This can be done by clicking the small pen in the top right corner of the macro. Please note that this option is only available to users with edit permission for the idea page.

  5. Idea voters: Here, you can visualize the identity of the voters along with how they voted.

  6. Idea sponsors: Similar to the above macro, you can visualize the identity of idea sponsors (more on idea sponsorship later on)

  7. Attachments: Visualize and add attachments.

# Ideation index

The idea you have just created along with other future ideas will all be shown within the ideation index page. Think of the index page as a dashboard containing all the relevant information about ideas, contributors, voters, sponsors and more. 

Let’s first start by taking a tour of the page’s layout. 

![image](media://8ed3217e-6a43-4f5b-b7b6-1d9c451db3a2)

  
Similar to the idea page we have just covered, ideation index is composed of multiple macros, each serving a specific function:

1. Ideation list: Here you can visualize all existing ideas within a given space. Ideas can be classified in terms of their status (default status include: Proposed, Evaluated, Achieved) as well as their creation date. Additionally, you can choose how ideas are displayed by selecting either the timeline or list views.
2. Add idea: You can create ideas directly from the Ideation Index by simply selecting this macro. Once clicked, you will be redirected to an idea page where you can add all of the idea information (just as you did in the first part of this documentation)
3. Ideation summary: This macro acts as a summary of all the ideas within a space. It displays the number of ideas, contributors and comments. It also shows the number of ideas per status.
4. Top contributors: This macro displays top contributors based on their actions within a space. It shows the number they have created along with their votes.

The above macros are configurable by the space administrator. For this, you have to click on “Edit” on top of the page. Then, just hover your mouse over a given macro and select the “Edit” icon. 

Now let’s walk through the list of actions you can take for each macro.

- Ideas display: You can personalize the idea view by selecting either the timeline or list views.

![image](media://bac713b4-0582-40b4-b28a-be165cb0a145)


- Filter ideas: You can filter ideas based on three main parameters; Status, Creators and Creation date.

![image](media://ff0b714b-2e30-4913-addc-da07b9dacbb2)

# Ideation Global Dashboard

The ideation global dashboard allows you to search for and navigate through various ideation spaces within Confluence and track statistics per space. To access the dashboard, click “Ideation” within the top bar menu.

The dashboard consists of a global search bar and three main tabs: Ideation, Labels and Analytics. 

## Global Search

With the global search bar, you can instantly locate and access ideas from multiple spaces. If the search query you have entered is incomplete or part of an existing ideas’ title, suggestions would appear containing the whole idea.

## Ideation

This tab contains all the ideation spaces created within your Confluence instance (Of course the ones that you have permissions to view). Each ideation space is portrayed as a card containing the space name, creation date, number of contributors, ideas and comments. Additionally, you can mark a given space as favorites by simply clicking the “Star” icon.

![image](media://3d2dd634-d9be-4db8-b222-55a0a3738799)

##   
Analytics

Within the Analytics tab you can visualize and track detailed stats of a specific space within a specific time period. First you have to select the space and the time period (Custom, last week or last month), and click Send.

First, a global dashboard will be displayed containing all stats including the number of ideas, creators, sponsored ideas, challenges and ideas per challenge. Additionally, you can visualize both ideas and challenges pers status as well as top challenges.

![image](media://e3926f05-14b4-400b-be12-8af80cae3aa3)

Scrolling down the page, you can access more in depth details through dedicated graphs. 

- Number of ideas created per user.

![image](media://1ed6ea53-18b6-4b0d-a39e-1e2b9bf1d1e8)

- Ideas per status: Visualize how an idea progressed through various statutes along with the amount of time it has spent on each status (in hours, days or even minutes)

![image](media://04eee15c-afb1-461f-8087-ff051c633603)

- Use of ideas: Here you will have a detailed view of ideas interactions, actions and top contributors.

![image](media://c5c592ba-73d6-4a2b-a67b-383068cc85dd)


# Vote for an idea

Now that the idea is created, users can access the idea page. There, they can either upvote or downvote a given idea by pressing the up or down arrows. The number appearing between both arrows represents the number of upvotes minus the number of downvotes. To cancel a vote, users can simply press on the arrow they have already selected or the opposite one.

![image](media://540c1519-2f67-41f6-8c02-b7d5f3a1dfb5)

![image](media://c6d6324d-7559-4d58-b833-fe79afa8a785)

  


# Sponsor an idea

You and users (with sponsorship rights, of course) can start sponsoring ideas. All you have to do is access an idea page. Within the sponsors macro, click on “Sponsor This Idea”. Your name will be added to the sponsors list. To cancel your action, just click on “Cancel Sponsorship”.

![image](media://86312c0a-992c-4431-9eb7-b62ae90a456b)

![image](media://d2244af3-9679-4262-8e9c-cee2aeda1016)


More on how to configure idea sponsorship in the administrative part of the documentation.

#   
Administration Panel

The administration panel gives you the possibility to manage a variety of aspects regarding the Ideation app. To access the administration panel, click on Space Tools > Ideation.

The administration homepage contains nine main tabs: Workflow, Role, Sponsor, Vote, Vote Badges, Challenges, Statistics, Custom Fields and Jira Integration.

## Workflow  


![image](media://dfc39956-013c-48e0-b078-2c1bd58c8d71)

The new workflow feature makes it easy for you to define the relationships between various ideas statutes as well as manage transitions within a rich yet simple user interface.

To start editing your workflow, click on the “Edit Workflow” button within the alert macro. A new “Add” button would appear on the right hand side of the screen allowing you to start adding an idea status or transition.  


Now let’s walk through the page’s layout:

### Table view

Within the Table View, the various statuses are arranged within a four column table: Start status, arrival status, roles and actions. As shown in the screenshot below, the start and one or multiple arrival status are linked by arrows to showcase the transitions.

![image](media://1d5fe539-2ae9-418c-a610-37f8c1471ff7)

### Graphical view

The graphical view is more straightforward. Here the emphasis has been placed on simplicity and instant feedback. The view consists of a diagram where you can move statuts freely within a drawing board. While you are doing so, a box containing the table view is pinned to the left side of the screen detailing the changes as you are making them.

![image](media://b413c155-8878-4c08-9864-074bb1fa661b)

### Add a status

To add a new status, click on “Add a status” from the drop-down menu. A dialog box will appear where you will add relevant information about your new status including the title, color and the associated role(s)

![image](media://f2b92d52-6e00-4d1f-b6c4-ee703c5a0d70)

### Edit a status

Hover your mouse over a specific status and Click on the edit icon. The ame dialog box will appear in which you can change the status' parameters.

![image](media://8cc4b479-832d-436b-bbdf-9d06d0ceb3c5)

### Delete a status

Simply click on the delete icon. It is worth noting though that you can re-initiate the ideas that have the deleted status to the first one within the process or to make the idea undo one step and get the previous status.

![image](media://c04e2408-d6b8-41e4-a6ff-24142efbf630)

### Add a transition

Determine a new transition by selecting the start and arrival status as well as the role. Click on Add. In our example, we are going to add a transition from the “Proposed” status to the “Review” status.

![image](media://ca62899b-1944-4125-956d-d93585a86219)

### Edit a transition

To edit a transition, navigate to the actions tab within the table view, click on the three dots menu and select Edit. Change the transition parameters and click Edit.

![image](media://b5179cba-0a5e-4a55-b177-32f812c281aa)

### Delete a transition

To delete a transition, navigate to the actions tab within the table view, click on the three dots menu and select Delete. In our example, since the status “Proposed” is linked to two other statutes, we have to determine which status to delete or we can delete both. Click on the bin icon and choose Yes.

![image](media://e5921350-2cff-4dc9-91b2-ac800e78e248)

Once you finish your changes, make sure to click on “Publish Draft” within the alert macro.

![image](media://b271ece9-7ff6-47f1-921f-1172c0077cb1)

##   
Roles

### Roles default configuration

Each status needs to be associated with a specific role (i.e idea manager). Role members are the only users who can move ideas back and forth between status and add feedback describing their actions.

A single or group of users can be associated with a certain role.

By default, there is the ideation manager role which can't be deleted. This role can be modified by adding or deleting its members.

![image](media://fed6320c-7339-4561-b283-c3bb63acc500)

### Add a role

Click on “Add a role”. Fill the dialog box with the role’s title and the designated users or group of users. Click “Add new role”..

![image](media://25003ec5-bb32-4a53-8e9e-21ad850d3e48)

### Edit a role  


Click on the edit icon and follow the same above steps to fill the dialog box.

![image](media://af1e1de9-d8b5-4ea3-ae50-c5b6e0a5a9f4)

### Delete a role

Click on the delete icon and select “Confirm”.

##   
Sponsor

The third tab in the administration panel is dedicated to idea sponsorships. Here, you can perform a host of actions that will enable you to manage the whole sponsorship process and allow users to sponsor ideas from within the ideation index page. 

Let’s walk through the sponsor dashboard layout and discover the main actions in further detail.  


1. Set the maximum number of sponsors
2. Once you have defined the number, you can start adding sponsors to the list. Click on the edit icon within the actions column > add the users or group of users > click save.

## Vote

Configure up and down voting by enabling or disabling the check boxes.

![image](media://a3459695-ca7f-4a95-9478-cdb44554ed43)

## Vote badges

  
Badges can be enabled to give additional information about vote numbers and encourage users to vote.

To enable the badges section (displayed at the top of the Idea information box macro), you need to go to the Ideation configuration panel within your space tools menu, then visit the Vote badges section. An option to tick is displayed. 

There are 4 badges available. Badge values are pre-configured for this version and you can find votes values for which each badge is displayed below:

![image](media://43f4ed80-ad66-49df-9b38-2a51c185a182)

## Challenges

The latest addition to the Ideation app is: Challenges. Challenges are an effective way to create a culture of healthy competition within the workplace, drive innovation and keep employees engaged. The concept of challenges is fairly simple. Within a single challenge, users can create a host of ideas in some sort of a competition. The idea with the most votes wins the challenge.

Now let’s see challenges in action.

### Create a challenge

  
First of all, you have to create a challenge in which your users will compete. From the “Challenges” section, select “Add a challenge”.  Then fill the dialog box with your challenge’s information.

1. The challenge title
2. The challenge description
3. Background color
4. The start and end dates
5. Select the challenge’s manager(s)
6. Invite users or group of users

![image](media://a7708820-10da-4a0b-92fb-2c5d525dcb9b)


Once you have entered all of the challenge’s information, click on Create. The challenge will be visible within the main dashboard where you can both edit or delete it. Additionally, the challenge will be placed under the ideation index in the left navigation menu

![image](media://6007edcb-ae66-4607-b81b-2f85bb824b67)

### How do challenges work?

Once the challenge is created and users have been invited, they will instantly be notified and able to visualize the challenge in the ideation index homepage or left navigation menu. When they click on a given challenge, they will land on the challenge page. The latter is structured in a way similar to a standard idea page and consists of multiple macros that would help you and your users both manage and participate in a challenge.

![image](media://e2bfd391-a369-44c1-83a5-527c21524c12)

Let’s walk through the page’s layout along with the actions you can take.

1. Participate: To participate in a challenge simply click on “Participate” and fill the idea creation form by adding the idea title, subject and description.

![image](media://78049155-6534-4f8f-bbd1-bf68206cc93f)

 2. Pause: A challenge can be paused for a predefined period of time. During this period, users would not be able to create or vote for ideas. The challenge can be simply resumed by clicking on “Resume”.

 3. Stop: A challenge can be stopped prior to its end date by the manager(s). Users would not be able to participate anymore and the challenge couldn’t be reopened (Contrary to the pause function above)

 4. The challenge information: Ths macro contains all the relevant information about a challenge including its title, start & end dates, status and description.

 5. The idea list: Contains all the ideas within a challenge.

 6. The challenge summary: This macro acts as a summary of all the ideas within a space. It displays the number of ideas, contributors and comments. It also shows the number of ideas per status.

 7. The challenge status: There are five default statuses including: 

- Coming : the start date of the challenge > today's date
- Ongoing : the start date of the challenge ≤ today's date < the end date of the challenge
- Stand By : the challenge manger clicked on the "Pause" Button
- Closed : the end date >= today's date
- Stopped : the challenge manager clicked on the "Stop" Button.

## Statistics

Within the statistics tab, you are able to visualize ideation statistics about a specific space similar to the analytics tab we have covered earlier).

![image](media://e9c9ed9f-6331-4b7d-aab2-c9ae902a9332)

  


![image](media://36a90dff-9dd7-401a-a920-9f2888d754b6)


## Custom fields

Within this tab you can add and manage custom fields at a space level.

![image](media://540f0eff-6113-472e-bf1a-c37ed199107f)

  
These custom fields, however, can only be created within the Ideation Global Configuration menu. It is accessible from the left navigation menu under “Ideation Global configuration”, Select “Custom Fields”.

![image](media://5b6c145e-457a-4a2e-8cf5-9ffde5cf5dbe)

To add a new custom field, you need to fill the above form and specify:

- the custom field ID
- Title
- Type (Text, Date, Single Select or User)
- Check whether or not to apply the custom field to all spaces
- Determine the spaces in which you want to apply the custom field
- Check whether or not the field is manadatory

## JIRA Integration

You can link the Ideation app with your JIRA account. This way all the ideas created within your Confluence site will be immediately added to JIRA as “JIRA issues”.

1. select the JIRA link in which issues will be created.
2. specify the ideation role that will have the permission to create issues through ideation.
3. select the ideation status in which users will be able to create issues.

Now that you have linked both sites, users that are part of the selected role (3), will be able to create issues from ideas that have the selected role (2).

![image](media://d3c1d1a3-a6e2-4209-94d3-75c1026c7178)

You can either select an existing JIRA issue or create a new one; created or selected issues can only be linked once to each idea.  


![image](media://bcae34da-8bf2-4075-90c8-c82aae1e5482)

Links are displayed on the idea page, ideation Index page, and the JIRA issue:

### Idea page

![image](media://ef3276b8-eccf-44ec-bd18-fcee95f92826)

### Ideation Index Page

![image](media://ddd1da2c-aed4-4f93-b7dd-d1ce34f4c60c)

### JIRA Issue

![image](media://5f798df5-b56e-4689-9c5a-99bfd1d0bae5)