Part 1: Build a Confluence hello world app

This tutorial walks through creating a Forge app to display content on a Confluence page.

Before you begin

Complete Getting started before working through this page.

Create your app

Create an app based on the confluence macro template.

Note, Forge provides multiple environments where you deploy the app. This tutorial uses the CLI default, the development environment. See Environments to learn more.

Note, the CLI uses keychain to securely store your login details. If you see a prompt for keychain access when running a command, approve it to allow the CLI to run the command.

1. Navigate to the directory where you want to create the app. A new subdirectory with the app’s name will be created there.
2. Create your app by running:

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   forge create

   1. Enter a name for your app. For example, hello-world-app.
   2. Select the confluence-macro template.
   3. Change to the app directory to see the app files.

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Error: Account does not have app creation enabled...

confluence-macro template

The confluence-macro template uses Node.js and has the following structure:

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hello-world-app
|-- src
|   `-- index.jsx 
|-- manifest.yml
|-- package.json
|-- package-lock.json
`-- README.md

Let’s have a look at what these files are:

• index.jsx: Where you write the behavior of the app.
• manifest.yml: Describes your app. It contains the name and ID of your app, along with the modules it uses. This app displays a macro on a Confluence page and has a function that provides the contents of the macro.
• package.json: The app’s Node.js metadata. See the Node documentation for more information.
• package-lock.json: Records the version of the app’s dependencies.
• README.md: Information about the app. We recommend updating this as you change the behavior of the app.

Change the macro title

This app displays content within a Confluence page using a macro. Confluence shows the title of the macro in the quick insert menu when you add the app to a page. Let's change the title to include your name.

1. In the app’s top-level directory, open the manifest.yml file.
2. Find the title entry under the macro module.
3. Change the value of title to Forge app for <your name>. For example, Forge app for Mia.

Your manifest.yml file should look like the following, with your values for the title and app ID.

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modules:
  macro:
    - key: hello-world-app-hello-world
      function: main
      title: Forge app for Mia
      description: Inserts hello world!
  function:
    - key: main
      handler: index.run
app:
  id: '<your app id>'
  name: hello-world-app

Deploy and install your app

Deploy your app, with the forge deploy command, any time you make changes to the code. This command builds your code and reports any compilation errors.

Install your app, with the forge install command, when you want to install your app on a new site. Note, once the app is installed on a site, the site picks up the new app changes you deploy without needing to run the install command again.

1. Navigate to the app's top-level directory and deploy your app by running:

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   forge deploy

2. Install your app by running:

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   forge install

   1. Select Confluence as the product.
   2. Enter the URL for your development site (for example, example.atlassian.net).
   3. Open the authorization URL in your default browser from the CLI by pressing any key.
   4. Select your Atlassian Cloud site from the Authorize for list, then select Accept.

View your app

With your app installed, it’s time to see the app on a page.

1. Edit a Confluence page in your development site.
2. Open the quick insert menu by typing /your macro title on the page. Once you start typing the title /Forge app for, the macro with your name will appear in the quick insert menu.
3. Select your macro from the menu to add it to the page.

4. Publish the page.

Your hello world app is now installed into your development site. The app should display on the page like the image below.

Next step

See Part 2: Call a Confluence API to learn how to call a product API from your app.