Column data types
Make sure values are interpreted correctly when people sort, filter, and calculate.
COLUMNS
Choose the type that matches each column's values in the Columns tab: text, number, date, enum, boolean, or another suitable type.
The type controls how Simple Tables compares and displays values. Check imported columns especially when numbers, dates, or text use mixed formats.
Set a column data type
Choose the type directly in the Display section of the column settings.
Open Columns
Edit the macro and switch to the Columns tab.
Expand the column settings
Click the column whose values you want Simple Tables to interpret correctly.
Choose the data type
In Display, choose Text, Number, Date, Boolean, or Enum under Data type. Settings for the selected type appear directly below it. Review the preview, then save or publish the page.
A simple example
A sales team imports a list that includes amounts and expected close dates.
- Before
- Amounts and dates are read as text. Sorting may place 100 before 20 or arrange dates alphabetically.
- After
- The team sets Amount to number and Expected close to date. Sorting, filters, and calculations now follow what the values actually mean.
Column Data Type
Set a type for each column to improve sorting, filtering, grouping, and formatting. Simple Tables supports Text, Number, Date, Boolean, and Enum.
COLUMNS
How to set a column type
- Edit the Simple Tables macro or open the import dialog.
- Open the settings for the column you want to configure.
- Choose Text, Number, Date, Boolean, or Enum.
- If available, choose a format or appearance and review the preview.
- Click Save to apply the change.
At a glance
| Type | Use it for | How it behaves | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Text | Names, titles, descriptions, IDs, and general text. |
Displayed as entered and works with search and filtering. Renders links in Markdown, HTML anchors, and mixed text, such as [Link](https://link.com).
| Title and Author in a searchable document library. |
| Number | Prices, quantities, percentages, and metrics. |
Formatting changes display only, not the stored value. Choose Default, Decimal, Compact (for example 3.4K), Currency, or Percentage. Percentage uses a 0–100 scale, so 75 displays as 75%.
| Amount set to Currency, or Completion set to Percentage, for a project tracker. |
| Date | Deadlines, events, and timestamps. |
Sorts chronologically and supports date filtering. Use Default, ISO8601 (YYYY-MM-DD), or a custom format. Unreadable values show Invalid date until corrected.
| Release Date set to ISO8601 for a consistent schedule. |
| Boolean | True/false fields such as Active, Completed, or Approved. | Creates clear, filterable true/false values for quick review. | Done? in a task completion tracker. |
| Enum | Fixed labels such as Status, Priority, or Category. | Choose Pills, Simple, Colored text, or Raw. Manage discovered values or add new ones. Keep one kind of value per column; mixed values can show an editor warning. | Status with Draft, In review, Approved, and Archived. |
Percentage format and progress bars
Set a Number column to Percentage when its values use a 0–100 scale. Choose the decimal precision that readers should see, then enable Show progress bar to display a horizontal bar alongside the percentage text.
Use Bar color to choose from the same 21-color Confluence palette used for table, column, and Enum colors, or choose Inherit to use the table theme accent. The bar is limited visually to the 0–100 range; the original number is preserved even when it is below 0 or above 100.
Choose Value-based colors when the bar should communicate status instead of using one color. Set the low and high thresholds (33 and 67 by default), then choose whether Higher is better or Lower is better. Simple Tables uses fixed Confluence red, amber, and green colors: the middle range is amber and the two outer ranges reverse when you change the direction.
Number formatting and progress bars change presentation only. Sorting, filters, grouping, calculated columns, CSV/XLSX export, and other calculations continue to use the original numeric value.
Confluence date pills
Date columns use the familiar Confluence date pill in every Simple Tables workflow: CSV, JSON, and Excel imports, live Confluence Content and Page Properties data, and Simple Table with Body. The default label follows the Confluence style, for example Aug 12, 2026.
This is a display treatment only. The underlying date remains a Date value for sorting, filters, grouping, calculations, and export. You can still choose ISO 8601 or a custom date format in the column settings.
Why it matters: Choosing the right column type helps tables behave more predictably and makes the final result easier to read, sort, and filter.
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