How do i get basic tools on my toolbar?

[Krista_McGruder]

I want to create a new page in Confluence. Ok. I open a blank page but my tools in the tool bar default to nearly nothing. Can't insert columns. Extremely limited font choices. I have a slightly better experience when I open one of the template (seems to default to more tools) but still, really limited. How do I get out of this really old Buick and say, even if I can't get a Cadillac then at least into a newer Buick?

[Shannon S]

Hello Krista,

I came across this question while I was having a look at some of your recent questions. I'll try to assist you here but do let me know if you were able to resolve it in the end.

I'm not sure which version of Confluence you're on, but this is how your toolbar should look:

Could you confirm this is what you're seeing? If not, could you show me how it looks for you? In my case, I'm on Confluence Server version 7.3.1.

We have an article that goes over the toolbar, if you need to reference it: The Editor.

In your case, you mentioned wanting columns. Confluence makes use of Page Layouts, which you can access from this menu:

For more details about how to use the page layouts, sections, and columns, please refer here: Page Layouts, Columns, and Sections. 

You also asked about stylizing your page in Confluence with additional fonts. I saw that you asked about fonts in the question, Different Fonts, and as @Dominic Lagger mentioned to you there, font customization is an administrative setting. I shared with you the following feature request to be able to do it via the UI, which you can find again here:

• CONFSERVER-5309 Add font selection capabilities to WYSIWYG editing and Wiki markup modes

Be advised that Confluence is more of a wiki software than a document editor or repository, such as Word or Sharepoint.

There's a lot of functionality that doesn't exist in Word and vice-versa, so you might not always find a 1:1 replacement. If there's anything you really need, however, just let me know and I'll let you know if there's an alternative!

Take care,

Shannon