You’re not alone if you’re wondering “what are WordPress shortcodes?”. They are a popular WordPress feature that allows users to easily insert pre-defined code or functionality into their website without manually writing the code themselves.
The current article is "5.16. WordPress Shortcodes" of our Complete SEO Guide Box.
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Contents
Understanding What are WordPress Shortcodes
Shortcodes are small pieces of code enclosed in square brackets [ ]. These codes represent and execute a larger piece of code or functionality. Using a shortcode in your WordPress site acts as a shortcut to add complex features with just a few keystrokes.
Where Can You Use Shortcodes?
You can use shortcodes in various parts of your website, including pages, posts, widgets, and theme files. This makes it easier for non-developers to customize their site and add features without delving into code complexities.
An Example of a WordPress Shortcode
For instance, if you want to display a gallery of images with the ID of 1 and medium size on your site, you might use a shortcode like this:
[gallery id="1" size="medium"]Instead of writing the code to display the gallery yourself, you insert the shortcode, and WordPress does the rest.
Shortcodes Provided by Plugins
It’s essential to note that shortcodes can be included with WordPress by default, provided by plugins, or you can even create your own custom shortcodes. If you use a shortcode from a plugin, remember that it will no longer work if you deactivate it, and it will appear as plain text in your content.
Creating Custom WordPress Shortcodes
You can create custom shortcodes by adding code to your theme’s functions.php file. We will discuss “functions.php” file editions in Section 6 of our Complete SEO Guide Box. Here’s an example of creating a shortcode to display a simple message:
function my_custom_shortcode() {
return 'Hello, this is my custom shortcode!';
}
add_shortcode('myshortcode', 'my_custom_shortcode');By adding this code, when you use [myshortcode] in a post or page, it will display, “Hello, this is my custom shortcode!”.
Read More
You can read more about WordPress Shortcodes, their Usage, and more Examples in the WordPress Docs.
Conclusion
Shortcodes are a powerful tool for adding complex features to your site without knowing how to code. However, be careful not to overuse them, as they can make your content less readable and more challenging to manage in the long run.
So, when someone asks you, “What are WordPress shortcodes?” you now have a simple answer: they are shortcuts that help you easily add functionality to your WordPress site.
The current article is "5.16. WordPress Shortcodes" of our Complete SEO Guide Box.
Previous Article: 5.15. Installing WP Plugins. Next Article: 5.17. Recommended Plugins
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