Table of Contents
What Exactly is a WordPress Shortcode?
Benefits from Using Shortcodes
WordPress Core Shortcodes
Potential Issues from Using Shortcodes
What Can You Do with WordPress Shortcodes?
Recently, a friend who was new to WordPress, asked me to explain WordPress shortcodes. This reminded me that not everyone may know what shortcodes are. So, I decided to write this article to explain what they are and what they are used for.
What Exactly is a WordPress Shortcode?
A WordPress shortcode is a small piece of code consisting of text within square brackets, that acts as a shortcut to facilitate adding dynamic features and functionalities to your WordPress website. An example of this might be something like [custom-photo-gallery]. As such, shortcodes makes it easier to customize your WordPress website without knowing how to code.
Benefits from Using Shortcodes
Ease of Use
An important benefit from using shortcodes is one that was mentioned earlier: the ability to easily customize your WordPress website without having to know how to code.
Streamlined Content Management and Editing Workflows
Shortcodes let you and your colleagues insert ready-made elements with just a tag, cutting out the mess of having to make manual tweaks. Non-tech saavy personnel can focus on ideas, not code, which can help to keep projects moving forward more efficiently.
Website Editing Empowerment
Shortcodes enable you now give you the power to add cool new and advanced features to your WordPress website without having to rely of technical support from your web developers.
Faster Content Updates Across Multiple Page
Need to update a popup or newsletter signup form across your entire WordPress website? Shortcodes enable you to make that update globally (from one place) and the results are updated wherever those shortcodes appear. As such, you can save time and effort.
Seamless Complex Features Integration
Shortcodes are an effective way to seamlessly implement complex features and functionalities such as a stock ticker or custom search.
Simplified Third-Party Plugin Integration
Many WordPress plugins often rely on shortcodes to drop in features such as forms or image sliders. As such, this makes use of plugins for powerful add-ons, a popular choice for millions of WordPress websites.
WordPress Core Shortcodes
WordPress comes with built-in shortcodes in its core, such as [gallery] enables you to create and display an image gallery in pages and posts. The [caption] shortcode adds labels to media without the implementation of extra plugins.
Potential Issues from Using Shortcodes
Security
Shortcodes from untrusted or poorly coded plugins can inject malicious code into your WordPress website or otherwise introduce security vulnerabilities. As such, it is recommended that you stick to vetted plugins, update your plugins as updates become available and scan your website regularly.
Plugin Dependency
Many shortcodes are used as a mechanism to implement the functionalities offered by various WordPress plugins. If due to a plugin conflict, you are forced to deactivate and delete a particular WordPress plugin, you lose the functionality once provided by that deleted plugin. Moreover, if the WordPress plugin developer no longer supports their plugin (retires it), then your plugin may have issues going forward without the continued availability of plugin updates. For these reasons, utilizing plugins that use shortcodes, makes you dependent on the plugin developer (vendor lock-in).
What Can You Do with WordPress Shortcodes?
Shortcodes unlock numerous ways to customize your WordPress website, typically via plugins. Let us explore a few examples.
Embedding Media and Galleries
Using the [gallery] shortcode, you can select images to display a responsive grid on the front end of your WordPress website.
With the [embed] shortcode, you can easily and reliably display YouTube videos on your WordPress website.
Creating Dynamic Content and Forms
WordPress plugins that display contact forms on your web pages frequently utilize shortcodes. For example, the plugin for Contact Form 7 lets you paste a shortcode such as [contact-form-7] to add fields for names and emails. The Gravity Forms plugin uses shortcodes such as [gravityform id=”1″] for advanced quizzes or sign-ups.
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