Shortcodes: Shortcuts to Advanced Functionality
What are shortcodes?
Shortcodes are small snippets of code that enable you to use code on posts, pages, and widgets without actually having to write out long lines of code. WordPress comes with some built in shortcodes and others can be added through the use of plugins using a shortcode API. Shortcodes can help make your life easier by providing you with shortcuts to more advanced functionality. There are many things you can do with shortcodes.
Shortcode Uses
If you’ve ever embedded a gallery on a post or page, you’ve already used one of the built in shortcodes that WordPress comes with. You can also use shortcodes to:
- embed a video
- display your latest tweets
- add an event calendar
- embed a Google Map
- The options are unlimited!
Although it can be very enticing to add shortcodes to every post and page, that’s not recommended. This is important to remember because if you want to change your theme in the future or anything like that, you most likely will have to change and/or remove the shortcodes individually from each page so they don’t mess anything up. If you use theme shortcodes, this is especially important to remember as these will not cross over into a new theme.
Shortcodes can add many different functionalities to your website and can be a great tool when used correctly. If you have any questions about shortcodes or if you would like any other WordPress support, please give us a call at 877-844-9931 or email us at richard@northsoundwebsitedesign.com
