{"id":47575,"date":"2022-03-07T07:41:47","date_gmt":"2022-03-07T07:41:47","guid":{"rendered":"\/tutorials\/?p=47575"},"modified":"2026-11-05T09:25:31","modified_gmt":"2026-11-05T09:25:31","slug":"create-a-shortcode-in-wordpress","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"\/tutorials\/create-a-shortcode-in-wordpress\/","title":{"rendered":"How to create a shortcode in WordPress (in 7 steps)"},"content":{"rendered":"

To create a shortcode in WordPress, write a PHP callback function and register it with add_shortcode()<\/code>. You can then insert the shortcode, such as[subscribe]<\/code>, into a post or page using the Shortcode block.<\/p>

In this tutorial, you’ll store the code safely in a child theme, create and test a basic shortcode, add attributes, and turn it into an enclosing shortcode with custom link text. You’ll also see when shortcode functionality is better moved to a custom plugin.<\/p>

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What are WordPress shortcodes?<\/h2>

A WordPress shortcode is a tag in square brackets that WordPress replaces with predefined content or functionality. For example,<\/p>

[subscribe] can run a PHP function that displays a subscription link wherever you add the shortcode.<\/span><\/p>

Shortcodes can be self-closing, such as <\/span>[subscribe]<\/span><\/code>, or enclosing, such as <\/span>[subscribe]Facebook[\/subscribe]<\/span><\/code><\/p>

. They’re useful when you want to reuse the same custom output across multiple posts or pages without adding the underlying code each time.<\/p>

WordPress plugins can also register their own shortcodes. For example, some WordPress contact form plugins<\/a> use shortcodes to insert forms into posts and pages.<\/p>

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