Understanding the usage of shortcodes
We discussed the techniques of building shortcodes in previous section. Now we need to understand the techniques of using these shortcodes in different parts of the site. Let's take a look at the different locations where we can use shortcodes:
- Posts and pages: This is the most common use of a shortcode, where the content creator directly adds the shortcode to the post or page editor. Then, WordPress executes the shortcode and displays the result in the frontend post or page.
- Widgets: We can use shortcodes inside WordPress widgets to provide dynamic content similar o the posts and pages. However, we have to use additional code depending on the widget we use. The WordPress Text widget allows you to add shortcodes directly to the content editor and display the output on the frontend. Sometimes, you may want to use the shortcodes with HTML elements and hence need to use the HTML widget instead of the Text widget. The HTML widget doesn’t support shortcodes...