Shortcodes with parameters in Wordpress

Introduction

Shortcodes let you add special content inside WordPress posts or pages easily. Using parameters makes them flexible so you can change what they show without changing the code.

You want to add a button with different colors on different pages.

You want to show a custom message that changes based on user input.

You want to embed a gallery but choose how many images to show each time.

You want to insert a styled box with different titles or backgrounds.

You want to reuse a piece of content but customize parts of it per use.

Syntax

Wordpress

[shortcode_name param1="value1" param2="value2"]

Parameters are written inside the shortcode tag as key="value" pairs.

You can access these parameters in your PHP function to change output.

Examples

This shortcode creates a button with red color and large size.

Wordpress

[button color="red" size="large"]Click me[/button]

This shortcode shows a greeting message customized with the name 'Anna'.

Wordpress

[greeting name="Anna"]

This shortcode creates a box with a blue background and a title 'Welcome'.

Wordpress

[box title="Welcome" background="blue"]Content here[/box]

Sample Program

This code creates a shortcode named greet_user that takes a name parameter. If no name is given, it uses 'Guest'. It outputs a simple greeting message with the name.

You can add [greet_user name="Maria"] in your post to see: Hello, Maria! Welcome to our site.

Wordpress

<?php
// Register shortcode with parameters
function greet_user_shortcode($atts) {
    // Set default parameter values
    $atts = shortcode_atts(
        array(
            'name' => 'Guest'
        ), $atts, 'greet_user'
    );
    // Return greeting message
    return "<p>Hello, " . esc_html($atts['name']) . "! Welcome to our site.</p>";
}
add_shortcode('greet_user', 'greet_user_shortcode');

// Usage in WordPress post or page:
// [greet_user name="Maria"]
?>

Important Notes

Always use shortcode_atts() to set default values for parameters.

Escape output with esc_html() to keep your site safe from code injection.

Parameters are optional if you provide defaults, so shortcode works even without them.

Summary

Shortcodes with parameters let you customize content easily inside WordPress posts.

Parameters are passed as key="value" pairs inside the shortcode tag.

Use PHP functions with shortcode_atts() to handle parameters safely.