Standardisation of Shortcodes

  • It has become a bit silly. The very name implies that a shortcode is intended to be simple. With hundreds+ of themes in use and each with their own shortcodes that do exactly the same thing. At this point it would be simpler to just use html, css and javascript which have clearly established standards.

    By trying to make things easier for the non-technical blogger, WordPress has succeeded in making it near impossible to use for a technical website developer.

    One way to improve this sitution would be to introduce a shortcode standard. So that in time, all themes using it would make for portable content and a much easier maintenance for multiple sites each using different themes.

    If we can’t have a WordPress that does not mangle html, css and javascript, then perhaps we could at least standardise shortcodes? Make a core set of shortcodes to re-invent html since WordPress seems so intent on not allowing users to post html content?

Viewing 5 replies - 1 through 5 (of 5 total)
  • Moderator Jan Dembowski

    (@jdembowski)

    Forum Moderator and Brute Squad

    With hundreds+ of themes in use and each with their own shortcodes that do exactly the same thing.

    Which really illustrates that those themes are Doing It All Wrong?. ??

    A theme is responsible for presentation and layout. While you could insert functionality like that into a theme, that really doesn’t belong there. Give this article a read as it explains it better than I could.

    https://wptavern.com/why-wordpress-theme-developers-are-moving-functionality-into-plugins

    As to a short code standard, do you mean an approved and vetted list of short codes? If so how would that work or even be managed?

    Thread Starter auniquename

    (@auniquename)

    Like this: https://codex.www.ads-software.com/Shortcode

    The point is that I know html, css and javascript. It just does not make sense to me that every site I work on should try to reinvent html in its own awful way and I have to remember them all or refer to inadequate documentations.

    The pat reply of: hand it off to theme or plugin developers does not cut it with me. Good core design is what is required. This is done with many things and the result is a mess. (user roles and permissions anyone?)

    So what if someone’s plugin business is destroyed by putting in the core what should have been there from the start? Too frickin bad.

    It has just got to the point that many themes have a set of shortcodes nearly as complicated as html, poorly designed and inadequately documented. Why not just use html? (because wordpress insists on mangling it)

    So I still think that a standard set of shortcodes would be useful, a way to use html without wordpress mangling it.

    It sounds silly but why not a [div] shortcode, a [script] shortcode, a [css] shortcode… if we are going to re-invent html then it should at least make sense and have standards.

    The pat reply of: hand it off to theme or plugin developers does not cut it with me.

    I am sorry that you are not happy with this answer but the fact remains that every theme & plugin is different. Themes on www.ads-software.com do not contain their own custom shortcodes, so perhaps you could be a little more specific as to which theme or plugin you are having a problem with.

    So I still think that a standard set of shortcodes would be useful, a way to use html without wordpress mangling it.

    As someone who has created a few plugins, I can tell you now that this is completely unrealistic. There cannot be a “standard set of shortcodes” in exactly the same way that there cannot be a standard set of plugins.

    It sounds silly but why not a [div] shortcode, a [script] shortcode, a [css] shortcode

    Because that would not suit every plugin situation. Every plugin is different, so every shortcode is different. That’s why there is a Shortcode API.

    Thread Starter auniquename

    (@auniquename)

    So then. Tell me how html standards do not work. It is the very same thing.

    No it isn’t. HTML standards are quite different. That would be like comparing oranges with bananas.

Viewing 5 replies - 1 through 5 (of 5 total)
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