AIT Shortcodes

Every shortcode is a dependency written into your text

You need a button in the middle of an article. You open the HTML, copy the one from another post, change the link, and the color ends up different from the previous page. Repeat that page after page and the site collects similar buttons, each with its own tweaks.

A shortcode solves that repetition: you write a short tag and WordPress turns it into the element. In exchange, that tag stays stored inside your content and works only while the plugin that interprets it is active. Without it, the visitor sees the bracketed text instead of the button.

AIT Shortcodes, by AitThemes, brings together six basic elements for the WordPress visual editor. It is worth using with that idea clear: each element you insert saves HTML today and ties the content to this plugin tomorrow.

Six elements for everyday content

• Buttons: customized with options for colors, size, icon and link URL.
• Lists: several bullet types and a half-width layout.
• Notifications: messages the reader can close, to signal success, error, warning or information.
• Horizontal rule: simple separators, or CSS clearing ones, to organize content.
• Modal windows: show your own content or embedded media as an iframe.
• Raw formatting: stops the WordPress editor from adding HTML markup when it is not needed.

Options before inserting, no HTML to write

When you insert a shortcode, the plugin presents its options before placing it in the text. That way you pick the color, size or icon of a button without writing code. This way of working helps anyone who edits content and would rather not touch HTML.

The least showy element may be the one that saves you the most time. If you ever pasted a snippet into the editor and it came out with paragraphs or breaks you did not add, raw formatting is for that case: it stops WordPress from adding markup to it.

Modal windows also deserve a separate test. A video or map embedded in an iframe opens over the page, and it is worth checking on a phone how it looks and how it closes before using it on important pages.

Single elements, not page layout

AIT Shortcodes works inside the text of a post or page. It is not a visual builder and it is not meant for designing full pages or templates. Among its six elements there are no tabs, accordions or pricing tables.

Its place is the WordPress visual editor. If you write with blocks, first check how it works on your installation and whether insertion with options appears for you. The same goes for styling: test each element with your theme, because buttons and lists live alongside the CSS you already have.

Install it and check it on a test page

A short test tells you whether the plugin fits and what happens if you ever stop using it:

1. Install and activate the plugin on a copy of your site or on a draft.
2. Create a test page and insert a button, a list, a notification and a modal window.
3. Review the result on desktop and mobile, with your theme active.
4. Deactivate the plugin for a moment and look at that page. You will see what a visitor would see.
5. Decide where to use it, and keep a note of the pages where you insert each element.

If you need more pieces or more editors

For a larger set, Shortcodes Ultimate brings more than 50 shortcodes, including tabs, accordions, sliders and carousels, and works with both the block and classic editors. It is still the same idea of tags inside the text. If what you want is to lay out whole pages, WPBakery Page Builder is a page builder.

Six answers about AIT tags

Do I need to know HTML?

Not for the basic elements: the options appear before each shortcode is inserted.

What happens if I deactivate the plugin?

The elements stop displaying and the shortcode text may show in their place. Check it on your test page.

Can I change a button's color?

Yes. Buttons have options for colors, size, icon and link.

Can the reader close a notification?

Yes, notifications are designed to be closed.

Does a modal window accept video?

It accepts any media embedded as an iframe, as well as your own content.

What is raw formatting for?

It stops the WordPress editor from adding HTML markup where it is not needed.