Built-in Shortcodes

Inside LiveCanvas, as in standard WordPress posts and pages, you can use shortcodes to implement dynamic parts ("PHP code").

The LiveCanvas plugin defines some extremely barebone but powerful shortcodes to simplify your work and get you started quicker.

Get Site Options

[lc_the_option]

From v.3.13, unless dynamic templating active
This shortcode fetches and displays the value of a specified site option.

Accepted parameters and default values:

Parameter Description Default (example) Parameter
option The name of the option to retrieve. option=""
key Optional. The key within the option array to retrieve. key=""

Examples

Fetching the site title:

[lc_the_option option="blogname"]

Fetching the site tagline:

[lc_the_option option="blogdescription"]

Fetching a specific key from an option array:

[lc_the_option option="some_option_name" key="specific_key"]

Menu

[lc_nav_menu]

This shortcode calls the WordPress wp_nav_menu function, passing all shortcode parameters.

It can be used for including the navigation in your header, or wherever you want.

Accepted parameters and default values:

Parameter Description Default (example) Parameter
theme_location Set the menu theme_location="primary"
menu_class Add classeS to the ul menu_class="navbar-nav"
menu_id Add id to the menu menu_id=""
fallback_cb fallback class fallback_cb=""
depth Set the deepth of the submenus items depth="2"
walker Navbar walker, learn more walker="$the_walker"

It is using as a default walker function:

  • the bootstrap_5_wp_nav_menu_walker class, if defined, for Bootstrap 5 support (eg for Picostrap5 theme support)
  • the WP_Bootstrap_Navwalker class, if defined, for Bootstrap 4 support (eg for Picostrap4 theme support)
  • the Understrap_WP_Bootstrap_Navwalker class, if defined, for UnderStrap theme support.

Examples:

[lc_nav_menu theme_location="primary" container_class="" container_id="" menu_class="navbar-nav"]
[lc_nav_menu theme_location="secondary" container_class="" container_id="" menu_class="navbar-nav"]

HTML example:

<div lc-helper="shortcode" class="live-shortcode">
  [ lc_nav_menu theme_location="primary" container_class="" container_id="" menu_class="navbar-nav"]
</div>

Home URL

[lc_home_url]

This shortcode calls the WordPress home_url function.

It's typical use case is in a custom header, to link the logo to the site's homepage.

No parameters are allowed.

HTML examples:

<a class="navbar-brand" href="[ lc_home_url]">
 <img src="https://getbootstrap.com/docs/5.1/assets/brand/bootstrap-logo.svg" width="30" height="24" class=" " alt="my logo">
</a>

<a class="navbar-brand" href="[ lc_home_url]">Homepage</a>

WordPress Custom Logo

This shortcode calls the WordPress get_custom_logo function.

It's typical use case is in a custom header, to display the site logo.

No parameters are allowed.

Example

[lc_custom_logo]

Default HTML Output of the shortcode

<a href="https://yoursite.com/" class="custom-logo-link" rel="home">
  <img src="https://yoursite.com/yourlogo.jpg" class="custom-logo" alt="Site title" decoding="async">
</a>

Get Posts

[lc_get_posts]

This shortcode calls the WordPress get_posts function, passing all shortcode parameters.

It can be used for displaying a list of posts of any custom post type.

The simplest use case could be when you want to show a listing of your most recent blog posts in your homepage.

It allows also for custom callback functions, so you can precisely decide how your posts should be rendered.

For more details, please have a look at the post loops documentation page.

Accepted parameters and default values:

Input Parameters

Parameter Description Default (example) Parameter
posts_per_page Specifies how many posts per page to show. posts_per_page="10"
offset Specifies the number of posts to skip before starting to display the posts. offset="0"
category Displays posts that have been assigned to a specific category. category="category_slug_or_id"
category_name Displays posts that have been assigned to a specific category by name. category_name="category_name"
orderby Specifies the field to order the results by. orderby="date"
order Specifies the order to display the results in. order="DESC"
include Displays posts whose IDs are specified in the include parameter. include="comma-separated-list-of-post-ids"
exclude Excludes posts whose IDs are specified in the exclude parameter. exclude="comma-separated-list-of-post-ids"
meta_key Specifies the custom field key to use for ordering results. meta_key="custom_field_key"
meta_value Specifies the custom field value to use for ordering results. meta_value="custom_field_value"
post_type Specifies the post type to retrieve. post_type="post"
post_mime_type Specifies the post MIME type to retrieve. post_mime_type="image/jpeg"
post_parent Displays attachments with a specific parent ID. post_parent="parent_post_id"
author Displays posts from a specific author. author="author_id"
post_status Displays posts with a specific status (e.g. published, draft, pending). post_status="publish"
suppress_filters Disables parsing of filters. suppress_filters="true"
tax_query Specifies the taxonomy and term ID to retrieve. tax_query="taxonomy=term_id"

Output Parameters

Parameter Description Default (example) Parameter
output_view Specifies the custom output view for the posts display. output_view="lc_get_posts_default_view"
output_wrapper_class Specifies the class for the wrapper element surrounding the post items. output_wrapper_class=""
output_link_class Specifies the class for the link element of each post item. output_link_class=""
output_number_of_columns Specifies the number of columns for the posts display. output_number_of_columns="3"
output_article_class Specifies the class for the article element of each post item. output_article_class=""
output_heading_tag Specifies the HTML heading tag for the post title. output_heading_tag="h2"
output_hide_elements Specifies elements to hide in the post output (e.g. post title, post date). output_hide_elements=""
output_excerpt_length Specifies the maximum length of the post excerpt. output_excerpt_length="45"
output_excerpt_text Specifies the text to append to the end of the post excerpt. output_excerpt_text="&hellip;"
output_featured_image_before Specifies whether the featured image should appear before or after the post content. output_featured_image_before=""
output_featured_image_format Specifies the image size to use for the featured image. output_featured_image_format="large"
output_featured_image_class Specifies the class for the featured image element. output_featured_image_class="attachment-thumbnail img-responsive alignleft"

About the output_view parameter

Possible values: lc_get_posts_listing_view, lc_get_posts_theme_loop_view, lc_get_posts_card_view, lc_get_posts_collapsible_view_bs5.

Or your custom callback function.

Using a template partial file from your Theme / Child

New! You can use lc_get_posts_theme_loop_view as output view parameter in a get_posts, in order to use a template partial file from your Theme / Child to precisely control the output of a get_posts.
It will fetch from the theme's /loops/ subfolder. In the example below, the file from picostrap5/loops/cards.php would be used:

Full lc_get_posts Example using Theme file as view:

[lc_get_posts post_type="post" output_view="lc_get_posts_theme_loop_view" output_theme_loop_name="cards"]

Please refer to the post loops documentation page.

Examples

Listing the articles, as Bootstrap cards:

[lc_get_posts post_type="post" output_view="lc_get_posts_card_view" output_number_of_columns="4" output_featured_image_class="card-img-top" output_article_class="shadow"]

Listing the site pages, with links:

[lc_get_posts post_type="page" output_view="lc_get_posts_listing_view" output_wrapper_class="list-unstyled" output_link_class="d-block mb-2"]

A Live HTML example of the last row, with the parameters above

<ul class="list-unstyled">
 <li>
   <a class="d-block mb-2" href="https://docs.livecanvas.com/">Homepage</a>
 </li>
</ul>

Dynamic Sidebar

[lc_widgetsarea]

This shortcode calls the WordPress dynamic_sidebar function.

It can be used to display a sidebar and it's widgets of course, inside any page, or in the footer for example.

Accepted parameters and default values:

Parameter Description Default (example) Parameter
id Specifies the taxonomy (e.g. post_tag, category) to retrieve terms from. id="main-sidebar"

Examples

[lc_widgetsarea id="main-sidebar"]

Get Terms

[lc_get_categories]

[lc_get_tags]

[lc_get_terms]

These shortcodes call the WordPress get_terms function, passing all shortcode parameters.

It can be used for listing your blog terms, categories and tags.

Accepted parameters and default values:

Parameter Description Default (example) Parameter
taxonomy Specifies the taxonomy (e.g. post_tag, category) to retrieve terms from. taxonomy="post_tag/category"
orderby Specifies the field to use for ordering the terms (e.g. name, count, term_id). orderby="name"
order Specifies the order in which to display the terms (ASC, DESC). order="ASC"
hide_empty Specifies whether to hide terms with no posts associated with them. hide_empty="FALSE"
include Specifies specific term IDs to include in the result set. include=""
exclude Specifies specific term IDs to exclude from the result set. exclude=""
exclude_tree Specifies whether to exclude terms that are descendants of the specified term IDs. exclude_tree=""
count Specifies whether to display the number of posts associated with each term. count="FALSE"
link_class Specifies the class for the link element of each term. link_class=""
class Specifies the class for the wrapper element of each term. class="badge rounded-pill bg-warning"
parent Specifies whether to display only the top-level terms or all terms. parent="FALSE"
link Specifies whether to add a link to each term (1 for yes, 0 for no). link="1"

Get List Categories

[lc_get_cats]

This shortcode calls the WordPress wp_list_categories function, passing all shortcode parameters.

It can be used for listing your blog categories.

Accepted parameters and default values:

Parameter Description Formatted Parameter
child_of Specifies the category ID to use as the parent when displaying subcategories. child_of="0"
current_category Specifies the category to highlight as the current category. current_category="0"
depth Specifies the maximum depth of the category hierarchy to show. depth="0"
echo Specifies whether to output the results to the screen (default) or return them as a string echo="false"

Input Related Paramters

Parameter Description Formatted Parameter
exclude Exclude categories by ID or slug (comma-separated list). exclude="false"
exclude_tree Exclude categories and their descendants by ID or slug (comma-separated list). exclude_tree="false"
hide_empty Hide categories with no posts. hide_empty="1"
hide_title_if_empty Hide the list title if no categories are found. hide_title_if_empty="false"
hierarchical Show categories in a hierarchical order. hierarchical="true"
order Category order (ASC or DESC). order="ASC"
orderby Order categories by ID, name, slug, or count. orderby="ID"
separator Separator between categories. separator="< br >"
show_count Show the number of posts in each category. show_count="0"
show_option_all Show an "All Categories" link. show_option_all="false"
show_option_none Text to display when no categories are found. show_option_none="No categories"
style Display style: list or dropdown. style="list"
taxonomy Which taxonomy to use. Typically "category" or "post_tag". taxonomy="category"
title_li Text to use as the list title or false to hide it. title_li="Categories"
use_desc_for_title Use term description for the title attribute (1 for yes, 0 for no). use_desc_for_title="1"

Output Related Parameters

Parameter Description Formatted Parameter
output_view Custom parameter that sets the output view for `wp_list_categories()`. output_view="lc_get_cats_default_view"

Examples

[lc_get_cats title_li='']

Get Post Content

[lc_get_post]

This shortcode returns a specific post's content. Useful to grab LiveCanvas partials. Just pass the post id OR  the slug as parameter.

Accepted parameters and default values:

Parameter Description Formatted Parameter
id Specifies the ID of a specific block/section/partial to retrieve. id=" "
slug Specifies the slug of a specific block/section/partial to retrieve. slug=" "
post_type Specifies the post type of the block/section/partial to retrieve, which can be either lc_block, lc_section, or lc_partial. post_type="lc_block|lc_section|lc_partial" 
'id' => ''
'slug' => ''
'post_type' => '' (optional. Set to lc_block|lc_section|lc_partial)

Get Gutenberg Post Content

[lc_get_gt_block]

This shortcode returns a specific post's content, parsing Gutenberg blocks, if present.

Accepted parameters and default values:

'id' => ''

[lc_get_gt_block id="2"]

Get Custom Fields value

[lc_get_cf]

This shortcode returns the value of a specified custom field of the current page / post.

Accepted parameters and default values:

[lc_get_cf field="my_field"]

Get content from static html files inside your child theme

[lc_get_file]

This shortcode allows you to get content from static html files inside your child theme.

Accepted parameters and default values:

Parameter Description Formatted Parameter
type Specifies the type of block/section/partial to retrieve, which can be either "partial", "block", or "section". type="partial|block|section"
name Specifies the name of the partial/block/section file to retrieve. name="My_test_Partial.html" 
'type' => 'partial', (or block / section)
'name' => 'My test Partial' (The file to retrieve, in this case: partials/My test Partial.html)

MultiLanguage Tool

[lc_label]

This shortcode returns a translated string.  Useful for multilanguage labels. It uses the __() WordPress function. It basically returns the text input parameter, and a translation if available.

Accepted parameters and default values:

Parameter Description Formatted Parameter
text The text string to be translated to the current language. text=" " 
'text' => '',

Templating Call Tool

[lc_function]

This shortcode is useful to call 'templating' functions. You can use it for functions that both return a value, or echo it.

Example for integration with the Breadcrumbs Nav XT plugin: [lc_function name="bcn_display"]

Accepted parameters and default values:

Parameter Description Formatted Parameter
name The name of the templating function to be called. name="" 
'name' => '', (the function name)

Dummy Content

[lc_dummyshortcode]

This is just a test shortcode to display a test message. No parameters are allowed.

[lc_dummyshortcode]

Get Template Part

[lc_get_template_part]

This shortcode calls the WordPress get_template_part function, allowing you to include template parts (files from your theme / child) within your content dynamically.

Accepted parameters and default values:

Parameter Description Default (example) Parameter
slug Specifies the slug name for the generic template part. slug=""
name Optional. The name of the specialised template part. name=NULL

Examples

[lc_get_template_part slug="template-part-slug" name="optional-name"]

Insert HTML Snippet for built-in forms

[lc_insert]

This shortcode allows you to insert an HTML snippet from a file located within the LC plugin's directory.

Accepted parameters and default values:

Parameter Description Default (example) Parameter
snippet Specifies the name of the HTML snippet file to include, from the livecanvas/modules folder. snippet="forms/registration"

Examples

[lc_insert snippet="forms/contact"]
[lc_insert snippet="forms/registration"]
[lc_insert snippet="forms/login"]

You can also grab the HTML code from the static .html file and use it copy pasting it by the way.

Conditional IF statement

From v3.13

[lc_if]

This shortcode provides conditional content display based on specific conditions.

Accepted parameters and default values:

Parameter Description Default (example) Parameter
condition Specifies the condition function to evaluate. Must be a function name, no other symbols. Just ! accepted to negate. condition=""
param Optional. Parameter to pass to the condition function. param=""

Examples

[lc_if condition="is_user_logged_in"] Logged in content [lc_else] Logged out content [/ lc_if]