How to Easily Show an HTML Form Using Shortcode in WordPress

Описание: Discover how to display an HTML form in WordPress using a shortcode, while troubleshooting common errors.
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This video is based on the question https://stackoverflow.com/q/62680274/ asked by the user 'Abdus Sattar Bhuiyan' ( https://stackoverflow.com/u/2455407/ ) and on the answer https://stackoverflow.com/a/62680412/ provided by the user 'KAGG Design' ( https://stackoverflow.com/u/6817117/ ) at 'Stack Overflow' website. Thanks to these great users and Stackexchange community for their contributions.

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How to Easily Show an HTML Form Using Shortcode in WordPress

WordPress is a powerful content management system that allows users to customize their websites effortlessly. One of the most useful features it offers is the shortcode, which can be used to include various functionalities in your posts and pages. However, if you're trying to display an HTML form using a shortcode and it's not working as intended, you’re not alone.

In this guide, we will explore the steps necessary to properly implement a shortcode for displaying an HTML form in WordPress.

Understanding the Problem

Imagine you've created a shortcode to display an HTML form, like this:

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

However, when you place this shortcode on your page using Elementor, it doesn't show the form, but if you substitute the HTML form with an echo 'hello';, it works perfectly. This leads us to the question: How can we effectively display HTML using a shortcode in WordPress?

Solution: Correctly Implement the Shortcode

To get the shortcode to function as you intended, you need to ensure that the shortcode returns a string. In WordPress, when creating a shortcode, the output from your function must be returned to the calling location.

Step-by-Step Implementation

Modify the Shortcode Function:

Update your shortcode function to utilize output buffering. This lets you capture the HTML form as a string instead of directly outputting it.

Here’s the corrected code:

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

Explanation of Code Changes:

ob_start();: This function starts output buffering. Any output that would normally be sent to the browser is saved to an internal buffer instead.

return ob_get_clean();: This retrieves the contents of the buffer and then clears it, providing the generated HTML as a return value for your shortcode.

Additional Tips

Use in Elementor: Now, when you add the shortcode [sms_order_form] in your Elementor editor, it will render the HTML form correctly.

Debugging: If you encounter any issues, double-check the PHP syntax and ensure that the shortcode is placed in a location supported by your theme or page builder.

Conclusion

Creating a shortcode to display an HTML form in WordPress requires a few careful considerations to ensure it works properly. By utilizing output buffering, you can effectively return HTML strings and enhance your site's functionality.

With this guide, you should now be able to implement your desired shortcode for displaying forms in WordPress seamlessly. Happy coding!