Content module

Shortcode block

Runs a shortcode from any plugin or theme, with spacing and text styling controls.

Overview

Many plugins provide shortcodes — short codes in square brackets such as [contact-form-7 id="12"] that insert their content. The Shortcode block runs one and lets you style the area around it.

At a glance

Block name: wpbb/shortcode
Module: Content
Find it by searching: Shortcode
Loads JavaScript on the site: No

When and why to use it

Output from plugins that have no block of their own.
Legacy content from page builders.

Example scenarios

Events: [events_list limit="5"] from an events plugin.

How to add the Shortcode block

Open the editor. In your WordPress dashboard go to Pages (or Posts) and click the page you want to edit, or click Add New. For headers, footers and templates, use Appearance → Editor (block themes).
Add a new block. Click the blue + (Block Inserter) button in the top-left corner, or the small + that appears where you want the block. You can also type / on an empty line.
Search for the block. Type Shortcode in the search field. Brigade Blocks appear in the Brigade Blocks category and show the coral block icon.
Insert it. Click Shortcode in the results. The block appears with an empty shortcode field.
Configure the content. Edit the text directly on the block, then open the Settings tab (gear icon) in the right-hand sidebar for the options described below. If the sidebar is hidden, click the gear icon in the top-right corner.
Customise the design. Switch to the Styles tab (half-filled circle icon) to change colours, spacing, borders and more — see Design & styling.
Save or publish. Click Save draft to keep working later, Preview to check it, or Publish / Update to make it live.

Content settings

You set up this block in two places: on the block itself in the editor, and in the Settings tab (gear icon) of the sidebar on the right. Every option is listed below, with its default value.

On the block (in the editor canvas)

Shortcode text

What it does: The shortcode to run.
What to enter or choose: A shortcode in square brackets, copied from the plugin’s instructions.
Default: Empty
How to use it: Type into the text field. Changes appear in the preview right away.
When to use it: When a plugin gives you a shortcode.
Example: [gallery ids="12,13,14"].
Result: The plugin’s output appears on the site. In the editor you see the code.
Good to know: If the shortcode outputs nothing, the block shows nothing.

Design & styling

Select the block, open the Styles tab in the settings sidebar (the half-filled circle icon next to the gear) and use the three pickers at the top of the Style panel:

Element — which part of the block to style.
State — Normal, or a state such as Hover (only the states the part supports are offered).
Device — Desktop, Tablet or Mobile, for values that can differ per screen size.

Only panels that make sense for the chosen part and state are shown. The full meaning of every control is in the Styling Controls guide; below is exactly what Shortcode offers.

Element: Block

The area around the shortcode output, including text and link colours.

Styles-tab controls for “Block”
Panel	Control	Per device	Available in states
Typography	Font family	—	Normal
	Font size	Yes	Normal
	Weight	—	Normal
	Style	—	Normal
	Line height	Yes	Normal
	Letter spacing	Yes	Normal
	Letter case	—	Normal
	Alignment	Yes	Normal
	Decoration	—	Normal
Colors	Text	—	Normal
	Link	—	Normal
	Link hover	—	Normal
Background	Type	—	Normal
	Color / Gradient	—	Normal
	Image	—	Normal
Border	Border type	—	Normal
	Border	—	Normal
	Radius	Yes	Normal
Box Shadow	Remove shadow	—	Normal
Box Shadow	Shadow layers	—	Normal
Spacing	Margin	Yes	Normal
Spacing	Padding	Yes	Normal
Sizing	Width	Yes	Normal
	Max width	Yes	Normal
	Height	Yes	Normal
	Min width / Min height / Max height	Yes	Normal
	Block alignment	Yes	Normal
Position	Position	Yes	Normal
	Top / Right / Bottom / Left	Yes	Normal
	Z-index	Yes	Normal
	Overflow	Yes	Normal
Transform	Move X / Move Y	—	Normal
	Scale X / Scale Y	—	Normal
	Rotate (°), Rotate X (°), Rotate Y (°)	—	Normal
	Skew X (°) / Skew Y (°)	—	Normal
Effects	Opacity (%)	Yes	Normal
	State transition (ms)	—	Normal
	Timing	—	Normal
Visibility	Show on Desktop / Tablet / Mobile	—	Normal

States: Normal only.

Responsive settings

Brigade Blocks uses three screen sizes: Desktop (wider than 1023px), Tablet (600–1023px) and Mobile (599px and narrower). Tablet and Mobile values are optional: when empty, the value of the next larger screen is used.

In the Styles tab, pick the Device first; these controls can then have a different value for that screen size: Font size, Line height, Letter spacing, Alignment, Radius, Margin, Padding, Width, Max width, Height, Min width / Min height / Max height, Block alignment, Position, Top / Right / Bottom / Left, Z-index, Overflow, Opacity (%).

The Visibility panel (Styles tab, Normal state) can hide the block entirely on Desktop, Tablet or Mobile.

Advanced options

HTML anchor (Advanced section of the Settings tab) — a unique name such as pricing, so you can link straight to this block with #pricing at the end of the page address (for example from a menu).
Additional CSS class(es) (Advanced section) — for custom CSS from your theme or the Site Editor. Separate several classes with spaces.
Custom attributes (Advanced section) — add data-*, title, aria-label, aria-describedby, lang or dir attributes. See Custom attributes.
State transition (Styles tab → Effects, Normal state) — how smoothly hover and focus styles animate.

How it works on your site

The shortcode’s output, with paragraphs added automatically for plain text.

Limitations and notes

The look of the output is controlled by the plugin that provides the shortcode.