Shortcodes
Shortcodes let you apply formatting, embed media, and insert interactive fields. They use square bracket syntax with opening and closing pairs.
Where Shortcodes work
Every Shortcode — typography, text properties, layout, media, form fields, and actions — renders inside any text element:
- Paragraphs (
p) - Headings (
h1,h2,h3,h4,h5) - Table headers and cells (
th,td) - List items (
li) - Columns layout cells
The same syntax works everywhere. No container or wrapper needed.
Syntax
[tag]content[/tag]
[tag, param1, param2]
Tags can be nested and combined freely. The engine processes them left-to-right, maintaining a stack for each formatting property.
Tag categories
Typography
Control font weight, style, and decoration within a text span.
| Tag | Short | Description |
|---|---|---|
[bold]...[/bold] | [b]...[/b] | Bold text |
[italic]...[/italic] | [i]...[/i] | Italic text |
[bolditalic]...[/bolditalic] | [bi]...[/bi] | Bold italic text |
[underline]...[/underline] | [u]...[/u] | Underlined text |
[strike]...[/strike] | [s]...[/s] | |
[caps]...[/caps] | — | UPPERCASE text (presentation only — source stays mixed-case) |
[font, Name]...[/font] | — | Switch to a registered font family |
HTML semantic aliases
Familiar HTML inline-element names route to the canonical tags above — useful when porting content from HTML or when the semantic name reads more naturally in template code:
| Alias | Routes to | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
[em]...[/em] | [i] | Emphasis (italic) |
[strong]...[/strong] | [b] | Strong emphasis (bold) |
[cite]...[/cite] | [i] | Citation (italic) |
[ins]...[/ins] | [u] | Inserted text (underline) |
[del]...[/del] | [s] | Deleted text (strikethrough) |
[mark]...[/mark] | [hl, #FFFF00] | Default-yellow highlight |
Text properties
Override font size, color, alignment, and position.
| Tag | Short | Description |
|---|---|---|
[fontsize, N]...[/fontsize] | [size, N]...[/size] | Set font size to N points |
[color, color]...[/color] | [color, color]...[/color] | Set text color (hex or CSS3 name) |
[letterspacing, N]...[/letterspacing] | [ls, N]...[/ls] | Track characters out (or in, with negative N) by N points |
[highlight, color]...[/highlight] | [hl, color]...[/hl] | Background highlight on the span |
[align, V]...[/align] | — | Override text alignment (l, r, c, j) |
[superscript]...[/superscript] | [sup]...[/sup] | Superscript (raised text) |
[subscript]...[/subscript] | [sub]...[/sub] | Subscript (lowered text) |
Layout
Control spacing and positioning within a paragraph.
| Tag | Description |
|---|---|
[linebreak] or [br] | Line break (optional count: [br, 3]) |
[tab, X, Y] | Tab stop at X points from left, Y vertical offset |
Media
Embed images and barcodes inline with text.
| Tag | Short | Description |
|---|---|---|
[image, path, W|H] | [img, path, W|H] | Inline image |
[barcode, type, code, W|H] | — | Inline barcode |
Form fields
Insert interactive AcroForm fields inline.
| Tag | Description |
|---|---|
[textfield, name, 'value', W|H] | Text input field |
[textarea, name, 'value', W|H] | Multi-line text area |
[checkbox, name, checked, W|H] | Checkbox |
[radio, name, group, selected, W|H] | Radio button |
[choicefield, name, opt1|opt2|opt3, index, W|H] | Dropdown select |
[listbox, name, opt1|opt2, 'value', multi, W|H] | List box |
Links
Attach a clickable target to a text span. Renders into PDF output.
| Tag | Description |
|---|---|
[link, URL]...[/link] | Clickable hyperlink |
[goto, dest]...[/goto] | Jump to a named destination inside the document |
Nesting
Tags can be nested to combine effects:
{ "p": "[b][color, #CC0000]URGENT:[/color][/b] Review [i]before[/i] [u]end of day[/u]." }
This renders: URGENT: (bold red) Review before (italic) end of day (underlined).
Where Shortcodes work
Shortcodes are supported in any text element:
- Paragraph text (
p) - Headings (
h1throughh5) - Table header cells (
th) - Table data cells (
td)