Shortcodes

If you use the Classic Editor or need citations in widgets, custom fields, or other areas where blocks aren’t available, shortcodes provide the same functionality.

Available Shortcodes

Citation Shortcodes

Shortcode	Purpose
[abt_citation]	Insert an in-text citation
[abt_bibliography]	Display the bibliography
[abt_footnote]	Insert a footnote

Frontend Shortcodes

Shortcode	Purpose
[abt_dashboard]	Complete user dashboard with tabs
[abtmyreferences]	User’s personal reference list
[abtsubmitreference]	Frontend reference submission form
[abteditreference]	Edit reference from frontend
[abtreferencelibrary]	Public browsable reference library
[abtsinglereference]	Display a single reference
[abtimportreferences]	Frontend import wizard
[abtexportreferences]	Frontend export interface

Citation Shortcode

Basic Usage

[abt_citation id="123"]

Where 123 is the reference’s post ID.

Finding the Reference ID

1. Go to References > All References
2. Hover over the reference title
3. Look at the URL in your browser’s status bar
4. The ID is the number in post=123

Or view the ID column in the reference list (enable via Screen Options).

With Page Number

[abt_citation id="123" locator="42"]

Output: (Smith, 2020, p. 42)

With Page Range

[abt_citation id="123" locator="42-50" label="page"]

Output: (Smith, 2020, pp. 42-50)

Locator Types

Label	Output
page	p. or pp.
chapter	ch.
section	sec.
paragraph	para.
verse	v.
line	l.

With Prefix

[abt_citation id="123" prefix="see"]

Output: (see Smith, 2020)

With Suffix

[abt_citation id="123" suffix="emphasis added"]

Output: (Smith, 2020, emphasis added)

Suppress Author

When mentioning the author in your text:

Smith [abt_citation id="123" suppress_author="true"] argues that...

Output: Smith (2020) argues that…

Multiple Citations

[abt_citation id="123,456,789"]

Output: (Smith, 2020; Jones, 2019; Brown, 2021)

Complete Example

[abt_citation id="123" locator="42" label="page" prefix="see" suffix="emphasis added"]

Output: (see Smith, 2020, p. 42, emphasis added)

Bibliography Shortcode

Basic Usage

[abt_bibliography]

Displays all cited references from the current post.

Custom Heading

[abt_bibliography title="Works Cited"]

No Heading

[abt_bibliography title=""]

Grouping

[abt_bibliography group="year"]

Options: none, year, type, author

Sorting

[abt_bibliography sort="year-desc"]

Options:

• alpha – Alphabetical by author
• year-asc – Oldest first
• year-desc – Newest first
• citation – Order of first citation

Specific References

Display only certain references (useful for curated lists):

[abt_bibliography ids="123,456,789"]

Exclude References

Exclude specific references from the bibliography:

[abt_bibliography exclude="456"]

From Category

Display all references in a category:

[abt_bibliography category="methodology"]

Use the category slug.

Complete Example

[abt_bibliography title="References" group="year" sort="alpha"]

Footnote Shortcode

For citation styles that use footnotes:

Basic Footnote

[abt_footnote]Content of the footnote[/abt_footnote]

Footnote with Citation

[abt_footnote][abt_citation id="123"][/abt_footnote]

Custom Footnote Number

[abt_footnote number="*"]Special note[/abt_footnote]

Using Shortcodes in Themes

In Template Files

In Widgets

Most text widgets process shortcodes automatically. Just paste the shortcode.

In Custom Fields

If your theme displays custom fields:

ID, 'bibliography', true)); ?>

Shortcode vs. Block Comparison

Feature	Block	Shortcode
Visual editing	Yes	No
Live preview	Yes	No
Settings sidebar	Yes	No
Classic Editor	No	Yes
Widgets	Partial	Yes
PHP templates	No	Yes
Custom fields	No	Yes

Migration to Blocks

If you switch from Classic Editor to Block Editor:

1. Shortcodes continue to work
2. Convert them using the “Convert to blocks” option
3. Or manually replace with Citation/Bibliography blocks

Troubleshooting

Shortcode displays as text

• Verify the plugin is activated
• Check for typos in shortcode name
• Ensure shortcodes are enabled in your context

Wrong reference appears

• Verify the reference ID
• IDs may change if references are deleted and recreated

Bibliography empty

• Check that citations exist in the post
• Verify reference IDs are valid
• Check that references are published (not draft)

Formatting incorrect

• Check citation style settings
• Verify shortcode attributes are spelled correctly
• Clear any caching

Multiple bibliographies

• By default, bibliography shows all cited works
• Use ids attribute to limit specific references
• Use exclude to remove specific references

Frontend Shortcodes

These shortcodes create user-facing pages for managing references from the frontend.

Dashboard Shortcode

The complete user dashboard with tabbed interface:

[abt_dashboard]

Creates a full dashboard with tabs for:

• My References
• Favorites
• Collections
• Notes
• Reading Status

Attributes:

Attribute	Default	Description
show_tabs	true	Show/hide tab navigation
default_tab	references	Tab shown on load
per_page	20	References per page

Example:

[abt_dashboard show_tabs="true" default_tab="favorites" per_page="10"]

My References Shortcode

Display the current user’s personal references:

[abt_my_references]

Attributes:

Attribute	Default	Description
per_page	20	References per page
orderby	date	Sort field (date, title, author)
order	DESC	Sort order (ASC, DESC)
show_search	true	Show search box
show_filters	true	Show filter dropdowns
show_actions	true	Show edit/delete links

Example:

[abt_my_references per_page="10" orderby="title" order="ASC" show_search="true"]

Submit Reference Shortcode

Frontend form to submit new references:

[abt_submit_reference]

Attributes:

Attribute	Default	Description
auto_cite	true	Enable Auto-Cite feature
autocitetypes	doi,pmid,isbn,url	Allowed identifier types
require_login	true	Require user login
redirect	“	URL to redirect after success
category	“	Pre-select category

Example:

[abt_submit_reference auto_cite="true" redirect="/thank-you/" category="student-submissions"]

Edit Reference Shortcode

Edit a reference from the frontend:

[abt_edit_reference]

Works with URL parameter ?ref_id=123 to load the reference.

Attributes:

Attribute	Default	Description
id	“	Reference ID (or use URL param)
redirect	“	URL after successful edit
allow_delete	false	Show delete button

Example:

[abt_edit_reference allow_delete="true" redirect="/my-references/"]

Reference Library Shortcode

Public browsable library of all references:

[abt_reference_library]

Attributes:

Attribute	Default	Description
per_page	20	References per page
category	“	Filter by category slug
type	“	Filter by reference type
show_search	true	Show search box
show_filters	true	Show filter options
layout	list	Display layout (list, card, table)
orderby	date	Sort field
order	DESC	Sort order

Example:

[abt_reference_library category="biology" layout="card" per_page="12"]

Single Reference Shortcode

Display a specific reference with full details:

[abt_single_reference id="123"]

Attributes:

Attribute	Default	Description
id	“	Reference ID (required)
show_abstract	true	Display abstract
show_metadata	true	Display DOI, URL, etc.
show_citation	true	Display formatted citation
style	“	Citation style override
show_related	false	Show posts citing this

Example:

[abt_single_reference id="456" show_abstract="true" show_related="true"]

Import References Shortcode

Frontend import wizard for uploading files:

[abt_import_references]

Attributes:

Attribute	Default	Description
formats	bibtex,ris,json	Allowed formats
max_size	10	Max file size in MB
require_login	true	Require login
auto_publish	false	Publish without review

Example:

[abt_import_references formats="bibtex,ris" max_size="5" auto_publish="false"]

Export References Shortcode

Frontend export interface:

[abt_export_references]

Attributes:

Attribute	Default	Description
formats	bibtex,ris,json,notion,obsidian	Available formats
scope	user	Export scope (user, all, category)
category	“	Limit to category (if scope=category)

Example:

[abt_export_references formats="bibtex,notion,obsidian" scope="user"]

Page Setup Examples

Researcher Dashboard Page

Create a page called “My Research” with:

[abt_dashboard]

Submit Reference Page

Create a page called “Submit Reference” with:

[abt_submit_reference auto_cite="true"]

Public Library Page

Create a page called “Reference Library” with:

[abt_reference_library layout="card" show_filters="true"]

Edit Reference Page

Create a page called “Edit Reference” with:

[abt_edit_reference allow_delete="false"]

Link to it as: /edit-reference/?ref_id=123

Shortcode Quick Reference

Citation:
[abt_citation id="123"]
[abt_citation id="123" locator="42" label="page"]
[abt_citation id="123" prefix="see" suffix="my emphasis"]
[abt_citation id="123" suppress_author="true"]
[abt_citation id="123,456,789"]

Bibliography:
[abt_bibliography]
[abt_bibliography title="Works Cited"]
[abt_bibliography group="year" sort="alpha"]
[abt_bibliography ids="123,456" exclude="789"]
[abt_bibliography category="methodology"]

Footnote:
[abt_footnote]Note content[/abt_footnote]
[abt_footnote][abt_citation id="123"][/abt_footnote]

Frontend:
[abt_dashboard]
[abt_my_references per_page="20"]
[abt_submit_reference auto_cite="true"]
[abt_edit_reference id="123"]
[abt_reference_library layout="card"]
[abt_single_reference id="123"]
[abt_import_references formats="bibtex,ris"]
[abt_export_references formats="bibtex,notion,obsidian"]

Next Steps

• Citation Block – Block editor alternative
• Bibliography Block – Block editor alternative
• Citation Styles – Formatting options