How to Create Nested Shortcodes in WordPress Without a Plugin

Ever wondered if you could use nested shortcodes in WordPress? By default, WordPress doesn’t allow you to use a shortcode within a shortcode (or in other words, nested shortcode). However, with a simple tweak on your functions.php file, you can make it happen.

Instructions:

All you have to do is add this code to your theme’s functions.php file or in a site-specific plugin:

That way you can use the following nested shortcode [link][my_text][/link].

In the snippet, we just pass $content into do_shortcode() and it works like a charm.

add_shortcode("my_text", "my_text");
function my_text() {
	return 'nested shortcode';
}

function my_link($atts, $content = null) {
	extract(shortcode_atts(array(
		"href" => 'http://'
	), $atts));
	return '<a href="'.$href.'">'.do_shortcode($content).'</a>';
}
add_shortcode("link", "my_link");

Note: If this is your first time adding code snippets in WordPress, then please refer to our guide on how to properly copy / paste code snippets in WordPress, so you don’t accidentally break your site.

If you liked this code snippet, please consider checking out our other articles on the site like: 62 best free WordPress blog themes or 7 best WordPress contact form plugins.