Title: Simple code to insert custom field into shortcode. What is wrong?
Last modified: August 20, 2016

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# Simple code to insert custom field into shortcode. What is wrong?

 *  [pates](https://wordpress.org/support/users/pates/)
 * (@pates)
 * [13 years, 6 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/simple-code-to-insert-custom-field-into-shortcode-what-is-wrong/)
 *     ```
       function companylink( $atts, $content = null ) {
       $link = echo get_post_meta($post->ID, 'companylink', true);
       return $link;
       }
   
       add_shortcode('companylink', 'companylink');
       ```
   
 * Any help here would be hugely appreciated. I’m just trying to echo a custom field
   into a shortcode.
 * The shortcode will be [companylink] and it should return $link which is just 
   echoing the custom field.

Viewing 4 replies - 1 through 4 (of 4 total)

 *  [ianhaycox](https://wordpress.org/support/users/ianhaycox/)
 * (@ianhaycox)
 * [13 years, 6 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/simple-code-to-insert-custom-field-into-shortcode-what-is-wrong/#post-3287363)
 * Where is $post defined ?
 * I suspect you’ll need a global $post in your function.
 * When testing define WP_DEBUG to true in wp-config.php to display PHP notices,
   and look in the server error log file for clues.
 * Ian.
 *  Thread Starter [pates](https://wordpress.org/support/users/pates/)
 * (@pates)
 * [13 years, 6 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/simple-code-to-insert-custom-field-into-shortcode-what-is-wrong/#post-3287364)
 * Thanks Ian, I’m assuming you meant this?
 *     ```
       global $post;
       function companylink( $atts, $content = null ) {
       $link = <strong>echo </strong>get_post_meta($post->ID, 'companylink', true);
       return $link;
       }
   
       add_shortcode('companylink', 'companylink');
       ```
   
 * Unfortunately the code is still broken. It appears to be the ‘echo’ that is breaking
   it.
 *  [ianhaycox](https://wordpress.org/support/users/ianhaycox/)
 * (@ianhaycox)
 * [13 years, 6 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/simple-code-to-insert-custom-field-into-shortcode-what-is-wrong/#post-3287366)
 *     ```
       function companylink( $atts, $content = null ) {
       global $post;
       $link = get_post_meta($post->ID, 'companylink', true);
       return $link;
       }
       ```
   
 * No need for the echo – the shortcode handler must return the value.
 *  Thread Starter [pates](https://wordpress.org/support/users/pates/)
 * (@pates)
 * [13 years, 6 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/simple-code-to-insert-custom-field-into-shortcode-what-is-wrong/#post-3287367)
 * Fantastic! I’m not sure of the logic to this code but it’s working great. Thank
   you very much Ian.

Viewing 4 replies - 1 through 4 (of 4 total)

The topic ‘Simple code to insert custom field into shortcode. What is wrong?’ is
closed to new replies.

 * In: [Fixing WordPress](https://wordpress.org/support/forum/how-to-and-troubleshooting/)
 * 4 replies
 * 2 participants
 * Last reply from: [pates](https://wordpress.org/support/users/pates/)
 * Last activity: [13 years, 6 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/simple-code-to-insert-custom-field-into-shortcode-what-is-wrong/#post-3287367)
 * Status: not resolved

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