Shortcodes Helper

⏱ Quick answer below · full reference ≈ 8 min · skim the bold lead-ins to move faster.

In short. The shortcodes helper is a read-only lookup panel at Appearance → Shortcodes Helper. It lists every {{token}} shortcode registered on your site across four tabs — Basic, Ecommerce, Locations, and Data Information. Nothing is saved here; you come to find the exact tag, copy it, and paste it into a page, footer, header, or email template. The token renders as the live value (site title, phone number, page URL, etc.) on every page load.

On this page: What it is · Scope + tabs · Examples · Column reference · Good uses + what not to use it for · Where to find it · Troubleshooting

The shortcodes helper is the read-only reference panel at Appearance → Shortcodes Helper. It lists every shortcode tag registered on your site, grouped into four tabs: Basic, Ecommerce, Locations, and Data Information. Nothing is configured here — you come to look up the exact tag, copy it, and paste it into a page, post, footer field, or email template.

What is this for?

A shortcode is a {{double-brace}} placeholder — such as {{site_title}}, {{business_phone}}, or {{page_title}} — that SGEN replaces with the live value at page load. Write the token once and every surface referencing it stays current as your settings change.

The Shortcodes Helper is the canonical list for your specific installation. The tabs change depending on which modules are active: a site without Ecommerce will not show Ecommerce shortcodes; a site without Locations will not show Locations shortcodes.

The surface is intentionally read-only. Shortcodes are registered by the SGEN platform and by active modules — admins cannot create or modify them. There is no Save button and no input field.

Here is what the panel looks like when you open it at Appearance → Shortcodes Helper:

Preview: Shortcodes Helper — a screenshot of this screen will be added here.

Scope

The helper covers every shortcode tag registered on your current site only — each site has its own installation and its own registered set. The four tabs are:

Basic — tokens for identity, contact info, and per-request page metadata. Available on all sites.
Ecommerce — tokens for store configuration and order data. Visible only when the Ecommerce module is active.
Locations — tokens for multi-location directories. Visible only when the Locations module is active.
Data Information — configuration reference for tokens that accept parameters (like carousel tokens that take display options). For each configurable token, this tab documents the available parameter keys, their accepted types, and default values. It is the only in-app reference for those options.

Shortcodes paste into: page bodies, blog post bodies, footer widget text fields, header fields, the copyright line, CTA label fields, and email template bodies. They do not expand inside CSS files, JavaScript strings, image alt text, or form input defaults. To verify a token's output, paste it into a content field and load the public page.

If a tab you expect is not visible, the corresponding module may not be active on this site. Check your admin → Modules Config to see which modules are enabled. Module activation is account-tier dependent — contact your account admin if a module you expect is missing.

Examples

Example 1: Copying a Basic token to use in the footer copyright line.

You want the footer to read "© 2026 Your Site Name — All rights reserved." and update automatically. Open Appearance → Shortcodes Helper, go to the Basic tab, and find the {{site_title}} row.

The Basic tab looks like this, with the most-used identity tokens in the first rows:

Preview: Shortcodes Helper — Basic tab — a screenshot of this screen will be added here.

Copy {{site_title}} from the Tag column and paste it into the footer copyright field. The public footer replaces both tokens with the live values from Settings on every page load.

Example 2: Looking up Ecommerce tokens for a store-specific embed.

You want to embed a product carousel on the homepage. Click the Ecommerce tab to find the carousel token, then click Data Information to check its configuration parameters.

The Ecommerce tab showing a carousel token with parameters:

Preview: Shortcodes Helper — Ecommerce tab — a screenshot of this screen will be added here.

Example 3: Checking the Locations tab for a multi-location site.

Click the Locations tab to find the shortcode that renders location data on a "Find Us" page.

Preview: Shortcodes Helper — Locations tab — a screenshot of this screen will be added here.

Paste the copied tag into the body of the "Find Us" page. The public page renders live location data from the Locations directory for that page's location context.

Fields

The Shortcodes Helper table has three columns on every tab.

Column	What it shows
Tag	The exact shortcode to copy and paste — including double curly braces on both sides.
Parameters	A dash (—) for tokens with no options. A comma-separated key list for tokens that accept configuration.
Description	One line stating what the token outputs and, for Basic tokens, which Settings field drives the value.

The four tabs group tokens by category.

Tab	Content	Requires
Basic	Identity, contact, and per-page metadata tokens	Always available
Ecommerce	Store, cart, and product tokens	Ecommerce module active
Locations	Location-directory tokens	Locations module active
Data Information	Parameter reference for configurable tokens (carousel and similar)	Always available when Ecommerce is on

Token syntax is always {{token_name}} — two opening braces, token name, two closing braces. No spaces inside the braces. No quotes around the token name. The renderer is exact-match: a single missing brace or extra space leaves the literal {{token_name}} text on your public page.

How to copy a tag accurately: select the full tag text in the Tag column (including both sets of braces) and copy with your keyboard — the helper has no "copy to clipboard" button. Paste directly into your content field without retyping to avoid brace typos.

Syntax rules at a glance:

Rule	Example
Two opening braces + name + two closing braces	`{{site_title}}`
No spaces inside the braces	`{{ site_title }}` — invalid
No quotes around the token name	`{{"site_title"}}` — invalid
Exact case match	`{{Site_Title}}` — invalid

Good use cases

Finding the right token before editing footer copy. Open the helper, scan the Basic tab, and copy the exact tag with braces intact. The Tag column is the source of truth; the description column tells you which Settings field to populate first.

Auditing which tokens your site uses across multiple surfaces. Before a rebrand or a contact-info change, screenshot each tab and cross-reference against your footer fields, header fields, email templates, and page bodies. You'll know exactly which surfaces auto-update and which need manual edits.

Confirming a token exists before building a template that relies on it. Open the helper first, confirm the token appears on the correct tab, and confirm the corresponding Settings field has a value before publishing anything that references it.

Checking parameter options for a configurable shortcode. The Data Information tab is the only reference for configurable tokens like the carousel token — it lists which parameters exist, their type, and the default value.

Onboarding a new content author. The helper is the complete reference for the current installation. Point new team members here first — four tabs, each a short table, covering every available token on the site.

What NOT to use this for

Do not try to register a new shortcode here. The helper is read-only. New shortcodes come from SGEN platform updates or newly activated modules — there is no input field and no mechanism to add a custom tag.

Do not assume every token works in every field. Tokens expand wherever SGEN's content renderer runs — page bodies, post bodies, footer and header text fields, email bodies. They do not expand inside CSS, JavaScript blocks, image alt text, or form input defaults. When in doubt, paste and load the public page to confirm.

Do not mistake this surface for where you set the values. The helper shows which tokens exist; it does not show or edit what those tokens render. {{site_title}} reads from Settings → General → Site Title; {{business_phone}} reads from Settings → General → Business Phone. If a token renders as empty text, the source field in Settings is blank — fix it there.

Do not confuse shortcodes with Custom Codes. Shortcodes are {{double-brace}} tokens pasted into content fields to embed a SGEN-managed value. Custom Codes at Appearance → Custom Codes are raw HTML or script snippets injected site-wide into the page head or body — a different tool for a different job.

How this connects to other features

Use shortcodes — the step-by-step guide for pasting tokens into footer copy, page text, email templates, and SG-Builder elements. The helper is the lookup step; that doc is the paste-and-verify workflow.
Configure your footer — footer widget Paragraph fields, the copyright line, and the Top Footer message all accept shortcode tokens. The most common destination for Basic tokens like {{site_title}} and {{business_phone}}.
Configure your header — CTA label fields accept tokens. A CTA reading Call {{business_phone}} stays accurate without manual edits.
Settings → General — source of truth for all Basic tokens. Populate Settings first, then reference the token in content. Empty source field = empty token render.
Ecommerce → Configuration — source of Ecommerce tokens. Renders empty if the module is off or the configuration field is blank.
Locations → Directory — source of Location tokens. Renders the value for whichever location context is active on the page.
Custom Codes — a different surface, but tokens inside Custom Codes HTML blocks do expand at render time. Useful for analytics wrapper HTML that includes the site title as a data attribute.

Where to find it

Open the left navigation inside your site admin.
Click Appearance.
Click Shortcodes Helper.

The direct path is /sg-admin/appearance/shortcodes_helper. The panel loads immediately — no form, no settings. Click any tab to filter the list to that category.

The helper as it appears when you first open it, Basic tab active:

Preview: Shortcodes Helper — full panel view — a screenshot of this screen will be added here.

Reference

Basic tokens below are verified against the KB cards for this area (live-2026-06-01). Ecommerce and Locations token names vary by installation — confirm against your live Shortcodes Helper.

Token	Source field	Renders as	Empty when
`{{site_title}}`	Settings → General → Site Title	The site title text	Site Title field is blank
`{{site_description}}`	Settings → General → Site Description	The description text	Description field is blank
`{{site_url}}`	Settings → General → Site URL	Full URL including `https://`	(always populated on live sites)
`{{site_email}}`	Settings → General → Site Email	Email address string	Email field is blank
`{{business_phone}}`	Settings → General → Business Phone	Phone string as typed	Phone field is blank
`{{business_address}}`	Settings → General → Business Address	Multi-line address block	Address field is blank
`{{business_hours}}`	Settings → General → Business Hours	Multi-line hours block	Hours field is blank
`{{page_title}}`	Current page title field	Page title for this render	Page has no title
`{{page_url}}`	Current page URL	Full canonical URL	(always populated)
`{{login_url}}`	System — auto-generated	Login route URL	(always populated)
`{{logout_url}}`	System — auto-generated	Logout action URL	(always populated)
`{{custom_object_name}}`	Named custom object value	The object's stored value	Object is missing or blank

Ecommerce tokens read from Ecommerce → Configuration (module must be active). Location tokens read from the Locations directory (module must be active). The table above covers the verified Basic set only — see your live helper for the full Ecommerce and Locations token names.

Before publishing content that uses shortcodes:

Confirm each token appears in your live Shortcodes Helper.
Confirm the source field in Settings is populated — an empty source field renders an empty string, not an error.
Paste the token into a test page or preview and load the public URL to verify the rendered value before publishing to live.
For Ecommerce and Locations tokens, confirm the relevant module is active and its configuration fields are filled.

What success looks like

The Basic tab loads with the full token list. Switching tabs filters the list correctly. You copy a tag from the Tag column and your clipboard contains the exact {{token_name}} format — no missing braces. Pasting into a content field and loading the public page shows the live value from Settings, not the literal {{token_name}} text.

If any tab is missing (Ecommerce or Locations), that is expected behavior when the corresponding module is not active — not an error. If the Basic tab itself is empty, confirm you are signed in as a site admin and viewing the correct site.

A healthy installation has tab counts like this:

Preview: Shortcodes Helper — tab coverage — a screenshot of this screen will be added here.

What to do if it does not work

The page does not load or redirects to the login screen. Confirm you are signed in as a site admin. Open your site via SG-Dashboard → Site Manager → Manage Site → Login and navigate to /sg-admin/appearance/shortcodes_helper. If your role does not include Appearance access, contact your account admin.

The Ecommerce or Locations tabs are missing. Those tabs appear only when the corresponding module is active. Check Modules Config in your admin to confirm which modules are enabled.

A token renders as literal {{token_name}} text on the public site. The most common cause is a typo — a missing brace, a space inside the braces, or a single-brace variant. Re-paste directly from the Tag column rather than retyping. Also confirm the content field runs the shortcode renderer — CSS, JavaScript blocks, image alt text, and form input defaults do not expand tokens.

A token renders as empty text. The source field in Settings is blank. Open Settings → General, find the field named in the Description column, fill it in, and save. The token renders the new value on the next page load.

The token shows literal text on the home page but works on all other pages. Some themes use a separate template for the home page that may exclude the standard footer or header. Check Appearance → Templates to see which template the home page uses.