Text Replace Plugin: Easily Create Shortcuts For Text In WordPress

Text Replace is a powerful WordPress plugin that allows you to replace text (inside posts, pages, custom post types etc) with some other text. It provides you quick and easy way to create shortcuts to common, lengthy, or frequently changing text, HTML or for smilies. It can be utilized to make shortcuts for frequently typed text, but always remember these things in mind.

Installation & Usage: Install and activate Text Replace plugin. After activation visit your admin area Dashboard -> Settings -> Text Replace page. Here you can create shortcuts to commonly-typed and/or lengthy text/HTML, or for smilies.

The format should be like this:

:wp: => <a href='http://wordpress.org'>WordPress</a>

Where :wp: is the shortcut you intend to use in your posts and the <a href='http://wordpress.org'>WordPress</a> would be what you want the shortcut to be replaced with when the post is shown on your site.

Considerations:

  • List the more specific matches early, to avoid stomping on another of your shortcuts. For example, if you have both :p and :pout: as shortcuts, put :pout: first; otherwise, the :p will match against all the :pout: in your text.
  • Be careful not to define text that could match partially when you don’t want it to:
    i.e. Me => Scott would also inadvertently change “Men” to be “Scottn”
  • If you intend to use this plugin to handle smilies, you should probably disable WordPress’s default smilie handler.
  • HTML is allowed.
  • Only use quotes it they are actual part of the original or replacement strings.
  • Define only one shortcut per line & shortcuts must not span multiple lines.

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