Shortcode Guide

🌱 Backyard Gardener – Admin Feature Shortcodes

Current Version: 3.0.0

📌 Overview

Version 3.0.0 continues to provide 10 powerful shortcodes that allow you to embed full admin features directly into WordPress Pages and Posts. These shortcodes provide the complete functionality of the admin interface in a frontend context.

Enhanced in v2.0.0: Weather integration with complete data capture! The dashboard shortcode displays comprehensive weather information including geographic data, cardinal wind directions, UV index, dew point, and pressure in both imperial and metric units.

Requirements

  • User Role: Editor or Administrator
  • Permissions: edit_posts capability required
  • Users without proper permissions will see a notice message

Available Shortcodes

1. 📊 Dashboard

[bg_dashboard]

Description: Full garden dashboard with enhanced weather data, plant status, recommendations, and quick stats.

Features:

  • Enhanced weather widget showing station name, elevation, cardinal wind directions
  • Complete weather metrics (temperature, feels-like, UV index, dew point, pressure)
  • Plant status overview
  • Harvest summary
  • Personalized recommendations
  • Quick action buttons
Use Case: Create a dedicated “My Garden” page for gardeners to see everything at a glance.

2. 🌿 Plants Manager

[bg_plants_manager]

Description: Complete plant management interface – add, edit, delete plants, view details, record harvests.

Use Case: Main plant tracking page where gardeners manage their entire collection.

3. 🌱 Seed Inventory

[bg_seed_inventory]

Description: Seed inventory management system – track seeds, purchase dates, viability, quantities.

Use Case: Dedicated seed catalog page for planning future plantings.

4. 📝 Season Learnings

[bg_season_learnings]

Description: Record and review what worked, what didn’t, and lessons learned each season.

Use Case: Garden journal page for documenting seasonal observations and improvements.

5. 🔄 Succession Planting

[bg_succession_planting]

Description: Plan and track succession plantings for continuous harvests throughout the season.

Use Case: Planting schedule page for coordinating staggered plantings.

6. 📍 Garden Locations

[bg_garden_locations]

Description: Manage different garden areas, beds, and planting zones with sunlight and soil conditions.

Use Case: Site management page for organizing garden layout and microclimate zones.

7. 📈 Analytics

[bg_analytics]

Description: Comprehensive analytics dashboard with harvest data, success rates, and trends.

Use Case: Data insights page for reviewing garden performance and making informed decisions.

8. 📅 Planting Calendar

[bg_calendar]

Description: Visual calendar for planning planting dates, harvest windows, and maintenance tasks.

Use Case: Scheduling page for coordinating all garden activities.

9. 📥 CSV Import

[bg_import_csv]

Description: Import plant data from CSV files to quickly populate your garden.

Use Case: Data migration page for users transitioning from spreadsheets or other tools.

10. 💾 Backup & Restore

[bg_backup_restore]

Description: Export your garden data as JSON backup files and restore from previous backups.

Use Case: Data management page for safeguarding garden records.

Usage Examples

Single Feature Page

Create a dedicated page for each feature:

Simple Page Example
[bg_dashboard]

Combined Garden Portal

Create a comprehensive garden management page:

Multi-Feature Page
[bg_dashboard]

[bg_calendar]

[bg_plants_manager]

Dedicated Pages

  • Page 1: “My Garden” → [bg_dashboard]
  • Page 2: “My Plants” → [bg_plants_manager]
  • Page 3: “Seed Collection” → [bg_seed_inventory]
  • Page 4: “Garden Journal” → [bg_season_learnings]

Key Features

🔒 Permission-Based Access

  • Editor & Admin only
  • Friendly error messages
  • Secure capability checks

⚡ Full Functionality

  • Complete admin interface
  • All AJAX handlers work
  • Forms, tables, modals

🎨 Beautiful Styling

  • Garden-themed design
  • Mobile responsive
  • Dark mode support

🚀 Auto Asset Loading

  • Detects shortcodes
  • Loads CSS/JS automatically
  • No manual setup

Quick Reference Table

Shortcode Purpose Editor Access
[bg_dashboard] Full garden dashboard ✓ Yes
[bg_plants_manager] Plant management interface ✓ Yes
[bg_seed_inventory] Seed inventory manager ✓ Yes
[bg_season_learnings] Season learnings tracker ✓ Yes
[bg_succession_planting] Succession planting planner ✓ Yes
[bg_garden_locations] Garden locations manager ✓ Yes
[bg_analytics] Garden analytics dashboard ✓ Yes
[bg_calendar] Planting calendar ✓ Yes
[bg_import_csv] CSV import tool ✓ Yes
[bg_backup_restore] Backup and restore data ✓ Yes

Security & Permissions

🔐 User Capabilities

  • Editors & Administrators: Full access to all admin shortcodes
  • Authors & Contributors: See permission denied message
  • Subscribers & Visitors: See permission denied message

🛡️ Data Privacy

  • Users can only see and edit their own garden data
  • Multi-user support respects WordPress user separation
  • All AJAX requests are nonce-protected

Troubleshooting

Shortcode Not Working

  1. Check User Role: Log in as Editor or Administrator
  2. Verify Shortcode: Ensure shortcode is spelled correctly
  3. Check Permissions: Verify user has edit_posts capability

Styling Issues

  1. Theme Conflicts: Some themes may override plugin styles
  2. Add Custom CSS: Use Additional CSS in Customizer to fix conflicts
  3. Check Console: Look for JavaScript errors in browser console

Data Not Displaying

  1. Database Tables: Verify tables exist using Database Tools page
  2. Add Data: Ensure you’ve added plants/seeds/locations first
  3. Check Browser Console: Look for AJAX errors

Best Practices

📄 Page Organization

  • Dashboard landing page
  • Separate feature pages
  • Clear navigation menu

👤 User Experience

  • Mobile-friendly testing
  • Descriptive page titles
  • Logical page order

💾 Data Management

  • Weekly backups
  • External CSV copies
  • Season archives

🌱 Backyard Gardener v3.0.0 • IT Influentials • January 2026

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