Shortcode and PHP tags are advanced means of customizing your online store. Using literally a short snippet of code, you can add any number of functional bits to your store. These can:
Display default products
Display shopping cart
List categories
Display products from a specific group
Buy now
Add to cart
So, what is the difference between a shortcode and a PHP tag? From a visual standpoint, a shortcode is a snippet of text between square brackets, such as this: [dosomething]
. In a nutshell, a shortcode is really just a macro code that can be expanded at runtime to reflect some dynamic contents. WordPress started supporting shortcode as of version 2.5, and many plugins now take advantage of it, allowing end users to gain functionality without the need to dig into any complex HTML or embedded codes.
On the other hand, PHP code tags harness the power and versatility of the PHP scripting language to perform a specified action or display some content. Visually, it looks like this...