Wordpress custom permalink shortcode

Question

Working on a Wordpress site and where I need to have a post with php content. I figured out that this is only possible with a plugin or a shortcode in the functions.php

Googled around, tried a lot but it isn't working out, so i definitely doing something wrong.

code I have in functions.php:

function anniversary_link($text) {
        $url = the_permalink();
        return "<a href='$url'>$text</a>";
}
add_shortcode('permalink', 'anniversary_link');

And the post I have:

and the result I get when clicking the link:

The shortcode has to reference to the single.php page and al the static code's references to the single.php page is just:

<?php the_permalink() ;?>

Is this te 'correct' way to use href on a post (is there a better/cleaner way to get this working)?

Edit

Updated my code thanks to nathan Edit edit: in functions.php

function anniversary_link( $atts ) {
    $atts = shortcode_atts( array(
        'text' => '',
    ), $atts, 'permalink' );

    $url = get_permalink();
    return '<a href="' . $url . '">' . $atts['text'] . '</a>';
}
add_shortcode('permalink', 'anniversary_link');

And how I use this short code inside a post (I think that I incorrectly use the shortcode):

Result:

Edit Edit This is how I call the dynamic anniversary post:

    <?php echo get_posts(array( 'category_name' => 'Anniversary' ))[0]->post_content ;?>

(inside the header)

solution thanks to nathan

Answer 1

Reading through the code you've posted I see three issues.

1. The way you're accessing the 'text' attribute.
2. The function you're using to get the permalink.
3. The way you're inserting your shortcode into your content.

Shortcode Attributes

The first parameter of a shortcode callback should be an array of attributes, not a single string. Naming your parameter $text has no bearing on the value and won't pull the text attribute of your shortcode.

Change the name of your parameter from $text to $atts and set a default value for the text attribute. Setting a default value is a good practice with shortcodes and can be done using the shortcode_atts() function.

Return vs. Output Functions

The second issue is your use of the_permalink() . the_permalink() doesn't return a permalink but outputs it directly instead. As such you can't assign it to a variable.

The new function

function anniversary_link( $atts ) {

    // Set defaults where needed
    $atts = shortcode_atts( array(
        'text' => '',
    ), $atts, 'permalink' );

    // Replace the_permalink(). 
    // Given the level of simplicity it doesn't need it's own variable. 
    $url = get_permalink();

    // Put together a new return statement. 
    // Various ways this could be formatted. I went with something clear and easy to understand.
    return '<a href="' . $url . '">' . $atts['text'] . '</a>';
}

Usage

In your code you're using the shortcode inside the href attribute of a link. The shortcode returns a full link, not a URL, and therefore shouldn't be inside another a tag.

Example:

[permalink text="My Link Text"]
// Outputs <a href="http://myurl.com/permalink-here">My Link Text</a>