Shortcode Not Working in PHP Code

[alhikmahsoftware]

Hi,

The shortcode is working correctly with the default WordPress editor, but when I try to run it using PHP code, it only displays:
"Fetching:"

Here is the code I'm using:

Could you please help me check this issue? I’ve tested it with the Astra theme and a few others, but the result is the same.

Check the page bottom: https://tf.handymanfokinsllc.com/state/al/

Best regards

[pjaudiomv]

did this work previously or is this new install ? Can you try upgrading to latest version as well 3.22.4

[otrok7]

First analysis: The crouton JS und CSS is not being enqueued. The code that decides whether or not not to do this looks for the shortcode in the page-content. This is a separate process from the one that replaces the shortcode with the "Fetching" button...it has to run first, when enqueues are expected.

[otrok7]

What is the shortcode you are using, exactly? What theme are you using? Are you using some sort of complex page building, eg, Oxygen?

[otrok7]

What do you mean with "run it using PHP code"?

[alhikmahsoftware]

@otrok7

page.php

<?php echo do_shortcode('[bmlt_tabs]'); ?>

[alhikmahsoftware]

@pjaudiomv Yes I'm using latest version 3.22.4

[otrok7]

do_shortcode expands the shortcode into HTML, but doesn't trigger the other stuff done by the plugin. Specifically, it doesn't cause the Javascript and CSS to be inserted into the HTML. Are you trying to call crouton from another plugin, or from a template, or what?

[alhikmahsoftware]

Hi @otrok7 and team,

Thanks for your follow-up.

Yes, I'm calling the shortcode from a custom page.php template using:

<?php echo do_shortcode('[bmlt_tabs]'); ?>

The shortcode itself renders HTML like Fetching:, but the required JS and CSS assets (such as those related to Crouton) are not being enqueued, which is likely why it’s not working as expected.

From your explanation, it seems the plugin checks the post content for shortcodes to conditionally enqueue scripts and styles. But since I'm calling it directly from a template file (not within the_content()), this check is bypassed.

Is there a recommended way to manually enqueue Crouton's assets when using the shortcode outside of post content?
Alternatively, if there’s a hook or function I can call to trigger the asset enqueuing manually, I’d be happy to implement that.

Looking forward to your advice.

Best regards

[otrok7]

I'm assuming you're a programmer. I can imagine adding a filter to crouton that will allow you to overwrite the page contents that are evaluated by crouton, and leave the contents to be generated alone. Offhand, I don't think you can do such a thing from a template. I'd have to check the WP codebase, but I think the templates are used too late in the process... I've only ever seen them used for layout type stuff. Would a filter like that the one described above help?

[alhikmahsoftware]

Hi @otrok7,

Thanks a lot for the detailed clarification — it makes perfect sense now.

Yes, I’m a developer, and I understand the limitation: since do_shortcode('[bmlt_tabs]') is being called from a custom page.php template (outside of the_content()), the Crouton plugin’s script/style enqueuing logic doesn’t get triggered because it scans only post content.

A filter that allows us to hook into the "shortcode detection" logic and manually inject the [bmlt_tabs] shortcode (or its marker) into Crouton’s content evaluation phase — without affecting the actual rendered output — would be very helpful. That way, even when rendering from the template, we can still ensure the necessary assets load.

Please let me know if such a filter can be added or if there's an alternative way (e.g. a function like crouton_enqueue_assets()) that we can call conditionally when rendering the shortcode outside the loop.

Thanks again for your support!

Best regards

[otrok7]

I can add an apply_filter like that in the next release. It will be at least a week since I'm in the middle of some other stuff. I'll let you know what the name is and if there are any additional arguments, besides the post contents. I'm changing this issue to an enhancement.