BoardScribe includes the [edbs_boardscribe] shortcode for displaying meeting information on any WordPress post, page, or other location that supports shortcodes. If you use a page builder like Elementor, Divi, WPBakery, Beaver Builder, etc., you’ll use the shortcode to display board meeting information on your website.
At its simplest, you can add the shortcode without any attributes:
[edbs_boardscribe]
This displays meetings using BoardScribe’s default table layout and settings, with 20 meetings per page.
The shortcode includes attributes to filter which meetings appear, choose a display template, format dates and times, change column and link labels, hide data, and add custom CSS classes.
BoardScribe Pro adds additional display templates, filters for Meeting Groups and Meeting Types, and columns for meeting locations, livestreams, recordings, transcripts, and supporting documents.
How to Customize Shortcode Output
You can customize how meetings are displayed by adding attributes to the shortcode.
For example:
[edbs_boardscribe date_scope="upcoming" order="asc" posts_per_page="10" hide_minutes="true"]
This example:
- Shows only upcoming meetings.
- Sorts meetings from oldest to newest, placing the next scheduled meeting first.
- Shows 10 meetings per page.
- Hides the Minutes column.
Use the Shortcode Builder
If you do not want to write shortcode attributes manually, use the BoardScribe Shortcode Builder in the WordPress admin.
The Shortcode Builder lets you choose settings using form controls, preview the resulting meeting display, and copy the generated shortcode for use on your site.
This is the easiest option when configuring several attributes at once or when you are unsure of the exact shortcode syntax. If you are not a developer, we recommend starting with the Shortcode Builder, which you can find by going to Board Meetings > Settings > Shortcode Builder in the WordPress admin.
Available Shortcode Attributes
You can use the following attributes to customize the BoardScribe shortcode. Attributes marked Pro require BoardScribe Pro.
Display Settings
template
Selects the template used to display your meetings.
Default: table
Available values:
table— Table (Free)year-timeline— Timeline, grouped by year (Pro)list— List, stacked (Pro)
Table view (default — Free)
The Table template displays meetings in rows, with separate columns for meeting information and document links. This is the default display and works well for meeting archives, especially when visitors need to compare dates or quickly find agendas and minutes.
Example:
[edbs_boardscribe template="table"]
You can choose which columns are displayed and customize their headings. Some columns are only available in BoardScribe Pro, as indicated below.
Timeline view (grouped by year — Pro)
The Timeline template organizes meetings into separate tables grouped by year.
Example:
[edbs_boardscribe template="year-timeline"]
This template is useful for displaying a long history of board meetings, where visitors may want to browse meeting records by year. Each year has a heading, and meetings appear in a table beneath it.
You can customize the heading level to fit the structure of your page (default: H2) and the columns that appear in your meeting tables. As you publish new meetings in additional years, those years will automatically appear on the page.
List view (Pro)
The List template displays meetings as a vertically stacked list rather than a table.
Example:
[edbs_boardscribe template="list"]
Each meeting has its own section, with the meeting title, available details, and document links. This template is especially useful for displaying a list of upcoming meetings or highlighting individual meetings.
You can customize the heading level used for meeting titles to fit the structure of your page (default is H2).
In the list view, if information is not available for a meeting (such as an agenda that hasn’t been published yet), the heading for that element isn’t output.
posts_per_page
Controls how many meetings are displayed on each page.
Default: 20
Format: Positive whole number or all
To show 10 meetings per page:
[edbs_boardscribe posts_per_page="10"]
To show all meetings without pagination:
[edbs_boardscribe posts_per_page="all"]
Using all displays all meetings that match the other filters in a single request. This may negatively impact page speed/load times if you have hundreds of meetings to display.
For websites with many meetings, we recommend using pagination so visitors can navigate the meeting archive without loading all records at once.
included_years
Limits the meeting list to one or more calendar years. This limits results based on the meeting date field, not the meeting post’s publish date.
Default: All years
Format: Comma-separated four-digit years. Do not include spaces or additional text between years.
Example:
[edbs_boardscribe included_years="2025,2026"]
Leaving this attribute blank displays meetings from all years.
If either start_date or end_date is provided, the date range takes priority over included_years.
start_date
Displays only meetings held on or after the specified date. This limits results based on the meeting date field, not the meeting post’s publish date.
Default: No start-date restriction
Format: YYYY-MM-DD
Example:
[edbs_boardscribe start_date="2026-07-01"]
The date must be a valid calendar date using the ISO YYYY-MM-DD format. For example, use 2026-07-01, not 07/01/2026.
Start Date is especially useful for displaying meetings from a fiscal year, school year, or another period that does not match the calendar year.
If Start Date or End Date is set, the date range takes priority over Included Years and Date Scope. Invalid dates are ignored rather than used as filters.
end_date
Displays only meetings held on or before the specified date. This limits results based on the meeting date field, not the meeting post’s publish date.
Default: No end-date restriction
Format: YYYY-MM-DD
Example:
[edbs_boardscribe end_date="2027-06-30"]
You can combine start_date and end_date to create a custom reporting period, such as a fiscal or school year:
[edbs_boardscribe start_date="2026-07-01" end_date="2027-06-30"]
This displays meetings from the July-to-June fiscal or school year.
held_date_format
Controls how dates are displayed for meetings that have a specific held date.
Default: l, F j, Y
The default displays a date like: Wednesday, August 26, 2026.
This attribute uses standard PHP date() formatting.
Example:
[edbs_boardscribe held_date_format="F j, Y"]
This displays: August 26, 2026.
Common formatting characters include:
| Character | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
l | Full weekday | Wednesday |
F | Full month | August |
M | Abbreviated month | Aug |
j | Day without leading zero | 6 |
d | Day with leading zero | 06 |
Y | Four-digit year | 2026 |
y | Two-digit year | 26 |
The default format uses a fully written weekday and month to make dates easier to understand, including when read by screen readers. However, you can change this to match your preferred format.
See the PHP manual for more available formats.
not_held_date_format
Controls the date format used when a meeting has been marked as canceled. You can set this to the same format if you want to show the full date when it would have been held, or you can have a more generic date format such as Month Year if preferred.
Default: F Y
The default produces dates such as: August 2026.
Example:
[edbs_boardscribe not_held_date_format="M Y"]
This displays: Aug 2026.
time_format
Controls how meeting times appear beneath the meeting date.
Default: g:i a
The default displays a time like: 2:00 pm.
Example:
[edbs_boardscribe time_format="g:i A"]
This displays: 2:00 PM.
BoardScribe supports the following PHP time-format characters:
| Character | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
g | 12-hour format without leading zero | 2 |
h | 12-hour format with leading zero | 02 |
G | 24-hour format without leading zero | 14 |
H | 24-hour format with leading zero | 14 |
i | Minutes with leading zero | 00 |
s | Seconds with leading zero | 00 |
a | Lowercase am/pm | pm |
A | Uppercase AM/PM | PM |
For example, use time_format="H:i" to display 14:00.
The time is shown only when a meeting has time information available and hasn’t been marked as not held.
equal_columns
Forces all displayed table columns to use equal widths.
Default: false
Accepted values: true or false
Example:
[edbs_boardscribe equal_columns="true"]
This setting applies to the Table and Timeline templates. It does not apply to the List template.
This can help create more consistent alignment and vertical rhythm across rows, particularly when the content in individual columns varies significantly in length.
date_scope
Choose whether to display all meetings, only upcoming meetings, or only past meetings.
Default: all
Available values:
all— Displays meetings from the full archive, subject to other filters.upcoming— Displays meetings scheduled for today or later.past— Displays meetings dated before today.
To show upcoming meetings:
[edbs_boardscribe date_scope="upcoming"]
To show past meetings:
[edbs_boardscribe date_scope="past"]
The Upcoming and Past options use the current date in your WordPress site’s configured timezone.
For example, you could use date_scope="upcoming" to create a page that automatically shows future board meetings without manually updating the date range.
The meeting list will automatically update as meeting dates pass, adding or removing meetings based on your Upcoming or Past setting.
Note: If you enter start_date or end_date, those settings take priority over date_scope.
order
Choose the order in which meetings appear.
Default: desc (Newest first)
Available values:
desc— Newest first. Displays meetings in descending date order, starting with the latest date, which may be in the future.asc— Oldest first. Displays meetings in ascending date order, starting with the earliest date in the past.
Example:
[edbs_boardscribe order="asc"]
Newest first is generally recommended for an archive of past meeting minutes.
Oldest first is useful for an upcoming meetings list because it places the next scheduled meeting at the top when the date scope is set to upcoming.
For example:
[edbs_boardscribe date_scope="upcoming" order="asc"]
heading_level (Pro)
Choose the heading level used for meeting titles in the List template or year headings in the Timeline template.
Default: h2
Accepted values: h2, h3, h4, h5, h6
Example:
[edbs_boardscribe template="list" heading_level="h3"]
Select a heading level that fits the structure of the page where the shortcode is placed.
For example, if your page has an H1 heading followed by an H2 heading introducing the meeting list, you may want to use H3 headings for the individual meetings.
Accessibility note: Heading levels should reflect the hierarchy of the content on the page. Do not choose a heading level based only on its visual appearance. If you need to change how a heading looks, use your theme’s styles or custom CSS instead.
meeting_group (Pro)
Filter meetings by the board, committee, or organizational group responsible for them.
Default: All Meeting Groups
Format: Comma-separated Meeting Group slugs
For example, to display only meetings belonging to the Finance Committee:
[edbs_boardscribe meeting_group="finance-committee"]
To include multiple groups:
[edbs_boardscribe meeting_group="finance-committee,marketing-committee"]
When multiple groups are included, meetings belonging to any of the selected groups are displayed.
Leave this attribute out to display meetings from all groups.
Meeting Groups must first be created under Board Meetings > Groups and assigned to meetings.
type (Pro)
Filter meetings by their Meeting Type.
Default: All Meeting Types
Format: Comma-separated Meeting Type slugs
For example, to display only Regular Meetings:
[edbs_boardscribe type="regular-meeting"]
To include multiple meeting types:
[edbs_boardscribe type="regular-meeting,special-meeting"]
When multiple types are included, meetings belonging to any selected type are displayed.
Leave this attribute out to display all meeting types.
Meeting Types must first be created under Board Meetings > Types and assigned to meetings.
You can combine Meeting Groups and Type filters. For example:
[edbs_boardscribe meeting_group="board-of-directors" type="regular-meeting"]
This displays Regular Meetings assigned to the Board of Directors.
Column Labels
By default, BoardScribe uses the standard column headings Title, Date, Agenda, and Minutes. You can replace these labels with terminology that better matches your organization’s terms or language.
The labels are used as table column headings and, in the Pro List view, as labels for meeting information.
Leave an attribute out to use BoardScribe’s default label.
Standard Column Labels (Free)
| Attribute | Default Label | Example |
|---|---|---|
title_label | Title | title_label="Meeting Name" |
date_label | Date | date_label="Held On" |
agenda_label | Agenda | agenda_label="Agenda Document" |
minutes_label | Minutes | minutes_label="Approved Minutes" |
For example:
[edbs_boardscribe title_label="Meeting Name" date_label="Held On" agenda_label="Agenda Document" minutes_label="Approved Minutes"]
Additional Column Labels (Pro)
BoardScribe Pro adds the following label attributes:
| Attribute | Default Label | Example |
|---|---|---|
location_label | Location | location_label="Meeting Location" |
livestream_label | Livestream | livestream_label="Watch Live" |
recording_label | Recording | recording_label="Video Recording" |
cc_transcript_label | CC Transcript | cc_transcript_label="Transcript" |
documents_label | Documents | documents_label="Supporting Materials" |
For example:
[edbs_boardscribe location_label="Meeting Location" documents_label="Supporting Materials"]
Customizing labels can be useful if your organization uses different terminology for meetings or documents, or if you want the labels in a different language.
Links
BoardScribe allows you to customize the visible text used for agenda and minutes links and choose whether they open in a new tab.
agenda_link_label
Changes the text used for agenda links.
Default: View Agenda
Example:
[edbs_boardscribe agenda_link_label="Read Agenda"]
minutes_link_label
Changes the text used for minutes links.
Default: View Minutes
Example:
[edbs_boardscribe minutes_link_label="Read Minutes"]
You can customize both labels together:
[edbs_boardscribe agenda_link_label="View Meeting Agenda" minutes_link_label="View Approved Minutes"]
Important: If editing this link text, choose labels that clearly describe the link’s destination or purpose. Avoid vague text such as “Click here” or “Read more.”
open_links_new_window
Controls whether agenda and minutes links open in a new browser tab.
Default: false
Accepted values: true or false
Example:
[edbs_boardscribe open_links_new_window="true"]
When enabled, BoardScribe automatically adds a screen-reader hint indicating that the link opens in a new tab. It also adds rel="noopener noreferrer" to the links.
Accessibility note: We generally recommend leaving this setting off unless there is a specific reason to open links in new tabs. Unexpectedly opening a new tab can confuse some users, particularly those using screen readers or magnification software.
Hide Data
Use the following attributes to remove columns or information that you do not want displayed.
Set an attribute to true to hide that information and false to show it.
Standard Hide Data Attributes (Free)
| Attribute | Default | What It Hides |
|---|---|---|
hide_title | false | Meeting title |
hide_date | false | Meeting date |
hide_time | false | Meeting start and end times shown beneath the date |
hide_agenda | false | Agenda |
hide_minutes | false | Minutes |
For example, to show only meeting titles and dates:
[edbs_boardscribe hide_agenda="true" hide_minutes="true"]
To hide meeting times but continue displaying the dates:
[edbs_boardscribe hide_time="true"]
Meeting times are displayed as part of the Date column rather than as a separate column. If you hide the Date column, the time is also hidden.
Even when the visible meeting time is hidden, BoardScribe retains time information in document link labels so meetings held on the same day can be distinguished.
If the Title column is visible, it functions as the row header. If you hide the title, the date becomes the row header.
We do not recommend hiding both the title and date, as they provide context for the links.
Additional Hide Data Attributes (Pro)
BoardScribe Pro adds five additional columns. All five are hidden by default.
To display one of these columns, set its corresponding attribute to false.
| Attribute | Default | Information Displayed |
|---|---|---|
hide_location | true | Meeting location |
hide_livestream | true | Livestream link |
hide_recording | true | Meeting recording link |
hide_cc_transcript | true | Meeting transcript link |
hide_documents | true | Supporting documents |
For example, to show meeting locations and livestream links:
[edbs_boardscribe hide_location="false" hide_livestream="false"]
To show all five additional columns:
[edbs_boardscribe hide_location="false" hide_livestream="false" hide_recording="false" hide_cc_transcript="false" hide_documents="false"]
The Location column can display in-person meeting addresses, room information, visitor instructions, and available virtual meeting links, depending on the information entered for the meeting.
The Documents column can include links to budgets, financial reports, presentations, and other supporting materials.
Note: Showing a column does not automatically create content for it. The relevant information must be added to the Board Meeting for a link or other detail to appear. In the Table and Timeline templates, cells may be empty when information is unavailable. In the List template, labels for unavailable information are not output.
Advanced
class
Adds one or more custom CSS classes to the BoardScribe display. Use this if you want to add custom CSS styles that target a specific BoardScribe table or list.
Default: None
Format: Space-separated CSS class names
Example:
[edbs_boardscribe class="meeting-table compact-table"]
You can then target these classes in your site’s stylesheet:
.meeting-table {
max-width: 1200px;
}Only valid CSS class-name characters are retained. Separate multiple classes with spaces. Do not include periods (.) before class names.
Using Multiple BoardScribe Shortcodes on One Page
You can place more than one [edbs_boardscribe] shortcode on the same page. Each instance is handled separately, so each shortcode can have its own filters, labels, display settings, and pagination.
When adding multiple shortcodes to a page, we recommend adding headings before each shortcode so the tables or lists are clearly labeled and visitors understand the differences between groupings.
For example, you could display upcoming meetings followed by past meetings:
<h2>Upcoming Meetings</h2>
[edbs_boardscribe date_scope="upcoming" order="asc" posts_per_page="5"]
<h2>Past Meetings</h2>
[edbs_boardscribe date_scope="past" order="desc" posts_per_page="20"]Each meeting display shows the meetings that match its shortcode settings. The settings do not have to be the same.
More Examples
Here are additional examples of shortcodes for common scenarios.
Show Meetings From a Single Year
[edbs_boardscribe included_years="2026"]
Show Meetings From Several Years
[edbs_boardscribe included_years="2024,2025,2026"]
Show the Current Fiscal Year
[edbs_boardscribe start_date="2026-07-01" end_date="2027-06-30"]
Show 25 Meetings Per Page
[edbs_boardscribe posts_per_page="25"]
Show All Meetings Without Pagination
[edbs_boardscribe posts_per_page="all"]
Show Upcoming Meetings
[edbs_boardscribe date_scope="upcoming" order="asc" posts_per_page="5"]
This displays the next five upcoming meetings, with the soonest meeting first.
Show Past Meetings
[edbs_boardscribe date_scope="past" order="desc" posts_per_page="20"]
This displays past meetings starting with the most recent.
Use a Shorter Date Format
[edbs_boardscribe held_date_format="F j, Y"]
Show Upcoming Meetings in List View (Pro)
[edbs_boardscribe template="list" date_scope="upcoming" order="asc" posts_per_page="5" heading_level="h3"]
This displays the next five upcoming meetings as a stacked list, with H3 headings for meeting titles.
Show a Meeting Timeline Grouped by Year (Pro)
[edbs_boardscribe template="year-timeline" heading_level="h2" posts_per_page="all"]
This groups meetings into tables by year, with an H2 heading for each year.
Show Meetings for a Specific Committee (Pro)
[edbs_boardscribe meeting_group="finance-committee" date_scope="all" order="desc"]
This displays meetings assigned to the Finance Committee.
Show Regular Meetings for a Specific Board (Pro)
[edbs_boardscribe meeting_group="board-of-directors" type="regular-meeting"]
This displays Regular Meetings assigned to the Board of Directors.
Show Upcoming Meetings With Additional Details (Pro)
[edbs_boardscribe template="list" date_scope="upcoming" order="asc" hide_location="false" hide_livestream="false" hide_documents="false"]
This displays upcoming meetings in a stacked list with available location details, livestream links, and supporting documents.
Using the Shortcode in WordPress
In the WordPress block editor, we recommend using the Board Meetings block instead of the shortcode, but you can add a shortcode in the block editor using a Shortcode block.
You can also use the shortcode in page builders or other WordPress content areas that execute WordPress shortcodes. Most text editors in page builders will accept and render a shortcode, but some have specialized blocks or widgets specifically for shortcodes.
Here is documentation on using shortcodes with popular page builders:
BoardScribe automatically loads the styles and scripts it needs when the shortcode is rendered, including when a page builder processes the shortcode later in the page-rendering process.
Block or Shortcode?
The Board Meetings block and [edbs_boardscribe] shortcode provide different ways to configure the same BoardScribe meeting display.
Use the Board Meetings block when you’re working in the WordPress block editor and want to configure the display using visual controls.
Use the shortcode when you need to place a meeting list somewhere that accepts shortcodes, when you’re using a page builder that doesn’t support the block, or if you are coding BoardScribe output in your theme.
BoardScribe’s shared field registry provides the core shortcode and block settings, keeping the available options and their defaults consistent across display methods. Both approaches offer identical controls and output.