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 all available meetings using BoardScribe’s default table layout and settings.
How to Customize Shortcode Output
You can customize which meetings appear, how dates are formatted, which columns are shown, column and link labels, pagination, and CSS classes by adding attributes to the shortcode.
For example, here’s what the shortcode looks like with some attributes set:
[edbs_boardscribe included_years="2025,2026" posts_per_page="10" held_date_format="F j, Y" hide_agenda="true"]This example:
- Shows meetings from 2025 and 2026.
- Shows 10 meetings per page.
- Formats meeting dates as
August 26, 2026. - Hides the Agenda 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.
Filters
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: shows 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.
When start_date or end_date is used, the date range takes priority over included_years. 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 is useful when a reporting period does not match a calendar year.
Display parameters
posts_per_page
Controls how many meetings are displayed on each page.
Default: 20
Format: Positive whole number or all
Example:
[edbs_boardscribe posts_per_page="10"]To display every matching meeting without pagination:
[edbs_boardscribe posts_per_page="all"]BoardScribe treats all as no limit. Non-positive or invalid values are also normalized to no limit, so using a positive whole number or the word all is recommended.
held_date_format
Controls how the date is displayed for meetings that have a specific held date.
Default: l, F j, Y
The default produces dates such as: Wednesday, August 26, 2026.
Format: PHP date format
Example:
[edbs_boardscribe held_date_format="F j, Y"]This produces: August 26, 2026.
BoardScribe uses standard PHP date-format characters. The default includes the fully written weekday because spelled-out dates are generally clearer and screen readers announce them better than abbreviated or entirely numeric dates.
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 |
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.
Format: PHP date format
Example:
[edbs_boardscribe not_held_date_format="M Y"]This produces: Aug 2026
template
Selects the display template used for the meeting dates and documents. Currently, the only supported format is a table. We will add other formats in the future.
When another template is available, we will update this documentation.
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 can be useful when you want consistent column alignment across table rows.
class
Adds one or more custom CSS classes to the BoardScribe table. Use this if you want to add custom CSS styles that target a specific BoardScribe table.
Default: None
Format: Space-separated CSS class names
Example:
[edbs_boardscribe class="meeting-table compact-table"]You can then target those classes in your site’s CSS.
For example:
.meeting-table {
max-width: 1200px;
}
Only valid CSS class-name characters are retained. Separate multiple classes with spaces. Do not include periods (.).
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 four custom column-label attributes are registered separately and are blank by default, so BoardScribe’s standard interface labels are used when no override is supplied.
title_label
Changes the label for the Title column.
Default: Title
Example:
[edbs_boardscribe title_label="Meeting Type"]date_label
Changes the label for the Date column.
Default: Date
Example:
[edbs_boardscribe date_label="Meeting Date"]agenda_label
Changes the label for the Agenda column.
Default: Agenda
Example:
[edbs_boardscribe agenda_label="Meeting Agenda"]minutes_label
Changes the label for the Minutes column.
Default: Minutes
Example:
[edbs_boardscribe minutes_label="Approved Minutes"]Example with all
You can customize several labels at once:
[edbs_boardscribe title_label="Meeting Type" date_label="Held On" agenda_label="Agenda Document" minutes_label="Meeting Minutes"]
Document Link Labels
BoardScribe also allows you to customize the text used for agenda and minutes links.
agenda_link_label
Changes the visible label used for agenda links.
Default: View Agenda
Example:
[edbs_boardscribe agenda_link_label="Read Agenda"]minutes_link_label
Changes the visible label used for minutes links.
Default: View Minutes
Example:
[edbs_boardscribe minutes_link_label="Download Minutes"]Example with both:
You can use both together
[edbs_boardscribe agenda_link_label="Download Agenda" minutes_link_label="Download 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.”
Hiding Columns
Any of the four standard table columns can be hidden with checkbox-style shortcode attributes that accept Boolean values, so use true to hide a column and false to show it.
All four columns are displayed by default.
hide_title
Hides the Title column.
Default: false
Example:
[edbs_boardscribe hide_title="true"]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 the date, as they provide context to the links.
hide_date
Hides the Date column.
Default: false
Example:
[edbs_boardscribe hide_date="true"]hide_agenda
Hides the Agenda column.
Default: false
Example:
[edbs_boardscribe hide_agenda="true"]hide_minutes
Hides the Minutes column.
Default: false
Example:
[edbs_boardscribe hide_minutes="true"]Showing only meeting information with no documents
To create a simple list showing only meeting titles and dates, you can hide the agenda and minutes columns like this:
[edbs_boardscribe hide_agenda="true" hide_minutes="true"]More Examples
Here are additional examples of shortcodes for some 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"]Use a shorter date format
[edbs_boardscribe held_date_format="F j, Y"]Combine multiple options
[edbs_boardscribe included_years="2026" posts_per_page="10" held_date_format="F j, Y" title_label="Meeting Type" agenda_link_label="Download Agenda" minutes_link_label="View Approved Minutes" equal_columns="true"]
Using the Shortcode in WordPress
In the WordPress block editor, we recommend using the BoardScribe 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:
- Elementor shortcode widget
- Divi Code Module
- Beaver Builder shortcode tutorial
- WP Bakery Shortcode Mapper
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.
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 are clearly labeled and visitors understand the differences between groupings.
For example:
<h2>2026 Meetings</h2>
[edbs_boardscribe included_years="2026"]
<h2>2025 Meetings</h2>
[edbs_boardscribe included_years="2025" hide_agenda="true"]Each meeting table displays the meetings that match its shortcode settings. The shortcode settings do not have to be the same.