Awhile back I posted a tutorial on how to use shortcodes in WordPress text widgets. This is easy enough, but if you don’t want to edit your theme’s functions.php file, you can actually install a plugin to do it for you.
Use Shortcodes in Sidebar Widgets is a new plugin that you can easily add from your WordPress dashboard to turn on shortcodes in sidebar widgets. No need to edit any files, just activate it and you’ll have this in place, even if you change your WordPress theme.
Need to use shortcodes outside of the post editor? Follow our quick tutorial:
How to Use a WordPress Shortcode Outside of the Post Editor
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Or you know, just put add_filter(‘widget_text’, ‘do_shortcode’); in functions.php. This doesn’t need to be a plugin.
Sure, but some people don’t like to edit files. Also, another advantage is if it’s a plugin it will carry over if you happen to change your theme.