Better Search Shortcodes

Better Search provides two powerful shortcodes: [bsearch_heatmap] and [bsearch_form]. These are available in both the free and Pro versions of the plugin and can be used to display a heatmap of popular searches or embed a customisable search form.

1. [bsearch_heatmap]

This shortcode generates a heatmap of popular search terms on your site. You can customise its appearance and functionality using various attributes.

Attributes for bsearch_heatmap

Attribute	Type	Description
daily	Boolean	Display searches from the past X days (1 or 0).
daily_range	Integer	Number of days for the daily heatmap.
smallest	Integer	Smallest font size for the heatmap.
largest	Integer	Largest font size for the heatmap.
unit	String	Font size unit (px, pt, etc.).
hot	String (hex)	Colour for the most popular searches.
cold	String (hex)	Colour for the least popular searches.
number	Integer	Maximum number of terms to display.
before_term	String	Text or HTML before each search term.
after_term	String	Text or HTML after each search term.
link_nofollow	Boolean	Adds rel="nofollow" to links (1 or 0).
link_new_window	Boolean	Opens links in a new tab (1 or 0).
format	String	Heatmap format: flat (inline), array or list.
separator	String	Separator for terms when format is flat.
orderby	String	How to order terms: count or name.
order	String	Order direction: ASC, DESC or RAND.
topic_count_text	String	Custom text for displaying term counts.
show_count	Boolean	Show the count of searches for each term (1 or 0).
no_results_text	String	Text to display when there are no search terms available.

Example Usage

This example shows a heatmap of the top 10 daily searches with custom font sizes and colours.

[bsearch_heatmap daily="1" number="10" smallest="10" largest="20" hot="#ff0000" cold="#cccccc"]

2. [bsearch_form]

This shortcode embeds a customisable Better Search form anywhere on your site.

Attributes for bsearch_form

Attribute	Type	Description
before	String	Text or HTML to display before the search form.
after	String	Text or HTML to display after the search form.
aria_label	String	ARIA label for the search form (accessibility).
post_types	String (csv)	Post types to search (comma-separated list).
selected_post_types	String (csv)	Preselect post types in the dropdown (comma-separated list).
show_post_types	Boolean	Show a dropdown to select post types (1 or 0).

Example Usage

This example wraps the search form in a custom div and includes a dropdown for post type selection.

[bsearch_form before="<div class='search-wrapper'>" after="</div>" show_post_types="true"]