Use the oik base plugin to enter key information about your business, then embed this information in your website using WordPress blocks or shortcodes. Use more advanced blocks or shortcodes to display your website’s content dynamically.
OIK base plugin development history
The OIK base plugin was originally developed when shortcodes and widgets were all the rage. Over time new functionality was developed with more powerful dynamic shortcodes and improved HTML generation.
Since early 2020, the oik base plugin has delivered a number of Gutenberg blocks. These replace some of the more useful shortcodes which don’t have an easy to use equivalent in WordPress core.
To continue to support backward compatibility the oik base plugin still provides quite a lot of legacy functionality that was originally developed for the Classic editor. Most of this functionality works in the Block editor. The shortcodes and blocks can also be used with Full Site Editing themes.
Some shortcodes are still more advanced than the blocks that are being developed to replace them. Others can be replaced by WordPress blocks, either those delivered in WordPress core, or by other plugins.
oik for the Classic editor
Each of the 80 or so shortcodes that you can use may be included in titles, page and post content and widgets.
Some of the shortcodes also allow you to enter your own HTML markup. This enables you to create nicely formatted content with the minimum of effort.
When editing a page or post in Visual mode you can click on a choice of buttons to display a dialog from which to select the shortcode you need. When using the HTML editor you use the [] quicktag button.
The buttons are not available for Text Widgets and other fields, but you can copy and paste the generated shortcode as and when necessary.
oik for the Block editor
For the Gutenberg block editor the oik base plugin delivers 7 blocks. These blocks replace 48 of the original shortcodes.
| Block | Notes | Original shortcode(s) |
|---|---|---|
| Address – oik/address | Displays your address | [bw_address] |
| Contact form – oik/contact-form | Display a contact form | [bw_contact_form] |
| Countdown – oik/countdown | Countdown timer | [bw_countdown] |
| Dynamic content block – oik/content-block | Expands content for dynamic oik shortcodes | [bw_pages], [bw_posts] and 8 others |
| Follow me – oik/follow-me | Display Social media links | [bw_follow_me] |
| Google Maps – oik/googlemap | Displays a Google Maps map using oik options | [bw_show_googlemap] |
| Shortcode block for oik-shortcodes – oik/shortcode-block | Expands oik shortcodes | Supports 35 of the oik shortcodes including [bw_email],[ bw_code bw_tel] and [bw_wpadmin] |
The other 30 something shortcodes will:
- either remain as shortcodes only, since they’re not suitable for implementing as blocks
- or should be replaced when reworking your classic block content as Gutenberg blocks.
Supported from wordpress.org and oik-plugins
The oik base plugin is supported from both WordPress.org and oik-plugins.
wordpress.org
oik is available as a WordPress plugin from the WordPress Plugin Directory. Read about oik Download oik
oik-plugins.com / oik-plugins.co.uk
The version on oik-plugins features the bleeding edge changes that are being tested before being released to the WordPress repository. New features appear here first.
See also
To read about the oik options where you define your often included key information see oik options.
OIK originally stood for “often included key information”. It’s now a recursive acronym “OIK Information Kit”.
To find out more about oik’s features, extensions and some suggested uses for the blocks and shortcodes see oik information kit.
Click on the tabs to:
- Read the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
- See screenshots of the oik admin pages and some shortcode examples
- View the change log
- View the Shortcodes reference
- View the Blocks reference
- Read the documentation
- Dig into the code by reading the dynamic API reference: APIs, classes, files and hooks
