WPCS - WordPress Currency Switcher Professional

How to Display Current Currency Code with Custom Shortcode

Learn how to create a custom shortcode that displays only the currency code (e.g., “USD”, “EUR”, “GBP”) without any additional text.

The Problem

WPCS has a built-in shortcode [wpcs_current_currency] that displays the current currency, but it outputs:

Current currency is: USD

What you often need: Just the currency code: USD

This is useful when:

  • Sending currency data to external applications
  • Displaying currency in your own custom text
  • Integrating with forms or other plugins
  • Building custom pricing displays

Solution: Create Custom Shortcode

Add this code to your child theme’s functions.php or use Code Snippets plugin:

Basic Version (Currency Code Only)

/**
 * Custom shortcode to display current currency code
 * Usage: [current_currency]
 * Output: USD (or EUR, GBP, etc.)
 */
add_shortcode('current_currency', function() {
    if (class_exists('WPCS')) {
        global $WPCS;
        return $WPCS->current_currency;
    }
    return '';
});

Usage:

[current_currency]

Output:

USD

Extended Version (With Multiple Options)

This version gives you more flexibility with different output formats:

/**
 * Extended currency shortcode with options
 * Usage: [get_currency info="code"]
 * Options:
 * - code: USD
 * - symbol: $
 * - name: US Dollar
 */
add_shortcode('get_currency', function($atts) {
    if (!class_exists('WPCS')) {
        return '';
    }
    
    global $WPCS;
    
    // Default attributes
    $atts = shortcode_atts(array(
        'info' => 'code', // code, symbol, or name
    ), $atts);
    
    $currency = $WPCS->current_currency;
    
    // Get currency data
    $currencies = $WPCS->get_currencies();
    
    switch ($atts['info']) {
        case 'symbol':
            // Return currency symbol ($, €, £)
            return isset($currencies[$currency]['symbol']) ? $currencies[$currency]['symbol'] : '';
            
        case 'name':
            // Return currency name (US Dollar, Euro, etc.)
            return isset($currencies[$currency]['name']) ? $currencies[$currency]['name'] : '';
            
        case 'code':
        default:
            // Return currency code (USD, EUR, GBP)
            return $currency;
    }
});

Usage examples:

Currency code: [get_currency info="code"]
Currency symbol: [get_currency info="symbol"]
Currency name: [get_currency info="name"]

Output:

Currency code: USD
Currency symbol: $
Currency name: US Dollar

Where to Add the Code

Option 1: Child Theme functions.php (Recommended)

  1. Go to Appearance → Theme Editor
  2. Select Child Theme (important!)
  3. Open functions.php
  4. Paste code at the end of file
  5. Click Update File

Why child theme:

  • Parent theme updates won’t erase your code
  • Safer and more maintainable

Option 2: Code Snippets Plugin (Easier)

  1. Install Code Snippets plugin: https://wordpress.org/plugins/code-snippets/
  2. Go to Snippets → Add New
  3. Paste code
  4. Set to “Run everywhere”
  5. Activate snippet

Advantages:

  • No theme file editing
  • Easy to enable/disable
  • Survives theme changes

Real-World Use Cases

Use Case 1: Custom Pricing Text

Instead of:

Current currency is: USD
Price: $99

You can write:

Price in [current_currency]: $99

Output:

Price in USD: $99

Use Case 2: Integration with Forms

Send currency code to external application via hidden field:

<form>
    <input type="hidden" name="currency" value="[current_currency]">
    <input type="text" name="amount">
    <button type="submit">Submit</button>
</form>

Use Case 3: Conditional Content

Combine with conditional shortcode plugins:

[if currency="USD"]
Special offer for US customers!
[/if]

Use Case 4: Dynamic Text

Your cart total in US Dollar: $99.00

Output:

Your cart total in US Dollar: $99.00

Use Case 5: Multi-Currency Comparison

Price: $99 [current_currency]
(Approximately €90 EUR or £80 GBP)

Advanced: Get GeoIP Detected Currency

If you want to show the currency that was auto-detected by GeoIP (not necessarily the current active currency):

/**
 * Get GeoIP detected currency
 * Usage: [geoip_currency]
 */
add_shortcode('geoip_currency', function() {
    if (!class_exists('WPCS')) {
        return '';
    }
    
    global $WPCS;
    
    // Get currency detected by GeoIP
    $geo_currency = $WPCS->get_currency_by_country(
        $WPCS->get_user_country_code()
    );
    
    return $geo_currency ? $geo_currency : $WPCS->default_currency;
});

Use case: Show user what currency was detected based on their location:

We detected you're browsing from [geoip_currency] region.
Currently viewing prices in [current_currency].

Advanced: Get All Currency Information

Get all data about current currency:

/**
 * Get comprehensive currency data
 * Usage: [currency_info]
 */
add_shortcode('currency_info', function() {
    if (!class_exists('WPCS')) {
        return '';
    }
    
    global $WPCS;
    
    $currency = $WPCS->current_currency;
    $currencies = $WPCS->get_currencies();
    $data = $currencies[$currency];
    
    $output = sprintf(
        'Code: %s | Symbol: %s | Name: %s | Rate: %s',
        $currency,
        $data['symbol'],
        $data['name'],
        $data['rate']
    );
    
    return $output;
});

Output:

Code: EUR | Symbol: € | Name: Euro | Rate: 0.92

Styling the Output

You can wrap output in HTML for styling:

add_shortcode('styled_currency', function() {
    if (!class_exists('WPCS')) {
        return '';
    }
    
    global $WPCS;
    $currency = $WPCS->current_currency;
    
    return '<span class="currency-badge">' . esc_html($currency) . '</span>';
});

Then add CSS:

.currency-badge {
    background: #007bff;
    color: white;
    padding: 2px 8px;
    border-radius: 3px;
    font-size: 12px;
    font-weight: bold;
}

Output:

<span style="background:#007bff;color:white;padding:2px 8px;border-radius:3px;font-size:12px;font-weight:bold;">USD</span>

Troubleshooting

Shortcode Shows Nothing

Problem: [current_currency] displays blank

Possible causes:

  1. WPCS not active
    • Verify WPCS plugin is installed and activated
    • Check Plugins page
  2. Code not added correctly
    • Verify code is in functions.php or Code Snippets
    • Check for PHP syntax errors
    • Look at error log (if WP_DEBUG enabled)
  3. Shortcode name conflict
    • Another plugin might use same shortcode name
    • Try different name: [my_currency] instead

Solution: Add error checking to your shortcode:

add_shortcode('current_currency', function() {
    if (!class_exists('WPCS')) {
        return '<!-- WPCS plugin not found -->';
    }
    
    global $WPCS;
    
    if (!isset($WPCS->current_currency)) {
        return '<!-- Currency not set -->';
    }
    
    return $WPCS->current_currency;
});

View page source to see error message.

Wrong Currency Displayed

Problem: Shortcode shows wrong currency

Possible causes:

  1. Cache issue
    • Clear all caches (WordPress, browser, server)
    • Test in incognito mode
  2. Currency not switched yet
    • User hasn’t switched currency manually
    • GeoIP detection not working
    • Check WPCS settings

Solution:

  • Clear caches
  • Test currency switching manually
  • Verify GeoIP is configured in WPCS

Shortcode Works in Posts But Not Widgets

Problem: Shortcode displays in posts but not sidebar widgets

Cause: WordPress doesn’t process shortcodes in widgets by default

Solution: Add this code to enable shortcodes in widgets:

add_filter('widget_text', 'do_shortcode');

Special Characters Display Incorrectly

Problem: Currency symbols like € or £ show as �

Solution: Use esc_html() to properly encode:

add_shortcode('current_currency', function() {
    if (class_exists('WPCS')) {
        global $WPCS;
        return esc_html($WPCS->current_currency);
    }
    return '';
});

Using in PHP Templates

If you need to use this in PHP template files instead of shortcodes:

<?php
if (class_exists('WPCS')) {
    global $WPCS;
    echo esc_html($WPCS->current_currency);
}
?>

Or with the shortcode:

<?php echo do_shortcode('[current_currency]'); ?>

Best Practices

  1. Always check if WPCS exists

    if (class_exists('WPCS')) {
       // Your code
   }

     

    This prevents errors if WPCS is deactivated

  2. Use unique shortcode names
    • Avoid generic names like [currency]
    • Use prefixed names: [my_site_currency]
  3. Escape output 
    return esc_html($WPCS->current_currency);

    Prevents XSS vulnerabilities

  4. Test after WPCS updates
    • Plugin updates might change API
    • Test your custom shortcodes after updates
  5. Document your shortcodes
    • Keep notes of what each shortcode does
    • Add comments in code

Alternative: Using WPCS Built-in Function

Instead of creating shortcode, you can use WPCS function directly in PHP:

$currency = wpcs_current_currency();
echo $currency; // Outputs: USD

Available functions:

  • wpcs_current_currency() – Get current currency code
  • wpcs_convert_price($amount, $from, $to) – Convert between currencies
  • wpcs_get_user_currency() – Get user’s selected currency

Summary

Quick solution (copy-paste ready):

/**
 * Display current currency code
 * Usage: [current_currency]
 * Output: USD (or EUR, GBP, etc.)
 */
add_shortcode('current_currency', function() {
    if (class_exists('WPCS')) {
        global $WPCS;
        return esc_html($WPCS->current_currency);
    }
    return '';
});

Add to:

  • Child theme’s functions.php, OR
  • Code Snippets plugin

Use anywhere:

[current_currency]

Output:

USD

That’s it! Simple, clean, and works everywhere shortcodes are supported.