bbPress – Do Short Codes
by Pippin Williamson · Uncategorized
Also makes 20 other plugins · 760+ installs across the portfolio →
A simple plugin to enable short codes in bbPress topics and replies.
Try it live opens a temporary test site in your browser, which can take about 20 seconds to load. Plugins that rely on outside services or a full server may not work completely there.
Health
D 46/100
Stale · Likely abandoned · Few reviews
Active installs
100+
≈150 estimated
Momentum
+8%
downloads vs prior 30d
Biggest opportunity: Swap “bbpress” and “do shortcode” for “pippin williamson” and “mordauk”. “bbpress” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “pippin williamson” sits at #6 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. “do shortcode” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “mordauk” sits at #7 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. All five slots are taken, so one has to go.
46 health vs 58 average across 25,763 Uncategorized plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →1.1%
of downloads still active
At least 100 of 9K lifetime downloads are still running, above its category: the median Uncategorized plugin keeps 0.6%, across 17,773 plugins.
Downloads count every update, not just first installs, so older and more frequently released plugins read lower. Compare against other Uncategorized plugins, not across the directory. wp.org reports active installs as the bottom of a band, so the real rate is this or higher.
High removal-risk signals
63/100Maintenance and integrity signals that tend to precede a WordPress.org removal. Not an official status, a heads-up to act.
- Long abandoned. No update in 6+ years — the top precursor to removal once a vulnerability is found.
- Compatibility drift. Tested only up to WordPress 5.3.27, well behind 6.8.
Details
Directory ranking optimization
How it's scored →How well this listing is tuned to rank in WordPress.org search, on the factors an owner controls. Not popularity, optimization.
Under-optimized
Most to gain: Update recency
Updated 2546 days ago, past the ~180 days where wp.org starts discounting
Tested up to WordPress 5.3.27; the current branch is 6.8
4.6★ over 5 reviews, smoothed to 4.15★ and held back under 25 reviews
5 of 5 tags set · short description in place
To rank higher: Last updated 2546 days ago — ship an update; wp.org decays a listing's search weight after ~180 days.
Get the full rank-higher report →Search visibility
How it's tracked →Directory searches this plugin turns up in, and which way each one is moving. WordPress.org publishes no history of search positions, so this starts the day we first tracked a keyword and never backfills.
Not enough tracked days yet to call a direction. Momentum needs at least three keywords measured a week or more apart.
wp.org is where the directory puts the plugin for that search. On merit is where it would sit if results were ranked on rating, support and updates, without the install boost. The last column is how far the wp.org position moved, from our first reading in the last 90 days to the latest.
| Keyword | wp.org | On merit | wp.org move, 90 days |
|---|---|---|---|
| pippin williamson | #6 | #8 | up 1 |
| mordauk | #7 | #9 | 0 |
| bbpress your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| do shortcode your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| forums your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| short code your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| shortcodes your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
2 searches this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days. 5 of its tags aren't in the top 24 for their own search.
What to do about it
- Swap “bbpress” and “do shortcode” for “pippin williamson” and “mordauk”. “bbpress” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “pippin williamson” sits at #6 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. “do shortcode” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “mordauk” sits at #7 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. All five slots are taken, so one has to go.
Daily downloads
Since 5 Oct 2022 · 1,489 days · wp.org + Plugin Pulse archive
30-day downloads
Rolling 30-day volume · peak 95 · peaks are release surges
Directory rank
Ranked about #13,300 to #16,400, alongside the other plugins at 100+ installs. Plugins with the same install count swap places between wp.org requests, so this is where most of them sit. Checked monthly, last on 1 Nov 2026.
Rating trend
Star average over time · dips mark rough releases
Update activity
How busy the existing users are, measured as downloads in the last 30 days for every 1,000 active sites. A spike means a new release everyone's pulling; a long, slow decline means an aging user base that updates less.
Release cadence
No release in a yearHow often this plugin actually ships. A steady rhythm is the maintenance signal a single "last updated" date can't show.
0
releases in the last 12 months
7.0y ago
latest release · v1.0.3 · 13 Nov 2019
4
tagged releases on record
Recent releases
What its installed base runs
via wordpress.orgShare of active installs on each version of this plugin · 100% run the current release. Green is the current release; a big slice on older versions is a user base that has stopped updating.
Estimated active installs
The public count shows “100+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Crossed into this band 13 months ago; a band this size takes about a year or more to cross, which places it about 50% of the way through.
Install history since 27 May 2015
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ T4G7.0y ago
Even though this plugin has not been updated in 5 years and hasn’t been tested since 4.1.28 (or at least logged in the readme.txt file), it parses all of my shortcodes just fine. We have s2Member and they have shortcodes to place in your content in order to restrict or show partial content and those shortcodes work fine. It also parses the visual composer shortcodes, so WPBakery Composer works with topics and replies. I would love to see the compatibility updated!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ noonso10.6y ago
It works good in this version. Thanks.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ AlamSyed10.7y ago
Yes the plugin works as advertised but effective only half way through. Now you can display shortcode functionality, however all your styling is lost since bbpress overrides everything. So it would have been very nice and complete, if the shortcodes enabled using this plugin were able to display the styles along with functionality of the shortcodes in bbpress. Hence and only hence three stars 🙂
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ verbotten10.8y ago
Works as advertised.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ iadagraca11.2y ago
Used this to enabled galleries in forums, thank you!
Read on wp.org ↗
AI assistants
How it's measured →Whether ChatGPT and Claude name this plugin when asked the category question, and whether the readme gives them something to quote.
Not measured yet for this plugin’s topics. Its tracked searches are not among the measured topics. See the topics measured so far.
Readme readiness
3 of 8 pass · checked 29 Oct 2026Can an assistant quote this readme? Eight deterministic checks over the wp.org listing, no model involved.
- ✓ Says what it does "A simple plugin to enable short codes in bbPress topics and replies."
- ! Has a FAQ No FAQ section.
- ! FAQ asks real questions No FAQ to judge.
- ! Names who it is for Never says who the plugin is for or what they use it for.
- ✓ Names what it works with Mentions bbPress.
- ! Headings and lists 0 headings and 0 lists; assistants quote headed sections and bullet lists, not paragraphs.
- ! Enough to quote 446 characters of description; under 1,000 there is little to quote.
- ✓ Tags match the text 4 of 5 tags appear in the text; "do_shortcode" does not.
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2025-10-07 200+ → 100+ down after 19 days in tier
- 2025-09-18 100+ → 200+ up after 1 days in tier
- 2025-09-17 200+ → 100+ down after 704 days in tier
- 2023-10-14 300+ → 200+ down after 1 days in tier
- 2023-10-13 200+ → 300+ up after 2 days in tier
- 2023-10-11 300+ → 200+ down after 1 days in tier
- 2023-10-10 200+ → 300+ up after 3 days in tier
- 2023-10-07 300+ → 200+ down after 8 days in tier
Competes with
The plugins that solve the same job, ranked by shared tags then reach, closest match first. The letter on the right is each plugin's health grade (A best, F worst).
-
wpForo Forum 20K+ installs · 4.7★ · 2 shared tags A -
Nested Shortcodes 1K+ installs · 4.4★ · 2 shared tags A -
Uix Shortcodes 300+ installs · 4.2★ · 2 shared tags B - B bbPress – Private Replies 200+ installs · 4.4★ · 2 shared tags D
-
bbPress Messages 100+ installs · 4.2★ · 2 shared tags D - B bbP Signature 100+ installs · 3.5★ · 2 shared tags B
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for bbPress – Do Short Codes into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/bbpress-do-short-codes" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="bbPress – Do Short Codes — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> bbPress – Do Short Codes: 100+ active installs, 4.6★ (5 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-11-02. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/bbpress-do-short-codes
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