Code Snippets
Add PHP, CSS or JavaScript to your site without touching a single theme file.
Sooner or later, someone tells you to "add this to your functions.php file." It's common advice, and it's a bad idea: theme files are replaced when the theme updates, taking your changes with them, and one typo in that file can take the whole site offline.
Snippets are Kalium's answer. A Snippet is a Template Part that holds code instead of layout, a few lines of PHP, a stylesheet, or a script. It lives in your database rather than a theme file, which means:
Updates don't touch it. Update Kalium as often as you like.
You can switch it off from a list, without editing anything.
It switches itself off if it breaks, so a bad snippet cannot take your site down.
You don't need a child theme for small additions.
Before you start
Snippets run real code on your site. That is the point of them, and it is also the reason for a few sensible habits:
Only add code you understand or trust. Code from a support reply or the Kalium documentation is fine. Code from a random forum thread deserves more caution.
Add one snippet at a time and check your site after each. If something breaks, you know which one did it.
Writing PHP and JavaScript requires an administrator account. Other users who can edit Template Parts see those options grayed out and can write CSS only. This is deliberate.
Creating a snippet
1. Go to Template Parts
In your WordPress dashboard, go to Kalium -> Template Parts, switch to the Snippets tab, and click Add New.
The editor opens differently from other Template Parts: instead of a blank canvas, you get a single code block with a Snippet header and a language badge on the right. Nothing else can be added, a snippet holds code and only code.
2. Name it
Give it a name that describes what the code does, not what it is. Hide prices for logged-out visitors will still make sense in a year. Snippet 3 will not.
3. Choose the language
Open the Template Part Settings panel with the Kalium icon in the top-right corner. Directly under Type you'll find Snippet Type, offering:
PHP: changes how WordPress behaves
CSS: changes how the site looks
JavaScript: adds behavior in the browser
You can also click the badge on the code block itself to switch. Your code is kept when you change language.
Not sure which you need? A rule of thumb: if it changes how something looks, it's CSS. If it changes what your site does, it's PHP.
4. Write or paste the code
Type or paste your code into the block. The editor highlights it for the language you chose, and the line numbers are the same ones any error message will refer to.
For PHP, do not type <?php. The opening tag is shown for you on the first line. If you paste code that begins with it, Kalium removes it for you.
Format code, in the bar under the editor, tidies your code to WordPress coding standards. It's optional, and it downloads on first use so it needs an internet connection. If your code has a syntax error, the message appears next to this button with the line number.
5. Set where it runs
This step depends on the language, and it's the part that most often goes wrong. Each language has its own page:
PHP SnippetsCSS and JavaScript Snippets6. Publish
Click Publish.
For PHP snippets, Kalium runs a safety check first: it quietly loads a page of your site in the background with the new code active. If the site loads, the snippet is published. If it doesn't, the snippet stays switched off and you're shown the error and the line number, your site is never left broken.
Execute Conditions
Every Template Part has Display Conditions. On a Snippet they're called Execute Conditions, and they work the same way with one important difference:
An empty condition list means "no restriction", not "never". A Section with no conditions never shows. A Snippet with no conditions runs everywhere it's allowed to.
Add conditions when a snippet should only run in some places, a script that belongs on the checkout page, styles that only apply to blog posts.
Display ConditionsPlaceholders
Snippets can include placeholders written as {{NAME}}, which are swapped for real values every time the code is written out. This keeps site addresses and paths out of your code:
Click Placeholders in the snippet's footer to see all 21 with their value on your site, and click one to insert it. They cover your site's addresses (HOME_URL, SITE_URL, ADMIN_URL, AJAX_URL, REST_URL, LOGIN_URL), its folders (THEME_URL, CHILD_THEME_URL, CONTENT_URL, UPLOADS_URL, PLUGINS_URL), details about the site (SITE_NAME, SITE_DESCRIPTION, LOCALE, CHARSET, WP_VERSION, THEME_VERSION, YEAR) and about the snippet itself (SNIPPET_ID, SNIPPET_SLUG, RANDOM_ID).
Using a snippet inside a page
Every snippet has a shortcode, shown in the Shortcode column of the list:
Drop it into any post or page to run the snippet at that spot. PHP output is printed in place.
Managing snippets
The Template Parts list is where you work day to day:
Enable / Disable: switch a snippet off without deleting it. The first thing to try when something goes wrong.
Duplicate: copy a snippet before experimenting. The copy is created as Disabled with "(Copy)" in the title, keeping all its settings.
State: a switched-off snippet is labeled Disabled next to its title, and one whose code failed is labeled Error. Hover an Error for the message and line number.
If something goes wrong
Snippets are built so a mistake is recoverable. If your site is misbehaving after adding one, or you can't reach your admin at all, there is a way back:
When a Snippet Goes WrongLast updated
Was this helpful?