Title: WordPress ate my HTML code
Last modified: August 19, 2016
---
# WordPress ate my HTML code
* [pommie](https://wordpress.org/support/users/pommie/)
* (@pommie)
* [16 years, 11 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/wordpres-ate-my-html-code/)
* I’m wondering what is the best way to get round the “WordPress ate my code” problem.
* The problem that I have is that if I want to use WP to create a web site rather
than just a simple blog ([http://www.windermerelogcabin.com/](http://www.windermerelogcabin.com/))
I need more control over layout than the default TinyMCE editor allows, and I
also want to be able to add iframes so I can have a Google map, or a Google Spreadsheet
containing availability info etc.
* It would appear that the limitation is intentional in order to stop people injecting
code into a site via comment posting.
* Now I can add an iframe or additional code in the html window, but if I even
look at the post in the Visual editor the code gets removed.
* I CAN stop this happening on a tag by tag basis by using the TinyMCE Valid Elements
plug in, but it’s a bit cludgy, and I wonder if that is storing up a future problem
from hackers? (Do I need to worry?)
* I tried using the FCKeditor plug-in to replace WP but that gives problems here
uploading images.
* I wonder how other WordPress users get round the need to add valid html code,
but at the same time allow non-techy users to add images and text without destroying
it?
* It seems to me that this is a bit of an Achilles heel for WordPress as far as
website development goes – I’m moving along the change curve and have gone from“
uninformed optimism” to “informed pessimism” now.
* I’m hoping that someone can help me along to “informed optimism”
Viewing 7 replies - 1 through 7 (of 7 total)
* [nouveller](https://wordpress.org/support/users/nouveller/)
* (@nouveller)
* [16 years, 11 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/wordpres-ate-my-html-code/#post-1109049)
* I’ve had this problem when switching between the HTML and Visual editor. Try
going into your user settings and turning the Visual Editor off.
* [jdbentley](https://wordpress.org/support/users/jdbentley/)
* (@jdbentley)
* [16 years, 11 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/wordpres-ate-my-html-code/#post-1109050)
* The control you want means learning how WordPress functions under the hood (that
is, getting away from the admin area.) The kind of functionality you are looking
for can be found in Page Templates. Duplicate the Page.php file of a theme, rename
it to whatever you want and add
* ```
```
* to the very top. You can write whatever HTML you want in it around the post template
code (or delete the post template code, whatever.) Whatever page you intend to
use that code on, when you edit it you’ll be able to choose the new page template
from a dropdown menu on the right side of the screen.
* Thread Starter [pommie](https://wordpress.org/support/users/pommie/)
* (@pommie)
* [16 years, 11 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/wordpres-ate-my-html-code/#post-1109173)
* Thanks guys.
* @nouvellerI’m afraid I need to allow my non-techy users to use the Visual Editor
so I can’t turn it off (and I don’t really want to either – I just want it to
stop destroying my code!)
* [@jdb](https://wordpress.org/support/users/jdb/) – can see how that might help
in some ways, but if I need to mix html and text in a page my non -techy users
can then not edit the text without editing mynewage.php – correct?
* I am hoping there might be an answer that preserves the flexibility of having
a text editor with formatting and the ability to add html coding.
* Before I found WordPress I would never have imagined in a million years that
this would be a problem. 🙂
* [mercuryfenix](https://wordpress.org/support/users/mercuryfenix/)
* (@mercuryfenix)
* [16 years, 11 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/wordpres-ate-my-html-code/#post-1109181)
* Consider learning about WordPress filters ([http://codex.wordpress.org/Plugin_API#Filters](http://codex.wordpress.org/Plugin_API#Filters))
and Plugin Development. Many plugins use some sort of bbcode shorttag in the
text editor which will be replaced by content specified by your plugin.
* For example:
`This is text in my text editor. I am writing a page and I want
to include a code snippet here so I will put a shorttag here which will be replaced.[
myplugin snippet="1"]`
* check it out here [http://codex.wordpress.org/Using_the_gallery_shortcode](http://codex.wordpress.org/Using_the_gallery_shortcode)
* hope this helps
* Thread Starter [pommie](https://wordpress.org/support/users/pommie/)
* (@pommie)
* [16 years, 11 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/wordpres-ate-my-html-code/#post-1109216)
* Thanks for that suggestion – now we are getting away from my comfort zone 🙂
* I will have to have a stiff drink and see if I can make some sense of those links
🙂
* [jdbentley](https://wordpress.org/support/users/jdbentley/)
* (@jdbentley)
* [16 years, 11 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/wordpres-ate-my-html-code/#post-1109239)
* Using page templates won’t affect anything that’s added by the WYSIWYG editor.
It will let you structure, organize and style how that content is displayed and
also lets you add content that can’t be touched through the text editor.
* A page template looks something like this:
* ```
Read the rest of this page »'); ?>
'
Pages: ', 'after' => '
', 'next_or_number' => 'number')); ?>
', ''); ?>
```
* get_header, have_posts, the_title, etc are all functions of WordPress. From _
_ to __ is called “The Loop”. Everything there is directly related
to the content a user can edit. is the title of the page
and is the content of the page (obviously). You can move
them around within the loop to be displayed however you want them to be displayed.
Outside of the loop you can add any other content you want, like the iframe.
* I know it’s kind of confusing and I’m not sure I do it any justice, but once
you try it out you’ll get what I mean and see that its exactly what you’re looking
for. You don’t really have to know php to work with it.
* Thread Starter [pommie](https://wordpress.org/support/users/pommie/)
* (@pommie)
* [16 years, 11 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/wordpres-ate-my-html-code/#post-1109346)
* [@jdb](https://wordpress.org/support/users/jdb/) – Many thanks for taking the
trouble to go into that detail – it’s enough to get me to delve in there and
give it a go so it’s much appreciated!!!
Viewing 7 replies - 1 through 7 (of 7 total)
The topic ‘WordPress ate my HTML code’ is closed to new replies.
## Tags
* [html](https://wordpress.org/support/topic-tag/html/)
* [tinymce](https://wordpress.org/support/topic-tag/tinymce/)
* In: [Fixing WordPress](https://wordpress.org/support/forum/how-to-and-troubleshooting/)
* 7 replies
* 4 participants
* Last reply from: [pommie](https://wordpress.org/support/users/pommie/)
* Last activity: [16 years, 11 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/wordpres-ate-my-html-code/#post-1109346)
* Status: not resolved
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