---
title: Shortcodes and the signup form block
description: The Hive Mail signup form shortcode and block with every attribute, the three public page shortcodes, and how to place a form from PHP or a template.
url: "https://hiveplugins.com/docs/hive-mail-shortcodes-and-block/"
updated: "2026-10-28"
category: Hive Mail
---

# Shortcodes and the signup form block

Hive Mail adds four shortcodes and one block. The signup form has a shortcode and a block. The other three shortcodes draw the Unsubscribe, Email preferences and Subscription confirmed pages inside your theme.

## The signup form shortcode

```
[hivemail_form id="3"]
```

| Attribute | Required | Meaning |
| --- | --- | --- |
| `id` | Yes | The number of the signup form. It is shown in the shortcode on **Audience** > **Forms** and in the form's **Put it on a page** card |

`id` is the only attribute. Any other attribute is ignored. The form's own look and wording are set in the form editor, not in the shortcode (see [Signup forms: create and edit](/docs/hive-mail-signup-forms/)).

To get the ready-made shortcode: open the form in **Audience** > **Forms**, find the card **Put it on a page**, click **Copy** next to **Shortcode**. Paste it into a **Shortcode** block, or into the shortcode element of a page builder.

What visitors see depends on the form:

- A form that is on and has a list is drawn as plain HTML that also works without JavaScript.
- A form that is off, has no list, or no longer exists shows nothing to visitors. People who manage Hive Mail see a one-line note instead: "This signup form is turned off, so visitors do not see it.", "This signup form has no list to add people to. Choose one in Hive Mail → Forms." or "This signup form no longer exists." (also shown when `id` is missing).
- The same form can appear more than once on a page and on many pages.
- The form's stylesheet and script load only on a page that carries a form. The form sets no cookie.

> **Tip:** A cached page is fine. The form's time token is signed per form and does not depend on the visitor. A page cached for more than a day asks the visitor to reload.

## The signup form block

| Item | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Block name | `hivemail/form` |
| Title in the inserter | Hive Mail signup form |
| Category | Widgets (keywords: newsletter, subscribe, signup, email) |
| Attribute | `formId` (integer, default 0) |
| Alignment | Wide and full |
| Rendering | On the server, so the page shows what the editor shows |

To add it:

1. In the block editor click **+** and search for `Hive Mail signup form`.
2. In the block's placeholder, open the drop-down **Signup form** and choose the form. A form that is off carries "(off)".
3. Update the page.

The block's side panel has the same **Signup form** drop-down. In the editor the block shows a picture of the form; nothing can be sent from there. A block with no form chosen draws nothing on the page.

Saved block markup looks like this. You can put it in a block template or a pattern:

## Place a form from PHP

```
<?php
// In a template file:
echo do_shortcode( '[hivemail_form id="3"]' );

// Or with the id in a variable:
$form_id = 3;
echo do_shortcode( sprintf( '[hivemail_form id="%d"]', $form_id ) );
```

The output is already filtered for safe HTML. You do not need to escape it again.

## The three public page shortcodes

Hive Mail makes three published WordPress pages when it is activated: **Unsubscribe**, **Email preferences** and **Subscription confirmed**. Each holds one of these shortcodes:

| Shortcode | Shows | Attributes |
| --- | --- | --- |
| `[hivemail_unsubscribe]` | The unsubscribe card (reason list, the **Unsubscribe** button, then the "unsubscribed" message) | none |
| `[hivemail_preferences]` | The preferences card: name, the public lists, **Save preferences** | none |
| `[hivemail_confirmation]` | The double opt-in card with the **Confirm my subscription** button | none |

They take no attributes. They show something useful only when the page is opened from an email link, because the link carries one person's signed key in `?t=`. A page opened without a valid key shows "This link does not work" (with HTTP status 400). Opening the page never changes anything; the person has to press the button.

Hive Mail answers a page that holds one of these shortcodes before the theme draws it. It sends no-cache headers, marks the page `noindex` and defines `DONOTCACHEPAGE`, so most cache plugins skip it. If yours does not, exclude the three pages by address.

To use a page of your own, go to **Settings** > **Compliance** > **Your own pages** > **Use a different page**, choose the page, put the shortcode on it and save. See [Unsubscribe and email preference pages](/docs/hive-mail-unsubscribe-and-preference-pages/) and [Settings: Compliance](/docs/hive-mail-settings-compliance/).

> **Warning:** Do not delete the shortcode from one of the three public pages: the page would show nothing. **Settings > Compliance > Your own pages** marks such a page **No shortcode** and offers **Reset to default content**. In templates call `do_shortcode()`, not plugin classes, which can change.

Next: [Put a signup form on a page](/docs/hive-mail-put-a-signup-form-on-a-page/), [Spam protection and CAPTCHA](/docs/hive-mail-spam-protection-and-captcha/).