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Free Plugin by Jose Vega v1.3.0

Display custom fields in the frontend

Display post and user custom fields data anywhere on the frontend using a shortcode, including advanced custom fields (ACF) fields.

Display custom fields in the frontend

The facts

Rating
5★ from 8
Active installs
500+
Price
Free
Last updated
22 Aug 2026
Added
Jul 2017
Requires WP
4.1
Tested up to
WP 7.1
Downloads
13,570

Our analysis

AI-assisted

The 'Display custom fields in the frontend' plugin allows you to show custom field data from posts and user profiles on your WordPress site. It uses shortcodes to display various types of information, including data from Advanced Custom Fields (ACF). You can whitelist fields for security and customize output using specific parameters.

This plugin is suitable for WordPress users who need to display custom data on the frontend, particularly those familiar with shortcodes and custom fields. It is especially useful for developers or site owners who have created metaboxes and want to present that information attractively.

Best for: This plugin suits WordPress developers and site owners looking to display custom data on the frontend.

What it does well

  • Displays custom fields from posts and user profiles
  • Supports Advanced Custom Fields (ACF)
  • Includes a settings page for whitelisting fields
  • Customizable output with specific parameters
  • Free to use from the WordPress.org directory

Where it falls short

  • Requires whitelisting of fields for security
  • Existing shortcodes need updating after whitelisting

Verdict

This plugin provides a straightforward way to display custom fields, but it requires some setup to ensure security. It is a practical choice for those needing to showcase custom data on their sites.

From the developer

Jose Vega's own description of Display custom fields in the frontend, lightly tidied.

Update

Our plugin now includes a settings page where you must whitelist every field that you want our shortcode to display in the front end, for security reasons. Your existing shortcodes will not work until you whitelist those field keys.

The “sanitization” parameter has been removed. All the output is sanitized with wp_kses_post always.
The “wp_filter” parameter has been removed. Now we have more specific parameters like wpautop=”yes” to turn line breaks into paragraphs, and do_shortcodes=”yes” to parse shortcodes.

Display post and user custom fields data anywhere on the frontend using a shortcode, including advanced custom fields (ACF) fields.

  • Do you want to display information from a user profile on the frontend?

  • Do you want to display custom fields from a post on the frontend?

  • Have you created metaboxes with Advanced Custom Fields and you want to display those fields?

Use this plugin to display any field for a post or user profile on the frontend.

Basic examples

  • Display email of the current user: [vg_display_data key="user_email" data_source="user_data"]

  • Display first name of the current user: [vg_display_data key="first_name" data_source="user_meta"]

  • Display full name of the current user: [vg_display_data key="first_name,last_name" data_source="user_meta"]

  • Display the title of the current post: [vg_display_data key="post_title" data_source="post_data"]

  • Display the excerpt of the current post: [vg_display_data key="post_excerpt" data_source="post_data"]

  • Display the categories of the post ID = 20: [vg_display_data object_id="20" key="category" data_source="post_terms" template="<b>Categories:</b> {{var}}" joiner=", "]

  • Get featured image url: [vg_display_data key="_thumbnail_id" template="<b>Image url:</b> {{var}}" flag="file_url"]

  • Get featured image as <img> tag.: [vg_display_data key="_thumbnail_id" template="<b>Image:</b> {{var}}" flag="image_tag"]

Advanced examples

  • Display the title for the post ID from the URL containing the parameter ?post_id=ANY_NUMBER: [vg_display_data object_id_type="query_string" object_id="post_id" key="post_title" data_source="post_data"]

  • Get email of the current user with phone number = 1234 (meta_key=phone AND meta_value=1234): [vg_display_data object_id_type="find" object_id="phone:1234" key="user_email" data_source="user_data"]

Parameters

  • object_id = Post ID. Leave empty to use the current post. Possible values: (empty), current, number, query string key if object_id_type=query_string, meta_key:meta_value if object_id_type=find

  • object_id_type = Leave empty if object_id is empty, or current, or is a number. Possible values: query_string, find

  • data_source = What database table to use to find the data. Default = post_meta. Possible values: post_data, post_meta, user_data, user_meta, post_terms.

  • key = Field key. It accepts one or multiple keys separated by commas. For example, to display full name = first_name,last_name. Required.

  • template = HTML fragment to use to display the field, if the field is empty the html is not displayed. Optional.

  • default = Default value to use if the field is empty. Optional.

  • joiner = If the field has multiple values, it will join the values with this string. Default ” ” (one space). Optional.

  • flag = Use only if the field contains a file ID to conver the ID to URL or image tag. Default values: file_url , image_tag. Optional.

  • wpautop = Whether to turn line breaks into paragraphs. Optional, only for advanced users.

  • do_shortcodes = Whether to parse shortcodes before displaying the field value. Optional, only for advanced users.

Read the full description on the official page →

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