What are shortcodes used for?
Shortcodes serve as a simplified interface for complex functionality. Typical use cases: embedding galleries ([gallery]), contact forms ([contact-form-7 id='...']), slider elements, pricing tables, or the structured blocks of page builders like Divi ([et_pb_section]).
Shortcodes in Divi 4
Divi 4 stores page content as nested shortcodes: [et_pb_section] contains [et_pb_row], which contains [et_pb_column], which in turn contains [et_pb_text] and other modules. anipage.io generates this format natively for Divi 4 export.
Shortcodes vs. Gutenberg blocks
Gutenberg blocks have replaced shortcodes as the standard content storage format. Instead of [gallery], <!-- wp:gallery --> is now used. However, shortcodes remain fully compatible and supported by WordPress — especially in older themes and plugins like Divi 4.