Dynamic tags and expressions — live values inside text

Put TAW fields, post and site values inside any sentence with the TAW data popup: pick a field or write an expression like “Published on @post.date.format('F j, Y')”, insert it inline or use it as the whole block's text. Values are always live on the front end.

Values inside a sentence

Block Bindings replace a block's whole text with a field. Dynamic tags put a value inside the text, as many as you need:

Published on September 26, 2026 by Frank Herbert · 1965

Each value is an atomic chip in the editor. On the front end it always shows the live value, with the same privacy rules as Block Bindings, and a chip inside a Query Loop reads that item's post.

Dynamic tags ship with taw/core v1.63.0 (front end), v1.64.0 (expressions) and v1.65.0 (the TAW data popup). They work in both TAW Theme and TAW Gutenberg, with nothing to switch on.

Insert a value

Put the cursor where the value goes

Click into a paragraph, heading, list item, button or any other text block, at the spot where the value should appear.

Open the TAW data popup

Click the TAW data button (a database icon) in the block toolbar. Insert as is set to Inline because the cursor is in text.

Pick a value

The Fields tab lists every value, grouped by fieldset (the metabox or options page title), then Post and Site, each with its current value. Search to narrow the list, then click a value: a chip appears at the cursor.

To make a value the block's whole text instead, switch Insert as to Block text before you pick. That's a Block Binding: the block becomes read-only and always shows the value.

Write an expression

The Expression tab takes text and values together:

Published on @post.date.format('F j, Y') by @post.author · @option.company_phone.default('—')

Type @ to get value suggestions, and . after a value for functions. The chips under the editor add them too.
The Preview shows what the current post renders. Mistakes are listed under it: a missing parenthesis, an unknown function, a name the post doesn't have.
Insert inline adds the expression as one chip. Use as block text makes it the block's text.
Reopening the popup on a block shows its expression, ready to change.

Names

Name	Reads
`@book_year`	A field of the post (its id). A group's sub-field is `@{group}_{sub}`, e.g. `@address_city`
`@post.title`, `@post.date`, `@post.modified`, `@post.author`, `@post.excerpt`, `@post.url`, `@post.id`, `@post.type`	The post itself
`@site.name`, `@site.tagline`, `@site.url`, `@site.year`	The site (`site.year` is the current year)
`@option.company_phone`	An options-page field
`@term.tagline`	A field of the queried term (on category, tag and taxonomy archives)
`@author.bio`	A field of the post's author (the field needs `"bindings": true`)

Functions

Chain functions after a name, always with parentheses:

Function	Does	Example
`format('…')`	Formats a date with PHP date format characters	`@post.date.format('F j, Y')` → September 26, 2026
`upper()` / `lower()`	Changes case	`@post.author.upper()` → FRANK HERBERT
`default('…')`	Shows text when the value is empty	`@book_subtitle.default('No subtitle')`
`truncate(n)`	Cuts to n characters and adds `…`	`@post.excerpt.truncate(80)`

Plain text stays plain

An @ inside a word stays text, so hi@example.com is safe. Write @@ for a literal @ before a word.
A . after a value ends the sentence unless a function follows: Released in @book_year. is fine.
Limits: 500 characters and 20 values per expression.

Edit or remove a chip

Click a chip to open its editor: change the expression and Save, Refresh its stored text, or Remove it. Saving or refreshing closes the editor; so do Escape and clicking elsewhere.
Backspace or Delete next to a chip removes the whole chip. Arrow keys skip over it.
In the editor, a chip shows the value from when it was inserted or refreshed. The front end is always live, so a stale chip in the editor never means a stale page.

Privacy

Every value goes through the same rules as Block Bindings:

Only registered TAW fields resolve, and a field with "bindings": false never does.
A private post's values need permission to read the post. A password-protected post shows only its title, ID, URL, date and type until it's unlocked.
Author fields need "bindings": true on the field.

An expression never runs code: a small parser reads the names and the five functions, and anything else renders as empty or as plain text.

How it's stored

A chip is an inline element in the post content. Its text is the last value, and the JSON says what to read:

<span class="taw-tag" data-taw-tag='{"expr":"Published on @post.date.format(&apos;F j, Y&apos;)"}'>Published on September 26, 2026</span>

A single value picked from the Fields tab stores {"field": "book_year"} or {"tag": "post.date"}. Block text is a Block Binding with "args": {"expr": "…"}. On the front end the data-taw-tag attribute is removed and the text replaced; if taw/core is ever removed, the last values remain as plain text.

Known behavior

The canvas @ still opens WordPress's own user mentions. Expressions are written in the popup.
With SCRIPT_DEBUG on, WordPress 7.1 logs a “useSelect hook returns different values” warning when a text block is selected with the Attributes panel open. It comes from WordPress's own panel.
After a WordPress update, open a post with chips once and check that inserting and clicking chips still works: the popup relies on recent editor APIs.

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