How to display dynamic user information in WordPress menu items
Advance Menu Manager gives you extra control over WordPress navigation menus beyond the default editor. One of its features is user placeholders — shortcode-style tags you can drop into a menu item's label, title attribute, or description that get replaced with the logged-in visitor's own information.
For example, instead of a generic "My Account" link, you can show "Hello, John" using the {first_name} placeholder, or display the visitor's avatar right in the menu.
Note: If your site uses a block-based Full Site Editing (FSE) theme, user role visibility rules and user placeholders (like {first_name} and {avatar} ) only work with classic menus and the [amm_menu] shortcode. They won't work inside the Site Editor's Navigation block once the menu is saved.
In The Article
Benefits
Adding user placeholders to your menu can help:
- Personalize navigation without writing custom code
- Make account-related menu items feel more relevant ("Hi, Sarah" vs. "My Account")
- Show a user's avatar in the menu for quick visual recognition
How to Add User Placeholders to a Menu Item
Step 1: Open the menu item settings
Go to Dotstore Plugins → Advance Menu Manager and select the menu you want to edit. Find the menu item you want to personalize, then click the arrow on the right side of the item to expand its settings.
Step 2: Insert a placeholder
In the Navigation Label field (or the Title Attribute field), type your text and insert one of the available placeholders:
| Placeholder | Displays |
|---|---|
{username} |
Username |
{first_name} |
First name |
{last_name} |
Last name |
{display_name} |
Display name |
{nickname} |
Nickname |
{email} |
Email address |
{avatar size="48"} |
Avatar (set the number to control the pixel size) |
For example, typing Hello, {first_name} in the Navigation Label will show "Hello, John" to a logged-in user named John.
Step 3: Restrict visibility to logged-in users
Scroll down to Who can see this link? and set it to Logged In Users. Then check the roles that should see this item (e.g. Administrator, Editor).
Logged-out visitors won't see the placeholder text at all — the menu item stays blank for them. Setting the visibility here keeps the menu item from showing up empty or unstyled to visitors who aren't logged in.
Click Save Menu and check the result while logged in and logged out to confirm it's working as expected.
Example Use Cases
Personalized account link — Replace a plain "My Account" link with Hi, {first_name} so returning customers get a small personal touch.
Avatar in the menu — Use {avatar size="48"} to show a small profile picture next to the account link instead of a generic icon.
Role-based dashboard link — Combine {display_name} with the Logged In Users visibility setting so only staff see a personalized "Welcome, {display_name}" link to the admin dashboard.
Conclusion
User placeholders in Advance Menu Manager let you personalize menu items with a logged-in visitor's name, email, or avatar — no custom code needed. Pair them with the Logged In Users visibility setting so the menu item only appears, fully populated, for signed-in visitors. Keep in mind this only works with classic menus, not the FSE Navigation block.
FAQs
1. Where do I find the user placeholders?
Open any menu item in Dotstore Plugins → Advance Menu Manager, expand it, and the placeholder list appears above the Title Attribute field.
2. What happens if a logged-out visitor sees a menu item with a placeholder?
The placeholder won't display any text — the menu item shows blank instead of the raw tag or a fallback value.
3. Can I use more than one placeholder in the same field?
Yes. You can combine placeholders in the same Navigation Label, Title Attribute, or Description field, e.g. {first_name} {last_name} .
4. How do I control the avatar size?
Change the number inside {avatar size="48"} — for example, {avatar size="64"} for a larger avatar.
5. Will this work on my block theme's Site Editor menu?
No. If your theme uses Full Site Editing, user placeholders and role-based visibility only work with classic menus and the [amm_menu] shortcode — not the Navigation block in the Site Editor.