Escaping a shortcode so it displays as-is [duplicate]

Question

Possible Duplicate:
Show shortcode without executing it

I've created a plugin that uses a custom shortcode to allow the user to easily split their post into columns.

The problem is, when writing about how to use the shortcode in the plugin documentation on my website, WordPress interprets the shortcode and starts applying to to my content. I don't want this, rather I want the shortcode to display exactly as written. How can I do this?

Answer 1

The secret is called escaping. You need to place an extra set of square brackets around your shortcode [[gallery]] and it will display as [gallery].

Also, double escaping works too: [[[gallery]]] outputs [[gallery]].

There is also a Trac ticket on this topic.