# Monoline: free WordPress theme

URL: https://symelo.com/tools/wordpress-themes/monoline

Free WordPress theme. A dark-first block theme for developers and technical writers: tutorials, TILs, how-to series and release notes, with code blocks that look the part.

A dark-first block theme for developers and technical writers: tutorials, TILs, how-to series and release notes, with code blocks that look the part.

- Price: free (GPLv2 or later)
- Category: Blog
- Version 1.0.0, 2026-10-22. WordPress 7.0+, PHP 7.4+. GNU General Public License v2 or later.
- Style variations: Amber CRT, Nightshade, Paper, Solar
- Fonts: IBM Plex Sans, JetBrains Mono
- Works with: [Secure Custom Fields](https://wordpress.org/plugins/secure-custom-fields/), a free plugin by WordPress.org, optional

## Description

Monoline is a refined terminal look for a technical blog: near-black graphite, a signal-lime accent, hairline rules, IBM Plex Sans for reading and JetBrains Mono for headings, labels and code. The home page is a changelog: ISO dates in a left column, topic chips, titles and summaries, with a sidebar of series, most-discussed posts and topics. Posts get a sticky table of contents beside the article on wide screens, a TL;DR box, series navigation as a module list with ticks for the parts before the one you are reading, and a quiet "save for later" reading list.

Built in, with no plugins needed:

* Code blocks with a header bar, a language tag (add the class `language-js`, `language-php`, `language-css`, `language-shell`… under Advanced → Additional CSS classes), a Copy button and syntax colours that stay readable in both schemes and every style variation.
* Two schemes: Graphite (dark) and Paper (light), switched by the visitor or their system, plus style variations: Paper, Amber CRT, Nightshade and Solar, each with its own second scheme.
* Templates: blog home, single post, short note (TIL), page, wide page, landing page, archive, search, series, author and 404.
* About 30 patterns: a terminal intro, the latest post as release notes, "currently writing" series, topics bento, stats, a grep-style search hero, changelog and TIL lists, tutorial modules, contact and errata forms, galleries, a video with chapters, sponsorship and hire-me panels, a /uses table, a stack ticker, FAQ, reader notes, footers and full pages.
* Forms (contact, newsletter, errata) that store messages under Messages and email them; galleries with masonry, carousel and a lightbox; videos that load only after a click; subtle motion that respects reduced-motion settings.
* Series, subtitles, takeaways (TL;DR), related posts, author profiles and filters from the Symelo blog foundation, shared with the other Symelo blog themes so your content survives a switch.

## Frequently Asked Questions

#### How do I colour the code in a Code block?

Monoline doesn't load a highlighter. Select text inside a Code block and use the toolbar: Bold for keywords, Italic for comments, Keyboard input for function names and numbers, and Highlight with a palette color for strings or anything else. The colors come from the palette, so they follow the light and dark schemes and the style variations. Add a class like `language-php` to show the language in the header bar, or pick the Terminal or Plain block style.

#### Where do form messages go? How do I change the recipient?

Every submission is stored under Messages in the dashboard and emailed to the site's admin address. Change the recipient under Messages → Settings, or per form in the form block's settings (Email to).

#### How do I make a post a short note (TIL)?

Put it in a category called TIL and choose the "Short note (TIL)" template in the post's settings. The TIL index pattern lists that category.

#### How does the series navigation work?

Add posts to a series (the Series box in the post editor) and give them a part number if needed. Each part shows the series as a module list: the parts before the current one are ticked, the current one is marked, and the next part is one click away.

#### Can visitors switch between dark and light?

Yes, with the button in the header; the choice is remembered. Without a choice the site follows the visitor's system setting.

#### Does the theme load anything from other sites?

No. Fonts and images are bundled. YouTube and Vimeo players load only after a visitor clicks play.

#### Do I need Secure Custom Fields?

No, but with the free Secure Custom Fields plugin you get comfortable fields for subtitles, TL;DR points, series covers, related posts and author profiles. The theme offers to install it.

## Downloads

- [Monoline 1.0.0](https://symelo.com/wordpress-themes/monoline/1.0.0/monoline-1.0.0.zip) (2026-10-22, 2.1 MB, SHA-256 d5d20bb7ede3077899abdc0cedf8524e588f53a46d2e0b858e9d0dc14e5a4d1b)

## Screenshots

- https://symelo.com/wordpress-themes/monoline/shots/home-f157f3e2d5.webp
- https://symelo.com/wordpress-themes/monoline/shots/series-index-457f4a2019.webp
- https://symelo.com/wordpress-themes/monoline/shots/writing-47437fd900.webp
- https://symelo.com/wordpress-themes/monoline/shots/writing-sb-cat-til-0cf1c7f351.webp
- https://symelo.com/wordpress-themes/monoline/shots/admin-fields-12e5da8d4d.webp

- [All WordPress themes](https://symelo.com/tools/wordpress-themes)

## Related pages

- [All tools](https://symelo.com/tools)
- [Agent documentation](https://symelo.com/llms.txt)