Setup

From a fresh install to a styled site built from patterns — no code, no page builder. New to the theme itself? See the Theme overview first.

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1. Install & activate

1. In WordPress admin, go to Appearance → Themes → Add New.
2. Search for Fernlight, click Install, then Activate. Requires WordPress 6.7+ and PHP 8.0+. The theme is available on WordPress.org.

Faster start: choose one of Fernlight’s full-page patterns, then set it as your homepage under Settings → Reading. The theme itself stays presentation-only; optional workflow and diagnostic tools live in the plugin products.

2. Pick a style

Go to Appearance → Editor → Styles → Browse styles and choose a look. Switching a variation re-skins the whole site at once. Full detail in Design & Customize.

3. Build a page from patterns

1. Create a page: Pages → Add New.
2. Click the + inserter, open the Patterns tab, and browse the Fernlight categories.
3. Start with a hero, add editorial sections, finish with a newsletter or closing call to action.

Prefer a head start? Insert a full-page layout such as About, Now, Resources, Work with me, Contact, Long-form essay, or Start here, then replace the placeholders. Some sections use content-only locking; not every full-page layout is locked throughout.

4. Set your homepage & menus

• Homepage: build a page, then set it under Settings → Reading → A static page. Fernlight's front-page treatment opens straight on the hero instead of a page title.
• Menu: in Appearance → Editor, edit the Header to set navigation. Keep it tight — five or six top-level items reads best; nest related links into a submenu.
• Footer: under Editor → Patterns → Template Parts → Footer, update the sitemap links, copyright, and social icons.
• Logo & site icon: add a Site Logo block in the header; set a browser-tab icon under Settings → General → Site Icon (square, 512×512+).

5. Write a long-form post

Open a new post and use the Post parts patterns for a polished article: a Lead to open, pull quotes and full-bleed figures to break up the text, a Table of contents, References, an Author bio, and a Continue reading row.

6. Add optional tools

For extra editorial blocks, reading enhancements, read-only site intelligence, or migration/draft workflows, install the matching optional plugin from its product page. Fernlight itself is complete without them.

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FAQ & troubleshooting

Do I need the Companion plugin?

No. Fernlight is complete on its own. Companion adds optional blocks, reading/archive/search behavior, owner settings, and local Site Intelligence.

Is Fernlight free?

Yes — GPL-2.0-or-later and available free on WordPress.org.

A shortcode is showing as plain text

The plugin that provides that shortcode is inactive. Activate it (e.g. Fernlight Companion), or remove the shortcode block.

My patterns aren't showing

Make sure Fernlight is the active theme, then look under Design → Patterns or the inserter's Patterns tab.

Fonts look wrong or didn't load

Fernlight's fonts are self-hosted in the theme. After an update, confirm the files uploaded completely and clear any caching plugin or CDN cache.

A style variation didn't change everything

After choosing a variation in Editor → Styles, click Save, then clear your cache. Per-block custom changes can override a variation.

How do I turn on dark mode?

Choose the Dark style variation in Appearance → Editor → Styles. The theme package does not add a separate settings screen.

How do I start from a finished layout?

Create a new page, open the Patterns tab, insert one of Fernlight’s full-page layouts, replace the placeholder copy, then set it as your homepage under Settings → Reading.

Contact-form emails aren't arriving

Check your spam folder and the form entry in WordPress first. If delivery fails, review the configured sender, recipient, and authenticated mail transport. See your hosting or mail provider instructions.

Still stuck? Get in touch — or see the Developer reference for the technical detail.