Plugins Installation

Monogram relies on several plugins to deliver its full feature set. After activating the theme, you will see a notification bar at the top of your WordPress dashboard prompting you to install the required plugins.

#Required Plugins

These four plugins must be installed and activated for the theme to function correctly:

Plugin	Source	Description
JKDEVKIT	Bundled with theme	jkdevstudio framework - provides the Kirki Customizer wrapper, license activation, and shared utilities
Advanced Custom Fields PRO	Bundled with theme	Custom fields for portfolio metadata, header settings, and menu customizations
Kirki	WordPress.org	Customizer framework powering Monogram 17 Customizer panels
Elementor	WordPress.org	Page builder for creating and editing pages with Monogram 22 custom widgets

#Installing Required Plugins via TGMPA

Monogram uses the TGM Plugin Activation (TGMPA) library to manage required plugin installations. Here is how to install them:

1. After activating the Monogram theme, look for the notification bar at the top of your dashboard that says "This theme requires the following plugins..."
2. Click Begin installing plugins (or Begin activating plugins if some are already installed).
3. On the plugin installation page, select all plugins by checking the checkbox at the top of the list.
4. From the Bulk Actions dropdown, select Install and click Apply.
5. Wait for all plugins to install. This may take a moment for the bundled plugins.
6. Once installed, return to the plugin list, select all plugins again, choose Activate from the Bulk Actions dropdown, and click Apply.

#Recommended Plugins

These plugins are optional but add valuable functionality to your Monogram site:

Plugin	Purpose
One Click Demo Import	Import the full demo site content, widgets, and Customizer settings with one click
Contact Form 7	Contact forms - Monogram includes a styled CF7 Elementor widget
MailChimp for WordPress	Newsletter subscription form integration
AddToAny Share Buttons	Social sharing buttons on posts and portfolio items
Boxzilla	Popup boxes and call-to-action overlays
CookieYes	GDPR-compliant cookie consent banner
Weglot or TranslatePress	Multilingual site translation
Yoast SEO	Search engine optimization tools
WP Search with Algolia	Lightning-fast portfolio search with Algolia

Recommended plugins appear in the TGMPA list alongside required plugins. Install any that you need for your site.

#Verifying Plugin Status

To check that all required plugins are properly installed and active:

1. Go to Dashboard > Appearance > Install Plugins.
2. All required plugins should show a status of Active.
3. If any required plugin shows Not Installed or Inactive, install or activate it.

Alternatively, go to Dashboard > Plugins > Installed Plugins and verify that JKDEVKIT, Advanced Custom Fields PRO, Kirki, and Elementor are all listed and active.

#Next Steps

With all plugins installed, proceed to import the demo content for a quick start, or jump to Initial Configuration if you prefer to set things up manually.

Last updated 12 Sep 2026