Marklane

• Import Markdown as a post

  Upload a `.md` file from the WordPress admin, or select one from the Media Library, and import it as a post.

• Review with Dry Run

  Before saving, review whether the import will create or update a post, which post was matched, and how images and taxonomies will be handled.

• Update existing posts

  Existing posts can be matched and updated by `slug + post_type`. When Polylang is active, the language code is included in the match.

• Match images to the Media Library

  Images stored alongside the Markdown source can be matched to Media Library items. `featuredImage` follows the same rule, and external URLs can be used when FIFU is active.

• Link multilingual posts with Polylang

  Set `lang` and `translations` in Front Matter to define relationships between posts in different languages.

• Set taxonomies and publication dates

  Categories, tags, existing custom taxonomies, scheduled dates, and past publication dates can be set in Front Matter.

• Display diagrams, math, and notices

  Mermaid diagrams, `$$...$$` math blocks, GitHub-style alerts, and Zenn-style messages can be reflected on published pages from Markdown. Required scripts and styles load only on pages that use those features.

• Import without Front Matter

  When Front Matter is omitted, Marklane can derive the title from the first H1 and the slug from the filename, then import a draft.

• You want to publish Markdown in WordPress

  You can reduce the work of moving between a Markdown editor and the WordPress editor to rebuild headings, images, and publishing details. Create a post from Markdown without opening the WordPress editor.

• You want to handle Markdown and images together

  Relative image paths in the body and featured images can be matched to existing Media Library items.

• You want to publish multilingual posts together

  When Polylang is active, Front Matter `lang` and `translations` fields can define translation relationships.

• You want to publish articles with diagrams and math

  Mermaid diagrams, `$$...$$` math, and notices such as `[!NOTE]` can be reflected on the published page from the Markdown.

These examples show how Markdown for Mermaid diagrams, math, and notices appears on the published page. Required scripts and styles load only on pages that use those features.

```mermaid
flowchart LR
  A[Write Markdown] --> B[Import with Marklane]
  B --> C[Publish in WordPress]
```

> [!NOTE]
> Use Dry Run to review the post before publishing.

:::message alert
Check your backup before publishing.
:::

$$
E = mc^2
$$

Marklane adds CSS classes to callouts, Mermaid diagrams, and math blocks, so your theme can override their spacing and presentation.

Adjust callout colors

Set one base color for each type and Marklane derives its background and border colors automatically. You only need to define the types you want to change.

:root {
  --marklane-callout-color-note: #3858e9;
  --marklane-callout-color-tip: #007a1c;
  --marklane-callout-color-info: #006ba1;
  --marklane-callout-color-important: #8250df;
  --marklane-callout-color-warning: #996800;
  --marklane-callout-color-caution: #b32d2e;
  --marklane-callout-color-danger: #b32d2e;
}

CSS class reference

The table lists the classes for non-color styling, along with their default CSS values and usage.

In browsers that support color-mix(), callout backgrounds and borders are generated from each color variable. The background and border colors in the table are the fallbacks used when it is not supported.

• WordPress

  5.6 or later

• PHP

  8.0 or later

Add Front Matter to the beginning of your Markdown file to define WordPress publishing settings. Titles, slugs, taxonomies, language information, and other post settings can be applied together without opening the WordPress editor.

• Required fields

  `title` and `slug` can be supplied in frontmatter, but Marklane can derive them from the first H1 and filename when they are omitted.

• Basic post settings

  `postType`, `status`, and `excerpt` can be used for post type, publication status, and excerpts.

• Taxonomies and featured image

  `category` and `tags` can assign taxonomy terms. `featuredImage` accepts either a Media Library URL or a relative path from the Markdown file.

• Multilingual fields

  `lang` defines the post language, and `translations` points to the slugs of related posts in other languages.

YAML Front Matter example

---
title: "Moonlit Garden Notes" # Optional / post title
slug: "moonlit-garden-notes" # Optional / base slug for the post URL
postType: "post" # Optional / post type
featuredImage: "./hero.jpg" # Optional / featured image
lang: "en" # Optional / Polylang post language
translations:
  ja: "yoru-no-niwa-no-kansatsu-kiroku" # Optional / related Japanese post slug
category:
  - "journal" # Optional / category taxonomy
  - "garden"
tags:
  - "seasonal-notes" # Optional / post_tag taxonomy
  - "greenhouse"
excerpt: "A short note from a weekend walk through the greenhouse and garden." # Optional / excerpt
status: "draft" # Optional / post status
---

![Greenhouse photo](./hero.jpg)

Front Matter keeps post settings close to the Markdown source. If Front Matter is omitted, Marklane can still create a draft from the filename and first H1.

1. In the WordPress admin, go to `Plugins > Add New` and search for `Marklane`.
2. Activate `Marklane`.
3. Open `Tools > Marklane` and upload a Markdown file or select one from the Media Library.
4. Run Dry Run to preview the result, then run Import to create or update the post.

For manual installation, upload the plugin folder to `/wp-content/plugins/` and activate it from the WordPress `Plugins` screen.

• Use unique filenames for Markdown files and image assets to avoid ambiguous image mapping.
• If you use relative image paths, the matching images need to be registered in the Media Library first.
• For predictable image matching, disabling WordPress year/month upload folders is recommended.

• 1.7.0

  • Strengthen Markdown upload UTF-8 and MIME validation, and scope Markdown MIME handling to the admin import workflow.
  • Improve post, image, and Markdown attachment lookup performance for large media libraries with bounded queries and hash-first reuse.
  • Combine the source hash with an import fingerprint so output-affecting setting changes trigger the required re-import.
  • Improve rollback of newly created posts and unused taxonomy terms when persistence fails partway through an import.

• 1.6.4

  • Improve existing-post matching and restoration during re-imports.
  • Strengthen validation when resolving supplementary images and media.

• 1.6.3

  • Improve script loading reliability.
  • Improve Mermaid and math rendering reliability.
  • Strengthen permission checks during imports.
  • Strengthen relative image path validation.

View the full changelog

• WordPress.org plugin directoryCheck installation steps, recent changes, and plugin details.
• Recent changesReview changes by version.
• ContactContact us with questions about using the plugin.