Automatic excerpts

Question

How to display excerpts in the homepage instead of full post automatically, without the need to insert <!--more--> in every post ?

I tried this plugin http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/advanced-excerpt/ which or doesn't work or I can't use it.

Here's how I configure it http://wordpress.org/support/topic/plugin-advanced-excerpt-doesnt-work-installed-by-instructions-url-included?replies=1#post-2810718

This is my website.

I solved the problem using Michael's answer, which made my plugin work. http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/advanced-excerpt/

Answer 1

general:

locate the template for the home page - often index.php - if not see http://codex.wordpress.org/Template_Hierarchy

find the_content() (possibly with some parameters in the brackets) and change that to the_excerpt() - http://codex.wordpress.org/Function_Reference/the_excerpt

specific for Twenty Eleven:

index.php points to the template part content.php; in content.php edit this line:

<?php if ( is_search() ) : // Only display Excerpts for Search ?>

change it to:

<?php if ( is_search() || is_home() ) : // Only display Excerpts for Search and posts page ?>

http://codex.wordpress.org/Conditional_Tags

Answer 2

Insert this into your functions.php file to control the length of the excerpt by characters NOT words

function the_content_limit($max_char, $more_link_text = 'Read more »', $stripteaser = 0, $more_file = '') {
    $content = get_the_content($more_link_text, $stripteaser, $more_file);
    $content = apply_filters('the_content', $content);
    $content = str_replace(']]>', ']]>', $content);
    $content = strip_tags($content);

   if (strlen($_GET['p']) > 0) {
      echo "<p>";
      echo $content;
      echo "&nbsp;<a href='";
      the_permalink();
      echo "'>".__("Read more")." &raquo;</a>";
      echo "</p>";
   }
   else if ((strlen($content)>$max_char) && ($espacio = strpos($content, " ", $max_char ))) {
        $content = substr($content, 0, $espacio);
        $content = $content;
        echo "<p>";
        echo $content;
        echo "...";
        echo "&nbsp;<a href='";
        the_permalink();
        echo "'>".$more_link_text."</a>";
        echo "</p>";
   }
   else {
      echo "<p>";
      echo $content;
      echo "&nbsp;<a href='";
      the_permalink();
      echo "'>".__("Read more")." &raquo;</a>";
      echo "</p>";
   }
}

Use it in your theme like this

<?php the_content_limit(245); ?>