the_excerpt producing empty output

Does the_excerpt() work if you remove the custom functions you have? Firstly, for sanities sake to make sure the excerpt has a value, could you try replacing your current excerpt call with this? <?php echo get_post_field(‘post_excerpt’, $post->ID); ?> If it does work then the problem is most likely related to your custom functions.

Show all post for a given category

You can use the WordPress Template Hierarchy. Copy your category.php file and rename it. category-{slug}.php – If the category’s slug is news, WordPress will look for category-news.php. category-{id}.php – If the category’s ID is 6, WordPress will look for category-6.php. category.php You can also use template_include to conditionally display a template add_filter( ‘template_include’, ‘category_page_template’, 99 … Read more