Custom WordPress Function the_excerpt() How to display a limited excerpt of a post in WordPress

Learn How and Why to use the_excerpt() WordPress custom function

Custom function to add in your WordPress Template functions.php file to limit the the_excerpt for your WordPress Loops for posts on the site. To display a limited excerpt of a post in WordPress, you can use the the_excerpt() function with a custom filter to limit the number of words displayed.

function custom_excerpt_length( $length ) {
return 20; // Change the number to the desired length in words
} add_filter( 'excerpt_length', 'custom_excerpt_length', 999 ); // Use the_excerpt() function to display the limited excerpt
the_excerpt();

Why to display a limited excerpt of a post in WordPress?

Displaying a limited excerpt of a post in WordPress can provide several benefits for both the site visitors and the site owner. Here are some reasons why you might want to limit the length of the post excerpt:

Improved readability: Long blocks of text can be intimidating for site visitors and make it more difficult to scan for information. By limiting the length of the excerpt, you can help improve the readability of your content and make it easier for visitors to find the information they need.

Increased engagement: By providing a shorter, more focused excerpt of your content, you may entice readers to click through to the full post and read more. This can increase engagement with your content and help build a loyal readership.

Better SEO: Search engines like Google use the content of your post to determine its relevance and rank in search results. By providing a clear, concise excerpt that accurately summarizes your content, you can help search engines understand the focus of your post and improve its ranking in search results.

Overall, displaying a limited excerpt of a post in WordPress can help improve the user experience, increase engagement, and improve the search engine visibility of your content.

Where to add the custom_excerpt_length() function in to my WordPress?

Option 1

You can add the custom_excerpt_lenght() function to limit the excerpt length in WordPress Posts in the functions.php file of your WordPress theme

To add the function to your theme’s functions.php file, follow these steps:

• Log in to your WordPress dashboard and
• navigate to Appearance > Theme Editor
• Select the functions.php file from the list of theme files on the right-hand side of the screen.
• Copy and paste the custom function code at the end of the file
• Save the changes to the functions.php file

Option 2 

Alternatively, you can create a custom WordPress Plugin and add the function to the plugin file. Here’s how to do it in 3 simple steps:

1. Go to your FTP and find the /wp-plugins/ folder
2. Create a new file and name it custom-excerpt.php.
3. Copy and paste the custom function code below into the custom-excerpt.php file.
4. Save the file and upload it to your WordPress site’s wp-content/plugins/ directory.
5. Log in to your WordPress dashboard and activate the plugin under the Plugins menu.

Add the following code to the top of the file to create the plugin header:

/*
Plugin Name: Your Custom Plugin Name
Plugin URI: http://yourpluginurl.com/
Description: Write Short Informative Description for your Custom WordPress function to limit the excerpt length
Version: 1.0
Author: Your Name
Author URI: http://yourwebsite.com/
*/

Once you’ve added the function to your theme’s functions.php file or to a custom plugin, you can use the the_excerpt() function to display the limited excerpt in your post or page template

How to display the the_excerpt() custom function in my single.php, page.php or in to my post loops

To display the custom excerpt function in your single.php and page.php template files, you can use the the_excerpt() function as follows:

 <?php the_excerpt();?>

To display the custom excerpt in your post loops, you can use the get_the_excerpt() function instead of the_excerpt(). This function retrieves the excerpt for the current post, without actually displaying it. Here’s an example of how you can use it in your post loop:

<?php while (have_posts()) : the_post(); ?>     <div class="entry-summary">        <?php echo wp_trim_words( get_the_excerpt(), 20, '...' ); ?>     </div> <?php endwhile; ?>

In this example, we’re using the wp_trim_words() function to trim the excerpt to a maximum of 20 words and append an ellipsis at the end. You can adjust the number of words to match your desired length.

Note that the get_the_excerpt() function does not automatically apply the custom excerpt length you set in the function, so you’ll need to use another method to limit the length of the excerpt if you want to use the custom length in your post loops.