HOWTO: Category description on index pages above teasers without bloated HTML

DO NOT USE CODE ABOVE!

Really sorry about my in-vain attempts to be ultra-smooth and helpful by trying to appropriately link-out to the API-documentation within the formatted code blocks... compounded by the (seemingly) lack of edit options... which makes me mad!

Start again (ahem!):

...

In furtherance of this thread: Display vocabulary description, which seeks a way to display a term's (category) description as the introduction text for each section, or category, within a site.

The goal:

1. Site directory structure thus: www.example.com/category/index.htm and; www.example.com/category/sub-category/index.htm
2. To display an introductory description for each category (term description) above all sub-page teasers
3. Remove (HTML) code-bloat from the link (anchor) title attribute beneath each teaser (currently term description x No. of teasers)
4. Replace removed (HTML) code-bloat with category/section name instead

The taxonomy_context module currently goes part-way to achieving our goals but doesn't address the last two steps and furthermore, relies on the help block to display our description text above out teasers which, apart from not being semantically-correct, could be problematic in themes which utilise a show/hide help system with different style "decorations" (CivicSpace is one such theme).

NOTE #1: I have only used this against the above site structure. If you have a more complex schema, this may not work as intended but it is hoped that, at minimum, you can now easily customise it to your needs.
NOTE #2: Clean URL's is enabled and I have the pathauto module installed.
NOTE #3: Tested only with PHPTemplate theme engine (Drupal's default).

Instructions

Open-up your node.tpl.php file and right underneath the first opening php line...

<?php /* $Id: node.tpl.php,v 1.4.2.3 2005/11/30 21:06:47 robinmonks Exp $ */ ?>

... make-way to copy/paste our first code snippet:

  <?php if ( !$page && arg(0)=="taxonomy" || $is_front) /* NOT a node page but a tax or the home page*/ : ?>
  <?php
	  $categories = taxonomy_node_get_terms($node->nid);
	  foreach ($categories as $category) { /* Re-write the category links to avoid code bloat from long link titles (description ) */
	  $categorylink = l(t($category->name), 'taxonomy/term/' . $category->tid, array('title' =>$category->name), NULL, NULL, TRUE) ."\n";
	  }
  ?>
	<?php if (($id == 1) && !$is_front) /* Place term desc at the top(id)  but NOT on home page */ : ?>
	<?php print $category->description ?>
		<hr />
	<?php endif; ?>
  <?php endif; ?>
 

Then, (further down the code) find the following snippet which writes the link under each teaser entry which points to the category's pertinent index page (www.example.com/category/index.htm):

  <p>Posted in <span class="taxonomy"> <?php print $terms ?></span></p>

NOTE: Don't worry if the span element isn't there, it's the php print $terms bit we're after here.

Replace it:

  <?php if ($links): ?>
      <p><?php if ($terms): ?> <span class="taxonomy">Posted in <?php print $categorylink ?></span><?php endif; ?></p> 
  <?php endif; ?> 

Props to Nick Lewis for his wicked Drupal tips and tutorials; particularly the article which put me in the right direction:
Some Tips on Working with Drupal Taxonomy Terms.

Contributions/additions/subtractions/corrections encouraged.

I hope this goes most, if not all the way to addressing what I believe (from my time searching for this solution here) is both a common website need, and a current weakness in Drupal's default taxonomy module (and/or core).

If this works for you, your category index pages will be leaner, faster, more accessible and search-engine-friendly.

Drupal rocks - UNDERSTAND DAT!

When using the pathauto module, it generates a path-to-category (or term if you prefer) like thus:

• pathauto/node/category-name

I don't understand what purpose this serves (if anyone knows, I'd be grateful to know too) but I figure it'd be a more complete solution to handle a page request that comes-in via this form of URL.

So, for the main body of script I submitted in my 2nd post above, replace with the below instead:

<?php if ( !$page && arg(0)=="taxonomy" || arg(0)=="pathauto" || $is_front) /* NOT a node page, but a tax, pathauto (url) or our home page*/ : ?>
  <?php
      $categories = taxonomy_node_get_terms($node->nid);
      foreach ($categories as $category) { /* Re-write the category links to avoid code bloat from long link titles (description ) */
      $categorylink = l(t($category->name), 'taxonomy/term/' . $category->tid, array('title' =>$category->name), NULL, NULL, TRUE) ."\n";
      }
  ?>
<?php if (($id == 1) && !$is_front) /* Place term desc at the top(id)  but NOT on home page */ : ?>
<?php print $category->description ?>
<hr />
<?php endif; ?>
  <?php endif; ?>

All I've done is add the additional check to the 1st line of code:
arg(0)=="pathauto"