loop-home.php for short front page

<?php
/**
 * loop-home.php
 *
 * Used to display a short home page in a TwentyTen child theme.
 *
 *
 *
 */
?><!-- file:loop-home.php -->
<?php
$max_first_page = 3;  // Show this many posts on front page
$args = $wp_query->query;
$args['caller_get_posts'] = 1; // Using stickies messes up the count
$page = (get_query_var('paged')) ? get_query_var('paged') : 1;
$posts_per_page = get_query_var('posts_per_page');
$posts_to_skip = $posts_per_page - $max_first_page;
if ($page == 1) {
   $max_posts = $max_first_page;
} else {
   $max_posts = $posts_per_page;
   $args['offset'] = (($page - 1) * $max_posts)- $posts_to_skip;
}
query_posts($args);
if ($wp_query->max_num_pages < ceil(($wp_query->found_posts + $posts_to_skip)/$posts_per_page))
  ++$wp_query->max_num_pages;
$counter = 0;
?>


<?php /* Display navigation to next/previous pages when applicable */ ?>
<?php if ( $wp_query->max_num_pages > 1 ) : ?>
   <div id="nav-above" class="navigation">
      <div class="nav-previous"><?php next_posts_link( __( '<span class="meta-nav">&larr;</span> Older posts', 'twentyten' ) ); ?></div>
      <div class="nav-next"><?php previous_posts_link( __( 'Newer posts <span class="meta-nav">&rarr;</span>', 'twentyten' ) ); ?></div>
   </div><!-- #nav-above -->
<?php endif; ?>

<?php /* If there are no posts to display, such as an empty archive page */ ?>
<?php if ( ! have_posts() ) : ?>
   <div id="post-0" class="post error404 not-found">
      <h1 class="entry-title"><?php _e( 'Not Found', 'twentyten' ); ?></h1>
      <div class="entry-content">
         <p><?php _e( 'Apologies, but no results were found for the requested archive. Perhaps searching will help find a related post.', 'twentyten' ); ?></p>
         <?php get_search_form(); ?>
      </div><!-- .entry-content -->
   </div><!-- #post-0 -->
<?php endif; ?>

<?php /* Start the Loop. */ ?>
<?php while ( have_posts() ) : the_post(); ?>
   <?php if (++$counter > $max_posts) continue; ?>
<?php /* How to display posts of the Gallery format. The gallery category is the old way. */ ?>

   <?php if ( ( function_exists( 'get_post_format' ) && 'gallery' == get_post_format( $post->ID ) ) || in_category( _x( 'gallery', 'gallery category slug', 'twentyten' ) ) ) : ?>
      <div id="post-<?php the_ID(); ?>" <?php post_class(); ?>>
         <h2 class="entry-title"><a href="<?php the_permalink(); ?>" title="<?php printf( esc_attr__( 'Permalink to %s', 'twentyten' ), the_title_attribute( 'echo=0' ) ); ?>" rel="bookmark"><?php the_title(); ?></a></h2>

         <div class="entry-meta">
            <?php twentyten_posted_on(); ?>
         </div><!-- .entry-meta -->

         <div class="entry-content">
<?php if ( post_password_required() ) : ?>
            <?php the_content(); ?>
<?php else : ?>
            <?php
               $images = get_children( array( 'post_parent' => $post->ID, 'post_type' => 'attachment', 'post_mime_type' => 'image', 'orderby' => 'menu_order', 'order' => 'ASC', 'numberposts' => 999 ) );
               if ( $images ) :
                  $total_images = count( $images );
                  $image = array_shift( $images );
                  $image_img_tag = wp_get_attachment_image( $image->ID, 'thumbnail' );
            ?>
                  <div class="gallery-thumb">
                     <a class="size-thumbnail" href="<?php the_permalink(); ?>"><?php echo $image_img_tag; ?></a>
                  </div><!-- .gallery-thumb -->
                  <p><em><?php printf( _n( 'This gallery contains <a %1$s>%2$s photo</a>.', 'This gallery contains <a %1$s>%2$s photos</a>.', $total_images, 'twentyten' ),
                        'href="' . get_permalink() . '" title="' . sprintf( esc_attr__( 'Permalink to %s', 'twentyten' ), the_title_attribute( 'echo=0' ) ) . '" rel="bookmark"',
                        number_format_i18n( $total_images )
                     ); ?></em></p>
            <?php endif; ?>
                  <?php the_excerpt(); ?>
<?php endif; ?>
         </div><!-- .entry-content -->

         <div class="entry-utility">
         <?php if ( function_exists( 'get_post_format' ) && 'gallery' == get_post_format( $post->ID ) ) : ?>
            <a href="<?php echo get_post_format_link( 'gallery' ); ?>" title="<?php esc_attr_e( 'View Galleries', 'twentyten' ); ?>"><?php _e( 'More Galleries', 'twentyten' ); ?></a>
            <span class="meta-sep">|</span>
         <?php elseif ( in_category( _x( 'gallery', 'gallery category slug', 'twentyten' ) ) ) : ?>
            <a href="<?php echo get_term_link( _x( 'gallery', 'gallery category slug', 'twentyten' ), 'category' ); ?>" title="<?php esc_attr_e( 'View posts in the Gallery category', 'twentyten' ); ?>"><?php _e( 'More Galleries', 'twentyten' ); ?></a>
            <span class="meta-sep">|</span>
         <?php endif; ?>
            <span class="comments-link"><?php comments_popup_link( __( 'Leave a comment', 'twentyten' ), __( '1 Comment', 'twentyten' ), __( '% Comments', 'twentyten' ) ); ?></span>
            <?php edit_post_link( __( 'Edit', 'twentyten' ), '<span class="meta-sep">|</span> <span class="edit-link">', '</span>' ); ?>
         </div><!-- .entry-utility -->
      </div><!-- #post-## -->

<?php /* How to display posts of the Aside format. The asides category is the old way. */ ?>

   <?php elseif ( ( function_exists( 'get_post_format' ) && 'aside' == get_post_format( $post->ID ) ) || in_category( _x( 'asides', 'asides category slug', 'twentyten' ) )  ) : ?>
      <div id="post-<?php the_ID(); ?>" <?php post_class(); ?>>

      <?php if ( is_archive() || is_search() ) : // Display excerpts for archives and search. ?>
         <div class="entry-summary">
            <?php the_excerpt(); ?>
         </div><!-- .entry-summary -->
      <?php else : ?>
         <div class="entry-content">
            <?php the_content( __( 'Continue reading <span class="meta-nav">&rarr;</span>', 'twentyten' ) ); ?>
         </div><!-- .entry-content -->
      <?php endif; ?>

         <div class="entry-utility">
            <?php twentyten_posted_on(); ?>
            <span class="meta-sep">|</span>
            <span class="comments-link"><?php comments_popup_link( __( 'Leave a comment', 'twentyten' ), __( '1 Comment', 'twentyten' ), __( '% Comments', 'twentyten' ) ); ?></span>
            <?php edit_post_link( __( 'Edit', 'twentyten' ), '<span class="meta-sep">|</span> <span class="edit-link">', '</span>' ); ?>
         </div><!-- .entry-utility -->
      </div><!-- #post-## -->

<?php /* How to display all other posts. */ ?>

   <?php else : ?>
      <div id="post-<?php the_ID(); ?>" <?php post_class(); ?>>
         <h2 class="entry-title"><a href="<?php the_permalink(); ?>" title="<?php printf( esc_attr__( 'Permalink to %s', 'twentyten' ), the_title_attribute( 'echo=0' ) ); ?>" rel="bookmark"><?php the_title(); ?></a></h2>

         <div class="entry-meta">
            <?php twentyten_posted_on(); ?>
         </div><!-- .entry-meta -->

   <?php if ( is_archive() || is_search() ) : // Only display excerpts for archives and search. ?>
         <div class="entry-summary">
            <?php the_excerpt(); ?>
         </div><!-- .entry-summary -->
   <?php else : ?>
         <div class="entry-content">
            <?php the_content( __( 'Continue reading <span class="meta-nav">&rarr;</span>', 'twentyten' ) ); ?>
            <?php wp_link_pages( array( 'before' => '<div class="page-link">' . __( 'Pages:', 'twentyten' ), 'after' => '</div>' ) ); ?>
         </div><!-- .entry-content -->
   <?php endif; ?>

         <div class="entry-utility">
            <?php if ( count( get_the_category() ) ) : ?>
               <span class="cat-links">
                  <?php printf( __( '<span class="%1$s">Posted in</span> %2$s', 'twentyten' ), 'entry-utility-prep entry-utility-prep-cat-links', get_the_category_list( ', ' ) ); ?>
               </span>
               <span class="meta-sep">|</span>
            <?php endif; ?>
            <?php
               $tags_list = get_the_tag_list( '', ', ' );
               if ( $tags_list ):
            ?>
               <span class="tag-links">
                  <?php printf( __( '<span class="%1$s">Tagged</span> %2$s', 'twentyten' ), 'entry-utility-prep entry-utility-prep-tag-links', $tags_list ); ?>
               </span>
               <span class="meta-sep">|</span>
            <?php endif; ?>
            <span class="comments-link"><?php comments_popup_link( __( 'Leave a comment', 'twentyten' ), __( '1 Comment', 'twentyten' ), __( '% Comments', 'twentyten' ) ); ?></span>
            <?php edit_post_link( __( 'Edit', 'twentyten' ), '<span class="meta-sep">|</span> <span class="edit-link">', '</span>' ); ?>
         </div><!-- .entry-utility -->
      </div><!-- #post-## -->

      <?php comments_template( '', true ); ?>

   <?php endif; // This was the if statement that broke the loop into three parts based on categories. ?>

<?php endwhile; // End the loop. Whew. ?>

<?php /* Display navigation to next/previous pages when applicable */ ?>
<?php if (  $wp_query->max_num_pages > 1 ) : ?>
            <div id="nav-below" class="navigation">
               <div class="nav-previous"><?php next_posts_link( __( '<span class="meta-nav">&larr;</span> Older posts', 'twentyten' ) ); ?></div>
               <div class="nav-next"><?php previous_posts_link( __( 'Newer posts <span class="meta-nav">&rarr;</span>', 'twentyten' ) ); ?></div>
            </div><!-- #nav-below -->
<?php endif; ?>