I was under the impression that by making three posts sticky and then by limiting the number of posts displayed on the blog pages that I could in effect keep the three posts that I wanted on the front page, but there are now five posts being displayed! The other two posts have no been made sticky. At this point all I can think of is to change the publish date on every post, but I really do not want to do that.

Is there a way I can force the front page to only show three posts without going to a static page? I don't want to use the static page because I like the way the front page looks and works, for the most part.

Thank you for your help, and let me know if there is any more information that is needed that I haven't included.

I should include a disclaimer that I am fairly new to WordPress. If this should be on another forum, just let me know and I will repost, but this one made the most sense to me. Thanks!

On your main page, I see the 4 posts across the top and then two posts below that (full width). I'm not seeing a long list of posts.

You can use CSS to hide the ones below if you wish.

.home #primary {
display: none;
}

Another thing is to try setting the blog posts show at most to 1 and see what happens. I don't thing that has anything to do with the 4 across the top of the page. That would still leave one below the 4.

I also went to Settings>Reading and now have "Blog pages show at most" set to 4 and "Syndication feeds show the most recent" set to 1 (because 0 is not an option) but these extra posts are showing past 1 so I am not sure whether I understand what these options mean (though I know that when I set "Blog pages show at most" to <4, the number of columns is reduced").

Can someone please let me know how (or whether it is possible) to limit the posts on my homepage to just the four columns?

Thank you!

There were some fatal errors and timeouts in cases where a blog loaded an extremely large number of posts in the Recent Posts widget or Posts per page setting (in Reading Settings). http://en.forums.wordpress.com/topic/problems-with-widget-recent-posts?replies=16#post-1032040

you did't make a mistake... i like wordpress alot.
just don't know why they limit to 50.
why should WP decide how many posts
we can show?

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They cant go to a particular post based on the entry 'title',
once it leaves the list on right as soon as there are 51 posts.

Letting the user decide is the right way. 50, 75, 100 or whatever they want. Maybe they only have 53 posts. That's it! And would like them all visible? Or 106.

I don't see why a limit of 50 is enforced,a nd not a choice?

Thanks,
malc

As a 100% *FULL-TIME* iphone/internet user for 3.5 years 16 hours a day, I loathe & despise MOBILE sites & have Mobile turned **OFF** on all my own WP blogs (& will NEVER use a hideous, Nazi-control-freak-"RESPONSIVE"-theme ever!), & any other site that FORCES me onto a mobile version of their site WITH NO CHOICE &/or NO WAY TO ESCAPE IT & access their FULL-SITE gets added to my "NEVER Visit That MISERABLE Mobile Site Again!" list.

ALL web devs everywhere, who presume & ASS-U-ME that we mobile users WANT mobile sites are SMACK DEAD WRONG!  

Give us your FULL-SITE FIRST ALWAYS! & THEN -- *IF* -- *WE* decide we want your mobile version, let *US* be the one to DECIDE to access mobile & NOT THE OTHER WAY AROUND.  

"RESPONSIVE" themes are downright EVIL made/approved by Internet Control Freaks who are REMOVING CHOICE FROM THE USER (hello New World Order Dictatorship-style Thinking re Themes!)  Did I say you guys are DEAD WRONG yet? 

For the record, I am against all such imposed limits (not that that will carry any weight).  I just noticed today I cannot get the Recent Posts widget to go beyond 50.  Grrrr; even though it does NOT say there is any limit whatsoever.  

My left sidebar is specifically for the Recent Posts & Recent Comments widgets & I want the column to be FULL of that content all the way to the footer (white space alternative is hideous).

To be blunt, the narrow-minded idea that Recent Posts would be a contradictory term is ridiculous.  Did it ever occur to "Happy Engineers" that we RENAME the widget!?  Hello!  All Recent Posts widgets on all my blogs say "PREVIOUSLY" by choice (NO TIME FRAME INDICATED -- ON PURPOSE!), thereby completely negating your "RECENT" Posts Contradiction arguments!  (Doesn't anybody "think outside the box" around here?)

As for the old worn out argument re page loads, WHO CARES?  Most people have high speed internet now.  And I could care less if Google doesn't like it.  Having a READILY VISUAL LIST of all posts/titles is MORE important for keeping people on your site.  What better & EASIER way for them to find your older posts than a nice neat list in the left column/"PREVIOUSLY"-widget?(& Google reads the left column first! which is a GOOD thing for exposure of old post titles, yes, even BEYOND 50!)  I have been using Pilcrow on several blogs for this reason, 3 columns, so I could have an UNLIMITED list of "PREVIOUS"-widget post titles in the left column.

Ugh.  Another makes-no-good-sense-whatsoever shackle by WP.com.  Will try the shortcode alternative.  

I am working from a custom menu which is made up predominantly of static pages but also has one tab (business talk) which only displays blog posts categorised as business talk (http://regentlondon.org/category/business-talk/)

This is all fine, however I would like to stop the blog posts labelled with this category from appearing on the home page.

Is it possible to limit the types of posts that appear on the main page?

Many thanks

Now there is a 50 limit. How to change it back?

You can't.

Usually to change the number of posts, you'd go to the Recent Posts widget and just change the number. Dashboard - appearance - widgets.

If there really is a limit, and I'd assume there would be, then no - you can't change it.

In the past I could have them listed.

Now there is a 50 limit. How to change it back?

See my blog theme http://theremixlabel.wordpress.com