php - Wordpress query_posts returns post from unspecified categories -

i trying retrieve post category using query_posts returns post unspecified category other parameters such sort , showposts works fine.

extract(shortcode_atts(array(             'categories' => 'partners',             'imageswidth' => '200px',             'imagesheight' => '115px',             'imageslink' => 'web_link',             'partnerscount' => 'all',             'columnscount' => 1,             'imagescrop' => 'no',             'imagesblackhovercolor' => 'no',             'imagesopacity' => 100,             'imagesgrayscale' => 'no',             'imagescolorize' => '',             'imagesnegative' => 'no',             'imagessort' => 'date asc'         ), $atts));          //$args = "category_name=".categories;         //$catids = get_cat_id( $cat_name='partners' );          $args = "cat_name=".categories;         $args .= strtolower($partnerscount) != "all" ? "&showposts=".$partnerscount : '';         $args .= $imagessort == "date_asc" ? "&orderby=date&order=asc" : '';         $args .= $imagessort == "date_dsc" ? "&orderby=date&order=desc" : '';         $args .= $imagessort == "random" ? "&orderby=rand" : '';            query_posts($args);  while ( have_posts() ) : the_post();         { $output = $output.get_the_title(); } 

according wordpress documents (http://codex.wordpress.org/class_reference/wp_query#category_parameters)

in order show posts category can use next parameters:

cat (int) - use category id.

category_name (string) - use category slug (not name).

category__and (array) - use category id.

category__in (array) - use category id.

category__not_in (array) - use category id.

the right parameter is: category_name , not cat_name. replacing:

$args = "cat_name=".categories; 

with:

$args = "category_name=".$categories; 

while partners slug of category, should solve problem.

edit 1:

please notice , wrote categories without $ sign. php treats defined , not variable. try line: $args = "category_name=".$categories;

edit 2: if can't fetch slug of category, try getting id of name.

    $catid = get_cat_id( $categories );     $args = "cat=".$catid;