Have wp_list_categories output the category description

I’m not sure if that was really clear what I just wrote, let me try to illustrate it:

The way it works now:

Active Category
Sub-Category 1
Sub-Category 2
Sub-Category 3

Category
…empty…

The way I’d like it to work:

Active Category
Sub-Category 1
Sub-Category 2
Sub-Category 3

Parent Category
Sub-Category 1
Active Sub-Category 2
Sub-Category 3

Oh, that’s not really it.
What I’m trying to get at is having a list of all sub-category descriptions, just as it is now on the category pages, on the sub-category pages as well.
Say I have a category called “Illustration” and sub-categories to that called say “Freelance” and “Commissioned Work”, then I’d like the menu to look like this, while on the Freelance category page.

Illustration

Freelance
Commissioned Work

Displaying the Parent Category, as well as displaying all children of the Parent Category, not children of the active sub-category, since it has no children.

I think what is needed is an alteration of the
$cat = get_query_var(‘cat’);
so that it calls for something like:
$cat = get_query_var(‘parent_cat’);
though that is probably not the least correct.

I wish I could show you, but since the site is up and running, I don’t want to mess with it too much at this hour (it’s 14:45 in Sweden right now).

That would probably solve things, but I can’t get the sub-category to use that line of code. I have this in my sidebar.php:

<? } /* If this page displays a Parent Category */ elseif ( is_category(illustration) || is_category(graphics-design) || is_category(photo) || is_category(styling) || is_category(pattern) ) { ?>

and tried to use just elseif ( is_category() ) for any other category (i.e. all the sub-categories) but the sub-categories still go by the first category code.

I even tried calling the exakt sub-category ID with elseif ( is_category(’10’) ) but it still uses the top category code.

I don’t think there is a is_subcategory but there must be another way? Or will I have to make a template for each and every sub-category?

Where would that go in the code?

<?php
$cat = get_query_var('cat');
$categories=get_categories('child_of='.$cat);
  if ($categories) {
    foreach($categories as $term) {
      echo '<a href="' . get_category_link( $term->term_id ) . '" title="' . sprintf( __( "View %s" ), $term->description ) . '" ' . '>' . $term->description.'</a>';
    }
  }
?>

Sorry, but this is not my bag of crisps.

Haha, yeah it’s been a long way, let’s see if I can sum it up, I think the way there will be clear one’s the goal is..

You’ve helped me to list the descriptions of a category’s sub-category’s while on a category page. Each description links to that sub-category, so far it’s pretty straight forward right?

The last issue is that ones you click on a sub-category’s description, you go to that sub-category and then the list of descriptions disappear.
I’d like the same list of descriptions that appears on the category page to appear on the sub-category.

Here’s the part of my sidebar.php that isn’t working, maybe it’ll make it more clear to you.

Thanks again for taking your time!

<div id="left_column">

[...]

<div id="menu">
<ul>
<?php /* If this page displays an Author Archive */ if ( is_author() ) { ?>

<?php
if(isset($_GET['author_name'])) :
$curauth = get_userdatabylogin($author_name); // NOTE: 2.0 bug requires get_userdatabylogin(get_the_author_login());
else :
$curauth = get_userdata(intval($author));
endif;
?>

<h2 class="menu_header"><?php echo $curauth->display_name; ?></h2>
<?php echo $curauth->user_email; ?>
<?php echo $curauth->jabber; ?>
<?php echo $curauth->description; ?>

<? } /* If this page displays a Parent Category */ elseif ( is_category(illustration) || is_category(graphics-design) || is_category(photo) || is_category(styling) || is_category(pattern) ) { ?>

<h2 class="menu_header">Lula Members</h2>

<?php
$cat = get_query_var('cat');
$categories=get_categories('child_of='.$cat);
if ($categories) {
foreach($categories as $term) {
echo '<a href="' . get_category_link( $term->term_id ) . '" title="' . sprintf( __( "View %s" ), $term->description ) . '" ' . '>' . $term->description.'</a>';
}
}
?>

<? } /* If this page displays any other Category */ elseif ( is_category() ) { ?>

<h2 class="menu_header">Lula Members</h2>
<?php
$cat = get_query_var('cat');
$categories=get_categories('child_of='.$cat);
if ($categories) {
foreach($categories as $term->parent) {
echo '<a href="' . get_category_link( $term->term_id ) . '" title="' . sprintf( __( "View %s" ), $term->description ) . '" ' . '>' . $term->description.'</a>';
}
}
?>

<? } else { ?> 

<h2 class="menu_header">Lula Members</h2>   

<?php wp_list_authors('show_fullname=1&optioncount=0&exclude_admin=1'); ?>

<?php } ?>

[...]

</ul>
</div>

I would like “else” part to say, in plain english:

If the page displays any sub-category, then display the children of the parent category with the category description.
I.e. display the currently active child as well as the other children of the same parent.

Does that make any sense?