The file helpers.php contains a cornucopia of useful helper functions to assist feather and module development. Each function is fully documented in the source file.
Sessions
Name | Description |
logged_in() | Returns whether or not the visitor is logged in. |
Routing
Name | Description |
redirect() | Redirects to the supplied URL and exits immediately. |
self_url() | Returns an absolute URL[note] for the current request. |
show_403() | Shows an error message with a 403 HTTP header. |
show_404() | Shows an error message with a 404 HTTP header. |
url() | Generate the canonical URL[note] for an action e.g. url('controls') . |
Localization
Name | Description |
__() | Translates a string using PHP-gettext. |
_f() | Translates a string with sprintf() formatting. |
_p() | Translates a plural (or not) form of a string. |
See also: Localizing Extensions.
Time/Date
Name | Description |
datetime() | Formats datetime for SQL queries. |
now() | Alias to strtotime() , for prettiness like now("+1 day") . |
when() | Formats a string that isn't a regular time() value. |
Variable Manipulation
Name | Description |
authenticate() | Generates or validates an authentication token for the visitor. |
fallback() | Sets the supplied variable if it is not already set. |
keywords() | Parse keyword searches for values in specific database columns. |
match() | Try to match a string against an array of regular expressions. |
oneof() | Returns a value from the supplied set of arguments. |
derezz() | Strips tags from the supplied variable and tests it for emptiness. |
random() | Generates a string of alphanumeric random characters. |
shorthand_bytes() | Decode shorthand bytes notation from php.ini. |
slug() | Generates a random slug value for posts and pages. |
token() | Salt and hash a unique token using the supplied data. |
String Manipulation
Name | Description |
camelize() | Converts a string to camel-case. |
decamelize() | Undoes camel-case conversion. |
depluralize() | Singularizes a word. |
fix() | Neutralizes HTML and quotes in strings for display. |
normalize() | Attempts to normalize all newlines and whitespace into single spaces. |
pluralize() | Pluralizes a word. |
sanitize() | Sanitizes a string of troublesome characters, typically for use in URLs. |
sanitize_html() | Sanitize HTML to disable scripts and obnoxious attributes. |
truncate() | Truncates a string to the requested number of characters or less. |
unfix() | Undoes neutralization of HTML and quotes in strings. |
Remote Fetches
Name | Description |
get_remote() | Retrieve the contents of a URL. |
grab_urls() | Crawls a string and grabs hyperlinks from it. |
Modules and Feathers
Name | Description |
feather_enabled() | Determines if a feather is currently enabled and not cancelled. |
cancel_module() | Temporarily declares a module cancelled (disabled). |
cancel_feather() | Temporarily declares a feather cancelled (disabled). |
module_enabled() | Determines if a module is currently enabled and not cancelled. |
Upload Management
Name | Description |
unique_filename() | Generates a unique name for the supplied file in the uploads directory. |
upload() | Validates and moves an uploaded file to the uploads directory. |
uploaded() | Generates an absolute URL[note] or filesystem path to an uploaded file. |
upload_from_url() | Copy a file from a remote URL to the uploads directory. |
upload_tester() | Tests uploaded file information to determine if the upload was successful. |
Name | Description |
add_scheme() | Prefixes a URL with a scheme if none was detected. addScheme() is the client-side equivalent. |
check_captcha | Checks the response to a captcha. |
generate_captcha() | Generates a captcha form element. |
get_gravatar() | Get either a Gravatar URL or complete image tag for a specified email address. |
is_email() | Does the string look like an email address? isEmail() is the client-side equivalent. |
is_url() | Does the string look like a web URL? isURL() is the client-side equivalent. |
password_strength() | Award a numeric score for the strength of a password. passwordStrength() is the client-side equivalent. |
Responding to Requests
Name | Description |
correspond() | Send an email correspondence to a user about an action we took. |
file_attachment() | Send a file attachment to the visitor. |
json_response() | Send a structured JSON response. |
json_get() | JSON decodes a value and checks for errors. |
json_set() | JSON encodes a value and checks for errors. |
zip_archive() | Creates a basic flat Zip archive from an array of items. |
See also: Adding Ajax Functionality.