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Helper Component


Overview

Phalcon\Helper a component exposing helper classes and static methods used throughout the framework.

Arr

Phalcon\Helper\Arr exposes static methods that offer quick access to common functionality when working with arrays.

chunk

final public static function chunk(
    array $collection, 
    int $size, 
    bool $preserveKeys = false
): array
Chunks an array into smaller arrays of a specified size.

<?php

use Phalcon\Helper\Arr;

$source   = [
    'k1' => 1,
    'k2' => 2,
    'k3' => 3,
    'k4' => 4,
    'k5' => 5,
    'k6' => 6,
];

$chunks = Arr::chunk($source, 2);

// [
//    [1, 2],
//    [3, 4],
//    [5, 6],
// ]

first

final public static function first(
    array $collection, 
    mixed $method = null
): var
Returns the first element of the collection. If a callable is passed, the element returned is the first that validates true

<?php

use Phalcon\Helper\Arr;

$collection = [
    'Phalcon',
    'Framework',
];

echo Arr::first($collection); // 'Phalcon'

$result = Arr::first(
    $collection,
    function ($element) {
        return strlen($element) > 8;
    }
);

echo $result; // 'Framework'

firstKey

final public static function firstKey(
    array $collection, 
    mixed $method = null
): var
Returns the key of the first element of the collection. If a callable is passed, the element returned is the first that validates true

<?php

use Phalcon\Helper\Arr;

$collection = [
    1 => 'Phalcon',
    3 => 'Framework',
];

echo Arr::firstKey($collection); // 1

$result = Arr::firstKey(
    $collection,
    function ($element) {
        return strlen($element) > 8;
    }
);

echo $result; // 3

flatten

final public static function flatten(
    array $collection, 
    bool $deep = false
): array
Flattens an array up to the one level depth. If $deep is set to true, it traverses all elements and flattens them all.
<?php

use Phalcon\Helper\Arr;

$source   = [1, [2], [[3], 4], 5];
var_dump(
    Arr::flatten($source)
);

// [1, 2, [3], 4, 5];

$source   = [1, [2], [[3], 4], 5];
var_dump(
    Arr::flatten($source, true)
);
// [1, 2, 3, 4, 5];

get

final public static function get(
    array $collection, 
    mixed $index, 
    mixed $defaultValue = null,
    string $cast = null
): mixed
Retrieves an element from an array. If the element exists its value is returned. If not, the defaultValue is returned. The cast parameter accepts a string that defines what the returned value will be casted. The available values are:

  • array
  • bool
  • boolean
  • double
  • float
  • int
  • integer
  • null
  • object
  • string
<?php

use Phalcon\Helper\Arr;

$data = [
    'colors' => [
        'red',
        'white',
        'blue',
    ],
    'year'   => 1776,
];

echo Arr::get($data, 'year');                    // 1776
echo Arr::get($data, 'unknown', 1776);           // 1776
echo Arr::get($data, 'unknown', 1776, 'string'); // '1776'

group

final public static function group(
    array $collection, 
    mixed $method
): array
Groups the elements of an array based on the passed callable and returns the array of the grouped elements back. The callable can be a string as the element name, a callable or a method available. The array can contain sub arrays as elements or objects with relevant properties.
<?php

use Phalcon\Helper\Arr;

$collection =  [
    ['name' => 'Paul',  'age' => 34],
    ['name' => 'Peter', 'age' => 31],
    ['name' => 'John',  'age' => 29],
];

$result = Arr::group($collection, 'age');
var_dump($result);

// [
//     34 => [
//         [
//             'name' => 'Paul',
//             'age' => 34,
//         ],
//     ],
//     31 => [
//         [
//             'name' => 'Peter',
//             'age' => 31,
//         ],
//     ],
//     29 => [
//         [
//             'name' => 'John',
//             'age' => 29,
//         ],
//     ],
// ]


$peter = new \stdClass();
$peter->name = 'Peter';
$peter->age = 34;

$paul = new \stdClass();
$paul->name = 'Paul';
$paul->age = 31;

$collection = [
    'peter' => $peter,
    'paul'  => $paul,
];

$result = = Arr::group($collection, 'name');
var_dump($result);

// [
//     'Peter' => [
//          stdClass(
//              name : 'Peter',
//              age  : 34
//          ),
//      ],
//     'Paul'  => [
//          stdClass(
//              name : 'Paul',
//              age  : 31
//          ),
//      ],
// ]


$collection = ['one', 'two', 'three'];

$result = Arr::group($collection, 'strlen');
var_dump($result);

// [
//     3 => ['one', 'two'],
//     5 => ['three']
// ]

has

final public static function has(array $collection, mixed $index): bool
Checks if an element exists in an array. Returns true if found, false otherwise.

<?php

use Phalcon\Helper\Arr;

$data = [
    'colors' => [
        'red',
        'white',
        'blue',
    ],
    'year'   => 1776,
];

echo Arr::has($data, 'year');          // true
echo Arr::has($data, 'unknown');       // false

isUnique

final public static function isUnique(array $collection): bool
Checks a flat list for duplicate values. Returns true if duplicate values exist and false if values are all unique.
<?php

use Phalcon\Helper\Arr;

$collection = [
    'Phalcon',
    'Framework',
];

$result = Arr::isUnique($collection); // true

$collection = [
    'Phalcon',
    'Framework',
    'Phalcon',
];
$result = Arr::isUnique($collection); // false

last

final public static function last(
    array $collection, 
    mixed $method = null
): var
Returns the last element of the collection. If a callable is passed, the element returned is the last that validates true

<?php

use Phalcon\Helper\Arr;

$collection = [
    'Phalcon',
    'Framework',
];

echo Arr::last($collection); // 'Framework'

$result = Arr::last(
    $collection,
    function ($element) {
        return strlen($element) < 8;
    }
);

echo $result; // 'Phalcon'

lastKey

final public static function lastKey(
    array $collection, 
    mixed $method = null
): var
Returns the key of the last element of the collection. If a callable is passed, the element returned is the last that validates true

<?php

use Phalcon\Helper\Arr;

$collection = [
    1 => 'Phalcon',
    3 => 'Framework',
];

echo Arr::lastKey($collection); // 3

$result = Arr::lastKey(
    $collection,
    function ($element) {
        return strlen($element) < 8;
    }
);

echo $result; // 1

order

final public static function order(
    array $collection, 
    mixed $attribute, 
    string $order = 'asc'
): array
Sorts a collection of arrays or objects by attribute and returns the sorted array. The third parameter controls the sort order.
<?php

use Phalcon\Helper\Arr;

$collection = [
    ['id' => 2],
    ['id' => 3],
    ['id' => 1],
];

$result = Arr::order($collection, 'id');
var_dump($result);
// [
//     ['id' => 1],
//     ['id' => 2],
//     ['id' => 3],
// ]

$result = Arr::order($collection, 'id', 'desc');
var_dump($result);
// [
//     ['id' => 3],
//     ['id' => 2],
//     ['id' => 1],
// ]

pluck

final public static function pluck(
    array $collection, 
    string element
): array
Retrieves all of the values for a given key returning them as an array
<?php

use Phalcon\Helper\Arr;

$collection = [
    ['product_id' => 'prod-100', 'name' => 'Desk'],
    ['product_id' => 'prod-200', 'name' => 'Chair'],
];

$result = Arr::pluck($collection, 'name');
var_dump($result);
// [
//     'Desk', 
//     'Chair'
// ]

set

final public static function set(
    array $collection, 
    mixed $value, 
    mixed $index = null
): array
Sets an array element and returns the new array back. The third parameter is the index/key.
<?php

use Phalcon\Helper\Arr;

$collection = [];
$result = Arr::set($collection, 'Phalcon');
var_dump($result);
// [
//     0 => 'Phalcon',
// ]


$collection = [
    1 => 'Phalcon'
];
$result = Arr::set($collection, 'Framework', 1);
var_dump($result);
// [
//     1 => 'Framework',
// ]

sliceLeft

final public static function sliceLeft(
    array $collection, 
    int $elements = 1
): array
Returns a new array with n elements removed from the left.
<?php

use Phalcon\Helper\Arr;

$collection = [
    'Phalcon',
    'Framework',
    'for',
    'PHP',
];

$result = Arr::sliceLeft($collection, 1);
var_dump($result);
// [
//     'Phalcon',
// ]

$result = Arr::sliceLeft($collection, 3);
var_dump($result);
// [
//     'Phalcon',
//     'Framework',
//     'for',
// ]

sliceRight

final public static function sliceRight(
    array $collection, 
    int $elements = 1
): array
Returns a new array with n elements removed from the right.
<?php

use Phalcon\Helper\Arr;

$collection = [
    'Phalcon',
    'Framework',
    'for',
    'PHP',
];

$result   = Arr::sliceRight($collection, 1);
var_dump($result);
// [
//     'Framework',
//     'for',
//     'PHP',
// ]

$result   = Arr::sliceRight($collection, 3);
var_dump($result);
// [
//     'PHP',
// ]

split

final public static function split(array $collection): array
Returns a new array with keys of the passed array as one element and values as another.
<?php

use Phalcon\Helper\Arr;

$collection = [
    1 => 'Phalcon',
    3 => 'Framework',
];

$result = Arr::split($collection);
var_dump($result);
// [
//     [1, 3],
//     ['Phalcon', 'Framework']
// ]

toObject

final public static function toObject(array $collection)
Converts an array to an object

<?php

use Phalcon\Helper\Arr;

$collection = [
    1 => 'Phalcon',
    3 => 'Framework',
];

$result = Arr::toObject($collection);
var_dump($result);
// object(stdClass)#1 (2) {
//   ["1"] => string(7) "Phalcon"
//   ["3"] => string(9) "Framework"
// }

validateAll

final public static function validateAll(
    array $collection, 
    mixed $method
): bool
Returns true if the provided function returns true for all elements of the collection, false otherwise.
<?php

use Phalcon\Helper\Arr;

$collection = [2, 3, 4, 5];
$result     = Arr::validateAll(
    $collection,
    function ($element) {
        return $element > 1;
    }
);

var_dump($result); // true

validateAny

final public static function validateAny(
    array $collection, 
    mixed $method
): bool
Returns true if the provided function returns true for at least one element of the collection, false otherwise.
<?php

use Phalcon\Helper\Arr;

$collection = [2, 3, 4, 5];
$result     = Arr::validateAny(
    $collection,
    function ($element) {
        return $element > 4;
    }
);

var_dump($result); // true

whiteList

final public static function whiteList(
    array $collection, 
    array $whiteList 
): array
Returns a subset of the array, white listing elements by key. The returned array contains only the elements of the source array that have keys identical to the whitelist array that was passed as a parameter.
<?php

use Phalcon\Helper\Arr;

$collection = [
    2     => 'Phalcon',
    3     => 'Apples',
    'one' => 'Framework',
    'two' => 'Oranges',
];
$result     = Arr::whiteList(
    $collection,
    [2, 'one']
);

var_dump($result);
// [
//     2     => 'Phalcon',
//     'one' => 'Framework'
// ]

Exception

Any exceptions thrown in the Phalcon\Helper\* components will be of this type: Phalcon\Helper\Exception

Fs

Phalcon\Helper\Fs exposes static methods that offer file operation helper methods

basename

final public static function basename(
    int $uri, 
    mixed $suffix
) -> string

Gets the filename from a given path, This method is similar to PHP's basename() but has non-ASCII character support. PHP's basename() does not properly support streams or filenames beginning with a non-US-ASCII character.

<?php

use Phalcon\Helper\Fs;

$file = '/file/热爱中文.txt';

echo Fs::basename($file); // '热爱中文.txt'

$file = '/myfolder/日本語のファイル名.txt';

echo Fs::basename($file); // '日本語のファイル名.txt'

$file = '/root/ελληνικά.txt';

echo Fs::basename($file); // 'ελληνικά.txt';

Json

Phalcon\Helper\Json acts as a wrapper to json_encode and json_decode PHP methods, checking for errors and raising exceptions accordingly.

decode

final public static function decode(
    string $data,
    bool $associative = false,
    int $depth = 512,
    int $options = 0
 ): mixed

Decodes a string using json_decode and throws an exception if the JSON data cannot be decoded

use Phalcon\Helper\Json;

$data = '{"one":"two","0":"three"}';

var_dump(Json::decode($data));
// [
//     'one' => 'two',
//     'three'
// ];

encode

final public static function encode(
    $data,
    int $depth = 512,
    int $options = 0
): string
Encodes a string using json_encode and throws an exception if the JSON data cannot be encoded

use Phalcon\Helper\Json;

$data = [
    'one' => 'two',
    'three'
];

echo Json::encode($data);
// {"one":"two","0":"three"}

Number

Phalcon\Helper\Number exposes static methods that offer quick access to common functionality when working with numbers.

between

final public static function between(
    int $value, 
    int $from, 
    int $to
) -> bool

Checks if the passed value is between the range specified in from and to

<?php

use Phalcon\Helper\Number;

$min   = 10;
$max   = 100;
$value = 13;

echo Number::between($value, $min, $max);   // true

$value = 2;
echo Number::between($value, $min, $max);   // false

Str

Phalcon\Helper\Str exposes static methods that offer quick manipulations to strings.

camelize

final public static function camelize(string $text, mixed $delimiter = null): string
Converts strings to camelize style
<?php

use Phalcon\Helper\Str;

echo Str::camelize('coco_bongo');         // CocoBongo
echo Str::camelize('co_co-bon_go', '-');  // Co_coBon_go
echo Str::camelize('co_co-bon_go', '_-'); // CoCoBonGo

concat

final public static function concat(
    string $separator, 
    string $a, 
    string $b 
    [, string $x] ... 
): string
Concatenates strings using the separator only once, removing duplicate delimiters. The first parameter is the separator, the subsequent ones are the strings to concatenate together. The minimum required parameters are three.
<?php

use Phalcon\Helper\Str;

$folder = Str::concat(
    '/',
    '/tmp/',
    '/folder_1/',
    '/folder_2',
    'folder_3/'
);

echo $folder; // /tmp/folder_1/folder_2/folder_3/

countVowels

final public static function countVowels(string $text): int
Returns number of vowels in provided string. Uses a regular expression to count the number of vowels (A, E, I, O, U) in a string.
<?php

use Phalcon\Helper\Str;

$source = 'Luke, I am your father!';

echo Str::countVowels($source); // 8

decapitalize

final public static function decapitalize(
    string $text, 
    bool $upperRest = false, 
    string $encoding = 'UTF-8'
): string
Decapitalizes the first letter of the string and then adds it back. If the upperRest parameter is set to false the rest of the string remains intact, otherwise it is converted to uppercase. The method will try to use methods provided by the mbstring extension and use the PHP equivalent as a fallback. The last parameter is the encoding that mbstring methods will use. It defaults to UTF-8.
<?php

use Phalcon\Helper\Str;

$source   = 'BeetleJuice';

echo Str::decapitalize($source);       // beetleJuice
echo Str::decapitalize($source, true); // bEETLEJUICE

decrement

final public static function decrement(
    string $text, 
    string $separator = '_'
): string
Removes a number from a string or decrements that number if it already is defined.
<?php

use Phalcon\Helper\Str;

echo Str::decrement('a_1'); // 'a'
echo Str::decrement('a_2'); // 'a_1'

dirFromFile

final public static function dirFromFile(string $file): string
Accepts a file name (without extension) and returns a calculated directory structure with the filename in the end

<?php

use Phalcon\Helper\Str;

echo Str::dirFromFile("file1234.jpg"); // fi/le/12/

dirSeparator

final public static function dirSeparator(string $directory): string
Accepts a directory name and ensures that it ends with DIRECTORY_SEPARATOR

<?php

use Phalcon\Helper\Str;

echo Str::dirSeparator("/home/phalcon"); // /home/phalcon/

dynamic

final public static function dynamic(
    string $text,
    string $leftDelimiter = '{',
    string $rightDelimiter = '}',
    string $separator = '|'
): string
Generates random text based on the template. The template needs separators as well as a delimiter for the different values. The defaults for those can be overridden with the method parameters.
<?php

use Phalcon\Helper\Str;

echo Str::dynamic('{Han|Leia|Luke} {Solo|Skywalker}!');  // Han Solo!
echo Str::dynamic('{Han|Leia|Luke} {Solo|Skywalker}!');  // Leia Skywalker!
echo Str::dynamic('{Han|Leia|Luke} {Solo|Skywalker}!');  // Luke Solo!

endsWith

final public static function endsWith(
    string $text, 
    string $end, 
    bool $ignoreCase = true
): bool
Returns true if a string ends with a given string. If the last parameter is true (default), the search is made in a case-insensitive manner.
<?php

use Phalcon\Helper\Str;

echo Str::endsWith('Hello', 'llo');        // true
echo Str::endsWith('Hello', 'LLO', false); // false
echo Str::endsWith('Hello', 'LLO');        // true

firstBetween

final public static function firstBetween(
    string $haystack,
    string $start,
    string $end
): string
Returns the first string there is between the strings from the parameter start and end. The method will try to use methods provided by the mbstring extension and use the PHP equivalent as a fallback.
<?php

use Phalcon\Helper\Str;

$source   = 'This is a [custom] string with [other] stuff';

echo Str::firstBetween($source, '[', ']'); // custom

humanize

final public static function humanize(string $text): string
Makes an underscored or dashed phrase human-readable
<?php

use Phalcon\Helper\Str;

echo Str::humanize('start-a-horse'); // 'start a horse'
echo Str::humanize('five_cats');     // 'five cats'

includes

final public static function includes(
    string $needle, 
    string $haystack
): bool
Checks if a string is included in another string. Returns true if it is included, false otherwise. The method will try to use methods provided by the mbstring extension and use the PHP equivalent as a fallback.
<?php

use Phalcon\Helper\Str;

echo Str::includes('start', 'start-a-horse'); // true
echo Str::includes('end', 'start-a-horse'); // false

increment

final public static function increment(
    string $text, 
    string $separator = '_'
): string
Adds a number to a string or increment that number if it already is defined.
<?php

use Phalcon\Helper\Str;

echo Str::increment('a');   // 'a_1'
echo Str::increment('a_1'); // 'a_2'

isAnagram

final public static function isAnagram(
    string $first, 
    string $second
): bool
Compare two strings and returns true if both strings are anagram, false otherwise.
<?php

use Phalcon\Helper\Str;

echo Str::isAnagram('rail safety', 'fairy tales'); // true

isLower

final public static function isLower(
    string $text, 
    string $encoding = 'UTF-8'
):  bool
Returns true if the given string is lower case, false otherwise. The method will try to use methods provided by the mbstring extension and use the PHP equivalent as a fallback. The last parameter is the encoding that mbstring methods will use. It defaults to UTF-8.
<?php

use Phalcon\Helper\Str;

echo Str::isLower('phalcon framework'); // true
echo Str::isLower('Phalcon Framework'); // false

isPalindrome

final public static function isPalindrome(string $text): bool
Returns true if the given string is a palindrome, false otherwise.
<?php

use Phalcon\Helper\Str;

echo Str::isPalindrome('racecar'); // true

isUpper

final public static function isUpper(
    string $text, 
    string $encoding = 'UTF-8'
):  bool
Returns true if the given string is upper case, false otherwise. The method will try to use methods provided by the mbstring extension and use the PHP equivalent as a fallback. The last parameter is the encoding that mbstring methods will use. It defaults to UTF-8.
<?php

use Phalcon\Helper\Str;

echo Str::isUpper('PHALCON FRAMEWORK'); // true
echo Str::isUpper('Phalcon Framework'); // false

lower

final public static function lower(
    string $text, 
    string $encoding = 'UTF-8'
): string
Converts a string to lowercase characters. The method will try to use methods provided by the mbstring extension and use the PHP equivalent as a fallback. The last parameter is the encoding that mbstring methods will use. It defaults to UTF-8.
<?php

use Phalcon\Helper\Str;

echo Str::lower('PHALCON FRAMEWORK'); // phalcon framework

random

final public static function random(
    int $type = 0, 
    long $length = 8
): string
Generates a random string based on the given type. The first parameter is one of the RANDOM_* constants. The second parameter specifies the length of the string (defaults to 8).

Constant Description
RANDOM_ALNUM Only alpha numeric characters [a-zA-Z0-9]
RANDOM_ALPHA Only alphabetical characters [azAZ]
RANDOM_DISTINCT Only alpha numeric uppercase characters exclude similar characters [2345679ACDEFHJKLMNPRSTUVWXYZ]
RANDOM_HEXDEC Only hexadecimal characters [0-9a-f]
RANDOM_NOZERO Only numbers without 0 [1-9]
RANDOM_NUMERIC Only numbers [0-9]
<?php

use Phalcon\Helper\Str;

echo Str::random(Str::RANDOM_ALNUM); // 'aloiwkqz'

reduceSlashes

final public static function reduceSlashes(string $text): string
Reduces multiple slashes in a string to single slashes. If a scheme is present (https://, ftp:// it will not be changed)
<?php

use Phalcon\Helper\Str;

echo Str::reduceSlashes('foo//bar/baz');             // foo/bar/baz
echo Str::reduceSlashes('http://foo.bar///baz/buz'); // http://foo.bar/baz/buz
echo Str::reduceSlashes('//foo.bar///baz/buz');      // /foo.bar/baz/buz
echo Str::reduceSlashes('ftp://foo.bar///baz/buz');  // ftp://foo.bar/baz/buz
echo Str::reduceSlashes('ftp//foo.bar///baz/buz');   // ftp/foo.bar/baz/buz

startsWith

final public static function startsWith(
    string $text, 
    string $start, 
    bool $ignoreCase = true
): bool
Returns true if a string starts with a given string. If the last parameter is true (default), the search is made in a case-insensitive manner.
<?php

use Phalcon\Helper\Str;

echo Str::startsWith('Hello', 'He');        // true
echo Str::startsWith('Hello', 'he', false); // false
echo Str::startsWith('Hello', 'he');        // true

uncamelize

final public static function uncamelize(
    string $text,   
    mixed $delimiter = null
): string
Uncamelize strings which are camelized
<?php

use Phalcon\Helper\Str;

echo Str::uncamelize('CocoBongo');      // coco_bongo
echo Str::uncamelize('CocoBongo', '-'); // coco-bongo

underscore

final public static function underscore(string $text): string
Makes a phrase underscored instead of spaced.
<?php

use Phalcon\Helper\Str;

echo Str::underscore('look behind');     // 'look_behind'
echo Str::underscore('Awesome Phalcon'); // 'Awesome_Phalcon'

upper

final public static function upper(
    string $text, 
    string $encoding = 'UTF-8'
): string
Converts a string to uppercase characters. The method will try to use methods provided by the mbstring extension and use the PHP equivalent as a fallback. The last parameter is the encoding that mbstring methods will use. It defaults to UTF-8.
<?php

use Phalcon\Helper\Str;

echo Str::upper('phalcon framework'); // PHALCON FRAMEWORK