2024 UPDATE - LARAVEL 11

We're excited to announce that we have updated all of our blog post examples to reflect the new Laravel 11 version! Our previous examples were based on Laravel 10, but with the release of Laravel 11, we wanted to ensure that our readers have access to the most up-to-date information and examples.

What are Laravel Helpers?

Helpers in Laravel are convenient PHP functions that simplify common tasks and enhance the efficiency of your code. These functions are globally available and can be used anywhere in your application. Laravel provides a wide array of built-in helper functions, and you can also create custom helpers to suit your specific needs.

Why Use Helpers in Laravel?

Helpers streamline your code by providing straightforward solutions for common tasks, such as string manipulation, array handling, URL generation, and more. They enhance code readability and maintainability, enabling developers to write cleaner and more efficient code.

Built-In Helper Functions

Laravel comes with numerous built-in helper functions categorized into various groups.

String Helpers

String helpers simplify string manipulation. Here are some of them:

Str::after($subject, $search) - Returns the portion of the string after the given value.
Str::before($subject, $search) - Returns the portion of the string before the given value.
Str::contains($haystack, $needles) - Checks if a string contains a given substring.
Str::kebab($string) - Transform a string into a kebab case.

<?php

use Illuminate\Support\Str;

Str::after('This is a test', 'This is'); // Output: ' a test'
Str::before('This is my name', 'my name'); // Output: 'This is '
Str::contains('Laravel is great', 'great'); // Output: true
Str::kebab('fooBar'); // Output: 'foo-bar'

Array Helpers

Array helpers assist in array manipulation. Some of the most useful array helpers include:

Arr::add($array, $key, $value) - Adds a key/value pair to an array if the key doesn't exist.
Arr::except($array, $keys) - Removes the specified key/value pairs from an array.
Arr::only($array, $keys) - Returns only the specified key/value pairs from an array.

<?php

use Illuminate\Support\Arr;

$array = ['name' => 'John', 'age' => 30, 'city' => 'New York'];

$array = Arr::add($array, 'country', 'USA');

// Output: ['name' => 'John', 'age' => 30, 'city' => 'New York', 'country' => 'USA']

$array = Arr::except($array, ['age']);

// Output: ['name' => 'John', 'city' => 'New York', 'country' => 'USA']

$array = Arr::only($array, ['name', 'country']); 

// Output: ['name' => 'John', 'country' => 'USA']

Path Helpers

Path helpers provide convenient functions for working with file paths. Some of the most useful path helpers include:

app_path($path = '') - Returns the fully qualified path to the app directory.
base_path($path = '') - Returns the fully qualified path to the root of the application.
storage_path($path = '') - Returns the fully qualified path to the storage directory.

<?php

app_path('Http/Controllers'); // Output: '/path/to/your/app/Http/Controllers'

storage_path('logs'); // Output: '/path/to/your/app/storage/logs'

URL Helpers

URL helpers simplify URL generation and manipulation. Some of the most useful URL helpers include:

url($path) - Generates a fully qualified URL to the given path.
route($name, $parameters = []) - Generates a URL to a named route.
asset($path) - Generates a URL for an asset using the current scheme of the request (HTTP or HTTPS).

<?php

url('/profile'); // Output: 'http://blog.com/profile'

route('profile.show', ['id' => 1]); // Output: 'http://blog.com/profile/1'

asset('images/logo.png'); // Output: 'http://blog.com/images/logo.png'

Creating Custom Helper Functions

In addition to built-in helpers, you can create custom helper functions tailored to your application's needs. Let's create custom helpers for our blog post example to format the dates into a human-readable way.

Step 1: Create a Helpers File

Create a new PHP file in the app directory or a subdirectory of your choice. For example, app/Helpers/helpers.php.

Step 2: Define Helper Functions

Add your custom helper functions in the newly created file. Here's an example of a custom helper function to format a date in a human-readable way:

<?php

if (!function_exists('format_date')) {
    function format_date($date, $format = 'F j, Y') {
        return \Carbon\Carbon::parse($date)->format($format);
    }
}

Step 3: Autoload the Helpers File

To make the custom helpers globally available, you need to autoload the helpers file. Open the composer.json file and add the path to the helpers file in the autoload section:

<?php

"autoload": {
    "files": [
        "app/Helpers/helpers.php"
    ],
    "psr-4": {
        "App\\": "app/",
        "Database\\Factories\\": "database/factories/",
        "Database\\Seeders\\": "database/seeders/"
        }
    },

After updating composer.json, run composer dump-autoload to regenerate the autoload files.

Step 4: Use Custom Helper Functions

Now you can use your custom helper functions anywhere in your application:

format_date('2023-10-15'); // Outputs: October 15, 2023

Conclusion

Helper functions in Laravel are powerful tools that simplify common tasks and enhance code readability. You can write more efficient and maintainable code by using built-in helpers and creating custom ones when needed. Whether manipulating strings, handling arrays, generating URLs, or working with file paths, Laravel's helpers provide a convenient and elegant solution.

Upcoming Articles in the Series

Laravel 11 for Beginners: Using Custom and Built-in Commands
Laravel 11 for Beginners: Using Policies for Authorization
Laravel 11 for Beginners: Roles and Permissions with Spatie package

This article is part of our series Laravel 11 for Beginners: A Step-by-Step Guide to Learn the Concepts.

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Laravel 11 for Beginners: Using Helpers PHP functions