Helper - CodeIgniter Example
In CodeIgniter, Helpers are the utility functions which can be used across the application. These helper functions provide common functions, which are commonly required to be used across the web application.
Syntax
There is no specific syntax for using Helpers in CodeIgniter. You can simply load the helper file and use the functions provided in it. Here's the syntax to load a Helper in CodeIgniter:
$this->load->helper('helper_name');
Example
Let's take an example of the url
helper in CodeIgniter. The url
helper provides functions to work with URLs in the application. Here is an example to demonstrate how to load the url
helper in CodeIgniter:
//Load the url helper
$this->load->helper('url');
//Using a helper function
echo base_url('home');
Output
The above code will output the base URL of the application followed by home
.
Explanation
In the example above, we have loaded the url
helper using $this->load->helper('url');
. After loading the helper, we can then use any function provided by it. In this case, we have used the base_url()
function to get the base URL of the application.
Use
Helpers in CodeIgniter can be used throughout the application to provide common functions and reduce unnecessary code duplication. Some of the commonly used helpers in CodeIgniter include url
, file
, date
, array
, string
, and form
.
Important Points
- Helpers can be loaded anywhere in the application, including in controllers, models, and views.
- To avoid conflicts and unwanted function collisions, it is recommended to prefix all custom functions with the name of your application.
Summary
Helpers in CodeIgniter provide utility functions which can be used throughout the web application. They provide commonly used functions, which can help to reduce code duplication and improve reusability. To use helpers in CodeIgniter, we must first load the helper using $this->load->helper('helper_name');
and then call the desired function provided by the helper.