Helper Functions - Knowledge of Laravel

What are helpers?

Laravel ships with a large collection of global PHP helper functions. Most are used internally by the framework, but you can freely use them in your application code. Helpers fall into several categories:

Arrays & objects — the Arr:: class and functions like data_get()
Numbers — the Number:: class
Paths — app_path(), storage_path(), and friends
URLs — route(), url(), asset()
Miscellaneous — config(), collect(), auth(), and other utilities

Global helper functions need no use declaration. The Arr and Number classes do require an import, e.g. use Illuminate\Support\Arr;.

Array helpers — the `Arr` class

`Arr::get()` — read nested values with dot notation

Safely retrieves a value from a deeply nested array using dot notation. Returns a default when the key is absent.

use Illuminate\Support\Arr;

$config = [
    'database' => [
        'connections' => [
            'mysql' => ['host' => '127.0.0.1', 'port' => 3306],
        ],
    ],
];

$host = Arr::get($config, 'database.connections.mysql.host');
// '127.0.0.1'

$charset = Arr::get($config, 'database.connections.mysql.charset', 'utf8mb4');
// 'utf8mb4'

The data_get() global function is equivalent and also works on objects and Eloquent models, making it the more versatile choice.

`Arr::set()` — write a nested value

use Illuminate\Support\Arr;

$array = ['products' => ['desk' => ['price' => 100]]];

Arr::set($array, 'products.desk.price', 200);
// ['products' => ['desk' => ['price' => 200]]]

`Arr::has()` — check key existence

use Illuminate\Support\Arr;

$array = ['product' => ['name' => 'Desk', 'price' => 100]];

Arr::has($array, 'product.name');
// true

// All keys must exist
Arr::has($array, ['product.name', 'product.price']);
// true

`Arr::only()` / `Arr::except()` — filter keys

Pick the keys you want or strip the ones you don’t. Both are handy when sanitising request data.

use Illuminate\Support\Arr;

$user = [
    'id'       => 1,
    'name'     => 'Alice',
    'email'    => '[email protected]',
    'password' => 'secret',
    'role'     => 'admin',
];

// Keep specific keys
$safe = Arr::only($user, ['id', 'name', 'email']);

// Remove specific keys
$public = Arr::except($user, ['password']);

`Arr::pluck()` — extract a column

use Illuminate\Support\Arr;

$records = [
    ['user' => ['id' => 1, 'name' => 'Alice']],
    ['user' => ['id' => 2, 'name' => 'Bob']],
];

$names = Arr::pluck($records, 'user.name');
// ['Alice', 'Bob']

// Key the results by another column
$nameById = Arr::pluck($records, 'user.name', 'user.id');
// [1 => 'Alice', 2 => 'Bob']

`Arr::first()` / `Arr::last()` — find by condition

use Illuminate\Support\Arr;

$prices = [150, 80, 200, 50, 120];

$first = Arr::first($prices, fn ($price) => $price >= 100);
// 150

// Default when no match
$first = Arr::first($prices, fn ($price) => $price >= 500, 0);
// 0

$last = Arr::last($prices);
// 120

`Arr::flatten()` — collapse nested arrays

use Illuminate\Support\Arr;

$tags = [
    'frontend' => ['html', 'css', 'javascript'],
    'backend'  => ['php', 'laravel', 'mysql'],
];

$allTags = Arr::flatten($tags);
// ['html', 'css', 'javascript', 'php', 'laravel', 'mysql']

`Arr::wrap()` — guarantee an array

Wraps a scalar in an array, leaves an existing array alone, and converts null to [].

use Illuminate\Support\Arr;

Arr::wrap('Laravel');       // ['Laravel']
Arr::wrap(['Laravel']);     // ['Laravel']
Arr::wrap(null);            // []

`Arr::sort()` — sort by value or key

use Illuminate\Support\Arr;

$fruits = ['banana', 'apple', 'cherry'];
$sorted = Arr::sort($fruits);
// ['apple', 'banana', 'cherry']

// Sort by a derived key
$products = [
    ['name' => 'Laptop',   'price' => 1200],
    ['name' => 'Mouse',    'price' => 35],
    ['name' => 'Keyboard', 'price' => 80],
];

$byPrice = Arr::sort($products, fn ($product) => $product['price']);
// Mouse, Keyboard, Laptop

`Arr::dot()` / `Arr::undot()` — convert to and from dot notation

use Illuminate\Support\Arr;

$nested = [
    'user' => [
        'profile' => ['name' => 'Alice', 'age' => 28],
    ],
];

$dotted = Arr::dot($nested);
// ['user.profile.name' => 'Alice', 'user.profile.age' => 28]

$restored = Arr::undot($dotted);
// ['user' => ['profile' => ['name' => 'Alice', 'age' => 28]]]

`Arr::join()` — join an array into a string

use Illuminate\Support\Arr;

$items = ['PHP', 'Laravel', 'MySQL'];

Arr::join($items, ', ');
// 'PHP, Laravel, MySQL'

// Different glue for the last item
Arr::join($items, ', ', ' and ');
// 'PHP, Laravel and MySQL'

`data_get()` — access nested data anywhere

A more general version of Arr::get() that works on arrays, objects, Eloquent models, and collections.

$users = [
    ['name' => 'Alice', 'address' => ['city' => 'New York']],
    ['name' => 'Bob',   'address' => ['city' => 'London']],
];

$city = data_get($users, '0.address.city');
// 'New York'

// Wildcard — collect a column across all items
$cities = data_get($users, '*.address.city');
// ['New York', 'London']

Number helpers — the `Number` class

`Number::format()` — readable number formatting

use Illuminate\Support\Number;

Number::format(1234567.89);
// '1,234,567.89'

Number::format(1234567.89, precision: 0, locale: 'en');
// '1,234,568'

`Number::currency()` — currency formatting

use Illuminate\Support\Number;

Number::currency(29.99, 'USD');
// '$29.99'

Number::currency(10000, 'EUR', locale: 'de');
// '10.000,00 €'

`Number::fileSize()` — human-readable file sizes

use Illuminate\Support\Number;

Number::fileSize(1024);
// '1 KB'

Number::fileSize(1024 * 1024 * 2.5);
// '2.5 MB'

`Number::abbreviate()` — compact large numbers

use Illuminate\Support\Number;

Number::abbreviate(1000);      // '1K'
Number::abbreviate(1500000);   // '1.5M'

`Number::percentage()` — percentage display

use Illuminate\Support\Number;

Number::percentage(75.5, precision: 1);
// '75.5%'

Path helpers

Return absolute paths to key directories. These always resolve correctly regardless of where you deploy.

app_path();                                       // /var/www/app
app_path('Http/Controllers/UserController.php');

base_path('composer.json');

config_path('database.php');

database_path('migrations');

storage_path('app/uploads');

public_path('css/app.css');

resource_path('views/welcome.blade.php');

URL helpers

`route()` — generate a named route URL

// Route::get('/users/{user}', [UserController::class, 'show'])->name('users.show');

$url = route('users.show', ['user' => 1]);
// 'https://example.com/users/1'

// Relative URL
$url = route('users.show', ['user' => 1], false);
// '/users/1'

`url()` — absolute URL for any path

$url = url('user/profile');
// 'https://example.com/user/profile'

$current  = url()->current();   // current URL without the query string
$full     = url()->full();      // current URL with the query string
$previous = url()->previous();  // the previous URL

`asset()` — public asset URL

$url = asset('img/logo.png');
// 'https://example.com/img/logo.png'

`to_route()` — redirect to a named route

return to_route('users.show', ['user' => 1]);

// With HTTP status and headers
return to_route('users.show', ['user' => 1], 302, ['X-Custom' => 'value']);

Commonly used helpers

`config()` — read and write config values

$timezone = config('app.timezone');
// 'UTC'

// With a default
$debug = config('app.debug', false);

// Override at runtime (this request only)
config(['app.locale' => 'en']);

`collect()` — create a collection

$collection = collect([1, 2, 3, 4, 5]);

$sum = collect([1, 2, 3])->sum(); // 6

collect() is the entry point to Laravel’s powerful Collection API. See the Collections guide for a full overview.

`auth()` — access the authenticated user

$user = auth()->user();

if (auth()->check()) {
    // user is authenticated
}

// Use a specific guard
$admin = auth('admin')->user();

`blank()` / `filled()` — empty checks

blank() returns true for null, empty strings, whitespace-only strings, and empty arrays/collections. filled() is the inverse.

blank('');          // true
blank('   ');       // true
blank(null);        // true
blank(collect());   // true

blank(0);           // false — zero is not blank
blank(false);       // false

filled('hello');    // true
filled(0);          // true

`abort()` / `abort_if()` / `abort_unless()` — HTTP exceptions

abort(404);
abort(403, 'You do not have permission to access this page.');

// Throw when condition is true
abort_if(! auth()->user()->isAdmin(), 403);

// Throw when condition is false
abort_unless(auth()->check(), 401);

`dd()` / `dump()` — debugging

// Dump and die
dd($user);
dd($user, $orders, $config);

// Dump without stopping
dump($query);

`dispatch()` — push a job onto the queue

dispatch(new App\Jobs\SendWelcomeEmail($user));

// Run synchronously
dispatch_sync(new App\Jobs\GenerateReport($data));

`encrypt()` / `decrypt()` — encryption

$encrypted = encrypt('sensitive-value');
$decrypted = decrypt($encrypted);

`env()` — read environment variables

$debug  = env('APP_DEBUG', false);
$dbHost = env('DB_HOST', '127.0.0.1');

Avoid calling env() directly in controllers or service classes. Read it inside config/ files and access the value through config() instead. When config caching is active (php artisan config:cache), env() returns null for everything not in the cache.

`Arr::` vs `collect()`

Use Arr:: for quick, one-off operations on a plain PHP array. Switch to collect() when you want to chain multiple transformations.

use Illuminate\Support\Arr;

// Plain array stays a plain array
$filtered = Arr::where($items, fn ($v) => $v > 0);

// Chain with collect()
$result = collect($items)
    ->filter(fn ($v) => $v > 0)
    ->map(fn ($v) => $v * 2)
    ->values()
    ->all();

Eloquent query results already return a Collection, so there is no need to wrap them in collect(). Use Arr:: when you only need a simple array operation without the overhead of a Collection object.

Quick reference

Common helpers at a glance

Helper	Purpose
`Arr::get($array, 'a.b.c', $default)`	Read a nested key safely
`Arr::only($array, $keys)`	Keep specific keys
`Arr::except($array, $keys)`	Remove specific keys
`Arr::pluck($array, 'key')`	Extract a column
`Arr::flatten($array)`	Collapse to a flat array
`Arr::wrap($value)`	Ensure a value is an array
`data_get($target, 'a.*.b')`	Wildcard nested access
`Number::format($n)`	Human-readable number
`Number::currency($n, 'USD')`	Currency formatting
`Number::fileSize($bytes)`	File size display
`route('name', $params)`	Named route URL
`url('path')`	Absolute URL
`asset('path')`	Public asset URL
`config('key', $default)`	Read a config value
`collect($array)`	Create a Collection
`auth()->user()`	Current authenticated user
`blank($value)`	Check for emptiness
`filled($value)`	Check for non-emptiness
`abort(403)`	Throw an HTTP exception
`dispatch($job)`	Push a job to the queue
`env('KEY', $default)`	Read an env variable

Arr:: vs collect()

Use Arr:: when:

You need a single, simple operation on a plain array
You want the result to stay as a plain PHP array
You do not need method chaining

Use collect() when:

You want to chain multiple transformations
You are already working with Eloquent results (they are already collections)
You need collection-specific methods like groupBy, mapWithKeys, or zip

Documentation Index

​What are helpers?

​Array helpers — the Arr class

​Arr::get() — read nested values with dot notation

​Arr::set() — write a nested value

​Arr::has() — check key existence

​Arr::only() / Arr::except() — filter keys

​Arr::pluck() — extract a column

​Arr::first() / Arr::last() — find by condition

​Arr::flatten() — collapse nested arrays

​Arr::wrap() — guarantee an array

​Arr::sort() — sort by value or key

​Arr::dot() / Arr::undot() — convert to and from dot notation

​Arr::join() — join an array into a string

​data_get() — access nested data anywhere

​Number helpers — the Number class

​Number::format() — readable number formatting

​Number::currency() — currency formatting

​Number::fileSize() — human-readable file sizes

​Number::abbreviate() — compact large numbers

​Number::percentage() — percentage display

​Path helpers

​URL helpers

​route() — generate a named route URL

​url() — absolute URL for any path

​asset() — public asset URL

​to_route() — redirect to a named route

​Commonly used helpers

​config() — read and write config values

​collect() — create a collection

​auth() — access the authenticated user

​blank() / filled() — empty checks

​abort() / abort_if() / abort_unless() — HTTP exceptions

​dd() / dump() — debugging

​dispatch() — push a job onto the queue

​encrypt() / decrypt() — encryption

​env() — read environment variables

​Arr:: vs collect()

​Quick reference

What are helpers?

Array helpers — the `Arr` class

`Arr::get()` — read nested values with dot notation

`Arr::set()` — write a nested value

`Arr::has()` — check key existence

`Arr::only()` / `Arr::except()` — filter keys

`Arr::pluck()` — extract a column

`Arr::first()` / `Arr::last()` — find by condition

`Arr::flatten()` — collapse nested arrays

`Arr::wrap()` — guarantee an array

`Arr::sort()` — sort by value or key

`Arr::dot()` / `Arr::undot()` — convert to and from dot notation

`Arr::join()` — join an array into a string

`data_get()` — access nested data anywhere

Number helpers — the `Number` class

`Number::format()` — readable number formatting

`Number::currency()` — currency formatting

`Number::fileSize()` — human-readable file sizes

`Number::abbreviate()` — compact large numbers

`Number::percentage()` — percentage display

Path helpers

URL helpers

`route()` — generate a named route URL

`url()` — absolute URL for any path

`asset()` — public asset URL

`to_route()` — redirect to a named route

Commonly used helpers

`config()` — read and write config values

`collect()` — create a collection

`auth()` — access the authenticated user

`blank()` / `filled()` — empty checks

`abort()` / `abort_if()` / `abort_unless()` — HTTP exceptions

`dd()` / `dump()` — debugging

`dispatch()` — push a job onto the queue

`encrypt()` / `decrypt()` — encryption

`env()` — read environment variables

`Arr::` vs `collect()`

Quick reference