Helper Functions Reference

Unfold CMS provides a comprehensive set of PHP helper functions available globally in all template files, controllers, and Blade views.

Template Helpers

template_option($key, $default)

Get a template option value from the active template's options.json.

template_option('hero.enabled', true);
template_option('blog.posts_per_page', 12);
template_option('appearance.default_theme', 'system');

template_view($name)

Resolve the full view path for the active template.

template_view('home');        // → 'templates.default.home'
template_view('blog.index');  // → 'templates.default.blog.index'
template_view('page');        // → 'templates.default.page'

section_items($location)

Get published section items for a location. Results are cached.

$features = section_items('homepage.features');
$testimonials = section_items('homepage.testimonials');

foreach ($features as $item) {
    echo $item->title;
    echo $item->body;
    echo $item->extra_attributes->get('icon');
}

section_setting($section, $key, $default)

Get a setting value for a settings-only section.

$title = section_setting('homepage.hero', 'title', 'Welcome');
$heading = section_setting('homepage.about', 'heading', 'About Us');
$body = section_setting('homepage.cta', 'body');

lucide_icon($name, $classes)

Render a Lucide icon as inline SVG.

{!! lucide_icon('shield', 'h-6 w-6') !!}
{!! lucide_icon('arrow-right', 'h-4 w-4 text-brand') !!}
{!! lucide_icon('check-circle', 'h-5 w-5 text-green-500') !!}

Settings Helpers

setting_get($key, $default)

Get a site setting value from the database, with a fallback default.

setting_get('app.name', 'My Site');
setting_get('social.twitter');
setting_get('comments.enabled', true);

setting_has($key)

Check if a setting exists and is truthy.

if (setting_has('comments.enabled')) {
    // Comments are enabled
}

setting_set($key, $value, $type)

Set a setting value in the database.

setting_set('app.name', 'New Name', 'string');
setting_set('comments.enabled', true, 'boolean');

Setting Model Methods

use App\Models\Setting;

Setting::get('key', 'default');
Setting::set('key', 'value', 'type');
Setting::config()->get('key');  // From config cache

User Settings Helpers

user_setting($key, $default)

Get a setting value for the currently authenticated user.

$theme = user_setting('theme', 'light');
$locale = user_setting('locale', 'en');

user_setting_set($key, $value, $type)

Set a setting value for the currently authenticated user.

user_setting_set('theme', 'dark');
user_setting_set('notifications_enabled', true, 'boolean');

user_setting_has($key)

Check if the authenticated user has a specific setting.

if (user_setting_has('theme')) {
    // User has a theme preference
}

Get menu items for a location. Returns a cached collection of menu items with nested children.

$headerItems = menu_items('header');
$footerItems = menu_items('footer');

foreach (menu_items('header') as $item) {
    echo $item->label;
    echo $item->resolved_url;
    echo $item->target;

    foreach ($item->allChildren as $child) {
        echo $child->label;
        echo $child->resolved_url;
    }
}

Auth Helpers

authCheck()

Check if the current user is authenticated.

if (authCheck()) {
    // User is logged in
}

authUser()

Get the current authenticated user model.

$user = authUser();
echo $user->name;

authId()

Get the current authenticated user's ID.

$userId = authId();

isAdmin()

Check if the current user has the admin or super_admin role.

if (isAdmin()) {
    // Show admin features
}

isSuperAdmin()

Check if the current user has the super_admin role.

if (isSuperAdmin()) {
    // Show super admin features
}

hasRole($role)

Check if the current user has a specific role.

if (hasRole('editor')) {
    // Show editor features
}

canUser($permission)

Check if the current user has a specific permission.

if (canUser('edit-posts')) {
    // Show edit button
}

hasAnyRole($roles)

Check if the current user has any of the specified roles.

if (hasAnyRole(['admin', 'editor'])) {
    // Show management features
}

canAny($permissions)

Check if the current user has any of the specified permissions.

if (canAny(['edit-posts', 'delete-posts'])) {
    // Show post actions
}

Formatting Helpers

format_date($date, $format)

Format a date with locale awareness. Uses Jalali calendar for Persian locale.

format_date($post->created_at, 'Y/m/d');
// English: "2025/03/15"
// Persian: "1403/12/25"

format_datetime($date, $dateFormat, $timeFormat)

Format a date with time.

format_datetime($post->created_at, 'Y/m/d', 'H:i');
// "2025/03/15 14:30"

format_duration($seconds, $short)

Format a duration in seconds to a human-readable string.

format_duration(3600);              // "1 hour"
format_duration(3600, short: true); // "1h"
format_duration(90);                // "1 minute 30 seconds"

format_bytes($bytes, $precision)

Format bytes into a human-readable string.

format_bytes(1024);          // "1 KB"
format_bytes(1048576);       // "1 MB"
format_bytes(1536, 1);       // "1.5 KB"

str_rlimit($string, $limit, $end)

Limit string length with UTF-8 support, preserving word boundaries.

str_rlimit($post->body, 120);           // "First 120 chars at word boundary..."
str_rlimit($post->title, 50, ' →');     // "Truncated title →"

JSON-LD Schema Helpers

schema_organization()

Generate Organization schema for the homepage.

$schema = schema_organization();
// Returns array with @type, name, url, logo, sameAs

schema_website()

Generate WebSite schema with SearchAction for Google sitelinks.

$schema = schema_website();
// Returns array with @type, name, url, potentialAction

schema_article($post)

Generate Article schema for a blog post.

$schema = schema_article($post);
// Returns array with @type, headline, description, image, datePublished, author, publisher

schema_webpage($page)

Generate WebPage schema for a static page.

$schema = schema_webpage($page);
// Returns array with @type, name, description, url

schema_breadcrumb_list($items)

Generate BreadcrumbList schema from an array of breadcrumb items.

$schema = schema_breadcrumb_list([
    ['name' => 'Home', 'url' => url('/')],
    ['name' => 'Blog', 'url' => route('blog.index')],
    ['name' => $post->title, 'url' => url()->current()],
]);

Respond Helper

The Respond class provides standardized JSON responses for API endpoints.

Success Responses

Respond::success($data, 'Operation successful');
Respond::created($data, 'Resource created');
Respond::noContent('Resource deleted');

Error Responses

Respond::error('Something went wrong', 500);
Respond::validationError($errors, 'Validation failed');
Respond::notFound('Resource not found');
Respond::unauthorized('Please log in');
Respond::forbidden('Access denied');
Respond::rateLimited('Too many requests');

Response Structure

All JSON responses follow this structure:

{
    "success": true,
    "message": "Operation successful",
    "data": { ... },
    "errors": null
}

Laravel Helpers

In addition to the CMS helpers above, all Laravel built-in helpers are available — including asset(), url(), route(), config(), e(), Str::limit(), collect(), and more.

Blade Directives Configuration Files