+ +
+

URL Helper

+

The URL Helper file contains functions that assist in working with URLs.

+ +
+

Loading this Helper

+

This helper is loaded using the following code:

+
$this->load->helper('url');
+
+
+
+
+

Available Functions

+

The following functions are available:

+
+
+site_url([$uri = ''[, $protocol = NULL]])
+
+++ + + + + + + + +
Parameters:
    +
  • $uri (string) – URI string
    • +
  • $protocol (string) – Protocol, e.g. ‘http’ or ‘https’
    • +
+
Returns:

Site URL

+
Return type:

string

+
+

Returns your site URL, as specified in your config file. The index.php +file (or whatever you have set as your site index_page in your config +file) will be added to the URL, as will any URI segments you pass to the +function, plus the url_suffix as set in your config file.

+

You are encouraged to use this function any time you need to generate a +local URL so that your pages become more portable in the event your URL +changes.

+

Segments can be optionally passed to the function as a string or an +array. Here is a string example:

+
echo site_url('news/local/123');
+
+
+

The above example would return something like: +http://example.com/index.php/news/local/123

+

Here is an example of segments passed as an array:

+
$segments = array('news', 'local', '123');
+echo site_url($segments);
+
+
+

This function is an alias for CI_Config::site_url(). For more info, +please see the Config Library documentation.

+
+ +
+
+base_url($uri = '', $protocol = NULL)
+
+++ + + + + + + + +
Parameters:
    +
  • $uri (string) – URI string
    • +
  • $protocol (string) – Protocol, e.g. ‘http’ or ‘https’
    • +
+
Returns:

Base URL

+
Return type:

string

+
+

Returns your site base URL, as specified in your config file. Example:

+
echo base_url();
+
+
+

This function returns the same thing as site_url(), without +the index_page or url_suffix being appended.

+

Also like site_url(), you can supply segments as a string or +an array. Here is a string example:

+
echo base_url("blog/post/123");
+
+
+

The above example would return something like: +http://example.com/blog/post/123

+

This is useful because unlike site_url(), you can supply a +string to a file, such as an image or stylesheet. For example:

+
echo base_url("images/icons/edit.png");
+
+
+

This would give you something like: +http://example.com/images/icons/edit.png

+

This function is an alias for CI_Config::base_url(). For more info, +please see the Config Library documentation.

+
+ +
+
+current_url()
+
+++ + + + + + +
Returns:The current URL
Return type:string
+

Returns the full URL (including segments) of the page being currently +viewed.

+
+

Note

+

Calling this function is the same as doing this: +| +| site_url(uri_string());

+
+
+ +
+
+uri_string()
+
+++ + + + + + +
Returns:An URI string
Return type:string
+

Returns the URI segments of any page that contains this function. +For example, if your URL was this:

+
http://some-site.com/blog/comments/123
+
+
+

The function would return:

+
blog/comments/123
+
+
+

This function is an alias for CI_Config::uri_string(). For more info, +please see the Config Library documentation.

+
+ +
+
+index_page()
+
+++ + + + + + +
Returns:‘index_page’ value
Return type:mixed
+

Returns your site index_page, as specified in your config file. +Example:

+
echo index_page();
+
+
+
+ +
+
+anchor($uri = '', $title = '', $attributes = '')
+
+++ + + + + + + + +
Parameters:
    +
  • $uri (string) – URI string
    • +
  • $title (string) – Anchor title
    • +
  • $attributes (mixed) – HTML attributes
    • +
+
Returns:

HTML hyperlink (anchor tag)

+
Return type:

string

+
+

Creates a standard HTML anchor link based on your local site URL.

+

The first parameter can contain any segments you wish appended to the +URL. As with the site_url() function above, segments can +be a string or an array.

+
+

Note

+

If you are building links that are internal to your application +do not include the base URL (http://…). This will be added +automatically from the information specified in your config file. +Include only the URI segments you wish appended to the URL.

+
+

The second segment is the text you would like the link to say. If you +leave it blank, the URL will be used.

+

The third parameter can contain a list of attributes you would like +added to the link. The attributes can be a simple string or an +associative array.

+

Here are some examples:

+
echo anchor('news/local/123', 'My News', 'title="News title"');
+// Prints: <a href="http://example.com/index.php/news/local/123" title="News title">My News</a>
+
+echo anchor('news/local/123', 'My News', array('title' => 'The best news!'));
+// Prints: <a href="http://example.com/index.php/news/local/123" title="The best news!">My News</a>
+
+echo anchor('', 'Click here');
+// Prints: <a href="http://example.com">Click Here</a>
+
+
+
+ +
+
+anchor_popup($uri = '', $title = '', $attributes = FALSE)
+
+++ + + + + + + + +
Parameters:
    +
  • $uri (string) – URI string
    • +
  • $title (string) – Anchor title
    • +
  • $attributes (mixed) – HTML attributes
    • +
+
Returns:

Pop-up hyperlink

+
Return type:

string

+
+

Nearly identical to the anchor() function except that it +opens the URL in a new window. You can specify JavaScript window +attributes in the third parameter to control how the window is opened. +If the third parameter is not set it will simply open a new window with +your own browser settings.

+

Here is an example with attributes:

+
$atts = array(
+        'width'       => 800,
+        'height'      => 600,
+        'scrollbars'  => 'yes',
+        'status'      => 'yes',
+        'resizable'   => 'yes',
+        'screenx'     => 0,
+        'screeny'     => 0,
+        'window_name' => '_blank'
+);
+
+echo anchor_popup('news/local/123', 'Click Me!', $atts);
+
+
+
+

Note

+

The above attributes are the function defaults so you only need to +set the ones that are different from what you need. If you want the +function to use all of its defaults simply pass an empty array in the +third parameter: +| +| echo anchor_popup(‘news/local/123’, ‘Click Me!’, array());

+
+
+

Note

+

The window_name is not really an attribute, but an argument to +the JavaScript window.open() <http://www.w3schools.com/jsref/met_win_open.asp> +method, which accepts either a window name or a window target.

+
+
+

Note

+

Any other attribute than the listed above will be parsed as an +HTML attribute to the anchor tag.

+
+
+ +
+
+mailto($email, $title = '', $attributes = '')
+
+++ + + + + + + + +
Parameters:
    +
  • $email (string) – E-mail address
    • +
  • $title (string) – Anchor title
    • +
  • $attributes (mixed) – HTML attributes
    • +
+
Returns:

A “mail to” hyperlink

+
Return type:

string

+
+

Creates a standard HTML e-mail link. Usage example:

+
echo mailto('me@my-site.com', 'Click Here to Contact Me');
+
+
+

As with the anchor() tab above, you can set attributes using the +third parameter:

+
$attributes = array('title' => 'Mail me');
+echo mailto('me@my-site.com', 'Contact Me', $attributes);
+
+
+
+ +
+
+safe_mailto($email, $title = '', $attributes = '')
+
+++ + + + + + + + +
Parameters:
    +
  • $email (string) – E-mail address
    • +
  • $title (string) – Anchor title
    • +
  • $attributes (mixed) – HTML attributes
    • +
+
Returns:

A spam-safe “mail to” hyperlink

+
Return type:

string

+
+

Identical to the mailto() function except it writes an obfuscated +version of the mailto tag using ordinal numbers written with JavaScript to +help prevent the e-mail address from being harvested by spam bots.

+
+ +
+ +
+++ + + + + + + + +
Parameters:
    +
  • $str (string) – Input string
    • +
  • $type (string) – Link type (‘email’, ‘url’ or ‘both’)
    • +
  • $popup (bool) – Whether to create popup links
    • +
+
Returns:

Linkified string

+
Return type:

string

+
+

Automatically turns URLs and e-mail addresses contained in a string into +links. Example:

+
$string = auto_link($string);
+
+
+

The second parameter determines whether URLs and e-mails are converted or +just one or the other. Default behavior is both if the parameter is not +specified. E-mail links are encoded as safe_mailto() as shown +above.

+

Converts only URLs:

+
$string = auto_link($string, 'url');
+
+
+

Converts only e-mail addresses:

+
$string = auto_link($string, 'email');
+
+
+

The third parameter determines whether links are shown in a new window. +The value can be TRUE or FALSE (boolean):

+
$string = auto_link($string, 'both', TRUE);
+
+
+
+ +
+
+url_title($str, $separator = '-', $lowercase = FALSE)
+
+++ + + + + + + + +
Parameters:
    +
  • $str (string) – Input string
    • +
  • $separator (string) – Word separator
    • +
  • $lowercase (bool) – Whether to transform the output string to lower-case
    • +
+
Returns:

URL-formatted string

+
Return type:

string

+
+

Takes a string as input and creates a human-friendly URL string. This is +useful if, for example, you have a blog in which you’d like to use the +title of your entries in the URL. Example:

+
$title = "What's wrong with CSS?";
+$url_title = url_title($title);
+// Produces: Whats-wrong-with-CSS
+
+
+

The second parameter determines the word delimiter. By default dashes +are used. Preferred options are: - (dash) or _ (underscore)

+

Example:

+
$title = "What's wrong with CSS?";
+$url_title = url_title($title, 'underscore');
+// Produces: Whats_wrong_with_CSS
+
+
+
+

Note

+

Old usage of ‘dash’ and ‘underscore’ as the second parameter +is DEPRECATED.

+
+

The third parameter determines whether or not lowercase characters are +forced. By default they are not. Options are boolean TRUE/FALSE.

+

Example:

+
$title = "What's wrong with CSS?";
+$url_title = url_title($title, 'underscore', TRUE);
+// Produces: whats_wrong_with_css
+
+
+
+ +
+
+prep_url($str = '')
+
+++ + + + + + + + +
Parameters:
    +
  • $str (string) – URL string
    • +
+
Returns:

Protocol-prefixed URL string

+
Return type:

string

+
+

This function will add http:// in the event that a protocol prefix +is missing from a URL.

+

Pass the URL string to the function like this:

+
$url = prep_url('example.com');
+
+
+
+ +
+
+redirect($uri = '', $method = 'auto', $code = NULL)
+
+++ + + + + + +
Parameters:
    +
  • $uri (string) – URI string
    • +
  • $method (string) – Redirect method (‘auto’, ‘location’ or ‘refresh’)
    • +
  • $code (string) – HTTP Response code (usually 302 or 303)
    • +
+
Return type:

void

+
+

Does a “header redirect” to the URI specified. If you specify the full +site URL that link will be built, but for local links simply providing +the URI segments to the controller you want to direct to will create the +link. The function will build the URL based on your config file values.

+

The optional second parameter allows you to force a particular redirection +method. The available methods are auto, location and refresh, +with location being faster but less reliable on IIS servers. +The default is auto, which will attempt to intelligently choose the +method based on the server environment.

+

The optional third parameter allows you to send a specific HTTP Response +Code - this could be used for example to create 301 redirects for search +engine purposes. The default Response Code is 302. The third parameter is +only available with location redirects, and not refresh. Examples:

+
if ($logged_in == FALSE)
+{
+        redirect('/login/form/');
+}
+
+// with 301 redirect
+redirect('/article/13', 'location', 301);
+
+
+
+

Note

+

In order for this function to work it must be used before anything +is outputted to the browser since it utilizes server headers.

+
+
+

Note

+

For very fine grained control over headers, you should use the +Output Library set_header() method.

+
+
+

Note

+

To IIS users: if you hide the Server HTTP header, the auto +method won’t detect IIS, in that case it is advised you explicitly +use the refresh method.

+
+
+

Note

+

When the location method is used, an HTTP status code of 303 +will automatically be selected when the page is currently accessed +via POST and HTTP/1.1 is used.

+
+
+

Important

+

This function will terminate script execution.

+
+
+ +
+
+ + +