Helpers
Available Methods
formatDate()
Parses and formats date strings, with special handling for Microsoft JSON date format.
Signature
public static function formatDate(string $date, string $format = 'Y-m-d H:i:s'): string
Parameters
$date(string): The date string to format$format(string, optional): The desired output format using PHP date format characters. Default: 'Y-m-d H:i:s'
Return Value
string: The formatted date string, or an empty string if the date cannot be parsed
Usage Examples
- Formatting a standard date string:
$formattedDate = Xero::formatDate('2023-09-15');
// Returns: '2023-09-15 00:00:00'
$formattedDate = Xero::formatDate('2023-09-15', 'd/m/Y');
// Returns: '15/09/2023'
- Handling Microsoft JSON date format:
$formattedDate = Xero::formatDate('/Date(1663257600000+0100)/');
// Returns the date formatted as 'Y-m-d H:i:s' with proper timezone handling
$formattedDate = Xero::formatDate('/Date(1663257600000+0100)/', 'Y-m-d');
// Returns just the date portion
- Error handling:
$formattedDate = Xero::formatDate('invalid-date');
// Returns: '' (empty string instead of throwing an exception)
formatQueryStrings()
Formats an array of parameters into a properly encoded query string for API requests.
Signature
public static function formatQueryStrings(array $params): string
Parameters
$params(array): Associative array of query parameters
Return Value
string: URL-encoded query string following RFC3986 standards
Usage Examples
- Basic parameter formatting:
$queryString = Xero::formatQueryStrings([
'page' => 1,
'limit' => 20
]);
// Returns: 'page=1&limit=20'
- Handling special characters:
$queryString = Xero::formatQueryStrings([
'search' => 'Company & Partners',
'status' => 'active'
]);
// Returns: 'search=Company%20%26%20Partners&status=active'
- Nested arrays:
$queryString = Xero::formatQueryStrings([
'filter' => ['status' => 'ACTIVE', 'type' => 'ACCREC'],
'order' => 'Date DESC'
]);
// Returns properly encoded query string with nested parameters
Notes
- The
formatDate()method is particularly useful when working with date responses from the Xero API, which may use Microsoft's JSON date format - The
formatQueryStrings()method ensures proper URL encoding for all API requests, preventing issues with special characters