Common Functions and Error Handling

LavaLust comes with several core functions to handle class loading, configuration, error handling, and environment checks. These functions are globally available and form the backbone of the framework.

Class Loader

load_class(string $class, string $directory = '', array $params = NULL, string $object_name = NULL) → object

Loads a class from the specified directory and stores an instance in the Registry.

Parameters:

$class (string) – The class name to load
$directory (string) – Directory to search in (relative to app/system)
$params (array|null) – Constructor parameters (if any)
$object_name (string|null) – Optional object key for Registry storage

Return object:

The loaded class instance

Example:

<?php

$logger = load_class('Logger', 'kernel');
$logger->log('info', 'This is a test message.');

loaded_class(string $class = '', string $object_name = '') → array

Keeps track of loaded libraries and classes.

Parameters:

$class (string) – Class name
$object_name (string) – Object key used in Registry

Return array:

Array of loaded class names

Example:

<?php

$loaded = loaded_class();
print_r($loaded);

Error Handling

show_404(string $heading = '', string $message = '', string $template = '') → string

Displays a 404 Page Not Found error page.

Parameters:

$heading (string) – Optional heading text
$message (string) – Optional detailed message
$template (string) – Optional template name

Return string:

HTML of the 404 page

Example:

<?php

show_404('Page Not Found', 'The requested page does not exist.');

show_error(string $heading = '', string $message = '', string $template = 'error_general', int $code = 500) → string

Displays an error page for debugging purposes.

Parameters:

$heading (string) – Error heading
$message (string) – Error message
$template (string) – Template file to use
$code (int) – HTTP status code

Return string:

HTML of the error page

Example:

<?php

show_error('Database Error', 'Unable to connect to the database', 'error_db', 500);

Configuration Access

get_config() → array

Loads the global configuration file app/config/config.php and returns its array.

Return array:: Associative array of configuration items

Example:

<?php

$config = get_config();
echo $config['base_url'];

config_item(string $item) → mixed

Returns a single configuration value from the loaded config.

Parameters:: $item (string) – Config item key
Return mixed:: Config value or NULL if not set

Example:

<?php

echo config_item('base_url');

autoload_config() → array

Loads the app/config/autoload.php file for auto-loading resources.

Return array:: Array of resources to autoload

Example:

<?php

$autoload = autoload_config();
print_r($autoload['libraries']);

database_config() → array

Loads the database configuration file app/config/database.php.

Return array:: Database configuration array

Example:

<?php

$db_config = database_config();
echo $db_config['default']['hostname'];

route_config() → array

Loads the routing configuration file app/config/routes.php.

Return array:: Routing configuration array

Example:

<?php

$routes = route_config();
echo $routes['default_controller'];

Utilities

html_escape(mixed $var, bool $double_encode = TRUE) → mixed

Escapes HTML entities in a string or array recursively.

Parameters:

$var (mixed) – String or array to escape
$double_encode (bool) – Prevents double-encoding if FALSE

Return mixed:

Escaped string or array

Example:

<?php

echo html_escape('<script>alert(1)</script>');

is_php(string $version) → bool

Checks if the current PHP version is greater than or equal to the specified version.

Parameters:: $version (string) – PHP version to check
Return bool:: TRUE if current PHP version is >= $version

Example:

<?php

if (is_php('8.0')) {
    echo 'Running PHP 8+';
}

is_https() → bool

Determines whether the application is accessed via HTTPS.

Return bool:: TRUE if HTTPS, FALSE otherwise

Example:

<?php

if (is_https()) {
    echo 'Secure connection';
}

Framework Instance Access

lava_instance() → object

Returns the main LavaLust framework instance. This instance allows access to core components such as db, security, call, and other libraries loaded into the framework.

Return object:: The main LavaLust instance

Example:

<?php

// Get the main instance
$LAVA = lava_instance();

// Access the database
$users = $LAVA->db->table('users')->get();

// Access security methods
$csrf_token = $LAVA->security->get_csrf_hash();

// Load a library
$logger = $LAVA->load->library('logger');