# Use the built-in string, number, date and array helpers

> Total.js extends String, Number, Date and Array with helpers for slugs, hashes, formatting, parsing, grouping and searching, and offers U.extend() and U.clone() for objects.

Framework: total5
Product: Total.js 5 (total5@0.0.19)
Language: en
Content-SHA256: d746997c3cbc0c0a1fa153c1794c7f9bb910cc42ba745b6782ca68e08e6f57ea
Snapshot: c0700e321579725c5cf4f5ace1ad7d2866d1b4f93c24a63c0b41b6b7998e976c
Sources: total5-installed@total5@0.0.19
Review: not-recorded

Total.js adds a set of methods to the JavaScript built-ins. They are available everywhere in the app, so they are worth knowing before you write a helper of your own. The ones below are exercised by the example.

**String:** `slug([max])` makes a URL-safe text (lowercase, no accents or symbols); `format(a, b)` replaces `{0}`, `{1}`; `encode()` / `decode()` escape and restore HTML; `padLeft(length, char)` / `padRight()`; `parseInt2()` and `parseFloat2()` read a number out of a text and return `0` when there is none; `isEmail()`, `isURL()` and `isJSON()` validate; `parseJSON()` parses JSON and returns `null` on error; `md5()`, `sha1()` and `sha256()` return hex hashes; `capitalize()` upper-cases the first letter of every word.

**Number:** `format(decimals, thousands, decimal)`, for example `(1234567.891).format(2)` gives `1 234 567.89`.

**Date:** `format('yyyy-MM-dd HH:mm')`, `add('1 day')` and `diff(date, 'days')`.

**Array:** `take(n)` and `skip(n)`, `first()` and `last()`, `trim()` (trims the texts and removes the empty ones), `findItem(field, value)` and `findIndex(field, value)`, `remove(value)` (removes every match and returns the array), `group(field)` (returns `[{ name, items }]`) and `quicksort(field)`.

**Objects:** `U.extend(target, source)` merges `source` into `target` and returns it; `U.clone(object)` makes a deep copy.

```js controllers/utilities.js
exports.install = function() {
	ROUTE('GET /utils/', utils);
};

function utils($) {

	var items = [{ type: 'a', n: 1 }, { type: 'b', n: 2 }, { type: 'a', n: 3 }];
	var original = { a: { b: 1 } };
	var copy = U.clone(original);
	copy.a.b = 2;

	$.json({
		slug: 'Hello Wörld & Co!'.slug(),
		slugmax: 'Hello brave new world'.slug(11),
		format: '{0} has {1} items'.format('Ann', 3),
		encode: '<a href="x">&</a>'.encode(),
		decode: '&lt;b&gt;'.decode(),
		pad: ['7'.padLeft(3, '0'), '7'.padRight(3, '0')],
		numbers: ['abc12x'.parseInt2(), '3,5kg'.parseFloat2(), 'none'.parseInt2()],
		is: ['a@b.cz'.isEmail(), 'nope'.isEmail(), 'https://totaljs.com'.isURL(), '{"a":1}'.isJSON(), 'abc'.isJSON()],
		json: ['{"a":1}'.parseJSON(), 'not json'.parseJSON()],
		md5: 'abc'.md5(),
		sha1: 'abc'.sha1(),
		capitalize: 'hello big world'.capitalize(),
		number: [(1234567.891).format(2), (1234567.891).format(2, ' ', ',')],
		date: [new Date(2026, 0, 5, 9, 7).format('yyyy-MM-dd HH:mm'), new Date(2026, 0, 31).add('1 day').format('yyyy-MM-dd'), new Date(2026, 0, 5).diff(new Date(2026, 0, 1), 'days')],
		take: [[1, 2, 3, 4, 5].take(2), [1, 2, 3, 4, 5].skip(3), [1, 2, 3].first(), [1, 2, 3].last()],
		trim: ['a', '', ' b '].trim(),
		find: [[{ id: 1 }, { id: 2 }].findItem('id', 2), [{ id: 1 }, { id: 2 }].findIndex('id', 2)],
		remove: [1, 2, 3, 2].remove(2),
		group: items.group('type'),
		sort: [{ n: 'b' }, { n: 'a' }].quicksort('n'),
		extend: U.extend({ a: 1 }, { b: 2 }),
		clone: [original.a.b, copy.a.b]
	});
}
```