Helper Reference

DEX ships helper functions in src/Helpers/dex_helper.php (loaded via helper('dex')).

This page is a quick reference for signatures and intent. For usage patterns, see:

• Helpers Overview
• Breadcrumbs
• Spans
• Capturing Exceptions

Configuration & routing

• dex_config(): object — Return the resolved DEX config.
• dex_route_prefix(): string — Return the route prefix (defaults to dex).

Formatting helpers

• dex_format_bytes(int|float $bytes): string — Format bytes as human-readable units.
• dex_format_ms(int|float $milliseconds): string — Format durations in ms (or seconds).
• dex_format_datetime(?string $datetime): string — Format datetimes for display.
• dex_time_ago(?string $datetime): string — Relative time (e.g. “5 minutes ago”).
• dex_age(?string $from, ?string $to = null): string — Age between two datetimes.

Telemetry helpers

• dex_breadcrumb(string $category, string $message, array $data = [], string $level = 'info'): void — Add a breadcrumb.
• dex_span_start(string $operation, ?string $description = null, array $tags = []): ?string — Start a span and return its ID.
• dex_span_finish(?string $id): void — Finish a span.
• dex_span(string $operation, ?string $description, callable $callback, array $tags = []) — Run a callback inside a span.
• dex_capture_exception(Throwable $exception): void — Capture a caught exception.

UI helpers

• dex_code_snippet(?string $file, ?int $line, int $radius = 3): ?array — Read a small snippet around a line (safe-guarded).
• dex_kv_table(array $rows): string — Render a small key/value table for the dashboard.
• dex_code_block(string $text, string $copy = ''): string — Render a code block (optionally copyable) for the dashboard.