difference between libraries and helpers in php frameworks

Question

if i\'ve got string functions i use a lot, should i put them in a helper class or a library class?

functions like: truncate string if longer than 30 characters, retu

Answer 1

Besides the manual that explains these all quite well…

libraries: Utility classes where object state is important (payment gateways, authentication, etc.)

helpers: Collections of related functions (not classes) that do repetitive tasks (strings, arrays, etc.)

plugins: A simple way to drop in third party classes. Typically, the whole process is called with a single wrapper function. (deprecated in the upcoming version 2.0 of CodeIgniter.)