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[Utility & Helpers](/categories/utility) 4. / 5. arraypress/wp-cast-utils ActiveLibrary[Utility & Helpers](/categories/utility) arraypress/wp-cast-utils ======================== A lightweight WordPress library for type casting and data conversion 115PHP Since Oct 3Pushed 7mo agoCompare [ Source](https://github.com/arraypress/wp-cast-utils)[ Packagist](https://packagist.org/packages/arraypress/wp-cast-utils)[ RSS](/packages/arraypress-wp-cast-utils/feed)WikiDiscussions main Synced 1mo ago READMEChangelogDependenciesVersions (1)Used By (0) WordPress Cast Utilities ======================== [](#wordpress-cast-utilities) A lightweight WordPress library for smart type casting and data conversion. Focuses on genuinely useful conversions with special handling for WordPress-specific formats. Features -------- [](#features) - 🎯 **Focused API**: Only the conversions that add real value - 🔧 **WordPress-Ready**: Handles serialized data, JSON, and CSV - ⚡ **Smart Conversions**: Intelligent array and number detection - 🛡️ **Type Safety**: Predictable return types - 📊 **Meta Support**: Direct casting of WordPress meta values Requirements ------------ [](#requirements) - PHP 7.4 or later - WordPress 5.0 or later Installation ------------ [](#installation) ``` composer require arraypress/wp-cast-utils ``` Basic Usage ----------- [](#basic-usage) ### Type Casting [](#type-casting) ``` use ArrayPress\CastUtils\Cast; Boolean conversion (handles 'yes'/'no', 'true'/'false', etc.) Cast::to_bool( 'yes' ); true Cast::to_bool( 'false' ); false Cast::to_bool( 1 ); true Smart number conversion (preserves int vs float) Cast::to_number( '123' ); 123 (int) Cast::to_number( '123.45' ); 123.45 (float) Cast::to_number( '-67', true ); 67 (absolute) ``` ### Array Conversions [](#array-conversions) ``` Smart array conversion - tries multiple formats Cast::to_array( 'a,b,c' ); ['a', 'b', 'c'] (CSV) Cast::to_array( '{"x":1,"y":2}' ); ['x' => 1, 'y' => 2] (JSON) Cast::to_array( 'a:2:{i:0;s:1:"a";i:1;s:1:"b";}' ); ['a', 'b'] (serialized) Array to CSV Cast::to_csv( ['apple', 'banana', 'cherry'] ); 'apple,banana,cherry' Cast::to_csv( ['red', 'green', 'blue'], '|' ); 'red|green|blue' ``` ### JSON Conversion [](#json-conversion) ``` JSON encoding with WordPress functions Cast::to_json( ['name' => 'John', 'age' => 30] ); '{"name":"John","age":30}' Pretty JSON for debugging Cast::to_json( ['name' => 'John'], true ); { "name": "John" } ``` ### WordPress Meta Casting [](#wordpress-meta-casting) ``` Cast meta values directly to the type you need $featured = Cast::meta( 'post', $post_id, 'featured', 'bool' ); $tags = Cast::meta( 'post', $post_id, 'tags', 'array' ); $views = Cast::meta( 'post', $post_id, 'view_count', 'number' ); Works with options too $settings = Cast::meta( 'option', 'my_plugin_settings', '', 'array' ); ``` API Reference ------------- [](#api-reference) ### Core Methods [](#core-methods) MethodDescriptionReturns`to_bool($value)`Convert to boolean with smart string handling`bool``to_number($value, $absolute = false)`Smart int/float detection`int|float``to_array($value)`Smart array conversion (JSON, CSV, serialized)`array``to_json($value, $pretty = false)`Convert to JSON string`string|null``to_csv($array, $separator = ',')`Convert array to CSV string`string`### Meta Method [](#meta-method) MethodDescriptionReturns`meta($type, $id, $key, $cast_type, $default = null)`Cast WordPress meta to type`mixed`**Meta Types Supported:** - `'post'` - Post meta - `'user'` - User meta - `'term'` - Term meta - `'option'` - WordPress options **Cast Types:** - `'array'` - Smart array conversion - `'bool'` - Boolean - `'number'` - Smart int/float - `'int'` - Integer - `'float'` - Float - `'string'` - String Common Use Cases ---------------- [](#common-use-cases) ### Form Data Processing [](#form-data-processing) ``` Handle various input formats intelligently $age = Cast::to_number( $_POST['age'] ?? 0 ); $interests = Cast::to_array( $_POST['interests'] ?? '' ); Handles CSV or array $newsletter = Cast::to_bool( $_POST['newsletter'] ?? false ); ``` ### API Responses [](#api-responses) ``` Prepare clean data for JSON APIs $response = [ 'user_id' => Cast::to_number( $user->ID ), 'is_active' => Cast::to_bool( $user_meta['active'] ), 'tags' => Cast::to_array( $user_meta['tags'] ) ]; return wp_send_json( $response ); ``` ### Plugin Settings [](#plugin-settings) ``` Handle plugin options reliably $enabled = Cast::meta( 'option', 'my_plugin_enabled', '', 'bool', false ); $max_items = Cast::meta( 'option', 'my_plugin_max', '', 'number', 10 ); $allowed_types = Cast::meta( 'option', 'my_plugin_types', '', 'array', [] ); ``` Why This Library? ----------------- [](#why-this-library) Unlike generic PHP casting, this library: - **Handles WordPress formats**: Serialized data, meta values - **Smart detection**: Preserves int vs float types - **Multiple format support**: JSON, CSV, serialized in one method - **Clean API**: Predictable, easy-to-remember method names - **No exceptions**: Safe conversions that won't break your site Requirements ------------ [](#requirements-1) - PHP 7.4+ - WordPress 5.0+ License ------- [](#license) GPL-2.0-or-later Support ------- [](#support) - [Documentation](https:github.com/arraypress/wp-cast-utils) - [Issue Tracker](https:github.com/arraypress/wp-cast-utils/issues) ### Health Score 18 — LowBetter than 8% of packages Maintenance44 Moderate activity, may be stable Popularity7 Limited adoption so far Community6 Small or concentrated contributor base Maturity13 Early-stage or recently created project Bus Factor1 Top contributor holds 100% of commits — single point of failure How is this calculated?**Maintenance (25%)** — Last commit recency, latest release date, and issue-to-star ratio. Uses a 2-year decay window. **Popularity (30%)** — Total and monthly downloads, GitHub stars, and forks. Logarithmic scaling prevents top-heavy scores. **Community (15%)** — Contributors, dependents, forks, watchers, and maintainers. Measures real ecosystem engagement. **Maturity (30%)** — Project age, version count, PHP version support, and release stability. ### Community Maintainers ![](https://www.gravatar.com/avatar/cd6eb8aff0903d87eb674d1ba3c5f3653899c0d7661504eb0deb7798ed86b643?d=identicon)[arraypress](/maintainers/arraypress) --- Top Contributors [![arraypress](https://avatars.githubusercontent.com/u/22668877?v=4)](https://github.com/arraypress "arraypress (2 commits)") ### Embed Badge ![Health badge](/badges/arraypress-wp-cast-utils/health.svg) ``` [![Health](https://phpackages.com/badges/arraypress-wp-cast-utils/health.svg)](https://phpackages.com/packages/arraypress-wp-cast-utils) ``` ### Alternatives [panakour/analytics Get whatever data you want from google analytics. 267.6k](/packages/panakour-analytics)[kakuilan/php-helper k`s php helper/library/utils 314.8k3](/packages/kakuilan-php-helper)[damodar-bhattarai/settings Package to store and get general website settings on the fly. 312.2k](/packages/damodar-bhattarai-settings) PHPackages © 2026 [Directory](/)[Categories](/categories)[Trending](/trending)[Changelog](/changelog)[Analyze](/analyze)