# How to Use Laravel’s Str::repeat for String Manipulation and Directory Formatting

By Dinesh Uprety
Published: 2025-02-01
Updated: 2025-02-02
Canonical: https://laranepal.com/blog/how-to-use-laravels-strrepeat-for-string-manipulation-and-directory-formatting

# How to Repeat Strings and Format Directory Listings in Laravel

When working with strings in [Laravel](https://laravel.com), you may often need to repeat a character or string multiple
times. Laravel
provides the [Str::repeat](https://laravel.com/docs/11.x/strings#method-fluent-str-repeat) helper method, which allows
you to easily repeat a string a specified number of times.
Additionally, this method can be used creatively for formatting directory structures, as we’ll explore in this article.

## Understanding the repeat Method

The repeat method is available in Laravel 8, 9 and 11.x and has the following signature:

```php
<?php

/**
 * Versions: Laravel 8, 9 and 11.x
 *
 * @return string
 */
public static function repeat(
    string $string,
    int $times
);
```

This method takes two parameters:

* `$string` – The string you want to repeat.
* `$times` – The number of times the string should be repeated.

## Basic Example: Repeating a String

A simple use case is generating repeated characters, such as a line of asterisks.

```php
<?php

use Illuminate\Support\Str;

echo Str::repeat('*', 10); // Output: **********
```

Alternatively, you can use fluent string instances:

```php
<?php

echo (string) str('*')->repeat(10); // Output: **********
```

## Practical Use Case: Formatting a Directory Structure

The `Str::repeat` method is especially useful when formatting text output. Let’s use it to create a function that *
*pretty-prints a directory listing recursively**.

```php
<?php

use Illuminate\Support\Str;

function printDirectory($directory, $depth = 1)
{
    $output = '';
    $ignoreFiles = ['.', '..'];

    if ($depth == 1) {
        $output = '/' . basename($directory);
    } else {
        $output = Str::repeat(' ', $depth) . '/' . basename($directory);
    }

    $output .= collect(scandir($directory))
        ->filter(fn($file) => !in_array($file, $ignoreFiles))
        ->map(function ($item) use ($directory, $depth) {
            $fullPath = $directory . '/' . $item;

            if (is_dir($fullPath)) {
                return "\n" . printDirectory($fullPath, $depth + 1);
            } else {
                return "\n" . Str::repeat(' ', $depth) . ' - ' . $item;
            }
        })
        ->join('');

    return $output;
}
```

## How It Works

* The function scans a directory and retrieves all files and subdirectories.
* It uses `Str::repeat(' ', $depth)` to indent nested items based on their depth.
* When a directory is encountered, the function calls itself recursively, increasing the depth each time.

## Example Output

If we call this function on Laravel’s resources directory:

```php
<?php

echo printDirectory(resource_path());
```

We get the following output:

```textmate
/resources
 /css
  - app.css
 /js
  - app.js
  - bootstrap.js
 /views
  - welcome.blade.php
```

And for the `public` directory:

```textmate
/public
 /css
  - app.css
 /js
  - app.js
  - bootstrap.js
```

This neatly formatted output provides a clear overview of the directory structure.

## Conclusion

The `Str::repeat` helper method in Laravel is a simple yet powerful tool for repeating strings. Whether you’re
generating
repeated characters or formatting hierarchical data like directory structures, this method provides a clean and
efficient solution.