Values entered in the place of magic variable slots in the URL are 
passed to the action through the $this->params array. In the previous 
example, the given month would be available in the array as this:
$this->params['month']
and so forth. The $this->params array may be checked or called in the controller and the view.

The available magic functions include the following:
• $Action
• $Day
• $Month
• $Year
• $ID
 

Some common date-time methods are easier to manage. From SQL 
query string handling to rendering nicely formatted dates, this helper is 
useful for any Cake application that relies on time elements. 

To include this helper in the application, use this:
var $helpers = array('Time');

Table:  Time Helper Functions
Function            Description
=====            ===============================
$time->dayAsSql() Returns a partial SQL string to search for records 
between two times occurring on the same day
$time->daysAsSql() Returns a partial SQL string to search for records between two dates
$time->format() Returns a formatted date string; converts valid 
strtotime() strings or Unix timestamps
$time->fromString() Returns a Unix timestamp from a given valid 
strtotime() string or integer
$time->gmt() Converts a given Unix timestamp or valid strtotime() 
string to Greenwich mean time
$time->isThisMonth() Returns true if given datetime string is within this month
$time->isThisWeek() Returns true if given datetime string is within this week
$time->isThisYear() Returns true if given datetime string is within this year
$time->isToday() Returns true if given datetime string is today
$time->isTomorrow() Returns true if given datetime string is tomorrow
$time->nice() Formats a datetime string into a readable string
$time->niceShort() Like nice(), except it condenses the string to less words and digits
$time->relativeTime() Alias for timeAgoInWords(); can also calculate future dates
$time->timeAgoInWords() Compares the difference between a given 
datetime string and the current time; expresses the difference in past 
terms (for example, three days ago)
$time->toAtom() Formats date strings to be used in Atom feeds
$time->toQuarter() Returns the quarter for a given date
$time->toRSS() Formats date strings to be used in RSS feeds
$time->toUnix() Convenience wrapper for the strtotime() function
$time->wasWithinLast() Returns true if the given date is within the given interval
$time->wasYesterday() Returns true if given datetime string represents yesterday
 

The Session helper displays session information as provided by its 
component and controller. It displays flash messages, errors, and 
reading session data with convenience functions listed
in the following Table. 

To include this helper in the application, use this:
var $helpers = array('Session');

Table:  Session Helper Functions
Function            Description
=====            ==============================
$session->activate() Turns on session handling if the app/config/core.php file's
Session.start attribute is set to false
$session->check() Returns true if a session key is set
$session->error() Returns the last error encountered in the session
$session->flash() Renders messages set with the Session component setFlash() function
$session->id() Returns the session ID
$session->read() Returns all values stored in a given session key
$session->valid() Returns whether a session key is available in the view
$session->write() Overrides the Session component write() function; 
should not be used in a view but may be called in other helper functions
 

This helper works together with the Pagination component to 
break up data into multiple pages or to sort data by specified 
parameters.

To include this helper in the application, use the following:
var $helpers = array('Paginator');

Table:  Paginator Helper Functions
Function            Description
=====             =========================
$paginator->counter() Returns a counter string for the current paginated results set
$paginator->current() Returns the current page of the paginated results set
$paginator->defaultModel() Returns the default model of the paginated sets
$paginator->first() Returns the first or set of numbers for the 
first pages of paginated results
$paginator->hasNext() Returns true if the supplied result set is 
not the last page of paginated results
$paginator->hasPage() Checks whether a given page number 
has a result set in paginated results
$paginator->hasPrev() Returns true if the supplied result set is 
not the first page of paginated results
$paginator->last() Returns the last or set of numbers for the last 
pages of paginated results
$paginator->link() Creates a link with pagination parameters
$paginator->next() Creates a link to the next set of paginated results
$paginator->numbers() Returns a set of numbers on each side 
of the current page for more direct access to other results
$paginator->options() Sets default options for all pagination links
$paginator->params() Returns the current page of the results set for a given model
$paginator->prev() Creates a link to the previous set of paginated results
$paginator->sort() Creates a sorting link for a column in the results set
$paginator->sortDir() Returns the direction by which the given results set is ordered
$paginator->sortKey() Returns the key by which the given results set is ordered
$paginator->url() Creates a pagination URL to access other pages of the results set
 

This helper is used mainly to simplify coding JavaScript.
To include this helper in the application, use this in controller (or app_controller globally):
var $helpers = array('Javascript');

Functions in the JavaScript Helper
Function              Description
=========    ===========================
$javascript->afterRender() Callback for after rendering; writes 
cached events to the view or a temp file
$javascript->blockEnd() Ends a block of JavaScript code
$javascript->cacheEvents() Caches JavaScript events created with the event() function
$javascript->codeBlock() Wraps JavaScript code with the <script> tag
$javascript->escapeScript() Escapes carriage returns and single 
or double quotes for JavaScript code segments
$javascript->escapeString() Escapes strings to be JavaScript compatible
$javascript->event() Used with the Prototype framework to 
attach an event to an element
$javascript->getCache() Gets the current JavaScript cache; also clears JavaScript caches
$javascript->includeScript() Includes a script inside a single <script> tag
$javascript->link() Links to JavaScript files for use in a web page
$javascript->object() Creates a JSON object from an array
$javascript->writeEvents() Writes cached JavaScript events
 

Table: Form Input Element Functions
Function Name and Parameters
===================================
button( title[string], options[array] )
checkbox( field[string], options[array] )
file( field[string], options[array] )
hidden( field[string], options[array] )
password( field[string], options[array] )
radio( field[string], options[array], attributes[array] )
submit( caption[string], options[array] )
select( field[string], options[array], selected[mixed], attributes[array], showEmpty[mixed] )
text( field[string], options[array] )
textarea( field[string], options[array] )
dateTime( field[string], dateFormat[string], timeFormat[string], selected[string], attributes[array], showEmpty[mixed] )
day( field[string], selected[string], attributes[array], showEmpty[mixed] )
month( field[string], selected[string], attributes[array], showEmpty[mixed] )
year( field[string], minYear[int], maxYear[int], selected[string], attributes[array], showEmpty[mixed] )
hour( field[string], format[bool], selected[string], attributes[array], showEmpty[mixed] )
minute( field[string], selected[string], attributes[array], showEmpty[mixed] )
meridian( field[string], selected[string], attributes[array], showEmpty[mixed] )
error( field[string], message[string], options[array] )
 

To prevent cross-site request forgery (CSRF) attacks, many 
developers use the hash insertion technique. In short, the 
$form->secure() function facilitates hash insertions by generating 
a hidden form field containing a hash based on other fields in the 
form.

secure( fields[array] )

<?=$form->secure(array('Post'=>array('id','name'));?>
This will output the hidden input element with a server-side-
generated hash:
<fieldset style="display:none;">
<input type="hidden" name="data[_Token][fields]" 
value="1932368593ef664fc975581e92e2df1490401570" 
id="TokenFields1314770757" />
</fieldset>

The value of the hidden input element will certainly change 
depending on the Security.salt value set in the app/config/core.php 
file and the function’s own randomization algorithm. This hash is 
accessible in the $this->data array under the ['_Token']['fields] key.