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Helps are useful to prevent duplicated code (in models, templates, ...) and sometime they are just necessary.

• for checking if you custom module is enabled, you can place something like Mage::getStoreConfigFlag('my/module/enabled') to every file where you want to check this, or you use Mage::helper('my_module')->isEnabled() with benefits:
• if ie the config path changes for some reason, you just have to adjust one file
• you can rewrite helpers isEnabled() method and it will affect all classes that use it, instead of rewriting several files
• 13th @ How to write a custom extension?: Do not rewrite classes unless is necessary. Use observers and if it's not possible to use helper methods that receive as parameter and instance of a class that you wanted to override. Wrong: Override Mage_Catalog_Model_Product to add the method getProductArticles(). Right. In your helper add getProductArticles(Mage_Catalog_Model_Product $product)
• make layout updates more flexible using <action method="someMethod"><var helper="module/method" /></action>

You can just create a helper called Data.php in each module and leave it empty.

When using PHPUnit you should add one single line: protected $_moduleName = 'My_Module';