diff --git a/changelog/939.md b/changelog/939.md
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..ae676749
--- /dev/null
+++ b/changelog/939.md
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+- Add support for implode, substr and json_encode as modifiers/functions in templates [#939](https://github.com/smarty-php/smarty/issues/939)
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/docs/designers/language-modifiers/index.md b/docs/designers/language-modifiers/index.md
index 329ed958..3f52c2e7 100644
--- a/docs/designers/language-modifiers/index.md
+++ b/docs/designers/language-modifiers/index.md
@@ -6,34 +6,10 @@ or strings. To apply a modifier,
 specify the value followed by a `|` (pipe) and the modifier name. A
 modifier may accept additional parameters that affect its behavior.
 These parameters follow the modifier name and are separated by a `:`
-(colon). Also, *all php-functions can be used as modifiers implicitly*
-(more below) and modifiers can be
-[combined](../language-combining-modifiers.md).
+(colon). 
 
-- [capitalize](language-modifier-capitalize.md)
-- [cat](language-modifier-cat.md)
-- [count_characters](language-modifier-count-characters.md)
-- [count_paragraphs](language-modifier-count-paragraphs.md)
-- [count_sentences](language-modifier-count-sentences.md)
-- [count_words](language-modifier-count-words.md)
-- [date_format](language-modifier-date-format.md)
-- [default](language-modifier-default.md)
-- [escape](language-modifier-escape.md)
-- [from_charset](language-modifier-from-charset.md)
-- [indent](language-modifier-indent.md)
-- [lower](language-modifier-lower.md)
-- [nl2br](language-modifier-nl2br.md)
-- [regex_replace](language-modifier-regex-replace.md)
-- [replace](language-modifier-replace.md)
-- [spacify](language-modifier-spacify.md)
-- [string_format](language-modifier-string-format.md)
-- [strip](language-modifier-strip.md)
-- [strip_tags](language-modifier-strip-tags.md)
-- [to_charset](language-modifier-to-charset.md)
-- [truncate](language-modifier-truncate.md)
-- [unescape](language-modifier-unescape.md)
-- [upper](language-modifier-upper.md)
-- [wordwrap](language-modifier-wordwrap.md)
+Modifiers can be applied to any type of variables, including arrays
+and objects.
 
 ## Examples
 
@@ -65,40 +41,63 @@ These parameters follow the modifier name and are separated by a `:`
 {* php's count *}
 {$myArray|@count}
 
-{* this will uppercase and truncate the whole array *}
+{* this will uppercase the whole array *}
 <select name="name_id">
-{html_options output=$my_array|upper|truncate:20}
+{html_options output=$my_array|upper}
 </select>
 ```  
-      
-- Modifiers can be applied to any type of variables, including arrays
-    and objects.
 
-    > **Note**
-    >
-    > The default behavior was changed with Smarty 3. In Smarty 2.x, you
-    > had to use an "`@`" symbol to apply a modifier to an array, such
-    > as `{$articleTitle|@count}`. With Smarty 3, the "`@`" is no
-    > longer necessary, and is ignored.
-    >
-    > If you want a modifier to apply to each individual item of an
-    > array, you will either need to loop the array in the template, or
-    > provide for this functionality inside your modifier function.
+## Combining Modifiers
 
-    > **Note**
-    >
-    > Second, in Smarty 2.x, modifiers were applied to the result of
-    > math expressions like `{8+2}`, meaning that
-    > `{8+2|count_characters}` would give `2`, as 8+2=10 and 10 is two
-    > characters long. With Smarty 3, modifiers are applied to the
-    > variables or atomic expressions before executing the calculations,
-    > so since 2 is one character long, `{8+2|count_characters}`
-    > gives 9. To get the old result use parentheses like
-    > `{(8+2)|count_characters}`.
+You can apply any number of modifiers to a variable. They will be
+applied in the order they are combined, from left to right. They must be
+separated with a `|` (pipe) character.
 
-- Custom modifiers can be registered
-    with the [`registerPlugin()`](../../programmers/api-functions/api-register-plugin.md)
-    function.
+```php
+<?php
+
+$smarty->assign('articleTitle', 'Smokers are Productive, but Death Cuts Efficiency.');
+```
+
+where template is:
+
+```smarty
+{$articleTitle}
+{$articleTitle|upper|spacify}
+{$articleTitle|lower|spacify|truncate}
+{$articleTitle|lower|truncate:30|spacify}
+{$articleTitle|lower|spacify|truncate:30:". . ."}
+```
+
+
+The above example will output:
+
+```
+Smokers are Productive, but Death Cuts Efficiency.
+S M O K E R S   A R ....snip....  H   C U T S   E F F I C I E N C Y .
+s m o k e r s   a r ....snip....  b u t   d e a t h   c u t s...
+s m o k e r s   a r e   p r o d u c t i v e ,   b u t . . .
+s m o k e r s   a r e   p. . .
+```
+
+## Using modifiers in expressions
+
+Modifiers can also be used in expressions. For example, you can use the [isset modifier](./language-modifier-isset.md)
+to test if a variable holds a value different from null.
+
+```smarty
+{if $varA|isset}
+    <b>variable A is set</b>
+{/if}
+```
+
+You can also use modifiers in expressions in a PHP-style syntax:
+
+```smarty
+{if isset($varA)}
+    <b>variable A is set</b>
+{/if}
+```
 
 See also [`registerPlugin()`](../../programmers/api-functions/api-register-plugin.md), [combining
 modifiers](../language-combining-modifiers.md). and [extending smarty with
diff --git a/docs/designers/language-modifiers/language-modifier-count.md b/docs/designers/language-modifiers/language-modifier-count.md
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..36436a39
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docs/designers/language-modifiers/language-modifier-count.md
@@ -0,0 +1,21 @@
+# count
+
+Returns the number of elements in an array (or Countable object). Will return 0 for null.
+Returns 1 for any other type (such as a string).
+
+If the optional mode parameter is set to 1, count() will recursively count the array. 
+This is particularly useful for counting all the elements of a multidimensional array.
+
+## Basic usage
+```smarty
+{if $myVar|count > 3}4 or more{/if}
+{if count($myVar) > 3}4 or more{/if}
+```
+
+
+## Parameters
+
+| Parameter | Type | Required | Description                                            |
+|-----------|------|----------|--------------------------------------------------------|
+| 1         | int  | No       | If set to 1, count() will recursively count the array. |
+
diff --git a/docs/designers/language-modifiers/language-modifier-debug-print-var.md b/docs/designers/language-modifiers/language-modifier-debug-print-var.md
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..ce3f86a7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docs/designers/language-modifiers/language-modifier-debug-print-var.md
@@ -0,0 +1,26 @@
+# debug_print_var
+
+
+
+Returns the value of the given variable in a human-readable format in HTML. 
+Used in the [debug console](../chapter-debugging-console.md), but you can also use it in your template
+while developing to see what is going on under the hood.
+
+> **Note**
+>
+> Use for debugging only! Since you may accidentally reveal sensitive information or introduce vulnerabilities such as XSS using this
+method never use it in production.
+
+## Basic usage
+```smarty
+{$myVar|debug_print_var}
+```
+
+
+## Parameters
+
+| Parameter | Type | Required | Description                                                            |
+|-----------|------|----------|------------------------------------------------------------------------|
+| 1         | int  | No       | maximum recursion depth if $var is an array or object (defaults to 10) |
+| 2         | int  | No       | maximum string length if $var is a string (defaults to 40)             |
+
diff --git a/docs/designers/language-modifiers/language-modifier-isset.md b/docs/designers/language-modifiers/language-modifier-isset.md
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..83e31dfa
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docs/designers/language-modifiers/language-modifier-isset.md
@@ -0,0 +1,11 @@
+# isset
+
+Returns true if the variable(s) passed to it are different from null.
+
+If multiple parameters are supplied then isset() will return true only if all of the parameters are 
+not null.
+
+## Basic usage
+```smarty
+{if $myVar|isset}all set!{/if}
+```
diff --git a/docs/designers/language-modifiers/language-modifier-join.md b/docs/designers/language-modifiers/language-modifier-join.md
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..9a044714
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docs/designers/language-modifiers/language-modifier-join.md
@@ -0,0 +1,26 @@
+# join
+
+Returns a string containing all the element of the given array 
+with the separator string between each.
+
+## Basic usage
+
+For `$myArray` populated with `['a','b','c']`, the following will return the string `abc`.
+```smarty
+{$myArray|join}
+```
+
+
+## Parameters
+
+| Parameter | Type   | Required | Description                                                 |
+|-----------|--------|----------|-------------------------------------------------------------|
+| 1         | string | No       | glue used between array elements. Defaults to empty string. |
+
+## Examples
+
+
+For `$myArray` populated with `[1,2,3]`, the following will return the string `1-2-3`.
+```smarty
+{$myArray|join:"-"}
+```
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/docs/designers/language-modifiers/language-modifier-json-encode.md b/docs/designers/language-modifiers/language-modifier-json-encode.md
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..4e70f0c2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docs/designers/language-modifiers/language-modifier-json-encode.md
@@ -0,0 +1,27 @@
+# json_encode
+
+Transforms a value into a valid JSON string.
+
+## Basic usage
+```smarty
+{$user|json_encode}
+```
+Depending on the value of `$user` this would return a string in JSON-format, e.g. `{"username":"my_username","email":"my_username@smarty.net"}`.
+
+
+## Parameters
+
+| Parameter | Type | Required | Description                                                                               |
+|-----------|------|----------|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
+| 1         | int  | No       | bitmask of flags, directly passed to [PHP's json_encode](https://www.php.net/json_encode) |
+
+
+## Examples
+
+By passing `16` as the second parameter, you can force json_encode to always format the JSON-string as an object.
+Without it, an array `$myArray = ["a","b"]` would be formatted as a javascript array: 
+
+```smarty
+{$myArray|json_encode} # renders: ["a","b"]
+{$myArray|json_encode:16} # renders: {"0":"a","1":"b"}
+```
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/docs/designers/language-modifiers/language-modifier-noprint.md b/docs/designers/language-modifiers/language-modifier-noprint.md
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..5dbfaa30
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docs/designers/language-modifiers/language-modifier-noprint.md
@@ -0,0 +1,9 @@
+# noprint
+
+Always returns an empty string. This can be used to call a function or a method on an object that 
+returns output, and suppress the output.
+
+## Basic usage
+```smarty
+{$controller->sendEmail()|noprint}
+```
diff --git a/docs/designers/language-modifiers/language-modifier-number-format.md b/docs/designers/language-modifiers/language-modifier-number-format.md
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..44c3acf4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docs/designers/language-modifiers/language-modifier-number-format.md
@@ -0,0 +1,32 @@
+# number_format
+
+Allows you to format a number using decimals and a thousands-separator. By default, the number of decimals is 0 
+and the number is rounded.
+
+## Basic usage
+```smarty
+{$num  = 2000.151}
+{$num|number_format} # renders: 2,000
+```
+
+
+## Parameters
+
+| Parameter | Type   | Required | Description                           |
+|-----------|--------|----------|---------------------------------------|
+| 1         | int    | No       | number of decimals (defaults to 0)    |
+| 2         | string | No       | decimal separator (defaults to ".")   |
+| 3         | string | No       | thousands-separator (defaults to ",") |
+
+
+## Examples
+
+```smarty
+{$num  = 2000.151}
+{$num|number_format:2} # renders: 2,000.15
+```
+
+```smarty
+{$num  = 2000.151}
+{$num|number_format:2:".":""} # renders: 2000.15
+```
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/docs/designers/language-modifiers/language-modifier-round.md b/docs/designers/language-modifiers/language-modifier-round.md
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..c05b899a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docs/designers/language-modifiers/language-modifier-round.md
@@ -0,0 +1,35 @@
+# round
+
+Rounds a number to the specified precision.
+
+## Basic usage
+```smarty
+{3.14|round} # renders: 3
+```
+
+```smarty
+{3.141592|round:2} # renders: 3.14
+```
+
+## Parameters
+
+| Parameter | Type | Required | Description               |
+|-----------|------|----------|---------------------------|
+| 1         | int  | No       | precision (defaults to 0) |
+| 2         | int  | No       | mode (defaults to 1)      |
+
+If 'precision' is negative, the number is rounded to the nearest power of 10. See examples below.
+
+The parameter 'mode' defines how the rounding is done. By default, 2.5 is rounded to 3, whereas 2.45 is rounded to 2.
+You usually don't need to change this. For more details on rounding modes, 
+see [PHP's documentation on round](https://www.php.net/manual/en/function.round).
+
+## Examples
+
+By passing `16` as the second parameter, you can force json_encode to always format the JSON-string as an object.
+Without it, an array `$myArray = ["a","b"]` would be formatted as a javascript array:
+
+```smarty
+{$myArray|json_encode} # renders: ["a","b"]
+{$myArray|json_encode:16} # renders: {"0":"a","1":"b"}
+```
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/docs/designers/language-modifiers/language-modifier-split.md b/docs/designers/language-modifiers/language-modifier-split.md
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..caef884f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docs/designers/language-modifiers/language-modifier-split.md
@@ -0,0 +1,32 @@
+# split
+
+Splits a string into an array, using the optional second parameter as the separator.
+
+## Basic usage
+
+For `$chars` populated with `'abc'`, the following will produce a html list with 3 elements (a, b and c).
+```smarty
+<ol>
+    {foreach $chars|split as $char}
+        <li>{$char|escape}</li>
+    {/foreach}
+</ol>
+```
+
+## Parameters
+
+| Parameter | Type   | Required | Description                                                                                                                  |
+|-----------|--------|----------|------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
+| 1         | string | No       | separator used to split the string on. Defaults to empty string, causing each character in the source string to be separate. |
+
+## Examples
+
+
+For `$ids` populated with `'1,2,3'`, the following will produce a html list with 3 elements (1, 2 and 3).
+```smarty
+<ol>
+    {foreach $ids|split:',' as $id}
+        <li>{$id|escape}</li>
+    {/foreach}
+</ol>
+```
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/docs/designers/language-modifiers/language-modifier-str-repeat.md b/docs/designers/language-modifiers/language-modifier-str-repeat.md
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..1ae1824d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docs/designers/language-modifiers/language-modifier-str-repeat.md
@@ -0,0 +1,14 @@
+# str_repeat
+
+Repeats the given value n times.
+
+## Basic usage
+```smarty
+{"hi"|str_repeat:2} # renders: hihi
+```
+
+## Parameters
+
+| Parameter | Type | Required | Description           |
+|-----------|------|----------|-----------------------|
+| 1         | int  | yes      | number of repetitions |
diff --git a/docs/designers/language-modifiers/language-modifier-strlen.md b/docs/designers/language-modifiers/language-modifier-strlen.md
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..4c1f37ab
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docs/designers/language-modifiers/language-modifier-strlen.md
@@ -0,0 +1,9 @@
+# strlen
+
+Returns the length (number of characters) in the given string, including spaces.
+
+## Basic usage
+```smarty
+{"Smarty"|strlen} # renders: 6
+{156|strlen} # renders: 3
+```
diff --git a/docs/designers/language-modifiers/language-modifier-substr.md b/docs/designers/language-modifiers/language-modifier-substr.md
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..a79d8a4d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docs/designers/language-modifiers/language-modifier-substr.md
@@ -0,0 +1,25 @@
+# substr
+
+Returns a part (substring) of the given string starting at a given offset.
+
+## Basic usage
+```smarty
+{"Smarty"|substr:2} # renders: arty
+{"Smarty"|substr:2:3} # renders: art
+```
+
+## Parameters
+
+| Parameter | Type | Required | Description                                         |
+|-----------|------|----------|-----------------------------------------------------|
+| 1         | int  | yes      | offset (zero based, can be negative)                |
+| 2         | int  | no       | length of substring returned (unlimited of omitted) |
+
+
+## Examples
+
+When used with a negative offset, the substring starts n characters from the end of the string counting backwards.
+```smarty
+{"Smarty"|substr:-2} # renders: ty
+{"Smarty"|substr:-2:1} # renders: t
+```
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/docs/designers/language-modifiers/language-modifier-upper.md b/docs/designers/language-modifiers/language-modifier-upper.md
index 3173059c..edce9638 100644
--- a/docs/designers/language-modifiers/language-modifier-upper.md
+++ b/docs/designers/language-modifiers/language-modifier-upper.md
@@ -29,5 +29,5 @@ If Strike isn't Settled Quickly it may Last a While.
 IF STRIKE ISN'T SETTLED QUICKLY IT MAY LAST A WHILE.
 ```
 
-See also [`lower`](lower) and
+See also [`lower`](./language-modifier-lower.md) and
 [`capitalize`](language-modifier-capitalize.md).
diff --git a/mkdocs.yml b/mkdocs.yml
index 58d0c738..223cab28 100644
--- a/mkdocs.yml
+++ b/mkdocs.yml
@@ -49,29 +49,40 @@ nav:
         - 'Introduction': 'designers/language-modifiers/index.md'
         - 'capitalize': 'designers/language-modifiers/language-modifier-capitalize.md'
         - 'cat': 'designers/language-modifiers/language-modifier-cat.md'
+        - 'count': 'designers/language-modifiers/language-modifier-count.md'
         - 'count_characters': 'designers/language-modifiers/language-modifier-count-characters.md'
         - 'count_paragraphs': 'designers/language-modifiers/language-modifier-count-paragraphs.md'
         - 'count_sentences': 'designers/language-modifiers/language-modifier-count-sentences.md'
         - 'count_words': 'designers/language-modifiers/language-modifier-count-words.md'
         - 'date_format': 'designers/language-modifiers/language-modifier-date-format.md'
+        - 'debug_print_var': 'designers/language-modifiers/language-modifier-debug-print-var.md'
         - 'default': 'designers/language-modifiers/language-modifier-default.md'
         - 'escape': 'designers/language-modifiers/language-modifier-escape.md'
         - 'from_charset': 'designers/language-modifiers/language-modifier-from-charset.md'
         - 'indent': 'designers/language-modifiers/language-modifier-indent.md'
+        - 'isset': 'designers/language-modifiers/language-modifier-isset.md'
+        - 'join': 'designers/language-modifiers/language-modifier-join.md'
+        - 'json_encode': 'designers/language-modifiers/language-modifier-json-encode.md'
         - 'lower': 'designers/language-modifiers/language-modifier-lower.md'
+        - 'noprint': 'designers/language-modifiers/language-modifier-noprint.md'
+        - 'number_format': 'designers/language-modifiers/language-modifier-number-format.md'
         - 'nl2br': 'designers/language-modifiers/language-modifier-nl2br.md'
         - 'regex_replace': 'designers/language-modifiers/language-modifier-regex-replace.md'
         - 'replace': 'designers/language-modifiers/language-modifier-replace.md'
+        - 'round': 'designers/language-modifiers/language-modifier-round.md'
         - 'spacify': 'designers/language-modifiers/language-modifier-spacify.md'
+        - 'split': 'designers/language-modifiers/language-modifier-split.md'
+        - 'str_repeat': 'designers/language-modifiers/language-modifier-str-repeat.md'
         - 'string_format': 'designers/language-modifiers/language-modifier-string-format.md'
         - 'strip': 'designers/language-modifiers/language-modifier-strip.md'
         - 'strip_tags': 'designers/language-modifiers/language-modifier-strip-tags.md'
+        - 'strlen': 'designers/language-modifiers/language-modifier-strlen.md'
+        - 'substr': 'designers/language-modifiers/language-modifier-substr.md'
         - 'to_charset': 'designers/language-modifiers/language-modifier-to-charset.md'
         - 'truncate': 'designers/language-modifiers/language-modifier-truncate.md'
         - 'unescape': 'designers/language-modifiers/language-modifier-unescape.md'
         - 'upper': 'designers/language-modifiers/language-modifier-upper.md'
         - 'wordwrap': 'designers/language-modifiers/language-modifier-wordwrap.md'
-    - 'Combining Modifiers': 'designers/language-combining-modifiers.md'
     - 'Builtin Tags':
         - 'Introduction': 'designers/language-builtin-functions/index.md'
         - '{append}': 'designers/language-builtin-functions/language-function-append.md'
diff --git a/src/Compile/Modifier/JsonEncodeModifierCompiler.php b/src/Compile/Modifier/JsonEncodeModifierCompiler.php
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..4f191a31
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/Compile/Modifier/JsonEncodeModifierCompiler.php
@@ -0,0 +1,14 @@
+<?php
+
+namespace Smarty\Compile\Modifier;
+
+/**
+ * Smarty json_encode modifier plugin
+ */
+class JsonEncodeModifierCompiler extends Base {
+
+	public function compile($params, \Smarty\Compiler\Template $compiler) {
+		return 'json_encode(' . $params[0] . (isset($params[1]) ? ', (int) ' . $params[1] : '') . ')';
+	}
+
+}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/src/Compile/Modifier/SubstrModifierCompiler.php b/src/Compile/Modifier/SubstrModifierCompiler.php
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..8fb33ed7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/Compile/Modifier/SubstrModifierCompiler.php
@@ -0,0 +1,15 @@
+<?php
+
+namespace Smarty\Compile\Modifier;
+
+/**
+ * Smarty substr modifier plugin
+ */
+class SubstrModifierCompiler extends Base {
+
+	public function compile($params, \Smarty\Compiler\Template $compiler) {
+		return 'substr((string) ' . $params[0] . ', (int) ' . $params[1] .
+			(isset($params[2]) ? ', (int) ' . $params[2] : '') . ')';
+	}
+
+}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/src/Compile/ModifierCompiler.php b/src/Compile/ModifierCompiler.php
index d07763bf..765e8376 100644
--- a/src/Compile/ModifierCompiler.php
+++ b/src/Compile/ModifierCompiler.php
@@ -43,16 +43,19 @@ class ModifierCompiler extends Base {
 		foreach ($parameter['modifierlist'] as $single_modifier) {
 			/* @var string $modifier */
 			$modifier = $single_modifier[0];
-			$single_modifier[0] = $output;
-			$params = implode(',', $single_modifier);
+
+
+			$modifier_params = array_values($single_modifier);
+
+			$modifier_params[0] = $output;
+			$params = implode(',', $modifier_params);
 
 			if (!is_object($compiler->getSmarty()->security_policy)
 				|| $compiler->getSmarty()->security_policy->isTrustedModifier($modifier, $compiler)
 			) {
 
 				if ($handler = $compiler->getModifierCompiler($modifier)) {
-					$output = $handler->compile($single_modifier, $compiler);
-
+					$output = $handler->compile($modifier_params, $compiler);
 				} elseif ($compiler->getSmarty()->getModifierCallback($modifier)) {
 					$output = sprintf(
 							'$_smarty_tpl->getSmarty()->getModifierCallback(%s)(%s)',
@@ -60,7 +63,7 @@ class ModifierCompiler extends Base {
 							$params
 						);
 				} elseif ($callback = $compiler->getPluginFromDefaultHandler($modifier, \Smarty\Smarty::PLUGIN_MODIFIERCOMPILER)) {
-					$output = (new \Smarty\Compile\Modifier\BCPluginWrapper($callback))->compile($single_modifier, $compiler);
+					$output = (new \Smarty\Compile\Modifier\BCPluginWrapper($callback))->compile($modifier_params, $compiler);
 				} elseif ($function = $compiler->getPluginFromDefaultHandler($modifier, \Smarty\Smarty::PLUGIN_MODIFIER)) {
 					if (!is_array($function)) {
 						$output = "{$function}({$params})";
diff --git a/src/Compiler/Configfile.php b/src/Compiler/Configfile.php
index 7297a62b..84c14f9e 100644
--- a/src/Compiler/Configfile.php
+++ b/src/Compiler/Configfile.php
@@ -65,8 +65,6 @@ class Configfile extends BaseCompiler {
 	 * @param Smarty $smarty global instance
 	 */
 	public function __construct(Smarty $smarty) {
-		$this->smarty = $smarty;
-		// get required plugins
 		$this->smarty = $smarty;
 		$this->config_data['sections'] = [];
 		$this->config_data['vars'] = [];
@@ -104,7 +102,7 @@ class Configfile extends BaseCompiler {
 			) . "\n",
 			$this
 		);
-		/* @var ConfigfileParser $this->parser */
+
 		$this->parser = new ConfigfileParser($this->lex, $this);
 		if ($this->smarty->_parserdebug) {
 			$this->parser->PrintTrace();
diff --git a/src/Extension/DefaultExtension.php b/src/Extension/DefaultExtension.php
index 070274c7..83f110f7 100644
--- a/src/Extension/DefaultExtension.php
+++ b/src/Extension/DefaultExtension.php
@@ -28,6 +28,7 @@ class DefaultExtension extends Base {
 			case 'from_charset': $this->modifiers[$modifier] = new \Smarty\Compile\Modifier\FromCharsetModifierCompiler(); break;
 			case 'indent': $this->modifiers[$modifier] = new \Smarty\Compile\Modifier\IndentModifierCompiler(); break;
 			case 'isset': $this->modifiers[$modifier] = new \Smarty\Compile\Modifier\IssetModifierCompiler(); break;
+			case 'json_encode': $this->modifiers[$modifier] = new \Smarty\Compile\Modifier\JsonEncodeModifierCompiler(); break;
 			case 'lower': $this->modifiers[$modifier] = new \Smarty\Compile\Modifier\LowerModifierCompiler(); break;
 			case 'nl2br': $this->modifiers[$modifier] = new \Smarty\Compile\Modifier\Nl2brModifierCompiler(); break;
 			case 'noprint': $this->modifiers[$modifier] = new \Smarty\Compile\Modifier\NoPrintModifierCompiler(); break;
@@ -37,6 +38,7 @@ class DefaultExtension extends Base {
 			case 'strip': $this->modifiers[$modifier] = new \Smarty\Compile\Modifier\StripModifierCompiler(); break;
 			case 'strip_tags': $this->modifiers[$modifier] = new \Smarty\Compile\Modifier\StripTagsModifierCompiler(); break;
 			case 'strlen': $this->modifiers[$modifier] = new \Smarty\Compile\Modifier\StrlenModifierCompiler(); break;
+			case 'substr': $this->modifiers[$modifier] = new \Smarty\Compile\Modifier\SubstrModifierCompiler(); break;
 			case 'to_charset': $this->modifiers[$modifier] = new \Smarty\Compile\Modifier\ToCharsetModifierCompiler(); break;
 			case 'unescape': $this->modifiers[$modifier] = new \Smarty\Compile\Modifier\UnescapeModifierCompiler(); break;
 			case 'upper': $this->modifiers[$modifier] = new \Smarty\Compile\Modifier\UpperModifierCompiler(); break;
@@ -54,11 +56,14 @@ class DefaultExtension extends Base {
 			case 'debug_print_var': return [$this, 'smarty_modifier_debug_print_var'];
 			case 'escape': return [$this, 'smarty_modifier_escape'];
 			case 'explode': return [$this, 'smarty_modifier_explode'];
+			case 'implode': return [$this, 'smarty_modifier_implode'];
+			case 'join': return [$this, 'smarty_modifier_join'];
 			case 'mb_wordwrap': return [$this, 'smarty_modifier_mb_wordwrap'];
 			case 'number_format': return [$this, 'smarty_modifier_number_format'];
 			case 'regex_replace': return [$this, 'smarty_modifier_regex_replace'];
 			case 'replace': return [$this, 'smarty_modifier_replace'];
 			case 'spacify': return [$this, 'smarty_modifier_spacify'];
+			case 'split': return [$this, 'smarty_modifier_split'];
 			case 'truncate': return [$this, 'smarty_modifier_truncate'];
 		}
 		return null;
@@ -211,7 +216,7 @@ class DefaultExtension extends Base {
 		 * > 1 would be returned, unless value was null, in which case 0 would be returned.
 		 */
 
-		if ($arrayOrObject instanceof Countable || is_array($arrayOrObject)) {
+		if ($arrayOrObject instanceof \Countable || is_array($arrayOrObject)) {
 			return count($arrayOrObject, (int) $mode);
 		} elseif ($arrayOrObject === null) {
 			return 0;
@@ -518,10 +523,74 @@ class DefaultExtension extends Base {
 	 */
 	public function smarty_modifier_explode($separator, $string, ?int $limit = null)
 	{
+		trigger_error("Using explode is deprecated. " .
+			"Use split, using the array first, separator second.", E_USER_DEPRECATED);
 		// provide $string default to prevent deprecation errors in PHP >=8.1
 		return explode($separator, $string ?? '', $limit ?? PHP_INT_MAX);
 	}
 
+	/**
+	 * Smarty split modifier plugin
+	 * Type:     modifier
+	 * Name:     split
+	 * Purpose:  split a string by a string
+	 *
+	 * @param string $string
+	 * @param string   $separator
+	 * @param int|null $limit
+	 *
+	 * @return array
+	 */
+	public function smarty_modifier_split($string, $separator, ?int $limit = null)
+	{
+		// provide $string default to prevent deprecation errors in PHP >=8.1
+		return explode($separator, $string ?? '', $limit ?? PHP_INT_MAX);
+	}
+
+	/**
+	 * Smarty implode modifier plugin
+	 * Type:     modifier
+	 * Name:     implode
+	 * Purpose:  join an array of values into a single string
+	 *
+	 * @param array   $values
+	 * @param string   $separator
+	 *
+	 * @return string
+	 */
+	public function smarty_modifier_implode($values, $separator = '')
+	{
+
+		trigger_error("Using implode is deprecated. " .
+			"Use join using the array first, separator second.", E_USER_DEPRECATED);
+
+		if (is_array($separator)) {
+			return implode((string) ($values ?? ''), (array) $separator);
+		}
+		return implode((string) ($separator ?? ''), (array) $values);
+	}
+
+	/**
+	 * Smarty join modifier plugin
+	 * Type:     modifier
+	 * Name:     join
+	 * Purpose:  join an array of values into a single string
+	 *
+	 * @param array   $values
+	 * @param string   $separator
+	 *
+	 * @return string
+	 */
+	public function smarty_modifier_join($values, $separator = '')
+	{
+		if (is_array($separator)) {
+			trigger_error("Using join with the separator first is deprecated. " .
+				"Call join using the array first, separator second.", E_USER_DEPRECATED);
+			return implode((string) ($values ?? ''), (array) $separator);
+		}
+		return implode((string) ($separator ?? ''), (array) $values);
+	}
+
 	/**
 	 * Smarty wordwrap modifier plugin
 	 * Type:     modifier
diff --git a/tests/UnitTests/SmartyMethodsTests/RegisterModifier/RegisterModifierTest.php b/tests/UnitTests/SmartyMethodsTests/RegisterModifier/RegisterModifierTest.php
index 267448d9..05ee7459 100644
--- a/tests/UnitTests/SmartyMethodsTests/RegisterModifier/RegisterModifierTest.php
+++ b/tests/UnitTests/SmartyMethodsTests/RegisterModifier/RegisterModifierTest.php
@@ -103,7 +103,8 @@ class RegisterModifierTest extends PHPUnit_Smarty
 
 	public function dataUnknownModifiers(): array {
 		return [
-			['{"blah"|substr:1:2}', 'la'],
+			['{" blah"|ltrim:" "}', 'blah'],
+			['{"blah"|strrev}', 'halb'],
 			['{"blah"|ucfirst}', 'Blah'],
 			['{"blah"|md5}', md5('blah')],
 		];
diff --git a/tests/UnitTests/TemplateSource/TagTests/PluginFunction/IssetTest.php b/tests/UnitTests/TemplateSource/TagTests/PluginFunction/IssetTest.php
index a54b244a..d0316346 100644
--- a/tests/UnitTests/TemplateSource/TagTests/PluginFunction/IssetTest.php
+++ b/tests/UnitTests/TemplateSource/TagTests/PluginFunction/IssetTest.php
@@ -15,6 +15,10 @@ class IssetTest extends \PHPUnit_Smarty {
 		$this->assertEquals("yay", $this->smarty->fetch("string:{if isset('')}yay{/if}"));
 	}
 
+	public function testEmptyStringIssetModifierSyntax() {
+		$this->assertEquals("yay", $this->smarty->fetch("string:{if ''|isset}yay{/if}"));
+	}
+
 	public function testFalseIsset() {
 		$this->smarty->assign('test', false);
 		$this->assertEquals("yay", $this->smarty->fetch("string:{if isset(\$test)}yay{/if}"));
diff --git a/tests/UnitTests/TemplateSource/TagTests/PluginModifier/PluginModifierExplodeTest.php b/tests/UnitTests/TemplateSource/TagTests/PluginModifier/PluginModifierExplodeTest.php
index ecefc6f8..8b689b17 100644
--- a/tests/UnitTests/TemplateSource/TagTests/PluginModifier/PluginModifierExplodeTest.php
+++ b/tests/UnitTests/TemplateSource/TagTests/PluginModifier/PluginModifierExplodeTest.php
@@ -18,9 +18,7 @@ class PluginModifierExplodeTest extends \PHPUnit_Smarty
     }
 
     /**
-     * @return void
-     * @throws \Smarty\Exception
-     *
+     * @deprecated
      * @dataProvider explodeDataProvider
      */
     public function testExplode($template, $subject, $expectedString)
diff --git a/tests/UnitTests/TemplateSource/TagTests/PluginModifier/PluginModifierImplodeTest.php b/tests/UnitTests/TemplateSource/TagTests/PluginModifier/PluginModifierImplodeTest.php
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..aa0d6acd
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/UnitTests/TemplateSource/TagTests/PluginModifier/PluginModifierImplodeTest.php
@@ -0,0 +1,61 @@
+<?php
+/**
+ * Smarty PHPunit tests of modifier
+ */
+
+namespace UnitTests\TemplateSource\TagTests\PluginModifier;
+use PHPUnit_Smarty;
+
+class PluginModifierImplodeTest extends PHPUnit_Smarty
+{
+	public function setUp(): void
+	{
+		$this->setUpSmarty(__DIR__);
+	}
+	/**
+	 * @deprecated
+	 */
+	public function testDefault()
+	{
+		$tpl = $this->smarty->createTemplate('string:{$v|implode}');
+		$tpl->assign("v", ["1", "2"]);
+		$this->assertEquals("12", $this->smarty->fetch($tpl));
+	}
+	/**
+	 * @deprecated
+	 */
+	public function testWithSeparator()
+	{
+		$tpl = $this->smarty->createTemplate('string:{$v|implode:","}');
+		$tpl->assign("v", ["a", "b"]);
+		$this->assertEquals("a,b", $this->smarty->fetch($tpl));
+	}
+	/**
+	 * @deprecated
+	 */
+	public function testLegacyArgumentOrder()
+	{
+		$tpl = $this->smarty->createTemplate('string:{","|implode:$v}');
+		$tpl->assign("v", ["a", "b"]);
+		$this->assertEquals("a,b", $this->smarty->fetch($tpl));
+	}
+	/**
+	 * @deprecated
+	 */
+	public function testInConditional()
+	{
+		$tpl = $this->smarty->createTemplate('string:{if implode($v) == "abc"}good{else}bad{/if}');
+		$tpl->assign("v", ['a','b','c']);
+		$this->assertEquals("good", $this->smarty->fetch($tpl));
+	}
+	/**
+	 * @deprecated
+	 */
+	public function testInConditionalWithSeparator()
+	{
+		$tpl = $this->smarty->createTemplate('string:{if implode($v, "-") == "a-b-c"}good{else}bad{/if}');
+		$tpl->assign("v", ['a','b','c']);
+		$this->assertEquals("good", $this->smarty->fetch($tpl));
+	}
+
+}
diff --git a/tests/UnitTests/TemplateSource/TagTests/PluginModifier/PluginModifierJoinTest.php b/tests/UnitTests/TemplateSource/TagTests/PluginModifier/PluginModifierJoinTest.php
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..7fb6a958
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/UnitTests/TemplateSource/TagTests/PluginModifier/PluginModifierJoinTest.php
@@ -0,0 +1,43 @@
+<?php
+/**
+ * Smarty PHPunit tests of modifier
+ */
+
+namespace UnitTests\TemplateSource\TagTests\PluginModifier;
+use PHPUnit_Smarty;
+
+class PluginModifierJoinTest extends PHPUnit_Smarty
+{
+	public function setUp(): void
+	{
+		$this->setUpSmarty(__DIR__);
+	}
+
+	public function testDefault()
+	{
+		$tpl = $this->smarty->createTemplate('string:{$v|join}');
+		$tpl->assign("v", ["1", "2"]);
+		$this->assertEquals("12", $this->smarty->fetch($tpl));
+	}
+	public function testWithSeparator()
+	{
+		$tpl = $this->smarty->createTemplate('string:{$v|join:","}');
+		$tpl->assign("v", ["a", "b"]);
+		$this->assertEquals("a,b", $this->smarty->fetch($tpl));
+	}
+
+	public function testInConditional()
+	{
+		$tpl = $this->smarty->createTemplate('string:{if join($v) == "abc"}good{else}bad{/if}');
+		$tpl->assign("v", ['a','b','c']);
+		$this->assertEquals("good", $this->smarty->fetch($tpl));
+	}
+
+	public function testInConditionalWithSeparator()
+	{
+		$tpl = $this->smarty->createTemplate('string:{if join($v, "-") == "a-b-c"}good{else}bad{/if}');
+		$tpl->assign("v", ['a','b','c']);
+		$this->assertEquals("good", $this->smarty->fetch($tpl));
+	}
+
+}
diff --git a/tests/UnitTests/TemplateSource/TagTests/PluginModifier/PluginModifierJsonEncodeTest.php b/tests/UnitTests/TemplateSource/TagTests/PluginModifier/PluginModifierJsonEncodeTest.php
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..9a287812
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/UnitTests/TemplateSource/TagTests/PluginModifier/PluginModifierJsonEncodeTest.php
@@ -0,0 +1,72 @@
+<?php
+/**
+ * Smarty PHPunit tests of modifier
+ */
+
+namespace UnitTests\TemplateSource\TagTests\PluginModifier;
+use PHPUnit_Smarty;
+
+class PluginModifierJsonEncodeTest extends PHPUnit_Smarty
+{
+	public function setUp(): void
+	{
+		$this->setUpSmarty(__DIR__);
+	}
+
+	/**
+	 * @dataProvider dataForDefault
+	 */
+	public function testDefault($value, $expected)
+	{
+		$tpl = $this->smarty->createTemplate('string:{$v|json_encode}');
+		$tpl->assign("v", $value);
+		$this->assertEquals($expected, $this->smarty->fetch($tpl));
+	}
+
+	/**
+	 * @dataProvider dataForDefault
+	 */
+	public function testDefaultAsFunction($value, $expected)
+	{
+		$tpl = $this->smarty->createTemplate('string:{json_encode($v)}');
+		$tpl->assign("v", $value);
+		$this->assertEquals($expected, $this->smarty->fetch($tpl));
+	}
+
+	public function dataForDefault() {
+		return [
+			["abc", '"abc"'],
+			[["abc"], '["abc"]'],
+			[["abc",["a"=>2]], '["abc",{"a":2}]'],
+		];
+	}
+
+	/**
+	 * @dataProvider dataForForceObject
+	 */
+	public function testForceObject($value, $expected)
+	{
+		$tpl = $this->smarty->createTemplate('string:{$v|json_encode:16}');
+		$tpl->assign("v", $value);
+		$this->assertEquals($expected, $this->smarty->fetch($tpl));
+	}
+
+	/**
+	 * @dataProvider dataForForceObject
+	 */
+	public function testForceObjectAsFunction($value, $expected)
+	{
+		$tpl = $this->smarty->createTemplate('string:{json_encode($v,16)}');
+		$tpl->assign("v", $value);
+		$this->assertEquals($expected, $this->smarty->fetch($tpl));
+	}
+
+	public function dataForForceObject() {
+		return [
+			["abc", '"abc"'],
+			[["abc"], '{"0":"abc"}'],
+			[["abc",["a"=>2]], '{"0":"abc","1":{"a":2}}'],
+		];
+	}
+
+}
diff --git a/tests/UnitTests/TemplateSource/TagTests/PluginModifier/PluginModifierSplitTest.php b/tests/UnitTests/TemplateSource/TagTests/PluginModifier/PluginModifierSplitTest.php
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..bfb769bf
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/UnitTests/TemplateSource/TagTests/PluginModifier/PluginModifierSplitTest.php
@@ -0,0 +1,53 @@
+<?php
+
+namespace UnitTests\TemplateSource\TagTests\PluginModifier;
+
+/**
+ * class for modifier tests
+ *
+ * 
+ * 
+ * 
+ */
+class PluginModifierSplitTest extends \PHPUnit_Smarty
+{
+    public function setUp(): void
+    {
+        $this->setUpSmarty(__DIR__);
+        $this->smarty->registerPlugin('modifier', 'json_encode', 'json_encode');
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * @dataProvider explodeDataProvider
+     */
+    public function testSplit($template, $subject, $expectedString)
+    {
+        $this->smarty->assign('subject', $subject);
+
+        $tpl = $this->smarty->createTemplate($template);
+        $res = $this->smarty->fetch($tpl);
+
+        $this->assertEquals($expectedString, $res);
+    }
+
+    public function explodeDataProvider()
+    {
+        return [
+            'default'  => [
+                'template'      => 'string:{$subject|split:","|json_encode}',
+                'subject'       => 'a,b,c,d',
+                'expectedString' => '["a","b","c","d"]',
+            ],
+            'withNoDelimiterFound'  => [
+                'template'      => 'string:{$subject|split:","|json_encode}',
+                'subject'       => 'abcd',
+                'expectedString' => '["abcd"]',
+            ],
+            'withNull' => [
+                'template'      => 'string:{$subject|split:","|json_encode}',
+                'subject'       => null,
+                'expectedString' => '[""]',
+            ],
+        ];
+    }
+}
diff --git a/tests/UnitTests/TemplateSource/TagTests/PluginModifier/PluginModifierSubstrTest.php b/tests/UnitTests/TemplateSource/TagTests/PluginModifier/PluginModifierSubstrTest.php
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..cc59e107
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/UnitTests/TemplateSource/TagTests/PluginModifier/PluginModifierSubstrTest.php
@@ -0,0 +1,44 @@
+<?php
+/**
+ * Smarty PHPunit tests of modifier
+ */
+
+namespace UnitTests\TemplateSource\TagTests\PluginModifier;
+use PHPUnit_Smarty;
+
+class PluginModifierSubstrTest extends PHPUnit_Smarty
+{
+	public function setUp(): void
+	{
+		$this->setUpSmarty(__DIR__);
+	}
+
+	public function testDefault()
+	{
+		$tpl = $this->smarty->createTemplate('string:{$v|substr:1}');
+		$tpl->assign("v", "abc");
+		$this->assertEquals("bc", $this->smarty->fetch($tpl));
+	}
+
+	public function testTwoArguments()
+	{
+		$tpl = $this->smarty->createTemplate('string:{$v|substr:1:1}');
+		$tpl->assign("v", "abc");
+		$this->assertEquals("b", $this->smarty->fetch($tpl));
+	}
+
+	public function testNegativeOffset()
+	{
+		$tpl = $this->smarty->createTemplate('string:{$v|substr:-1}');
+		$tpl->assign("v", "abc");
+		$this->assertEquals("c", $this->smarty->fetch($tpl));
+	}
+
+	public function testInConditional()
+	{
+		$tpl = $this->smarty->createTemplate('string:{if substr($v, -1) == "c"}good{else}bad{/if}');
+		$tpl->assign("v", "abc");
+		$this->assertEquals("good", $this->smarty->fetch($tpl));
+	}
+
+}