helper or library?

[eluser]Colin Williams[/eluser]
You can use get_instance() in a helper, too. I put a lot of these view-related functions in a views_helper or theme_helper.

Code:

function list_items($row, $data, $return = TRUE)
{
  $ci =& get_instance();
  $ci->table->set_heading(array_keys($row));
  return $ci->load->view('list', $data, $return);
}