Are there any best practices for handling file reading operations in PHP?

When handling file reading operations in PHP, it is important to follow best practices to ensure efficiency and security. One common best practice is to use the fopen() function to open a file handle, read the file using functions like fread() or file_get_contents(), and then close the file handle using fclose(). Additionally, it is recommended to check for errors during the file reading process and handle them appropriately.

$file = 'example.txt';

$handle = fopen($file, 'r');

if ($handle) {
    $contents = fread($handle, filesize($file));
    fclose($handle);
    
    // Process the file contents here
    echo $contents;
} else {
    echo 'Error opening the file.';
}