How can a PHP beginner ensure they are using the correct database connection functions (mysqli vs mysql) in their code?

To ensure you are using the correct database connection functions in PHP, it's important to use mysqli functions instead of mysql functions, as mysql functions are deprecated and not recommended for use. You can easily switch to mysqli functions by updating your code to use mysqli_connect() instead of mysql_connect(), and mysqli_query() instead of mysql_query(). This will ensure compatibility with newer PHP versions and provide better security for your database connections.

// Using mysqli functions for database connection
$servername = "localhost";
$username = "username";
$password = "password";
$dbname = "database";

// Create connection
$conn = mysqli_connect($servername, $username, $password, $dbname);

// Check connection
if (!$conn) {
    die("Connection failed: " . mysqli_connect_error());
}

// Perform a query
$sql = "SELECT * FROM table";
$result = mysqli_query($conn, $sql);

// Close connection
mysqli_close($conn);