How can a timeout function be implemented in PHP to handle cases where a link takes too long to load and ensure the script does not hang indefinitely?

When a link takes too long to load in PHP, it can cause the script to hang indefinitely, leading to performance issues. To handle this situation, a timeout function can be implemented to limit the execution time of the script and prevent it from running indefinitely. This can be achieved by setting a maximum execution time for the script using the `set_time_limit()` function.

// Set a maximum execution time of 30 seconds
set_time_limit(30);

// Your code to load the link goes here
// If the link takes longer than 30 seconds to load, the script will stop executing