How can developers ensure proper syntax and error handling in PHP scripts to avoid issues like the one described in the forum thread?

Issue: The forum thread describes a problem with syntax errors and lack of proper error handling in PHP scripts, leading to issues with the functionality of the script. To avoid such problems, developers should always ensure proper syntax by checking for errors and implementing error handling mechanisms in their code. Solution: To ensure proper syntax and error handling in PHP scripts, developers can use try-catch blocks to catch exceptions and handle errors gracefully. Additionally, using functions like error_reporting() and ini_set() can help in displaying or logging errors for debugging purposes.

<?php
// Set error reporting level to catch all errors
error_reporting(E_ALL);

// Enable error logging to a file
ini_set('log_errors', 1);
ini_set('error_log', 'error.log');

try {
    // Your PHP code here
    // Example: connecting to a database
    $pdo = new PDO('mysql:host=localhost;dbname=test', 'username', 'password');
} catch (PDOException $e) {
    // Handle any exceptions or errors
    echo 'Connection failed: ' . $e->getMessage();
}
?>