How can developers ensure that included files in PHP return the expected values and do not cause unexpected behavior in the global scope?

When including files in PHP, developers should encapsulate the code within the included file in a function or a class to prevent it from affecting the global scope. This ensures that variables and functions defined within the included file do not clash with those in the global scope, reducing the risk of unexpected behavior. 

// File: included_file.php

function myFunction() {
    return "Hello, World!";
}
```

```php
// File: main_file.php

include 'included_file.php';

echo myFunction(); // This will output "Hello, World!"

Keywords

include require global scope variable scope PHP functions

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