How can developers ensure that preg_match() checks the entire string for validation in PHP, especially when dealing with special characters in email inputs?

When using preg_match() for validation in PHP, developers can ensure that the entire string is checked by using the caret (^) and dollar sign ($) anchors to match the beginning and end of the string, respectively. This ensures that the pattern is applied to the entire input string, including special characters that may be present in email inputs.

$email = "example@email.com";

if (preg_match("/^[a-zA-Z0-9._%+-]+@[a-zA-Z0-9.-]+\.[a-zA-Z]{2,}$/", $email)) {
    echo "Email is valid.";
} else {
    echo "Email is invalid.";
}