How can developers handle input validation, such as allowing only letters in a name field, in PHP forms effectively and efficiently?

To handle input validation in PHP forms, developers can use regular expressions to ensure that only letters are allowed in a name field. This can be done by using the preg_match function to check if the input matches the desired pattern of only letters. By implementing this validation, developers can effectively and efficiently ensure that the input meets the specified criteria.

$name = $_POST['name'];

if(preg_match('/^[a-zA-Z]+$/', $name)){
    // Name contains only letters
    echo "Valid name input";
} else {
    // Name contains non-letter characters
    echo "Invalid name input";
}