How can developers stay up-to-date with PHP best practices and avoid using deprecated functions or features in their code?

To stay up-to-date with PHP best practices and avoid using deprecated functions or features, developers should regularly check the official PHP documentation for updates and changes. They should also follow PHP blogs, forums, and social media channels to stay informed about new features and best practices. Additionally, using tools like PHP_CodeSniffer can help identify deprecated functions or features in the codebase.

// Example code using a deprecated function (mysql_connect)
// Updated code using mysqli_connect
$servername = "localhost";
$username = "username";
$password = "password";
$dbname = "myDB";

// Deprecated function
$conn = mysql_connect($servername, $username, $password);

// Updated function
$conn = mysqli_connect($servername, $username, $password, $dbname);

// Check connection
if (!$conn) {
    die("Connection failed: " . mysqli_connect_error());
}
echo "Connected successfully";