How can error reporting and debugging tools be effectively used in PHP to troubleshoot issues with reading .json files?

When encountering issues with reading .json files in PHP, error reporting and debugging tools can be effectively used to identify the root cause of the problem. By enabling error reporting and utilizing functions like `json_last_error()` and `json_last_error_msg()`, developers can pinpoint errors such as syntax issues or encoding problems within the .json file. Additionally, using tools like `var_dump()` or `print_r()` can help visualize the data structure and identify any discrepancies.

<?php

// Enable error reporting
error_reporting(E_ALL);
ini_set('display_errors', 1);

// Read the .json file
$jsonData = file_get_contents('example.json');

// Decode the JSON data
$decodedData = json_decode($jsonData);

// Check for errors
if (json_last_error() !== JSON_ERROR_NONE) {
    echo 'Error: ' . json_last_error_msg();
} else {
    var_dump($decodedData);
}

?>