How can inline styles be avoided when implementing automatic code color coding in PHP?

To avoid using inline styles when implementing automatic code color coding in PHP, you can utilize CSS classes instead. By assigning specific classes to the code elements that need to be color-coded, you can separate the styling from the content, making it easier to maintain and customize the appearance of the code.

```php
<?php
$code = "<div class='code'>echo 'Hello, World!';</div>";
echo $code;
?>
```

In this code snippet, the code to be color-coded is wrapped in a `div` element with a class of `code`. This allows you to define the styling for code elements in a separate CSS file, keeping your PHP code clean and maintainable.