How can one efficiently update a specific field in each record of a flatfile database using PHP?

To efficiently update a specific field in each record of a flatfile database using PHP, you can read the data from the flatfile, update the specific field in each record, and then write the updated data back to the flatfile. This can be achieved by using functions like `file()` to read the data, looping through each record to update the field, and then using `file_put_contents()` to write the updated data back to the flatfile.

// Read data from the flatfile
$data = file('data.txt');

// Loop through each record and update a specific field
foreach ($data as $key => $record) {
    $fields = explode(',', $record);
    // Update the specific field (e.g., field at index 2)
    $fields[2] = 'new value';
    $data[$key] = implode(',', $fields);
}

// Write the updated data back to the flatfile
file_put_contents('data.txt', implode("\n", $data));