How can one properly handle cookie data in PHP 5.0 to avoid issues like an empty array?

When handling cookie data in PHP 5.0, it is important to properly check if the cookie value is set before trying to access it. This can help avoid issues like getting an empty array when trying to access a non-existent cookie. To solve this issue, you can use the isset() function to check if the cookie value is set before accessing it.

// Check if the cookie value is set before trying to access it
if(isset($_COOKIE['cookie_name'])) {
    // Access the cookie value
    $cookie_value = $_COOKIE['cookie_name'];
    // Use the cookie value as needed
    echo "Cookie value: " . $cookie_value;
} else {
    echo "Cookie not set";
}