How can PHP be used to separate code and content in web development for better scalability and future-proofing?

One way to separate code and content in web development using PHP is by implementing a template system. This involves creating separate template files for the HTML content and using PHP to dynamically inject data into those templates. By doing this, it makes the code more maintainable, scalable, and future-proof as changes to the content can be easily made without altering the underlying code logic.

// Example of using a template system in PHP
// Template file: template.php

<html>
<head>
    <title><?php echo $pageTitle; ?></title>
</head>
<body>
    <h1><?php echo $heading; ?></h1>
    <p><?php echo $content; ?></p>
</body>
</html>

// PHP file: index.php

<?php
$pageTitle = "Home Page";
$heading = "Welcome to our website!";
$content = "Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit.";

include 'template.php';
?>