How can PHP beginners avoid errors related to file paths and directory access when using functions like fopen()?

Beginners can avoid errors related to file paths and directory access by using absolute file paths instead of relative paths when working with functions like fopen(). This ensures that the script knows exactly where to find the file. Additionally, it's important to check file permissions to ensure that the PHP script has the necessary access rights to read or write to the file.

$file = '/path/to/file.txt'; // Absolute file path
$handle = fopen($file, 'r');
if ($handle) {
    // File operations here
    fclose($handle);
} else {
    echo 'Error opening file.';
}