How can PHP developers balance making programming accessible to non-programmers while ensuring they understand the fundamentals and avoid common pitfalls in the language?

PHP developers can balance making programming accessible to non-programmers by providing clear documentation, tutorials, and examples that explain the fundamentals of the language in simple terms. They can also create user-friendly interfaces and error messages to help users understand common pitfalls and how to avoid them. Additionally, developers can encourage non-programmers to ask questions and seek help from online communities or forums.

// Example PHP code snippet demonstrating clear error messages for non-programmers
$num1 = "10";
$num2 = "20";

// Check if the variables are numeric
if (!is_numeric($num1) || !is_numeric($num2)) {
    echo "Error: Please enter numeric values for num1 and num2.";
} else {
    // Perform addition if both variables are numeric
    $result = $num1 + $num2;
    echo "The sum of $num1 and $num2 is: $result";
}