How can PHP developers effectively handle errors and exceptions when querying a database for specific data, such as user information or file details?

When querying a database for specific data in PHP, developers should use try-catch blocks to handle any potential errors or exceptions that may occur during the query process. This allows for graceful error handling and prevents the script from crashing if an issue arises. By catching exceptions, developers can log the error, display a user-friendly message, or take appropriate action based on the specific error encountered.

try {
    // Connect to the database
    $pdo = new PDO("mysql:host=localhost;dbname=mydatabase", "username", "password");
    
    // Prepare and execute the SQL query
    $stmt = $pdo->prepare("SELECT * FROM users WHERE id = :id");
    $stmt->bindParam(':id', $userId, PDO::PARAM_INT);
    $stmt->execute();
    
    // Fetch the user data
    $user = $stmt->fetch(PDO::FETCH_ASSOC);
    
    // Handle the retrieved user data
    // ...
    
} catch (PDOException $e) {
    // Handle any database connection or query errors
    echo "Error: " . $e->getMessage();
}