How can PHP developers effectively transition from using mysql_ extension to PDO or mysqli for improved compatibility and security?

To effectively transition from using the deprecated mysql_ extension to PDO or mysqli in PHP, developers should refactor their existing code to use PDO or mysqli prepared statements for improved compatibility and security. This involves updating database connection and query functions to use PDO or mysqli methods, which offer better support for modern databases and protection against SQL injection attacks.

// Using PDO for database connection and prepared statements
$pdo = new PDO('mysql:host=localhost;dbname=my_database', 'username', 'password');

// Prepare a SQL statement
$stmt = $pdo->prepare('SELECT * FROM users WHERE id = :id');

// Bind parameters and execute the statement
$stmt->bindParam(':id', $id);
$stmt->execute();

// Fetch results
$results = $stmt->fetchAll();