How can PHP developers ensure proper variable type handling when fetching data from a MySQL database?

When fetching data from a MySQL database in PHP, developers should use appropriate functions to ensure proper variable type handling. One common approach is to use functions like mysqli_fetch_assoc() or mysqli_fetch_array() to retrieve data as associative arrays or numerical arrays, respectively. This allows developers to access database values with the correct data types, such as integers, strings, or floats.

// Connect to the database
$mysqli = new mysqli("localhost", "username", "password", "database");

// Fetch data from the database using mysqli_fetch_assoc()
$result = $mysqli->query("SELECT * FROM table");
while ($row = $result->fetch_assoc()) {
    // Access data with correct variable types
    $id = (int)$row['id'];
    $name = $row['name'];
    $price = (float)$row['price'];
    
    // Process data as needed
    // ...
}

// Close the database connection
$mysqli->close();