How can PHP developers ensure that a default text is displayed before expanding a dropdown field in a form?

To ensure that a default text is displayed before expanding a dropdown field in a form, PHP developers can use HTML to set the default value of the dropdown field to the desired text. This way, when the form is loaded, the default text will be visible before the user interacts with the dropdown.

<select name="dropdown_field">
    <option value="" selected disabled>Default Text</option>
    <option value="option1">Option 1</option>
    <option value="option2">Option 2</option>
    <option value="option3">Option 3</option>
</select>