How can PHP developers ensure that files are properly filtered and selected before copying or renaming them in a script?

PHP developers can ensure that files are properly filtered and selected before copying or renaming them in a script by using functions like `scandir()` to retrieve a list of files in a directory, `is_file()` to check if a path is a regular file, and `pathinfo()` to get information about a file path. By combining these functions with conditional statements and proper validation, developers can filter out unwanted files and select only the ones that meet their criteria before performing any file operations.

$directory = '/path/to/directory/';

$files = scandir($directory);

foreach($files as $file) {
    $path = $directory . $file;

    if(is_file($path)) {
        $fileInfo = pathinfo($path);

        // Filter files based on criteria (e.g. file extension, file size, etc.)
        if($fileInfo['extension'] == 'txt') {
            // Copy or rename the selected file
            // Example: copy($path, '/new/path/' . $fileInfo['filename'] . '_copy.' . $fileInfo['extension']);
        }
    }
}