How can PHP developers ensure that error reporting is effectively utilized to troubleshoot issues with readfile() function for external URLs?

When troubleshooting issues with the readfile() function for external URLs in PHP, developers can ensure effective error reporting by setting the error_reporting level to E_ALL and displaying errors using ini_set('display_errors', 1). This will provide detailed error messages that can help identify the root cause of the problem.

<?php
// Set error reporting level to E_ALL
error_reporting(E_ALL);

// Display errors
ini_set('display_errors', 1);

// Code using readfile() function for external URLs
$file = 'http://www.example.com/file.txt';
readfile($file);
?>