How can PHP developers ensure that their scripts handle unexpected changes in external data sources gracefully?

PHP developers can ensure that their scripts handle unexpected changes in external data sources gracefully by implementing error handling techniques such as try-catch blocks and validating input data before processing it. By catching exceptions and displaying appropriate error messages, developers can prevent their scripts from crashing when unexpected changes occur in external data sources.

try {
    // code that interacts with external data source
    // handle unexpected changes gracefully
} catch (Exception $e) {
    echo "An error occurred: " . $e->getMessage();
}