How can PHP developers ensure the security and reliability of their code when handling form data and performing calculations based on user input?

To ensure the security and reliability of PHP code when handling form data and performing calculations based on user input, developers should always sanitize and validate input data to prevent SQL injection, cross-site scripting (XSS), and other security vulnerabilities. Additionally, using prepared statements for database queries and implementing input validation can help prevent errors and ensure data integrity.

// Sanitize and validate form input data
$username = filter_var($_POST['username'], FILTER_SANITIZE_STRING);
$email = filter_var($_POST['email'], FILTER_SANITIZE_EMAIL);

// Use prepared statements for database queries
$stmt = $pdo->prepare("INSERT INTO users (username, email) VALUES (:username, :email)");
$stmt->bindParam(':username', $username);
$stmt->bindParam(':email', $email);
$stmt->execute();

// Perform calculations based on user input
$number1 = filter_var($_POST['number1'], FILTER_VALIDATE_INT);
$number2 = filter_var($_POST['number2'], FILTER_VALIDATE_INT);

$result = $number1 + $number2;
echo "The result of the calculation is: " . $result;