How can PHP functions like fputcsv be utilized to improve the process of writing to a .csv file?

When writing to a .csv file in PHP, using functions like fputcsv can greatly simplify the process by automatically formatting the data and handling special characters. This can prevent common issues like data corruption or improper formatting in the .csv file.

// Open the file for writing
$file = fopen('data.csv', 'w');

// Data to be written to the .csv file
$data = array(
    array('John Doe', 'john.doe@example.com', '555-1234'),
    array('Jane Smith', 'jane.smith@example.com', '555-5678')
);

// Write data to the .csv file using fputcsv
foreach ($data as $row) {
    fputcsv($file, $row);
}

// Close the file
fclose($file);