How can PHP sessions be effectively used to preserve selected data when moving between different form pages?

When moving between different form pages, PHP sessions can be effectively used to preserve selected data by storing the data in session variables. These session variables can be set and accessed across different pages, allowing the selected data to persist as the user navigates through the form pages.

// Start the session
session_start();

// Store selected data in session variables
$_SESSION['selected_data'] = $_POST['selected_data'];

// Retrieve selected data from session variables
$selected_data = $_SESSION['selected_data'];