How can the realpath function in PHP be used to simplify working with file paths and URLs?

The realpath function in PHP can be used to simplify working with file paths and URLs by resolving any symbolic links, extra slashes, or relative paths to return the absolute path of a file or directory. This can help in ensuring that the path is correct and consistent across different environments.

// Example usage of realpath function to simplify working with file paths
$path = '/var/www/html/../public_html/uploads/';
$absolutePath = realpath($path);

echo $absolutePath;