How can the use of file_get_contents for retrieving variables from text files impact the functionality of a PHP script?

Using file_get_contents to retrieve variables from text files can impact the functionality of a PHP script if the file is not properly formatted or if the file is not found. To ensure the script runs smoothly, it is important to handle potential errors that may arise from using file_get_contents, such as checking if the file exists before attempting to read it.

$file = 'variables.txt';

if (file_exists($file)) {
    $data = file_get_contents($file);
    // process the data retrieved from the file
} else {
    echo "File not found.";
}