How can URL encoding and decoding be used effectively in PHP to prevent errors when passing variables in the URL?

When passing variables in the URL, it is important to properly encode and decode them to prevent errors, especially with special characters or spaces. URL encoding converts special characters into a format that can be safely transmitted over the internet, while URL decoding reverses this process to retrieve the original data. In PHP, the functions urlencode() and urldecode() can be used to encode and decode variables effectively. 

// Encoding a variable before passing it in the URL
$variable = "Hello World!";
$encoded_variable = urlencode($variable);
$url = "example.php?data=" . $encoded_variable;

// Decoding the variable after retrieving it from the URL
$decoded_variable = urldecode($_GET['data']);
echo $decoded_variable;

Keywords

URL encoding URL decoding PHP variables errors

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