How can you ensure that an array created within a function in PHP persists beyond the function's execution?

When a function in PHP creates an array, the array is typically only accessible within the scope of that function and gets destroyed once the function finishes executing. To ensure that the array persists beyond the function's execution, you can return the array from the function and assign it to a variable in the global scope or pass it by reference to the function. By doing so, the array will continue to exist and be accessible outside of the function.

function createArray() {
    $array = [1, 2, 3];
    return $array;
}

// Assign the returned array to a variable in the global scope
$array = createArray();

// Now $array contains [1, 2, 3] and can be accessed outside of the function
print_r($array);