How can you ensure that date formatting functions in PHP output correctly interpret and display the desired date format?

When working with date formatting functions in PHP, it is important to specify the desired date format using the correct format characters to ensure the output is displayed as intended. One common mistake is using incorrect format characters, which can lead to unexpected results or errors. To ensure that date formatting functions output correctly interpret and display the desired date format, refer to the PHP manual for the correct format characters and use them accordingly in your code.

// Example of correctly formatting a date in PHP
$date = "2022-12-31";
$formatted_date = date("F j, Y", strtotime($date));
echo $formatted_date; // Output: December 31, 2022