In the context of PHP programming, why is it important to include PHP opening tags <?php at the beginning of a script, and how can missing tags affect the execution of code?

It is important to include PHP opening tags <?php at the beginning of a script because it informs the server that the following code is PHP. Without these tags, the server may interpret the code as plain text or HTML, leading to errors or unexpected behavior. To fix this issue, always ensure to include the opening PHP tag at the beginning of your PHP scripts.

<?php
// Your PHP code here