In what scenarios does filemtime() not work effectively in PHP?

filemtime() may not work effectively in PHP when the file path provided is incorrect or the file does not exist. To ensure filemtime() works correctly, always verify that the file path is accurate and that the file exists before calling filemtime(). You can use file_exists() function to check if the file exists before using filemtime().

$file_path = 'path/to/your/file.txt';

if (file_exists($file_path)) {
    $last_modified = filemtime($file_path);
    echo "Last modified: " . date('Y-m-d H:i:s', $last_modified);
} else {
    echo "File does not exist.";
}