In what scenarios would using the putenv() function for setting the GDFONTPATH in PHP be considered a worst practice, and what alternative methods are recommended?

Using the putenv() function to set the GDFONTPATH in PHP can be considered a worst practice because it modifies the environment variables globally, which can lead to unintended consequences and potential security risks. Instead, it is recommended to set the GDFONTPATH directly within the PHP script using the ini_set() function.

// Set the GDFONTPATH directly within the PHP script
ini_set('GDFONTPATH', '/path/to/fonts');