In what situations should developers consider using alternative methods or functions instead of mysql_num_rows in PHP for better error handling and performance?

Developers should consider using alternative methods or functions instead of mysql_num_rows in PHP when dealing with modern PHP frameworks like Laravel or Symfony, as these frameworks provide more robust and efficient ways to handle database queries and results. Additionally, using functions like mysqli_num_rows or PDO rowCount can provide better error handling and performance compared to mysql_num_rows, which is deprecated in newer PHP versions.

// Using mysqli_num_rows for better error handling and performance
$result = mysqli_query($connection, "SELECT * FROM table");
if($result){
    $row_count = mysqli_num_rows($result);
    echo "Number of rows: " . $row_count;
} else {
    echo "Error executing query: " . mysqli_error($connection);
}