Is it advisable to return both error messages and form data values from a function in PHP, or does this approach pose security risks?

Returning both error messages and form data values from a function in PHP can pose security risks as it may expose sensitive information to potential attackers. It is advisable to separate the concerns by returning only error messages from the function, and handling the form data values separately in a secure manner. 

// Function to validate form data and return error messages
function validateFormData($formData) {
    // Validate form data
    $errors = [];
    
    if(empty($formData['username'])) {
        $errors['username'] = "Username is required.";
    }
    
    // Additional validation rules
    
    return $errors;
}

// Usage example
$formData = $_POST;

$errors = validateFormData($formData);

if(empty($errors)) {
    // Process form data if no errors
} else {
    // Display error messages to the user
    foreach($errors as $error) {
        echo $error . "<br>";
    }
}

Keywords

PHP function error messages form data security risks

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