Is there a specific reason for using require_once directly at the beginning of the file in PHP, and how does it affect the scope of included files?

Using `require_once` at the beginning of a PHP file ensures that the required file is included only once, preventing multiple inclusions and potential conflicts. This practice also helps in organizing dependencies and ensuring that required files are available before any code execution. It does not affect the scope of included files, but it does ensure that the required files are available in the global scope.

<?php
require_once 'config.php';
require_once 'functions.php';

// Your PHP code here
?>