What are best practices for handling database connections and queries in PHP to avoid errors like "false" results from mysqli_query?

When handling database connections and queries in PHP, it is important to properly check for errors to avoid receiving "false" results from mysqli_query. One way to do this is by checking the return value of mysqli_query and handling any errors that may occur. Additionally, using prepared statements can help prevent SQL injection attacks and ensure the security of your database queries.

// Establish connection to the database
$connection = mysqli_connect("localhost", "username", "password", "database");

// Check if the connection was successful
if (!$connection) {
    die("Connection failed: " . mysqli_connect_error());
}

// Perform a query
$query = "SELECT * FROM table";
$result = mysqli_query($connection, $query);

// Check if the query was successful
if (!$result) {
    die("Query failed: " . mysqli_error($connection));
}

// Process the results
while ($row = mysqli_fetch_assoc($result)) {
    // Do something with the data
}

// Close the connection
mysqli_close($connection);