What are common pitfalls when using if-loops in PHP to control output based on database values?

One common pitfall when using if-loops in PHP to control output based on database values is not properly handling NULL values. To avoid errors, always check if the database value is not NULL before using it in your if condition. You can use the isset() function to check if a variable is set and not NULL before proceeding with your logic.

// Check if the database value is not NULL before using it in an if condition
if(isset($databaseValue) && $databaseValue == 'some_value') {
    echo 'Output based on database value';
} else {
    echo 'Default output if database value is NULL or not equal to expected value';
}