What are some best practices for organizing PHP code and files to ensure efficient and maintainable web development projects?

Organizing PHP code and files in a structured manner is crucial for efficient and maintainable web development projects. One best practice is to use a modular approach, separating different functionalities into separate files or directories. This helps in better organization, readability, and reusability of code.

// Example of organizing PHP code into separate files

// index.php
require 'functions.php';
require 'database.php';
require 'header.php';
require 'content.php';
require 'footer.php';

// functions.php
// Define reusable functions here

// database.php
// Connect to the database and define database-related functions

// header.php
// Include header content here

// content.php
// Include main content of the page here

// footer.php
// Include footer content here