What are some best practices for including external files in PHP, especially in the context of a website with multiple pages?

When working on a website with multiple pages in PHP, it is best practice to include external files for common functionalities such as headers, footers, or navigation menus. This helps in maintaining consistency across the website and makes it easier to update these elements in one central location. To include external files in PHP, you can use the `include` or `require` functions to pull in the content from a separate file.

// Include header file
include 'header.php';

// Include navigation menu file
include 'navigation.php';

// Include footer file
include 'footer.php';