What are some best practices for handling file editing and saving in PHP to avoid data loss?

When handling file editing and saving in PHP, it is crucial to implement proper error handling and validation to avoid data loss. Always make sure to create backups of the original file before making any changes, and use file locking mechanisms to prevent conflicts when multiple users are editing the same file simultaneously. 

// Example code snippet for handling file editing and saving in PHP
$filename = 'example.txt';
$backupFilename = 'example_backup.txt';

// Create a backup of the original file
if (copy($filename, $backupFilename)) {
    // Open the file for writing with exclusive lock
    $file = fopen($filename, 'w');
    if (flock($file, LOCK_EX)) {
        // Perform file editing operations here
        fwrite($file, 'New content to be saved');
        
        // Release the lock and close the file
        flock($file, LOCK_UN);
        fclose($file);
    } else {
        echo 'Unable to acquire lock on file.';
    }
} else {
    echo 'Unable to create backup of the original file.';
}

Keywords

file handling data loss prevention error handling file editing PHP functions

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