What are some best practices for utilizing "static" variables in PHP functions effectively?

When using static variables in PHP functions, it is important to ensure that the variable retains its value between function calls without affecting other instances of the function. To achieve this, declare the static variable within the function and use the static keyword to indicate that the variable should retain its value across function calls.

function incrementCounter() {
    static $counter = 0;
    $counter++;
    return $counter;
}

echo incrementCounter(); // Output: 1
echo incrementCounter(); // Output: 2
echo incrementCounter(); // Output: 3