What are some best practices for including external libraries like jpGraph in PHP projects?

When including external libraries like jpGraph in PHP projects, it is important to follow best practices to ensure smooth integration and optimal performance. One common approach is to use Composer, a dependency manager for PHP, to easily install and manage external libraries. By using Composer, you can specify the version of the library you want to use, autoload the library's classes, and keep track of updates.

// Require Composer's autoloader to autoload jpGraph classes
require 'vendor/autoload.php';

use JpGraph\JpGraph;

// Your PHP code using jpGraph
$graph = new JpGraph\Graph();
$graph->title->Set("Example Graph");
$graph->title->SetFont(FF_FONT1, FS_BOLD);
$graph->title->SetColor("darkred");

// Display the graph
$graph->Stroke();