What are some best practices for handling array values in PHP, especially when dealing with ini files?

When handling array values in PHP, especially when dealing with ini files, it is important to properly parse and manipulate the array values to ensure they are correctly formatted and accessible in your code. One common approach is to use the `parse_ini_file()` function to read the ini file and then use functions like `json_encode()` and `json_decode()` to convert array values to and from JSON format for easier manipulation.

// Read ini file and parse array values
$config = parse_ini_file('config.ini', true);

// Convert array values to JSON format
$jsonConfig = json_encode($config);

// Manipulate array values as needed
// For example, decode JSON back to array
$newConfig = json_decode($jsonConfig, true);

// Access array values
echo $newConfig['section']['key'];