What are some common methods for handling links and anchor tags in PHP when generating HTML content?

When generating HTML content in PHP, it is common to include links and anchor tags. One way to handle this is by using the `htmlspecialchars()` function to escape any special characters in the link text to prevent XSS attacks. Another method is to use the `urlencode()` function to encode the URL parameters to ensure they are properly formatted. Additionally, you can use PHP's `sprintf()` function to dynamically insert variables into the anchor tag.

// Example of handling links and anchor tags in PHP
$linkText = "Click Here";
$url = "https://example.com/page.php?id=123";

// Using htmlspecialchars() to escape special characters in link text
$linkText = htmlspecialchars($linkText);

// Using urlencode() to encode URL parameters
$url = urlencode($url);

// Using sprintf() to dynamically insert variables into the anchor tag
echo sprintf('<a href="%s">%s</a>', $url, $linkText);