What are some common mistakes or syntax errors to avoid when using pathinfo and include in PHP?

One common mistake when using pathinfo and include in PHP is not properly sanitizing user input, which can lead to security vulnerabilities such as directory traversal attacks. To avoid this, always validate and sanitize user input before using it in functions like pathinfo or include. Additionally, be mindful of the file paths you are including to prevent errors or unexpected behavior. 

// Example of properly sanitizing user input before using pathinfo and include
$user_input = $_GET['file'];

// Validate and sanitize user input
$allowed_files = ['file1.php', 'file2.php', 'file3.php'];
if (in_array($user_input, $allowed_files)) {
    $file_path = 'includes/' . $user_input;
    
    // Use pathinfo to get file information
    $file_info = pathinfo($file_path);
    
    // Include the file
    if (file_exists($file_path)) {
        include $file_path;
    } else {
        echo 'File not found';
    }
} else {
    echo 'Invalid file';
}

Keywords

pathinfo include PHP syntax errors mistakes

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