What are some common pitfalls when using the include and require functions in PHP?

One common pitfall when using the include and require functions in PHP is not checking if the file exists before including or requiring it. This can lead to errors or security vulnerabilities if a file is missing or inaccessible. To solve this issue, you can use the file_exists function to check if the file exists before including or requiring it.

$file = 'file.php';

if (file_exists($file)) {
    include $file;
} else {
    echo 'File does not exist.';
}