What are some common pitfalls when handling error messages in PHP applications?

Common pitfalls when handling error messages in PHP applications include displaying sensitive information, not logging errors for debugging purposes, and providing vague error messages that do not help users understand the issue. To address these pitfalls, it is important to properly handle errors by displaying user-friendly messages, logging errors for debugging, and avoiding the display of sensitive information.

// Example of handling errors by displaying user-friendly messages
try {
    // Code that may throw an error
} catch (Exception $e) {
    echo "An error occurred. Please try again later.";
}

// Example of logging errors for debugging purposes
try {
    // Code that may throw an error
} catch (Exception $e) {
    error_log("An error occurred: " . $e->getMessage());
}

// Example of avoiding the display of sensitive information in error messages
try {
    // Code that may throw an error
} catch (Exception $e) {
    echo "An error occurred. Please contact the administrator for assistance.";
}