What are some common pitfalls when trying to delete files using PHP?

One common pitfall when trying to delete files using PHP is not checking if the file exists before attempting to delete it. This can result in errors or unexpected behavior if the file does not exist. To avoid this issue, you should always check if the file exists before attempting to delete it.

// Check if the file exists before deleting it
$file_path = 'path/to/file.txt';

if (file_exists($file_path)) {
    unlink($file_path);
    echo 'File deleted successfully';
} else {
    echo 'File does not exist';
}