What are some common pitfalls when transitioning from Java to PHP for programming projects?

One common pitfall when transitioning from Java to PHP is the difference in variable declaration syntax. In Java, variables are declared with a specific data type, while in PHP, variables are loosely typed. To avoid issues with variable declaration, it's important to understand PHP's dynamic typing and use appropriate data types when needed.

// Java-style variable declaration
$number = (int) 5;

// PHP-style variable declaration
$number = 5;