What are some potential pitfalls when using MySQL functions in PHP like mysql_connect, mysql_query, and mysql_real_escape_string?

One potential pitfall when using MySQL functions in PHP like mysql_connect, mysql_query, and mysql_real_escape_string is that they are deprecated as of PHP 5.5.0 and removed in PHP 7.0.0. To avoid this issue, it is recommended to use MySQLi or PDO instead, as they offer more features and better security.

// Using MySQLi to connect to the database
$mysqli = new mysqli("localhost", "username", "password", "database");

// Checking for connection errors
if ($mysqli->connect_error) {
    die("Connection failed: " . $mysqli->connect_error);
}

// Using prepared statements to prevent SQL injection
$stmt = $mysqli->prepare("SELECT * FROM table WHERE column = ?");
$stmt->bind_param("s", $value);
$stmt->execute();
$result = $stmt->get_result();

// Using PDO to connect to the database
$pdo = new PDO("mysql:host=localhost;dbname=database", "username", "password");

// Using prepared statements to prevent SQL injection
$stmt = $pdo->prepare("SELECT * FROM table WHERE column = :value");
$stmt->bindParam(':value', $value);
$stmt->execute();
$result = $stmt->fetchAll();