What are the advantages of using arrays to control file inclusion in PHP scripts, as mentioned in the forum conversation?

In the forum conversation, it was mentioned that using arrays to control file inclusion in PHP scripts can provide better security by restricting the files that can be included. By storing allowed file paths in an array, we can easily check if the requested file is within the allowed paths before including it, preventing unauthorized access to sensitive files. This approach also helps in organizing and managing file inclusions more efficiently.

// Define an array of allowed file paths
$allowed_files = array(
    'includes/header.php',
    'includes/footer.php'
);

// Check if the requested file is in the allowed_files array before including it
if (in_array($requested_file, $allowed_files)) {
    include $requested_file;
} else {
    echo "Access denied";
}