What are the advantages of using associative arrays with PDO Prepared Statements in PHP?

When using PDO Prepared Statements in PHP, passing values as an associative array can make the code more readable and maintainable. It allows for a clearer mapping of parameters to placeholders in the SQL query, making it easier to understand the purpose of each value being bound. Additionally, using associative arrays can help prevent errors in parameter binding by ensuring that the correct values are matched with the corresponding placeholders.

// Example of using associative arrays with PDO Prepared Statements
$pdo = new PDO('mysql:host=localhost;dbname=test', 'username', 'password');

// Define the SQL query with named placeholders
$sql = "INSERT INTO users (name, email) VALUES (:name, :email)";

// Define the values to be inserted as an associative array
$values = [
    'name' => 'John Doe',
    'email' => 'johndoe@example.com'
];

// Prepare and execute the SQL query with the values bound using the associative array
$stmt = $pdo->prepare($sql);
$stmt->execute($values);