What are the benefits of using arrays in PHP for handling form data validation and processing?

When handling form data validation and processing in PHP, using arrays can help organize and manipulate the data efficiently. Arrays allow you to store and access multiple form inputs easily, making it simpler to validate and process the data. By using arrays, you can loop through the form inputs to perform validation checks and store the data in a structured format for further processing.

// Example of using arrays for form data validation and processing

// Initialize an empty array to store form data
$form_data = [];

// Loop through all form inputs
foreach ($_POST as $key => $value) {
    // Validate form input data (e.g., check for required fields, sanitize input)
    $form_data[$key] = htmlspecialchars($value);
}

// Process the validated form data (e.g., insert into database, send email)
// Example: Insert form data into a database
$servername = "localhost";
$username = "username";
$password = "password";
$dbname = "myDB";

$conn = new mysqli($servername, $username, $password, $dbname);

// Check connection
if ($conn->connect_error) {
    die("Connection failed: " . $conn->connect_error);
}

// Prepare SQL statement
$sql = "INSERT INTO form_data (name, email) VALUES ('".$form_data['name']."', '".$form_data['email']."')";

// Execute SQL statement
if ($conn->query($sql) === TRUE) {
    echo "New record created successfully";
} else {
    echo "Error: " . $sql . "<br>" . $conn->error;
}

// Close connection
$conn->close();