What are the best practices for beginners when starting a PHP project for interactive tasks?

When starting a PHP project for interactive tasks, beginners should focus on organizing their code effectively, using proper naming conventions, and implementing security measures such as input validation and sanitization. It is also important to break down complex tasks into smaller, manageable functions and to regularly test and debug the code.

<?php

// Example of organizing code effectively and using proper naming conventions
function calculateSum($num1, $num2) {
    return $num1 + $num2;
}

// Example of implementing input validation and sanitization
$input = $_POST['user_input'];
$clean_input = filter_var($input, FILTER_SANITIZE_STRING);

// Example of breaking down tasks into smaller functions
function displayMessage($message) {
    echo $message;
}

function processForm() {
    $name = $_POST['name'];
    $email = $_POST['email'];
    
    // Perform validation and processing logic here
    
    displayMessage("Form submitted successfully!");
}
?>