What are the best practices for ensuring correct encoding when working with strings in PHP?

When working with strings in PHP, it's important to ensure correct encoding to avoid issues with character sets and special characters. One way to ensure correct encoding is to use functions like mb_convert_encoding() or iconv() to convert strings to the desired encoding. Additionally, setting the default_charset in php.ini to the appropriate character set can help maintain consistent encoding throughout your PHP application.

// Example of converting a string to UTF-8 encoding using mb_convert_encoding
$string = "Hello, 你好";
$utf8_string = mb_convert_encoding($string, 'UTF-8', 'auto');
echo $utf8_string;