What are the best practices for handling PHP variables to avoid issues like variables not being output?

When handling PHP variables, it is important to ensure that they are properly initialized and assigned values before attempting to output them. This can help avoid issues such as variables not being output due to being undefined or null. To prevent this, always initialize variables with default values and check for their existence before attempting to use them in your code.

// Example of properly handling PHP variables to avoid issues like variables not being output

// Initialize variables with default values
$name = "";
$age = 0;

// Check if variables are set before outputting them
if(isset($name) && isset($age)){
    echo "Name: " . $name . ", Age: " . $age;
} else {
    echo "Variables not set.";
}