What are the best practices for handling MySQL queries in PHP to avoid errors like the one mentioned in the thread?

The issue mentioned in the thread is likely related to SQL injection, where user input is not properly sanitized before being used in a MySQL query. To avoid this error, it is recommended to use prepared statements with parameterized queries in PHP. This helps prevent malicious SQL injection attacks by separating data from the query itself.

// Connect to MySQL database
$mysqli = new mysqli("localhost", "username", "password", "database");

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

// Prepare a SQL query with a parameterized statement
$stmt = $mysqli->prepare("SELECT * FROM users WHERE username = ?");
$stmt->bind_param("s", $username);

// Set the parameter values and execute the query
$username = $_POST['username'];
$stmt->execute();

// Fetch results
$result = $stmt->get_result();

// Loop through results
while ($row = $result->fetch_assoc()) {
    // Output data
    echo "Username: " . $row['username'] . "<br>";
}

// Close statement and connection
$stmt->close();
$mysqli->close();