What are the differences between using file() and file_get_contents() functions in PHP for reading file contents?

When reading file contents in PHP, it is important to consider the differences between the file() and file_get_contents() functions. - The file() function reads a file into an array, where each line of the file is an element of the array. This function is useful when you need to process the file line by line. - On the other hand, the file_get_contents() function reads the entire contents of a file into a string, which can be more convenient when you need to work with the file as a single entity.

// Using file() function to read file contents line by line
$fileLines = file('example.txt');
foreach($fileLines as $line) {
    echo $line;
}

// Using file_get_contents() function to read entire file contents into a string
$fileContents = file_get_contents('example.txt');
echo $fileContents;