What are the implications of using or omitting the first slash in a file path in PHP?

Using or omitting the first slash in a file path in PHP can change the way the file path is interpreted. If the first slash is omitted, the file path is considered relative to the current working directory. If the first slash is included, the file path is considered absolute, starting from the root directory. It is important to be consistent in using either absolute or relative paths to avoid confusion and potential errors in file path resolution.

// Example of using an absolute path with the first slash included
$file_path = '/var/www/html/myfile.txt';
// Example of using a relative path with the first slash omitted
$file_path = 'files/myfile.txt';