What are the potential pitfalls of using if statements incorrectly in PHP code?

Using if statements incorrectly in PHP code can lead to logical errors, unexpected behavior, and difficult-to-debug issues. It is important to carefully consider the conditions and logic within if statements to ensure they accurately reflect the intended behavior of the code. One common pitfall is not using proper comparison operators or not considering edge cases, which can result in incorrect outcomes. To avoid these pitfalls, always test your if statements with various input values and conditions to ensure they behave as expected. Additionally, consider using elseif or switch statements for more complex conditional logic to make the code more readable and maintainable.

// Incorrect if statement
$number = 10;

if ($number = 5) {
    echo "Number is 5";
} else {
    echo "Number is not 5";
}

// Corrected if statement
$number = 10;

if ($number == 5) {
    echo "Number is 5";
} else {
    echo "Number is not 5";
}