What are the potential pitfalls of using \t versus \s{4} for tabulation separation in PHP text file processing?

Using \t for tabulation separation can be problematic because the tab width can vary depending on the environment or text editor settings. This can lead to inconsistent spacing and formatting issues when processing text files. Using \s{4} for tabulation separation ensures a consistent spacing of 4 spaces regardless of the environment, making the text processing more reliable. 

// Using \s{4} for tabulation separation in PHP text file processing
$file = fopen("example.txt", "r");

while (!feof($file)) {
    $line = fgets($file);
    $data = preg_split('/\s{4}/', $line);
    
    // Process data
}

fclose($file);

Keywords

PHP text file processing tabulation \t \s{4}

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