What are the potential pitfalls of not following PHP manual guidelines when using functions like date()?

Potential pitfalls of not following PHP manual guidelines when using functions like date() include incorrect formatting of date and time values, leading to unexpected results or errors in your application. To avoid these issues, it is important to refer to the PHP manual for proper usage and formatting options when working with date and time functions.

// Incorrect usage of date() function without following PHP manual guidelines
$date = date("m-d-Y"); // Incorrect date format

// Correct usage of date() function following PHP manual guidelines
$date = date("Y-m-d"); // Correct date format
echo $date;