What are the recommended alternatives to using global variables for passing data between different functions in PHP?

Using global variables for passing data between functions in PHP is generally not recommended as it can lead to code that is difficult to maintain and debug. Instead, a better approach is to use function parameters to pass data between functions. This promotes encapsulation and makes the code more modular and easier to understand.

// Using function parameters to pass data between functions
function processData($data) {
    // Process the data here
    return $data;
}

function displayData($data) {
    // Display the processed data
    echo $data;
}

// Usage
$inputData = "Hello, World!";
$processedData = processData($inputData);
displayData($processedData);