What best practices should be followed when using if-else constructs in PHP to avoid unexpected errors?
When using if-else constructs in PHP, it's important to always include curly braces {} even if there's only one statement in the block. This helps avoid unexpected errors caused by misinterpreting the code structure. Additionally, using strict comparison operators (=== and !==) instead of loose comparison operators (== and !=) can prevent unintended type coercion.
// Incorrect way without curly braces
if ($condition)
echo "Condition is true";
else
echo "Condition is false";
// Correct way with curly braces
if ($condition) {
echo "Condition is true";
} else {
echo "Condition is false";
}