What best practices should be followed when reading and comparing data from files in PHP scripts?

When reading and comparing data from files in PHP scripts, it is important to ensure that the files are properly opened, read, and closed to prevent memory leaks and potential data corruption. It is also crucial to sanitize and validate the data before comparing it to avoid security vulnerabilities and incorrect comparisons. Additionally, using proper error handling techniques can help in identifying and resolving any issues that may arise during the process. 

<?php
$filename = "data.txt";

// Open the file for reading
$file = fopen($filename, "r");

if ($file) {
    // Read the data from the file
    $data = fread($file, filesize($filename));

    // Close the file
    fclose($file);

    // Sanitize and validate the data
    $sanitizedData = filter_var($data, FILTER_SANITIZE_STRING);

    // Compare the data
    if ($sanitizedData === "expected_data") {
        echo "Data matches the expected value!";
    } else {
        echo "Data does not match the expected value.";
    }
} else {
    echo "Error opening the file.";
}
?>

Keywords

file handling fopen fread file_get_contents strcmp error handling

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