What best practices should be followed when structuring PHP code to improve readability and maintainability?

When structuring PHP code for improved readability and maintainability, it is important to follow best practices such as using meaningful variable and function names, organizing code into logical sections, commenting code to explain its purpose, and adhering to coding standards like PSR-12. By following these practices, code becomes easier to understand, debug, and modify in the future.

// Example of well-structured PHP code following best practices

// Define a class with a meaningful name
class User {
    // Use meaningful variable names
    private $firstName;
    private $lastName;

    // Use functions to encapsulate logic
    public function getFullName() {
        return $this->firstName . ' ' . $this->lastName;
    }
}

// Create an instance of the User class
$user = new User();
$user->firstName = 'John';
$user->lastName = 'Doe';

// Call the getFullName function to retrieve the full name
echo $user->getFullName();