What best practices should be followed when dealing with URL parameters and variable assignments in PHP scripts to avoid errors and warnings?

When dealing with URL parameters and variable assignments in PHP scripts, it is important to properly sanitize and validate user input to prevent security vulnerabilities and errors. One best practice is to use the `filter_input()` function to retrieve and sanitize input from the URL parameters. Additionally, always check if the variables are set before using them to avoid warnings and errors.

// Retrieve and sanitize input from URL parameters
$user_id = filter_input(INPUT_GET, 'user_id', FILTER_SANITIZE_NUMBER_INT);

// Check if the variable is set before using it
if(isset($user_id)) {
    // Use the $user_id variable safely
    echo "User ID: " . $user_id;
} else {
    // Handle the case when the variable is not set
    echo "User ID is not set";
}