What best practices should be followed when including external PHP files like "Common_Functions.php" and "connect.php" in a script?

When including external PHP files like "Common_Functions.php" and "connect.php" in a script, it is important to follow best practices to ensure proper functionality and security. One common best practice is to use the include_once or require_once functions to prevent the same file from being included multiple times. Additionally, it is recommended to use absolute paths when including files to avoid any path resolution issues.

<?php
// Include Common_Functions.php using require_once with absolute path
require_once __DIR__ . '/Common_Functions.php';

// Include connect.php using require_once with absolute path
require_once __DIR__ . '/connect.php';
?>