What is the best practice for checking if a PHP variable contains a value or is null?

To check if a PHP variable contains a value or is null, you can use the `isset()` function to determine if the variable is set and not null. Additionally, you can use the `empty()` function to check if the variable is empty or contains a falsy value. By using these functions, you can accurately check the state of a PHP variable.

$variable = null;

if(isset($variable) && !empty($variable)) {
    echo "Variable contains a value.";
} else {
    echo "Variable is null or empty.";
}