What is the importance of checking if a form was submitted before processing the input data in PHP?

It is important to check if a form was submitted before processing the input data in PHP to prevent potential security vulnerabilities such as CSRF attacks or unintentional form resubmissions. By verifying that the form was submitted before processing the input data, you can ensure that the data being processed is legitimate and intended.

if ($_SERVER["REQUEST_METHOD"] == "POST") {
    // Form was submitted, process the input data
    // Your processing logic here
} else {
    // Form was not submitted, handle accordingly (e.g. redirect to form page)
    // Your handling logic here
}