What is the potential issue with opening a file before attempting to delete it in PHP?

Opening a file before attempting to delete it in PHP can potentially lead to issues with file locking or permissions. To solve this, it's recommended to first check if the file exists and if it is writable before attempting to delete it. This helps ensure that the file can be safely opened and deleted without encountering any errors. 

$file_path = 'path/to/file.txt';

if (file_exists($file_path) && is_writable($file_path)) {
    unlink($file_path);
    echo 'File deleted successfully!';
} else {
    echo 'Unable to delete file. Please check file permissions.';
}

Keywords

file handling unlink permissions error handling race condition

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