What is the purpose of using the explode() function in PHP and what are some common pitfalls when using it?

The purpose of using the explode() function in PHP is to split a string into an array based on a specified delimiter. This can be useful for breaking down a string into its individual parts for further processing. One common pitfall when using explode() is not checking if the delimiter exists in the string before using the function, as this can result in errors or unexpected behavior. It's important to handle cases where the delimiter may not be present in the string to avoid issues.

$string = "apple,banana,orange";
$delimiter = ",";
if (strpos($string, $delimiter) !== false) {
    $array = explode($delimiter, $string);
    print_r($array);
} else {
    echo "Delimiter not found in string.";
}