What is the significance of calling session_start() directly rather than within a function in PHP?

Calling session_start() directly at the beginning of your PHP script ensures that the session is started before any other session-related functions are called. This is important because session data needs to be initialized before it can be accessed or manipulated. If session_start() is called within a function, there is a risk that it may not be called before other functions that rely on session data, leading to potential errors or unexpected behavior.

<?php
session_start();

// Rest of your PHP code here
?>