What is the significance of initializing the $row_to variable before accessing it as an array in the code snippet?

Initializing the $row_to variable before accessing it as an array is important because it ensures that the variable exists and is set to an array before trying to access its elements. If the variable is not initialized and it is accessed as an array directly, it may result in a PHP error or notice, such as "Undefined variable" or "Trying to access array offset on value of type null". By initializing the variable beforehand, we can avoid these errors and ensure that our code runs smoothly.

$row_to = array(); // Initialize $row_to as an empty array
if ($stmt = $mysqli->prepare("SELECT * FROM table_name WHERE condition = ?")) {
    $stmt->bind_param("s", $condition);
    $stmt->execute();
    $result = $stmt->get_result();
    
    if ($result->num_rows > 0) {
        $row_to = $result->fetch_assoc(); // Assign fetched row to $row_to
    }
    
    $stmt->close();
}