What is the significance of using public properties and methods in PHP classes for object-oriented programming?

Using public properties and methods in PHP classes allows for better encapsulation and organization of code. Public properties can be accessed and modified from outside the class, while public methods can be called to perform specific actions on the class data. This helps in promoting code reusability and maintainability by separating the implementation details from the external interface of the class.

class User {
    public $name;
    
    public function setName($newName) {
        $this->name = $newName;
    }
    
    public function getName() {
        return $this->name;
    }
}

$user = new User();
$user->setName('John Doe');
echo $user->getName(); // Output: John Doe