What potential pitfalls should be considered when using SimpleXMLElement objects in PHP arrays?

When using SimpleXMLElement objects in PHP arrays, one potential pitfall to consider is that SimpleXMLElement objects can be tricky to work with due to their specific structure and behavior. To avoid any unexpected issues, it's important to properly handle errors and exceptions that may arise when manipulating SimpleXMLElement objects. Additionally, it's crucial to always validate and sanitize any data retrieved from SimpleXMLElement objects to prevent security vulnerabilities.

try {
    // Create a SimpleXMLElement object
    $xml = new SimpleXMLElement($xmlString);

    // Access and manipulate data from the SimpleXMLElement object
    $data = $xml->someElement->someChildElement;

    // Validate and sanitize the data before using it
    $validatedData = htmlspecialchars($data);

    // Handle any errors or exceptions that may occur
} catch (Exception $e) {
    echo "Error: " . $e->getMessage();
}