What role does the session_start() function play in the context of including PHP files with header commands?

When including PHP files with header commands, it is important to call session_start() at the beginning of the script to ensure that sessions are properly initialized before any headers are sent. This is necessary because headers must be sent before any output, and session_start() initializes the session data which may include headers.

<?php
session_start();

// Include PHP files with header commands
include 'file1.php';
include 'file2.php';
// more includes...

// Rest of the PHP script
?>