What role does the session_start() function play in PHP scripts that interact with a MySQL database?
The session_start() function is used to initialize a session in PHP scripts. When interacting with a MySQL database, session_start() is often used to store and retrieve session data, such as user authentication information, across multiple pages. This function allows the PHP script to maintain stateful information for the user throughout their session.
<?php
// Start the session
session_start();
// Connect to the MySQL database
$servername = "localhost";
$username = "username";
$password = "password";
$dbname = "database";
$conn = new mysqli($servername, $username, $password, $dbname);
// Check connection
if ($conn->connect_error) {
die("Connection failed: " . $conn->connect_error);
}
echo "Connected successfully";
?>