What steps can be taken to troubleshoot and debug PHP scripts that encounter "file not found" errors?

When encountering "file not found" errors in PHP scripts, the first step is to check the file path and ensure that the file exists in the specified location. Next, verify the file permissions to ensure that the PHP script has the necessary access rights to read the file. Additionally, use functions like file_exists() or is_file() to programmatically check for the existence of the file before attempting to access it.

$file_path = '/path/to/file.txt';

if (file_exists($file_path)) {
    // File exists, proceed with reading or manipulating the file
    $file_content = file_get_contents($file_path);
    // Further processing of the file content
} else {
    // Handle the case when the file is not found
    echo "File not found at specified path.";
}