What steps should be taken to ensure that essential PHP functions are not missing in an installation?

To ensure that essential PHP functions are not missing in an installation, you can check if the required functions are available before using them in your code. This can be done by using the function_exists() function to verify if a specific function is defined in the current PHP environment. If the function is not available, you can provide a fallback solution or display an error message to inform the user.

if (function_exists('required_function')) {
    // Use the required function here
} else {
    echo 'The required function is not available in this PHP environment.';
    // Provide a fallback solution or handle the error accordingly
}