What strategies can be employed to optimize PHP code for better performance and efficiency, especially in time-sensitive projects like event management?

To optimize PHP code for better performance and efficiency in time-sensitive projects like event management, you can employ strategies such as using caching mechanisms, minimizing database queries, optimizing loops and conditionals, and utilizing opcode caching. These techniques can help reduce load times, improve responsiveness, and enhance overall system performance.

// Example of using caching mechanism (in this case, using PHP's built-in APCu)
$data = apcu_fetch('cached_data');
if (!$data) {
    // Fetch data from database
    $data = fetchDataFromDatabase();
    // Cache the data for future use
    apcu_store('cached_data', $data, 3600); // Cache for 1 hour
}

// Example of minimizing database queries
$events = getEventsFromDatabase(); // Assume this function fetches all events
foreach ($events as $event) {
    // Process each event
}

// Example of optimizing loops and conditionals
for ($i = 0; $i < count($events); $i++) {
    // Process each event
}

// Example of utilizing opcode caching (e.g., using OPcache)
if (opcache_is_script_cached('event_management.php')) {
    // Script is cached, no need to recompile
} else {
    // Recompile the script
}