When encountering issues with database outputs not displaying data, what steps can be taken to troubleshoot and identify the root cause in PHP scripts?

When encountering issues with database outputs not displaying data in PHP scripts, the first step is to check the database connection to ensure it is established successfully. Next, verify that the SQL query is correct and fetching the desired data. Finally, check for any errors in the PHP code that may be preventing the data from being displayed.

// Check the database connection
if (!$conn) {
    die("Connection failed: " . mysqli_connect_error());
}

// Execute the SQL query
$sql = "SELECT * FROM table_name";
$result = mysqli_query($conn, $sql);

// Check for errors in the query execution
if (!$result) {
    die("Error executing query: " . mysqli_error($conn));
}

// Display the fetched data
while ($row = mysqli_fetch_assoc($result)) {
    echo "Column1: " . $row['column1'] . " - Column2: " . $row['column2'] . "<br>";
}

// Close the database connection
mysqli_close($conn);