Why is it important to ensure that session_start is at the top of the script in PHP?
It is important to ensure that session_start is at the top of the script in PHP because it initializes a session for the current user, allowing you to store and retrieve session variables. If session_start is not placed at the top of the script, any output sent to the browser before session_start is called will cause an error as headers must be sent before any output. Placing session_start at the top ensures that session variables can be used throughout the script without any issues.
<?php
session_start();
// Rest of the PHP code goes here
?>