When it comes to developing with PHP, adhering to best practices is essential for creating clean, efficient, and maintainable code. Here are 10 PHP best practices every developer should know:

1. Code Organization: Keep your code organized by following a consistent structure. Utilize directories for separating logic, controllers, and models.
2. Use Annotations: Use doc comments to annotate your functions and classes, which promotes better understanding and documentation.
3. Follow PSR Standards: Adhere to PHP-FIG standards like PSR-1, PSR-2, and PSR-4 to maintain consistent code style across projects.
4. Write Secure Code: Always validate and sanitize user input to prevent SQL injection and XSS attacks.
5. Utilize Error Handling: Implement proper error handling using exceptions to manage errors gracefully.
6. Embrace Dependency Management: Utilize composer for managing dependencies effectively.

Continuing with our list of the 10 PHP best practices, we have the following steps to enhance your coding standards:

7. Optimize Performance: Use caching techniques and minimize database queries to boost your application’s performance.
8. Write Unit Tests: Ensure that your code is reliable by writing unit tests, which helps in catching bugs early in the development cycle.
9. Keep Learning: PHP is continuously evolving, and it’s important for developers to stay updated with the latest features and best practices.
10. Version Control: Utilize version control systems like Git to keep track of changes and collaborate effectively with other developers.

When working with PHP, developers often fall into common mistakes that can lead to frustrating debugging sessions. One of the most prevalent issues is neglecting to properly sanitize user inputs. Failing to use functions like htmlspecialchars() or mysqli_real_escape_string() can leave your application vulnerable to SQL injection attacks. To avoid this, always validate and sanitize any user input before it is processed. Implementing input validation is crucial for maintaining the security and integrity of your application.

Another frequent pitfall in PHP development is the misuse of error handling. Developers may overlook the importance of displaying error messages or logging errors appropriately. Instead of leaving display_errors enabled in production, it is essential to configure error_reporting to log errors to a file. This allows you to troubleshoot issues without exposing sensitive information to users. Furthermore, utilizing try-catch blocks can help manage exceptions effectively, ensuring that your application remains robust and user-friendly.

Enhancing your PHP skills requires a commitment to exploring advanced techniques that can significantly improve your coding efficiency and application performance. One effective way to advance your skills is by mastering object-oriented programming (OOP) concepts in PHP. By embracing principles such as encapsulation, inheritance, and polymorphism, you can create more manageable and reusable code, which is essential for building robust applications. Additionally, consider diving into frameworks like Laravel or Symfony, which can streamline your development process and teach you modern best practices.

Another vital aspect to consider is learning about design patterns. Familiarizing yourself with patterns such as Singleton, Factory, and Observer can help you tackle common problems in a structured and efficient manner. Moreover, you should focus on optimizing your code by utilizing tools like Composer for dependency management and understanding how to implement caching mechanisms. To further enhance your skills, regularly engage with the PHP community through online forums and local meetups, where you can share knowledge, challenge yourself with coding exercises, and stay updated on the latest trends.